Tag: Travel

The 300s Previews 2020 MLB Giveaways: The AL Central

By on • ( Leave a comment )

targetfield

The 300s series previewing the best giveaways on tap across Major League Baseball this season continues today as we take a look around the American League Central.

The AL Central and NL Central are great for summer baseball road trips. There are 10 teams in the central divisions, and every team has at least one opponent within a five hour drive. If you’re in Chicago this summer, you could try to take in a Cubs game and a White Sox game if the schedule allows. If that doesn’t work, though, Milwaukee is less than two hours up Interstate 94. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are only about two hours apart, and Cleveland and Detroit are less than three hours apart.

If you time things right, it’s possible you could cross off three ballparks or more in just one week traveling around the Great Midwest this summer. If you’re ready to roll and just don’t know where to start, maybe one these giveaways will help you make your decision.

MINNESOTA TWINS

Giveaway items go to the first 10,000 fans at Target Field unless otherwise noted.

  • At their home opener on Thursday, April 2, the Twins will be handing out quarter-zip pullovers to the first 30,000 fans. An extra layer could come in handy in Minneapolis on an early April afternoon.
  • Former Twin and 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau was elected to the Twins Hall of Fame this offseason. To celebrate, the team will hand out Morneau Hall of Fame collectors pins to the first 5,000 fans on Friday, May 22.
  • The next day, Saturday, May 23, the Twins will hand out Morneau bobbleheads before his on-field induction ceremony that afternoon.
  • New Twin Josh Donaldson will get the bobblehead treatment on Tuesday, June 16.
  • The Twins are bringing back baby blue this season and on Friday, July 31, fans will receive a baby blue Twins replica jersey as the Twins host the Astros that evening.
  • On Friday, September 18, the Twins will give out stocking caps to the first 30,000 fans at they open their last home series of the season.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

  • On Saturday, May 2, the first 10,000 fans to the ballpark formerly known as The Jake will receive an Indians sweatshirt blanket as the Indians host the Giants.
  • On Saturday, May 30, the first 12,500 fans in attendance will don red Mike Clevinger jerseys for that night’s game against the Royals.

  • On Saturday, July 4th, the first 15,000 fans will receive a 1940 Bob Feller jersey.
  • Shane Bieber gets the bobblehead treatment on Saturday, July 11. The first 15,000 fans will take home an All-Star Game MVP bobblehead.
  • On Friday, July 31, the first 10,000 fans will take home a 1920 cap.
  • The next night, Saturday, August 1, 12,500 fans will take home a 1920 home jersey.
  • The first 12,500 fans on Saturday, August 15, will receive a Franmil Reyes home white jersey as the Indians host the Mariners.
  • A Jose Ramirez “Home Run Pitch” talking bobblehead goes to the first 12,500 fans on Saturday, August 29.
  • A FIFTH jersey giveaway happens on Saturday, September 12, when Oscar Mercado red jerseys will be handed out to the first 12,500 fans.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

  • Opening Day, Thursday, March 26, will be the first Free T-Shirt Thursday of the season at Guaranteed Rate Field. The first 20,00 fans on Opening Day will grab a long-sleeve tee. [Subsequent Free T-Shirt Thursdays will be for the first 10,000 fans.]
  • The first 15,000 fans through the gates on Saturday, March 28, will get to keep warm with a White Sox puffy vest.
  • The first 15,000 fans on Saturday, April 11, will keep warm with a White Sox hoodie.
  • Yoan Moncada will get his bobblehead on Saturday, April 18. The first 20,000 fans will get one as well.
  • The first 15,000 fans on Saturday, May 3, will take home a Los White Sox soccer jersey.
  • For the Saturday, May 16, game against the Blue Jays, the White Sox will give away a 1960 replica scoreboard to the first 15,000 fans.
  • A Tim Anderson bat flip bobblehead will go to the first 20,000 fans on
    Saturday, May 30.
  • Saturday, June 6, will be Margaritaville at the Park. The first 20,000 fans that night will get to celebrate in a free White Sox Hawaiian shirt.
  • The first 20,000 fans on Saturday, June 27, will get a White Sox basketball jersey.
  • Even though the White Sox will be home on September 17, they’ll celebrate halfway to St. Patrick’s Day on August 29 as they host the Astros.
    Image result for hmm gif

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

  • On Sunday, May 17, the Royals host the Dodgers and the first 10,000 fans will take home a Jackie Robinson Monarchs t-shirt.
  • The first 15,000 fans on Saturday, May 23, will take home a Jorge “Soler Power” bobblehead.
  • On Saturday, June 6, Hunter “Bull-Dozier” bobbleheads will be given out to the first 15,000 fans.
  • The first 10,000 fans to The K on Friday, June 12, will walk out wearing a 1970 Royals away jersey.
  • On Saturday, June 13, 15,000 fans will receive a Whit Merrifield “Hit Counter” bobblehead.
  • On Friday, June 26, the first 10,000 fans 21 and older will receive a Hawaiian shirt from Miller Lite.
  • The first 10,000 fans on Saturday, June 27, will receive a bullpen cart. No further details at this time, but this could be a good one.
  • Saturday, July 25, will be Christmas in July at Kauffman Stadium and the first 15,000 fans will receive a Whitey Herzog bobblehead.
  • The first 15,000 fans on Saturday, August 8, will take home a George Brett MVP bobblehead.
  • In case it’s chilly in late September, the Royals will hand out lightweight hoodies to the first 10,000 fans on Saturday, September 26.

DETROIT TIGERS

All items presented to the first 10,000 fans at Comerica Park unless otherwise noted.

  • On Saturday, April 25, fans will receive a Tigers scarf as the Tigers host the Padres.
  • On Friday, May 22, fans will receive a Tigers chip and dip bowl courtesy of Frito-Lay.
  • On Saturday, May 23, the Tigers will be giving away Tigers Hawaiian shirts.
  • On Wednesday, June 17, fans will take home a home plate welcome mat.
  • Friday, July 17, will be Niko Goodrum desk mate bobblehead night when the Tigers host the White Sox.
  • On Saturday, July 18, fans will receive a Detroit Stars fedora.
  • Friday, July 31, will be Ron Gardenhire bobblehead night as the Tigers take on the Royals.
  • On Saturday, August 15, the first 10,000 fans 21 and older will receive a Fiesta Tigres replica joursey courtesy of Miller Lite.
  • Saturday, August 29, will be Lou Whitaker replica jersey giveaway night.

 

Highlights of the AL Central giveaway schedule include a baby blue Twins replica jersey, a 1940 Bob Feller jersey, a 1960 Comiskey Park replica scoreboard, a George Brett bobblehead, and a Lou Whitaker jersey. The sweet Lou Whitaker Tigers road jersey gets the top spot on my list, but the top team spot is reserved for the Indians. With five jersey giveaways planned for this summer, maybe this is finally the year I explore Drew Carey’s hometown.

Image result for drew carey ohio

Delta Air Lines to Connect Worcester and Detroit

By on • ( Leave a comment )

delta

Boston Herald – Delta Air Lines will begin a nonstop flight between Worcester and Detroit next year in a move that officials say will offer MetroWest travelers convenience and boost the city’s economy.

The flight between Worcester Regional Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines and will give passengers more than 100 connecting opportunities, both domestic and international, according to the airline and the Massachusetts Port Authority.

 

confused rob lowe GIF

I’m shocked to hear that Delta Air Lines will be operating this flight. A direct flight between Worcester and Detroit had Southwest written all over it. Want to fly from Boston to Tampa? Have fun connecting in Chicago. Want to fly from one second-rate city to another, like Milwaukee to Cleveland, nonstop? You’re in luck with Southwest!

Look, I’m all for regional airports offering travelers more options. Let the free market do its thing. I fly a lot and more options means lower prices for everybody. Looking at the Worcester Regional Airport flight board today, it looks like JetBlue has two flights going to Florida from there today. If I were going to Disney I would take a hard look at Worcester. I just can’t imagine many folks were clamoring for more options to get to the Motor City.

“People will be able to fly to Detroit and, from there, to San Francisco, Las Vegas, China, Japan,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “It’s a good option for people in MetroWest.”

Image result for workaholics pass

That’s where you lose me, Tommy. If Detroit’s not my final destination, no way I am flying out of Worcester to get there via Motown. I’ll gladly pay the toll and sit in hours of traffic on the Mass Pike if it means not having to spend twenty minutes at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport Subway.

At least the people on the flights from Worcester to Detroit will have rows to themselves. No chance these flights will be more than half full. So we’ll see how long this lasts. Hopefully it’s part of a bigger plan to eventually attract airlines with more enticing destinations. Let me know when know I can fly from Worcester to San Diego, Phoenix or Vegas in the middle of winter and then I’ll start making plans.

In the meantime, I’ll bet Larry Lucchino is a happy man today.

Image result for larry lucchino worcester

Airlines Behaving Badly

By on • ( Leave a comment )

I’ve asked this question before and Sun Country Airlines is making me ask it again. Does any industry think less of its customers than the airline industry?

I guess this nonsense is to be expected from an airline that last summer hired the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Allegiant Air to be its new president and chief executive officer. You might remember Allegiant Air from such television programs as 60 Minutes, which on Sunday night called Allegiant Air “one of the country’s… most dangerous [airlines].”

When I hear the term “ultra-low cost carrier,” I think of Spirit Airlines, being asked to pay $3.50 for half a can of Diet Coke, being told it’ll be $25 to bring a suitcase with me, and generally being told to go eff myself. Add “figuring out how to get home from Mexico during a blizzard on my own” to that list.

Image result for fuck me right gif

For all of its troubles, I don’t remember the Fung Wah Bus ever telling people to find their own way home from New York City. No man left behind!

Image result for fung wah bus

Airlines like Spirit, Allegiant and Sun Country are slowly turning into the Fung Wah Buses of the sky. Southwest Airlines already is a bus company that just happens to own and operate planes. There’s no assigned seating and no other way to explain why a flight from Boston to Atlanta would stop in St. Louis.

My personal policy used to be to drive to any destination less than 8 hours away. These stories have me considering updating that policy to drive to to any destination less than 12 hours away. I know that air travel is a privilege and not a right, but if I have the “privilege” of paying for my ticket, luggage, soft drink and small pack of pretzels, I think I have the “right” to expect a flight home.

Does Any Industry Think Less of Its Customers Than the Airline Industry?

By on • ( Leave a comment )

There’s nothing funny about this story and I don’t have too much to add, other than to say that this stuff needs to stop.

I generally agree with what Mike Rowe had to say about air travel last year, after another United Airlines fiasco, because I also don’t want to fly with people who get to pick and choose which rules they follow. But that assumes the people enforcing the rules, namely flight attendants, are competent employees. Far too often, though, many flight attendants have demonstrated staggering incompetence.

There are far too many jobs in America that require a master’s degree that shouldn’t, or even a bachelor’s degree that shouldn’t. I don’t know what the preferred qualifications are to be a flight attendant, but I wouldn’t want to make an admittedly thankless job even tougher to get. But is it too much to ask that flight attendants understand that living animals on planes require air to breathe and not die? If you’re too God damn stupid to understand that, maybe you should be working at the Burger King in the terminal and not on the plane as a flight attendant.

Again, I don’t want to fly with people who get to choose which rules to follow, but the lack of critical thinking here is mind blowing. This attendant is like George Costanza playing Trivial Pursuit [“the card says moops”]. They did not care about the animal’s safety or well being, they only cared that a carry-on bag larger than 9 inches x 10 inches x 17 inches be placed in the overhead bin because that’s what the rules say. To ask any questions would require critical thinking and decision making, which is clearly not in the job description of a flight attendant.

PETA has released a statement calling for this flight attendant to be fired and prosecuted, and I completely agree. I’m tired of flying with idiots.

Airlines should keep stories like this in mind the next time they try to limit the number of service animals that fly with passengers. Maybe Americans wouldn’t need to fly with so many service animals if the airlines would just stop murdering their pets.

Cleveland Cavaliers Blame Having to Travel for Why They’re Not Playing Well

By on • ( Leave a comment )

ESPN –  The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Hornets 115-107 to finish their four-game road trip at 3-1, and an adjustment to their travel itinerary may have aided in their success. While in years past it was customary for the Cavs to fly out to the next city on their schedule immediately following a road game, this season they are changing how they approach trips, choosing to stay over in the city where they played and flying out the next day after each leg. “The biggest thing for recovery is sleep,” Cavs head athletic trainer Steve Spiro told ESPN. “There isn’t anything better, and for these guys that are taxing their bodies through travel and through their workload on the court, and practice, and extra work or whatever, we can have all the technology in the world, but obviously a great night’s sleep plays a role into performance. There’s no doubt about it. So you have to have your finger on the pulse of it.”

Oh my god, what a bunch of fucking babies. Now the Cavs are blaming the fact that they have to travel, ya know like every other team in the NBA, on why they’re struggling?

“We’re old, man,” said James, who turns 33 next month. “Whenever we get a chance to stay over for the night this season, we have to do that.”

And then look at this line about Kevin Love.

“There are still some kinks to the system, however. Love, for instance, would have preferred if the Cavs had left Dallas a few hours earlier Sunday since they were losing an hour with the time-zone change from Central to Eastern on their flight to New York City. By the time they got to their hotel in New York, it was already past 7 p.m., and he felt as if the day was lost.“

Cream cheese soft. I actually can’t wait for this plan to backfire when the first player misses the team flight the next day because he went out and got bombed the night before instead of flying out like a normal team.

If there was ever one thing that signified the end of the Cavs reign in the East, its this. Not the fact they have the oldest roster in the league, not the fact that LeBron is subtweeting Arthur memes like a high school chick, nope none of that. They’re complaining if they don’t get a full 9-10 hours of sleep every night like a goddamn cat. Cavs are done. Make them slightly uncomfortable and they’ll crumble. Celtics will be in the NBA Finals this year, book it.

Airlines Behaving Badly

By on • ( Leave a comment )

airbus-a319-2005-spirit-airlines-dfw-airport-aug-20-2015

USA Today – Lines are longer than usual. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled during the past week. By Monday, frustrations boiled over for Spirit Airlines passengers in Fort Lauderdale.

Police were called to quell fights that had broken out there between upset fliers and beleaguered airline employees. Videos posted by passengers showed a chaotic scene, with authorities doing their best to separate fighting fliers.

The Monday evening incident erupted after Spirit Airlines abruptly canceled nine different flights, according to CBS News. But problems had been building at the carrier for the past week, with CNN saying nearly 300 Spirit flights have been canceled during that period.

I feel for these fliers, I really do. They’re just like the rest of us, trying to get from Point A to Point B as cheap as possible. All airlines basically suck, so who cares if you lose a little leg room or the free half can of Diet Coke on Spirit?

But I’d be lying if I told you wasn’t laughing at Spirt Airlines today.

simpsons

You know how I know Spirit really is the worst? Even the pilots employed by Spirit hate Spirit.

Spirit Airlines filed a suit Monday against its pilot union… In its suit, Spirit accused the union of being “engaged in a pervasive illegal work slowdown that has caused approximately 300 flight cancellations and has disrupted the travel plans of over 20,000 customers.”

Spirit suggested the effort was an attempt by the union to affect contract negotiations.

If there’s any justice in this world, it’d be nice to see Spirit get hit with a billion dollars worth of change fees for the 20,000 customers they’ve screwed.

Will that be cash or check, Spirit?

 

PS – As always, I really just want this airline’s stock to take a dump so I can get a $40 flight to California next month. Is that too much to ask for?