Jeff Fletcher | November 6, 2009

It was actually over yesterday. Thanks to the Yankees finishing off the Phillies on Wednesday night, I got on a JetBlue flight on Thursday morning and flew nonstop back to Oakland. Today was the first real day of the offseason, which still figures to be busy because of all the player-movement news I’m going to try to chase, starting with the GM Meetings on Monday in Chicago. (Yes, back on the road, but only a three-day quick trip.)

Anyway, overall I’d say it was a pretty cool experience to go running around covering the playoffs for a month. It’s funny, because when it was over I looked back at some of the early parts, like that Dodgers-Cardinals series, and it seems like it was months ago.

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Jeff Fletcher | November 2, 2009

After two days of little but sleeping, eating and going to the ballpark in Philadelphia, I decided I should get out and see something. Turns out that my hotel is just about eight blocks away from the birthplace of our nation. How bout that!

For starters, it’s hard to believe that I voluntarily went to see a historical site (and more than one). Growing up as the son of a history professor, I spent much of my childhood complaining about going to see boring forts and museums and other relics that meant nothing whatsoever to me. So today, when I was looking at all of the written exhibits (well, some of them) on the way to the Liberty Bell, and seeing all these school-kids just running by so they could get it over with, I decided that education is wasted on the young.

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Jeff Fletcher | November 1, 2009

Thanks to about a 90 minute rain delay and the standard three and a half hour ballgame, plus a 20 minute search for a cab home, I didn’t get back to my hotel room till about 3 am (which became 2 am, thanks to the time change). Bottom line, I slept till almost noon today, which left me just enough time to get to lunch and come to the ballpark. Me and two other writers walked to Chinatown and got some, uh, Chinese food. Then we took the subway to the ballpark.

The Philadelphia subway seems pretty convenient. Similar to New York. Not quite as squeaky clean as we’re used in the Bay Area with BART, but it does the trick. It’s also cheaper.

Anyway, now I’m at the ballpark, so there’s not a whole lot to report from today. I am planning to wake up early on Monday and go see some stuff in Philadelphia. Maybe the Liberty Bell. Maybe Constitution Hall. I did want to go to the Mint and see how they make money, but apparently you can’t bring cell phones or cameras into there. I can’t be without my cell phone.

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Jeff Fletcher | October 31, 2009

Got some time to kill before the start of Game 3 — I told you, there’s a lot more going on when there’s not a game than when there is — so I’ve taken a few pictures from around Citizens Bank Park.

First, here is a statue of Mike Schmidt outside the park. Schmidt, of course, is a proud graduate, er, attendee, of Ohio University.

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Jeff Fletcher | October 31, 2009

It’s been a couple days since I posted, which I’m sure is disappointing to both of you who are following along with me. Friday was one of those travel/workout days, so it was much busier than a normal game day, in which there’s nothing to do till game time. Plus, after the train and the workout in Philadelphia, there was the big World Series gala, which was a pretty good party. More on that later.

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Jeff Fletcher | October 29, 2009

For today’s adventure, I went to Rockefeller Plaza to see if I could become a writer for a Saturday Night Live. Hey, I’m funny. Seriously, I just went because it was an easily accessible (read: has its own subway stop) place where I could go up and see the whole city.

Well, it wasn’t quite as easily accessible as I figured. I knew there’d be a lot of tourists there, and I figured I might even have to wait in line, but it was full-on Disneyland. Wait in this line. Go up the elevator to wait in this line. Pile into this roped-off area to wait while we show you a little video. Move into this line to wait for the elevator. Sheesh. Must have taken me 20 minutes from the time I bought my ticket till I was actually at the observation deck. Oh well. I had nothing else to do.

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Jeff Fletcher | October 28, 2009

Those of you who are my Facebook friends have already seen these, but in case you aren’t, here are some pictures of Yankee Stadium.

Our tour begins, as it should, in the press box. On the left is the media dining room, where many reporters who didn’t get seats in the main box, right, were camped out. I am currently in the media work room, still debating whether to go out to the aux box for the game. Pictures of that are below.

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