As the race for the presidency is heating up between McCain and Obama, another race is running even hotter on the field- The Presidents Race at the new Nationals Park.

This weekend, we took a trip to the nation’s capital to get a look at the new Nationals Park. It’s located south of the Capitol, along the developing Capitol Riverfront with great views of the city from the stadium.

Up-and-coming is the best way to describe the Nationals experience. D.C. is a growing baseball market in a town where everyone …

There is a common philosophical riddle that goes something like this: “When a tree falls in a lonely forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” I am not an expert in philosophy but this existential conundrum seemed to sum up the opening pre-season of the Chicago Bears. Yes, football…in August…its back but no one seemed to notice. 

With two Chicago baseball teams in first place, the last thing most fans want to think about it a fledgling Bears team. …

Midwest kids are taught how to duck and cover from the time they go to pre-school. When the tornado sirens sound, hit the floor, cover your head and ball yourself up as small as possible. Chicago even tests those air raid sirens every first Tuesday of the month.

Monday’s Cubs game against the Astros was not what any fan expected. The first five innings were relatively peaceful. But, we watched as the skies darkened and opened up. It down poured …

Day 3: The second day of your trip is always a good day to do most of your touring. This gives you, at least, one more day to fit in any sights you might have missed.

We hung back while our friends took in a lighter day of sightseeing around the southern portion of the Loop. This included the Sears Tower, the Museum Campus, and Millennium Park.

Sears Tower and the Museum Campus (which includes the stretch of park by Soldier Field, the Field Museum, and the Shedd Aquarium) are staples …

Day 2: The second day of our tour of Chicago started with breakfast/brunch at a good Chicago staple: Ann Sather. A stop at Ann Sather’s was a request from our friends since they remembered and craved the enormous cinnamon rolls. Of course, I was not going to disappoint them. We all indulged in two cinnamon rolls…each.
We hopped on the El to head downtown and do some touring. We took the brown line- which is the best tourist option. It is not as fast as the redline subway, but it has …

It is not until two British tourists show up at your door that you are forced think about what to do in a city with so many possibilities. If you are a lifelong Chicagoan, then the pressure is even worse.
Our British friends, Mick and Caroline, planned a three-day visit in Chicago during their larger U.S. vacation. In the planning phase of this visit, we made sure that their visit coincided with at least one Cubs game, but that wasn’t until the last night of their trip. So, to make the …

Andrew pulled off a first in sports travel and attendance.
We are in Minnesota for a wedding and given the fact that he is a groomsman, his schedule is fully booked by the bride. This is quite unfortunate since we can see the Target Center from our hotel.  This was made worse by the fact that we were only two blocks away from the stadium during the pre-nuptial dinner.
Not to be deterred, Andrew had a plan. He could sneak out of the dinner and make it to the WBNA game (Minnesota …

If the “thrill of victory” isn’t enough to motivate your country’s players, then how ’bout a little beer….Free Beer….FOR A LIFETIME?!?! Apparently, this is the lengths that one Vienna brewery is going to in order to motivate their Austrian national team in the Euro Cup.
As a co-host country, Austria is competing in the finals for the first time but doesn’t bode the most impressive record. They are ranked 92nd on the world stage.
Who knows if this nonsense will give the Austrians a competitive advantage? All I know is that by …

Looks like Peter Meehan of the N.Y. Times beat me to the culinary punch- reviewing the best (and worst) in ballpark food from around MLB. Of course, the action is on the field, but a perk of going to the park is the chance for great food- beyond the peanuts and Cracker Jacks. Take a peak at the interactive map which has the highlights of the “culinary scorecard.” Beyond my favorite ballpark food at Miller Park, Safeco Field scored high for their planked salmon, Dodger Stadium for their …

We were supposed to make a trip to NYC for the Belmont Stakes and the chance to see Big Brown win the triple crown. My dissertation proposal kept me away, but it seems that it was a blessing in disguise. As if Big Brown’s last place finish wasn’t disappointing enough, this event had another damper, so to speak. 

The excessive heat created a demand on water that the park was not ready to handle. At one point, the water had to be shut off and the pressure was lowered …