July 9, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Yet another road trip to the Midwest!?

As noted in my June 26 blog post about baseball, I spent the first half of last month on an overland journey to the Midwest and back. It was actually the third time over the past twelve months that I have made such a trip, with similar destinations but significant variations in the routes to and from. (Family obligations were a big factor behind these trips.) On this trip I made three notable "touristy" stops on the westward leg, three major day trips (oriented around birding) while in South Dakota, and five notable (if not lengthy) stops on my way back home in the east.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: U.S. Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio (May 31); Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois (June 1); the new stadium near the Field of Dreams movie site northeast of Dyersville, Iowa (June 1); and Highway 61 (Revisited?) sign in eastern Iowa (June 1).

On May 31, I fulfilled a long-deferred goal when I spent a couple hours at the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. It is located next to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and in fact used to be part of it. Four of the big hangars in which historical aircraft are displayed were formerly used operationally by the Air Force. Being time-constrained, I only visited the section devoted to World Wars I and II (a highlight being the "Memphis Belle" B-17 bomber), leaving for a future date a visit to the Cold War and recent sections, including missiles. I then drove straight across Indiana, catching a glimpse of Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL Colts, and got through most of Illinois before dusk.

The next day, June 1, I started by visiting the campus of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Besides being a fine academic institution, it has historical significance for being the site of one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858. I had caught a glimpse of the south edge of the campus previously while traveling on Amtrak trains. Then I drove around Galesburg, which seems like a prosperous, friendly community. While downtown, I noticed a sign for the "Ronald Reagan Trail," which I assume takes a person to various historical sites where the 40th president spent his formative years. I then crossed the Mississippi River east of the Quad Cities and then proceeded north on U.S. Highway 61, which was made famous by Bob Dylan in his 1965 album with that name. As noted in my June 26 blog post, I paid a visit the Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville, Iowa. (They were putting the finishing touches on a new stadium where an MLB game will be played in August!) Then I resumed my westward course along Highway 20, and arrived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota late in the day.

Out and about in South Dakota

During my ten or so days in South Dakota, I made several day trips oriented around birding, taking advantage of the fact that it was still breeding season. On June 6 my brother John and I drove all the way up to Watertown in an ambitious birding venture, passing many lakes along the way. Northeastern South Dakota is full of lakes, and it's chock full of recreational tourists during the summer months.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Dewey Gevik Nature Area (June 9); grain elevators in Parker (June 11); skyline of Sioux Falls from the east. (June 12)

My next big trip was June 9, when I went to Wall Lake and nearby Dewey Gevik Nature Area, located about 12 miles west of Sioux Falls. There were lots of folks on boats and on the beach. While there I saw four F-16 fighter jets from the South Dakota Air National Guard flying overhead.

My last full day in South Dakota (June 11) I took a meandering drive during the morning and early afternoon to see various towns such as Parker and Marion. I decided to photograph the grain elevators in each town that I passed, since agriculture is the biggest business in the state. In the late afternoon my brothers and I got together for a delicious barbecue dinner in the town of Freeman. On the way back to Sioux Falls, I finally got a good look at several Ring-necked Pheasants, as will be described in more detail in a future bird-oriented blog post. It was a fitting send-off, since they are the official state birds of South Dakota.

Ring-necked Pheasant (male), north of Freeman, SD. (June 11)

While on a birding walk west of the Sioux Falls airport on June 8, I spotted three different small mammals in the open fields. The 13-lined Ground Squirrels are fairly common, and most people just call them "gophers." I was lucky to spot a Richardson's Ground Squirrel. That species is plain in appearance, looking like tiny groundhogs. Finally, I was very lucky to see several White-Tailed Jackrabbits foraging in the distance. I learned that they are reclusive by nature, but one is more likely to see them during breeding season.

LEFT: 13-lined Ground Squirrel; TOP RIGHT: Richardson's Ground Squirrel; White-Tailed Jackrabbit. (June 8, west of Sioux Falls airport)

Return trip: east by northeast!

Since I had already driven across the Midwest to or from Virginia five times since the previous August, I decided to something different for my return trip to Virginia. So, instead of heading east on the morning of June 12, I went northeast toward the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Gradually the terrain changed, with more and more trees. I was curious about the social situation in the wake of the violent clashes with ICE agents during the winter, so I drove for a while along Nicollet Avenue in southern Minneapolis. One thing I learned is that there are a lot of people from Muslim countries there. Another thing is that the McDonald's restaurant south of downtown did not have restrooms available to the public, presumably for fear of crime. Very aggravating! Once I reached downtown, I parked for a while so that I could get some photos of Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins. This time I passed the western and southwestern sides, whereas before (2010), I had seen it from the north and eastern sides. After some awkward navigation along congested streets, I made it to U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. Then I drove to St. Paul, where I got some great photos of the Minnesota State Capitol. (My previous visit there many years ago was during the winter, and the photo I took was lousy.) Then I drove straight east through Wisconsin for a few hours. I was surprised and annoyed to encounter major traffic delays in the middle of nowhere, and I really don't know what the problem was. There were more pine trees the farther east that I went, but no special nature areas that might have been worth visiting. I spent the night about an hour west of Green Bay.

TOP: Minneapolis (June 12); MIDDLE: Mackinac Bridge (LEFT, June 13) and Detroit (RIGHT, June 14); BOTTOM: Minnesota State Capitol (LEFT, in St. Paul, June 12) and Michigan State Capitol (RIGHT, in Lansing, June 14).

On Saturday June 13 I had two objectives: visiting Lambeau Field (home of the Green Bay Packers) for the very first time and stopping to look for birds that breed in northern latitudes. I struck out as far as birds, but got some very nice photos of Lambeau Field in the morning sun. I was mildly surprised that the stadium is adjacent to a residential neighborhood, and that most of the parking area consists of nothing but grassy vacant lots. (Most of the Packers' fans "commute" to the games from Milwauakee via bus or train.) I drove northeast toward the town of Marinette, which features an impressive gleaming white county court house. Then I crossed the river into Michigan, and a nice lady at the visitor center tried to be helpful as far as identifying locations to look for birds. I ended up spending too much time stopping at various places along the way, further delaying my very ambitious itinerary. During my cross-continent road trip in 1987 I had crossed the Upper Peninsula (U.P.)* of Michigan from east (Sault St. Marie) to the west, parallel to Lake Superior. This time I crossed along the southern, Lake Michigan side. In the mid-afternoon I crossed the famous Mackinac Bridge (built in 1958) for the very first time, and I spent the night near the town of Grayling, where I was delighted to see "Kirtland Community College," named for a rare bird that I was pursuing.

* People who reside in the U.P. are called "Yoopers," and I saw a sign for a "Yooper Winery."

Sunday June 14 was a big day, but it was already getting cloudy in the morning, a rather ominous sign as we shall see. I spent a couple hours in the morning searching for the seldom-seen Kirtland's Warbler, as will be described in a future blog post. (Spoiler alert: I succeeded in my quest!) The land in north-central Michigan is covered with pine forests, and it seems they have reached a good balance between commercial use of the timber resources and the wildlife conservation. I saw timber operations owned by Weyerhaeuser and Arauco near Grayling. The Weyerhaeuser Corporation advertises itself as "the tree-growing company," and that seems to be an accurate description from what I could tell. Anyway, I got back on the highway and headed south, as it began to rain lightly. By the time I got to Lansing, where I paid a visit to the state capitol building, the rain was getting steadier. On the radio were warnings about floods in the Detroit area, which was my next destination. Indeed the rain became a real problem, causing the traffic to slow down as I entered the suburbs of Detroit, and I saw some accumulated water in a couple places. I visited four separate stadium sites in Detroit: Hamtramck Stadium, Comerica Park, Ford Field, and "The Corner Ballpark," where Tiger Stadium once stood. As in the Twin Cities, navigating urban streets proved to be a big challenge, and I wasted some time making wrong turns. Because of the rain, there wasn't much point to taking photos of the downtown skyline, as I had hoped to do.

Anyway, I got back on the road heading to Toledo, but as I approached Cleveland there were more reports of severe thunderstorms, so I bypassed that city entirely. It was already late afternoon, and my hopes of taking photos in Pittsburgh quickly dwindled as the rain got worse again. To save money on the very expensive Pennsylvania Turnpike, I headed south toward Morgantown, West Virginia and spent the night in that area. The next day I drove along I-68 in western Maryland, picked up Jacqueline at Dulles Airport, and we headed home together -- quite exhausted!

To see some of the above photos in larger size, see the Chronological Photos, 2026 web gallery page, which has been thoroughly updated, but probably needs a bit more tweaking.

July 4, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, February 2025

This is another episode in my efforts to get caught up with my blog posts about birding. (The first item should have been included with the previous post on May 25.)

January 28: In the morning (Tuesday) we had a Cooper's Hawk out back for the first time this season, or at least for the last couple months. It was a first-year bird, as you can see from the brown streaks in front. (Adults have a dull orange front.)

Cooper's Hawk (1st year) out back, Jan. 28

February 1-2: I took advantage of the nice weather by going for a nature hike at Dowell's Draft and then Braley Pond, and essentially struck out. Snow lingered, and the pond was still covered by ice. I heard a Red-breasted Nuthatch, but did not see a single bird! The next day was cloudier but birdier, with a variety of birds out back: Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finches, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Over on Bell's Lane, the usual raptors were present: American Kestrel (feasting on a vole, it would appear), Two Northern Harriers, and two Red-tailed Hawks.

February 9: It was definitely a Superb Owl Sunday for me, as I saw three (3) Short-eared Owls in the Swoope area, and photographed two of them! The one shown here was squabbling with another one that eluded my camera. The other big highlight was a Bald Eagle perched in a tree, which may have been an auspicious sign for the Philadelphia Eagles, who ended up winning the big game! I also saw two American Kestrels, as well as some White-breasted Nuthatches, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a Ring-necked Duck on the lake by the Boy Scout camp.

(February 9, 2025)

February 12: In the aftermath of a snow storm, we had plenty of birds out back, and I had good looks at a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker as well as two Yellow-rumped Warblers. The Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatch paid several visits, enabling me to get good images of each one. There were also quite a few Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, etc.

February 14 (Valentine's Day!): I got some much-needed exercise walking along the trail behind the Murphy-Deming School in Fishersville. A few Yellow-rumped Warblers popped into view, and I heard and glimpsed a couple Red-breasted Nuthatches, but not much else. Then along Bell's Lane just before dusk, I spotted a Short-eared Owl and a Red-tailed Hawk.

February 16: It was the Great Back Yard Bird Count weekend, but we had no electric power due to the ice storm. So, I went for a brisk stroll along Bell's Lane, where the winds were wreaking havoc. Fallen branches everywhere! I had a beautiful view of an Eastern Bluebird early on, and eventually had decent views of some Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. No raptors were in sight, but I did spot several Common Mergansers on one of the ponds.

February 22-23: Jacqueline and I took a random drive around the periphery of Staunton, and came across a variety of raptors. In front of Chipotle on Rt. 250 was a young Red-shouldered Hawk, and we soon saw two adults of that species: one was about a mile north, along National Avenue, and the other was along Bell's Lane. In that general area is where we also saw a Northern Harrier, a young Red-tailed Hawk, and an American Kestrel, along with a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. The next day (Sunday) we went for a walk along the road at the Boy Scout Camp, but didn't see much other than a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Field Sparrow, and a bunch of Dark-eyed Juncos. Elsewhere in the Swoope area, we saw two Killdeers, some Eastern Bluebirds, and some American Kestrels, but no other raptors, and no Shrike, once again.

(February 22, 2025)

February 25-28: Jacqueline and I went hiking at Madison Run (east of Grottoes), and saw a Mourning Cloak butterfly but no birds of note. Two days later (Thursday) we hiked along the Johnson's Draft trail near Braley Pond, but saw little more than a Dark-eyed junco. And on Friday (the 28th) we drove up to Harrisonburg and then the Mount Crawford area, apparently in search of some rare bird. (I forget what it was.) We stopped at the Green Valley Book Fair, then passed the Rockingham County Buc-ee's construction site, and ended up seeing various hawks, woodpeckers, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a Brown Creeper.

Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, can be seen on the Wild Birds chronological (2025) page.

July 4, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Independence Day 2026:
How to cope with Trump's power grab?

I thought the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the official signing* of the Declaration of Independence would be appropriate for me to wade back into the murky waters of online pontificating, a.k.a. "blogging." (My last blog post on politics concerned the topic of mass shootings, on May 24, 2023!) A few months ago I started a Substack account, but haven't written anything for it so far. So the focus of today's musings will be on how to keep the power of the president in check, especially during times of deep domestic division.

* the Second Continental Congress had already voted in favor of independence two days earlier, but a few details on the words that Thomas Jefferson had drafted needed to be ironed out.

Though his most ardent supporters might deny it, President Donald Trump's grab for power really is unprecedented in U.S. history. Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, and Barack Obama all exceeded the proper bounds of executive authority based on some emergency or other, but in each case the assertion of power was circumscribed and at least arguably within constitutional bounds.

Most constitutional scholars agree with the idea of "inherent" powers, under which the president has the authority to take actions that are necessary to preserve the existence of the government itself. No constitution could possibly foresee every single contingency that might make it necessary to take exceptional actions. It was on that basis that Abe Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus in 1861, because otherwise Confederate spies and saboteurs lurking around the District of Columbia could have substantially neutralized the U.S. government's power, allowing the secessionist states to destroy the Union.

As Harvey Mansfield Jr. noted in his 1979 book Selected Writings -- Jefferson (p. xii), declaring that governmental legitimacy rests upon the consent of the governed does not imply any specific form of government. Even a monarch with limited powers (as has been the case in Great Britain since the early 19th Century) could be considered legitimate, or else what was the point of listing all of the grievances in the Declaration of Independence? That puts the protest slogan "No Kings" in an interesting perspective.

In Trump's case, the very notion that there are limits on presidential power is tossed aside. For almost every issue or problem there is an "emergency" that requires an immediate drastic remedy. Here are some of the leading examples:

• Ordering that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the "Gulf of America." I'm not aware of anyone who previously suggested this sort of thing might be within a president's purview.
• Attaching his name and face to government buildings (such as the Kennedy Center, which thanks to a court ruling no longer says "Trump" on it) or documents such as passports and possibly currency notes. These are the sorts of things a Third World dictator would do, and it makes us look ridiculous
• Invoking a 1970s law to exercise the power to set tariff rates (in quite a capricious manner) on the grounds that there is some kind of national "emergency."
• Sending military forces into several cities without the consent of local leaders, on the bogus grounds that some kind of insurrection was taking place.
• Using the FCC's regulatory power to pressure TV networks into removing TV hosts who criticize Trump.
• Undermining the autonomy of the Federal Reserve by threatening to bring charges of incompetence against (former) Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, who is a widely-respected financial expert.
• Ordering U.S. military forces to attack Venezuela and detain the dictator Nicolas Maduro, without seeking authorization or even consulting Congress about it.
• Making outrageous threats to seize control of Greenland, which is administered by Denmark, a NATO ally. Such an action would effectively destroy NATO.
• Finally, ordering U.S. military forces to launch (on February 28) a full-scale war against the Islamic Republic of Iran, apparently with the express purpose of killing its then-leader, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khameini. There was no pretense at all of seeking Congressional approval.

Tragically, Congress has utterly failed in its responsibility to maintain a balance of power among the three branches of government. To better understand how our government is supposed to work, read James Madison's The Federalist #51. In it, he articulates how "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition" so that no one branch becomes too powerful. Ultimately, it is up to the voters to make sure that happens.

It was of some consolation that the Supreme Court rulings of the term that just ended did block Trump from doing whatever he wanted to, but in some cases they were unnervingly permissive. Whatever one thinks of Trump's policies and his higher goals of making America "great," the fact remains that our system of government has broken down. Decisions that are made in an improper manner simply do not carry the moral weight of decisions that are reached within constitutional limits and traditional norms. That's important because the opposing party could quickly reverse many of those policies if they find a way to get back into power. Such a turbulent series of back-and-forth policy reversals would undermine respect for authority and would diminish investor confidence in the United States. Meanwhile, the national debt continues to climb by well over $1 trillion per year, and the two parties just blame each other for it.

President Trump's image adorns the northwest corner of the Justice Department Building. (Feb. 21, 2026)

Virginia Democrats' bogus response

Early this year, Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly managed to squeeze through a "temporary" state constitutional amendment that would have enacted an extreme gerrymandering measure in retaliation for Texas and other GOP-led states for doing so. In April their redistricting amendment was narrowly approved by voters. I have mixed feelings about that, but am mostly disgusted with the whole thing. Evidently, the Democrats didn't think they could pick up enough seats with the current congressional districts in Virginia by reaching out to moderates.

After the election, I accessed 2024 election data from the Virginia Department of Elections, and found that the Democrats won 51.5% of all votes cast for House of Representatives candidates in Virginia, while Republicans won 47.7%. (The rest were independents and write-in votes.) That corresponds very closely to the distribution of House seats: 6 Democrats (54.5%) vs. 5 Republicans (45.5%), which indicates that the current district arrangement is almost ideal. And yet the wording on the ballot describing the proposed amendment describes its purpose as being to "restore fairness." Talk about misleading advertising!

We all know what the real purpose of this amendment was: to fight back against gerrymandering measures recently adopted in Texas and other "red" states. Tit for tat, fighting fire with fire, etc. Maybe it will end up helping to block or even reverse President Trump's grab for power, but we may not know the ultimate results of the Democrats' own grab for power for many years. It's just an awful shame that the Democrats saw no other way to accomplish their anti-authoritarian objectives than by resorting to the most blatant case of gerrymandering in U.S. history. Fortunately, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the whole effort was improperly conducted, mainly due to the fact that the measure was approved by the state legislature after early voting in the 2025 state elections had already begun. And so, it was invalidated, leaving the public confused and annoyed.

The Democrats seem to think that all our nation's troubles can be fixed if only they regain governmental power, but they are a big part of the problem. What they don't seem to realize is that the Trump phenomenon (right-wing populism) is a manifestation of systemic forces tending toward greater and greater polarization. In a midterm election with a historically unpopular president, the opposition party in Virginia would ordinarily be expected to gain two or perhaps even three seats, if they had gotten away with this measure they probably would have picked up four seats. It looks like incumbent 6th District Representative Rep. Ben Cline will win easily in this November's elections.

I think this episode in Virginia offers broader lessons for the country as a whole. Why can't the Democrats respond effectively to Trump's power grab? In part it's probably because they realize deep inside that they have a similar lust for power and have abused authority in the past. But a bigger reason, I think, is simply that they have let themselves be overwhelmed by Trump's nonstop bluster, allowing Trump to set the terms of discourse. It will take some true wisdom and leadership for the opposition party to win convincingly in the polls this November, and frankly I'm not very optimistic. The ongoing decay Democracy is part of a vicious cycle, in which politicians who pander to majorities facilitate the "dumbing down" of the electorate, which thus becomes more docile and so cynical about politics that our system of self-government keeps eroding.

I don't pretend to have all the answers to our country's problems, and this essay is but a tentative, preliminary effort to clarify what is really taking place. I hope to develop these thoughts later on.

July 3, 2026 [LINK / comment]

The Nats bounce back from adversity

After the horrendous series of stunning 9th-inning reversals against the Phillies on June 22, 23, and 24, one might wonder how the Washington Nationals would react. Pretty well, actually. Even though they lost the first game against the Orioles in Baltimore last Friday, they won the next two, thus winning yet another series on the road. On Saturday Foster Griffin had a splendid outing, striking out 10 batters over 7 innings, but then the bullpen blew it as usual, and the game was tied 2-2. In the top of the 10th inning, Daylen Lile batted in the "ghost runner" from 2nd base base, and the Nats held on to win. On Sunday Luis Garcia almost single-handedly won the game, with 2 home runs, a double, and 5 RBIs. Nats 6, Orioles 4.

On Monday the Nats headed to Boston, where the Red Sox had just beaten the Yankees in a thrilling 10-inning game that was broadcast on NBC. Unfortunately, the Nats starter Miles Mikolas was totally ineffective, while the Red Sox still had lots of momentum from the night before. Final score: 6-3. But on Tuesday there was a real pitchers' duel, with the score 1-1 after 6 innings. Then the Nationals unleashed their awesome offensive firepower, with multiple doubles and another home run by C.J. Abrams. Nats 8, Red Sox 1. In the game on Wednesday afternoon, Cade Cavalli had his best day pitching of his entire career, striking out 13 batters over 7 innings. The Red Sox' only runs came off relief pitcher Riley Cornelio. Final score: 10-2.

That series (and the one before it) erased any doubt about whether those adverse outcomes last week might have a lingering effect. The Nats may still be in 4th place in the NL East, but they are still in the running for a wild card spot. In tonight's game back home in Washington against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Nats have hit 3 home runs so far, and lead 5-1 after 4 innings. [UPDATE: The Nats built a 9-1 lead in the latter innings, as both Luis Garcia Jr. and Daylen Lile hit two home runs each, but the bullpen flinched once again and the Pirates scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th. Final score: Nats 9, Pirates 5.]

[I should have mentioned that Luis Garcia was named NL Player of the Week for the week of June 28. He hit 11 home runs in June, and has 18 for the year now, tied with C.J. Abrams and 2 behind James Wood, who is tied for 7th in the major leagues. Kyle Schwarber has 30 already, setting a Phillies club record for the first half of the year, and on his way to challenging Aaron Judge's MLB record* of 62.]

[* excluding the steroid era]

[That fracas in Boston]

[I also should have mentioned the unpleasantness in Fenway Park on Tuesday after Wilson Contreras struck out. There was an ugly glance and Cade Cavalli said "Sit down, boy," prompting Contreras to start fighting. Contreras had tossed his bat high in the air after homering on Monday, and that apparently angered the Nats. It took a few minutes for the melee to die down, and Contreras, Cavalli, and Miles Mikolas were all suspended for multiple games. Trash talk is often risky business, and Cavalli acknowledged his mistake. He'll only miss one game in the Nats rotation.]

Follow-up on the Phillies

To amplify what jaw-dropping feat the Philadelphia Phillies accomplished in Washington last week, it was the first time in MLB history that a team hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of three consecutive games. The "heroes" (from the visitors' point of view) were Bryson Stott on Tuesday, on an 0-0 count (final score 14-9), Derek Hill on Wednesday, on a 1-2 count (final score 5-4), and Bryce Harper on Thursday, on a 1-0 count (final score 10-5). I'm pretty sure it was the first time in many years that a team came back to win after being so many runs behind with two outs and two strikes in the 9th inning.

Follow-up on FIFA stadium names

I neglected to include a link to the article upon which much of my recent summary of FIFA stadium name changes was based. For the record, it was in the Washington Post. (For those who are trying to keep up with the World Cup, the U.S. national men's team beat Bosnia-Hercegovina on Wednesday, thus going to the Round of 16.)

Washington Nationals page update

The Washington Nationals page has been updated to include the month of June, just a couple days after I did the updates for May. It now includes the head-to-head records against all opponents the Nats have played during the first three full months of the 2026 season. The Nats' best record is against the Milwaukee Brewers (4-2), and their worst record is against the L.A. Dodgers (0-3) and the Miami Marlins (1-5).

Rate Field update

As noted on May 15, the name of Guaranteed Rate Field has been changed to simply "Rate Field." This was reported in December 2024 apnews.com. Accordingly, [the Stadium name chronology page has been updated] with the new name for Rate Field, "UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium," etc. I have made the usual tweaks to formatting [to the renamed Rate Field page], with a transitional photo section. In the interests of simplification, [there will be fewer photos on stadium pages in] the future. This is the composite "preview" [similar to what most stadium pages will eventually have]:

Views of what was then called "U.S. Cellular Field" when I saw a White Sox-Cardinals game there in July 2015.

City and stadium composite photos

In addition to the stadium composite photos, there are now [larger-size] composite photos for cities as well. [These will appear on most or all pages of stadiums currently in use.] Here is the one for Chicago, consisting of photos that I took in 2008 and 2014:

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Chicago River, downtown, the Calder steel sculpture, skyline from (Guaranteed) Rate Field, and one of the typical elevated trains.

June 26, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Baseball (and football!) road trip 2026: partly rained out

I had high ambitions for my trip out to the Midwest and back this month, but unfortunately I was only able to accomplish about half of my goals as far as visiting baseball stadiums. My itinerary included only one large city while heading west to South Dakota (Indianapolis), but I made a slight detour to visit the Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville, Iowa. Thanks to a tip from Mark London I learned that construction on the new permanent stadium is nearing completion. I must say, it looks very impressive! (The last time I was there, in 2024, I was disappointed to discover that there was nothing at the site where the 2021 and 2022 MLB games had been played there, just dugouts, light towers, and a utility building or two. As I learned, the stands themselves were nothing but temporary, removable bleachers.) In western Iowa I drove past a minor league venue: Lewis & Clark Park in Sioux City.

On my way back east, on Friday June 12th, I took a northerly route through the Great Lakes region, for a variety of reasons. (These would include my interests in birds, state capitol buildings, and -- as described below -- football stadiums.) My first stop was in the Twin Cities, where I visited Target Field for a second time. (I saw a game there in August 2010, which was the very first year the Twins played there.) It being a Friday in the early afternoon, the nearby streets were all congested, discouraging me from making a longer visit there. The fact that Target Field is virtually surrounded by freeways is one of the factors weighing against it; it's just not very easy for pedestrians to get to. I was extremely time conscious, so I quickly drove a mile or two east to see the NFL Vikings' new home. (See below.)

Detroit ended up being the real highlight of my baseball stadium "chase." On Sunday, June 14th I first visited the historic Negro League venue known as Hamtramck Stadium, located in the ethnic enclave [of Hamtramck, northeast of the city center], in which Polish people once predominated but appears to be mainly Middle Eastern or East African nowadays. Then I headed downtown and drove past Comerica Park (and Ford Field next door), and finally stopped at the new "Corner Ballpark," which is located where Tiger Stadium once stood. (The last time I was in Detroit, in 2015, there was a fenced-off area with a sign indicating that the area was being maintained by the "Navin Field Grounds Crew.") The ballpark itself was fenced off, but from peeking inside I was able to determine that the original field perimeter has been replicated, evidently with the same outfield dimensions as in the old days. Indeed, "Kaline's Corner" (right field) is clearly marked! The same flagpole that once stood to the left of center field is still there. Underneath the small roof-covered grandstand along the third base side is the "Hank Greenberg Walk of Heroes." Oddly, the only seats behind home plate are picnic tables, but there is a small bleacher section along the first base side. (Future diagram? You bet!) This was part of an initiative to improve community relations with the Detroit police force. Indeed, the new building adjacent to the ballpark is labeled "Detroit Police Athletic League." Along Michigan Avenue between Cochrane and Trumbull Streets is a row of condominiums with various shops and restaurants on the bottom level.

NOTE: New photos already appear on some of those stadium pages, and others will be added soon.

It was raining [lightly] pretty much the whole time I was in the Detroit area (including Hamtramck), so my photos weren't as good as I had been hoping. [The rain got heavier as I drove into Ohio, which was] why the final phase of my trip (into Cleveland and Pittsburgh) was literally washed out. There were games in both cities that day, and I had vague notions of attending the one in Pittsburgh, but given all my other travel objectives, that just wasn't realistic. I thought I might be able to at least get some photos in either of those cities, but due to traffic delays and poor visibility, that was simply not a viable option.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Target Field in Minneapolis; Lewis & Clark Park in Sioux City, Iowa; Comerica Park and the Corner Ballpark in Detroit; Hamtramck Stadium in Hamtramck, Michigan; and the new (yet unnamed?) stadium at the Field of Dreams movie site near Dyersville, Iowa.

Some football stadiums as well!

As for football, I managed to see and photograph two stadiums for the very first time -- Lambeau Field, the legendary home of the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin, and U.S. Bank Stadium, the relatively new home of the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis. (I was at the latter location in 2010, when the Metrodome was still standing.) While in Detroit I also got some photos of Ford Field from the north side for the first time, and while passing through Indianapolis on the westward leg of my trip, I likewise captured an image of Lucas Oil Stadium from the south. But my hopes to see either the home fields of the Cleveland Browns (First Energy Stadium*) or the Pittsburgh Steelers (Acrisure Stadium, formerly known as Heinz Field) were set aside for some future opportunity. I have at least seen the latter stadium, but the photo I took of it isn't very good.

* For some reason, probably involving money, the Browns decided they "need" a new stadium, and plans are underway to build a replacement venue just west of Cleveland near the city's main airport.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

"Football" stadium name switches

Speaking of "football," there is a big international event taking place in cities across North America: the World Cup of soccer! I was confused when I saw something on TV about a World Cup soccer match at "Los Angeles Stadium," which is officially "SoFi Stadium," home of the L.A. Rams and Chargers. FIFA (the international body governing soccer) has some kind of rule against any kind of commercial promotion via stadium names, etc., so for the World Cup they went to considerable expense to cover up the corporate-sponsor names on the various stadiums, replacing them with generic city names. And so as a public service, I present a complete list of those venues:

You're welcome!

Winter sports end in summertime

Speaking of other sports, the professional basketball and hockey seasons finally came to an end about two weeks ago. First, the New York Knickerbockers (which is what the "Knicks" nickname actually stands for) beat the San Antonio Spurs, thus winning the NBA championship (also on the road) by 4 games to 1. This series was noted for the repeated highly improbable comeback wins by the Knicks, and the fact that it was the Knicks' first championship since 1973 -- over a half century! But you probably already knew that. Second, on June 14, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0, thus winning the NHL Stanley Cup by 4 games to 2. At least I think so. Many years ago, I kept goofing up the description of hockey playoffs and gave up even trying to do so for a while.

For the record, this world would be a better place if all of the professional sports seasons would be curtailed by a month or so. NO MLB in March or November, NO NFL in February, and NO NBA or NHL in May or June!!!

The Nationals fall from 2nd to 4th place

Through the first half of June, the Washington Nationals were keeping up a solid string of series victories, managing to keep pace with the (until-recently) red-hot Atlanta Braves. After winning the second and third games of their home series against the San Diego Padres, they ended the month of May in sole possession of 2nd place. That didn't last long, however: the Philadelphia Phillies were doing even better, and pulled ahead of the Nationals in the NL East race. Getting swept at home by the Miami Marlins was a lousy way to start the month of June, but things soon got better.

Indeed, on their road trip out west, the Nats almost swept the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants, losing the third game in both series. The 14-1 win in Phoenix on June June 5 was fueled by 5 home runs, two of which were hit by Luis Garcia, one of which was a grand slam! In contrast the defeat [in San Francisco] on June 10 was a debacle of historic proportions, as the Nats had a 9-1 lead going into the bottom of the 8th inning (when relief pitcher Paxton Schultz was charged with 5 earned runs without getting anybody out), and a 10-6 lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning (when Gus Varland was charged with 3 and Mitchell Parker was charged with 2). Neither of those pitchers recorded any outs, and the game ended on a walk-off grand slam by 21-year old Bryce Eldridge. Apart from that horrifying game, the Nats' woeful bullpen had shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, managing to hold onto leads and keep the Nats' hopes alive. But as we shall see, things got a lot worse once again this week...

Anyway, the Nationals returned home on June 12 and welcomed the Seattle Mariners to town, losing the first game but taking the next two. Likewise, the Nats won 2 out of 3 games against the Kansas City Royals. In both of the losing games in those two series, Zack Littell was charged with the losses. The Nats' record after the June 16 game was 39-35 -- 4 games over .500! The Nats then faced a challenging opponent in St. Petersburg: the Tampa Bay Rays [who were in 1st place in the AL East earlier this season]. All 3 games were competitive, [the Nats winning the 2nd one], but they came up short in the final game of the series. Worth noting is that C.J. Abrams hit a home run in all 3 of those games [in Tropicana Field].

Then came what proved to be an even stiffer challenge, as the Philadelphia Phillies came to play in Washington. The Nats won the first one (on Monday), thanks to another superb outing by their ace pitcher Foster Griffin. He went 7 1/3 innings and struck out 9 batters. A 2-run homer by Curtis Mead provided enough "insurance" for the relievers to get the job done. But the next day something truly awful happened that will haunt the Nationals for the rest of this season. After both teams scored 3 runs in the 8th inning, the Nats had an 8-6 lead. [Brad Lord, one of the Nats' most reliable relief pitchers,] got the first two batters out, and there were 2 strikes on Trea Turner (a former Nat). Against all odds, he singled, and then Brandon Marsh hit a home run to tie the game. Arghhh! But then it got worse. A walk, followed by a single, followed by a home run by Bryson Stott: all of a sudden the Phillies were ahead, 11-8! But then it got even worse. More walks, more hits, and the Phillies chalked up a total of EIGHT (8) runs in the 9th inning!! Luis Garcia hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 9th, but it was irrelevant. Final score: Phillies 14, Nats 9.

So how would the Nats react to that punch in the gut? Pretty well, actually. Home runs by Luis Garcia and Jorbit Vivas in the first two innings put them on top, but a fielding error by Nasim Nunez in the 4th inning enabled the Phillies to take a 3-2 lead. In the 6th inning a 2-run homer by Curtis Mead put the Nats back on top, 4-3. But in the top of the 9th, the Phillies were down to their last out, and Derek Hill was sent in to pinch hit, just after Kyle Schwarber (who had a tight back) took a walk as a pinch hitter. Once again with one strike away from a victory, Richard Lovelady tossed a pitch that Hill knocked into the right field stands to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead. And that was the final score. Two straight days of outrageously improbable twists of fate!

So how would the Nats react to yet another punch in the gut? Very well, actually! In the first inning, Curtis Mead hit yet another home run, and that sparked a rally giving the home team an early 4-0 lead. In the 3rd inning Jacob Young hit a clutch 2-out RBI single to add a run. But with the Nats' shaky bullpen, would a 5-0 lead be enough? You know the answer. In the 6th inning, Brandon Marsh hit a 2-run homer, ending Cade Cavalli's bid for a shuthout. In the 7th inning the Phillies rallied to tie the game 5-5, as neither Mitchell Parker nor Clayton could throw strikes consistently enough. The tying run scored on a bases-loaded walk, and a sense of doom engulfed Nationals Park. Gus Varland pitched fine in the 8th inning, but all heck broke loose in the 9th inning when Bryce Harper hit a 2-run homer to give the visitors a 7-5 lead. The rally continued, and there was really no point in replacing the pitcher. Derek Hill hit another home run, capping the Phillies' 10-5 comeback victory. In those three games, the Phillies scored, respectively, 8, 2, and 5 runs in the top of the 9th inning: 15 runs altogether!!! I swear, this sport will drive a fan mad.

After briefly taking one of the three NL wild card slots earlier this month, raising high hopes for a return to postseason baseball in D.C., all of a sudden, the magic seem to have vanished from the Nationals' very promising season. Even with those losses against the Phillies, they were still above .500 at the midpoint of the season: 41-40. But the Miami Marlins have improved once again, pulling into 3rd placed ahead of the Nats. Playing in Baltimore tonight, they wasted a chance to score in the top of the 4th inning when James Wood was thrown out at home on a ground ball to 3rd base, where Wood had been. In the bottom of that inning the Orioles loaded the bases and took a 2-0 lead. It was a dull, uninspired game, and the Orioles came out on top, 3-1.

NOTE: Subsequent corrections and clarifications above are indicated by [brackets].

Washington Nationals page update

The Washington Nationals page will soon be updated to include the month of May.