Next day, around 8:30 am, we arrived at Emeryville Amtrak station in Oakland, CA without delay. Many passengers got off at this station, and they got on the bus for San Francisco… We changed the train at “San Joaquins” for Fresno, CA. Why Fresno? I wanted to see a minor league baseball game in Fresno. We arrived at Fresno around 2 pm. The good thing was our train from Emeryville to Fresno ran on time. The bad thing was, it was too hot in Fresno and I feared for my safety. We needed to pay attention to everything. We spent the night in down town Fresno. Chukchansi Park , which is home of Fresno Grizzlies baseball team, was only 2 blocks away from our hotel. The Fresno Grizzlies are in the triple A league.. And are also affiliated with the Houston Astroes.
Around 5 pm, in fact, it was still too hot… After we bought the game tickets in the ball park, we went back to our hotel, and stayed in the hotel lobby for a while. We returned to the baseball stadium to the an hour before game started. (The gates open one hour prior to the game start) When we enter the stadium, the batting practice was already finished, and nobody was on the field… We waited for infielder Munenori Kawasaki, member of the Iowa Cubs, we sat in the 3rd base seats. (He played in Toronto last season, but was traded to the Chicago Cubs this year. Now, he plays for the Iowa cubs, triple A affiliate of the Chicago cubs.) He came up the field for his stretching 30 minutes before the game started. Finally we were able to get a autographed signed ball and was able to take a picture together!! He's very nice guy. I was so thankful. I feel compared to Major league games and Japanese baseball games, it's easy for players and baseball fans to get close in the minor league ball park. Of course, not only we enjoyed the game, but also foods and beers at the ball park. We had a great time in Chukchansi Park.
