It begins

Shaky start to the trip.

My flight to O'Hare was about 40 minutes late out of DFW, which put me in a bind. (Aside to Bob: It wasn't my fault this time.) It ended any shot I had to meet the bus at the hotel gathering spot, so I had to take the CTA. Way slow. Bottom line, I arrived at U.S. Cellular Field in the bottom of the first inning. Luckily I found our bus, and the driver was waiting for me.

Good game. Astros 3, White Sox 2, as the Stros rip Bobby Jenks in the ninth inning. Where was that two years ago?

About the park: It's not as bland as I was led to believe, but it's still mediocre. The obvious flaw is that the Chicago skyline is out of sight behind the grandstand, and instead you get a view of a nondescript part of town. A big, brown apartment building inexplicably stands alone about 100 feet behind center field. Could they not buy it and have it condemned? They have a video screen in center that offers virtually nothing. I liked the batter's eye area with its landscaping -- but it's done in ivy, and you'd think they'd want a different motif. Home plate from the old park is in the parking lot behind third base, but my late arrival cost me a chance to see it. I saw it 30 years ago when it had a stadium around it, anyway.

Stupidest thing I saw: Some clown won a prize dancing to "Louie, Louie" in competition with two other clowns representing other songs.

Clever: The words "Two exits shone" on the big screen mutated into "White Sox Notes." Someone here plays anagrams.

We give U.S. Cellular Field a C-plus.

I am carrying out the lost art of scoring each of these games on official (Name the Park) scorecards. Naturally this project was blown to hell when I missed the Houston first. And I couldn't catch up because the useless scoreboard would tell me only that so-and-so "flied out" his first time up, not who caught the fly.

My plan to purchase a similar souvenir at each park died quickly when the only item that appealed to me here, a little bear wearing a White Sox jersey, cost $20. I doubt the bear was made in Chicago anyway.

Play of the game: ChiSox centerfielder Luis Terrero, sliding catch on Burke's -- what the heck is Burke's first name? -- line drive in the fourth, saved two runs.

Questionable: Phil Garner hooked Jason Jennings too quickly and nearly lost because of it.

Disappointment: No Hunter Pence, who's on the Taz's Maniacs fantasy team. Taz's other representative, Paul Konerko, got a meaningless hit.

I'll have more interesting things to say tomorrow about Comerica Park, as there's a good chance I'll actually get there early enough to see it -- unless I oversleep and am left behind in Michigan City, Ind.

Here are games we will play:

In the seven interleague games I will see this week, which league will score more runs? Current total -- NL 3, AL 2.

In the eight games, will there be 15 home runs? Current total -- 1. Houston's Eric Munson.

Will the eight games draw 300,000 fans? Current total -- 36,616.

I am passing the time on the bus reading David Maraniss' 2006 biography of Roberto Clemente. Very good. I was surprised to learn that Chico Fernandez was so close to Clemente in Clemente's one year in the Dodgers chain. I knew Chico when I covered the Dukes and he was a roving infield instructor for the Dodgers. Nice guy. Wish I'd known about his ties to Clemente.