King Kong Conquers Ontario

Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum
Clifton Hill - Niagara Falls, Ontario
We've been to the Ripley's Museum in Atlantic City a few times, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop at one north of the border.  The building itself is pretty hard to believe.  It's built to look like a skyscraper that has collapsed onto its side with King Kong on top.  Compared to this, the Upside Down House almost looks normal.  Here are some photos of the inside:

The Sheraton Has Stiff Competition

Upside Down House
Clifton Hill - Niagara Falls, Ontario
This was a little too expensive for our budget, but I'm glad that I got to see the outside.  They really ought to consider getting the rights to play Dancing On The Ceiling by Lionel Richie.

Frankenstein's Whopper

Burger King
Clifton Hill - Niagara Falls, Ontario
This may be the most awesome Burger King I've ever seen.  It's right next door to The House of Frankenstein, a haunted house centered around Mary Shelley's epic creation.  The King has partnered with the attraction by adding a massive statue of Frankenstein's Monster crashing through the roof of the restaurant to show off the Whopper that he's enjoying.

Overall, I have to say that I have fallen completely in love with Clifton Hill.  This is the closest thing I've found to the boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ since I was a kid in the 80's.

"Beware; for I am flame broiled and therefore powerful."

A Canadian Breakfast

Canadian Specialty Breakfast
Clifton Hill Family Restaurant - Niagara Falls, Ontario
I have no idea if this is a traditional Canadian breakfast or if it's the Clifton Hill Family Restaurant's version of the All-American Slam from Denny's.  What I do know is that it was absolutely delicious!

Clifton Hill Family Restaurant - 4945 Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, ON

Put Me In Coach

The Red Coach Inn
Buffalo Avenue - Niagara Falls, NY

We had dinner at The Red Coach Inn on the New York side of the Falls.  I had a t-bone steak with bourbon peppercorn sauce with a side of smashed potatoes and vegetables.

Everything was delicious - a perfect end to a great day.

Cave Of The Winds

Cave Of The Winds
Niagara Falls, NY

These photos were taken at Cave Of The Winds on the New York side of Niagara Falls.

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls
Niagara Falls, NY

These photos were taken earlier today from the New York side of Niagara Falls.  The photo above shows the Rainbow Bridge (top right corner) crossing into Canada, as well as several Ontario landmarks on the Canadian side of the falls.  From left to right, you can see the Niagara SkyWheel, the Sheraton Fallsvew Hotel, Casino Niagara, and the Niagara Falls Crowne Plaza.

This ship is called the Maid Of The Mist.  They run a boat tour where they get as close to Niagara Falls as possible.  We'll be going on this later this week.

The picture quality didn't come out that great, but here is a short video of the Falls.

This has been a pretty incredible vacation so far.  I'm looking forward to seeing the Falls from the Canadian side tomorrow.

Record And A Reuben

The Phantastic Phillies
Fleetwood Communications Company (1980)
There are a ton of baseball card and sports memorabilia shops in downtown Cooperstown.  We stopped at one called the On Deck Circle where I found an awesome vinyl record called The Phantastic Phillies.  These were produced in 1980 to commemorate the Phillies first World Series Championship in the franchise's then 97 year history.

 

The Morning Call (Allentown, PA) - November 7, 1980

These record albums were available at Kiddie City toy stores less than a month after Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to clinch the deciding Game 6 of the 1980 World Series.  It was narrated by the great Harry Kalas and includes dozens of interviews and recordings from the radio broadcasts of games during the regular season and the post-season.

As if the record itself isn't awesome enough on its own, this one was autographed by six members of the 1980 World Champion Phillies.

Del Unser started in left field in Game 4 and appeared as a pinch hitter in Games 1 and 5.  He only had six plate appearances during the season, but he made them count by going 3-6 with two doubles and two RBI.

Right fielder Bake McBride hit the a three run homer in the bottom of the third inning of Game 1 for the Phillies first home run of the series.  He started all six games and bat .304 with a double, a homer and five RBI.

Bob Boone caught every inning for the Phillies during the 1980 World Series and was about as productive as a 9-hole hitter could be, batting .412 with seven hits, two doubles, four RBI, and four walks.  It was reported that his knees were so sore when he caught the final strike of the series that he could barely make it to the mound to celebrate with Tug McGraw and the rest of the team.

To this day, if you mention the name of this center fielder in a room full of Phillies fans, you can be guaranteed that at least one person will make the following statement in an almost reverent tone: "Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water, the other third is covered by Garry Maddox".  The Phillies Secretary Of Defense solidified his nickname by earning a Gold Glove in each of his first eight seasons, from 1975 to 1982.

Phillies second baseman Manny Trillo hit a career best .292 during the 1980 season and won the Silver Slugger while playing phenomenal defense.  His success continued into the post-season.  He was named the MVP of the National League Championship Series and his RBI single was the winning run in the pivotal fifth game of the World Series.

Keith Moreland was the Phillies backup catcher during the 1980 season, but he also got time at third base and in right field.  The versatile player didn't play any innings in the field during the World Series, but he started Games 2, 3 and 5 as the Phillies designated hitter and bat .333 for the series.

 

The man who sold me the record sweetened the deal by throwing in a free lunch at the Pioneer Patio Restaurant, which he also owns and operates.  I had a reuben sandwich, which was loaded with meat and absolutely delicious!

Drink Pepsi For Mas Beisbol

These Pepsi Cola labels were on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.  They're from a 2006 marketing promotion in Venezuela that featured several players, including two former Phillies: Bobby Abreu and Freddy Garcia.

Forever Branded

Home Run Ball: #756*
National Baseball Hall Of Fame - Cooperstown, NY
This is the baseball that steroid user Barry Bonds hit off of Washington Nationals lefty Mike Bacsik on August 7th, 2007 to pass* Hank Aaron for most career home runs.  It was purchased at an auction by Ecko Unltd founder Marc Ecko who put the ball's fate up to a vote on the internet.  Fans could either vote to send the ball to Cooperstown intact, launch the ball into outer space, or burn an asterisk into the baseball before sending it to the Hall Of Fame.

More than ten million votes were cast, and the asterisk won with 47% of the vote.  So, here it will sit forever in a display case in Cooperstown, New York as a constant reminder that the 2007 home run record is fraudulent, and the true Home Run King is Mr. Henry Aaron... until someone breaks that record honestly, instead of using performance enhancing drugs to cheat the game.

Chasing The Dream

Hank Aaron: Chasing The Dream
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (2013)
The Hall of Fame has an entire wing dedicated to the man who I believe to be the greatest baseball player who ever lived: "Hammerin" Hank Aaron.

Hank Aaron should have been the first person to be unanimously inducted into the Hall Of Fame.  He did get in on his first year of eligibility in 1982 when he was named on 97.83% of the ballots.  Quite frankly, I feel like the sportswriters who refused to name him on their ballots should have had their Hall Of Fame voting privileges revoked, because there is no valid excuse whatsoever to have not selected him.

When Aaron retired, he was the all-time home run king.  Many fans (myself included) argue that he is still the legitimate all-time home run king, as his achievements were earned, not accomplished as a result of steroid abuse.  Setting that aside, his career accomplishments tend to get overshadowed by the 755 home runs he smashed in his career.  Most of the fans I've spoken to over the years didn't realize that he was a member of the 3,000 hit club, let alone that he is the all-time hits leader for a right handed batter and the third most overall (behind only Ty Cobb and Pete Rose).  Here's a short list of Aaron's other achievements:

• Most hits by a right handed batter: 3,771
• Most intentional walks by a right handed batter: 293
• Most career extra-base hits: 1,467
• Most career RBI: 2,297
• Most career total bases: 6,856
• Most seasons with 100 or more runs: 15
• Most consecutive seasons with 150 or more hits: 17
• Most seasons as a member of the All-Star Team: 21
• Most All-Star Game appearances: 25  (there were two All-Star Games played per season from 1959-1962)

Hank Aaron's uniform (I don't remember what year or game this is from).

Hank Aaron's championship ring from the 1957 World Series.

The NL MVP award that Hank Aaron won in 1967.

Hank Aaron got his 3000th hit on May 17, 1970 off of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Wayne Simpson.  Simpson was an All-Star that season who went on to pitch for the Phillies in 1975.  Aaron has the third most career hits of all time, behind only Ty Cobb and Pete Rose.

Hank tied The Babe on April 4th, 1974 when he hit a three run homer off of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jack Billingham.

This was the last base Hank Aaron touched before passing Babe Ruth for the most career home runs of all time.  It took place on April 8th, 1974 in a game between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.  Aaron's record breaking homer was hit off of Al Downing in the bottom of the 4th to tie the score at 3-3.

This is the ball Hank Aaron hit for his last career home run.  It was hit on July 20th, 1976 when he was the designated hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers.  It was hit off of California Angels pitcher Dick Drago, whose name sounds like someone who would challenge Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship in the 80's.