The Great American Bro'd Trip Day 4

Escaping the mullets after a Blackhawks' Stanley Cup party

Fireworks after the White Sox game ... cheesy, but cool.
Photo by Jeremy C. Little
Visting the Chicago ballpark where we really wanted to see a game.
If only it had been exit 420.
Photo by Jeremy C. Little
It looks brighter in daylight.
Photo by Jeremy C. Little

After several frozen cocktails at Under the Volcano on empty stomachs, converted Houstonians Jeremy C. Little (a publicist) and Colin “Dabbo” Dabbs (a junior high history teacher) finally decided to do it. Eight days, 10 Major League ballparks, the Budweiser brewery, and enough fried food to give Carlos Lee the gout. It’s the Great American Bro'd Trip and this is the account of day four.

Day Four: Milwaukee to South Bend, Indiana — 183 miles

Like going back to a bar in daylight
Ever been in a bar in daylight?

That’s what we were expecting on a return trip to Miller Park for a look-see under the morning sun. Much to our surprise, from the outside the building is quite striking as is the rest of Milwaukee in daylight. Bonus points for the impressive little league field located adjacent to the ball field, which we somehow missed the night before while weaving our way through the beer drenched masses.

The inside, however, remained inexplicably dark, even with the roof open on this bright, sunny day. Minute Maid Park, on the other hand, is brightly lit and cheerful under any circumstances. At least Houston baseball fans have something to be proud of. Hey, 2005 was a lot of fun. Right?

Blatant false advertising
Spotted on I-94 South between Milwaukee and Chicago: Bong Recreation Area, Exit 340 (too bad it wasn’t Exit 420).

The Medina to Fenway's Mecca
If Boston’s Fenway Park is America’s most beloved ballpark — and it is — then Chicago’s Wrigley Field is a close and worthy No. 2. Built in 1914 for the Chicago Federals of the defunct Federal League, Wrigley Field remains happily lost in time; an enduring relic of an era when men wore hats and ties to ballgames.

If professional football is about grandiose spectacle, and pro basketball is about star power, baseball is about reverence for its own history, and only John Updike’s “lyric little bandbox” in the Fenway section of The Hub has more of it than the ivy walls in Wrigleyville. Unfortunately, we were going to Chicago's other baseball stadium.

Before heading to U.S. Cellular Field for another division rivalry — this time the AL Central’s Tigers and White Sox — we took a 90-minute tour of the “friendly confines” of historic Wrigley Field though.

Our fantastic tour guides, John and Darrell, were a knowledgeable pair of grizzled Cubs lifers. As recently as October 26, 2004, Red Sox fans and Cubs fans were kindred spirits — cursed and doomed to eternal heart break:The Red Sox by a fat, whiskey-soaked Yankees slugger, and the Cubs by a vindictive bar owner with a goat fetish. While The Bambino no longer haunts the hallowed halls of Fenway, Bill Sianis and his beloved goat still give Moises Alou night terrors.

Hang in there, Cubbies. If Mark Bellhorn can win a World Series ring, anyone can.

Reevaluating the Cell and the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup championship
I attended two Red Sox-White Sox games at U.S. Cellular Field back in 2005 while in Chicago for my oldest brother’s bachelor party. Not surprisingly, the only thing I remember about our weekend in the Windy City is that Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk threw out the first pitch in game one, and Mr. T threw out the first pitch in game two while wearing Hanes heavy duty socks (get it?) and a pair of American flag pants.

The cinder block stadium built in Chicago’s rough and tumble South Side has gotten a great deal of flack since opening in 1991 for looking like a prison. Given the neighborhood, the jokes write themselves.

Having experienced the giant beer advertisement that is Miller Park the night before, U.S. Cellular, by contrast, was a low-key, comfortable environment. In terms of advertising saturation, it bares a closer resemblance to crosstown Wrigley than Milwaukee’s Miller. Despite the Chicago Blackhawks game taking place simultaneously in Philadelphia, a healthy crowd turned out to watch their Sox thrash the Tigers 15-3 in just over two and a half hours.

The highlight of the night came in the second inning when Dabbo’s Facebook friend Juan Pierre robbed the Tigers of a sure homerun with a leaping snag over the wall.

Following the victory fireworks (gimmicky but fun), a handful stayed to watch the end of the Blackhawks game on the Jumbortron. The overtime win in game six secured the city’s first Stanley Cup since John Kennedy was in the White House.

Having witnessed six Boston championships over the past decade (three Super Bowls, two World Series, and an NBA title) I knew it was time to head for Indiana, and Dabbo and I made a desperate dash for the car. Last thing we needed was to have our ride lit up like a roman candle by an overexcited guy with a mullet.

Douche/Not a Douche: The nonexistent douche
I really didn’t see this one coming, but U.S. Cellular Field seemed to be douche-free. I guess greased up Chicago thugs don’t like the White Sox. Who knew? You stay classy, Chicago.

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Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

san antonio tejano music museums hall of fame music openings

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New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history