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@Gentry nice! Foul balls can be way more dangerous than you’d think. Cool to hear that you got one. I’ve also snagged a few BP balls. The pressure is much lower then. Welcome to the site!
As of 8/18/20 I have been to the following teams home ball parks in this order:
01. Minnesota Twins (Metrodome)
02. Kansas City Royals
03. Chicago Cubs
04. Pittsburgh Pirates
05. Cleveland Indians
06. Detroit Tigers
07. Milwaukee Brewers
08. Tampa Bay Rays
09. Florida Marlins (Sun Life Stadium)
10. Cincinnati Reds
11. Philadelphia Phillies
12. Atlanta Braves (Turner Field)
13. Colorado Rockies
14. Boston Red Sox
15. Toronto Blue Jays
16. Chicago White Sox
17. Baltimore Orioles
18. Washington Nationals
19. Houston Astros
20. Texas Rangers (Globe Life Park in Arlington)
21. Arizona Diamondbacks
Nice! I’ve been to 35 – including some of the olds like Yankee, Shea, Turner, Astrodome, etc. Thanks for joining the site. By the way, we’re working on the creation of a new tool that will allow you to list the ballparks you’ve been to in a separate location on your profile. This is a great solution in the meantime.
Very cool! My wife and another close couple try to hit at least a ball park a year. Obviously things come up but it’s a great way to see the country and experience the eats, drinks, etc.
The new feature to list the ball park visited would be awesome! With the way new parks pop up and who knows if teams will move or expansion….gets tricky trying to remember where I need to circle back too.
I get a ball from each park and put the date on it. I have them displayed in a home plate shaped glass case 🙂
So close!
I love this!
Thank you
If you build it, they will come!
I’m stealing this bucket list item.
Cool! When did you get to go? I visited this ballpark right after Hurricane Irma and there were about 10 other people there and everything was shut down so it made for an interesting game. I enjoyed their home run sculpture in the outfield!
This is so much fun! I’ve seen a few home openers at the Trop. Last year we went to the opener at Wrigley and go to see a flyover, which definitely never happens inside the dome. Maybe one year, we’ll get to see @Decs do one!
So jealous! You are the second member I’ve seen who has seen one in person.
I love Opening Day – I’ve been to several, and every time, it feels like a baseball holiday! The only problem is the weather. So often it’s cold and snowy around here in late March/early April!
There’s nothing quite like Opening Day – definitely feels like a holiday!
I was hoping to go during my vacation week at the end of this month, but I’m probably going to put that off until at least next year due to the pandemic.
Awesome! Good luck!
Thanks !!
Oh man, this would be a dream!
Now that’s pretty cool!
You got to see this twice? Wow, that’s incredible!
So cool!
Thank you !
Thanks. I only add a Stadium patch after I have visited the park. May run out of room.
What’s a Midnight Sun Game? Is this played in Alaska or somewhere that the sun doesn’t set for the day?
How was the new park!? I can’t wait to see it.
It is really BIG. Very spacious around the concourses. They did a great job with it. Was very empty with only 11,000 fans being able to be there but we really enjoyed what we saw.
I got to tour this Park in September ! The plan was to see a game but Covid blocked that so I’ll try again in May ! park was so Beautiful tho and the area around outside the park had plenty to eat and drink !
I love this! There is a great book by Paul Dickson called “The Joy of Keeping Score”. It covers some methods, but more importantly, the history and narrative behind scoring. A really cool read.
Beautiful photos!
Breathtaking pictures! Congratulations on the completion of this bucket list item!!
How awesome! Go RAYS!!!
Beth,
I have been to the HOF twice, and I have some advice I hope you find valuable.
The biggest piece of advice is the museum is big, and there is so much to see. If you want to get the most out of your experience, get there early! The museum and the town shops close around 5pm.
Also, the last time I was in Cooperstown was two or three years ago and I know they were building up some new businesses. But it is a very small town in rual NY with little around it. Visit and support the small businesses if you can, but I suspect if you are only there for one day you will want to spend most of your time in the museum.
Enjoy! It’s definitely worth seeing.
-Tyler
What did you think about the new Globe Life Field?
Love this! I’m trying to do the same with the Rays.
Love this!
This is awesome! I’d love to hear more about what this was like.
Wow, two of them! Do you go to a lot of games, or would you just consider yourself lucky?
I go to a fair amount, about 15 games a year. So I think lucky!
Both of them were a little odd too, which I think would be pure luck as well. A 7-2-4 with two replays and an overturned call, then a 5-2-6-4. Perhaps both slightly unconventional?
Great stadium to visit. So much history!
Totally on board with this! Have a few new episodes coming up that will make you want to plan an international baseball trip even more!
I think my first real opportunity will be when we go to Ireland next year. I know that’s not the traditional place to see an international baseball game but it would still be a blast if we can see a game there.
So jealous! Which park?
Wow, I’m really jealous about this one!
Went the summer before my 30th birthday. Alaska is worth the trip on its own, but if you’re going you might as well go for the game. Fairbanks comes alive for the Summer Solstice and Midnight Sun Festival…it’s the city’s day to shine.
Can’t speak to Asia, but after games in Cuba and Puerto Rico I plan on spending many more winter vacations in Latin America catching games. Get out of the cold, go to a party, watch a game…what’s not to love?
Exactly! Sounds like you have it figured out – let everyone else worry about skiing, you’ll be at the ballpark!
It was at Black Bears’ park in Morgantown WV. They let season ticket holders take BP after the season ended for the first few seasons of existence. That was a great team (before MLB gutted them and the minors). It was such a family atmosphere and you could find the execs hanging out at the games. After half a season we were on a first name basis with them – and not because we actively sought them out, simply because they were so friendly.
Actually, I remember commenting critically on social media about the new bag policy in the wake of one of our many mass shootings. About 45 mins after that, I received an unsolicited phone call from the GM who wanted to talk over the bag policy with me personally. I felt awful at that point, like I’d just insulted a favorite uncle at te the thanksgiving table. But that was how much that organization went out of their way to make you feel like you were part of the family.
And, like I said, then the pandemic came and we lost a season. And then MLB came and took our Pirates affiliation away. Now it’s simply a rotating pickup game every summer. It’s all being controlled from far away and even management has rotated out 🙁
Those were, by far, the best experiences I’ve ever had at a ballpark. It was idyllic. Fortunately, the college team plays there. Maybe when we get past the last wave, we’ll get tickets again, only for WVU.
Man, you are so close! Those AL ones must be tough to get to. I remember seeing the Cubs play at the Trop and it was a huge deal because they so rarely make it there. Plus, it was Joe Maddon’s first game back to Tropicana.
Wow, that’s really cool! You’re right though, see the Cubs play at all the AL parks is challenging, but it’s also a lot of fun. Because interleague teams visit one another’s stadiums so rarely, usually only once every 6 years, although occasionally once in 3 years, it makes planning vacations & trips very exciting! When the next season’s schedule gets released, we immediately look for the road interleague games to see where & when we’ll be in the upcoming year. Fortunately, USUALLY, of the 3 interleague road series played (not including the natural rival team that is played home & home every season, which for the Cubs is the Sox,) MLB typically will schedule 2 of those 3 road series on weekends. So that makes traveling/taking time off of work more palatable. The 3rd road series is typically a home & home, where your team plays 2 homes games and the interleague team plays 2 home games. Those 2 games are almost always scheduled for a Tuesday and a Wednesday. So it’s getting to that 3rd interleague road stadium in a single season that is tough unless you commit to taking the time off work for that midweek series. — This season, 2022, the Cubs are playing the AL East, and are visiting Baltimore Tues-Wed in June, immediately following that same weekend with a trip to the Bronx. So we made the commitment, and we’re making 1 trip out of it! 2 days in Baltimore, Amtrak up to NYC, and the weekend in the Bronx! So exciting! And then we’re going to get to Toronto in August for the other road series, so we’ll be mowing through the AL East this season with only the Trop left to go in that division. Maybe see you there in 2025!? Lol. — And then as far as NL cities, since the Cubs go to each city at least once per season, we’ve just been knocking those out as can be done on weekend series when they are in a city we’ve not been to yet. This year will be Philly; a trip I’m very excited about as I’ve never been to Philly ever before. But yeah, it’s so much fun to see where and how we’ll be traveling in a given year based on the schedule. I’m soooo lucky my wife is on board with this way to traveling.
This is certainly a goal of mine as well. Glad y’all got to get to one!
Yikes! What kind of damage did you end up doing?
Dislocation of my pinky. Had to have some surgery, which was more painfully expensive than just painful! The cool part is that I got to meet Chuck Morgan, the PA announcer for the Rangers. He was going to help me get the ball signed by the guy who hit it – Asdrúbal Cabrera. But, Cabrera got traded shortly after this happened and went on to win the World Series with the Nats that year! I still have the ball of course.
That place during postseason games is LOUD!
Where and when???
Back in 2019, the Lowell Spinners (RIP, former Short Season Class-A of the Red Sox) had a promotion where every hour on the first day their tickets went on sale, if you bought a ticket you got something. The hour I happened to buy a tickets they let everyone who purchased throw out a first pitch at the game they went to. It was so cool to be on the mound and throw out the first pitch! The Spinners played the Hudson Valley Renegades that afternoon. I will have to add a picture when I get home!
Woah, that’s really cool!
Went to a Yankees Spring Training game at Steinbrenner Field in late March. Now I want to visit other Grapefruit League ballparks. And Cactus League ones…
It’s really cool that you got to stop in! I really want to see them play, too. Love what they’re doing.
This is such a fun bucket list item for 3 reasons. 1) It really never ends. Eventually ballparks close and you get to return to cities again. 2) Planning out all of the interleague matchups over the course of several years is a ton of fun! 3) When you go see YOUR team for interleague, there are always tons of other fans of YOUR team that are there in that city, so it’s like you’re all on this little journey together not only at the ballpark but at local attractions, tourist sites, and restaurants! It’ll be like a mini LA takeover where ever you go. — My wife and I are currently on a mission to see the Cubs play in every ballpark, and we’re up to 20, but one of those is old Globe Life Park (so back to Arlington we must go!) The schedules are supposed to change starting in 2023 to be more “balanced”; I guess we’ll see what that ends up meaning for interleague play, but as of now, your Dodgers only play in 4 road interleague stadiums per season, and one of those is Anaheim every year, which you’ve probably already been to. That means you can only get to a max of 3 other AL stadiums per year, and that’s assuming you’re available to make all those trips! Otherwise, based on the current scheduling process, they won’t be back to those cities for 6 more years in most cases (sometimes it’s only 3 years, but that’s a toss-up; it’s usually 6 years.) So at best, you could get to every AL park in a minimum of 6 seasons, but if you’re like us and can’t make EVERY road interleague matchup, it’s more like a 12 or 18 year process, which I think makes its such an impressive & amazing bucket list item. Have fun! It’s a journey you’ll never forget.
I am really kicking myself watching this Wrigley series. Who knows when the Rays will be back there. But…it does look cold!
yes this is certainly going to take some time. I want to see every ballpark but with only so much disposable income it seems crazy not to make sure it coincides with when my team is there (especially since I live in northeast Ohio.)
A work trip is taking me to Colorado this year so I am excited to knock Coors Field off the list.
And yes, sometimes it does feel like a Dodgers home game even on the road. I saw them play the Reds in Cincinnati and it was all blue for that game!
Love this! Doing the same thing for the Rays, but I am only 6 parks into it so far. I have plans to check off seeing them play at Target Field this summer! How many parks have you seen the Dodgers at?
I am not far along in this journey. PNC (just got my tickets for back to back games in a few weeks!) Great American Ballpark and Progressive Field. Knocking out Coors Field this summer since I have a work trip to Colorado! Hoping they’re in Detroit next year to get that one in.
Ummm, thank you! I didn’t know this existed til now and I’m going to Denver this summer. I’m really excited to add this to my trip!
I’d love to do this too. Ticket prices get pretty steep though!
You’re not wrong!
This is really cool. I am so glad you got to have this experience!
Thanks, man! I was such a thrill to be there for that.
This was so fun to do! Thanks for having me.
Thanks for coming on, it was a blast! Can’t wait to hear more stories from you and Dodger in the future.
Burlington Bees are a great time!
Dave this is SO cool! Congratulations!
Wow, that had to be difficult to pull off! Congrats!
I bet you were exhausted
We had a 4 hour drive down and 4 hours back. I don’t think I could do it again
Why am I from Virginia and have never heard of this promotion? I’m interested!
This is a very specific goal. Why?
I’ve already seen all the teams in those states.
This would be a lot of fun!
Yes!
Saw a game in Sioux Falls, so I’m down to four states.
Did you know they do ghost tours there?
No I didn’t
Okay, we’re going to need some details here. How did you make this happen??
MLB Extra Rewards points. I saved them up to throw first pitch at world series and got concerned that fans wouldn’t be allowed onto field so I booked all the first pitches I could find and gave others to my wife and five friends of mine.
This is a big goal, and I love it! Be sure you add your visited parks under you ballpark map!
This one is definitely the biggest international goal for me
This is a hard one for me cause I hate sitting in the outfield. Hannah and I plan on catching a game at Minute Maid from the Crawford Boxes next year so hopefully that’s my chance
Hey there. The Cactus League in/around Phoenix currently has 10 stadiums. The Grapefruit League throughout Central/Southern Florida currently has 13 stadiums. I have them all listed on my Bucket List if you’d want to review.
Of the Modern Ball Parks in the United States only Riverfront Stadium in Wichita,Ks
Highly recommended!
This was a fun read, nice work!
Thanks – happy you enjoyed it!
Anna loved the podcast with the Voice of the Tampa Bay Rays. Still would like to do a podcast with you
A very awesome show I have wanted to hear him and I like his hat collection
Stadiums visited so far:
– Seattle (T-Mobile Park)
– Los Angeles (Dodger Stadium – tour)
– Anaheim (Angel Stadium)
– Arizona (Chase Field)
– Colorado (Coors Field)
– Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington – tour)
– Kansas City (Kauffman Stadium)
– St. Louis (Busch Stadium)
– Chicago (Guaranteed Rate Field)
– Milwaukee (American Family Field)
– Cincinnati (Great American Ball Park)
– Miami (Dolphin Stadium)
– Tampa Bay (Tropicana Field)
– Washington (Nationals Park)
– New York (Yankee Stadium – tour)
– Boston (Fenway Park – tour)
Sounds perfect to me. Always something to look forward to but no obligation to get to every game!
One of my favorite things I have done. Absolutely do it and with this new pitch clock it should be easier to pull off
I was at all of the Pool A games at Rogers Centre for the 2009 World Baseball Classic and it was the best sports atmosphere I’ve been to.
Matt – I was there too, and same. Other than my 30-ballpark roadtrip this was probably my 2nd best baseball trip.
Predicting expansion already, eh?
Went to the Final on Tuesday
Do they sell AFL hats at the stadiums? Can’t find them online anywhere.
Yes they do. During the season each team has a limited supply of on field hats. They don’t sell them online but maybe eBay
I was there too!
Saw the highlight of this play…kinda feel bad for the guy!
Haha…Oops! But yes, it’s going to happen!
I enjoyed every minute of this episode. Can’t wait to hear more about his 365 days of catch
I’ve done that once in 2018 with my wife. It was a blast.
That’s awesome, wish you would’ve gotten to watch the game. There are several minor parks I’ve seen online with hotels looking in. It would be cool to have a list of them
Oh, that’s an interesting thought. It would be great to have that list. I may have to do some digging to see if even a partial one exists somewhere. So far I have just been using google maps to search out hotels that are next to ballparks and then following up individually. A list would really simplify things.
I also browse ballparks to visit on Google maps when I have downtime at work. Based on my searches these are the ones so far that I’ve seen with hotels looking in
Rodgers Centre- Toronto
Riders Field-Frisco, Texas
Bricktown Ballpark-Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Parkview Field-Fort Wayne, Indiana
BB&T Ballpark-Charlotte, North Carolina
I miss living in the area and going to OKC Dodgers games
Dream big!
@JapanBall hint hint!
^ This
Working on it!!
Anthony, great goal there. I’m missing UIW, Texas Tech, UTA, UTRGV and Tarleton State. I picked up Lamar, A&M-Corpus Christi and SFA this year.
I’ve been to Texas Tech’s but never seen a live game there so I don’t count it. It’a a cool looking stadium.
UIW has a weird setup but I actually found the game very enjoyable
Hey that’s great! I’ve just started this journey myself!
How was Cheated? I want to read it, I’ve heard mixed reviews tho.
Joey, it was good. It’s in my keeper stack of books! The book started with an interesting history on sign-stealing in baseball, and then moved at a good pace. I was expecting a hate-filled book towards the Astros, but I didn’t walk away from the book thinking that. I read a lot at 20-30 pages at a pop and it is a 260-page book that I moved through in less than two weeks.
Good to know! I will keep it on my to-read list!
Do it! It’s awesome!
Thank you!
Would be happy to have you join us one day! We do annual tours. You can sign up for our newsletter at japanball.com. And we plan to bring a group to the Midnight Sun Game again in 2025!
I’d love to do a tour with you guys. I’d have to see how it works. I promised my son I’d take him to the Godzilla Museum near Osaka.
I have been to 15 current parks
Also have been to Baltimore Memorial Stadium, Veterans Stadium, Shea Stadium, old Yankee Stadium and Candlestick Park. Will be checking off Kansas City this August.
Awesome! I’m finally getting to Citi Field this weekend for the first time. Nothing else planned yet this year, but I might try to make my way somewhere else.
In March 2019, I ran a half marathon in Hawaii on a Saturday morning and later that afternoon drove across the island to see Fresno Pacific University beat University of Hawai’I at Hilo, 8-2. I got lucky and got one of the two hardest ones!
I stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn when I went to Bricktown in 2018.
We just stayed at Live! By Lowes next to Globe Life last night. Beautiful views of the old park, current park, and AT&T Stadium. Definitely would recommend booking the night of a 1pm game when the team is off the next day…very affordable that way!
That would be so much fun! We enjoyed a bit of the post-game party when we came down this spring and it would be great to be able to stick around and just walk back and forth. 🙂
Loved this today! I felt like I was a guest on this one just by the amount of times my son and I were mentioned!
Oh man, I feel like I HAVE to hear this story!
I always get in to Fenway early to go and watch batting practice. I like to drag my friends along with me to games, and I always make sure to warn them not to be on their phones during batting practice. So, we’re out in the bleachers, and bp has been going on for a while now and I decide to check to see what time it is so that we can get food and get to our seats before the game starts. All is well, and as I’m putting my phone back in my pocket, BOOM! I got hit right in the cheek and the ball ricocheted off of my chest and onto the ground. I was in such shock that I didn’t even react- All of the players and people around me were stunned that I got hit and was just miraculously fine! I ended up with the ball and an ENORMOUS bruise that lasted for a few weeks. If this ever happens again, I will be throwing myself onto the floor and asking for a team signed bat 😭😭
Now that’s a great story…but only because you’re okay! The irony of you telling everyone they need to pay attention is rich haha.
Bro, what?
I had one came down off the overhead canopy above and behind me Saturday night in Cleburne (American Association) and landed in front of me. I picked it up, turned around and gave it to the young boy behind me. It had been awhile since I had one come in my direction.
I got hit with one way back by Shane Victorino at a Lowell Spinners game at Fenway
Now you need to add “two-city” or “two-ballpark” doubleheader to your list.
I have an entire duffel bag full of foul balls and home run balls. Just caught another one last week!
I was at that game too!
I don’t like the Red Sox but I would def do this!
https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/401355117
https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/401472565
Michael Lorenzen for the Philadelphia Phillies 8/9/2023
Here in El Paso, I can see the ballfield clearly from my 14th floor room at the Doubletree, but there’s a Marriott Courtyard that’s even closer to be able to do what you’re wanting to!
That’s awesome! Thanks for the tip! We’re trying to figure out a way (financially/logistically/schedule-wise) to do a west coast swing and coming through El Paso is definitely a possibility.
Ryan, I hope it works out for you! Logistics are always the biggest challenge, even if you’re in a good shape with all of the finances.
Tell us more about what a vintage game is!
In to the book I referenced, the authors went to the Walker Tavern Historic Site just outside Brooklyn, MI in July 2018 “to see baseball as it might have been played in the nineteenth century. Part historical re-enactment, part athletic contest” using “rules from the 1860’s, with players and umpire in period costume.”
My internet search led me to Southern California Vintage Base Ball (the interwebs knowing where I am) at socalvbb.com. The 8 team league uses Spalding’s BaseBall Guide of 1886. Vintage uniforms and equipment such as bats and gloves are required.
I’m hopeful to report back after next Saturday 9/9 if all goes as planned…
How authentic are we talking here? Like do the players have to contract dysentery and take up smoking before the game? Shear the sheep for their own uniforms?
Ha ha ha! Hilarious!
I don’t think so, but the league can fine them for un-gentlemanly actions…especially in the presence of ladies.
Oh this is a cool one, I wonder how many teams I’ve seen roll through Globe Life. I’m gonna have to look that up now!
I just moved to DFW in July and went to my first MLB game July 3 (great game vs Astros despite the loss). Have been to 7 more games since then and have tickets to the last 2 home series this (regular!) season. Glad to finally get to see my team!
Was definitely at this game and saw the same home run! Detmers took a no-no into the 8th, too!
Honestly would’ve preferred if he did get the no-hitter. Always love seeing cool baseball stuff, no matter which team is doing it! Similar feeling when Altuve hit back-to-back-to-back homers at Globe Life on Sept. 5.
This was an absolute BLAST! A beautiful night for baseball with great company! It was my first time at CHS Field in St. Paul. Could not have asked for a better experience.
It was a great day!
Needed to look it up myself … so to help everybody, “Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente”, the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico; it is colloquially referred to as the Puerto Rican Winter League
Same thing. Didn’t know. The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (Spanish: Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana or LIDOM) is a professional baseball winter league consisting of six teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the highest level of professional baseball played in the Dominican Republic.
What was your favorite? I still have not been to the Cangrejeros or the Leones.
Carolina was the nicest park, Ponce and Caguas has the best crowds.
I want to do this!
I’m not sure if they still have a brick and mortar store. I know they did a few popups, but I’m not sure if they have a permanent home aside from online sales.
Was the homerun derby worth it?
The whole ASG experience was amazing. We were very spoiled to get to watch the Derby at Coors Field!
This one will be incomplete for quite awhile…
This sounds like an awesome experience!
It will never make sense to me why the Rays traded him to Miami
Same. And now he’s a Met!
Same. And now he’s a Met!
Really interesting and unique idea
As I may have mentioned before, I have a colleague who does a lot of grave restoration work and is a big baseball fan. So he has kind of been the inspiration for it. Pulling together the various links on each player yields some things that I didn’t know before about certain players. Many of these I hadn’t heard of before. The only woman from Texas who played in the AAGPBL is listed in the SABR Graves Map, but her Find-A-Grave entry says that she was actually cremated (and the marker is a family plot … which I’ve seen!)
There’s rumblings they’re gonna add Joplin, Missouri too
Joplin and Fort Smith are listed on the website. If I can add those two, I will. Just want to focus on Texas. I have my doubts about the league. The guys that own it seemed like they tried to bail out of the Johnstown Mill Rats team at the end of this past season and then ending up selling it to a local group. So, I think, a lot yet to be seen. I hope anybody is successful, but I hope it isn’t ONLY about making a buck.
Jason, this is great work. Please continue to share this type of material and research. Love it!
Thank you for the kind words, Jon!
It was awesome to finally meet you Jon. Good luck on your future travels!
Gotta add this to my bucket list! Anna is the best!
I am SO glad I got a chance to meet you and Hannah in person! Looking forward to more games together in the future 🙂
Definitely! We had a blast!
The Astros gave the city of Houston hope in 2017 after Harvey when our city was pummeled by a huge hurricane. I believe it helped us all heal.
Maaaan this looks fun! Enjoy!
Thanks brother! May the Lord bless your Sunday!
Worked in Decatur for awhile. Hampton Inn is the best hotel in town.
I’ve not been myself, but Nocona gloves are made right up Highway 287 on your way north out of town – and they have factory tours. (And stop and get your picture taken with the large Bowie knife along Highway 287 outside of Bowie.)
Thanks John. We plan a cross country trip every other year to visit our daughters in Florida and Indiana, baseball along the way. This year I plotted out a different route through Texas to have dinner with my wife’s nephew in Decatur. I already have a room at the Hampton booked, and I’ll check out the glove tour. Thanks for the tip.
Same
I’ll be there this season–likewise, it’s a bit hard for me to believe I haven’t made it to a game there yet. Even more frustrating as my job used to send me to the area about twice a year, but before I was into MiLB…
As an Angels fan this pic makes me happy and sad at the same time
How far along are you?
Great interview. I enjoyed hearing about you and your dad’s visit in 2008.
Thanks Bob, I hope to make it back up to Cooperstown with dad again in the near future!
This one is so high up on my list! I think we should make it an official buckethead meetup in the future!
Ooooh going back to Rogers Centre post-reno is on my list. I might need to expand it to include this!
I’m jealous
I got this on my list too!
Brandon, would love to have you join us at Fenway to see the Bananas play in June!
https://baseballbucketlist.com/savannah-bananas-boston/
I live near the Barnstable Bat company here on Cape Cod. They are making some Bat trophies for me for a charity golf event we are having!
My brother and I went to watch the Chatham Anglers years back… we drove within the vicinity and didn’t realize Barnstable Bat Company was there until we finished our trip. Wish I could have a mulligan on that one! 😅 Thanks for the comment!
Better hurry up!
It’s awesome that you were there for this! I recently was at a Texas Rangers game for a walk off HBP!
That was a crazy finish!
I’m so jealous about this trip! Looks like it’s incredible so far 🙂
Kinda crazy day today. I’m not use to driving in snow storms and was quite unexpected. I got some weird looks at a rest stop probably because I was wearing shorts, sandals, and a Baseball Bucket List t-shirt on a incredibly windy day.
Thank you Anna for providing this site to share our travels!
Sounds to me like you were dressed for success! I’m just patiently waiting for y’all to join me on the show!
Gotta make sure you try some of the new and exciting food items, then report back! Especially the Pretzel Mitt!
Can I really admit that I have never seen the movie? Maybe I will watch it this summer on a Dodgers off day.
Hope you get to do that. Do you live near minor league park to help get you started?
We do have a wide variety of options close to us. Unfortunately our band doesn’t have a huge following or name recognition (we’re good but we just don’t play out enough due to everyone’s schedules) so they tend to lean towards bands that bring an additional crowd of people. I get it. I still have reached out to several teams but it hasn’t worked out yet.
Long-term, I believe the team is looking to move to an older ballpark (Legion Field) that is similar to the other TCL stadiums. It has been tied up in hurricane recovery funds, but I believe the team will move there one that is straightened out
Thanks for sharing. Unless Barbe is charging them an arm and a leg, I’d stay there until I sold out every game. Parking is pretty plentiful around Barbe too.
I saw this page that noted 2017 improvements: https://www.patwilliamsconstruction.com/project/ward-3-legion-field-improvements/
All chair backs (at Barbe) vs. all bench (even there’s probably more total number of seats), I know which I’d rather have my butt in (vs. on) the majority of the time.
Awesome write up. Will be doing a little Texas Roadie in a couple of weeks and Dell Diamond is on the list. I have been looking forward to going to this park since it opened.
Like I said, it is a classic that hasn’t gone bad with age. If you’re a ballpark foodie, there’s a wide selection for you there. There’s also some history stuff in the left-field corner and on the lower level in the Home Run Porch.
Thanks again Jon – my friend and I decided to sit in the home run porch. LOL. Not sure why, maybe just to sit in seats that are a little different? I lived in Ft. Worth for awhile and loved sitting the RF porch of the (not so) old Ballpark in Arlington.
If you make it there, be sure to couple it with a game in Davenport. John O’ Donnell or whatever the park is called now is one of the gems of minor league baseball.
Thanks for that tip! I’ll definitely try and check that out.
Haha I love this, congrats y’all!
I didn’t know this was a thing
Easiest teams to get to is the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, Águilas de Mexicali, and Toros de Tijuana. All of which are right on the U.S./Mexico border. Sometimes the Tecolotes play in Laredo, Texas.
Oh man, I plan on getting back to see the Blue Jays renovation sometime in the next few years, this is getting added to that trip!
You’re about 5 years too late for this one…
Very cool museum.
Very cool museum.
Very cool museum.
Don’t know that I’ll ever have 100, but I’ve got 37 this year – and I might have hit my upper limit. Haven’t seen a game in three weeks! Saw a lot of high school games at fields that I hadn’t been to before around the southeast Texas area.
I didn’t get to any HS games this spring but we do have a new collegiate wood bat team here this year. That has made up most of the games I’ve been to.
My record is somewhere around 75 in 2007. 100 is a lofty goal! Completely agree with you on the 1 inning rule. So many people say you have to stay for the entire game, or until the game is official after the 5th, but with all the parks I’ve been to and now having kids I just don’t subscribe to that. Certainly not advocating to leave a game early if you can help it, but if you’re there for at least an inning and there is proof you were there, that counts as a game and as a stadium visit.
I certainly don’t plan to only see an inning or 2 of most games but I think if I’m there to see both teams field and bat, that is enough to count for being at the game.
I don’t agree with many of your rankings, but I love a good ranking system and I can’t argue with that. Great analysis! My favorite is the Angels, those should just be their every day uniforms.
That’s about the best response I could have asked for! By nature, everyone’s perceptions and rankings will be different, but I agree that it’s hearing how the decisions were made that is the interesting part. I 100% agree about the Angels. Their current branding doesn’t provide much of anything, so I would love to see them adopt these uniforms as their primary home and create a new SoCal identity (maybe including rebranding back to the Anaheim or California Angels) to actually give them the personality they’ve been lacking for 20 or so years.
We were at the same game!
Hi John, I live in Iowa and would love to catch a game there. If you need a travel partner let me know!
That for me if beyond bucket list. Let’s Go Dodgers!
Same. I’ll be there in June after I go see what a dumpster fire this Sacramento A’s situation is.
I’ll be going to Modesto in May. We’ll see if the field holds after a month of heavy usage.
This list brings up a great existential point – what constitutes a “ballpark” for tracking? I only count college level parks and above, some people don’t even count college. I think a lot of the D3 college parks I’ve been to barely would qualify as a “ballpark” to a lot of people but they do to me. I think as long as you’re there for one pitch it counts, but some people it needs to be an official game or an entire game, or you need some sort of physical proof you were there like a scorecard. If I lived in Texas or a warm weather state I’m sure I would count high school fields like you. An interesting topic for debate.
There’s no doubt that everybody has their own criteria, and should. When I appeared as a guest on Anna’s podcast, I made reference that I had about a two-hour limit on games. While I love the game, it is when I “check out”. Back in the day in the Astrodome, my Dad’s guideline – as we lived on the opposite end of town – was that we would stay through the seventh inning stretch, unless some significant event – like a no-hitter – was in play. So last night, for example, I forgot to grab a top and even though it was low 60’s, it was windy and felt cold. I struggled through five innings (or 1:55). For me, it counted. Here’s how mine breakdown:
16 – MLB (9 former, 7 current)
85 – MILB (80 overall plus 5 summer collegiate league)
34 – Texas College, University or JUCO (35 minus Constellation Field)
7 – Other College, University or JUCO
33 – High School (17 private / 16 public)
Let’s keep the dialogue going!
I hear ya on the weather. I’ve been in the Midwest for most of my life, and those March and April games here are ROUGH. I struggled to make it through 5 innings at many a crappy college or Beloit Snappers game. You start to lose feeling in your toes a half-hour in and wonder what you’re doing there, and then remember hey it’s still baseball.
I count MLB and Minor League/Independent, but love that everyone keeps track in their own special way. I’ve been to a handful of college parks, and for some reason have never included them in my totals. But, there are so many colleges in my immediate area, I really want to start making an effort to see more of those…so maybe I’ll start counting them 🙂
Agree that it’s nice hearing other’s perspectives on how they count. I simultaneously have very strong opinions on what I count for myself, while maintaining a curiosity for what others think. I expanded to count college and collegiate summer league, mainly for my seeing a game in 50 states chase. Needed that for Alaska and Rhode Island.
Anna, I’ve been to TCU and DBU in the Metroplex and they’re both nice. I’ve also been to the University of Dallas, which is a simple, but well kept field, and Texas Wesleyan University that is basically a city park (Sycamore). Your Friendly Baseball guy is likely aware of it. I like to try and get doubles in, but colleges all play at the same time on Saturdays or they have doubleheaders (7/9) and maybe not enough time to travel between. I’ve been told that Addison Trinity Christian Academy has a great park that’s been around for awhile that I’ve never been able to get to.
Yes I do also count summer collegiate and town ball. My list would be about half its size if I didn’t haha.
@pnagel2 You should check this site and list for “When Does It Count?”
https://www.charliesballparks.com/count.htm
And his list for 2025 already is 14 that count and 11 that don’t!
https://www.charliesballparks.com/boxes/2025/log.htm
I think some of these rules are pretty arbitrary and even he admits “hey I can just change my mind on a whim.” But like we said, to each his own. I used to be of the camp that I had to stay for at least 5 innings for an official game, but I’ve had circumstances now during travel with tight schedule, or with small children, or horrible weather at a park I would never ever have a chance to go back to, where I’ve become a lot more loose on that. My main rule is it has to be a game – ballpark tours or non-baseball events don’t count.
Wow, he is hard core. I would say my shortest would be a San Antonio Missions game that I attended last year, that was suspended after 2 innings because of weather. I count it though.
This is cool! Nothing beats scoring a ballgame…do you keep score in the program or do you keep a book?
@annadito Yes, I agree! I usually keep score in the program but if it’s a semiprofessional or minor league game, I will bring a card and clipboard.
At a local used bookstore, I found an empty scorebook for $4!
Very nice! What would you say is the difference in atmosphere between a ballpark/ surrounding area during All-Star week versus the atmosphere at a ballpark/surrounding area on a normal day during the season?
It’s definitely a different vibe! I think the ASG brings out the best in people because there is no real pressure of the game. It’s just flat out fun, and lots of activity. I’ve now been to two… LA in 2022 and here in Texas last year. The LA one was more fun for me just because I was on vacation.
I did an episode of the podcast at last year’s where I interviewed different folks about their experiences. It may be a fun listen! https://baseballbucketlist.com/podcast/episode-160-2024-mlb-all-star-week/
I saw them opening day this year. Was a great game
Tony Ebers here. Loved the episode and enjoyed our interview. Thanks for having me.
I did this at age 39. It was very enjoyable. Maybe I will do it again when I’m 44.
I love this. I hope you get to do this.
I feel like I need to have you on the bucket list podcast just to discuss this incredible feat 😂