Episode 141 — Karen Cordaway: From New Mom to Baseball Fan, The Beauty of Unplanned Adventures, & Watching the City Become “Boston Strong”

[00:00:00] Karen: but you know what? It kind of like, Made that whole Boston strong, like so much more meaningful, you know, and then we won, we won that year, and I feel like that could have been like behind that like turbocharged energy, and even when, you know, Papi is saying, this is our bleepin city, and there’s, there’s some sort of bar or restaurant that has that written in neon, You know, it brought people together as a community, so as much as it’s sad that anybody has to go through something like that, um, you know, when you go through the ups and downs with your team, not just with like the baseball aspect, when something crazy happens, you just feel, um, more connected.

[00:00:42] Anna: What’s up bucketheads. Thanks for tuning in and welcome to episode number 141 of the baseball bucket list podcast. I’m your host Anna DiTommaso. And each week on the show, I speak with a different baseball fan about their favorite memories, what’s left on their baseball bucket list and what the game of baseball means to them. This week, I had the pleasure of chatting with Karen Cordaway from Connecticut. Karen got started with baseball after becoming a new mom and looking for hobbies. And while many folks in her town were fans of the Yankees. 

[00:01:09] Anna: She was drawn to the charismatic and lovable losers, The Red Sox of the early two thousands. We discussed what specifically drew her to The Sox and about the challenge of losing the connection to the team after her favorite players were traded, retired and signed with other teams. Karen is also the host of The Everyday Bucket List Podcast, and we discuss how sometimes the best memories in both sports and life are the ones that you didn’t plan for ahead of time or throw a whole bunch of money at. But instead are things that you decide to go to on a whim or do just because you’re looking for something fun to do. We also hear a firsthand account of what it was like to be leaving Fenway park the day of the Boston marathon bombing. And how the response from the city and the team led to a huge sense of community and a very special World Series win.

[00:01:57] Anna: This episode was a lot of fun so let’s get right into it. Now without further ado, sit back, relax and enjoy some baseball banter with Karen Cordaway. 

[00:02:06] Anna: Karen, thank you so much for joining us today on the Baseball Bucket List. How are things in beautiful Connecticut?

[00:02:13] Karen: Well, it’s a little dreary today, but we always have to bring our own sunshine. And that’s what I’m hoping to do on the podcast today.

[00:02:22] Anna: I love that. And spring training games just started yesterday on the day that we’re recording this. I had baseball on my TV and I mean, you talk about bringing sunshine, so it was exciting to see and I’m thrilled to have you here. Can’t wait to chat baseball with you.

[00:02:40] Karen: Sounds good.

[00:02:41] Anna: So the first question I always ask right out of the gate.

[00:02:44] Anna: How is it that you became a fan of the game of baseball?

[00:02:48] Karen: Some of it was out of boredom because I was a new mom and I felt like I needed a focus. You know, people say to get a hobby. I can’t say it was a hobby, but it was something I became very interested in. So, I started watching, um, the Boston Red Sox. I wanted to pick a team that was close to where I lived.

[00:03:13] Karen: And, um, you know, People think there’s only two teams when you live in Connecticut, is either the Yankees or the Red Sox. So, um, that started part of it. I did play softball in high school, so I always liked baseball, but I didn’t really start getting into watching a lot of games until like the early 2000s.

[00:03:35] Anna: Okay, so early 2000s this is just before the reverse the curse kind of era a lot of heartbreak kind of leading up to that 2004 Moment. Finally. So, I mean, early 2000s, kind of, kind of walk us through your first couple of years as a Red Sox fan.

[00:03:55] Karen: Well, like I said, I was just looking for a hobby, so I wasn’t focused on, like, the wins or anything like that. I was just trying to get, like, re acclimated with all the rules and everything like that. But, yeah, winning in 2004 and, you know, trying to overcome that whole curse thing was an exciting time to start as a fan.

[00:04:19] Karen: So, um I’m just realizing that we beat the Cardinals twice, and I have a funny story to go along with that.

[00:04:26] Anna: Nice. So, I love that you kind of got back into baseball as, you know, it sounds like you just kind of needed something that was going to be a part of your day. And that is one of my favorite things about the game. I love how it’s just always there for us. It’s the only game that they play practically every day.

[00:04:45] Anna: I mean, you picked a good one if you were just trying to kind of find something to get invested in again.

[00:04:52] Karen: Right, and I’ve always been a casual sports fan, but for whatever reason, I would only watch, , playoffs or the big events. Like, I really love the Super Bowl, but I just can’t commit to watching football from the beginning. I actually don’t like football until the Super Bowl.

[00:05:12] Anna: I kind of relate. football is a tough one for me. It’s difficult to Kind of stay involved in a game, you know from my perspective Which I think a lot of football fans probably say that about baseball, but they’re wrong. So

[00:05:26] Karen: I know. It’s funny because people think it’s not as popular. I just, um, I don’t know. It’s, it keeps my interest more and, um, it’s just so much fun. I like, I like, you know, showing up to the game, especially Fenway. It’s like peanuts, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, that old school feel, , I could go on and on. I want to make sure I’m pacing myself.

[00:05:51] Anna: you you got back into baseball early 2000s a fan of the Red Sox you just mentioned Fenway Briefly are the Red Sox still your team?

[00:06:00] Karen: In theory, they are, I don’t know. because I came on in the early 2000s and like you say the excitement of, um, breaking a curse and the fun of, uh, being against the Yankees, which is a big thing in my state, because, um, so many people are Yankees fans and especially. Having Italian American heritage, you’re kind of like people think you’re odd, like, if you don’t like the Yankees over the Red Sox, but, um, yeah, it was a really exciting time because we won in 2004 against the Cardinals.

[00:06:36] Karen: Um, then we won in 2007 against the Rockies and when your team is winning, it’s very easy to stay motivated to stay as a fan. And, , you know, it’s just, it was. A lot of fun. I, I will say, I just always thought I would stay a Red Sox fan. Like I said, I’m still a fan. It’s just being a part of so much excitement and thinking that was never going to end for me.

[00:07:05] Karen: , Makes it hard. I still battle in my head like I will go to a game, but it’s not like it was when people like David Ortiz, you know, was there and Mookie Betts and, um, so many of the other players that were there for a while, or, you know, even whenever new players came on. It just got more and more exciting when we had, like, Jackie Bradley Jr.

[00:07:28] Karen: and Bogarts and, I don’t know, it was just everything, the personalities, the chemistry, uh, Papi being such a leader. I never realized how Papi was such a driving force of why I love the Red Sox.

[00:07:43] Karen: And I think. His leadership was why so many other people loved playing there. And there was this excitement and like I say, chemistry and the 2013 team was just so off the charts fun. Um, that it’s hard when it’s not that team anymore, or there’s just. People coming in and out. It’s like musical chairs all the time and I get that that’s how sports is, but uh, it just seemed to be an end of an era and I also mentioned like When you see those people who have been fans and they’ll wear a Yaz shirt or you know some Big player from the past.

[00:08:26] Karen: I always wondered why like why aren’t they buying the newer shirts? So this is such a great era not knowing that it was just an era but anyway, I, I love them in theory because I love this city and I do love baseball. , it’s kind of like, this is going to sound terrible. It’s kind of like when people have a pet before they have kids and the pet is like, Their main focus and then when you have kids you have to put your pet like back on pet status It’s not so terrible to say it that way But I I grapple with this because I really want to like them again, and I’m just not as into it So I’m still a fan of baseball.

[00:09:05] Karen: I love historical aspects. I love going to stadiums I was joking that maybe I’ll just keep a fantasy baseball team in my head and root for players that I like because I will never get over Mookie Betts leaving and I I know that that’s how it goes. And, but, um, you know, the emotional part is, is hard, , to get over.

[00:09:25] Anna: Definitely. I can relate on so many levels because I’m a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays. Anybody who follows baseball from a broad level knows that the official motto of Tampa Bay Rays fans is never get too attached because the moment a player is kind of elevated to the charismatic face of the franchise status that you were kind of describing about Ortiz and some of the other names, they’re traded away from the Rays, you know, they’re sent elsewhere.

[00:09:57] Anna: So, , like you said, that is the nature of the game, but when you are so invested in a specific team and a specific era of a team, and you know, the guys, It feels like they’re almost your own friends because you’re watching them every day, you’re keeping up with them and, , to see them kind of shipped off to another team, or maybe they sign in free agency with another team, it can be pretty devastating.

[00:10:25] Anna: So I totally understand, , having a little bit of hesitancy towards maybe it’s just maybe not the same like chemistry that you have with the Red Sox today. , it’s totally relatable. It really is. My favorite player of all time is Joey Wendell. He’s a utility infielder for, was for the Tampa Bay Rays.

[00:10:46] Anna: And, um, since they traded him, he’s kind of been everywhere. And he just ended up in New York for the Mets this year. But I still follow him. You know, every day I want to know what Joey Wendell’s up to. So, the, the whole fantasy baseball team in your head, I kind of like that, that analogy there of just the guys that you, you kind of have a soft spot for and can’t really let go of.

[00:11:11] Karen: Right, right. And some of it came after we won in 2013. I think that’s around the time where I know, like, Jacoby Ellsbury got signed to the Yankees the next day and even though people would make fun of him or he didn’t do as well or whatever, I adored him and that whole team and I always believed that he was a Red Sox person that went to the Yankees and, like, all the magic wore off.

[00:11:42] Karen: Like, I just felt like he sold his soul to the devil. I’m just kidding. I really like. I really liked him. He was like the more like, um, you know, had an understated personality, but it was still like a nice balance of people on that team. but also, yeah, so that pitcher left and then I was watching the Cubs because, um, you know, Eddie Vedder was watching and I, I, I think the Cubs may have won shortly after that.

[00:12:11] Karen: I can’t remember the whole timeframe of every World Series, 

[00:12:14] Anna: 2016. 

[00:12:15] Karen: Yeah, that was crushing to me, um, but then it was just like little by little, like all these big names and, you know, Pedroia and Ortiz were never gonna leave, so that always kept me hanging in there, , but yeah, I’m, I’m still literally trying to figure myself out now, because when you’re so diehard, it’s very hard, I’ve tried to like other teams, but I really want to show up to the games and it has to be convenient, so, , and I love Boston, like that’s still such a big part of me, so I might just go and try to make the best of it.

[00:12:51] Karen: I want to do a tour because that’s my new thing too. I love touring stadiums. Before I had the focus of You know, I want to try to see my team elsewhere. And then I was like, Oh, it’s kind of hard to coordinate. I want to try to just see different stadiums. And that was fun for a little bit. And then, um, I actually do love, um, learning the historical aspects and that’s what really kind of makes me feel more connected in general to baseball.

[00:13:19] Karen: Because sometimes if you just show up, you don’t necessarily get a big dose of who the team is or, , anything like that. Like, I was a little disappointed. I went to the Cubs stadium, and I was really expecting to feel like this magic that I felt at Fenway. And I, for whatever reason, I didn’t. So I just think I need to know more.

[00:13:42] Karen: In advance, or like I say, you take a tour. I did a tour of, um, the nationals and, uh, the person I believe was a history major. So he was excellent, um, as a tour guide. So that’s where I am right now.

[00:13:55] Anna: Yeah, I think that’s a good place to be. It sounds like you’re kind of still curious. You’re maybe not dead set on, you know, being a diehard Red Sox fan again, but just able to kind of enjoy the intricacies and the charms that each team, each ballpark has to offer. And I mean, that’s, that’s the way to do it as far as I’m concerned.

[00:14:16] Anna: So you mentioned Boston. I joined you. Not too long ago for an episode of your show, which is the everyday bucket list And I love the idea behind your show because I think it’s so in line With what we talk about here at baseball bucket list But for listeners who aren’t familiar with what you’re doing over there Can you kind of give the broad overview of what the everyday bucket list is?

[00:14:46] Anna: Mm hmm

[00:14:46] Karen: Right. I started it. , in the middle of the pandemic because I thought people still needed things to do locally that we were actually allowed to do. So I would just come up with these ideas of fun things to do because it was a time where it was kind of depressing and everything like that. So I really believe.

[00:15:09] Karen: Outside of just it starting at that time, you really should have fun in your everyday life and creating a bucket list of simple things that you could do locally or, you know, In your own home, um, could be a lot of fun and I also linked it to travel because travel is a big part of people’s bucket list, but it was more about the frequency of, you know, you shouldn’t have to wait once a year for a vacation.

[00:15:37] Karen: If you even take a vacation. Um, to only have fun and let loose at that time. I think people should have interests and hobbies and things that they can explore regularly. And sports is a perfect one, um, that you can incorporate in many different ways. Um, so that was pretty. much how it started. So, you know, I also think of like spring bucket list, summer, you could do the seasons, you could do a family bucket list, it could be a couples thing.

[00:16:06] Karen: And it doesn’t always have to be grandiose, even though those things are a lot of fun. And I tell people, you know, think of two Bs and a free, think of something budget friendly, something bougie, and then add in something free. So it is something you could do regularly.

[00:16:26] Anna: I love that so much. I really really like the philosophy around it because you know One of the things that I kind of figured out when I started the website and the show was that a lot of baseball fans have these grandiose ideas and they want to do some incredible things, right? Like we hear, go to Japan, see NPB baseball, maybe KBO in Korea, uh, the midnight sun game in Alaska, things like that.

[00:16:52] Anna: Go to all 30 ballparks. But whenever I get the opportunity to actually talk with fans, most of the. Favorite baseball memories that come up are like random Wednesday night games that they just decided to go to And maybe they got to go with their dad or their son or you know something along those lines and for whatever reason That ordinary game, that didn’t take months and months to plan or exorbitant amounts of money to kind of save up to actually do, tends to be, like, their favorite thing.

[00:17:28] Anna: And I think it just goes to show that not everything has to be bougie or grandiose or over the top, that, like, the simple, everyday moments are really what make your life extraordinary.

[00:17:42] Karen: Exactly.

[00:17:43] Anna: So, speaking of favorite baseball memories, do you have one?

[00:17:48] Karen: I have a few.

[00:17:50] Anna: Let’s hear him.

[00:17:51] Karen: Well, it starts off sounding like not good, but then it was good. I was in St. Louis because I was going to a conference that happened to be scheduled around the time of the World Series. And obviously you don’t know if you’re going to be in the World Series when you’re making these plans. And, um, it was the first few nights of the World Series. I don’t even know if game one was on and I was in an elevator in St. Louis, this is where it happened to be. It was the Cardinals and the Red Sox. And, I’m in an elevator and there’s this guy with a straw hat that had like, big plastic replica rings sewed to the hat. So it was like, you know, a giveaway, that he liked baseball. So I was like, oh, are you a baseball fan? And he’s like, yeah, I like the Cardinals, blah, blah. And then he was like, how about you? And I was just being friendly. I was just trying to be nice. As soon as I said Red Sox, forget it. I thought it was just fighting words, like in my area or if you’re in New York.

[00:18:51] Karen: And, he just starts attacking me, like, in the elevator with my friends, he’s like, Yeah, you know, our, our pitchers are, are gonna whoop you, you know, like, really getting into it with me, like, I thought it was just this nice small talk. So we all got off the elevator. I’m like, wow, that guy’s a piece of work.

[00:19:09] Karen: And, um, it was so good because, like, we won the first game. And I was like, I wish I could go back to that elevator. And then the next night, the Cardinals won, so I’m like, ah, I can’t, you know, talk any smack yet. And then, you know, once we won, I was like, you know, you never really have to do anything to anybody because as Taylor Swift says, karma, you know, will come for you.

[00:19:36] Anna: That’s right. 

[00:19:38] Karen: yeah, so that felt good to like, um, Beat someone who was, trying to give it to me and, um, you know, another memory. This wasn’t a positive memory, but, um, unfortunately I was in Boston at the time of the bombing, which I don’t know if anyone has interest in that. It was a freaky time, but, um, I scheduled it at a time.

[00:20:02] Karen: We always got April break We just always ended up on Jackie Robinson day, so I would say joke with my husband. I’m like, this is why I don’t know the players, um, numbers or names or because they all have the same number on the back 42 and I didn’t realize. That it was Jackie Robinson Day, it was Patriots Day, and it was the Boston Marathon.

[00:20:28] Karen: And as a mom, I never would have scheduled it like that. I just knew it would have been too hectic. My daughters were coming. You know, there were a lot of people partying a little more than normal, which, you know, you start getting introduced to things in the world earlier sometimes. And I was just like, yeah, they’re having fun.

[00:20:45] Karen: They’re drinking beer, whatever. So, um After the game got out, Uh, we get out, and we were deciding, like, hey, the, the marathon’s here, why don’t we go to the finish line? But our daughters kind of get tired, like, halfway through, and once again, there was a lot of people, It, it seemed like a lot of fun, but I’m like, ah, I don’t know if this is really good for them to go all this way, and then we gotta go home, blah blah. So we just make the executive decision not to go to the finish line and we went, um, in the T, which is like the subway system in, in Boston. And my kids really have never taken anything like that. And there was like a rattling sound. And my older daughter would get nervous in general. She’s like, what’s that?

[00:21:39] Karen: What’s that? I said, oh honey, this, you know, it’s an underground subway system. Sometimes it just makes noise. And then shortly after, the person that’s like in charge of tickets or whatever, he says to us, everybody, you have to leave right now. And I just looked at him because, you know, living in Connecticut, we were so much, you know, so close to New York when everything happened. then I looked at him like I was scared. Everybody, no one else was like picking up that this might be something really major. And just as a mom and as somebody, you know. Having kids right when 9 11 happened. I looked at him like, oh my goodness, and he looked right down and I told my husband, like, this is major.

[00:22:25] Karen: We got to get out of here. And I just thought too, like, when things happen in 9 11. You know, they hit one tower, no one knew that another tower was going to get hit, so I was like, we are just finding the easiest way to get back to our car, I was really conflicted in the way that we’re walking really fast, we’re trying to be calm for our kids, you know, they don’t know what we’re thinking in our head, and, um, To see the marathon runners running and they’re like so happy and people are clapping and nobody else necessarily knew like something might be going on.

[00:23:02] Karen: I don’t know when they stopped the race, if they stopped the race, whatever. So we were going the opposite direction, like hightailing it out of there and wondering like, why aren’t other people feeling nervous? And we got on, , a separate T and I was talking to a woman who was actually down there. And they.

[00:23:21] Karen: They decided to go in a store, like right when it went off, like they, you know, they could have been outside too and, , It was just crazy, you know, it was like, even though we weren’t right there and we didn’t hear, you know, some big explosion or whatever, , it was horrifying, so, , you know, when you’re with kids, like, you really do have to stay calm, you can’t kind of show, like, that you’re so nervous, and, um, was, she was saying how she was talking to her friend, like, hey, we really need, we really need to go into this store, and I don’t know if she grabbed someone, I don’t know if she already knew or whatever, she was, Talking separately about how her job, you know, she’s not doing anything big in the world like saving lives.

[00:24:07] Karen: And I’m like, well, you saved the life today, you know, I was just joking with her. But, um, yeah, we, we got out of there, but it was very scary. And for a while, my daughter, um, know, When I would pick her up at school, she’s like, is my mom here? Is my mom here? Like it really kind of, it was traumatic, so she was very like anxious after that and it was, um, really just wild to know that we were there and could have been like, , right at the finish line,

[00:24:36] Anna: Yeah.

[00:24:37] Karen: but I’m sorry.

[00:24:38] Karen: I don’t want to give a bad memory, but I know, um, you’ve never had anybody talk about that. So, , I just wanted to see what that experience was like, but you know what? It kind of like, Made that whole Boston strong, like so much more meaningful, you know, and then we won, we won that year, and I feel like that could have been like behind that like turbocharged energy, and even when, you know, Papi is saying, this is our bleepin city, and there’s, there’s some sort of bar or restaurant that has that written in neon, You know, it brought people together as a community, so as much as it’s sad that anybody has to go through something like that, um, you know, when you go through the ups and downs with your team, not just with like the baseball aspect, when something crazy happens, you just feel, um, more connected.

[00:25:27] Karen: And I hope I’m not depressing your listener.

[00:25:30] Anna: No, I mean, I, we hear stories like that occasionally, you know, um, games after 9 11, the earthquake game in San Francisco, Oakland, the Bay Area there, and, , it just goes to show that you don’t like, again, because baseball is such an integrated part of your everyday life that sometimes crazy things happen based around it.

[00:25:53] Anna: You know, what you said about the kind of bonding together after a tragic event like that and kind of giving everybody a common rallying point and it does make you feel more connected to your city and the people that are in the city or, you know, your, your team’s city, even if you don’t live there per chance.

[00:26:17] Anna: But, What an incredible, powerful memory and I mean, I can just imagine what that must have been like to finally make it, make it home and then kind of have a chance to step back and look at what really did happen and, uh, watching the events of the following few days kind of play out and, , seeing, how the city, how the team, how the players were responding.

[00:26:41] Anna: And you’re probably right. It probably did have, Boston Strong probably did have a pretty good, you impact and kind of drive behind the success of the team that year.

[00:26:52] Karen: Right, and the one thing I want to leave you with is, I believe it was Adam Sandler said, Only in the city of Boston, you tell everybody to stay in the house and, and they’ll do it. Like, it was really bizarre that they kept everybody inside to find that guy. And, um, that also just speaks to the personality and, um, love of that area.

[00:27:16] Anna: Definitely. And I think that’s why, you know, their, their city connect uniforms, which a lot of people who don’t have a connection to the city don’t understand the history both before and after the bombing that the city has with the marathon. They don’t necessarily, you know, quote unquote, get or understand the significance of those City Connect uniforms that they wear on occasion, but I think it’s, it’s pretty meaningful.

[00:27:44] Anna: It would have been before that event took place and it certainly is now.

[00:27:49] Karen: Right.

[00:27:50] Karen: The only other thing I would like to add is when I was watching one of Papi’s last games. It’s a popular thing to go to Baltimore when they play there because it’s an awesome stadium. It’s open. They have like really cool French fries. It has a little, you know, more personality.

[00:28:07] Karen: And that’s what I like in a stadium, but I didn’t know that there was going to be, um, someone there that was a part of the Baltimore team. Um, it was Boog Powell and a lot of people were talking to him and I just wanted to meet him. I could just tell he was super nice. He spent a lot of time with the fans, so I didn’t want to hog somebody else’s time knowing that I was trying to get to the game. So he was really nice. We took a photo with him. He really wanted to talk to us, and I felt terrible because I’m just weird, like, I want to be sitting down when the game starts.

[00:28:42] Karen: I like the whole, like, everybody being introduced, and you know, that pump up of the crowd, and I I didn’t talk to him long. I said, I’m sorry. I’m, I’m rooting for the other team. I just wanted to meet you. I think you’re a great person. You know, I, I was still nice. I talked a little bit. And when I told one of my friends who’s a big baseball fan, and this is a Yankees fan, they’re like, “you met Boog Powell?”

[00:29:06] Karen: oh, he was like, “I can’t believe I’ve been to Baltimore. He wasn’t there when I was there” and here I didn’t even like spend any time with him because it was literally like one of Papi’s last games. And I’m like, I don’t want to miss any part of this. And, , you know, he was really nice. And I think if it’s a popular game, maybe that’s when he goes. That’s all I could think of. Maybe they knew there were going to be a lot of players there or I’m sorry people. Um, so whenever. You know, Boston especially, I think people knew, I think he knew it was going to be a big game, so, , you know, and he probably likes to catch up with different players himself, so that was a lot of fun.

[00:29:46] Anna: it’s a great memory that’s a really cool story and a really fun memory so I’m glad you shared that

[00:29:52] Karen: Yeah, 

[00:29:53] Anna: So what’s left to check off on the baseball bucket list then? I mean, you’ve toured several stadiums, you’ve traveled for baseball, is there still one thing that’s kind of at the top of the baseball bucket list?

[00:30:07] Karen: I would like to attend a World Series. I don’t know when that would come into play. Um, that would be a lot of fun, and really anything. Um, that has to do with baseball. There’s a really cool museum in D. C. as well that it was just off my radar. So, um, definitely something like that. Uh, that would make me happy.

[00:30:32] Anna: Yeah, I mean the World Series happens every year. So if you’re not too attached to who you see in the World Series you know, it becomes a lot more doable, but That’s a that’s a cool one for sure. That’s a event in and of itself. So I like that that one’s at the top of the list along with a couple of other good ones Karen, I’ve so enjoyed this.

[00:30:55] Anna: I cannot thank you enough for making time to join me for some baseball banter. Where should we send people if they want to kind of follow along online? learn more about The Everyday Bucket List and just kind of keep up with you in general?

[00:31:10] Karen: Everything is housed under my website at Karen, that popular name K A R E N, Cordaway, C as in cat, O R D as in dog, A W A Y. com. , so if you go to karencordaway.com, you can find my podcast. You can find where I am on social media. you know, I would love for people to visit, say hi, or ask questions, whatever you want to do.

[00:31:35] Anna: Awesome. Well, Karen, thank you so much. I really enjoyed it.

[00:31:39] Karen: You’re welcome. It was a pleasure.

[00:31:40] Anna: And that will wrap up this episode of the baseball bucket list podcast. Special, thanks to Karen cord away for joining us today and sharing those stories and memories. If this sounds like something you’d like to do, if you think you might like to be a guest on the show, head to baseballbucketlist.com/podcast and fill out an application. I’d absolutely love to hear from you.

[00:31:59] Anna: While you’re there. Make sure to spend some time on the site, sign up for a free membership, build your own baseball bucket list and track your ballpark visits. And if you find yourself enjoying the show each week, please take a moment to rate interview at, in the podcast app of your choice. It does really good things are helping grow the show. And I would really appreciate it. 

[00:32:15] Anna: That’s it for this week. Thanks so much for listening. We’ll see you next episode.