Episode 167 — Solario: Vintage Leagues, Global Baseball Adventures, & The Art of the Game

[00:00:00] Solario: , I remember the city being just so united. Um, everybody was wearing their Giants caps, doing everything. Bars that once did not have televisions, added televisions for the World Series. It was, everybody was just on board. The entire city was feeling it. And, you know, I think San Francisco is a little different than other cities in that it’s kind of a, it’s a boutique city, kind of similar to New York.

[00:00:24] Solario: it’s tight knit and it’s, it’s a, it’s a city. so just to be able to walk, you know, from my apartment outside and just like feeling the palpable energy, It didn’t even have to be a game day. It was just um, over the course of that World Series was, was just electrifying.

[00:00:40] Anna: What’s up bucketheads. Thanks for tuning in and welcome to episode number 167 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. 

[00:00:58] Anna: This week, I sat down with Antia Solario from Honolulu, Hawaii. 

[00:01:02] Anna: Solario, as he prefers, is a lifelong San Francisco giants fan who grew up attending. chilly summer games at Candlestick park as a kid. Alongside his passion for baseball, he’s also a professional illustrator and we talk about how his love for design was sparked in part by his fascination with baseball, logos, and uniforms. 

[00:01:21] Anna: Solario has never missed a World Baseball Classic and is also a big fan of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. So we dive into his experiences, watching international games, why he loves their unique energy and what he’s looking forward to as the WBC continues to grow this conversation was a blast, I know you guys are all going to love it. 

[00:01:39] Anna: So without further ado, sit back, relax and enjoy some baseball banter with Solario. 

[00:01:45] Anna: Solario, thank you so much for joining us today on the Baseball Bucket List. How are things in Hawaii?

[00:01:51] Solario: Thank you for having me. It’s, uh, it’s unseasonably hot right now. It’s very, uh, humid and sticky. But I’m getting along. It’s, uh, hard to complain.

[00:02:00] Anna: I can imagine. So I know we’re going to get into your story a little bit and we’ll find out how you, how you kind of made your way over there. But, um, you know, the first question out of the gate I always ask is, how is it that you fell in love with the game of baseball?

[00:02:15] Solario: Um. multi generational, uh, baseball family. I, you know, I’ve had cousins and uncles that have played in the majors and, um, had, you know, what? Third or fourth generation, uh, Giants fan. So, uh, just grew up on a candlestick park. my dad would take me, you know, to the summertime games and a candlestick.

[00:02:37] Solario: And, um, we also took a lot of, uh, uh, summertime road trips to, to different ballparks. So I grew a love of, uh, just going to different ballparks and travel very early on in my life.

[00:02:48] Anna: So did you grow up in the San Francisco Bay area then? Is that, is that kind of how you, you came to love the Giants?

[00:02:54] Solario: Yeah. San Francisco and Sacramento, uh, kind of split between the two. 

[00:02:58] Anna: talk a little bit about Candlestick because I never got a chance to go to it. I never made it over to San Francisco while that was still around. Um, but you know, I obviously Oracle Park, AT& T Park, whatever we’re calling it nowadays is one

[00:03:14] Solario: don’t even know what to call it

[00:03:15] Anna: right? The Giant’s Ballpark, that’s what we’ll go with.

[00:03:18] Anna: One of the best in the game, as far as I’m concerned. I think, I think many people listening say the same, but Candlestick was not that, and, I’ve, I’ve had a chance to talk with a couple of people who, who attended games there, but for folks who are listening who don’t have any idea what a typical game at Candlestick was like, can you help clue them in?

[00:03:39] Solario: Windy. Very, very windy. kind of didn’t matter, uh, what time of the summer or spring it was, it was, it was going to be cold generally. And, and a lot of times in June and July, it was the coldest, if you can believe it. Um, just icy, cold, swirling winds. It was just a big bowl right next, situated right next to a, a mountain.

[00:04:01] Solario: So, you know, the, the, the, The winds off the, uh, off the bay would flow right into the bowl and swirl around. And so it’d just be sitting amongst hotdog wrappers and, and, uh, just icy cold temperatures in the middle of summertime. And so, um, it was miserable. Um, but I guess that’s a testament to how much, you know, Giants fans love, love their team is, is it, um, you know, there, there was definitely bad times, but, uh, you know, I can’t think of too many people that have.

[00:04:33] Solario: Bad memories of candlestick and i’m definitely somebody that uh, it’s you know, I cut my teeth there and it was You know, it’s a it’s a part of who I am. So it’s a special place to me 

[00:04:42] Anna: you know, a lot of people, they grow up going to these ballparks that aren’t necessarily like one of the best and they still just become diehard baseball fans. And so I feel like it really is a testament kind of like you said to how powerful the game is, right? It’s so easy to fall in love with a game when you’re sitting at PNC Park and it’s 80 degrees and there’s a light breeze blowing and everything is just perfect.

[00:05:06] Anna: But to develop a relationship with a game where it’s You’re kind of walking into the ballpark going like, okay, am I prepared for this? You know, I Want to know more about like what aspects of the game kind of captured your heart because it obviously was not the weather

[00:05:23] Solario: Um, I just really loved um collecting baseball cards when I was a kid my dad I was a really big memorabilia Collector and so I just got hooked on collecting baseball cards and, just studying all the players names, the, stats and, uh, probably most importantly, the uniforms. I really, I’m a real big uniform geek.

[00:05:43] Solario: Um, I love, you know, I love design. I’m a, I’m a professional illustrator. I probably want to say my, my love of, of design comes from, from baseball and baseball cards and, and just. Looking at the uniforms and obsessing over, you know, how the different iterations of the logos change over time and the colors of the uniforms and, you know, the, the pairings of socks and hats and, and jerseys and just, uh, just all that stuff is just was and is super fascinating to me.

[00:06:12] Anna: Do you have either a favorite uniform combination, like, take out of it your feelings for the team, but like, is there some uniform that every time it trots out on the field, you’re just like, man, that’s the one right there. Or I’ll give you another out, a specific era. of uniforms that you were just like, we need to get back to that.

[00:06:35] Solario: I, I love the, uh, Really awkward form fitting baby blues of the the late 70s and 80s. Um, they were just so weird I I there were just odd design choices that that were on almost universally used by you know a lot of classic teams that you wouldn’t think would normally be uh Trotted out in those baby blues.

[00:06:59] Solario: Um, I just think they’re a bit of an oddity and and uh, I I really I’ve always liked seeing them and I’ve enjoyed seeing them make a bit of a modern comeback recently.

[00:07:10] Anna: Yeah, I agree. I love the baby blue color scheme. Um, but I’m with you, like the weird, the oddly tight form fitting, you know, of the like late seventies and eighties where there were no belts. They were just like elastic waistbands. And it almost looks like a little kid’s like onesie or something,

[00:07:27] Solario: yeah.

[00:07:29] Anna: but it’s a great, a great color scheme.

[00:07:31] Anna: I love to see the retro kind of throwbacks with that. A lot of teams are wearing them now, and I think it’s absolutely great.

[00:07:38] Solario: Yeah, those are awesome.

[00:07:40] Anna: I know that you have a soft spot in your heart for the World Baseball Classic, and I know that there’s many reasons for that, right? I mean, it sounds like perhaps when it first made its way to California, you were still living in the area and found a way to attend some games, but it sounds like it’s kind of developed into something that’s become more of a, uh, Ritual or tradition for you.

[00:08:08] Solario: Yeah, I haven’t missed one since my first World Baseball Classic in 2006. Just the idea of non traditional baseball countries picking up the game. It’s really fascinating to me and it’s, it’s, it’s kind of heartwarming in a way I love, I love seeing almost right before your eyes a country like, uh, Czechia or, or the UK picking up baseball and, you know, excelling in it, uh, over the course of not that long.

[00:08:37] Solario: so, you know, stuff like that really, really gets me. Tugs at my heartstrings. And so the world baseball classic was right up my alley, right out the gate. And so, um, in 2006, I was relatively young, um, it was my first real road trip. And I just, gathered a couple of friends and made a road trip down from San Francisco to, uh, Anaheim to check out a game and, uh, It couldn’t have been a better experience.

[00:09:02] Solario: It was, uh, Mexico versus South Korea and just the contingent of Mexican and Korean fans in the stands was just unbelievable. It was almost divided down the middle. And every time, you know, their team was out, there was chants and cheers and songs. And, and I had never seen anything like it at a, at a baseball game before.

[00:09:22] Solario: It just the coolest thing. And it just solidified my love for that tournament and, uh, international baseball in general. Oh,

[00:09:28] Anna: I can definitely understand how that would be the case I mean, I haven’t been it’s on my list every time I talk to somebody who’s been to Any of the games I just it’s I know it’s something I have to do and it would be so easy, right? Like it’s it’s not this Thing that’s outside of the realm of possibility, but you know, you’ve been going for man.

[00:09:48] Anna: It’ll be like 20 years Pretty soon right a couple. Yeah

[00:09:52] Solario: think about that. Yeah.

[00:09:54] Anna: decades and you’re talking about even even your first experience with it. Just this this incredible source of energy. Have you seen that continue to grow? Like the more you go back, does the vibe change? Does it stay the same? Does it seem like more people care about different things?

[00:10:12] Anna: You know, how has it progressed over the years?

[00:10:14] Solario: Every single year it gets, it gets bigger and it gets more filled with passion as, you know, teams that, like I mentioned earlier, non traditional baseball clubs, you see, you’ll start to see the fans of those clubs, you know, traveling and showing up and chanting, even in countries that aren’t their own. Um, and it’s, it’s always fascinating to see.

[00:10:39] Solario: yeah, it’s just it’s it’s just a really cool, cool experience to see people gathering with their with their national flags and it’s nobody’s ever showing up and staying quiet throughout. They’re always chanting and cheering to have their own special special. national songs and, and, uh, and player songs and, and cheers.

[00:10:59] Solario: And it’s, it’s just really, really fun to see everybody come together like that. I remember in, um, I went to the 2013, uh, WBC final in San Francisco and, after the game in the concourse, just everybody made this drum circle. So there was, you know, representatives from everybody in the tournament, you know, in the finals anyways.

[00:11:22] Solario: And, um, just chanting and cheering and, uh, making way for, for dancing and, and, uh, making noise. And it was just really cool to see that in the U S I’d seen that abroad before, but I’d never seen that type of, of passion in the U S and it was really cool.

[00:11:39] Anna: Yeah. That’s what I hear about it, and it’s just the thing that, like, I mean, obviously the way the last World Baseball Classic ended, you have, you know, Shohei V. Trout, it’s fan fiction, essentially, but, so, yeah, the level of baseball is super fun, super exciting, you have superstars kind of going at it in scenarios that we don’t get a chance to see, typically, that in and of itself is a great reason to put it on the list, but, you know, these descriptions of Hanging out with people from various cultures in the stands and everybody seems to have kind of this like good vibe about them It’s not necessarily super competitive.

[00:12:20] Anna: It’s very welcoming from from what I’ve heard It’s just made made it something that I am like really really excited to get a chance to to get to

[00:12:30] Solario: Yeah. And, um, on the converse of that, there is a little bit of bad blood between Korea and Japan. So it’s always fun to see them, uh, face off and, and, uh, potentially get chippy on the, on the field.

[00:12:42] Anna: Yeah, on the field for sure, yeah, um, I want to talk a little bit about, I mean, you, you briefly mentioned, you alluded to the fact that you are a fan of international baseball and you know, obviously the WBC ties right into that nice and neatly, but what is it about international baseball, you know, why do you have an affinity towards that?

[00:13:03] Solario: you know, I’ve been a baseball, I’ve been a, a fan of Major League baseball my entire life, and so, you know, I I I get the culture. It’s, it’s, it’s still something that, uh, that obviously appeals to me and I love with all of my heart. But it’s also interesting to see the, the different ways different nations participate and interact with the game of baseball and, and, and what they bring to the table and what they, in terms of, play on field and, uh, fan culture in the stands. so, I think, above all else, it’s just really fun to see that play out. And then, when I’m visiting a place where I’m becoming more familiar with the baseball culture, it’s also fun just learning more and more and more about how the fans interact.

[00:13:45] Anna: Where are some of the places that you’ve been, um, you know, I, I know that you travel I have traveled quite extensively and some of those areas are, are, are big baseball areas. So, you know, what are some of the places that you’ve been to where baseball’s been a big part of your time there?

[00:14:05] Solario: Mainly East Asia and mainly, um, South Korea and, uh, Japan. Uh, I travel, prior to the pandemic, I was a cocktail bartender and I would go to, uh, to Seoul, uh, several times a year to, to do some lectures and, and guest bartender on, around Seoul. And, and, uh, it was always, well, I guess early on when I started, when I first started doing that, it was a bit, difficult to get acclimated.

[00:14:31] Solario: Um, I wasn’t as proficient in the language yet and I, didn’t have anybody I knew very well and I didn’t have just any comfort areas. And so it was always fun to dive into a baseball game and, you know, center myself and then I could kind of get started and hit the ground running after that. Um, so Korea was really great.

[00:14:52] Solario: And, um, now my work in an entirely different career. I’m an independent illustrator right now. with a relative bit of popularity in Japan. So I traveled to Japan quite a bit, um, at least a couple of times a year. And, um, it’s been my goal over the past several, you know, handful of years to visit all the parks and I’m only missing two at this point. So that’s a lot of fun.

[00:15:16] Anna: That’s awesome. So, I mean, Yeah. That’s awesome. I think a lot of Americans, especially, you know, their first taste of like KBO baseball really came from the early pandemic days because they were the only ones playing, right? Of course, they did the cardboard cutouts and everything well ahead of what MLB did.

[00:15:35] Anna: But, um, do you have a favorite KBO team? Like, is there one that you are naturally pulled towards?

[00:15:42] Solario: Uh, the, the Lotte Giants, uh, I, I

[00:15:46] Anna: It

[00:15:47] Solario: appreciate the, the ballpark and yeah, it’s there. I have a tendency if I’m taking a team in another country to go for an underdog and they are definitely that. So let’s say I’ve spent most of my time in Seoul, but, um, uh, the last couple of trips that I’ve spent some time in Doosan and it’s really.

[00:16:11] Solario: It’s really kind of taken my heart. It’s a, it’s a beautiful, beautiful seaside city.

[00:16:15] Anna: Very cool. And then NPB, I’m going to assume if you’re a fan of an underdog, that you’re not a Giants fan, you’re not a, uh,

[00:16:26] Solario: absolutely not.

[00:16:27] Anna: Giants fan. Um, so tell us that story. Well, you know, how did, uh, how’d the Tigers get their hooks in you?

[00:16:36] Solario: Um, I, I have a lot of friends and family in Osaka and so, um, it’s, it was just kind of a natural, uh, transition to becoming a Tigers fan and, and I mean, prior to last year, they hadn’t won since 85 and prior to that, they had never won. And so, um, Yeah, it was always fun. Going to see the ball games in which a team is just insanely passionate about a perennial underdog and Not to mention it’s just the coolest ballpark.

[00:17:08] Solario: Koshien Stadium is, is, is, you know, the oldest ballpark in Japan just celebrating its 100th anniversary this season. Um, and it’s, it’s, you know, unmatched fan atmosphere at the, at the ballpark. Everybody’s, you know, if they, even if they’re in last place, they’re, they’re going to be loud and it’s going to be rowdy and it’s going to be fun and the beer flows and the food is amazing and everybody’s happy.

[00:17:31] Solario: And just people in Osaka in general are happy, fun loving people. So they bring that to the ballpark every game.

[00:17:39] Anna: I love that. That’s so fun. I can’t wait to, to get to experience that in person because again, the stories I’ve heard, I, uh, you know. it’s something I can’t, I can’t wait to, to see. Talk to us a little bit about then, last, last year.

[00:17:53] Anna: I mean, you just mentioned it was the first championship the Tigers had won since 85, their second ever. So, I mean, did you feel pretty good out of the gate? Are you following, I guess the first question should be, are you following NPB ball on the same level that you are MLB ball? Yeah.

[00:18:12] Solario: Well, unfortunately it, this really just, it, it, uh, nags at me constantly. Um, I Was obviously a fan of Shohei Ohtani and, um, coming from San Francisco. I don’t think I’ve felt a bigger heartbreak than when Ohtani signed with the Dodgers. And also hearing that the Giants were potentially suitors as well. And also to hear later on that they had offered him a similar contract.

[00:18:46] Solario: knowing what a dynamic figure he is and a cultural icon. That means he’s going to go down in history as a Dodger. And I’m going to have to hear about it for the rest of my life. And I live in Hawaii and I travel to Japan often. And so I’m just surrounded with Dodger’s hats and it’s, it’s driving me crazy. Especially when I, I, I would, I would say prior to the Otani signing, Hawaii was a Giants. It was Giants territory. So it bums me out quite a bit. but I guess to add to that, um, I’m running into blackout issues with, uh, MLB. com

[00:19:33] Anna: Mm hmm.

[00:19:34] Solario: because number one, uh, you know, Spectrum has, uh, their hands in Hawaii. And so it’s just Dodgers games all the time now.

[00:19:43] Solario: And for whatever reason, we’re still in the year 2024, we’re still doing blackouts and like, I can get up and, and. You know, drive to the ballpark in Hawaii. It’s just not a thing. So it just, I, I quite honestly, in the past couple of years, I’ve, I’ve fallen off of being able to watch, MLB or the giants, um, as much as I, as much as I used to, which is, it’s, it’s really bumming me out.

[00:20:10] Solario: Um, still, still hit them on the radio. Um, It’s and they have the best broadcasting crew in baseball. So, um, you know, it’s not the worst thing in the world, but it does, it does bum me out that I can’t, you know, just flip on the TV every day and check them out on the flip side. being in Hawaii means I’m a few hours earlier, um, for NPB baseball.

[00:20:31] Solario: So, uh, at 11 o’clock every night I can, I can turn the TV on and, um, I have a, I have an app, uh, specifically for the, the Hanshin Tigers, um, just costs a couple of bucks a month and I can, I can watch tigers games guaranteed. So, um, yeah, since, I mean, I guess, I guess really since the pandemic, um, I’ve really turned on my, You know how I’ve been able to regularly follow NPB baseball.

[00:20:53] Solario: And so it’s, uh, really, uh, dug its claws into me and I’m, I’m, I’m a big NPB fan now,

[00:21:00] Anna: very cool, I love that that’s a lot of fun I think it’s uh The blackout issue one we hear about a lot obviously supposedly something is in the works to rectify this in the near future I’ll believe it when I see it, but In the meantime, i’m glad to hear that. Uh, you know, you’re finding a way to to To still catch games and specifically a team that you actually care about.

[00:21:22] Anna: So back to then, where I was trying to go with this question before I segued and went off the beaten path here is, you know, where you, it sounds like, I guess you were pretty wrapped up in last season with the Tigers. At what point did it start to feel like, okay, maybe this is gonna be the year that something special happens

[00:21:45] Solario: the last out of the, of the Japan series, I’m also, I’m not a very, I’m a pretty cynical baseball fan and, uh, it probably has to do with the teams that I follow, but, uh, I don’t really ever think any of my teams are going to do anything. Um, and so. You know, I, especially in a, uh, in a series that goes seven games, um, I, I, I was absolutely not comfortable until the last out.

[00:22:14] Anna: Yeah.

[00:22:15] Solario: Um, and because I, you know, I’ve seen that before. It was a really cool, really cool series, um, to, to, to watch. you know, just see, uh, both both teams from the Osaka area battle it out. And, uh, and, uh, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be there at the time. But, um, I have a cousin that lives there and, uh, and some friends, uh, so I go to ballgames to Koshien with and whenever I visit, they’re just giving me the lowdown and telling me how absolutely insane it was.

[00:22:46] Solario: Both when they won the, uh, the league title in the Japan series.

[00:22:50] Anna: Man, I can only imagine. I can only imagine how like crazy that must’ve been. First time since 85, just, you know. We see it sometimes with the with teams that have these long droughts. The Rangers last year never having one. Many, many of the Rangers fans I speak to have a similar outlook. Like, when did you feel like it was good?

[00:23:10] Anna: And then of course with the Rangers history of, you know, Being down to, uh, only needing one strike on two separate occasions and still somehow managing for things to fall apart. I get the cynicism, right? Like, I understand. It’s best to protect myself emotionally. Like, I’m just gonna

[00:23:26] Solario: Absolutely.

[00:23:27] Anna: prepared for something bad to happen here.

[00:23:31] Anna: You mentioned a couple of times that your career is in illustration right now and, um, that you travel back and forth to Japan for work. I was first introduced to you through Japan Ball. Um, you know, our mutual friend Shane uses you for a lot of his, uh, commemorative tickets, kind of like, uh, Souvenir type stuff that that he gives tour groups But give listeners a little insight into your illustration career and and how much of it is kind of revolving around sports

[00:24:06] Solario: My main focus is, uh, on, Hawaii nostalgia. Uh, so a lot of uh, mid century modern design. I, I, my career really started to pick up when I was doing, um, really it was just kind of for myself. I was documenting, uh, local, um, mid century modern buildings and hotels and apartments on, on the island, uh, as, as illustrations, uh, simply because I wanted to kind of showcase the, the nicer aspects of them as, you know, as it’s, A lot of these buildings are about 70 years old at this time.

[00:24:39] Solario: It’s, uh, they’re in, you know, different states of disrepair, and there’s telephone wires and cars parked out front, and it’s just not, they’re not as pretty as they probably once were. And so I decided to just, um, document them for history’s sake, and they, they really got popular. And, um, so I’ve started to get, um, work with, with, uh, A lot of larger local companies and, um, there’s a couple of baseball related, uh, local projects that I’ve done.

[00:25:08] Solario: Uh, one was for, um, with my now partners and good friends, uh, at Old Queen Street Stadium. They’re a, uh, a, I guess you can call them part, uh, vintage retail shop, part, uh, museum of Hawaii sports memorabilia. Um, and so a lot of local, local stars will come by and drop their uniforms off and display them at the shop.

[00:25:31] Solario: And, um, and. You know, they and we together have been doing a few collaborations on, on, on showcasing different aspects of Hawaii sports nostalgia and history, and so yeah, one of the first pieces I did with them was a, uh, was an illustration of, um, Honolulu Stadium. Otherwise known as the, the Termite Palace, uh, which is the old, uh, Hawaii Islanders, uh, minor league baseball, uh, stadium. And UH football played there, and it was just a rickety old, uh, stadium that closed down in 1976. And, um, there weren’t Unfortunately, there’s not a ton of, of, uh, You know, photographs and very few illustrations of the place. And so, uh, we, we decided to try to document it from, from different angles and show showcase, you know, maybe what it might’ve looked like. Um, In a more artful setting, um, because it had a beautiful backdrop of a diamond head right behind, uh, the out, you know, the center of the wall.

[00:26:31] Solario: So I kind of wanted to showcase that, that aspect of it. It was, it turned out really well and it got to be really popular. Um, and then that transitioned into doing a, uh, piece for the, to commemorate the closing of Aloha Stadium, which, uh, kind of just unceremoniously, Shuttered during COVID because, um, with all of the downtime and having games being played in the stadium, um, they got to look at the structure, you know, the structure of the place and it was just falling apart.

[00:27:05] Solario: And probably was not going to last too many years longer and was quite honestly, probably in danger of, of collapse. And so, uh, just last year in February, they, they officially closed, uh, Aloha stadium and, uh, had a, uh, kind of closing party and I made a very 1970s piece, um, you know, showcasing Aloha stadium to, to, to commemorate.

[00:27:30] Solario: And that was, that was a lot of fun being involved in that. Additionally, I, uh, when I was in San Francisco, I played in a, uh, the Bay Area Vintage Baseball League. And so we played by 1886 rules. And so we had, um, you know, wool uniforms and, and, and tiny leather gloves and big, funky oak bats and, and, um, played by the, uh, the rules that you would play in 1886.

[00:27:58] Solario: You could smoke cigars in the field. Up there at a top hat, uh, just really, really fun and rowdy. And, uh, and so since moving to Hawaii, I, well, Hawaii is a, first of all, Hawaii is a, a place with a deep, deep baseball history. Um, and. So we don’t have a vintage league here. And so I’m in the process of creating a a league here on the islands.

[00:28:26] Solario: Um, to showcase some of the older teams that played here, uh, with hopes of starting out officially next year 2025 in the wintertime. So it’s going to be a winter, a winter vintage league and hopefully drawing some barnstorming teams from from the mainland to come over and play. Because Barnstorming with the Ventures League is just something that picked up popularity over COVID and, um, and it’s, uh, you know, I think this will be a nice place for, for teams to check out

[00:28:56] Anna: Yeah, I can’t imagine why

[00:28:57] Solario: while wearing their heavy wool uniforms.

[00:28:59] Anna: right. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to go visit Hawaii to play baseball. It’s, you know, no, I, I’m so glad you brought that up, because it was one of the topics I wanted to talk about with you. And unfortunately, we’re audio only. So nobody listening to this can see that epic handlebar mustache that you are rocking but you look to be the type of guy who would just absolutely love this vintage baseball league that that you’re talking about and it’s so It’s so interesting to me. I mean, I hear a lot about these, like, kind of Sandlot style, you know, we’re just gonna assemble people and we’re just gonna play and we’re just gonna pretend to be kids again and we’re just gonna have a good time and not worry too much about it, but this takes it like a step further, right?

[00:29:42] Anna: It’s, uh, um, It just sounds like an absolute blast. So you mentioned the top hats and the tiny gloves and the cigars, um, and left field, which I’m assuming maybe you can smoke everywhere, but maybe, maybe it is designated to left field only, but what’s like a rule that you guys play by that would catch somebody totally off guard?

[00:30:01] Anna: They’re like, Oh wow. I had no idea.

[00:30:03] Solario: Seven balls for a walk is an interesting one.

[00:30:07] Anna: Yeah, that’s, that’s wild.

[00:30:10] Solario: yeah, a couple rules are is you when you’re coming up to bat you you choose your strike zone so you can choose a high strike zone or a low strike zone. And so depending on what you’ve seen from the pitcher up to that point, you can, you know, if he’s having trouble hitting, hitting spots, you can, you can kind of play around with that a little bit and make him really suffer.

[00:30:29] Solario: And, uh, if he’s not hitting the strikes on, uh, you know, seven strikes and in that bat, automatically, if, if, if, uh, you’re facing a guy that cannot hit the zone is, is pretty satisfying, especially if you can draw a walk out of it. Um, so, and then, uh, uh, I guess on, on the topic of at bats as well, um, uh, you know, if you’re hit by a pitch, it’s just a dead ball.

[00:30:50] Solario: It doesn’t count.

[00:30:53] Anna: Interesting. 

[00:30:54] Solario: So 

[00:30:55] Anna: So maybe you’re going to get hit by a pitch if you, uh, you know, If you pull the strike zone, that’s, uh, maybe not conducive to however the guys throw and you might get,

[00:31:02] Solario: it’s a

[00:31:03] Anna: yeah, oh, man, that’s awesome. I love the idea of that. I think it’d be super cool. You mentioned kind of, you know, paying homage to these older teams, this rich baseball tradition of Hawaii.

[00:31:15] Anna: And if you could get these teams barnstorming from, from other states, I mean, what a cool way to kind of do this, like living history reenactment type thing that would just, it would be like a cool thing. Combination of all of the coolest parts of America, right? History, baseball, camaraderie, Hawaii, it’s all

[00:31:38] Solario: Yeah.

[00:31:39] Anna: It sounds like it’d be super, super cool.

[00:31:42] Anna: Did work take you to Hawaii or how did you end up moving there?

[00:31:47] Solario: Like I, like I mentioned earlier, I was, I was a cocktail bartender prior to the pandemic and I was living in Seoul in the summer of 2019, with a desire to, to, to stay over there permanently and, and, um, I actually had a job offer, offer from a really big, uh, nice hotel and it would have been, I mean, it was a beautiful cocktail bar that I would have been taking over, but just, and it would have gotten me a visa and it would have, you know, I Planted me in a place that I, that I wanted to be, but it was, it was a corporate job, um, the corporate was a big, big hotel chain and I, um, just kind of was dragging my feet on it.

[00:32:21] Solario: I wasn’t sure if it was something I wanted to do. Um, and then boom, pandemic it. And, uh, so I, I don’t know if it was, part of it was probably, I’d been doing, I’ve been bartending for so long, um, that it was starting to take a toll on me, um, like physically. And part of it was just like, I think I’d put so much of my heart and soul into like my career that once the pandemic hit, I, I kind of just like unwound a little bit.

[00:32:51] Solario: Like I was so tightly wound and so, so hyper, hyper focused on like being as good as I possibly could in that field that it just like, once, once I had, you know, some time to think about it, it just kind of everything unraveled. And, and I just was like, Oh, I just don’t want to do that anymore. And, um, even though it’s, it’s, it, it’s something I miss. And I did love, but yeah, I just wanted to take, you know, maybe sidestep a little bit. And, uh, the reason I got into bartending in the first place is because I, I, uh, you know, I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do in the field of art in terms of illustration, which was, you know, where my passion lies.

[00:33:33] Solario: Um, and it was a, it was a way to kind of have a foothold on, on doing something creative. Um, so, you know, my bar in San Francisco, I would, I would take care of all the visuals. I would, I would design all the menus and, and design, you know, figure social media. I would do a lot of illustrations for, for the bar itself.

[00:33:50] Solario: It was like a 19, old 1930s style cocktail bar. So there’s kind of history involved there. Big history buff. yeah, like bartending was, was a way to be creative. And, um, so I guess another, another thing that happened is like, another thing that happened was, uh, my brother got married on the big Island on March 12th, 2020. And so I flew from San Francisco to Kona. And while the rest of the mainland was, was shutting down, I didn’t really know quite what was happening. I didn’t, I wasn’t aware of like how serious anything was because it was in Hawaii on vacation.

[00:34:30] Anna: Yeah.

[00:34:31] Solario: And, uh, we weren’t shut down yet here.

[00:34:34] Solario: and so by the time I left, uh, which was like March 19th, I came back to a ghost town, like San Francisco was just, Completely shut down and it was so surreal to not see that all go down and actually just go from being in a place that wasn’t at all concerned to coming back to a ghost town was, was hyper surreal.

[00:34:59] Solario: And so like I had lasting memories of how it felt to be here and carefree like over the course of the, of the shutdown. And so, um, in addition to, to it being somewhere where I’ve always wanted to be and somewhere I had a connection to just by boys. Yeah. it was something I was thinking about over, over shutdown for, you know, the majority of it.

[00:35:20] Solario: And so, so, with a desire to find some, some inspiration and, uh, a place that I knew I could find a ton of inspiration and, and, you know, live, uh, in, in pandemic without a, without having a visa, I just decided to up and, up and move. And, and, uh, fortunately my career took off. Almost immediately. And it’s probably because, you know, I’ve spent 20 years thinking about how to make it work.

[00:35:46] Solario: And so hopefully I like just, I just kind of instituted a lot of the, the strategies that I’d been thinking of for years and years and years. And over the course of several failures to, you know, finally figure it out and do something, that would work and stick. And, and, and it did. And it’s, uh, I’m happy doing it.

[00:36:02] Solario: I’m happy doing what I’m doing.

[00:36:04] Anna: I love that. That’s so cool. You know, we, obviously the pandemic was, uh, a lot of Bad came out of that. I will say, you know, like we’ll look back on that time and it will forever be one of the weirdest and oddest and scariest and saddest times that we’ll remember probably for our life But man every once in a while you hear stories where amidst all of that kind of chaos and uncertainty people recognized that it was an opportunity to take a shot and And you know It sounds like for a lot of people it worked out, and those are the stories that make me happy because obviously, if we could all say, hey, would you like to go through COVID again?

[00:36:52] Anna: Or if you could push a button and undo it all, would you? You know, most people are going to say, well, yeah, of course. But, um, I think for some people, it was this thing that Pushed them towards change and it was Something that you know, a lot of good ended up coming out of which is if it’s gotta happen Why not make something beautiful out of it?

[00:37:14] Solario: Yeah, I, I, um, I had a lot of time to think.

[00:37:19] Anna: Yeah.

[00:37:19] Solario: Um, you know, I had a, and that was, I guess, that was another, another, uh, catalyst for it is I, my, I had, I lived in a rent controlled apartment in San Francisco. And so, you know, it was a, I was paying nothing for this apartment in North Beach. Um, but the only thing was I was in a basement.

[00:37:39] Solario: Um, so like the front, the front yard was in a, it was on a hill as, as, Typical in San Francisco. And so the front door was, was the entrance to the basement. And then the backyard was the, like, it was on the second floor. Um, in like, I was surrounded by other apartment buildings. And so it was just like a dark, dank hole.

[00:37:57] Solario: And I just couldn’t do anything but think about how to improve my situation. And I think that was a, another thing that I, I really desperately wanted was, was sunshine. And, uh, that’s, that’s another reason that brought me here. And so, yeah, I just, a lot of thinking on how to, how to improve. I tried to use that time as wisely as I could.

[00:38:18] Solario: Not to say it didn’t cause irreparable damage. Honestly, I’m still kind of reeling from some of the depression and anxiety that’s thrown my way. Definitely was a, was a time to think and assess and, uh, try to see how I can improve things.

[00:38:35] Anna: Yeah. For sure. Well, I think it was wise to use the time like that. I mean, it was going to happen regardless of whether or not you had a say in it.

[00:38:42] Anna: So, Yeah,

[00:38:43] Anna: yeah. Oh, man. What comes to mind if I ask you what your favorite baseball memory is? 

[00:38:50] Solario: I think my favorite baseball memory is the 2010 World Series, uh, I hate to bring this up to you, I’m sorry. Um, Game 5, uh, bottom of the 9th. with one out, Brian Wilson on the mound, and I was in Civic Center in San Francisco. They, uh, set up a viewing, viewing party for, for us in the city, and it was, Tens of thousands of people.

[00:39:18] Solario: There was far more people than could possibly fit in the ballpark there. The entire area was just overrun with fans and it was just like really cool being in that environment. And I just remember like everything, you know, we talked earlier about being somewhat cynical when it comes to baseball, uh, and, and, and our fandom potentially.

[00:39:39] Solario: so it wasn’t until that moment that I realized, Oh man, they’re probably going to pull this off. And I remember just. Like, crying. I started, my, like, tears started rolling down my face. And I was just like, I, I just remember it so vividly. Just that moment was just one of the most magical feelings of my life.

[00:40:01] Solario: And then two hours later, the place absolutely just erupted. And I had a bottle of champagne in my bag, and I popped it and sprayed it on the crowd. And bottles of Anchor Steam, and I was doing the same. And, and I just whipped out a big victory cigar. A photographer came by and snapped a photo of me smoking a cigar and just taking it all in for the San Francisco Chronicle the next day.

[00:40:23] Solario: Uh, just absolutely elated. And just the, how fun, for that first World Series, like just walking down Market Street and just seeing people just jubilant and celebrating and happy. Walking all the way home from Civic Center to North Beach was just Unbelievable. And I remember I had to, I had to duck into a bar and just like kind of hang my head and just let it all out.

[00:40:52] Solario: I just like, I, I, I’d never felt emotion like that before. It was just a, an incredible, incredible feeling. Uh, so that, you know, all three of those World Series were special, but that one was special in a different way.

[00:41:04] Anna: Yeah. That’s so fun. I can imagine being in a crowded place like that with, you know, Surrounded by a bunch of people who are kind of feeling the same emotions and recognizing that you’re all kind of feeling the same thing and It’s always so strange like that moments like that where you you obviously have like some shared experience some form of closeness with these people that you otherwise know nothing about and it’s a It’s a weirdly powerful thing.

[00:41:31] Anna: It’s it’s pretty cool, though

[00:41:32] Solario: Yeah, like, the, I remember the city being just so united. Um, everybody was wearing their Giants caps, doing everything. Bars that once did not have televisions, added televisions for the World Series. It was, everybody was just on board. The entire city was feeling it. And, you know, I think San Francisco is a little different than other cities in that it’s kind of a, it’s a boutique city, kind of similar to New York.

[00:41:59] Solario: It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s tight knit and it’s, it’s a, it’s a city. And um, so just to be able to walk, you know, from my apartment outside and just like seeing, just feeling the palpable energy, just, you know, on, It didn’t even have to be a game day. It was just um, just the, over the course of that World Series was, was just electrifying.

[00:42:20] Anna: I think that’s one of the coolest things about postseason baseball is, uh, Everybody seems on edge, but everybody seems to be kind of soaking it in at the same the same point You know recognizing that like I don’t know when we’ll feel this again So let’s just let’s enjoy every moment of it and I’m gonna wear my gear even when the team’s not playing And things like that.

[00:42:40] Anna: It’s just uh, it’s it’s a pretty special time of year. That’s for sure What’s left to check off on the baseball bucket list? Like, what’s the number one thing you got to do, person you got to meet, place you got to see, something like that.

[00:42:55] Solario: I don’t have one particular thing that I want to do, but I definitely want to continue seeing games at You know, keep seeing games in different countries, uh, you know, at their, at their top professional, uh, stadiums. I think I have a, uh, two more stadiums to go in, in Japan. I have a few more to go in Korea.

[00:43:17] Solario: Um, I’ve, I’ve been to one in Taiwan, uh, which was a different experience altogether and it was a ton of fun. So I want to continue exploring Taiwan. Um, Australia, the Netherlands, the Caribbean, Central America. There’s, there’s just a ton of. Places that I haven’t even been yet that I’m, I’m, I’m incredibly excited to see.

[00:43:36] Solario: But I think international baseball is where it’s at for me. It’s something that just, it just warms my heart. I think just more of that.

[00:43:45] Anna: Yeah. I like it. Good answer. I like it. where do we send people online to find out more about you? Where do we, uh, where should people go? They want to check out your illustration if they want to kind of follow along.

[00:43:57] Solario: my most active social media outlet is uh, Instagram. So you can find me at solario. art. waikiki. And my website is uh, solario. studio. Uh, where I have all of my artwork uh, showcased. And uh, you can, you can purchase prints and, and uh, you know, send me a message or, you know, send me suggestions if you want to see anything.

[00:44:20] Anna: Very cool. Solario, I can’t thank you enough for making time to do this. I tremendously enjoyed it and, uh, can’t wait to see what you get into next.

[00:44:28] Solario: I really, really appreciate it. This is a lot of fun.

[00:44:30] Anna: And that will wrap up this episode of the baseball bucket list podcast, special, thanks to Solario 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 the baseball bucket list.com/podcast and fill out an application. I’d absolutely love to hear from you. 

[00:44:48] 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. Track your ballpark visits and connect with other fans. If you find yourself enjoying the show each week, please take a moment to rate and review it in the podcast app of your choice. 

[00:45:01] Anna: It goes such a long way in helping new listeners find the show. And I would really, really appreciate it. That’s it for this week. Thanks so much for listening. We’ll see you. Next episode.