A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Travel

Welcome to Delhi … Iowa

It was probably 25 years ago when two of us set out on a trip to Iowa. On the list was to see some things such as the Field of Dreams movie site, but also to see Delhi, Iowa.

At the time, I was working at the weekly out of my hometown — Delhi, New York. Somehow, I came across Delhi, Iowa. It seemed the small town in Iowa was a sister to the one in New York, so I thought it would make a good story.

I did end up writing a story about this faraway town, after doing research with phone calls and other ways possible with how life was back before the internet.

Note the key part of that last sentence — life before the internet.

That means no maps via a smartphone and there weren’t the easy-to-use GPS systems we all know and love now. It’s was old fashioned — maps from AAA and anything else we could use.

Reality is, we were too young to be setting out on a trip like this. Our planning sucked, and financially we might not have made it. We didn’t have reservations or anything.

This wasn’t just a quick jaunt over the hill or something.

As we got to Western New York, my vehicle (a 1985 Ford Ranger 2WD) wasn’t sounding good. We pulled into a service station to figure things out and the mechanic there took a look as a kind gesture.

It seemed, in his eyes, this truck was running on three of four cylinders. A trip to Iowa, he thought, wouldn’t be too smart.

We weighed our options. In the end, we turned around and headed home.

Honestly, it was probably for the best. Especially what I learned this past summer.

Fast forward to 2018. A baseball trip is planned and we are going to Iowa. Field of Dreams, again, is on the list. And just 20 minutes away is the town of Delhi.

And so, the visit finally arrived. It’s a small, quaint town. There’s not much to it, and as I was told by the local librarian, there are probably only about 500 people who live in the town. A school is there — what seems like a regional one. There were a couple of parks, including one near a nice lake. As for businesses, there weren’t many.

Still, it was pretty neat.

We only spent about an hour there or so, but I had the chance to drive around a little bit and check it out.

Looking back, the trip many years ago probably would not have panned out too well. Who knows where we would have stayed and the amount of time it would have taken us to get there and back might not have worked, either.

And as I noted … the finances. But hey, things happen for a reason.

That being said, it may have come some 25 years since I first set out to see that town, but there’s no doubt I probably appreciated it much more at an older age. I’m truly happy I had the chance to finally visit this small Midwest town.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

The epic adventure is set to begin …

For those who geocache, you know there are a lot of milestones one can hit.

It starts with the first 100 finds.

And then 250. 500. 1,000.

The first “special” milestone I planned was my 1,000th. I attempt to make each thousand finds something special. My 1,000th was GC39, “The Spot.” It’s the oldest active geocache east of the Mississippi.

Then came 2,000, which was Europe’s first on my trip to Ireland.

On No. 3,000, it was the finale of the New York Delorme challenge. That was followed by 4,000, which came at the midnight madness event at GeoWoodstock in Pennsylvania. Several friends went and got a cake and “decorated it” for the find.

Good times.

But since then, it’s taken me a lot of time to get to 5,000. I wanted to make it special as this is a pretty big milestone, I think. So, I started looking at caches to plan out. Where to go? What to find?

All signs pointed to Mingo.

For those who don’t geocache — or those of you who do and don’t know what Mingo is — it’s the oldest active geocache in the world.

It’s a cache I have wanted for several years. And what better goal than to make it my 5,000th find.

Originally, this trip was going to be a weekend one. Fly into Denver, drive to Mingo. Do some other caches, and then fly out.

Simple.

Or not.

Instead, this has turned into an epic geocaching journey that will no doubt create a ton of memories and fun stories. I looked into a couple of states and such, but once I did the math, it was decided we’d go for the gusto.

It’s going to be a seven-day trip to the west. We’ll land in Denver, stay a night there and then hit a Rockies (vs. the Phillies!) game the next day. From there, we’ll hit eight states and a bunch of wild and cool things. This trip will take us from Colorado to Wyoming, and then from there we’ll hit Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

All in all, we’ll cover a bit more than 2,000 miles.

We’ll see some amazingly cool spots and hopefully meet a few people. I’ve had a few events published along the way to try and meet people.

This is going to be one heck of a cool trip. Hopefully it will not only be a great trip to get me recharged in my life, but also something to give me inspiration to blog more often again.

I’ll have plenty of stories and photos … and I look forward to sharing them here once I get back in and in the coming weeks!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Chicago deep-dish pizza: Malnati’s vs. Giordano’s

There are no “losers” in this comparison, that’s for sure.

In late July/early August, two of us took an annual baseball trip, with this one happening in the Midwest. For a couple of days, Chicago was the base area.

Several years ago, on my first trip to the Chicago area, I had some of the famous deep-dish pizza and I had gone with the original Pizzeria Uno, and it was quite divine.

Like, truly divine. The spot felt old-school. It was smaller and tighter (at least the area we sat) and the pizza pans were worn and aged — making it perfect.

This time around, though, the chance for a comparison came to fruition. On back-to-back days, pizza was the choice for the day and it came down to Lou Malnati’s vs Giordano’s.

Again, there’s no real loser here. Both were amazing. But let’s take a look.

Lou Malnati’s

The first stop for pizza came on a day when we were seeing the Chicago White Sox in the afternoon, and the Chicago Cubs at night. In between was a perfect stop for some pizza, wouldn’t you say?

Lou Malnati’s it was.

Sauce on top … was very good!

We got here at a good time as we had a seat right away. By the time we left, there were a lot of people waiting in line for a table.

First off, this pizza was delish. But it was a little different than I am obviously used to. First, it’s very heavy on sauce. And the sauce sits on top of the pizza, with a lot of glorious cheese in the middle. Therefore, a fork and knife was a must.

But the taste … oh my. Fantastic. The sauce was very tasty and the cheese was plentiful and gooey. Good lord it was fantastic.

Being hungry, though, as an appetizer, we got their cheddar cubes, which were delightful. Think Mozzarella sticks, but in cubes and cheddar. Fantastic.

The pizza was tremendous, though. I fully enjoyed it.

Giordano’s

The following night, Giordano’s was on tap. This worked out well as we were coming back from Milwaukee and had plans to go to an independent baseball game that night.

So, so good …

However, it was the one night on the trip where weather took control and we decided not to go to the independent game (which, it turns out, was the right direction as the game only made it to the fourth before the rain uncorked, and that was after a delay before the game even started!), so with a Giordano’s not far from the hotel, it was the perfect decision.

I’m glad it worked out this way.

This pizza was crazy good. The sauce was where it was supposed to be, and with getting a meat lover’s pizza, it was loaded!

The first bit was divine. The rest was crazy good as well. But the beauty of it was this — you didn’t necessarily need a fork and knife! This was cooked to perfection. The crust was excellent, there was the right amount of cheese and sauce, and the rest was perfect.

No appetizer this time around, but a cannoli to finish off the meal was excellent.

The verdict

As stated earlier, you can’t lose.

We were split down the middle on which pizza was the winner. One preferred the more sauce, one didn’t. My choice was Giordano’s because I liked less sauce, and liked it on the inside with the toppings on top.

But the reality is, I’d go back to either one and wouldn’t complain. They were both amazing and the difference of opinion basically came down to the placement and the amount of sauce.

Tremendous experience to have these on back-to-back nights. Whenever I might get back to Chicago, I know I’d love to dig in again!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Summer of Baseball: Hagerstown gives you an old-school baseball setting

It’s nice to know there are some throwback baseball stadiums out there.

As baseball’s minor leagues get more and more popular, some places are having a hard time holding onto their teams. Take for example Oneonta in my area — the longtime Yankees and then Tigers short-season A affiliate bolted town before the 2010 season when new owners took over and lied about how long they’d stay to “try and make it work.” Instead, they moved the team to Connecticut where, yes, attendance went up but makes one wonder if it was worth it for the large bump in rent.

The moon over Municipal Stadium during a game.

But, I digress.

Hagerstown is that throwback. A stadium dating back to 1930 with not a lot of bells and whistles. It feels old in there. There isn’t a lot of pomp and circumstance and, if you’re there for the baseball, then it’s going to give you the experience you want.

I’ve found, in time, that some of these stadiums are hard to visit. But Municipal Stadium has gone through enough renovations to keep it nice, yet still keep its old-school charm.

What’s nice here is the ambiance of the park as a whole. The older “feel” to the ticket booth and the souvenir stand, as compared to a store. The fan services are also being a stand, rather than walking in somewhere. I loved that not all the food was out of a stand, rather having one spot where you could get something grilled right on the spot.

There were also two beers made locally — one for the team — which gave it a cool feel.

Sight lines are good as it didn’t seem there was a bad seat in the house. There weren’t a lot of fans that night, so I didn’t feel squeezed anywhere. People were friendly (including a few fans I had interactions with) and, overall, it was a nice experience.

The night I was there, they announced an attendance of 704, and that was probably being quite kind. It’s a shame, too, It’s a baseball experience that is going quickly by the wayside. With newer stadiums popping up with many amenities, these smaller stadiums and towns are bolting for bigger areas in the hopes of making more money. We can hope baseball will stay in areas like this, but it’s getting harder and harder for teams to maintain their presence.

Though my ratings are average, and I enjoyed myself and my trip to Hagerstown. I’d visit again if given the opportunity. If you have the chance, check it out in case it eventually is too late.

Park Notes:  

Municipal Stadium
Hagerstown, Maryland
Home of the Hagerstown Sun (Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles)
Visited on: July 20, 2016
Opponent: Columbia Fireflies (Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets)

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 7/10
  • Concessions: 7/10
  • Parking: 9/10
  • Ambiance: 6.5/10
  • Friendliness: 8/10

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Passport a way to go ballpark chasing, save memories

A couple of years ago, I discovered the Baseball Passport program.

At first, I didn’t jump right into it. I couldn’t find a list of stadiums where the stamp was and I didn’t want to get something I wouldn’t be able to use right away. After discovering the list, I grabbed one, thinking it would be fun to have something to jot down a few things at games.

I reviewed the passport at that time and said it was a nice thing to carry along to a game with me.

Now, it’s become a permanent part of my baseball travels.

Since I last reviewed the passport, I’ve had the chance to get into other aspects — the MLB one, the Atlantic League one and so much more. I’ve been to the Stampede event. I’ve met the creator. I’ve utilized the passport to be something very special to me.

But before I get into some other thoughts, last summer I had the chance to sit down with the creator and learn more about the program and why it’s so important to him.

The idea

Tim Parks isn’t hard to find if you are looking for him. He’s tall enough to be able to pick him out of the crowd and his easy-going nature makes him highly approachable. You can sense baseball parks are his relaxing domain.

It’s of no shock, then, that he looks to this program as something a little more than a small book to collect stamps.

Tim Parks, the founder of the Baseball Passport.

“The passport brings the intimacy back,” Parks said during the Stampede event as he overlooked Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. “It makes you feel like you are part of the game.”

In the beginning of each passport, there’s the story behind it. Originally, he had a quest to visit all 50 states with his daughters before they graduated high school. He then made a new quest — to visit all 30 Major League Baseball parks. During these travels, he would pick up some sort of memento to show he was there.

The idea for the passport popped into his head as he traveled to Alaska, using his United States passport to travel through Canada.

The program itself started in August 2010 with research and development of the prototype. With connections to the Reds front office, he pitched the idea to the COO of the team, and showed how it would work.

From there, Parks took the show to the Winter Meetings and showed it off to MLB. Major League Baseball loved the idea and offered the license to do it. The first year was small — a passport just for Reds games.

The MLB Passport was born in July 2012.

In 2013, the Minor League Baseball Passport was born.

In 2015, Parks added the independent Atlantic League.

There’s even a spring training passport. Stamps can be obtained at all minor and major league parks (pending teams don’t lose the stamps). Those stamps aren’t a cost to the team, either, as Parks absorbs all costs of creating the stamp as well as sending them to the team.

The Passport

Depending on which passport you have — they have a bit of a different look.

The main MLB Passport is leather-bound and larger. Each stadium has several pages for the stamp and information from the game. There are also stadium stickers. In the back are extra pages for other stamps, such as All-Star games, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and more.

This is good for your travels if you are trying to hit each stadium. It’s very nice to have and is collectible.

The gameday passport. The right side can be used for many things, and I sometimes will nab autographs.

Then there are the Gameday books for MLB, MiLB, the Atlantic League, and Spring Training. These books are more compact and have a space for your stamp, game-day info, and a page for notes and thoughts.

What’s nice about the notes page is everybody does it different. Some fill the page with thoughts and notes. Others (such as myself) do less.

Personally, what I put there depends on the game and the teams. I’ve gotten autographs on the pages. I’ve filled them with thoughts. I’ve left them blank and filled them in later. It’s all highly personal and can be done many different ways.

Creating memories

With the personal side of everything, obviously there will be a lot of memories, based on what the person owning the passport decided to do with it.

Parks said the idea was for these memories to be passed on.

“My thinking isn’t 5-10 years, it’s 35-40 years,” he said. “Handing it down so you can think back and you are there.

“If I go back to my grandfather, I’d give anything to have a game in his writing,” he continued. What he did. What we did. That’s what I want to see. Generation after generation of leaving memories. Once you read (what was written), you remember, It takes you back to the time you were there. It’s also old-school in that you have to physically do it. It’s not on a phone.”

The passport community is diverse, too.

From families to singles to couples to friends — there is a wide range of people taking part in this hobby.

The Stampede event in Cincinnati last July (blog post link) drew a lot of people and there was a large range of ages represented.

“This is for baseball fans,” Parks said. “These are very knowledgeable fans. Everybody has embraced it.”

Following online

Besides the passports in the park, there’s also a highly active Facebook group where people show off their stamps, talk some baseball, and show their travels.

“They are the heart of baseball,” Parks said. “It’s about families creating memories and sharing experiences. It’s your validation. Others people appreciate it and see it. It’s not for everybody. But these people understand the game. It’s enjoying the ballpark — the tastes, the smells, the friendships.”

The fans in the group show their love and dedication to the game and program by having mini-meetups at parks all over the country and throughout the summer. It’s highly interactive in the group and very welcoming.

The future

As of last summer, the passport wasn’t sold in every major league park (about 20) and not every Minor League park.

Parks said his goal is to see it sold in every park so fans have easier access to the passport and can start creating memories when they first see it.

As more and more books are out there, more people get interested. Just by word of mouth and seeing people stamp books, others ask questions.

“People ask ‘what’s that?” Parks said. “It’s surreal having this many people enjoy the book and the game. It makes me feel great to see them enjoy this.”

The verdict

If you are a baseball fan and enjoy going to games and documenting things, this is definitely for you.

The Passport is part of my every-game setup, along with my scorebook.

The passport keeps improving and more and more gets added. Additional stamps (for the big MLB book) have been added for places such as the Negro League Hall of Fame, and Louisville Slugger Museum. The books are aplenty and Parks said last year he was hoping to keep expanding. With other opportunities out there, it will be fun to see where else he might go with expanding the program (and selfishly, because I am debating an Arizona Fall League trip in November, I’d love to see one for that league).

Even more, it’s affordable. With room for 25-30 games in the Gameday passports, it’s a steal at just under $20 (or, if you happen to see them on sale at the end of a Minor League season, you can buy a bunch at a discounted rate!). The larger MLB book is about $70, but it’s worth it because of it’s beauty. Then the Gameday ones are smaller and easily carried to get every game you attend.

Further, there are stamps at all MiLB and MLB stadiums, so you can get stamped on all your baseball travels (as long as the teams don’t lose or misplace the stamp… which has and likely will happen again).

Links are below to give you an idea with the program. I definitely encourage it.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!