Twenty down, 30 to go.
At the beginning of this summer, I had set a soft goal of seeing 50 baseball games this summer. I knew it was a long-stretch, but it’s something I am really trying to do.
On Thursday, I hit my 20th game so far this year, this one between the Toledo Mudhens and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders.
Of those 20 games, two have been MLB games (Washington and Cleveland). I’m planning at least three more MLB stadiums – Philadelphia (which I’ve been to before), Cincinnati (for what will be an amazing experience), and Toronto (which will be new). Some others are possible, but who knows.
Mainly, though, it’s minor leagues and independent leagues. And I don’t mind it that way because it’s a lot of fun that way.
Minor league baseball gives you a different atmosphere (though, to be fair, Washington and Cleveland each had great atomospheres), and it’s more intimate. You get to see players who may or may not ever get to the majors.
It’s the roots of the game.
Coming up in July/August is a trip I’ve been plotting. For part of it, I’ll be going solo on a swing out to Cincinnati and some others. That will then lead me to a friend’s house for the second part of the trip, which will then have two or three of us hitting several games.
If all goes well and Mother Nature cooperates and everything goes well, over a nearly two-week trip, I’ll hit 18 games. That is one of those road trips I’ve dreamed about doing, and it is pretty exciting.
So it comes down to finding hotels and the best travel routes and seeing things that I need to see (such as the Reds Hall of Fame, the Louisville Slugger Museum etc), and seeing what kind of photo opportunities are along the route.
I’m looking forward to the trip and the excitement of seeing new places, yet at the same time, it’s almost stressful to plot this trip. Just because I want to make sure I get to do more than baseball, yet keep baseball as a main part of the trip – if that makes any sense.
It’s the Summer of Baseball, though, and I’m looking forward to this trip and hitting as many games as I can. Reality is, I never know when or if I’ll be able to do this again, so it’s time to take advantage of it.
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