Four Games, Four Ballparks, Four Cities, Four Days: A Baseball Fan’s Dream Vacation | The Golden Sombrero Baseball Blog | MLB, Fantasy, College & High School Baseball News

Four Games, Four Ballparks, Four Cities, Four Days: A Baseball Fan’s Dream Vacation

A few months ago, someone I barely knew asked me what I want to do before I die.  As common a question as that may be, it was one I’d never been asked before.  So naturally, as I often do in situations where I don’t know what to say, I blurted out the first answer that popped into my head.

“I want to visit all thirty major league ballparks.”

My questioner was impressed and satisfied with my answer, and as I thought more about it, I decided I was too.  After all, as any of my friends (or any of my family members, co-workers or ex-girlfriends) can tell you, I am a die-hard fan of not just the Colorado Rockies, but the game of baseball itself.  And reflecting on the question later that night, I couldn’t come up with a single good reason why I should not visit all thirty major league ballparks before my time here comes to an end.

Many of my friends and co-workers are football fans who just aren’t excited about baseball because they don’t like to watch it on TV.  And while I of course see things differently, I can’t help but agree with them to some degree.  Because while football is a game that is often better enjoyed on a TV screen than at the stadium, there is nothing quite like taking a trip out to the ballpark and watching a baseball game in person.  And as enthralled as I can become watching a close game in the late innings on MLB.TV, it’s nowhere close to the excitement level of being at the ballpark.

Unfortunately for me, I’ve already been alive almost 24 years and my total stands at a measly six ballparks (Citizens Bank Park, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, Busch Stadium Nationals Park and of course Coors Field for anyone interested).  I’ve also been to the old Busch Stadium and was on hand for the last baseball game ever played at Mile High Stadium in Denver (a 13-0 Rockies loss to Greg Maddux and the Braves), but I have lots of work left to do to check off the item currently at the top of my very short Bucket List.

Fortunately, my dad shares my love of baseball and is generously willing to throw down a few thousand bucks so that a couple of die-hard fans can take a trip to the golden coast and catch a few ballgames.  So on Labor Day weekend, he and I will meet up on the other side of the country in San Diego International Airport and embark on a vacation filled with baseball.  Our schedule will be as follows:

Saturday, September 4: Rockies vs. Padres, PETCO Park, San Diego, CA

Sunday, September 5: Giants vs. Dodgers, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Monday, September 6: Indians vs. Angels, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA

Tuesday, September 7: Giants vs. Diamondbacks, Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Sure, we’ll have to make a six-hour drive from Anaheim to Phoenix.  And yes, we’ll have to deal with Los Angeles traffic for the Dodgers game—I’ll certainly be packing my radio so we can listen to Vin Scully during the action and have the full Los Angeles Dodgers experience—which will almost certainly be on Sunday Night Baseball.  And it’s quite possible that the NL West race could be decided before Labor Day weekend, leaving the Rockies to once again fight for a wild card berth.

But none of that matters now.  One month from today, I’ll be seeing four games in four ballparks in four cities in four days.  So forget about the standings.  Forget about the mountain of work that will be left for me upon my return to the office Thursday morning and forget about what it’s going to take to get to the ballpark.  Because it’s a great weekend for baseball.  So let’s watch four.

Trackbacks / Pingbacks

  1. Four Ballparks Recap Part III: Angel Stadium of Anaheim | The Golden Sombrero
  2. Four Ballparks Part IV: Chase Field. Hot Dogs for Three and Change for your Five | The Golden Sombrero