"Baseball breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall all alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.”
A. Bartlett Giamatti--"Take Time For Paradise: Americans and Their Games"
Baseball is a game of seasons. It starts in the spring when everything is reborn, carries us through the lazy summer evenings, when the world seems to move at a slower pace, and ends in October, when the last vestiges of sunlight turn to shadows, as the evenings grow longer and the breezes carry a crisp chill.
The 2012 baseball season was one of the more enjoyable that I have had in many years. The Yankees did not win the World Series, in fact they frustrated me to no end by October. No, this season was the one where Ryan and I started out on a journey that would take us a few years to complete, but would allow us to share our love of baseball and, most importantly, allow me to spend quality time with him, while visiting new cities, trying new foods, meeting new people, making new friends and being with old ones along the way. It was the summer that "Rounding the Bases" became a reality.
As a brief recap: Ryan had over heard a conversation, while at a game at Yankee Stadium in the spring of 2012, about a man whose goal it was to see every Major League park. He decided it would be a great idea for us, I agreed and the idea became a reality. We visited six MLB ballparks, (Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Nationals park, Citizens Bank Park, Citi Field and Camden Yards) the first year, and decided we would blog about our experiences, including the local atmosphere, the people and the foods, along the way. Needless to say, our first summer was a blast and we were very excited to get into a new round of adventures. But, like every baseball season, we couldn't jump into things right away. There were decisions to make on which ballparks to visit, what to see in each city, and what routes to take while doing so, as well as getting back into a baseball "state of mind". The first issue to tackle was which cities to visit, so we did what travelers throughout time have done when embarking on a journey...we pulled out a map.
"Los Angeles," were the first words out of Ryan's mouth.
"Not happening," I told him. "We need to stay closer to home, this year, and see the parks that are doable from a car, so we get those out of the way first".
"That's basically double-talk for saying you want to put off getting on a plane as long as possible", he complained.
"No" I explained. "We need to save up so we could afford the airfare, and staying within driving distance would allow us to make next summer an even bigger and better adventure."
Needless to say, he wasn't happy, but he understood after I explained things that way, and I think he bought it. If he didn't, he pretended he did and I was OK with that. In the end, we decided on Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Now, we had to wait a little longer for the schedules to come out, so we could plan our route.
Our next decision was whether we wanted to ask anyone to come with us, this year. Last summer, we did day/weekend trips and people joined us for a meal, the game, or just to hang out. We did have "Uncle Mike" travel to Boston with us and Emily and Heather spent the weekend with the whole family in Baltimore, but this was something else entirely. This was a week, or more, in the car, spending every moment of every day with one another, but it sounded fun. So, we decided to ask our friend Rob, who had been to three parks with us last year; Nick D'Angelo, who has played travel ball with Ryan the last four years; Nick's dad; Tony, who has coached with me on different occasions. We knew everyone was a big baseball fan and would enjoy the trip, but we needed to see if they could get the time off. To our thrill, they all could and said yes.
Once MLB released the schedules, a small monkey wrench was thrown into the works, but we were able to adapt on the fly. I originally wanted to go from NJ, to Cleveland, to Toronto, to Detroit, to Cincinnati, to Pittsburgh and back home. The only problem was that Toronto was out of town and had to be scratched, while Cincinnati and Cleveland had to be swapped because of their home-stands. So, the trip quickly became NJ to Cincy, to Cleveland, to Detroit, to Pittsburgh, but that sounded a bit light, so we decided to add Columbus, as they have a Triple A team (the Clippers) and are between Cincinnati and Cleveland. The final piece of the mapping came about during an episode of M*A*S*H. Ryan noticed Jamie Farr's character, Cpl. Klinger, wearing a baseball jersey and hat and asked what team it was. I told him the Toledo Mud Hens, who are from Ohio, and he pulled out the map and found it was between Cleveland and Detroit. He then went to the Mud Hens' website and found they were home at that time and we had it all set: NJ, to Cincinnati, to Columbus, to Canton, to Cleveland, to Toledo, to Detroit, to Pittsburgh. So, we went on line, bought the tickets and were ready to go: ten days (July 5 to July 14), seven cities, six games (four MLB, two minor league) and a lot of driving.
Now, we just had to fill in the "gaps" between games with local sights, restaurants, and places of interest, which is where Tony and Rob jumped in. Rob started looking at all the restaurants, eateries and sports pubs along the way, each unique for the local cuisine, while Tony looked for places of interest in each city. In the midst of all this, I noticed that the MLB All Star Game would be played, in NYC, the Tuesday after we got back, and there would be a "fanfest" to celebrate the game, at the Javits Center, which we would be able to attend if we came back on Saturday,( instead of Sunday). There was only one thing to do: come home a day early so we could go to the MLB Fanfest. So, that's what we decided to do. Now, according to Ryan, we needed to get back in "baseball shape", whatever that meant.
Well, it seems that "getting in baseball shape", means taking Ryan, Brendan and two of their baseball loving friends, Joey and Kieran, to the Trenton Thunder's (Yankees' Double A affiliate) Opening Night, on April 11, and sitting through a four hour, extra inning game, in 42 degree weather to see a walk-off Thunder win. We had hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, crabby fries, soda and the boys even got picked to be part of the on-field
lemon toss event, where two of them donned lemon costumes (Kieran and Brendan) and held a bucket on
their heads, while Ry and Joey tried to throw plastic lemons into the buckets. In the end, we had a great time and baseball season had officially begun.
Next up, was the premier of "42," the latest biopic on Jackie Robinson and what he dealt with in breaking MLB's color barrier. We went, again, with Joey and Kieran, as well as their dads, who I have had the pleasure of coaching baseball with over the years. As far as the movie, all I can say is WOW. The movie chronicled the years between 1945 and the end of the 1947 regular season and the audience gets an in depth view of how/why Jackie was chosen by Branch Rickey and the journey he had to take, as the first to break baseball's color barrier.
All in all, this is a MUST SEE. Not just for the baseball fan, but for everyone. They say that those who do not comprehend history are doomed to repeat it and even though we have come far from this era, it's not far enough. As we were walking out of the theater, the three boys all asked if that's how it was for Jackie, and when I said yes they had more questions than I had answers. In the end, Ryan went to the library to check out books on Jackie, and that time in history, and that told me all I needed to know about the movie... It made you think, empathize, sympathize and want to learn more and that's what a good story SHOULD do.
As the spring unfolded, Ryan and Brendan got to play on the same town baseball team (the Dodgers), which I managed, (while Ryan played for our town travel team as well). The travel team didn't fare so well, but we had a great time ( who doesn't have a great time playing baseball?) and got a lot of reps in. Our Dodgers' team, however, did very well. We started off slowly, but the boys came together at the end of the season and gelled just as the playoffs began. They had fun, believed in one another and genuinely liked each other, and after a small bump in the road during the semi-finals, roared back to win two straight and take the town league championship. This season was a "perfect storm" for me, as both a father and a lover of the game. In all the years that Ryan and Brendan are able to play baseball, from kindergarten through eighth grade, this would be the only chance they would ever have to play on the same team. Not only did I get to manage that team, but I got to end it with them being champions. It was everything I ever dreamed of, and more
Aside from our excursion to Trenton, we attended about ten Yankees' games at The Big Ballyard in the
South Bronx, on weekends and during the week and had fun, whether the team won or lost. Winning, obviously put us in a much better mood, but who doesn't love being at the ballpark? Oh, who am I kidding; losing sucks, but being at the park is a fun day out. Some days are just "funner" than others.
As the days flew by, we took another trip to see the Trenton Thunder (another win) where we got to play catch on the field before the game, as well as a day trip to the beach, which included an evening watching the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies Single A team), who play eight miles from where the surf meets the sand. After all this, Ryan declared "spring training" over, and said we were ready to hit the road. I agreed and couldn't wait to see what awaited us in the "Rust Belt."
"Los Angeles," were the first words out of Ryan's mouth.
"Not happening," I told him. "We need to stay closer to home, this year, and see the parks that are doable from a car, so we get those out of the way first".
"That's basically double-talk for saying you want to put off getting on a plane as long as possible", he complained.
"No" I explained. "We need to save up so we could afford the airfare, and staying within driving distance would allow us to make next summer an even bigger and better adventure."
Needless to say, he wasn't happy, but he understood after I explained things that way, and I think he bought it. If he didn't, he pretended he did and I was OK with that. In the end, we decided on Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Now, we had to wait a little longer for the schedules to come out, so we could plan our route.
Our next decision was whether we wanted to ask anyone to come with us, this year. Last summer, we did day/weekend trips and people joined us for a meal, the game, or just to hang out. We did have "Uncle Mike" travel to Boston with us and Emily and Heather spent the weekend with the whole family in Baltimore, but this was something else entirely. This was a week, or more, in the car, spending every moment of every day with one another, but it sounded fun. So, we decided to ask our friend Rob, who had been to three parks with us last year; Nick D'Angelo, who has played travel ball with Ryan the last four years; Nick's dad; Tony, who has coached with me on different occasions. We knew everyone was a big baseball fan and would enjoy the trip, but we needed to see if they could get the time off. To our thrill, they all could and said yes.
Once MLB released the schedules, a small monkey wrench was thrown into the works, but we were able to adapt on the fly. I originally wanted to go from NJ, to Cleveland, to Toronto, to Detroit, to Cincinnati, to Pittsburgh and back home. The only problem was that Toronto was out of town and had to be scratched, while Cincinnati and Cleveland had to be swapped because of their home-stands. So, the trip quickly became NJ to Cincy, to Cleveland, to Detroit, to Pittsburgh, but that sounded a bit light, so we decided to add Columbus, as they have a Triple A team (the Clippers) and are between Cincinnati and Cleveland. The final piece of the mapping came about during an episode of M*A*S*H. Ryan noticed Jamie Farr's character, Cpl. Klinger, wearing a baseball jersey and hat and asked what team it was. I told him the Toledo Mud Hens, who are from Ohio, and he pulled out the map and found it was between Cleveland and Detroit. He then went to the Mud Hens' website and found they were home at that time and we had it all set: NJ, to Cincinnati, to Columbus, to Canton, to Cleveland, to Toledo, to Detroit, to Pittsburgh. So, we went on line, bought the tickets and were ready to go: ten days (July 5 to July 14), seven cities, six games (four MLB, two minor league) and a lot of driving.Now, we just had to fill in the "gaps" between games with local sights, restaurants, and places of interest, which is where Tony and Rob jumped in. Rob started looking at all the restaurants, eateries and sports pubs along the way, each unique for the local cuisine, while Tony looked for places of interest in each city. In the midst of all this, I noticed that the MLB All Star Game would be played, in NYC, the Tuesday after we got back, and there would be a "fanfest" to celebrate the game, at the Javits Center, which we would be able to attend if we came back on Saturday,( instead of Sunday). There was only one thing to do: come home a day early so we could go to the MLB Fanfest. So, that's what we decided to do. Now, according to Ryan, we needed to get back in "baseball shape", whatever that meant.
Well, it seems that "getting in baseball shape", means taking Ryan, Brendan and two of their baseball loving friends, Joey and Kieran, to the Trenton Thunder's (Yankees' Double A affiliate) Opening Night, on April 11, and sitting through a four hour, extra inning game, in 42 degree weather to see a walk-off Thunder win. We had hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, crabby fries, soda and the boys even got picked to be part of the on-fieldtheir heads, while Ry and Joey tried to throw plastic lemons into the buckets. In the end, we had a great time and baseball season had officially begun.
Next up, was the premier of "42," the latest biopic on Jackie Robinson and what he dealt with in breaking MLB's color barrier. We went, again, with Joey and Kieran, as well as their dads, who I have had the pleasure of coaching baseball with over the years. As far as the movie, all I can say is WOW. The movie chronicled the years between 1945 and the end of the 1947 regular season and the audience gets an in depth view of how/why Jackie was chosen by Branch Rickey and the journey he had to take, as the first to break baseball's color barrier.
All in all, this is a MUST SEE. Not just for the baseball fan, but for everyone. They say that those who do not comprehend history are doomed to repeat it and even though we have come far from this era, it's not far enough. As we were walking out of the theater, the three boys all asked if that's how it was for Jackie, and when I said yes they had more questions than I had answers. In the end, Ryan went to the library to check out books on Jackie, and that time in history, and that told me all I needed to know about the movie... It made you think, empathize, sympathize and want to learn more and that's what a good story SHOULD do.
As the spring unfolded, Ryan and Brendan got to play on the same town baseball team (the Dodgers), which I managed, (while Ryan played for our town travel team as well). The travel team didn't fare so well, but we had a great time ( who doesn't have a great time playing baseball?) and got a lot of reps in. Our Dodgers' team, however, did very well. We started off slowly, but the boys came together at the end of the season and gelled just as the playoffs began. They had fun, believed in one another and genuinely liked each other, and after a small bump in the road during the semi-finals, roared back to win two straight and take the town league championship. This season was a "perfect storm" for me, as both a father and a lover of the game. In all the years that Ryan and Brendan are able to play baseball, from kindergarten through eighth grade, this would be the only chance they would ever have to play on the same team. Not only did I get to manage that team, but I got to end it with them being champions. It was everything I ever dreamed of, and more
Aside from our excursion to Trenton, we attended about ten Yankees' games at The Big Ballyard in the
South Bronx, on weekends and during the week and had fun, whether the team won or lost. Winning, obviously put us in a much better mood, but who doesn't love being at the ballpark? Oh, who am I kidding; losing sucks, but being at the park is a fun day out. Some days are just "funner" than others.
As the days flew by, we took another trip to see the Trenton Thunder (another win) where we got to play catch on the field before the game, as well as a day trip to the beach, which included an evening watching the Lakewood Blue Claws (Phillies Single A team), who play eight miles from where the surf meets the sand. After all this, Ryan declared "spring training" over, and said we were ready to hit the road. I agreed and couldn't wait to see what awaited us in the "Rust Belt."