A couple days ago, work was really slow, so I trolled through the old Baseball Extravaganza blogs. From 2008 to now, it has chronicled my travels across this country and all of the baseball games I have gone to. All those miles flown, buses caught, trains transfered, and overland treks have made such an impact on my life.
There were a few entries, especially in the Baseball Extravaganza 2011 blog, that made a lot of my time with the Eugene Emeralds organization. To refresh, the Ems unceremoniously let me go from my summer place of employment last year. It was the first time in eight years that I had not worked for the organization. I took it kind of hard and, to be honest, my love of the game took a hit because of it. Baseball became a sort of cruel reminder of the act and it made me down on the season. I guess that is a reason why I ended 2011 in such a morose and blue manner after starting off with such a bang by going to Spring Training and in-season trips on the Surfliner and Old Time Baseball. I just felt like I left something to be desired.
This year, I have taken a sort of different outlook on baseball road trips. In the past, the Ems directly complemented and supported the road trips. It was all about how many games I could go to in one season and how many parks I could see during that quest. I think that I kept up that mantra into last year's season, and I paid for it. I held myself up to an unrealistic expectation that, when I fell short, ended up souring me on the game and the experiences I have held so dear.
By reading the old posts, I have come up with a new philosophy on baseball road trips that will emphasize the unique experiences in the cities that I go to. I want to know more about the setting which I am in rather than the game itself. In hindsight, going to the stadium and seeing the games only accounts for maybe 4 hours for every day that I am on the road. That means there are 20 other hours in the day where I have to immerse myself in the city that I am in. Sure, baseball is the pretext to going on baseball road trips, but the overall experiences of residing in a new city or new region for a few days is the overarching theme that I need to embrace.
Take the most previous road trip, the Rocky Mountain. I gained so much enjoyment from traveling around the cities, seeing the people there, and immersing myself in the culture. I want to be clear, I did have a TON of fun at the games themselves and I saw two beautiful stadiums. Baseball was the pretext, but seeing friends and family, experiencing a new city, and learning their culture was what a large portion of this blog went to. Interesting observation, huh?
I have gotten over the Ems thing. The past is in the past, I got what I wanted out of it, and now it is time to move on. I may go to a game or two during the season, but my dedicated fandom and baseline for commitment through the organization is gone. As I said in an earlier post, I want to spread my wings, explore new places, discover hidden gems, and catch a few baseball games too.
Considering the upcoming events in my life, I have reformed baseball road trips a little. I want to save up as much vacation time as I can, so I am concentrating my trips over long weekends. The tickets may be a little more expensive, but considering the money that I will save by not taking off work will balance it out. That being said, I have scrapped the I-80 (which was supposed to be a Monday through Sunday trip) in favor of a long weekend to Boise, ID. The Single-A Hawks are playing the Ems over the particular weekend I want to go, so I should be able to see some good baseball and experience a new and unique city.
As for the rest of the summer, I am going to play it by ear. I have a lot of stuff going on, so targeting the weekend dates are the only way for me to achieve this goal. I may scrap the longer, multiple city road trips I have done in the past in favor of short, two or three day trips similar to the Rocky Mountain or Boise. It is something to consider when planning for trips in July and August. I still would like to, possibly, make a trip out to Salt Lake or Reno this season, but the odds of them coupled together with a longer I-80 style trip is not likely. I'll look at schedules, my finances, and my schedule to see if there is a weekend that I may be able to hit those cities.
As for the NEXT baseball road trip up, Puget Sound, I'm less than a month from leaving. I have all my train reservations, lodging, transportation, etc. taken care of. I do have to buy tickets for the game, but I might just wait and get them at the ballparks. That seemed to work really well for the Rocky Mountain, and it gave me an opportunity to interact with the employees a little more. I have been to both of the ballparks, Safeco Field and Cheney Stadium, multiple times, but the trip I have planned will give me a new insight on both Seattle and Tacoma outside of baseball.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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