Well the news is out: the Philadelphia Flyers will probably be playing the New York Rangers in the NHL’s yearly Winter Classic, and the venue will be Philadelphia’s superb Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies.

 

Not much more you need to know, except that they haven’t established the date yet; the Eagles will be playing the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field across the street on the traditional New Year’s Day, assuming the football…

Hit my 30th and 31st parks two weeks ago in Texas.  (Now at 26 of the current 30).  Also drove by the old Astrodome, but couldn't get close enough for detailed pictures.  Immense security around Reliant Park for some reason.

Minute Maid Park

Went to two games at MMP.  Luckily I managed to get one game with the roof open and another with the roof closed.  The difference is night/day.  Basically two different parks. 

For my first…

My 2011 Minor League Baseball tour kicks off in Single-A fashion with the recently “newly” minted Winston-Salem Dash! This was an excellent afternoon game on a Sunday versus in-state rivals the Kinston Indians. …

Well after weeks of not having my camera cord, I have finally uploaded my blog post of my visit to Turner Field in Atlanta. 

My 2011 ballpark season kicks off in grand fashion! As a matter of fact it kicks off in a way that I have not been a part of in my young career – with Opening Weekend April 9th 2011! Can you tell that I was excited?

More after the jump!

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I began my quest to see a game in all MLB ballparks at an easrly age, going with the Cub Scouts to Municipal Stadium in Cleveland at Age 8. Next ballpark was Yankee Stadium in 1961 with my grandfather-bore witness to one of the greatest teams in baseball history. I lived near MLB franchises in DC (grew up with the Senators), Baltimore and Philly. Family came along and my son, friends and myself would see games in 2 to 3 stadiums in different cities that made geograhic sense while doing it as…

At the request of Craig (our founder and fearless leader) I'm providing a little more detail on the feedback we got from MLB upon completing the "Quest for All 30".

I first contacted MLB (Public Relations Office - NYC) in January, gave them the backgrund and asked if they would be willing to send letters of recognition to my son's (Ian now 17 and Evin now 16) for having reached this "milestone" at such an early age. They were pretty encouraging but did ask that I follow up with an…

Have any Chasers seen this article? I wish I never had because now I will think about it every time I go to the ballpark. How did your local ballpark fare? Yankee Stadium had 32 critical violations including filth flies! Gross!

FOUL BALLS: Ranking The Worst Food Safety Violations At Major League Baseball Stadiums



Read the article…

I guess collecting ballparks goes hand-in-hand with list making so I couldn't help but rank-order the 27 ballparks we have visited the last four years. In the process of making the list, I discovered the attribute most important to me was the stadium setting. I placed a higher value on the surrounding neighborhood, view from the ballpark, and being able to step back and enjoy the outside look of the ballpark itself. I left off the 3 ballparks we haven't visited yet (Tampa, Florida, and…

This has to be the worst name ever for a sandwich, right? Honestly, if I didn't know what it was, I wouldn't give it a second look. But after reading about it, I cannot wait to try one! Created by Food Network chefs, the Red, White & Blue steak sandwich comes toped with "Maytag" blue cheese and sweet and spicy Peppadew-pepper mayonnaise, served on a French demi baguette. Although I can't say I have heard of those toppings, they do sound really good! Before you get too excited,…

The 2011 MLB Opening Day finally arrived, but the Washington, DC weather did not get the memo. The day started off with sprinkles and turned into a balmy 41 degrees.  Sofia was looking forward to a little baseball, but because of a cold and an un-cooperating mother nature, her Opening Day will be delayed.  But the 30 Ballparks and a Baby family was not shutout. Dad weathered…

Latest tip on the Ballpark E-Guides Blog:

Ballpark E-Guides makes every effort to give you any information you could use for going to a ballgame. Some ballparks present different challenges than others. At Yankee Stadium the challenge is to leave the game with a few bucks left in your wallet. At Citizens Bank Park you should know the differences between all of the cheesesteak options. And at Fenway the biggest problem to be solved is simply how to get into the…

Enjoyed watching some of the games today.  I like this Opening Day in March on a Thursday...getting ahead of the Final 4 games; I remember last year having baseball games opposite the NCAA Championship game on that Monday night, which kind of took the spotlight away from MLB.

Here's my picks:

PHI, CIN, SF, COL

BOS, CHI, LAA, NYY

PHI over BOS in the WS...going with the teams that look strongest "on paper"; but, I really think if Philly stays…

I posted this for the last 9 weeks of the offseason on my twitter feed.  Basically, its a top 9 favorite features at the current 30 MLB parks:

9 - The statues in the outfield area at Comerica Park

8 - "Think Blue" sign and San Gabriel Mountains beyond the outfield at Dodger Stadium

7 - McCovey Cove and San Francisco Bay beyond the outfield at AT&T Park

6 - The warehouse and Eutaw Street at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

5 - Monument Park at Yankee…