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Comment by Joseph Donaldson (17) on December 11, 2011 at 3:45pm

Attending 180 games would be incredible and is the obvious choice.  It would be cool if you could interview fans along the way to document their passion for the game.  You could also try to target some of the eccentric fans who become "local celebrities" at ballparks; pin head & cow bell man at citi field come to mind off the top of my head because i go to a lot of mets games, but every team has players like this.  i would like to see a baseball travel book which mimics "blue highways" by william least heat-moon in some way, but with a baseball theme.  you might be better off seeing back to back games in one city rather than trying to go from city to city every single day.  this would allow you more time to document baseball cities (rather than constantly being on the road) while also seeing multiple games in every city.

Comment by Chuck Booth (35) ALL 30/23 DAYS! on November 16, 2011 at 10:38pm

Hi RJ,

The prospectus I am currently putting together will have a running mate for this trip.  I mentioning that during this trip-each city could have a fan of the month contest-in which I would interview at the game and we would talk about the stadium, city and what baseball means to them.  Of course there is the social media platforms like-Twitter and Facebook to help chronicle the year.  Much like the Fancave, there would be blogs-vlogs-lotsa fan interaction and breakdowns of each game visited.

Comment by RJ Breisacher on November 16, 2011 at 9:24pm

I would absolutely rather go to 180 games rather then watch in the Fan Cave.  The Fan Cave would be an incredible experience though.  Do you need a partner to come along with you? haha.

Comment by Bill Pritchard (29) on November 8, 2011 at 7:42am

you should find some things to do around the parks, like restaurants or bars that are in close proximity to the gates. baltimore and cleveland all come to mind, and depending on your travel plans, you can get alot done in a short time. you can even get a chaser and/or local to tell you about things to do in the city you are in. i know there are certain things on the chaser guides that i disagree with (there's no mention of pat's, geno's or tony luke's for steaks in philly, and beer works in boston?) , so it would be nice to spark a little debate, or have places to add on.

Comment by Chuck Booth (35) ALL 30/23 DAYS! on November 6, 2011 at 12:48am

Good stuff Meg, I like everything.  I can't sell the Minor League Ballparks for sponsorship as the big corporate wigs all love big bang for the buck.  I am going to concentrate on the park traditions, the food, the fans atmosphere and the distinctive city characteristics.  I plan on including a charity drive, a social media network that will involve twitter, Facebook and possible V-logs from the road.  I will plan to write daily entries in a blog/journal in which I will share my daily experiences and what things I learn.  There are so many things I have already learned from all of the cities that will come rushing back to me when I revisit them.  I will try and sell MLB on this concept.  If they spent a couple of million on a FanCave they should realize that this kind of trip would generate huge opportunities for enhancing their brand.  With the amount of corporate sponsors they already possess-this trip should be about 5% of the cost it took to build the Cave.  We will see what happens.

Comment by Paula Vaughnn on November 4, 2011 at 10:14pm

Live baseball all the way. Who wants to be stuck watching TV for 6 months when you can be out and about, touring the country, experiencing the game with fellow fans. We are planning a similar (yet different) excursion and ware also submitting a prospectus to MLB... Hopefully one (or both?) of us will be fortunate enough to get some support. Good luck to you!

Comment by meg minard (30/44/205) on November 4, 2011 at 5:52pm

I’ve never written a prospectus so I’m probably not going to directly answer your questions but perhaps what I post will trigger thoughts from other Ballpark Chasers.

 

For me, attending a game is way more enjoyable than watching it on TV.  If I had 180 days off to do something like that I would not necessarily choose to do a different city each day and I would include minor league baseball stadiums. 

  

I would include your plan on:

 

* Identifying other  ’things’ to do in the city (‘things’ to me are other tourist attractions)

* If public transportation is available and how far and if the stadium is walking distance to a hotel and/or eating establishment.  Example:  an easy $20 shuttle from Houston Hobby to the Inn and the Ballpark for Minute Maid, or the train/light rail from SeaTac to Safeco and that hotel (Silver Cloud) across the street vs. no public transportation  in Kansas City (though there is a hotel across the highway – but I don’t recall any restaurants walking distance).    However there is the Negro League Baseball Museum which should not be missed if in KC. 

 

What else?  Local breweries,  maybe future development in / around the ballpark (example:  CitiField moving in the outfield walls)

  

Not sure if this is what you are looking for but it’s my two cents.  Hope it helps and that it initiates thoughts from others.

 

Meg

Comment by Kurt Smith on November 4, 2011 at 5:49pm

Well with a kid on the way the Fancave would be my choice, but if you can get MLB to sponsor it, by all means go for it!