Traditional Baseball Roadtrip #1: The Eastern Loop of the Midwest

Date: August 22, 2001 through August 30, 2001
Primary Destinations: MLB Cities of the Midwest: Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Cleveland

Games Attended:

Game 1: Indianapolis Indians vs. Columbus Clippers, Aug. 22nd, 5:05PM EDT, Cooper Stadium, Columbus, OH
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/columboh/columboh.htm
Game 2: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Red Legs, Aug. 23rd, 12:35PM EDT, Cinergy Field (Riverfront Stadium), Cincinnati, OH
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/cinci/cinergy.htm
Game 3: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs, Aug. 24th, 2:20PM CDT, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/wrigley/wrigley.htm
Game 4: Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers, Aug. 25th, 6:05PM CDT, Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/milw/miller.htm
Game 5: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs, Aug. 26th, 1:20PM CDT, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Game 6: Columbus Clippers vs. Toledo Mud Hens, Aug 27th, 6:00PM EDT, Ned Skeldon Stadium, Maumee, OH
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/toledo/toledo.htm
Game 7: Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers, Aug, 28th, 7:05PM EDT, Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/detroit/comerica.htm
Game 8: Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians, Aug. 29th, 7:05PM EDT, Jacobs Field, Cleveland, OH
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/clevelnd/clevelnd.htm

Roadtrip Summary:

This baseball roadtrip is planned to attend games played by many of the Major League Baseball teams in the Midwest Region of the U.S. Nine of the MLB teams reside in this part of the country: Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins. This trip focuses on the teams that are located from Chicago to the Eastern border of the Midwest. Travel was performed in a loop that is bounded on the east by Cleveland, OH and Chicago, IL on the west. For this reason, I have named this baseball roadtrip “The Eastern Loop of the Midwest.”

On this trip and on other baseball roadtrips to see major league teams, I was accompanied by my brother, Bob. The trip lasted nine days and during that period we saw nine games that involved eight different home teams. The roadtrip was implemented as a fly and drive trip. We began by flying from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Cleveland, OH. As part of the trip, we drove over 1200 miles in a loop that took us through the Midwest cities of Columbus, OH, Cincinnati, OH, Chicago, IL, Milwaukee, WI, Toledo, OH, Detroit. MI, and then back to Cleveland, OH. While in Chicago, we used the EL to travel to/from Wrigley Field. After our return to Cleveland, we flew back to NYC.

The roadtrip enabled us to see games at the home stadiums of five of the nine MLB teams of the Midwest. To shorten the drives between Cleveland and Cincinnati and Chicago and Detroit we added stops to see minor league teams: the Columbus Clippers on the route between Cleveland and Cincinnati and the Toledo Mud Hens while traveling from Chicago to Detroit. Both the Clippers and the Mud Hens are International League teams and were the AAA affiliates of the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers, respectively. Today Columbus is no longer the location of the Yankees AAA team.

As part of the trip we filled in unused parts of days by visiting a number of attractions in the cities where we attended games or along the route. A list of our stops follows in the section titled “En-route Attractions Visited.” All cities offered interesting sights and attractions that complemented our trip with a vacation component. Some of the highlights were visiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and touring the Submarine U.S.S Cod in Cleveland, and attending the annual “Greek Street Festival” in Greektown while in Chicago.

MLB Final Scores and Box Scores:

Game 1: Final Score: COL 3 IND 2 Box Score/News Article: The Columbus Dispatch 8/23/2001
Game 2: Final Score: CIN 12 STL 2 Box Score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN200108230.shtml
Game 3: Final Score: STL 10 CHC 8 Box Score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200108240.shtml
Game 4: Final Score: MIL 5 COL 4 Box Score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL200108250.shtml
Game 5: Final Score: CHC 6 STL 1 Box Score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200108260.shtml
Game 6: Final Score: TOL 5 COL 4 News article http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20010828&Category=SPORTS07&ArtNo=108280031&Ref=AR
Game 7: Final Score: CHW 8 DET 6 Box Score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET200108280.shtml
Game 8: Final Score: CLE 2 BOS 1 Box Score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE200108290.shtml

Travel Method, Route, and Distances:

August 22nd

• Fly: LaGuardia Airport, NY, NY to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, OH
• Drive: 142 mi to Columbus, OH
• Drive: 99 mi to Cincinatti, OH

August 23rd

• Drive: 301 mi to Chicago, IL

August 25th

• Drive: 95 mi to Milwaukee, WI
• Drive: 95 mi to Chicago, IL

August 27th

• Drive: 239 mi to Toledo, OH

August 28th

• Drive: 59 mi to Detroit, MI
• Drive: 59 mi to Toledo, OH

August 29th

• Drive: 115 mi to Cleveland, OH

August 29th

• Fly: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, OH to LaGuardia Airport, NY, NY

Approx. Total Drive Miles: 1204 mi

En-route Attractions Visited:

1. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum, Cleveland, OH http://www.rockhall.com/
2. Submarine U.S.S. Cod Memorial, Cleveland, OH http://www.usscod.org/
3. Roebling Suspension Bridge, Cincinnati, OH http://www.roeblingbridge.com/historyb.html
4. Fountain Square, Cincinnati, OH http://www.myfountainsquare.com/
5. Carew Tower Observation Deck, Cincinnati, OH http://www.cincinnati.com/visitorsguide/stories/022701_carewtower.html
6. Views from the Observation Deck http://www.pbase.com/piggiston/carew_deck
7. The Chicago Loop, Chicago, IL http://www.chicago.com/neighborhoods/Loop/
8. Greektown, 100-400 South Halstead St, Chicago, IL http://www.greektownchicago.org/
9. Ride the “EL” (elevated trains) to the Baseball Stadiums. Chicago, IL http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/maps/htsystemmap.aspx o Wrigley Field: click on and view North Side map. o The Loop: click on and view Downtown map. o US Cellular Field: click on and view Central/South Side map
   
10. Milwaukee Riverwalk, Milwaukee, WI http://www.mkedcd.org/DowntownMilwaukee/RiverWalk/index.html
11. Old World 3rd Street Neighborhood, Milwaukee, WI http://www.oldworldthird.org/business.php
12. Birthplace of the American League, Milwaukee, WI https://www.examiner.com/x-7251-Milwaukee-History-Examiner~y2009m4d3-Milwaukee-Birthplace-of-the-American-League
13. Studebaker National Museum, South Bend, IN http://www.studebakermuseum.org/
14. University of Notre Dame Campus and Football Stadium, South Bend, IN http://www.und.com/facilities/nd-stadium.html
    

Suggestions for Additional Roadtrip Attractions:

1. Lolly the Trolley City Tour, Cleveland, OH http://www.lollytrolley.com/city.htm
2. Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland, OH http://www.glsc.org/
3. Steamship William G Mather Museum http://wgmather.nhlink.net/wgmloc.shtml
4. Paul Brown Stadium (home of the Cincinnati Bengals), Cincinnati, OH http://www.bengals.com/stadium/facts.html
5. Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, Cincinnati, OH http://www.mlb.com/cin/ballpark/museum/index.jsp
6. Sears Tower (tallest building in US, renamed Willis Tower in 2009), Chicago, IL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_Tower
7. Willis (Sears) Tower Skydeck, Chicago, IL http://www.theskydeck.com/
8. Wrigleyville (neighborhood around Wrigley Field), Chicago, IL http://www.chicagotraveler.com/neighborhoods/wrigleyville-feature.htm
9. Harry Carey’s Tavern, Chicago, IL http://www.harrycaraystavern.com/
10. Millennium Park, Chicago, IL http://www.millenniumpark.org/generalinformation/
11. Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Co. (hop on hop off city sight seeing tour), Chicago, IL http://www.coachusa.com/chicagotrolley/
12. Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago, IL http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/attractions/tourism/chicago_riverwalk.html
13. Chicago River Architectural Cruise and Lake Michigan Shore/Chicago Skyline Cruise, Chicago, IL http://www.shorelinesightseeing.com/
14. College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend, IN http://www.collegefootball.org/
15. Harley Davidson Museum, Milwaukee, WI http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/HD_Museum/Museum.jsp?locale=en_US&camp_id=16&source_cd=SEM_Museum&_cr=ppc-mgooglehdmuseummilwaukee%20tours
16. Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan Shore Line Cruises, Milwaukee, WI http://www.edelweissboats.com/os/about_us.php
17. Greektown, 400-590 Monroe St., Detroit, MI http://www.visitgreektown.com/ Greektown Street Map http://www.visitgreektown.com/tour/finalFrameset.html
18. Renaissance Center Riverfront Promenade, Detroit, MI http://www.experiencedetroit.com/riverfront.htm#_Tour_Map
19. Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Dearborn, MI http://www.thehenryford.org/rouge/index.aspx
    

Roadtrip Planning Tips:

1. Attend two games at Wrigley Field in Chicago. It is one of the most interesting baseball environments you will every experience.
2. If possible, do not have a car while staying in Chicago. There will be little use for the car and additional charges for parking at a downtown hotel. Public transportation is available from the airport to downtown.
3. In Chicago, stay downtown at a hotel that is conveniently located near the EL. There are stops on the EL for both Wrigley Field and the US Cellular Field.
4. Check schedules for day/night game opportunities to see two games in the same day. This may reduce the duration of the roadtrip by a day or two. For instance, attend games of the Toledo Mud Hens and Detroit Tigers, or Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs or White Sox, or possibly Columbus Clippers and Cincinnati Red Legs both in the same day
   

Some Changes since 2001:

• Since the end of the 2006 baseball season, the Columbus Clippers are no longer an affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are now the International League AAA minor league team of the Cleveland Indians.
• For the 2009 season Copper Stadium in Columbus, OH was replaced by a new ball field, Huntington Park.
• After the 2001 season, Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, OH was replaced by a new stadium, Great American Ball Park.
• For the start of the 2002 season, the Toledo Mud Hens moved out of Ned Skeldon Stadium to a new ballpark called Fifth Third Field.
• On opening day of the 2008 season, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OH was renamed Progressive Field, but remains affectionately known as “The Jake.”
  

Some Suggested Alternatives:

1. Fly into Chicago, IL instead of Cleveland, OH. By picking the correct arrival and departure dates, it may be possible to see both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, one upon arrival and the other just before departure.
2. Add an extra day with an overnight stay in Indianapolis and attend an Indianapolis Indians game. The Indianapolis Indians are the Pittsburgh Pirates AAA team in the International League. This stop will partition the 301 mile ride from Cincinnati to Chicago into a 114 mi drive from Cincinnati to Indianapolis and a 188 mi ride on the next day from Indianapolis to Chicago. The MapQuest address of Victory Field, where the Indians play, is 501 W. Maryland Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46225
3. Add an extra night over in South Bend, IN to break up the 239 mi drive between Chicago and Toledo. The South Bend Silver Hawks, who are the Arizona Diamondbacks single A affiliate in the Midwest League, play home games at Coveleski Stadium, 501 West South Street, South Bend, IN 46634. The route from Chicago to Coveleski Stadium is 101 mi, which splits the ride between Chicago and Toledo almost in half.
   

Roadtrip Planning Resources:

The following are the web resources used for planning “The Eastern Loop of the Midwest" MLB roadtrip.

Official Website of the Major League Baseball: http://mlb.mlb.com/

• Click on “Team Sites” and then click on the appropriate AL or NL home team, for instance, “Cleveland” for Cleveland Indians to get to a specific team’s website.
• On the specific teams website click on “Schedule” and view the “Regular Season” schedule.
  

Link to View Addresses of the Stadiums for each MLB Team: http://mlb.mlb.com/team/

Official Website of the International League:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=l117

• Click on “Team Name” on the listing of the teams in the league, for instance, “Columbus Clippers" to get to the specific team's website.
• On the specific team’s website click on “Schedule” and view the “Regular Season” schedule.
• Click on “Stadium” to view information about the home stadium. o Determine the name of the stadium. o Identify the address of the stadium (if the address is not given Google the name of the stadium).
  

Official Website of the Midwest League: http://midwest.league.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=l118

• Select the appropriate team to transfer to its website, for instance the “South Bend Silver Hawks.”
  
• View the home games on the season schedule.
  
• Identify the name of the stadium and its address.

Photos: Twittered Baseball Roadtrip #2: New York-Penn League: Tri-City Valley Cats, July 6, 2009 and Hudson Valley Renegades, July 8, 2009

Check out additional photos from the Tri-City Valley Cats Game on July 6, 2009:

http://bit.ly/924thU

Check out additional photos from the Hudson Valley Renegades Game on July 8, 2009:

http://bit.ly/bnX9C4

Photos: Twittered Baseball Roadtrip #1: Canadian American (CanAm) League: Worcester Tornadoes, June 24, 2009 and Brockton Rox, June 25, 2009

Check out additional photos from the Worcester Tornadoes Game on June 24, 2009:

http://bit.ly/bNW1Z4

Check out additional photos from the Brockton Rox Game on June 25, 2009:

http://bit.ly/a8b5K3

What is a Traditional Baseball Roadtrip?

A traditional baseball roadtrip is simply a vacation trip for which the main focus is to see a planned series of baseball games. For this type of trip, our intent has been to try to see a game each day, but also fill in free time during the day or evening by visiting local attractions or seeing sights. Our traditional roadtrips have tended to be longer that the Twittered ones and have lasted from a minimum of 2 days to a maximum of 10 days.

The shorter duration trips were to see teams easily accessible from the metropolitan NYC area by car. The MLB teams located in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic States are the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals. Games for these teams may be attended by car, but some destinations require an overnight stay.

Longer trips, such as our 10-day Midwest roadtrip, were planned to visit a larger number of regionally located baseball teams. Typically they involve a flight to an origination city in the region, such as Cleveland or Minneapolis in the Midwest, or San Francisco on the West Coast, and return from that city or another location by plane. Travel between cities in the region typically has been by rental car, but in some cases by plane. In cities like Chicago and San Francisco, inner city travel and/or airport transfers were done using public transportation, such as a subway or train

On some of the longer trips, we added to our itinerary stops for sightseeing and to visit local tourist attractions. There has been more focus on filling out our days with other activities in areas, such as the mid-West, where we had not already traveled extensively. This has added a little vacation element to these baseball roadtrips. On the other hand, we have traveled quite extensively in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic States and also on the West Coast. For this reason, trips to these parts of the country have been more aligned with baseball activities.

Until now, there has been no Twitter of information about the roadtrip, games attended, or in-game activity.

The general format of our Blog posting for a Traditional Baseball Roadtrip is given below.

General Roadtrip Planning Tips:

1. To reduce the number of nights of lodging, fly into the city of the first game early the day of the game and attend an evening game. Be sure that there is sufficient time between your arrival at the airport and the start of the game to allow for a delay in the arrival of the flight and plan in enough additional time for transfer from the airport to the hotel and then on to the stadium.
2. To save another night of lodging, try to attend a day game on the date of departure. Again, assure that there is sufficient time to return to the hotel after the game, travel to the airport, and arrive at the airport on time for the departing flight.
3. Do not select the last flight of the day for you return transportation.
4. Always have tickets to the game in advance of departure even if it requires purchase of tickets through a third party, such as StubHub.
5. If a game is rained out and there is a high probability that you may not be able to return during the same season, before departing the stadium exchange the rain check for a weekend game vs. a popular team that has a large fan base or regional rivalry with the home team. Upon returning home attempt to sell the unused ticket(s) through a third party website, such as StubHub.
6. Don’t plan your trip during the weeks of inter-league play unless you specifically want to attend a game between a certain AL team and NL team. Games are often sold out in cities that don’t traditionally have sell outs making tickets hard to obtain and/or costly.
7. Attend two games in cities that you would like to explore, played by teams you are more interested in, or where it may not be easy to return. For example, attending a game in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and New York might warrant a multi-night/game stay. Also some smaller cities, such as St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and San Diego, are very interesting baseball destinations and may be worth staying to see a second game.
8. If possible, do not have a car while staying in cities with either downtown stadiums or public transportation (subways or trains) with connections directly to the stadium(s) and to/from the airport (if necessary). Some examples of cities that offer this are Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and even Minneapolis. There may be little use for a car in these cities and additional charges for parking at a downtown hotel.
9. In cities with downtown stadiums, our recommendation is to stay in the downtown area at a hotel that is located near the stadium or public transportation connections. For instance, in both St. Louis and Pittsburgh we walked to the games and in cities, such as Chicago, Boston, New York, and San Francisco, you can take a train or subway to the game.
10. When planning the sequence of cities to be visited during a roadtrip, check the team schedules for Monday and Thursday games. Monday is the most frequent day that teams do not have a game scheduled and the same for Thursday, but not as often. Therefore, games available on Monday or Thursday may dictate which city you need to be in on those days.
11. Check schedules for day/night game opportunities to see two games in the same day. This may reduce the duration of the roadtrip by a day or two. For instance, it may be possible to see a game in Chicago and Milwaukee on the same day.
12. If there is a long driving distance between the cities for two consecutive game, check for minor league teams that are located along the route between the cities and add a stop with overnight stay to see a game there. For example, the Indianapolis Indians are located approximately midway between Cincinnati and Chicago or the Toledo Mud Hens can be a stop either between Chicago and Detroit or Chicago and Cleveland.
    

Layout of a Typical Blog Posting for a Traditional Baseball Roadtrip:

Traditional Baseball Roadtrip (Number): (Name)
Date: (Departure date) (Return Date)
Primary Destinations: (List of MLB City & State)


Games Attended:

Game 1: (Visiting team) vs (Home team) (Date) (Time) (Stadium) (Location) (Web-link)
Game 2: (Visiting team) vs (Home team) (Date) (Time) (Stadium) (Location) (Web-link)
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
Game x: (Visiting team) vs (Home team) (Date) (Time) (Stadium) (Location) (Web-link)


Roadtrip Summary:
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MLB Final Scores and Box Scores:

Game 1: Final Score: (Winning team Runs) (Losing team Runs) Box Score/News Article: (web-link)
Game 2: Final Score: (Winning team Runs) (Losing team Runs) Box Score/News Article: (web-link)
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
Game x: Final Score: (Winning team Runs) (Losing team Runs) Box Score/News Article: (web-link)

Travel Method, Route, and Distances:

(Date #1)

• (Type of Travel) (# Miles or Departure Airport) (Destination City/Airport)

(Date #2)

• (Type of Travel) (# Miles or Departure Airport) (Destination City/Airport)

(Date #3)

• (Type of Travel) (# Miles or Departure Airport) (Destination City/Airport)
  

. . .
....

(Date #x)

• (Type of Travel) (# Miles or Departure Airport) (Destination City/Airport)

Approx. Total Drive Miles: xxxx mi

En-route Attractions Visited:

Listing of attractions visited during the trip:

1. (Name of attraction #1) (City, State) (Link to website)
2. (Name of attraction #2) (City, State) (Link to website)
3. (Name of attraction #3) (City, State) (Link to website)
4. (Name of attraction #x) (City, State) (Link to website) .... ....
   

Suggestions for Additional Roadtrip Attractions:

Listing of additional attractions that may be visited along the route:

1. (Name of attraction #1) (City, State) (Link to website)
2. (Name of attraction #2) (City, State) (Link to website)
3. (Name of attraction #3) (City, State) (Link to website)
4. (Name of attraction #x) (City, State) (Link to website) .... ....
   

Roadtrip Planning Tips:

This section provides a listing of tips that may be helpful during the planning of an efficient baseball roadtrip. They are similar to those listed earlier under “General Roadtrip Planning Tips,” but with details relevant to the route/cities of the specific trip.

Recommendations about making traveling plans:

1. Choosing travel times.
2. Choosing the origination and return cities.
3. Available public transportation options.
4. Where not to have a car.
5. Recommendations about choosing games.
6. How to minimize days with no games.
7. Reduce travel distances by adding stops for minor league games.
8. Opportunities to attend two games in the same day.
9. Recommendations for cities/teams where stays might be extended for more than one game.
10. Selection of lodging options.
    

Some Changes since (Date of Road Trip):

A list of changes that have taken place since the date of the original roadtrip, for instance:

• Stadium or team has been renamed.
• Stadium visited has been replaced by a new stadium.
• Minor league city no longer has a team.
• Major league affiliation of the team has changed.
  

Some Suggested Alternatives:

A list of changes that could be made to enhance or make the original itinerary more versatile, for example:

1. Fly into an alternate roadtrip origination city.
2. Add another game/city to reduce daily travel mileage.
3. City/Team/Stadium that might warrant seeing more than one game.
   

Roadtrip Planning Resources:

A listing of the web resources to use for planning a similar baseball roadtrip:

Official Website of Major League Baseball: (Website-link)

• Listing of information needed.

Link to View Addresses of the Stadiums for each MLB Team: (Website-link)

Official Website of Other Leagues with Teams Visited: (Website-link)

• Listing of information needed.

Twittered Baseball Roadtrip #4: Atlantic League Two-City Doubleheader Roadtrip

Date: August 12, 2009
Primary Destination: Day trip to Bridgewater, NJ and Newark, NJ

Twitter Address: http://twitter.com/Wtriebel

Games Attended:

Game 1: Bridgeport Bluefish vs. Somerset Patriots, Aug 12th, 11:05AM, TD Bank Ballpark, Bridgewater, NJ

http://www.ballparkreviews.com/somerset/somerset.htm

http://www.minorleagueballparks.com/comm_nj.html

http://franksballparks.tripod.com/bears.html

Game 2: Lancaster Barnstormers vs. Newark Bears, Aug 12th, 7:05PM, Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, Newark, NJ

http://www.ballparkreviews.com/newarknj/newarknj.htm

http://www.digitalballparks.com/Atlantic/Newark.html

http://franksballparks.tripod.com/pats.html

http://www.minorleagueballparks.com/bear_nj.html

Summary:

The Atlantic League is an independent baseball league with eight teams located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. All but the Maryland franchise are conveniently located to the metropolitan New York City area and three of the teams, the Somerset Patriots, Newark Bears, and Camden Riversharks, reside in New Jersey. Day trips are possible from the NYC area to attend games at the home stadium of all Atlantic League teams except the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

I have called this baseball trip the “Atlantic League Two-City Doubleheader Roadtrip.” The trip was done in a single day during which I attended two games at different Atlantic League team locations. The first, a day game, was at the Somerset Patriots stadium TD Bank Ballpark (previously known as Commerce Bank Park) in Bridgewater, NJ and the second game was in the evening at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium in Newark, NJ, the home of the Newark Bears. The departure point for the trip was my home in Wayne, NJ.

Through these games, I saw the four Atlantic League teams identified above play and visited two of the eight stadiums used by the league’s teams. The other four teams in the league and the stadiums where they play are:

• Camden Riversharks, Campbell's Field, Camden, NJ
• Long Island Ducks, Citibank Park, Central Islip, NY
• York Revolution, Sovereign Bank Stadium, York, PA
• Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, Regency Furniture Stadium, Waldorf, MD
  

The stadium where the Bridgeport Bluefish and Lancaster Barnstormers play their home games are the Baseball Park at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, CT and Clipper Magazine Stadium, Lancaster, PA, respectively.

As part of the trip I used twitter to post travel information, such as the stadium addresses, travel distances, and travel times. For each game attended, I sent pregame tweets with the record of the teams, their current standing in the league, and the starting pitchers. This was followed by in-game reports giving the inning-by-inning score and highlights about how the runs were scored. After the game, post-game tweets gave the winning team and final score.

Upon return from the roadtrip, I suggested games and dates for several similar Two-City Doubleheader Roadtrips with tweets to twitter. One trip is to attend games at the home stadiums of the CanAm League’s NJ teams: the Sussex Skyhawks and New Jersey Jackals. The other recommended trip is a mixed League Two-City Doubleheader to attend a day game of the Newark Bears (Atlantic League) and offers three options for the evening game. The evening game can be a home game of the Trenton Thunder (Eastern League), Staten Island Yankees (New York-Penn League), or Lakewood BlueClaws (South Atlantic League). Each of these three destinations is close enough to Newark to permit attendance of two games in the same day.

Twitter Roadtrip Information:
Total number of tweets: 94
Time/Date of 1st Tweet: 12:26 AM Aug 10th
Time/Date of 131st Tweet: 2:49 PM Aug 13th

Roadtrip Planning Resources:

The following are the web resources used for planning this "Atlantic League" baseball roadtrip.

Official Website of the Atlantic Baseball League: http://www.atlanticleague.com

Current Standings of the Teams in the Atlantic League:
http://www.atlanticleague.com/scores-standings.php

Composite Game Schedules for the Atlantic League: http://www.atlanticleague.com/info-schedule.php

Official Websites of the Home Teams:

• Somerset Patriots: http://www.somersetpatriots.com/
• Newark Bears: http://www.newarkbears.com/
  

Home Team Game Schedules:

• Somerset Patriots: http://www.somersetpatriots.com/schedule/09calendar/
• Newark Bears: http://www.newarkbears.com/schedule/games/
  

Official Websites of the Visiting Teams:

• Bridgeport Bluefish: http://www.bridgeportbluefish.com/
• Lancaster Barnstormers: http://lancasterbarnstormers.com/index.cfm

Twittered Baseball Roadtrip #3: Yankee's Fan Minor League Baseball Roadtrip

Dates: July 17, 2009 through July 19, 2009
Primary Destination: Day trips to Trenton, NJ,
Staten Island, NY, and Moosic, PA

Twitter Address: http://twitter.com/Wtriebel

Games Attended:

Game 1: Portland Sea Dogs vs. Trenton Thunder, July 17th, 7:05PM, Waterfront Park, Trenton, NJ
Game 2: State College Spikes vs. Staten Island Yankees, July 18th, 7:05PM, Richmond Country Bank Park, Staten Island, NY
Game 3: Gwinnett Braves vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, July 19th, 5:05PM, PNC Field, Moosic, PA

Summary:

A number of the Major League Baseball teams have single-A, double-A, and triple-A minor league affiliate teams in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic States. Many of the New York-Penn, Eastern, and International League teams are conveniently located to the New York, Boston, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. For this reason, it is possible for fans of some teams, such as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies, to make day trips to see their minor league teams play at their home stadiums.

I have called this baseball excursion the “Yankee’s Fan Baseball Minor League Roadtrip.” This trip is planned to attend games at the following New York Yankee minor league affiliates:

• Staten Island Yankees, New York-Penn League, Short-season Single-A (A)
• Trenton Thunder, Eastern League, Double-A (AA)
• Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, International League, Triple-A (AAA)
  

Games of these three teams were attended on consecutive days from my home in Wayne, NJ as separate day trips. The drives to the stadiums ranged from approx. 1 hr to see a Staten Island Yankee game in Staten Island, NY to just over 2 hrs to Moosic, PA for the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees game.

To add a summer vacation theme to the roadtrip, I tweeted some family entertainment opportunities and other attractions in NJ and PA that could be used to fill out a day trip. For instance, I have suggested the Adventure Aquarium, Camden, NJ and CamelBeach Water Park at Camelback Mountain Ski Area in PA. These destinations may serve as a good en-route daytime activity to include with an evening Trenton Thunder or Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankee game, respectively.

Similar to the earlier Twittered Baseball Roadtrips, I have tweeted pregame information, such as the record and standing of the home and visiting teams in their league; in-game activity like the inning-by-inning score and highlights, and post-game results: winning team, final score, and winning/losing pitchers.

Along with this Twittered Baseball Roadtrip, I have tweeted recommendations for a Yankee Fan Minor League Roadtip at later dates. In addition, I planned and suggested how Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies fans could do a similar roadtrip to see their affiliated minor league teams. All three of these MLB teams have a minor league affiliate in both the International and Eastern Leagues, but only the Mets and Red Sox also have a team in the New York-Penn League. For example, the Red Sox minor league teams are:

• Pawtucket Red Sox: International League (AAA)
• Portland Sea Dogs: Eastern League (AA)
• Lowell Spinners: New York-Penn League (A)
  

This Red Sox Fan Roadtrip could potentially be done as a series of day trips from the Boston area. However, due to distances between the Mets affiliated minor league teams from the metropolitan New York City area, the Mets Fan Roadtrip would require overnight stays.

As a single-A team for the Phillies Fan Roadtrip, I have chosen the Lakewood BlueClaws, in Lakewood, NJ. The BlueClaws are a member of the South Atlantic League. The three Phillies minor league teams are relatively close to Philadelphia; therefore, this trip could possibly be taken as a series of day trips.

Twitter Roadtrip Information:
Total Number of Tweets: 110
Time/Date of 1st Tweet: 2:43 PM Jul 14th
Time/Date of 110th Tweet: 9:21 AM Jul 20th

Roadtrip Planning Resources:

The web resources used for planning this Yankee’s Fan Baseball Minor League Roadtrip are as follows.

Official Website of the International League:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=l117

Official Website of the Eastern League:
http://eastern.league.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=l113

Official Website of the New York-Penn Baseball League: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=l127

Current Standings of the Teams in the International League:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=l_sta&lid=117&sid=l117

Current Standings of the Teams in the Eastern League:
http://eastern.league.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=l_sta&lid=113&sid=l113

Current Standings of the Teams in the New York-Penn League:
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=l_sta&lid=127&sid=l127

Official Websites of the Home Teams:

• Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t531
• Staten Island Yankees: http://www.siyanks.com/
• Trenton Thunder: http://www.trentonthunder.com/
  

Home Team Game Schedules:

• Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=t531
• Staten Island Yankees: http://www.siyanks.com/schedule/schedule/
• Trenton Thunder: http://www.trentonthunder.com/schedule/zScheduleDisplayYearGameCalendar.asp?pYYYY=2009
  

Official Websites of the Visiting Teams:

• Gwinnett Braves: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t431
• Portland Sea Dogs: http://portland.seadogs.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t546
• State College Spikes: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t1174

Twittered Baseball Roadtrip #2: New York-Penn League and Lake George Roadtrip

Dates: July 5, 2009 through July 8, 2009
Primary Destination: Lake George Village, NY

Twitter Address: http://twitter.com/Wtriebel

Games Attended:

Game 1: Lowell Spinners vs. Staten Island Yankees, July 5th, 4:00PM, Richmond County Bank Park, Staten Island, NY
Game 2: Brooklyn Cyclones vs. Tri-City Valley Cats, July 6th, 11:00AM, Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, Troy, NY
Game 3: Staten Island Yankees vs. Hudson Valley Renegades, July 8th, 7:00PM, Dutchess Stadium, Wappingers Falls, NY.

Summary:

The New York-Penn league is a short-season, single A baseball league affiliated with Major League Baseball. Most of its teams are located in the Northeast with 10 of its 14 teams residing in the states of New York or Pennsylvania. A few teams are in other states, including Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Vermont. Here are some of the teams in the league:
Staten Island Yankees: affiliated with the New York Yankees
Brooklyn Cyclones: affiliated with the New York Mets
Williamsport Crosscutters: affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies
Lowell Spinners: affiliated with the Boston Red Sox
Aberdeen IronBirds: affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles

During this four day New York-Penn League and Lake George Roadtrip, we attended three baseball games; stayed in the vicinity of Lake George Village, NY for two nights; and had one extra day for vacationing in the Lake George area of the Adirondack Mountains. Lake George is approx. 60 miles from the metro Albany, NY area, which is home to the Houston Astos affiliate of the New York-Penn League: the Tri-City Valley Cats. During this roadtrip, we saw five New York-Penn League teams play: the Staten Island Yankees, Lowell Spinners, Tri-City Valley Cats, Brooklyn Cyclones, and Hudson Valley Renegades.

The first game, Lowell Spinners vs Staten Island Yankees at Staten Island, NY, was attended as a day trip from home in Wayne, NJ. On the other hand, the Valley Cats game was seen en-route to Lake George and the Renegades game as a stop on the return trip to NJ. As part of the twitter stream for the roadtrip, I provided a number of traveling tips, including stadium addresses, travel distances and times, and a potential en-route rest stop.

This roadtrip is an excellent combination vacation/baseball trip for people located in the metropolitan NYC area. The stadiums for the Tri-City Valley Cats and Hudson Valley Renegades are close to the New York Thruway. So the games can be attended without deviating significantly from the route between Northern NJ/NYC and Lake George. I have included tweets that suggest a wide range of lodging options in or around Lake George Village, places to dine out, and a variety of summer family entertainment attractions available in the Lake George Region of the Southern Adirondacks.

As for all Twittered Baseball Roadtrips, I have tweeted pregame information prior to the game, such as the record of the teams, their current standing in the league, and the starting pitchers. As part of the in-game activity, I tweeted the inning by inning score, highlights as runs are scored, and other in-game activity. After the game, post-game tweets give the winning team, final score, and sometime additional information.

For this Twittered Baseball Roadtrip, I outlined and tweeted information for a number of similar roadtips. They are designed for Yankee and Red Sox fans to see the Staten Island Yankees or Lowell Spinners, respectively, play away games against two other New York-Penn League teams on consecutive days. The dates and locations of the games were selected to enable them to be part of a vacation trip to the Lake George area of the Adirondacks. Lake George Village is centrally located to the stadiums where the Tri-City Valley Cats and Vermont Lake Monsters play.

Twitter Roadtrip Information:
Total Number of Tweets: 139
Time/Date of 1st Tweet: 12:02 PM Jul 3rd
Time/Date of 139st Tweet: 7:31 PM Jul 9th

Roadtrip Planning Resources:

The following are the web resources used for planning this NY-Penn League Baseball Roadtrip.

Official Website of the New York-Penn Baseball League: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=l127

Current Standings of the Teams in the New York-Penn League:
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=l_sta&lid=127&sid=l127

Official Websites of the Home Teams:

• Staten Island Yankees: http://www.siyanks.com/
• Tri-City Valley Cats: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t577
• Hudson Valley Renegades: http://www.hvrenegades.com/
  

Home Team Game Schedules:

• Staten Island Yankees: http://www.siyanks.com/schedule/schedule/
• Tri-City Valley Cats: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=t577&m=06&y=2009
• Hudson Valley Renegades: http://www.hvrenegades.com/schedule/
  

Official Websites of the Visiting Teams:

• Lowell Spinners: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t558
• Brooklyn Cyclones: http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/