There are a lot of reasons to revisit a ballpark. A fan may return regularly to a stadium because its his favorite team. Another fan may return regularly because its the closest ballpark to her house. I returned to Coolray Field recently because I wanted to see the re-branded Gwinnett Stripers. Before the 2018 season, the Gwinnett Braves ditched their parent club’s moniker in favor of a more unique identity as the Stripers. I previously wrote about attending a G-Braves game in 2014 (read it here), but felt like I needed to revisit Coolray Field to see what changed following the team’s re-branding. Arriving at the ballpark Like many places…
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My night with the Indianapolis Indians – June 11, 2019
There are a lot of award-winning baseball stadiums across the United States. One of these ballparks is Victory Field, which has been home to the Indianapolis Indians since 1996. Although the ballpark may be considered “old,” it still offers fans a great setting on the western edge of downtown Indianapolis to watch a baseball game. Arriving at the ballpark Victory Field has several parking garages and a few surface lots nearby. Options closest to the ballpark tend to be more expensive. The team’s website provides details on some of the closest parking options. The stadium is close to several downtown hotels with many options only a ten-minute walk from the…
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My day with the Columbus Clippers – June 9, 2019
The Columbus Clippers are extremely proud of their award-winning ballpark. Huntington Park, which opened in 2009, has been named “Ballpark of the Year” a total of six times by various publications. So it jumped to the top of my list of ballparks to visit this summer. Arriving at the ballpark Huntington Park is part of downtown Columbus’s Arena District, which means there are numerous parking spots within a short walk from the stadium. According to the team’s website there are 14,000 spots within a 10-minute walk of the ballpark. Standard Parking-controlled lots charge between $3 and $5 depending on proximity to the field. Visitors staying at a downtown hotel should…
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Midwest baseball road trip preview
Summer travel is in full swing and I am back in the United States for the next two months. So that means time for an old-fashioned baseball road trip. After a full week working in Cincinnati, Ohio, I will embark on a Midwest baseball road trip. Trip plans are focused on visiting new baseball stadiums, but I will be doing some other sightseeing, too. Most importantly I will visit two new ballparks. Without further ado here are the plans for my Midwest baseball road trip. Baseball games The trip is built around visiting new ballparks close to Cincinnati. As I made a swing through Kentucky last summer, I am heading…
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Reviewing my 2018 ballpark resolutions
Over the past four years I’ve made ballpark travel resolutions based primarily upon seeing Minor League Baseball games, and each year I recap the goals and assess how successful I was in accomplishing my goals. So without further ado, here is how I did with my 2018 ballpark travel resolutions. Resolution #1: In 2018, I resolve to see all three @TweetHomeAla @MiLB teams (@BhamBarons, @Mobile_BayBears, & @BiscuitBaseball) with @DJKati. #NewYearsResolutions #PlayBall #sportstravel — Steven Ericson (@StevenOnTheMove) January 2, 2018 I had previously seen all of Alabama’s Minor League teams play at home, but never during the same season. More importantly, setting the goal of seeing all three Alabama teams at…
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My night with the Louisville Bats – June 11, 2018
There is something to be said for returning to places you have visited before. If you haven’t been to that place in a number of years you may get to see how it has changed since your last visit. Sometimes the more you visit a place the more you notice different characteristics. That was the case this summer when I returned to Louisville, Ky., to attend a Louisville Bats baseball game. I had previously attends a Bats game in 2005. So some things had changed and some things had relatively remained the same since my last visit 13 years ago. The Bats still play at Louisville Slugger Field just east…
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Revealing my 2018 ballpark resolutions
Since 2014, I have posted travel resolutions for each new year. They typically related to traveling to see new Minor League Baseball stadiums. As I rung in the new year, I sat down and posted my resolutions. So here are my resolutions for the upcoming year. My first resolution for 2018… In 2018, I resolve to see all three @TweetHomeAla @MiLB teams (@BhamBarons, @Mobile_BayBears, & @BiscuitBaseball) with @DJKati. #NewYearsResolutions #PlayBall #sportstravel — Steven Ericson (@MyGeogLessons) January 2, 2018 Over the past six years, I have managed to see all of the MiLB teams in my current home state of Alabama. However, I have not seen them all with my now…
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My night with the Gwinnett Braves – July 19, 2014
The cliché goes that people don’t see the sights in their hometown because the sights are right there. While that isn’t totally true about me visiting the Gwinnett Braves, there is a kernel of truth in the statement. I grew up in Cobb County about 40 miles and roughly an hour drive from where Coolray Field stands now. Growing up in suburban Atlanta during the ’80s and ’90s there was only ONE team in the area: the Atlanta Braves. Going to a minor league game at that time meant a trip to a number of towns two hours away like Augusta, Columbus, or Macon. Since 2009, minor league baseball fans haven’t had to…
