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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A Minor League Baseball road trip through Alabama
People who enjoy baseball, and especially Minor League Baseball, regularly plan their summer vacations around visiting ballparks. These trips are often based around individual goals, whether it’s to visit new states or new ballparks or to watch top prospects or even the most ambitious goal of seeing all 159 active, affiliated Minor League baseball stadiums. With good timing, visiting all of the Minor League ballparks in Alabama can be done in a matter of four days. I undertook this adventure earlier this summer with my wife Katie. The Basics Currently, Alabama has three Minor League Baseball teams: the Birmingham Barons, the Mobile BayBears, and the Montgomery Biscuits. From north-to-south, the…
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Alabama Memorial Day weekend road trip preview
As the summer travel season is almost upon us, my wife Katie and I will be making our first extended trip of the year over the Memorial Day weekend. The inspiration for our upcoming trip is baseball and craft beer, as we are setting out to see every Minor League Baseball team that plays in Alabama while also visiting more of the state’s craft breweries. Our schedule is built around attending MiLB games, but we will assuredly be visiting craft breweries and seeing other local sights. Here is our schedule… Saturday, May 26:Biloxi Shuckers at Mobile BayBears, 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, May 29:Jackson Generals at Montgomery Biscuits, 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, May…
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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. Resolution #1: 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 the MiLB teams in my current home state of Alabama. However, I have not seen them all with my now wife Katie. Since she…
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Reviewing my 2017 ballpark resolutions
As 2017 comes to a close, it’s time for the annual review of my New Year’s resolutions. Unlike people who resolve to lose weight or be kinder to others, which are all great goals, mine focus on travel and more specifically they focus on baseball travel. My first resolution for 2017 was… In 2017, I resolve to see a @FisherCats or @PortlandSeaDogs game with @joshpahigian. #PlayBall — Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 1, 2017 While attending the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in Boston in April, I organized a field trip to see the Portland Sea Dogs and got to meet Josh at the game. It was great getting…
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My photo has been published in a baseball book
Since I started this blog, I’ve begun to interact with a lot of other baseball bloggers. I’ve referenced some of them in my posts like Craig Wieczorkiewicz (Twitter: @MWLtraveler) and Malcolm MacMillan (Twitter: @BallparkGuide), and most people know about MiLB.com’s Ben Hill (Twitter: @bensbiz). In addition to interacting with these other bloggers, I’ve also made interacted and wrote about a baseball travel writer who has written numerous books about visiting Major League and Minor League stadiums: Josh Pahigian (Twitter: @joshpahigian). You can find an inventory of all his books on Amazon.com here. Last April, he contacted me about his latest project and asked if he could include a photo I…
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Revealing my 2017 ballpark resolutions
I’m now into year three of writing baseball-travel resolutions (read 2015’s resolutions here; read 2016’s resolutions here). These resolutions/goals mostly focus on attending Minor League Baseball games, but sometimes I add a Major League Baseball goal. The first resolution for 2017… In 2017, I resolve to see a @FisherCats or @PortlandSeaDogs game with @joshpahigian. #PlayBall — Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 1, 2017 Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to interact with Josh Pahigian, who has written numerous books about attending MLB and MiLB games (see his Amazon author page here). He lives in Portland, Maine, and teaches at the University of New England. During this past season he reached out…
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Revealing my 2014 ballpark resolutions
Last year I hoped to visit a handful of Minor League Baseball stadiums, and hit the mark on a few but missed on some others. This year I set some rather ambitious goals, but I’ve always aimed high when it comes to traveling. To make sure I’m accountable, I want to disclose my stadium visit goals for 2014. I’ve posted a handful of tweets breaking down my goals, and will share them here. The first goal is close to my heart as someone who grew up in Georgia. In 2014, I resolve to visit all four Georgia @MiLB teams: @GreenJackets, @GwinnettBraves, @TheRomeBraves, and @gnatsbaseball. #PlayBall — Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January…
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My night with the Montgomery Biscuits – Aug. 8, 2012
On my way back to Stillwater, Okla., for the school year I took a scenic route to watch some baseball games and see some sights. After seeing some National Park Service sites in Tuskegee, Ala., my first baseball game was a Montgomery Biscuits game at Riverwalk Stadium. The ballpark is built into a former railroad building, which is clear from the signage at the corner of Coosa and Tallapoosa streets. The building still bears decorative signage dating from 1898 as home of the Western Railway of Alabama. The view from home plate does not provide fans with a spectacular view. There is a nice scoreboard in left center and fans…
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My night with the Birmingham Barons – July 21, 2012
For the first time in 19 years I went to a minor league baseball game in Hoover, Ala., and saw the Birmingham Barons host the Montgomery Biscuits. My first visit to the stadium now known as Regions Park came in August 1993 with my dad, and sadly I don’t recall many details from that visit to the park. Except for some souvenirs I have little recollection about the game. However, I made sure to document my most recent visit to the stadium previously known as Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. I got great seats on the day of the game right behind home plate an hour before first pitch. I don’t know if…
