(The Sports Fan Project contributor, Tim Russell, puts a bow on his 2022 baseball travels in this final installment of his series, The Great Ballpark Chase. Enjoy!)
Well, another baseball regular season has come and gone.
This is always a bittersweet time of the year. Sure, you have playoff baseball, but that’s just watching it on TV.
For a ballpark chaser, it’s just not the same.
But this season was a little special. It marked the first full season of being able to attend ballgames after COVID-19. I had made it to 23 during the 2021 season, but it was only about half a season, since protocols were still actively in force, especially early on.
This year, I made it to the same number, but it felt different.
Two years ago, we had just started coming out of the pandemic. Games weren’t open until the beginning of June. This year, it just felt more normal, if there can be such a term these days. In 2021, I spent most of my time going to minor league games. Smaller parks along with smaller crowds, but still quality baseball.
This year, with the Diamond Baseball Tours bus trip, I made it to more Major League games, which is a different experience than minor league games.
Anytime you walk into the ballpark, a sense of excitement comes over you. This year was no different; maybe even more excitement. Everytime I walk into a new ballpark, a sense of awe washed over me.
In June, it felt even stranger, especially walking into Coors Field, which was the first stadium on the trip. I had visited new parks since I had lost my brother five years ago and I always got a sense that he was there with me. This year, it still felt like he was with me, but it felt different too, because it had been so long since being able to resume trips. Almost a sense of normalcy.
But let’s get to the games.
In 2022, of the 23 games I saw, 13 were MLB games, eight minor league, one college, and one summer collegiate. I saw a total of nine new stadiums. Of the 23 games, the home teams had a 10-13 record and were outscored 111-82.
Some images of the author’s travels around the baseball world this summer. From left, the giant Miguel Cabrera bobblehead at Comerica Park, the Great Lakes Loons retiring Terry Collins’ number, action from a Toledo Mudhens game, and the West Michigan Whitecaps celebrate a walk-off victory. (Photos by Tim Russell)
Some highlights of the games was seeing Lou Whitaker‘s Number Retirement Ceremony in August. That just happened to be the game my cousins and I picked for our annual game. I also saw the retirement of Terry Collins‘ number with the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond in Midland, MI (Collins is a Midland native). Most recently, Collins managed the New York Mets. The Midland native also managed the Anaheim Angels and Houston Astros. I saw Detroit Tiger first baseman Spencer Torkelson‘s first MLB hit, a double to right center against the Boston Red Sox.
I also completed my tour of Ohio ballparks, visiting the summer collegiate league’s Lake Erie Crushers in May. I had visited most of the other Ohio parks the previous year. There was a Baseball College World Series game and I helped take two kids to their first ballgame.
By comparison, in 2021, I saw the same amount of games: 23, but it was six MLB, 16 MiLB, and one semi-pro. I saw 14 stadiums, of which nine were new parks.
Obviously, the bus road trip helped account for six of the MLB stadiums. But I also made an effort to get to more games at Comerica, since it is quite easy for me, living about 15 minutes from the park. Ease of getting there was part of it, but also, at the beginning of the season, hopes were high for a big improvement by the Tigers. Of course, that did not materialize for several reasons.
But the ballpark still holds a captivating atmosphere. There aren’t many other places I’d rather be, than at a ballpark.
I don’t always look to buy the best or the most expensive tickets. A lot of times, I’ll look for ways to pick up a cheap ticket. I’ve had good luck using the Gametime App, but there are others around also. Of course this year, especially later in the season, tickets were abundantly cheap and the ushers were pretty lenient on letting you move around. It’s not always like that, though.
I’m not sure I have a favorite seating area. Obviously seats behind the dugout or home plate are premium and offer great views. But, you can also have a great time down the baselines or out in the outfield. I guess as long as you are there, that’s all that matters.
As fun as Major League games are, minor leagues might be even more intriguing. It’s baseball at one of its more purer levels. Younger players trying to earn their way into the show and you feel closer to the action with the smaller park.
It’s also a fun experience, seeing top players before they become MLB stars. For instance, I saw former Tiger Nick Castellanos several times at West Michigan, years before he made it to Comerica Park.
In 2021, I was able to see current Tigers Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene at three minor league stops. I saw the duo at West Michigan, two days before they were called up to Double-A Erie. I saw them with the Seawolves about a month later, when they were playing in Akron, although Greene was given the day off that night. And finally, I saw them finish the season with the Toledo Mud Hens.
This year, I saw top Tiger prospects infielder Jace Jung, infielder Izaac Pacheco, and pitcher Jackson Jobe play for West Michigan. Jobe pitched five innings of one hit ball, but ended up with a no decision as the Whitecaps beat the Loons in the bottom of the ninth.
So with the end of the regular season, there are no games to go to, but that allows one to focus on other things. Sure I’ll watch postseason baseball, but I also have season tickets to Eastern Michigan football, a membership in the Detroit Curling Club as well as other non-sporting activities.
And if there’s ever a yearning for baseball during the long winter months, there are computer games like Out Of The Park or Baseball Mogul or even MLB The Show on Xbox to get you through.
Or you just start planning the next year’s tour. I’ll likely take another bus tour, although I haven’t decided the location. I’m considering either a West Coast trip, especially since there is talk about Oakland moving or getting a new stadium.
Another option could be the Florida parks, along with Atlanta and Texas or an East Coast trip, which would include Fenway Park.
But mainly, you just start counting the days until spring training.