Warsaw Family Visits All 30 MLB Stadiums
August 25, 2018 at 1:29 a.m.
By Mark [email protected]
The Baumgartner family of Warsaw didn’t necessarily start off with that specific intent, but earlier this month they completed their dream by visiting Tampa and Atlanta. That made 30 ballparks in just over 11 years.
“We didn’t initially intend on making an effort to visit all of the Major League stadiums,” husband and dad Jay Baumgartner said. “Back when the kids were small, we would load up the kids in our van, hook up our pop-up camper and head off someplace relatively close.
“The kids had just finished their Little League seasons when we went and so we would typically end up going to a baseball game and a zoo. It was only after we went to all the local stadiums (Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Cincinnati, etc.) that we thought this could be fun to go around the country and go to all the stadiums.”
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They began going past the one-day drive mark in 2008. It seemed obvious to make the trip about a lot more than baseball.
“Along the way, we were able to see so much of the country,” Baumgartner said. “Our trips were not just focused on getting to the baseball stadiums. As the kids got older, we slowly replaced going to zoos with going to national parks. We ended up seeing all 48 continental states and at least 18 national parks.
“And each of us has a favorite memory. Deb (wife and mom) liked Sequoia National Park, while Eric (the middle son, now a sophomore at Indiana State) loved the Grand Canyon. Ryan and Kyle (oldest and youngest sons, respectively) loved Yellowstone.”
Each member of the family cheers for a different favorite team, but that didn’t mean that team made for a favorite ballpark.
“I really liked San Francisco. I liked the brick outfield and having the bay out in the distance,” Jay said. “Deb really liked Kansas City with all the water fountains that they had.
“I‘m not sure that the boys had a favorite. They just enjoyed going to the game no matter where it was.”
Each stadium presented a different experience, and some were better than others, but nothing too over the top.
“In Toronto, Eric (now a 22-year-old living and working in Milford) had just finished playing Little League and he had been on the Yankees. He decided to wear his Yankees cap to the game since they were playing that night,” the dad recalled.
“Unfortunately, he quickly learned how much Toronto fans hate the Yankees. The entire game the fans were screaming ‘Yankees suck’ to the point Eric took his hat off within an inning and gave it to me to hold.
“I’m not sure he’s worn the hat since.”
And there’s the omnipresent weather threat to each baseball game, or at least the outdoor ones.
“We had the worst luck with rain. We had a family saying that was, ‘What’s a Baumgartner baseball game without a little rain.’ We had two of our games rained out and close to half of our games it rained at some point during the day.
“In St. Louis, we have some great pictures of us sitting at the game prior to it raining and we look all decked out for the game and then pictures after the rain where we are just drenched. If you are planning on scheduling a trip to a game, you may want to contact us to make sure we aren’t going,” he smiled.
Another tradition of taking kids to games is hitting the souvenir stands.
“Ryan started collecting baseballs at each game that he visited. For one of his birthdays, we got him a display case in the shape of home plate to store all of his baseballs. It’s extremely cool.
“I really wished I had collected something along the way. Kyle (now a junior at Warsaw Community High School) pretended to collect mini baseball helmets that you got when buying ice cream. He didn’t really care about the helmet; he just wanted Mom and Dad to buy him ice cream.”
Concessions presented a challenge for Jay, one well-known by many dads with kids at the ballpark.
“It never failed that whenever I went down to get snacks, I‘d miss some exciting play: a home run, great catch, something. It got to the point where I refused to go and get snacks once the game started.
“Our last game in Tampa, I decided to run out and get a refill on my drink. I was only gone one minute at most and sure enough, someone hit a home run.”
Steps were taken to ensure the trips are remembered for a lifetime in the Baumgartner home.
“Every time we visited a stadium, we bought a picture of the stadium, brought it home and hung it in our basement,” he said. “After this summer, we finally were able to hang up our last picture. Our entire basement is decorated with pictures of baseball stadiums.”
The timing for the completion of the years-long odyssey is critical, as all three boys will soon be men out on their own. But it’s possible Jay and Deb will be heading out on adventures of their own someday soon. After all, construction is underway for a new ballpark for the Texas Rangers, with discussions for new facilities in Arizona, Oakland and Tampa.
“This last trip was definitely bittersweet,” Baumgartner said. “It was great to finish getting to all of the stadiums, but it was also a realization that the days of grabbing the kids and heading off on vacation are probably over.
“That being said, it will be nice to going back to vacationing with just the two of us. What Deb doesn’t know yet is there are several places that have either built a new stadium or making plans to build a new stadium.
“As soon as a few of them get built, her and I will head out on a road trip together.”
The Baumgartner family of Warsaw didn’t necessarily start off with that specific intent, but earlier this month they completed their dream by visiting Tampa and Atlanta. That made 30 ballparks in just over 11 years.
“We didn’t initially intend on making an effort to visit all of the Major League stadiums,” husband and dad Jay Baumgartner said. “Back when the kids were small, we would load up the kids in our van, hook up our pop-up camper and head off someplace relatively close.
“The kids had just finished their Little League seasons when we went and so we would typically end up going to a baseball game and a zoo. It was only after we went to all the local stadiums (Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Cincinnati, etc.) that we thought this could be fun to go around the country and go to all the stadiums.”
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They began going past the one-day drive mark in 2008. It seemed obvious to make the trip about a lot more than baseball.
“Along the way, we were able to see so much of the country,” Baumgartner said. “Our trips were not just focused on getting to the baseball stadiums. As the kids got older, we slowly replaced going to zoos with going to national parks. We ended up seeing all 48 continental states and at least 18 national parks.
“And each of us has a favorite memory. Deb (wife and mom) liked Sequoia National Park, while Eric (the middle son, now a sophomore at Indiana State) loved the Grand Canyon. Ryan and Kyle (oldest and youngest sons, respectively) loved Yellowstone.”
Each member of the family cheers for a different favorite team, but that didn’t mean that team made for a favorite ballpark.
“I really liked San Francisco. I liked the brick outfield and having the bay out in the distance,” Jay said. “Deb really liked Kansas City with all the water fountains that they had.
“I‘m not sure that the boys had a favorite. They just enjoyed going to the game no matter where it was.”
Each stadium presented a different experience, and some were better than others, but nothing too over the top.
“In Toronto, Eric (now a 22-year-old living and working in Milford) had just finished playing Little League and he had been on the Yankees. He decided to wear his Yankees cap to the game since they were playing that night,” the dad recalled.
“Unfortunately, he quickly learned how much Toronto fans hate the Yankees. The entire game the fans were screaming ‘Yankees suck’ to the point Eric took his hat off within an inning and gave it to me to hold.
“I’m not sure he’s worn the hat since.”
And there’s the omnipresent weather threat to each baseball game, or at least the outdoor ones.
“We had the worst luck with rain. We had a family saying that was, ‘What’s a Baumgartner baseball game without a little rain.’ We had two of our games rained out and close to half of our games it rained at some point during the day.
“In St. Louis, we have some great pictures of us sitting at the game prior to it raining and we look all decked out for the game and then pictures after the rain where we are just drenched. If you are planning on scheduling a trip to a game, you may want to contact us to make sure we aren’t going,” he smiled.
Another tradition of taking kids to games is hitting the souvenir stands.
“Ryan started collecting baseballs at each game that he visited. For one of his birthdays, we got him a display case in the shape of home plate to store all of his baseballs. It’s extremely cool.
“I really wished I had collected something along the way. Kyle (now a junior at Warsaw Community High School) pretended to collect mini baseball helmets that you got when buying ice cream. He didn’t really care about the helmet; he just wanted Mom and Dad to buy him ice cream.”
Concessions presented a challenge for Jay, one well-known by many dads with kids at the ballpark.
“It never failed that whenever I went down to get snacks, I‘d miss some exciting play: a home run, great catch, something. It got to the point where I refused to go and get snacks once the game started.
“Our last game in Tampa, I decided to run out and get a refill on my drink. I was only gone one minute at most and sure enough, someone hit a home run.”
Steps were taken to ensure the trips are remembered for a lifetime in the Baumgartner home.
“Every time we visited a stadium, we bought a picture of the stadium, brought it home and hung it in our basement,” he said. “After this summer, we finally were able to hang up our last picture. Our entire basement is decorated with pictures of baseball stadiums.”
The timing for the completion of the years-long odyssey is critical, as all three boys will soon be men out on their own. But it’s possible Jay and Deb will be heading out on adventures of their own someday soon. After all, construction is underway for a new ballpark for the Texas Rangers, with discussions for new facilities in Arizona, Oakland and Tampa.
“This last trip was definitely bittersweet,” Baumgartner said. “It was great to finish getting to all of the stadiums, but it was also a realization that the days of grabbing the kids and heading off on vacation are probably over.
“That being said, it will be nice to going back to vacationing with just the two of us. What Deb doesn’t know yet is there are several places that have either built a new stadium or making plans to build a new stadium.
“As soon as a few of them get built, her and I will head out on a road trip together.”
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