West Coast Swing

So here we go again. Last year it was the "Great American Baseball Road Trip 2009." That meant I’d seen games at the stadiums of 17 Major League teams in the last decade. The product of luck, good scheduling, job flexibility, and most of all, great friends who made it possible. This summer, after years of consideration and some mild panic (I've never been to California - isn't it dangerous there?), it's time for the West Coast Swing. Yes, that's right - time to add six new ballparks to the tally. My trusty sidekick, Jay Hall, will be accompanying me on the adventure. But first, let's review the professional baseball monuments Sean has visited so far and the "Fire It Up" personalities who've accompanied him on the way:

May 2000: First visit to Fenway Park (Boston, MA) - Yeah, I didn't get to a Sox game until I was 17 years old. I didn't get off the Cape much when I was a kid. I feel I've more than made up for it over the last ten years.

Summer 2001: First visit to Shea Stadium (New York, NY) with Will.

June 2002: The Skydome (Toronto, Ontario, CA) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Cooperstown, NY) with Matt.

July 2002: "The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip" also known as "eleven stadiums in ten days in nine cities" - Second visit to Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium (New York, NY), Veterans Field (Philadelphia, PA), Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore, MD), first visit to PNC Park (Pittsburgh, PA), Cinergy Field (Cincinnati, OH), first visit to Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL), Comiskey Park (Chicago, IL), Comerica Park & Tiger Stadium (Detroit, MI), Jacobs Field (Cleveland, OH) and Fenway Park with Will.

March 2005: Spring Training in Lakeland, FL (Tigers) and Fort Myers, FL (Red Sox).

Summer 2005: McCoy Stadium (Pawtucket, RI).

July 2007: Safeco Field (Seattle, WA).

May 2008: Coors Field (Denver, CO).

May 2009: Citi Field (New York, NY) with Will.

August 2009: "Great American Baseball Road Trip" - Second visit to PNC Park, Field of Dreams (Dyersville, IA), Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO), Busch Stadium (St. Louis, MO), Wrigley Field, and Miller Park (Milwaukee, WI) with Jay.

Repeats: PNC Park (twice), Shea Stadium (four times), Wrigley Field (five times) and Fenway Park, of course.

2010 West Coast Swing

Schedule (home team listed first):

July 15 - San Francisco Giants vs. New York Mets (AT&T Park)

July 16 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Seattle Mariners (Angels Stadium) - postgame fireworks night!

July 17 - San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Petco Park)

July 18 - Travel Day

July 19 - Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets (Chase Field)

July 20 - Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants (Dodger Stadium) - James Loney bobblehead night. Excited to add to the pile of novelties I get to move to the new condo next month.

July 21 - Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics (Oakland-Alameda Coliseum) - This one is rumored to be dollar hot dog day at the stadium. The last time I attended such an event (at the Vet) I wound up getting five and a big-time food coma.

July 22 - Travel Day

July 23 - Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners (second visit to Safeco Field).

By the time we’re done, I'll be up to 25 Major League stadiums in total (encompassing 23 of the teams). I'll be blogging and uploading pictures directly to fireitupradio.blogspot.com as the trip progresses, so feel free to check back, leave a comment, and of course offer some encouragement for the nearly 6,000 miles of travel that await us.