Baseball's ultimate road trip begins on an April Monday afternoon in Pittsburgh, then criss-crosses the state of Ohio as the minor league season gets underway. Presenting GABA 2010, Opening Week style...
Monday, April 5th:
Pittsburgh, PA (trip begins)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
It’s opening day (not including ESPN’s annoying single Sunday night game) and there’s no better place to spend it than at what might be the best-looking park in baseball, PNC Park in Pittsburgh. I can almost taste the pierogi now! Plus, we’re talking about the franchise with the pro sports record for most consecutive losing seasons (17). It’s better to see them early before they’re 20 games out and trading veterans for Cuban cigars.
Tuesday, April 6th:
Travel day. MLB starts a few days before the minors, so it’s a great time to get positioned for 14 games in 14 days in the Midwest.
Wednesday, April 7th:
Cincinnati, OH (291 miles from Pittsburgh)
Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Four straight days in the Buckeye State starts at Great American Ballpark. Reds vs. Redbirds is a little confusing, but I’ll be too busy stuffing my face with Skyline Chili to care. Also, my wife’s a big Cardinal fan, so it’s a wise idea to get on her good side before taking her 27,000 miles around the country.
Thursday, April 8th:
Columbus, OH (107 miles from Cincinnati)
Columbus Clippers (AAA Indians) vs. Indianapolis Indians (AAA Pirates)
Opening day in the minor leagues! Just like MLB, we’re starting off at what might be the best ballpark in the minors. Huntington Park was named ‘Ballpark of the Year’ by several publications. The Clippers were a Yankees farm team for years, but now they’re another ‘close to home’ minor league club for Cleveland. The team in this game named ‘Indians’ is NOT the Indians farm team. Bizarre.
Friday, April 9th:
Dayton, OH (75 miles from Columbus)
Dayton Dragons (A Reds) vs. Lansing Lugnuts (A Blue Jays)
Dayton’s a tougher ticket than you might think – the Dragons have sold out every game at Fifth Third Field for nine straight seasons, and sold out all 2009 games before the season even started. All this after a fan was injured by a thrown ball during a 2008 brawl. We’ll buy scalped tickets if we have to, but maybe I’ll wear armor if we’re sitting close to the field.
Saturday, April 10th:
Toledo, OH (150 miles from Dayton)
Toledo Mud Hens (AAA Tigers) vs. Louisville Bats (AAA Reds)
OK, let me get this straight. After checking out Fifth Third Field in Dayton, we’re driving to Toledo to see baseball at… Fifth Third Field?! This couldn’t possibly be confusing… no, not at all. Come to think of it, every MLB stadium should just be renamed Miller Park to make it easier. OK, I’ll get down off the stadium name soapbox. This is the only time we see the Mud Hens all season, so I’ll be like Corporal Klinger and wear my Mud Hens cap with pride
Sunday, April 11th:
Detroit, MI (59 miles from Toledo)
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians
And on the seventh day, we won’t rest… but at least it’s a short drive up from Toledo. The schedule worked out perfectly to get all four Michigan teams back to back. I’m hoping the Tigers will have recovered from their ’09 collapse (they’re the only team in MLB history to lose a three game lead with four games to play). Heard great things about Comerica Park… and I hear housing’s cheap in Detroit too.
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