Baseball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My father was a longtime player, trainer and scout for the Pacific Coast League (PCL) long before the “expansion” of MLB in 1958. My father worked for the Oakland Oaks at the time, but when the Giants arrived in San Francisco the entire baseball ‘industry” was disrupted. The Oaks and the San Francisco Seals faded into oblivion as the new National League San Francisco Giants became the Bay Area home team. This was long before the Oakland Athletics arrived.

I recall spending summer days at Candlestick Park, roaming around the stands and visiting the Stadium Club where I could enjoy a bit of pampering. My brothers were all able to spend time in the club house and dug out but of course girls weren’t allowed there during the games, so I would explore the stadium and enjoy watching the action on the field.

Sadly my father passed away in 1965, and over the years I find that baseball is one thing that keeps his memory alive within me. I have been to ballgames around the country and in Japan and Korea as well. I actually went to every Major League ballpark in Japan while I lived there. Of course there are only 12 teams in Japan, and the country is much smaller so it was a bit easier than my current endeavor.

My goals is to attend a ball game at each of the 30 MLB parks this season, I will be primarily driving, but may have to take a few flights to stay on schedule. I am still tweaking my schedule but expect to be on the road before the end of May, and probably not done until mid August, but should have completed 29 parks by the All Star break!

I hope to blog about my adventures, so if you have always wanted to do something like this “join me”! Above is the new stadium in San Francisco, my first official ballpark for the tour!