Page 7 - April24

FLY BALL
Make plans to fly in for a game in 30 MLB cities
by MeLinda Schnyder
All photos credited to author unless otherwise stated
By the time my husband, Lee, had turned 25, he had watched a game in just three Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums – Kansas City, Houston and Arlington, Texas. That makes it even more impressive that in the next 18 years he would manage to complete his goal of seeing a game in every city with an MLB team.
Although he is a lifelong baseball fan, he grew up in a family that rarely traveled. After college he started to travel for work, and he realized he could often squeeze in a game. It helped that I also liked traveling and going to baseball games. We married when we were both 27 years old and started planning at least one trip a year around seeing a new stadium.
Lee notched No. 30 in 2014, when a monthlong road trip from Kansas to Maine included a detour to Rogers Centre, the domed home of the Toronto Blue Jays. I have just one ballpark left to visit – the Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field – to also be able to say I’ve seen a game in every city with a major league team. The quest will continue indefinitely for both of us, however, with teams building new ballparks or in some cases moving to new cities.
Sure, there have been people who have made it to all 30 current MLB stadiums faster – you can logistically hit them all in one season, especially with access to a private airplane – but for us it wasn’t about rushing to home plate, instead a slow jog around the bases so we could enjoy the journey. That includes seeing legendary players and performances, discovering history within ballpark museums and monuments, witness- ing the traditions each team’s fans keep alive and sampling local flavors at the concession stands.
We’ve experienced chapulines, toasted grasshoppers served in four- ounce cups with savory chili-lime salt seasoning at a Seattle Mariners home game, enjoyed a Chicken & Waffle Cone with mashed potatoes & honey mustard drizzle in Houston, and split among four people the
APRIL 2024
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 5