An end to the hobby – or is it on pause?

In 2004, we journeyed to San Diego to take in Petco Park, the Padres new stadium. Two things stand out from that game. I had a fish taco which continued my tradition of trying local ball park food. I was leery as the two things didn't seem to go together. Perhaps it was mind over matter, but I would not get one again!The other thing was the weather. San Diego is known for great weather, but if you see a night game on TV you will notice people wearing long sleeves or jackets. That is because the stadium is near the ocean and the evening breezes are chilly. Still a very nice park.In 2005, we took in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. as the Expos had moved there from Montreal. 2006 took us to St. Louis as a new Busch Stadium was built. This is where we sported our T-shirts from Katrina Steinmetz that we had her make to celebrate our 50th MLB stadium. John and Sharon Fox went with us to this game as he was born in St. Louis and has always been a big Cardinal fan.When we tried to enter the stadium, our tickets would not scan. We were sent to a ticket window nearby. We had purchased the ducats from a riverboat casino and were supposed to sit in the second deck in left field. The man at the window told us to wait. He soon came back with four new tickets. They were not in left field, but right behind home plate. They were the best seats I have ever had at a game!It was back to our nation's capital in 2008 as Nationals Park opened. In 2010, Anita and I were quite the travelers. We went to Las Vegas for a reunion of Hiram College baseball players with our coach Bill Proverbs. He is still living near Vegas and is now in his 90's. We also took a trip to Hawaii for our 30th anniversary. Talk about paradise!Baseball trips that same summer included the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in the Big Apple. We also visited Target Field in Minneapolis. The bank account was stretched a little in 2010...In 2012 we ventured to Miami for the new Marlins Park. In 2018, we got new shirts to attend a game at Sun Trust Park in Atlanta. The shirts were meant to spark a conversation or two and it did before we even entered the stadium.While waiting for the gates to open a man wandered over to me to ask directions. I pointed out my shirt and informed him that I was not a local. He said he wondered what the shirt said and noticed that I was from Tiffin. He let me know that he was from Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Of course, that led me into my golf trips there and I asked him why Cedar Creek Golf Course was sold to make condos. It was located outside of Ft. Wayne in a little town called Leo. I wondered if he was familiar with the course.Turns out it was his home course and that he lived in Leo! He said he was from Ft. Wayne because he didn't think I had ever heard of Leo. Another small world story.My most recent stadium which has brought me up to date involved a 2023 trip to Texas. Globe Life Field was built in 2020 and we wanted to visit it then, but something called Covid stifled those plans. We finally made the trip three years later.In a May game we saw a World Series preview as the Rangers took on the Diamondbacks. There was nothing at that game that led me to believe these same two teams would be playing in the Fall Classic, but that is exactly what happened.Now with this being stadium number 57 the thought that my hobby would be over occurred to me. Two years later, I guess you could say that everything is on pause. The A's are building a new stadium in Las Vegas. The Rays are contemplating (as they have for years) new digs in the Tampa/St. Pete area. When those two situations are resolved major league baseball is looking at expansion. The cities most often mentioned are Nashville (a quick trip) and Salt Lake City (not so much).Whether I will continue my hobby or not will depend primarily on my health. My mind is willing, but the body may not be. Only time will tell if there will be a 58th or 59th park. Sixty seems like a good round number to end things, but we'll see.What I do know is this: it has been fun. We've seen some great baseball including seeing Lou Brock steal a couple of bases in St. Louis. We also saw Nolan Ryan strike out the side in the Astrodome even though he lost the game 11-0. Maybe the coolest moment was watching Tom Seaver record his 300th win in Yankee Stadium in 1985.In addition to baseball moments, I've always told people that the best thing about my hobby was the sites I got to see in this great country. If not for getting to a new baseball stadium, I'm not sure I would have visited the following places: The Alamo and Riverwalk in San Antonio, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Freedom Trail in Boston, Independence Square in Philadelphia, several Civil War sites including Ft. Sumter, Gettysburg, Harper's Ferry and Appomattox Court House, an incredible sunset at Mallory Square in Key West, the Gateway Arch, Yosemite National Park, Pebble Beach Golf Links, and two special memories from Washington D.C.We watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. We also were in D.C. when the cherry blossoms were blooming.The coolest picture I have ever taken was from behind the rail at the Tidal Basin. With the blossoms hanging out over the railing you can see the Washington Monument to the left and the Jefferson Memorial to the right. It was beautiful.Finally, I would like to thank you for letting me take you on my journeys.