Baseball Travel Tours are Unique With Big League Tours

The age old question when travelers are looking at sports packages with Big League Tours is simply what makes you different? 

Big League Tours specializes in baseball road trips across all of the United States and Toronto, Canada.  We are serious about getting you, the travelers, a unique experience, memories to last a lifetime and an all out great vacation.  

Here are some of the comparisons you can get with Big League Tours and with other sports tour companies:

• Hotels outside of the city not by any major attractions or the stadium itself.
• Big League Tours offers hotels in the heart of the city allowing you to have easy access to attractions and things you might want to do while you aren't at a baseball game.  Ex: In New York City we stay in Manhattan where you are in walking distance of Times Square, Central Park, 5th Ave. and much more.
• Seats at the games somewhere up in the upper decks. 
• Big League Tours only purchases tickets in lower level seating.  Allowing guests to experience the baseball game like they most likely never have, close up and in all of the action.
• Baseball stadium tours is most likely not even an option.
• Big League Tours offers private baseball stadium tours when the time is allotted.
• One on one meet and greets with retired and current players? Again most likely not going to happen.
• Big League Tours offers player experiences whenever they can.  Some retired players we have used in the past have included: Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Dick Drago and Ron Kittle just to name a few. 

Well, those are just a few of the things that makes Big League Tours so different from the rest.  We hope to see you in '09! Check out our website to see which tour you would like to be part of!

Remember don't just go to a game, become part of it!

 What's Your Favorite Baseball Related Movie?

Here at Big League Tours we love baseball and anything related to baseball.  One of the things we like to do while traveling between cities on our baseball trips is to watch baseball movies, of course!  This is a great way for our guests to sit back relax, have the time pass a little bit faster and to get them pumped for the next game on our baseball road trip. 

Here are some of our favorites (In no particular order):

• Bull Durham
• The Sandlot
• Fever Pitch 
• The Natural
• Field of Dreams
• *61
• A League of Their Own

If you were going to sit down and pop in one of your all time favorite baseball movies what would it be?  We are always looking for new movies to show on our MLB tours so let us know what you watch!  So, the next time you are on one of our sports vacations we can show your favorite movie.

Two Left Fielders Elected by Writers' Ballot

Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice are both on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  It has been 20 years since the Baseball Writers' Association of America has has elected a left fielder into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. However, the 2009 ballot may end this all since there are some very prominent left fielders on the list. 

Henderson is new to the ballot along with 10 others.  Rice on the other hand this is his last chance to be nominated.  Nominees may be on the ballot for 15 years, but they must receive 5% of the votes each year.  Rice has a very good chance of being elected, last year he missed out by only 16 votes.

Don't miss out on the chance to take one of Big League Tours small group tours in the '09 season.  Cooperstown, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is being offered on five of our baseball travel tours.  Check out our website and see which baseball road trip fits you! 

Are you a Minnesota Twins fan? 

Whether you answered yes or no many people still want to see all the baseball stadiums including the Metrodome.  Since 2009 is the last season for the Metrodome, you might want to think about getting your baseball travel tours all set in place.  Big League Tours will be visiting the Twin Cities in May on our Midwest 2 trip where the Twins will be taking on the Boston Red Sox. On this baseball road trip we will also be catching a White Sox game and Cubs game in the windy city and catching a Brewers game at Miller Park. It'll be a great chance to catch some great ball in the Midwest.  Check out what the Twins new stadium, Target Field, will look like in 2010. 

Are You Ready to Experience one of our Baseball Stadium Tours to New Yankee Stadium in '09!?

Many baseball vacation packages are now being offered for the opening weekend for the New Yankee Stadium in April 2009.  Have you planned your MLB road trip yet?   Check out the video of New Yankee Stadium and start planning your sports packages now, before its too late. You won't want to miss this! Check out our website for the many different sports packages that we are offering in '09 that include the New Yankee Stadium as well as every other Major League stadium.

 Crisp Gets Traded for Ramirez

If you were looking at one of our many sports vacations in Boston for the '09 you won't be seeing Coco Crisp, but you will be able to see Ramon Ramirez of the Kansas City Royals. 

Red Sox general manager, Theo Epstein, said they didn't feel any rush to deal with Coco Crisp and would only make a deal if it would positively effect the team.  They hadn't found that player until Wednesday when they had the chance to pick up Ramon Ramirez, a 27-year old righty, relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. Epstein says,"We think he is a young, controllable relief pitcher that could really help our bullpen.

Pictured above is from our '08 East Coast 1 trip where Coco Crisp was hit by a pitch from the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher and began this fight.  This was a great experience for our group tour, because not many people get to see a fight the first day of a trip! 

So, join us on one of our many baseball road trips to the East Coast to see Ramirez play for the Red Sox or join us on Midwest 1 and see Crisp play for the Royals.

Will Your Sports Vacations Include CC Sabathia in 2009?

Looking For Memorable Christmas Gifts?

December is approaching rapidly which means the buying season is upon us.  Big League Tours is proud to offer unique and memorable gifts.  If you're looking for that special gift to last a lifetime consider one of our many sports packages. Whether its a gift for a family member or friend they are sure to enjoy the life long memories they will experience on their baseball road trip. 

On many of our baseball travel tours we offer an array of unique aspects.  Guests will be able to experience each game in lower level seating.  They will also experience stadium tours, one on one Big League Tours player experiences, and take in the sites of each city. This is the first year also that Big League Tours will be offering a gift package.  This way your family member or friend will be able to open an actual gift on Christmas, their birthday, or anniversary. Each package consists of jumbo game tickets that describe the trip that they are receiving, a Big League Tours hat, an MLB baseball, and a box of Cracker Jack.

So, if you want a gift that will last a lifetime consider one of our many baseball vacation packages.

Family Tours East Coast Together
Here's a note that I received from one of our travelers. This is from Michael H. who traveled with his son and grandson on our East Coast 3 tour which included games at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, a full day at Cooperstown, and a private stadium tour of Fenway Park. Michael's letter reads:

I'm sending this note to let you know how great the tour that Jarrett, Nolan and I went on was to me. It's been almost two months and I still think of it everyday. I will always have the best of memories about this baseball trip.

You handled everything so well and made it even more enjoyable. It was a pleasure to meet you and your daughter and your dad.

Thanks again for a great time!!!" 

We very much enjoyed you traveling with us, too, Michael. We love it when our guests have such a great time on the baseball road trips, especially when three generations get to experience them together!

World Series Teams on 10 Different Big League Tours in '09

If you are a fan of the Phillies or Rays, you have to be thrilled with the way the season is panning out for your team. It's been 15 years since the Phillies have been playing this late in October and Rays fans have never seen their team this late in the year.

No matter how the Series finish up, you'll still have much to look forward to in 2009. Big League Tours has six baseball road trips that include the Rays and four MLB road trips that feature the Phillies. So whether you want to see your team at home or on the road, we've got you covered - rally caps are optional...

Check out our 2009 Tour Packages to see all the details or to make your reservation today!

Midwest 2 Comes To An End 

The last stop on our Midwest 2 baseball road trip was Cincinnati home of the Reds.  I personally had been waiting for this stop the whole trip, because the Reds were taking on the St. Louis Cardinals, my personal favorite team.  The way our MLB road trip had been going up to this point I was even more excited, since every stadium we had visited the home team lost.  Well, unfortunately for the Reds fans or fortunately for me the Cardinals did win 5-3.  Rick Ankiel put the Cardinals on the board with a two-run homer into right field, close to where I was sitting.  The Great American Ball Park is a nice stadium a sea of red seats you feel like a true Reds fan.  It is a small park, but I liked the smaller feel, you were right next to the players.  However, this does make watching the game a little more dangerous, but if you stay alert and pay attention it is a great feeling to be that close to the field.  This was the end to our Midwest 2 trip and it was a great experience and trip.  I brought my brothers back to the stadium the next night for their first MLB game.  They had a great time there were many great runs and we tried to sit everywhere in the stadium.  Our favorite was on the third baseline towards the top of the stadium, because the sun was beginning to go down and there is a gorgeous view from up there.  If you would like to see official stats from Friday night's game click here or Saturday's game click here.

Tips From an Expert
The fans who travel with us on our baseball travel tours are typically die-hard fans who want to experience as much as they can in each city, stadium and game that they can. So we incorporate arriving to the baseball stadiums early, giving our guests time to explore the neighborhoods or the park itself.

Another thing that fans love to do is catch batting practice. It's a great time to get some autographs from players and possibly to snag some balls, either hit by batters or thrown into the stands by players warming up.

I love seeing the excitement on the face of our travelers when they show me the ball that they snagged or the autograph that they received from a player. I know this will be a MLB road trip that they won't forget!

For those of you really interested in snagging a baseball at a game, here's a video about a guy who, at the time, had snagged at least one baseball in over 450 consecutive games.

Baseball Road Trips Through The Crossroads of America

After ending the Midwest 1 trip in Chicago we took a bus over to Detroit to meet the rest of our group for our Midwest 2 MLB road trip.  We stayed in an amazing hotel, just a few blocks away from the stadium, where each guest got to stay in style with their own personal suite.  This was a great way to start the trip and show our guests that we work very hard to give them first class accommodations in every aspect of Big League Tours sports packages.  The Toronto Blue Jays came down to the Tigers Den to take on the Detroit Tigers.  Unfortunately, for the Tigers the the Blue Jays came to play and ended up defeating the Tigers 6-4.  We had the privilege of seeing A.J. Burnett pitch his 15Th win for the Toronto Blue Jays.  He had a rocky first six innings, but his teammates were there to back him up.  They came back with a rally against the Tigers to win the the game.  To check out the official MLB stats please click here.

 Package Tours Take It To Wrigley Field

Sunday was the last day of Midwest 1 and what better way to end it with heading out to Wrigley Field.  This was the game I had personally been looking forward to for the whole MLB road trip.  On this day the Cubs took on the St. Louis Cardinals and being a Cardinals Fan anyone who knows the two teams know they have somewhat of a rivalry.  So, I came to the game decked out in my Cardinals gear ready to see a great game.  Wrigley Field is one of the oldest stadiums left so the atmosphere and the feeling of being there is like no other.  Everyone who comes is ready to have a great time and enjoy some of America's favorite past time.  Unfortunately for me, the Cardinals did not have such a great game, but it was a great to see Ryan Dempster's 13Th win this season.  The Cubs won the game 6-2 and ended up winning the series 2-1.  To see the official stats click here.

Big League Tours and the Traveling Gnome

We recently went on our East Coast 2 trip.  Our guests were able to attend six stadiums in seven days giving them the ultimate MLB road trip. They were able to attend games at each stadium and even take stadium tours of some.  On this trip we were all able to meet one young lady who in my opinion had a great idea.  She owns a traveling gnome by the name of Gnigil who she takes on all her trips and anything exciting she does.  I thought this was a great idea for Big League Tours to incorporate in our baseball trips.  So, we have recently just purchased our own traveling gnome who will be joining us on his first Big League Tours trip in New York for the Big Apple 2 trip. 

Please stay tuned for some pictures of our new mascot.

Another Great Game On One of Our MLB Road Trips
July 8, 2008 - If seeing a game at Fenway Park is perfect enough as it is, we were able to witness a fantastic game this time, too. The Red Sox trailed the Twins the whole game until the bottom of the 8th inning.

If you've been to Fenway, you know the ritual is to sing Sweet Caroline, the Neal Diamond hit from the 70's, in the middle of the 8th with 37,000 of your closest friends. In most cases, singing any Neal Diamond song would seem corny at best. However, since it's at Fenway, that somehow makes it really cool. It also gets the crowd pumped up and into the game. If you haven't witnessed this in person, it's worth a sports vacation to see it!

Something about that song must have given the Sox themselves the boost they needed because they rallied to score four runs to take the lead. The most exciting part of the rally had to be Manny's two run shot over the Monster to tie up the game, insuring that we were going to have a fun end to the game no matter what. Click here to read the details and see the box score from the game.

The Baseball Road Trip Heads to Cooperstown
July 7, 2008 - After seeing a great game at Yankee Stadium, we loaded up the bus in New York City to head upstate to Cooperstown, the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As much as I love being in New York, I always look forward to going to Cooperstown for the submersion in baseball and the slowed down pace of this great little village.

The Hall is a great place to visit for fans of all ages. You can find exhibits in every section that are of interest; whether it's your favorite team, favorite players, or fun facts, there are things to keep you involved at every turn.

This part of the baseball trip could be expanded. There is so much to see here that you could spend a couple of days just going through the Hall and checking out the little shops up and down Main Street.

Largest of Group Travel Tours Offered Yet
July 6, 2008 - In our third season of offering tours, we have steadily seen the size of our small group tours continue to grow. While our tours average around 20 people per tour, this tour was our largest ever with 40 people from all over the United States and Canada.

The tour started in New York City at Yankee Stadium with the ultimate baseball rivalry - the Yankees hosting the Red Sox. The game was the ESPN Sunday Night game which created some extra excitement in the stadium. Many times, the actual game doesn't live up to the hype. This game delivered, however, with a tied game through nine innings and a walk off hit in the bottom of the tenth. Click here for a link to the games' box score.

So for some of the Yankees fans on our MLB road trip, they shared with me that they could go home after this game and feel like they would have gotten their money's worth! That's okay, we'll sweeten the deal with visits to Cooperstown and Boston.

Private Escorted Tour of Fenway Park
July 8, 2008 - This sports vacation left the home town of baseball to head to the oldest ballpark in the Major Leagues, Fenway Park. It's always a great way to end a baseball road trip at Fenway...

The stadium tour moved through many different sections of the park including the Right Field Roof Deck, the State Street Pavilion, the Infield Grandstand and, of courses, the Green Monster.

The highlight of the baseball stadium tour was being joined by Bill "Spaceman" Lee. Bill always has some great stories about his playing days in the Big Leagues. Here's a picture of our group with Bill inside Fenway Park.

Taking a Private Stadium Tour of Fenway Park
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - Fenway Park has a charm to it that is unlike any other baseball stadium that I've ever visited. I'd have to say it's my favorite park. We began our visit to Boston with a private escorted tour of Fenway. (We were lucky enough to get Kim again. Great job, Kim!) The tour is a great mix of history and facts about the team, the ballpark and baseball in general.

One of the things that we like to do on our package tours is to bring in MLB players to share their experiences, sign autographs for our guests, and to have their pictures taken. This baseball trip was no different. We brought in Dick Drago, a pitcher with the Red Sox in the '70's. Dick pitched in the 1975 World Series and shared many stories about playing during that era. He's pictured with our group as we toured the ballpark.

While there are any number of sports travel packages that fans can choose from, we think that our Player Experiences are a key differentiator for Big League Tours. It's a way for us to make the baseball road trip into a truly MLB road trip!