BigLeagueTours

East Coast 1 Tour - Part Seven

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 9, 2009, Boston - There's no better way to wrap up a baseball spring trip than with an

Big Papi at bat, Dustin Pedroia on first

afternoon game at Fenway Park. So that's exactly what we did on the end of our East Coast 1 sports package. The Rays were in town to take on the Red Sox. Two left handers were throwing - Lester for the Sox, Kazmir for the Rays.

Here's a view from our seats. Not bad, huh? The Rays on deck circle was just a few feet away from us. When the game got out of reach for the Red Sox (they ultimately lost 14-5), the fans turned their attention to heckling the Rays as they prepared to hit. That proved to be pretty entertaining with a few of the Rays playing right along with them. I imagine that it's easier to take that sort of thing when you are pounding the other team...

Click here to see a complete game wrapup.

East Coast 1 Tour - Part Six

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 9, 2009, Boston - One of the most loved features of our MLB Road Trips are the inclusion of

our Big League Player Experiences. This is where we bring in current or former big league players to hear their stories, ask them questions, take pictures with them, and get autographs.

If you've read any of my blogs from the past, you've probably gathered that I spent a little time behind the plate as a catcher. So it was a thrill for me to get to meet Rich Gedman, former catcher for the Boston Red Sox. Rich told our group about breaking into the bigs with great players on the Sox team like Carl Yastrzemski, catching for great pitchers like Roger Clemens, and what it was like playing at Fenway Park. Here we are after the group session on Yawkey Way just outside the ballpark.

If you've thought about giving baseball trips as a gift for someone, consider elements like our Big League Player Experience which turn the gifts for baseball fans into premier sports travel packages they are sure to enjoy!

East Coast 1 Tour - Part Five

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 9, 2009, Boston - Today we left Cooperstown and headed on the Mass Turnpike to Boston to hang out for several hours on Yawkey Way. Of all the places we go on our group travel tours,

this is one of, if not my favorite place to visit. The atmosphere around Fenway is so hard to beat. It's one of the best places for family vacation tours or vacation group tours of all sizes.

We arrived at the ballpark in time to do some shopping and take in the noon tour of Fenway. This baseball stadium tour is one of the best. Maybe because Fenway isn't a stadium at all. It's a ballpark. The oldest ballpark in the major leagues at that.

I was surprised to learn that a few sections of the ballpark had new seats installed in the off season making them a little roomier (a little, mind you...) and a little more comfortable than their wooden predecessors. You are guaranteed to be close to the action at Fenway but you'll always be closer to the fans sitting next to you!

East Coast 1 Tour - Part Four

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 8, 2009, Cooperstown, NY - Have you heard the phrase "I'd rather be lucky than good anyday"? Well, today was one of those lucky days. While walking through the Hall of Fame, I

Rickey Henderson at the end of his press conference

overheard one of the employees mention that Rickey Henderson was conducting a press conference in the plaque room. How lucky is that? We happen to be at the Hall of Fame when one of this year's inductees is taking his first tour of the Hall!

We always include ways to get closer to, or inside the game of baseball on all of our baseball road trips: cool stuff like escorted tours of baseball stadiums, private meet & greets with current and former MLB players, and gaining special access to the stadiums. It's also special when we are fortunate enough to have events like this occur.

East Coast 1 Tour - Part Three

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 8, 2009, Cooperstown, NY - Ah, yes. The Village of Cooperstown. An incredible contrast to the hustle and bustle of New York City. Cooperstown is on a completely different pace - relaxed, historic, reflective. And one that our travelers always enjoy on our baseball vacation packages

Baseball Sayings

after leaving a major U.S. city.

This trip was no different. We arrived at the Inn around 11AM and then headed over to the Hall of Fame. This time of year the Hall closes at 5PM so we wanted to give everyone as much time there as we could. There's always so much to see there that it can be information overload. I've been through the Hall many times and always find something new that I haven't seen before.

One of the things I always enjoy reading are the quotes from folks around the game. This might be hard to read in a photo but it's funny to see how many phrases we use in everyday life that can be attributed to baseball - let's get in in the ballpark, step up to the plate, and we're in the big league now.

Another quote that I loved is in the Hank Aaron exhibit. Pitcher Curt Simmons is quoted as saying, "Trying to throw a fastball by Henry Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster." How awesome is that!

East Coast 1 Tour - Part Two

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 7, 2009, New York City - Today our small group tour heads out to Yankee Stadium for a game at the new ballpark. It had been raining off and on today but the weather was supposed

Great Hall in the New Yankee Stadium

to break in plenty of time to get in the game. We headed uptown on the 4 train to the stadium a few hours before the game. Even though the stadium opens 3 hours before the game, we watched the ground crew cover the field when we were on our baseball stadium tour so we didn't expect to see batting practice. We went out early anyway just to take in the sites.

Arriving 2.5 hours before the game, I expected to see the familiar lines outside the stadium with stadium security barking orders about which gates to enter, bleacher seats, backpacks, etc. Instead, there were no lines and we walked right into the ballpark. It gave us time to explore the stadium some more, visit Monument Park again, and figure out just exactly what we wanted to eat!

The new stadium proved to be a great place to watch game. The folks on our package tour were seated around the ballpark in lower-level seats with fantastic views of the action. Several of us had baseballs hit near us or players throwing balls into the stands close to us. I can't wait to get back out there again this summer. If you are interested in joining us, check out our package tours on our website. We would love to have you join us!

Click here to see a complete wrapup of the game.

MLB Road Trips Kick Off with East Coast 1 Tour

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

May 7, 2009 - New York City
This is my favorite time of year. The baseball season is now in full swing, the weather gets to be a little more predictable, and teams are already jockeying within their divisions - a perfect time

Thurman Munson's locker

for a baseball road trip!

Today our East Coast 1 Tour began in New York City with a stadium tour of the Yankees' new home. What an impressive place! The tour starts in their museum that's inside the stadium. The museum has autographed baseballs from many of the Yankees players throughout history, stories about the different eras of the team, and interesting information about the stadium.

Here's a picture of one of my favorite items from the tour. As a catcher growing up in the 70's, I idolized catchers in the big leagues. Thurman Munson was one of the guys I loved to watch. We learned last year when we were in the Yankees clubhouse on one of our group tours that the Yankees had preserved Munson's locker since the day he died. No one had used it since. His locker was moved in tact to the new Yankee Stadium and is what you see pictured to the left.

Whether you are a Yankee fan or not, this baseball stadium needs to be on your "must see" list for one of your upcoming sports vacations. The team is such a storied franchise and they've presented their history well in the new venue.

Big League Tours on BusinessWeek.Com

Posted Thursday, April 30, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

It's been awhile since we were included on Business Week's Most Promising Startups list, but I just realized that I didn't share this with you. Click here to be taken to the BusinessWeek site. Here are some excerpts:

Glenn Dunlap grew up a Cincinnati Reds fan in Summitville, Ind., but when the marketing consultant looked for baseball vacation packages to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, all he found were of the overcrowded "bus and ticket" variety. By the start of the 2006 season, Big League Tours was booking deluxe trips to famous ballparks, including meet-and-greets with former players (like those with Ron Kittle pictured to the left), close-in seats, as well as private-bus travel, meals, and four-star lodging.

Trip to Miami to See the Marlins

Posted Thursday, April 30, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

While on vacation in Florida, we decided to make a baseball road trip to catch a Marlins game in Miami. The game was on Sunday afternoon against the Phillies. The stadium is really easy to find as it sits just off of the Turnpike.

We arrived at the baseball stadium early to walk around and check things out.

Ryan Howard at Dolphin Stadium

We found Dolphin Stadium very easy to get around in but it was definitely built for football. For instance, our seats were in the first row just outside the first base line but we found ourselves having to turn sideways to see the plate as our seats were pointed towards centerfield. I'm sure that the true baseball fans will be glad to get the new baseball stadium that's planned to open in 2012.

We expected that there would be plenty of Phillies fans (phans?) on hand. The winners of the World Series always have a good following on the road. What we didn't expect is that there would be so few Marlins fans. After all, the Marlins got off to a great start. They were at the top of the NL East, for crying out loud. I didn't see an official attendance figure but I'm guessing there weren't 15,000 people there.

Florida is always known for its baseball spring trips, but you can also take in some interesting sports tours throughout the MLB season. Check out our premier sports travel packages or contact us to be your baseball road trip planner for the custom tour of your dreams!

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Heritage Pork Porchetta Over Kielbasa Sauerkraut?

Posted Saturday, April 4, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

By now you've probably heard a lot about New York's two new baseball stadiums. But have you given much thought to what food they will offer? Frankly (no hot dog puns intended...), I hadn't much either. However, Florance Fabricant of the New York Times has recently outlined the food offerings at the New Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. Here's a sampling of what you can expect:

Steak sandwiches, lobster rolls, barbecue, beer and wine, heritage pork porchetta over kielbasa sauerkraut, crab cake with a cauliflower and tomato relish, soft tacos, pork carnitas, skirt steak or pumpkin seed and chicken mole, Mexican-style corn on the cob dusted with cheese and mayo, Kansas City ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken wings, hamburgers, milkshake, fries, lobster rolls, fried local flounder sandwiches, blackened shrimp po’ boys, fried calamari, clam and corn chowder, fresh produce, knish, skinless and natural casing dogs, corn dogs on a stick, a Chicago dog, a New York City dog, smoked chicken bratwurst, natural hot dogs and corn dogs, Hebrew National hot dogs, a glatt kosher hot dog and, a smaller frank.

It appears that even non-baseball fans have a reason to go to the games now - you can eat your way around the stadium! While we're known as baseball trip planners, you'll have to figure out the food stands on your own, at least for a while until we make our own way around the stadium!

If you are looking for help planning your baseball spring trip or if you are interested in taking one of our MLB Tours, we would love to make your baseball vacations the ultimate tour vacations they can be.

Outfielder Dave Henderson Appears with Big League Tours in Seattle

Posted Friday, March 27, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Big League Tours is headed to Seattle in August to see the Yankees take on

Dave Henderson to appear on our baseball travel tours in Seattle

Junior, Ichiro and rest of the Seattle Mariners. While it's always fun to visit Seattle or take in a series wherever the Yankees are playing (love 'em or hate 'em), one of the highlights of this MLB tour is that we're being joined by Dave Henderson, former outfielder for the Mariners, Red Sox, Giants and A's.

Here's a clip of his biography from baseballlibrary.com:

The Red Sox acquired Henderson during the 1986 pennant drive. He hit a two-out, two-run homer for Boston in the top of the ninth inning of Game Five of the 1986 LCS with the California Angels one strike away from their first World Series appearance. The game was won on Henderson's sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and also featured a home run by Bobby Grich that popped out of Henderson's glove and over the outfield wall.

Traded to the Giants on September 1, 1987 to make room for rookie Ellis Burks, Henderson helped the Giants to a division title and then signed as a free agent with Oakland that winter. The centerfielder posted career-high totals of 24 homers, 38 doubles, 100 runs, 94 RBI, and a .304 batting average, (51 points above his previous career average) for the AL champion 1988 A's. In the 1989 WS, he hit home runs in consecutive innings in Game Three after just missing one in the first inning (a double off the railing).

Henderson was the Mariners' first pick in the 1977 free-agent draft. At the time of his trade to Boston, Henderson was Seattle's career leader in home runs and was tied for the team lead in extra-base hits. He is the nephew of Joe Henderson, a pitcher with the White Sox and Reds in the 1970s.

Join us on this Seattle Tour for what promises to be one of our great baseball vacation packages for the year. You can learn more about this and our other MLB Tours by visiting our website, bigleaguetours.com.

Mets' Shamsky to Join Big League Tours in the Big Apple

Posted Friday, March 27, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Art Shamsky with Big League Tours guests in New York City

This year is an exciting year for New York baseball - two brand new stadiums opening in the same year. Our Big Apple Tour has always been a fan favorite, but it will be even more exciting this year.

If visiting two new stadiums wasn't exciting enough, we're going to be joined by Art Shamsky, a member of the 1969 World Champion New York Mets, for our Big League Player Experience. That's where we bring in MLB players to meet the fans traveling with us, share stories about their playing careers, answer questions, and sign autographs and get pictures with the fans on our small group tours. It's an opportunity to get an inside look into baseball and meet some of the players that we've grown up watching.

Here's an excerpt from Art's biography:

In 1965, Shamsky made the Cincinnati Reds and hit .260 as a backup outfielder. He batted .289 as a pinch-hitter that year. In 1966, despite getting only 272 plate appearances for the, Art was second on the team with 21 homers, trailing Deron Johnson by 3. He homered four times in four at-bats from August 12 through August 14, tying a Major League record.

On August 12, Shamsky became the first player in Reds history to hit two extra-inning home runs in one game and the only player in Major League history to hit 3 home runs in a game and not be in the starting lineup. The bat that he used to hit the four home runs in a row is on display in Baseball's Hall of Fame.

During the winter of 1967 Art was traded to the New York Mets and was part of the Miracle Mets that won the 1969 World Series. Art hit .300 that season and batted .537 with 7 hits in 13 at-bats against Atlanta in the National League Playoffs. The 1969 Mets are still recognized as one of the most remarkable stories ever in professional sports. After 13 years in pro baseball and with a World Series ring Art retired from baseball in 1973.

In his post baseball career, Art has been involved in numerous business endeavors and was a radio and television broadcaster that included the New York Mets in 1979, 1980 and 1981. In 2004 Art's popular book, "The Magnificent Seasons', was published.

Art joined us in New York City last year for the first time. He had some terrific stories and insight into the game. We're thrilled to have him joining us again. To read more about Art Shamsky, click here to be taken to his website. Or, if you would like more information about other Big League Player Experiences offered on our baseball vacation packages, visit www.bigleaguetours.com or give us a call!

Big League Tours Offers Lower Rates for a Limited Time

Posted Tuesday, March 24, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

We Went to Bat For You!!!

Big League Tours group on private stadium tour of Yankee Stadium

We know that times are tough so we went to bat for you. We were able to secure lower rates from our travel partners and are passing on the savings to you. So for a limited time, take advantage of lower rates on all of our group travel tours.

We want to see you at the ballpark this summer enjoying baseball stadium tours, meeting Big League players, or just enjoying the game that we all love so much. So check out the revised prices of our 2009 Tour Packages and reserve your spot today!

Here's a quick snapshot of the tour offerings with hotlinks to the details for each of the sports packages:
East Coast 1 - New York, Cooperstown and Boston from $2,000 per person*
East Coast 2 - New York and Boston from $1,750 per person*
Atlanta - Atlanta Braves from $975 per person*
Midwest - Chicago and Milwaukee from $1,400 per person*
Big Apple - New York Mets and Yankees from $1,325 per person*
Seattle - Seattle Mariners package from $1,200 per person*

*All prices are based on double occupancy

Batting Stance Guy Hits a Home Run in My Book

Posted Monday, March 23, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Kids every where have imitated the batting stances of their favorite players; from their habits as they enter the batters box, to their stances, to the nuances of their swings, and some of the craziest finishes to their swings. In fact, if you are a fan of baseball, you could likely identify players by those habits.

One guy, Gar Ryness, has taken that to the extreme, becoming known as the Batting Stance Guy. Gar's home grown videos are some of the most hilarious and dead on imitations of big league players. Check out the video of his imitations of Cincinnati Reds players from several eras:

We've read that Gar is going to be traveling to many if not all of the stadiums this summer to entertain the players and fans with his routines. As we learn more information, we'll let you know if we are going to be lucky enough to see him on one or more of our family tours or sports travel packages.

Pitching Ace John Tudor to Join Big League Tours in Boston

Posted Wednesday, March 11, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Our East Coast 2 Tour, which runs over the first weekend in June of 2009, begins in New York City for a Friday night Yankees game at New Yankee Stadium. (I can't wait to get back to Manhattan or to get out to the new stadium.) We'll catch the new division rivals Rays taking on the Yankees.

The next day we'll travel by a luxury motorcoach to Boston for a private tour

John Tudor joins the baseball vacation packages offered by Big League Tours

of Fenway Park, an afternoon to hang out on Yawkey Way, and then take in the Red Sox game. Who else is in town but Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers. I can't help but wonder if some of his home run blasts in the All Star Game last year would have cleared the red seat in right field at Fenway? Maybe we'll get to see him do it in person?!

Joining us on this MLB tour is pitching ace, John Tudor, who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and began his career in Boston. His most notable season was in 1985 when he started 1-7 and then went on a tear of 20-1 to finish the season. John also recorded 10 complete game shutouts that season, a record that hadn't been touched since 1975 when Jim Palmer reached the same peak.

Tudor was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988 when they won the World Series against the Oakland Athletics. He finished his career with a 117-72 record, 988 strikeouts and a 3.12 ERA.

Check out our website for more details about this and other exciting small group tours offered by Big League Tours.

Rich Gedman to Join Big League Tours in Boston

Posted Monday, March 2, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Our 2009 sports tours begin with our East Coast 1 Tour to New York, Cooperstown and Boston. We'll take in a game at the brand new Yankee Stadium. We will then head to Cooperstown and spend the day at the National Baseball Hall of Fame as well as in the village. The next day we'll

Rich Gedman - Big League Player Exerience for BLT's Baseball Travel Tours

head to Boston for a private tour of Fenway Park, hang out on Yawkey Way, and take in a Red Sox game.

But the highlight of this tour, and all of our baseball travel tours, will be our Big League Player Experience. This time we will be joined by former Red Sox catcher, Rich Gedman.

Gedman broke into the Big Leagues in September of 1980 when he pinch hit for Carl Yastrzemski. In 1981, Rich was named as The Sporting News Rookie of the Year. He was also named an All Star in 1985 and 1986.

Gedman's career statistics include include a .252 batting average, 88 home runs and 382 RBI's. His Big League career ran until his retirement in 1994.

Check out our website for more details about this and other exciting group travel tours offered by Big League Tours.

Down Comes Shea Stadium

Posted Thursday, February 19, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

I never had the opportunity to take any baseball stadium tours at Shea Stadium. I don't know if the team ever offered them or if they stopped offering them within the last few years. After seeing several games there, I grew to like some of its features but absolutely hated others.

But, whether or not you were a fan of Shea, the old park has been coming down since the end of the 2008 season. Here's a video clip of some of the demolition.

We are offering a couple of different sports packages this year that either offer a trip to Citi Field as part of the package or an option to add a game in the brand new ballpark. Don't miss your chance to book one of our sports travel packages and take in the baseball stadium in its inaugural year.

MLB Players Added to Sports Packages

Posted Thursday, February 19, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Each year, Big League Tours offers sports packages to baseball stadiums all across the Major Leagues. While we offer top of the line accommodations, lower-level tickets to the games, baseball stadium tours, and transportation, the highlight of the tours are always when we meet with current or former Major League players.

The Big League Player Appearances are shaping up nicely for the 2009 season. Here are the players that we have confirmed for our group travel tours:

East Coast 1 - Rich Gedman, former Red Sox catcher, will be joining us in Boston
East Coast 2 - John Tudor, former Red Sox pitcher, will be joining us in Boston
Big Apple - Art Shamsky, former Mets outfielder and member of the 1969 Miracle Mets team, will be joining us in New York City
Seattle - Dave Henderson, former Mariners outfielder, will be joining us in Seattle.

I'll be posting some information about each of these players and any updates that we will have including the players who will be joining us on our family tours in Atlanta and Chicago.

Big League Tours in the News

Posted Monday, February 16, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Big League Tours was featured in the Indianapolis Star today. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Similarly, baseball is a passion for me that began at an early age. I grew up playing baseball, watching the game of the week on Saturdays and going to Riverfront Stadium every chance that I could. My dad and I used to talk about visiting every Major League ballpark, and we visited a few here and there.

But when my son, who's now 11, started getting into baseball, we began talking about visiting all the parks, too. I realized that I had a window of opportunity to go to as many of the stadiums as I could with him and my dad before life passed us up and we no longer had the opportunity.

As I looked into the options of going with other tour operators or going on my own, I didn't like what I saw. Other tour operators offered seven- to 10-day package tours that had you on a bus for 3,000-plus miles, staying at cheap motels in the middle of nowhere and sitting in group seats in the upper decks. None of that appealed to me. I also thought that going alone wouldn't afford me some things that could more easily be done in a group.

I began pulling together a business plan. I surrounded myself with people with experience in group travel tours, and (who) had connections with baseball. Once the idea had jelled, the launch began in the fall of 2005 and the baseball travel tours began in 2006.

We offer really cool opportunities for baseball lovers, like bringing in current and former Major League Baseball players to meet with our guests. We take private stadium tours and get special access to stadiums.

It's been a real dream to think up and plan the tours the way that I would want to take them and to share that with other baseball fans."

Go to IndyStar.com to see the full article. You can also go to BigLeagueTours.com to learn more about the small group tours that we have available for the 2009 season.

Rice and Henderson Are Moving Into the Hall

Posted Friday, January 16, 2009 by Glenn Dunlap

Two of baseball's greatest players are moving to Cooperstown this year. Jim Rice, a lifelong member of the Boston Red Sox, and Ricky Henderson, a lifelong member in U-Haul's frequent mover program, were elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

If you haven't ventured to Cooperstown before, it's something that every baseball fan should do at least once in their life. It's great to take family tours through the Hall, sharing memories of players, games and baseball stadiums from the perspective of multiple generations of Major League Baseball fans.

This summer, we're offering a group travel tours package that includes a game at Fenway Park, a game at the new Yankee Stadium, and a full day to explore the Hall of Fame. You can see the details of this trip and all of our Sports Tours on our website.

Join us if you can!

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