Where has the summer gone? I can't believe that the last of our small group tours is going to kick off this Friday. It should be a fantastic trip. We'll start in Detroit on Friday, catching the Angels at Comerica Park against the Tigers. We'll then load up the bus on Saturday and make our way to Cleveland. Once in Cleveland we'll take a private stadium tour of Progressive Field before seeing the division rivalry of the Twins and the Indians.
Sunday involves a short hop over to PNC Park in Pittsburgh for an afternoon game between the Rockies and Pirates. For our travelers who haven't been to this stadium, it's a fantastic place to catch a game, especially a day game with the view of the river, bridges and downtown Pittsburgh as the backdrop. After the game, the group will make its way to Cincinnati for the next two nights.
Monday will be the perfect ending to the tour. We'll take a tour of Great American Ball Park and be joined by Mr. Dave Parker. As most of you will recall, The Cobra was the MVP in 1978, appeared in six All Star Games, won three Gold Glove Awards, and was an instrumental member of the 1979 World Series Championship team with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cobra will share stories from his playing days, talk baseball with our guests, and take pictures with the group. Here's a picture from his appearance with our group in 2008. Looks like he could still play, doesn't it?
We'll finish the tour with the heated division rivalry between the Cardinals and the Reds with a game and series that couldn't be hotter or mean more for these two teams.
Stay posted for up to the minute posts from the final tour of our 2010 sports travel packages.
Trip in and trip out, the element that we include that always gets rave reviews are the Big League Player Experiences. We always bring in an MLB player to tell baseball stories, field questions from our guests, and to sign autographs and take pictures with the folks on our MLB road trips.
The small group tour we had in the Midwest was no different. Here's a picture of Ron Kittle with some of our travelers before the game at US Cellular Field. This year we visited different sections of the stadium with Ron prior to the gates opening, were able to watch batting practice for the Sox and the Rangers, and were able to talk casually with him about the Sox, his career and baseball in general. And as we've come to know about every event that we have with Ron, we had a great time. Thanks, Kitty!
By the way, if you haven't checked out the baseball artwork including the bat benches that Ron makes, you are really missing out. Click here to go to his site, buy a bat bench, and tell him that we sent ya!
So join us on one of our upcoming baseball road trips so that you can hang with an MLB player and get that much closer to the game that you love!
Whenever our schedules allow, we try to include baseball stadium tours on our sports vacation packages. They are a great way for fans to see the stadiums in depth and get closer to the game they love.
One tough ticket is a stadium tour at Wrigley Field. They don't typically offer tours when the team is in town, which is troublesome for us since we're typically there to see a game. However, it worked out for us on our latest of small group tours that we were able to get tickets.
People love Wrigley for its charm, the history, the ivy, the easy-going Cubs fans, and that your team has a better than average shot of winning when there... (Okay, sorry Cubs fans...)
Going behind-the-scenes only makes things more interesting for a fan. For instance, here's a shot from the Cubs clubhouse. In the days of over-sized everything in sports - from paychecks to hat sizes to forearms and biceps and to clubhouses - this is obviously one modest facility. No room for double lockers (or four for Mr. Bonds and his recliner). It's similar to the clubhouse at the old Yankee Stadium.
I just returned home from our Atlanta Tour - a three-day, two-night trip that featured two baseball games at Turner Field. We had fantastic weather, the hotel was great, our seats were even better (pictured on the left), and both games ended with walk-off hits or homers. They don't get much more exciting!
But as I reflect on the tour, I'm reminded of the things that caused me to want to start Big League Tours in the first place.
I really love the game of baseball and want to experience it in a unique way every time I take a trip. That's why we get to the park early, sit in great seats, and arrange for meet and greets with MLB players.
I also really enjoy getting to spend quality time with my family. On this tour, I was accompanied by my dad and son, the two folks who inspired me the most to start this business. Our small group tours provide you with the advantage of having things included that I mentioned before and also giving you the flexibility to do things on your own. And when taking family tours, we think it's important that you get that time so we make it available to you.
And finally, traveling can be difficult or at least a challenge, especially if the mode of transportation isn't great or the locations of your stay are suspect. We make sure that all of the logistics are top notch and take care of all the details so that you can just show up and enjoy a premier sports travel tour.
Those things sound simple but they are what make us different from the other guys. It's what got me in this business and it's what we love to do.
It felt great to finally get out on the road for the first of our baseball road trips of the 2010 baseball season. Yesterday we headed out to Atlanta to see the Braves and Reds in a two game series at Turner Field.
The Braves jumped out to an early lead but let the Reds get back into the game and tie it up in the top of the ninth. That just setup the scenario for Heyward to hit a walk off double driving in Prado for the winning run. Click here for the full box score.
Today we're headed out early to the Ted to explore the park, get some photos and hopefully a few autographs and baseballs. More from our small group tours later!
Check out this premier sports travel package that will offer you games at three different stadiums in one long-weekend tour vacation. We'll start with former city rivals when the (Brooklyn) Dodgers host the Bronx Bombers at Dodger Stadium. Dodger dog anyone? Yes, please! The next day, we'll head across town to the site of the 2010 MLB All Star Game, Angel Stadium.
The final day of the tour vacation offers a free day in San Diego to hang out in the Gaslamp Quarter, head over to Coronado Island, or take one of the small group tours down to Tijuana. As long as the team's schedule allows, we'll head over to PETCO Park for a private stadium tour.
Come into Los Angeles early or stay a few days after in San Diego for family tours of sites in those great southern California cities. Head to our site to check out the details on this tour and all the 2010 Tour Vacations that we have to offer.
At Big League Tours, we like to think that all of the baseball road trips that we create will be memorable. And they are. However, the tour that we've just started might be one of the most memorable of all of our small group tours so far. The reason being? Admittedly, something completely out of our control...
This MLB road trip began yesterday like many of our tours, at the first of a few stadiums that we'll visit in a long weekend. This time we began at U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, for an afternoon game between the Sox and the Rays.
The Sox got on the board in a big way during the bottom of the second inning when Josh Fields hit a grand slam off of Scott Kazmir. After Buehrle polished off the Rays in the top of the third, my son pointed out that no Rays had reached base. Then after we thought about it, we realized that he had a perfect game going.
You could since the electricity building in the crowd after every out. When the Sox were set to take the field for the ninth inning, the crowd stood and chanted, "Buehrle...Buehrle...Buehrle..." until he charged onto the field and The Cell erupted with excitement.
If you've followed sports at all the last 24 hours, you've seen the catch that Dewayne Wise made to rob Gabe Kaplar of a home run. Click here to see the box scores and video clips of the game. What an unbelievable way to protect the perfecto. Needless to say, when the Sox recorded the final out sealing only the 18th perfect game in MLB history, the celebration began. The photo above shows Buehrle's teammates mobbing him after the game.
So with a grand slam and perfect game, this sports vacation package is off to a great start!
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 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!
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!
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 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.
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.
Here's a letter that we received from one of our customers, Bob Ward of Texas. As you'll see, Bob traveled on one of our small group tours through the Midwest in August of '08. Here's what he had to say: "I traveled with a relative and his 10-year-old
grandson, who was awestruck most of the time. The Midwest 2 Tour was our first
with Big League Tours and was by far the best of the four I have taken,
the first three with another company.George had taken two other tours with another company.
The price of all the tours (we've taken) was comparable, but the
services provided by Big League Tours was far superior, in our opinion.
"The primary things that set Big League Tours trip apart
from the others, in our opinion, was two-fold: 1) location and quality of the
hotels and 2) location of the game ticket seats.
"On this tour, we visited four cities and ballparks
(Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati). The hotels were all located
within walking distance of the ballpark (15 minutes or less), and all our
tickets were in the lower level. In one case, at Pittsburgh, the seats were
right behind the visitors' dugout, and in Cincinnati, we were three rows from
field level right by third base. Great seats at all parks, but the two
mentioned specifically were special.
"Another added touch that we liked was the idea of staying
downtown in the cities visited, which made it easier to become more familiar
with the cities (Detroit has a fabulous river walk).
"On this tour, we had a sit-down visit with baseball great
Dave Parker, a two-time major league batting champ, who had a long and
illustrious major league career. This was a great experience for us. Parker was
such a personable, down-to-earth person who acted as if he really enjoyed
talking with with us and answering our many questions. He was especially good
with the two 10-year-old Little League boys on the trip. This, to us, was the
exclamation point to the whole trip.
"We would recommend traveling with Big League Tours, and
this is a non-paid endorsement from the heart."
Bob Ward (Texas) and George Wood (California)
Thanks to Bob and George for the kind words about the group travel tours that we offer. We hope that you'll join us this year so that you can experience the difference of a Big League Tour!
A Few Tips For Being Prepared On A Big League Tours Trip
Have you purchased your small group tours for '09 and are ready for the excitement? Have you ever went on a trip and forgot some little thing that you wish you hadn't? It happens to a lot of us here are some simple ways to ease your travels while going on sports tours in '09.
Some tips for travelers heading on a tour with Big League Tours in '09:
Make a list of everything you want to take on the sports vacation
Pack rain gear; rain coat, umbrella etc.
Pack a set of warm clothes
Bring a mitt if you plan on being in the outfield during batting practice
Bring a baseball, hat, etc. we have meet and greets with players and alumni on most of our baseball vacation packages and they are always willing to sign memorabilia
Check and make sure your bag or book bag will be allowed in the stadium
Don't forget your camera
These are just a few reminders for what to bring while on sports vacations with Big League Tours. We're always willing to answer questions so if your not sure about something ask us! If you haven't booked a trip with us yet check out our website. We look forward to meeting you for the first time or seeing you again in 2009!
Will Baseball Stadium Tours Include Robots Someday?
This video doesn't have very much to do with what we do at Big League Tours or small group tours right now, but maybe someday it will. (I don't think it will be in my lifetime, but who knows.) I thought it was pretty cool and thought some of you travelers might as well. If you are interested in robots, baseball or both you might find this interesting. Do you think this is what the future holds for baseball trips and stadium tours alike?
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!
Gas prices are falling, but airline tickets are pretty much staying the same. To help find the best possible price during this holiday season. Individuals and small group tours need to keep some things in mind when purchasing their airline ticket.
Book directly: Airlines have begun giving discounts or vouchers to customers who book directly through their website. It not only helps drive people to their website, but helps the airlines not have to pay that extra commission they would to priceline, orbitz, or expedia.
Sign up for their email: Many airlines offer special discounts to customers who sign up for their email and will sporadically send them out.
Look for flights at nearby airports: Depending on where you are flying to many times there are smaller airports who will have cheaper flights. So, if one of your baseball travel tours includes New York try flying into New Jersey.
Try to be flexible: Adjusting your travel days by a day or two may be able to save you in the long run.
Don't wait: If you find a deal don't wait to see if a better one more than often when you come back it will be gone.
However you decide to purchase your airline ticket make sure all of your sports vacations get planned in plenty of time.
Many More People Will be Taking Small Group Tours into the US
In October President Bush spoke to an audience regarding a Visa Waiver for seven countries--the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea. All seven countries had met all the requirements to be entered in the United State Visa Waiver Program.
Citizens from these countries will be allowed to enter the United States without a Visa. Currently, United States citizens are allowed to enter these countries already without a visa. These seven countries agree to give the United States any information about threats to the people of the United States. They have also agreed that all travelers pre-register online before their visit.
So, if you decide to take a trip to the United States in the summer of '09 consider taking one of our many sports tours and enjoy one of our favorite past times.
Are you considering one of our small group tours to the East Coast next 2009 season? Well, if not you might now...Dustin Pedroia was named the AL MVP. The second baseman for the Red Sox joins Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard as the only players to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive years. Pedroia is the first second baseman to win the AL MVP since Nellie Fox of the White Sox in 1959. Also, for Pedoia's great performance in 2008, he received a Gold Glove Award, a spot on the American League's Silver Slugger team and now MVP.
Pedroia has an infections enthusiasm that has earned him the rare ability to be considered a team leader at the age of 25. But as much as he said in the clubhouse and the dugout, his bat could have done all the talking. His 54 doubles led the Majors. He led the AL in runs and multi-hit games.
So, whether you choose East Coast 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or the Big Apple trip you'll be sure to see Pedroia in action!
Sports Vacations in St. Louis Having been a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan, I have never been a fan of the Cardinals. However, I have to give credit to the Cardinals organization, the city of St. Louis, and the Cardinals fans - going to a game at Busch Stadium is a great time. The stadium has a great atmosphere, is very appealing aesthetically, and allows fans to experience baseball the way that it should be enjoyed.
Here's a photo of former Cardinal, So Taguchi signing autographs prior to the game. So was a St. Louis fan favorite and received a standing ovation when he pinch hit during the game.
It's a great place to visit if you are going to plan family tours, small group tours, or sports tours of any size. Watch for the tours that we offer next year that include games in St. Louis or with the Cardinals on the road. You'll enjoy great seats, great accommodations, and great baseball. We hope you'll join us!
Small Group Tours at Busch Stadium August 2, 2008 - The Cards took on the Phillies for the second time this weekend, hoping to repeat their performance from the previous night and walk away with another victory. We were relieved to have a little cooler evening after the day had been really hot for all of our various activities.
We always try to incorporate some unique and fun things on each of our baseball travel tours. This sports package was no different. We offered front row seats to Busch Stadium as well as club seats for our guests. We think that spending sports vacations in the front row is not a bad option...In fact, here's a photo of Albert Pujols that we took from our seats.
The view at the end of the game didn't look so hot for the Cardinals, though. They ended up dropping this game to the Phillies by a close score of 2-1. Click here to see the box scores and write up on the Cardinals website.
on game between the Rockies and Pirates. For our travelers who haven't been to this stadium, it's a fantastic place to catch a game, especially a day game with the view of the river, bridges and downtown Pittsburgh as the backdrop. After the game, the group will make its way to Cincinnati for the next two nights.
our guests, and to sign autographs and take pictures with the folks on our MLB road trips. 
One tough ticket is a stadium tour at Wrigley Field. They don't typically offer tours when the team is in town, which is troublesome for us since we're typically there to see a game. However, it worked out for us on our latest of small group tours that we were able to get tickets. 
It felt great to finally get out on the road for the first of our baseball road trips of the 2010 baseball season. Yesterday we headed out to Atlanta to see the Braves and Reds in a two game series at Turner Field. 
Check out this premier sports travel package that will offer you games at three different stadiums in one long-weekend tour vacation. We'll start with former city rivals when the (Brooklyn) Dodgers host the Bronx Bombers at Dodger Stadium. Dodger dog anyone? Yes, please! The next day, we'll head across town to the site of the 2010 MLB All Star Game, Angel Stadium. 
This MLB road trip began yesterday like many of our tours, at the first of a few stadiums that we'll visit in a long weekend. This time we began at U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, for an afternoon game between the Sox and the Rays. 
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.
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?!
Big League Tours was far superior, in our opinion.
season? Well, if not you might now...Dustin Pedroia was named the AL MVP. The second baseman for the Red Sox joins Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard as the only players to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive years. Pedroia is the first second baseman to win the AL MVP since Nellie Fox of the White Sox in 1959. Also, for Pedoia's great performance in 2008, he received a Gold Glove Award, a spot on the American League's Silver Slugger team and now MVP. 
been really hot for all of our various activities. 
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