Ultimate Baseball
Road Trip Blog

Our 2014 season is really starting to come together. Glenn and I have been scouring the MLB schedules to find the best combinations of games and stadiums for our tour packages. We are really excited about our West Coast Tour in June. It features the Rangers and Red Sox on the road, and we were able to add Seattle on the last day of the tour for a "FULL" West Coast experience.  

We are offering the tour in condensed versions, too. You can choose the California Gold, Southern California, or Baseball on the Bay, if you want a shorter vacation.  

Here are the links to the tour pages for all of the West Coast Tours in June. This is a special Sneak Peek for the fans in our database. These pages are not available to the general public, so you will have to get to them through these links. Thanks for taking a look.

2014 Full West Coast Tour June

2014 California Gold Tour June

2014 Southern California June

2014 Baseball on the Bay Tour June 

All of these tours are available for purchase right now. So if you would like to join us, just click the PURCHASE THIS TOUR button on the webpage.

If you have problems navigating, or have any questions, please feel free to call or email me.

Catch you later!

It's hard to believe that our 2013 baseball tour season is over.  This has been one of the most successful years for Big League Tours, and we owe that to all of you that traveled with us.  Our guests made new friends, saw new places, and made a lifetime of memories on the road this year. Thanks to everyone that purchased a luxury baseball tour package. We hope you will join us again in 2014.

There are a lot of exciting things going on at Big League Tours.  We hope to expand our business in a number of ways in 2014.  One way will be to offer more tours to the places our guests want to see.  We will also offer tours that feature all 30 ballparks.  One NEW tour in 2014 will be the Sunbelt Tour.  The Sunbelt Tour will visit the warm weather ballparks early in the season, so our guests can avoid the scorching summer heat of TX, FL, and GA, but still mark 5 ballparks off of their baseball bucket list. 

I promised a Sneak Peek, so here it is.  Below is the link to our Sunbelt Tour page.  This link is only accessible from this email.  The web page is not public, so once you navigate away from the Sunbelt Tour page you may have to come back to this link to get to the page again.

2014 SUNBELT TOUR 

You can save 7% off the Sunbelt Tour by booking now.  Just click PURCHASE THIS TOUR and use discount code LUCKY 7. One of our staff will call you right away to collect your deposit and answer any questions.

We are finishing up all the details for our 2014 tours.  Keep an eye out for our 2014 Package Tours Announcement.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  

On every Big League Tours luxury baseball vacation, we put together a meet and greet with a former player on one of the tour days.  We were so pleased that Buck Martinez, former MLB player/manager and current Blue Jays broadcaster, was able to meet with us before the Yankees/Jays game at Yankee Stadium.

Yankee Stadium has its own Hard Rock Cafe inside the ballpark.  Our group took the easy subway ride to the ballpark and headed into the Hard Rock. But before the meet and greet, we experienced a little excitement at the Hard Rock.  

While waiting on Buck to arrive, we all noticed that an elderly diner in the restaurant was experiencing some problems.  He was choking. His son was unsuccessfully performing the Heimlich maneuver and his father's facial color was changing rapidly.  Our tour guest Nancy (a nurse from Canada) quickly ran around to the man, lowered him to the floor, and thrust his abdomen up expelling the food that had been lodged in his throat.  Great job, Nancy!! 

After things calmed down a bit, Buck began to speak to our group about his background and current position, as well as, his opinions on today's players and the game.  One of the great things about having someone like Buck Martinez is his insights into the current game.  As a broadcaster, he talks with the players and managers on a daily basis and sees many players/teams in his job.  This is the second time we have used Buck as our MLB Player Experience and we hope to have him back again in 2014.  He was great.

If you would like to join us on one of our tours in 2014, just click the link below and fill out the contact form.  We will add you to our mailing list and make sure you are one of the first to know about our 2014 schedule.

www.bigleaguetours.com

A few years ago, we named our tours that include Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and Cooperstown, the Big League Tours Hall of Fame Tour. It seemed appropriate as many of our guests purchased these tours to mark 3 iconic venues off of their baseball bucket list. So, in August, the morning after our group had a great time in Boston seeing a Red Sox/Yankees game, we loaded the motorcoach and headed to the small village in up-state New York.  

If you have never been to that part of New York, I would highly recommend it. The area is full of vacation spots, restaurants, shops, and beautiful scenery. Cooperstown is no exception as it sits on the banks of picturesque Otsego Lake and is home to many of sites mentioned as well as The Baseball Hall of Fame. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the town just as much as I did the Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Musuem is where all of the baseball memoribilia is displayed and the history of the game recounted. From the very beginnings of the organized game to the stars of today, the museum covers it all. A true baseball fan who enjoys reading all the plaques, newspaper articles, etc. on display, could easily spend a couple of days in the Museum. As a lifelong Reds fan, I particularly liked all the displays that featured the first pro team, the Big Red Machine, Baseball's Hit King- Pete Rose, and the Black Sox/Reds World Series. I spent a few hours in the Museum knowing that I will be back next season hosting our luxury baseball tours. 

The actual Hall of Fame is next to the Museum. Mostly, it houses the Hall of Fame plaques for each induction class. Same as the Museum, one could spend a great deal of time perusing the info of the 300 or so people who have been inducted. As in the Museum, I was drawn to the Reds inductees. Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan have plaques side by side. I will definitely be spending more time in the Hall on the next trip.

There is so much to explore in Cooperstown. Glenn and I even had a chance to take a few cuts in the batting cages that are located outside of Doubleday Field. The pitching machines will throw curveballs, knucklers, sliders and fastballs. We decided that on the next tour, we will make sure to take our guests there. Hopefully, they will fare better against the machines than Glenn and I did.

We are already beginning our plans for next season. In a few weeks, MLB will announce the 2014 schedule, and shortly after that, we will announce our baseball package tours including our Hall of Fame Tours. Keep an eye on the website for all the info.   

The new Marlins Ballpark was opened in 2012. It was the first new Major League ballpark since the Twins' new facility, Target Field, opened in April 2012 in Minneapolis. If you had ever gone to a Marlins game at Dolphin Stadium, you knew it would be great if the team had a facility that was dedicated to baseball. 

Unlike Dolphin Stadium, which is right off the interstate and very easy to get in and out of, Marlins Ballpark is tucked into a neighborhood that makes it harder to get in and out of the game. For this visit, we were headed to the ballpark not as a group tour, but just as a family tour. We paid for stadium parking in advance, which at least eliminated our concern about where to park. It didn't help us get out any faster, though. 

The outside of the ballpark is very space-age looking. The columns in this picture support the roof when they open up the stadium. There was a threat of thunderstorms when we were there so they kept the roof closed. 

Inside, the park carries the sites and sounds of Miami throughout - Latin-influenced and very colorful. Even the smells in the stadium were different than others because of the wide range of food offerings. 

My overall impression? It's a much needed improvement over Dolphin Stadium to see a baseball game. My opinion is undoubtedly tainted in that I don't like watching baseball games under a roof. I understand the reason for it, but I think it kills the atmosphere of a game that's supposed to be played out doors. (My opinion is the same of all dome or retractable roof stadiums in the Majors...)

What could have helped? If the roof would have been open, I'm sure it would have influenced my opinion. If the ballpark had been built in a neighborhood that either grew up with it (think Fenway Park or Wrigley Field) or had developed around it (think Coors Field or Camden Yards), then it could have been a better experience. (Once you go in doors, though, it doesn't really matter.) The locals will tell you that fielding a better team would make all the difference in the world. I can't blame them...

Without any new ballparks under construction anywhere in the Majors, Marlins Ballpark will remain the newest park for the next several years. If you're planning to make a trek to Miami for a game, my suggestion would be to go at night (hoping the roof will be open), choose an opponent with a large road following (so there will at least be somebody's fans in attendance), and give yourself plenty of time to get in and out of the ballpark. 

Big League Tours has built its business by offering fans a chance to get closer to the game. We do that by guaranteeing lower level seats, planning meet and greets with former players, taking stadium tours, and in general, doing everything we can to make sure our guests are thrilled with their tour experience. The Red Sox made us aware of a new opportunity at Fenway and we jumped at the chance to offer it to our August Hall of Fame Tour group. It was the VIP Batting Practice Experience at Fenway. So, before the Red Sox and Yankees squared off in the ESPN Sunday night game, we made our way to the ballpark. 

Our tour host Sarah met the BLT group at the VIP entrance and personally escorted us into ballpark. This was my first time at Fenway Park. The “quaint” feel of the park struck me as we snaked through the small passageways finally entering the seating area right behind home plate. Sarah walked with us down the steps to the wall right beside the Red Sox dugout. She opened a door and led us onto the field. Our guests, and the BLT staff, were in awe as we walked onto on field area right behind home plate. We watched as the teams took batting/fielding practice. First the Red Sox, then the Yankees. Seeing those elite athletes bomb ball after ball into the stands was amazing. This on field VIP batting practice tour is a first for BLT, but it will definitely not be the last.

After 45 minutes or so on the field, Sarah suggested that we head up to the Green Monster to see if we could snag some home run balls. Sarah walked us up the steps and over to the Green Monster entrance where we went down to the seating area. A few balls were hit near us, but none of our guests were able grab one. But, the view from the Monster was fantastic.

We ended our tour by walking through the luxury suite area (yes, even old Fenway has luxury suites) and checking out the Red Sox Hall of Fame. All throughout the tour, Sarah gave us historical background on the stadium areas and the team. It was probably the best stadium tour on which we have ever been at Big League Tours.

We will make sure to include this VIP package on our 2014 luxury baseball tours to Boston. Keep an eye on our website for the 2014 tours announcement.  

This season, based on requests from our guests, we began offering Destination Tours. Instead of visiting multiple stadiums and cities, these tours give our guests the opportunity to explore one city and ballpark(s) usually over a long weekend. Guests enjoyed 2013 Destination Tours to Chicago and New York, and last week, Boston.

Our host hotel was the Boston Sheraton.  The Sheraton is the largest hotel in Boston and is connected to the Prudential Center.  The Prudential Center houses a wide variety of shops and restaurants and is "the place" to shop in Boston.  Our guests enjoyed the chance to check out the shopping and eateries during the free time they had on the tour.  

The first game at Fenway Park featured the Yankees against the Red Sox.  The group, with BLT host Mike Gorton, took the short 10 minute walk to Fenway Park to check out the sites and sounds around the ballpark before the game.  As always, our guests were seated in the lower level.  Unfortunately, the one thing we can't guarantee at Big League Tours is a close game.  Our guests watched the Yankees destroy the Red Sox 10-3.  

On Saturday, the group had all day in Boston to explore the city.  As part of the Destination Tour package, they received a Duck Tour of the city.  The Duck Tour is a land/water tour that takes folks through the historic city.  Our guests were thrilled with the added attraction provided by Big League Tours and said they would recommend it to anyone visiting Boston.

Sunday was the last day of the Boston Destination Tour.  After a full day in the city, we gathered in the lobby to head over to Fenway for a VIP Batting Practice Experience before the nationally televised ESPN game.  Our Red Sox tour guide, Sarah, met us at the VIP entrance then escorted to the field where we were able to watch batting practice from behind the screen.  Our guests were thrilled with the opportunity to be that close to all the players from both teams, and watched as the hitters bombed ball after ball into the seats.  Sarah took us up to the Green Monster in left field to see if we could catch a batting practice homer.  None of our guests were able to snag a ball, but the view and the IPA Green Monster beer made up for that.

After settling into their lower level seats, the group was treated to some excitement.  This was the game in which Ryan Dempster plugged A-Rod in the bottom of the second inning.  The benches cleared, Joe Girardi was tossed, and then the game continued without incident.  This game had a lot of action with 26 hits and 15 runs between the two teams.  The Yankees were victorious as they defeated the Red Sox, 9-6.

Our Destination Tours have been a big hit in 2013. You can expect to see more offerings in 2014 for Chicago, Boston, and New York.  We will also be adding more cities like LA and San Francisco to the Destination Tour list.  So, make sure to visit our website and sign up to receive the updates and tour schedules when they become available.

Where has the time gone? We've been putting the finishing touches on our baseball vacation packages and hosting the tours. We're now looking up and realizing that we're in the midst of our final tour for the 2013 season. Yikes!

We'll catch up with our blogging activity to share with you some of the details and great fun that we had on the road this summer - starting with our Midwest to our West Coast to the East Coast and several variations in between.

While we're doing that, you can also check out our Facebook page with pictures and some highlights of our tours: https://www.facebook.com/BigLeagueTours.  

Have you been to Wrigley Field or US Cellular Field? How about the Museum of Natural History, Millennium Park, Willis (Sears) Tower, or Navy Pier?  If not, how about checking out our Windy City and Chicago Destination Tours in August?  Your Big League Tours luxury vacation package includes games at both stadiums, luxury hotel accommodations, tranportation to the ballparks, and all the BLT Extras.  Plus you'll have plenty of time to visit all the attractions, restaurants, and shopping in Chicago.  Your on-site Big League Tours Host will help with the planning to make sure your trip to Chicago is the perfect summer vacation.  

Here are the links to both tours.  

Windy City Tour- Aug. 3-7

Chicago Destination Tour- Aug. 3-6 

Please let us know if you have any questions.