Ultimate Baseball
Road Trip Blog

June 22, 2011 - On each one of our MLB tours, we include a player meet and greet. It's what we've named our Big League Player Experience. This time, while in New York City, we brought in Art Shamsky, member of the '69 Miracle Mets team. Here's Art to the left as our guests are arriving to meet him.

Art's story of breaking into the Majors is really interesting. He came up through the Reds organization and then was traded to the Mets a couple of years after their formation. The team was known as the lovable losers and came out of nowhere to win the World Series in 1969. It was a young team that gelled at the right time with players such as Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and Tug McGraw.

Art shared with us that he typically hears three questions from fans that he meets on baseball trips. One, wouldn't you like to be playing today and making the kind of money these players are making? Two, should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame? And three, what's it like to have a bulldog named after you on the show "Everybody Loves Raymond"? (If you want to know his answers, you'll have to join us in NYC!!)

Here's one of our guests holding the signed baseball that he received at our Big League Player Experience with Art Shamsky. Time and again, this is one of, if not the favorite events, for our guests as they travel with us on our baseball road trips. It's another way to get closer to the game by talking with guys who have been in the big leagues. Their stories and experiences make these baseball vacation packages that much more special.

Topics: New York, baseball trips, baseball vacation package, MLB tours, Baseball, Mets

Topics: baseball road trips, baseball trips, MLB tours, sports vacation

May 28, 2010 - As much as we fancy ourselves on being great trip planners and including really cool features on our trips, there's always the opportunity for the unexpected to happen, too. And in this case, I'm talking about the unexpected in a really good way.

We always plan to be at the baseball stadiums early so that we can explore the ballparks, take in batting practice, and have the chance of getting a baseball or autograph in the process. Our recent road trip to Atlanta was no different - except for the unexpected.

The event occured during the Reds' batting practice. Several of the players had stopped by to sign autographs for fans around their dugout. One of the local kids in a Braves t-shirt asked Jonny Gomes if he could have his batting gloves. Jonny's off-handed response was, "yeah, right."

Jonny hit the batting cage, took the obligatory jog around the bases, and then headed back towards the dugout and where we were sitting. We're assuming that since my son was wearing a Reds jersey (or it could have been that he just hadn't hounded Jonny or the other players), Jonny walked back over to our section and handed his batting gloves to him. He was thrilled to say the least.

Our hope is always to provide an experience that you'll never forget, gifts for baseball fans, if you will, so we package a lot of fun stuff into our group travel tours. But like Woody Allen said, "95% of life is showing up." Being at the games early gives you a greater chance to get closer to the game that we all love so much. So the next time you head out on one of your baseball road trips, allow time for the unexpected and maybe you'll be given a gift of your own!

Topics: group travel, Atlanta, baseball road trips, baseball trips, baseball stadiums, group tours, Reds

May 11, 2010 - Excitement is mounted here at Big League Tours about our upcoming baseball road trips as today we received word that Cy Young Award winner and Oakland A's great, Vida Blue, will be taking time to meet and chat with all of us while in the 'City By the Bay'!

Blue, one of the most storied left-handed pitchers of all time will be joining the Big League Tours group on June 25th - fielding questions, signing autographs and taking photos with fans. No stranger to BLT, Blue has regaled our group with classic stories surrounding his days in the league as well as winning an MVP award and an insider look at winning the World Series.

Vida Blue is just the first of many baseball greats (former and current) who will join the tour to give us all more insight into the game and help us deliver the complete fan experience to make your sports travel or sports tour the ultimate trip.

Topics: sports travel and tours, baseball trips, big league tours, Oakland

Topics: Opening day, baseball trips, baseball travel

Topics: baseball road trips, baseball trips, baseball stadiums, group tours, family tours

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!

Topics: Red Sox, Boston, Yawkey Way, sports travel and tours, baseball trips, Fenway Park

April 30, 2009 - 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. 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!

Topics: Marlins, sports travel and tours, baseball trips, Phillies

Topics: baseball vacations, Citi Field, New York, baseball trips, Yankee Stadium

Topics: baseball trips, MLB tours, MLB road trips