Ultimate Baseball
Road Trip Blog

The Southwest Tour is a new offering from us in 2014. We wanted to offer an early season baseball tour for those who wanted to get out early. In addition, we wanted to get to a few of these cities before it gets too hot to really enjoy them. So we'll kick off the season's tours in Phoenix.

We'll stay in downtown Phoenix, within walking distance of Chase Field, where we'll see the Diamondbacks host the Mets for a game on April 15. Want some extra time in Phoenix? Come in early and play golf at one of the city's great courses, go horseback riding at one of the parks, and enjoy some of the city's fantastic dining and entertainment.

From Phoenix we'll fly to Dallas/Arlington to see the Mariners and Rangers play at Rangers Ballpark. We'll stay near the ballpark here, too, but not within walking distance. As long as the game time allows, we'll likely have a stadium tour of the Ballpark at Arlington. Make sure to get a bacon-wrapped hot dog and a Shiner Bock at the game to complete your experience! 

On Thursday, we'll drive down to Houston. The game at Minute Maid Park is between the Royals and Astros. We expect it to be an afternoon game as it's a getaway game for both teams. So we'll (most likely) drive straight to the ballpark, catch the game, and then check-in at the hotel afterward.

Then, on the last day, you'll fly to Denver to catch a game at Coors Field. This is the perfect way to finish off this trip. Downtown Denver, where we'll stay, has a lotto offer. The ballpark is located in the warehouse district with a ton of restaurants and brewpubs. By the way, it would also be a great place to extend the tour and stay an extra day or two. Let us know if you'd like to stay another night or two.

As always, you'll stay in first class hotels, sit in lower level seats, and enjoy a Big League Player Experience. Don't miss your chance to visit these stadiums on one great tour. 

June 14, 2011 - Our group tour headed out to Citizens Bank Park on Saturday afternoon to see the Phillies host the Cubs. As is usual for our tours, we arrived plenty early for our guests to walk around and explore the ballpark. One thing we had to do was grab a cheesesteak from Tony Luke's. After plowing through one of these myself, I can understand why Philly natives love these sandwiches (and why the line was so long!!).

After a 30 minute rain delay, the game got underway and was great fun. Cliff Lee pitched very well and the host team prevailed. Chase Utley even hit a home run just so our group could see the Liberty Bell in centerfield light up. (Thanks, Chase!)

CBP is a really nice ballpark. It's well laid out and maintained. They've incorporated local favorites like Tony Luke's and Chicky Pete's. And they don't allow fans to run up and down the aisles during an at bat, which is a huge pet peeve of mine in other ballparks.

One downside to CBP is that there really isn't much of anything to do around the ballpark. Part of the great experience at other parks like Coors Field, PETCO Park, and of course Wrigley and Fenway, is that there are so many great things to do before and after the game. I understand that there are things in the works to be built near CBP which will improve that part of the experience.

Off to Baltimore!!

MLB Tour Wrap Up

April 8, 2008 - The last event of our tour was on Saturday night when we took in the Diamondbacks and Rockies game at 6PM. We had incredible seats that were located three rows behind the Diamondbacks dugout. (This picture was taken from our seats as Todd Helton belted a home run into the right field seats.) The game was really close for a few innings but the Diamondbacks ultimately poured on the runs and put the game out of reach.

This was a fantastic baseball road trip. If anyone is planning a sports vacation or is specifically looking for a sports package that is a great fit for a family tour, Denver is a fantastic place to go. The city is crazy about its teams, has many things to offer the non-sports fans, offers a moderate climate all year round, and is filled with friendly folks everywhere you go. Transportation is easy to manage, whether you are driving or relying on public transportation. And the city is the micro-brew capital of the world!

This is one trip that we'll definitely offer every year. We can't wait to go back!

Manny Thanks!

April 8, 2008 - While we were taking the escorted tour of Coors Field, we had an unexpected thing happen. As we passed by the doors that led to the Rockies' clubhouse, we ran into Manny Corpas. Manny is the closer who had a phenomenal run at the end of last year.

Manny motioned for my son, Hiatt, to follow him into the clubhouse area and then gave him a personal tour of the clubhouse, the weight room, training room and cafeteria. The tour guides told us that this never happens which made it all the more special for Hiatt. Can you imagine being 10 years old and getting a personal tour from an MLB player? I would have been as excited at 40!

We've taken many baseball stadium tours but this one will stand out in our memories for a long time...Our thanks to Manny for going out of his way to make that stadium tour special for a young baseball fan. You instantly made him a Rockies fan and a personal fan for life. Thanks so much!!!

April 6, 2008 - Yesterday we took the stadium tour of Coors Field. It's a great ballpark with a lot of interesting features. Since it was a game day, we started the tour on the field which is usually the last stop. Here's our group and guide just outside the Rockies dugout.

We then went up to the top of the stadium to work our way down. In the upper deck, the stadium has a row of purple seats that are located exactly at 5,280 feet. I like the that the seats are one color. The days of marking sections with different colored seats were awful. One row of purple seats seems appropriate.

Another interesting stop was in the press box. These guys not only have one of the best jobs in the world, but they also get the best seats in the house. Our guide pointed out that a fresh hole in the wall had been made from a Garrett Atkins foul ball during the Friday season home opener. It was marked with the date and his name so that they could remember all of them by the end of the season.

The guides were great and allowed us to take our time for many pictures and questions. We've been on many tours where they herd you through the park at break-neck speeds without your chance to really enjoy the moment.

April 6, 2008 - When we got up Friday morning, you could sense the excitement building throughout the city. We wanted to get in the mix of things as early as we could so we headed down to 16th street to grab an early lunch amidst all of the restaurants and shops. You could hear live music all over town. News trucks were setup capturing footage of fans in the city. It seemed as though everyone was heading to the game.

There's a section of Denver near Coors Field that is called the Lower Downtown (or LoDo). This part of town used to be warehouses and factories. But with the development around the stadium, it's now restaurants, bars, condos, and office space. Needless to say, this section of town was hopping.

I fully expected this Opening Day to be high energy, higher than most since the team is celebrating its National League Championship. The ceremonies contained the typical player introductions, flag presentation, balloon release and military flyover. The NL Championship trophy was unveiled on the first base line but the pennant wasn't raised. That element seemed unceremonious to me. Then again, maybe I had built it up to be something that it wasn't supposed to be.

Coors Field did live up to its expectations, however. We sat behind the Rockies dugout and really enjoyed the view of the game. One thing that we noticed is how friendly the Rockies fans are. Everyone around us was very talkative and much to share about the city and their team.

Unfortunately, the Rockies' home opener was spoiled by the Diamondbacks. Micah Owings had a great outing. It seemed like he kept the Rockies off-balance for most of the game. The only real mistake he made was the home run that he gave up to Todd Helton. The game ended 8-1 in favor of the Diamondbacks.

Today we're off for a baseball stadium tour to see all the behind the scenes elements of the ballpark. Tonight's game is set to feature Jeff Francis for the Rockies and Brandon Webb for the Diamondbacks. Should be exciting. Then again...a day at the ballpark is always better than sorting out an inbox...

April 5, 2008 - We arrived in Denver on Thursday for a small group tour. It's the first package trip that we're offering through Big League Tours this year. The weather was a bit chilly and was spitting a light rain and snow mix as we walked around downtown. It warmed up in the evening and, although over cast, it was still pretty nice.

One of the first things we noticed was that fans in this town were ready for baseball. And why shouldn't they be? The Rox played so well the end of 2007 and made a fantastic playoff run. Expectations are pretty high for this season. Everywhere we went there were signs up welcoming Rockies fans for the 2008 Home Opener.

While some people were clinging to the last days of the winter by heading into the mountains for one last ski session, many were embracing the beginning of spring by donning their baseball jerseys and caps and heading to the ballpark. (I tend to relate to the latter group...)

After dinner at Wynkoop's by Coors Field (buffalo, anyone?), we settled in for the evening getting ready for tomorrow's excitement.