by Roger Kraemer

Created on: August 05, 2008   Last Updated: August 07, 2008

It would be tempting to simply say, "Travel with someone who is organized, and let him, or her, handle the details. Alas, life is not always that easy. So in lieu of abdication, here are some ideas for planning and having an excellent baseball adventure:

Tip 1: Go with people you like. There is nothing worse than being on a glorious trip to the grand shrines of the game, only to have it spoiled by whining and pettiness. A great attitude and an adventuresome spirit are prerequisites for participation.

Tip 2: Go far, then stay near. Plan your excursion well enough that you can make one long flight and then make short hops or drives. For example, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York make a perfect trip that can be managed in a long weekend.

Tip 3: Buy tickets in advance. Don't leave attendance to chance. Knowing that you will see the game, knowing exactly where your behind will be planted, and knowing that you won't have to pay a scalper, are all very comforting feelings.

Tip 4: Use the phone to buy tickets. The web is fine, but sometimes, if you tell a live ticket agent that you are travelling from out-of-town, or better yet across country, to see a game in their park, they will work a little harder to get you great seats.

Tip 5: Bring warm clothes. Nothing ruins a game like feeling that parts of your body are about to break off. One of the worst experiences in memory was freezing at a day game in Wrigley on a warm, sunny, summer day. Temperatures and winds inside the parks are unpredictable and not wearing what you brought is a better option than buying something expensive to wear.

Tip 6: Experience the local cuisine and the local color during the off (non-game) times. It sounds like heresy, but sometimes the best part of a baseball trip isn't the baseball. A detour to a home town, or a major league park with no game scheduled, or the Hall of Fame, or the Field of Dreams can add immeasurably to your enjoyment of the entire experience and sometimes exceed a particular game.

Tip 7: During the game, eat at the park. Peppers and onions on an Italian Sausage at Wrigley, hot pretzels at Shea, funnel cakes at Citizen Bank Ballpark all enhance the enjoyment of the game. The visit to the park should be an experience, not simply a ballgame. While many parks are surrounded by excellent restaurants, a vital part of the zeitgeist of the trip is experiencing the ballpark food.

Tip 8: Walk around the stadium before the game. Soak in the sights and sounds around the park, chat with the locals, get a feel for the architecture and the placement of the stadium. Enjoy the monuments to the greats of the game: players, executives and broadcasters. Take in Clemente in Pittsburgh, the Negro League players, also in Pittsburgh, Harry Caray in Chicago, and of course the grandaddy of all, Monument Park in Yankee Stadium.

Tip 9: Don't neglect the new parks. It is tempting to be driven by history and tradition in planning a baseball adventure, but many of the newer parks offer some of the best baseball experiences ever. From Petco, to Citizen's Bank, to PNC and more, the sightlines are excellent, the score/messageboards exceptional and entertaining, the seats are comfortable and the excitement is palpable. Wrigley, Fenway, and what we now must call Old Yankee Stadium offer spectacular experiences, but these new parks, (other than their names) are right up there.

More than any one tip, however, the best advice is "Go!" There are a million reasons not to go - money concerns and work commitments among others, but one really compelling reason to take the leap: it's baseball.

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