There are certainly many years where we may sift through the bucket list to decide where to go, or we may revisit an old favorite as we did with last year's trip to Seattle. But there are also years like 2025 when an MLB team moves or builds a new stadium and it makes our decision easy. When the Athletics announced last year that 2024 would be their final season in Oakland, and that they would move to West Sacramento while awaiting their supposed new Vegas stadium, we knew we had no choice but to fly out to Sactown to see regular season major league baseball at a minor league ballpark. The most important trips for Erik and I are the ones that get us back in that elite 30-ballpark club, no matter where they may take us or how temporary the situation may be (this may also mean we need to get out to frickin' Florida again if the Trop does not get fixed, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it). The crux of our trip will be centered around a game or two at Sutter Health Park. This park will be shared with the AAA Sacramento River Cats, so I'm actually kind of excited to be in such an imitate setting for a real major league game in what should be a launching pad for the Swingin' A's. We also can't fly all that way without revisiting revered Oracle Park in San Francisco. Our last game there together was in 2007 the day before Barry Bonds broke the career homerun record so that will be hard to top, but it'll be fun to get back there and see what's changed in the last 18 years. There are also many California League, Pecos League, and Pioneer League teams dotting this area that we will undoubtedly fit into this trip, which will hopefully include a stop to see the Nuts in their 80th and final season in Modesto.
As for the rest of the 2025 ball trip calendar, the 5th year of Tour Molly should be taking us out to Fargo, North Dakota, to see the RedHawks and to cross another state off my and our list. My son Elliot is still not quite at the age where I think he could be attentive and relatively calm for an entire weekend trip, but maybe I'll try getting him out to some Town Ball games this year as a test run. Other than heaps of local Minnesota baseball, I've got no other big travel planned for the year.
Megan and I have tickets for our first-ever Minnesota Twins home opener, so check back in early April for a report from under the patio heaters at Target Field!
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.