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MLB ROAD TRIP 2003
2003.03.30 <VOL.1> Day 1
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Location: Ottawa
Day # 1
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Introduction
Hello All,
Welcome to the 2003 Baseball Road Trip Update! This is Sean MacDonald of mlbroadtrip.com. As most of you remember, my friend Aya and I spent 7 months in 2001 traveling to every major league ballpark and several minor league parks as well. During that time, many of you were receiving regular e-mail updates describing our adventures on the road. Well, after spending 2002 back in Japan, I have decided to open the 2003 season with another baseball trip, although one that is not nearly as ambitious. I will spend the next 5 weeks on the road visiting plenty of new places and would like to keep you all informed of my travels. Hence, the 2003 Baseball Road Trip Update!
Unfortunately, circumstances have prevented Aya from joining me on this trip, so I will be traveling solo for the most part, but will still try to make things as interesting as possible. The main difference is that the 2001 trip was geared as much towards touring as it was towards baseball, but in 2003, I will be focusing almost exclusively on baseball - my current plan calls for 34 games in 34 days, although I am looking for ways to increase that number by watching some other sports. Of course, with the NHL and NBA playoffs starting up shortly, there should be lots of opportunities to do so.
This is the first of about 10 or so updates that I plan to send, probably about 2 per week. Some of you are receiving this mail because you were on my 2001 list, while others were added because I thought you might be interested in my trip. If you would rather not receive these updates, please reply and I will remove you from the list.
Enjoy the season!
Sean
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Schedule
The 2003 road trip is only 34 days in length and focuses on the eastern part of Canada and North America. Beginning on Monday, March 31 in Toronto and ending on Saturday May 4th in Ottawa, the trip will take me to 14 major league games, 20 minor league games, with over 4,000 miles on the road. The highlights are two Mets-Expos games in Puerto Rico and two games in the new Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, as well as witnessing Hideki Matsui's major-league debut in Toronto and the home opener in Yankee Stadium. As well, I will make my first visit to Tennessee, one of the 2 states that we missed in 2001. It should be a blast, so please follow along here. If you are able to make it to a game, please let me know;I would be interested to meet anyone during my trip.
Check out the detailed schedule at: www.mlbroadtrip.com/english/schedule/2003schedulee.htm
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Tokyo Cancellations
My roadtrip schedule initially included the two games in Tokyo between Seattle and Oakland, which were to be played on March 25th and 26th. Unfortunately, the real world intervened and those games were cancelled due to the then-threat of war. It was the right decision to make given the circumstances, and really wasn't that disappointing to me, since I had seen the Tokyo Dome many times before. As well, with the good seats going for $120, I had decided to get the $12.50 standing room tickets for both games, which meant that I would have had to show up at least 3 hours before game time to secure a good viewpoint. It would have been a tiring two days, so the cancellation of the games really didn't bother me that much.
In fact, the lack of games allowed Aya and I to meet some other roadtrippers on Tuesday. A few Oakland A's fans who had travelled from the U.S. to see the games were meeting on Tuesday afternoon outside the Tokyo Dome to enjoy a few hours talking baseball. The party was arranged by Glenn, who had seen our website and had then invited us to join them. Although it was a cool and drizzly afternoon in Tokyo, we met up with them and spent an afternoon listening to their many stories and telling a few of our own. We even enjoyed the Baseball Cafe, a baseball-related restaurant located next to the Tokyo Dome. It was a lot of fun and a good way to prepare for the baseball season.
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Well, that is all for now. I leave today for Toronto and will enjoy the Blue Jays home opener on Monday night. It should be fun, and you can follow along on the website as well at www.mlbroadtrip.com/english. See you next time.
Sean