30 ballparks in 30 days

September 12, 2013

30in30Last week my fellow IPL writer Adam Hintz was kind enough to offer me the opportunity to watch the Indians-Orioles game as his guest in the Social Suite. I’d been there before, so I knew I was in for a good time, and a good time is what I had. I enjoyed meeting Adam for the first time, the weather was perfect, and the Indians won the game, 4-3.

One of the people who also saw the game in the Suite that night was a man named Eric Mueller. He introduced himself to Adam and me, and handed each of us a business card which read “All 30 MLB parks in 30 days.” You’ve heard of people taking baseball vacations, planning things so they can attend games in a handful of stadiums throughout the major leagues. Well, as the card claims, Eric set out to attend a game in each of the major league ballparks, all in 30 days.

The logistics of such a plan are staggering. Why do such a thing? Well, not only is it an incredibly cool thing to do, but Eric is doing it to celebrate his 50th birthday, and to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A fan of the Detroit Tigers, Eric lost his father to lymphoma, and now has a good friend who is battling the disease. He brings a sign to each game, and has been able to drum up some publicity from newspapers and radio stations.

Progressive Field was the 20th stop on Eric’s tour. He contacted the Indians organization in advance, and they were kind enough to give him tickets for the Social Suite. He’s been keeping a blog of his mission. With the exception of a certain Indians closer, he had good things to say about his Cleveland visit.

Eric has only two more stops to make, in Toronto and Pittsburgh, before concluding his trip on Saturday with a visit to Comerica Park in Detroit.

Check out Eric’s site, and please consider making a donation if you can. Good luck to you, Eric!

4 Comments

  • Eric Mueller says:

    Thanks for the shout out, Vern. I had a great time in Cleveland, but I couldn’t resist taking a shot at Perez. From most things I’ve read, Indians’ fans aren’t too happy with him either.
    Best of luck to you.
    Eric

  • Vern Morrison says:

    Let’s just say some of us feel “weed” be better off without him!

  • Sean Porter says:

    While tiring, that would be an awesome “vacation”…

    I remember reading the book “Fenway Franks to Dodger Dogs” by Bob Wood when I was a kid, it chronicled his trip to every park back in ’85. Always has been a dream of mine since then.

    Godspeed, Eric…

  • Stephanie Liscio says:

    I’m in the 20s, but it’s spread out over several years. I’d love to do it all in one summer (although I think I’d die of exhaustion if I tried to do it in 30 days!) I have an overly ambitious plan to knock out several of my missing parks next summer, granted I’m able to pass my exams for school.