Baseball Stadiums: Reviewing 2014 Resolutions

In January, I made four resolutions related to visiting Minor League Baseball stadiums.  As 2014 comes to a close, I wanted to revisit my resolutions and see what I accomplished.

My first resolution was...

In 2014, I resolve to visit all four Georgia @MiLB teams: @GreenJackets, @GwinnettBraves, @TheRomeBraves, and @gnatsbaseball. #PlayBall
— Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 1, 2014

I visited the Gwinnett Braves in July (read about my visit here), but did not succeed in visiting the other three teams.  I spent a majority of my summer working on my dissertation, and did not get to visit Augusta, Rome, or Savannah.  So I was only 1-for-4 in completing this resolution.  Now that my dissertation is completed, I hopeful will visit those teams during the 2015 season.

My second resolution was...

In 2014, I resolve to see all four @MiLB teams in Alabama: @BhamBarons, @HuntsvilleStars, @Mobile_BayBears, and @BiscuitBaseball. #PlayBall
— Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 1, 2014

I was 2-for-4 with my goal of visiting all the Minor League teams in Alabama.  I visited the Birmingham Barons in early May (read about visit here), and visited the Huntsville Stars in August while meeting up with a gang of former Stars coworkers (read about visit here).  I did not make it to Mobile or Montgomery though.  Again, working on my dissertation prevented me from fulfilling some of my travel goals for 2014.

My third resolution was...

In 2014, I resolve to visit @Threshers and get a photo with @PhinleyThresher while attending @theAAG conference in @VisitTampaBay. #PlayBall
— Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 2, 2014

I actually accomplished this resolution.  On the first day of the AAG Annual Meeting, I made a trek from downtown Tampa to Clearwater for a game between the Threshers and Tampa Yankees (read about visit here).  The game and meeting Phinley lived up to expectations.  I went on a Tuesday night, but the Threshers had a beer special so I enjoyed a few Yuengling lagers.

My fourth resolution was...

In 2014, I resolve to visit all three @MiLB teams in Kentucky: @LouisvilleBats, @LexingtonLegend, and @BGHotRods. #PlayBall
— Steven Ericson (@geoSteven) January 2, 2014

I was 1-for-3 on completing this resolution. I saw my first Bowling Green Hot Rods game (read about visit here), but did not get to visit the Lexington Legends or Louisville Bats.  I had hoped to visit the Bluegrass region before going to Cincinnati for the AP Human Geography Reading, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record I did not get to do that because I was working on my dissertation.

Of my four resolutions, I only completed one.  Maybe I was too ambitious with my resolutions, but at least I tried.  Tallying up the individual components of my resolutions, I was 5-for-12, which depending upon how you look at it is amazing or decidedly mediocre.  It means I accomplished 41.6 percent of the tasks to complete all four resolutions.  By normal standards of excellence that's not good, but by baseball standards I'd be batting .417 which is Hall of Fame caliber stats.

Ultimately, I'm disappointed I didn't complete more of my resolutions, but I knew that some of them were overly ambitious.  Regardless of my results, I am glad that I set some travel resolutions to keep myself motivated and my mind churning with ideas of places to visit.  I will set some travel goals for 2015 and post about those within a few weeks.

Presidential Pathways: #35, John F. Kennedy

Born: May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Mass.
Died: Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas
Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. (Visited: April 2010)
Library & Museum: Boston, Mass. (Visited: April 2017)

Burial Place

An eternal flame watches over the grave site of John and Jacqueline Kennedy.

Tombstone of President Kennedy.

Tombstone of the First Lady.

Library & Museum

Library and museum as seen from along the walkway.

Entrance to the library and museum.

Presidential seal in entryway of library and museum.

Special exhibit called "Young Jack" details the president's life before his run for office.

Portion of "Young Jack" special exhibit detailing the president's collegiate years.

Portion of "Young Jack" special exhibit detailing the president's years in the Navy during World War II.

The coconut the president used to write a message that led to his rescue following the sinking of PT 109 in the Pacific Ocean.

Beginning of the "1960 Presidential Election" exhibit featuring women in dresses to promote his candidacy.

Poster welcoming delegates to the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, Calif.

Mock Kennedy campaign office displaying a variety of campaign buttons, posters, and stickers.

Replica TV studio showing predicted outcomes in each state.

Electoral College map showing the final results of the 1960 presidential election.

A special exhibit featuring Freedom 7, which U.S. Navy Commander Alan B. Shepherd Jr. piloted
during the first American manned flight in space.

The White House Corridor features gifts from heads of state, including this carved replica of Michelangelo's Pieta,
which was given to President Kennedy by Pope Paul VI.

A permanent exhibit creates Robert Kennedy's Attorney General Office.

Closeup of Robert Kennedy's desk at the attorney general's office.

The Oval Office exhibit featuring President Kennedy's desk with a screen in the background displaying notable events
from his presidency.

A rocking chair presented to President Kennedy while aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk.

Model of  Danish maritime training ship Danmark, which was used by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy during World War II.

President Kennedy enjoyed golfing.

Personalized golf balls with "Mr. President" printed on them for Kennedy.

Permanent exhibit First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy features some of her dresses.

Poster announcing the First Lady's visit to India.

A permanent exhibit "State Visit to Europe" preserves President Kennedy's trip to Europe during the summer of 1963.
A note card from President Kennedy's speech in West Berlin in front of the Berlin Wall on June 26, 1963.

Rotunda following the hallway retelling President Kennedy's assassination.

A portion of the Berlin Wall commemorating Kennedy's 1963 address in West Berlin.

Profile in Courage Plaza with a view onto Boston harbor.

Closeup of the Profile in Courage Award.

A quote featured in the Profile in Courage Plaza.

Presidential Pathways: #21, Chester A. Arthur

Born: Oct. 5, 1829, in Fairfield, Vt.  (Visited: August 2008)
Died: Nov. 18, 1886, in New York, N.Y.
Burial Place: Albany Rural Cemetery in Albany, N.Y.

Burial Place

Arthur family plot.

Closeup of the president's grave.

Presidential Pathways: #26, Theodore Roosevelt

Born: Oct. 27, 1858, in New York, N.Y. (Visited: August 2008)
Died: Jan. 6, 1919, in Cove Neck, N.Y.
Burial Place: Youngs Memorial Cemetery in Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Birthplace

A recreated brownstone stands at 28 East 20th Street in place of the original house where Roosevelt was born.

Bedroom where Roosevelt was born.

The nursery.

Presidential Pathways: #34, Dwight D. Eisenhower

Born: Oct. 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas (Visited: June 2010)
Died: March 28, 1969, in Washington, D.C.
Burial Place: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum in Abilene, Kan.
Library & Museum: Abilene, Kan.

Birthplace

Eisenhower was born in a house near the railroad line where his father worked.

The Eisenhower home is now part of the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site.

Presidential Pathways: #14, Franklin Pierce

Born: Nov. 23, 1804, in Hillsborough, N.H.
Died: Oct. 8, 1869, in Concord, N.H.
Burial Place: Old North Cemetery in Concord, N.H. (Visited: June 2007)

Burial Place

Pierce family grave.

The Pierce grave is located in the Minot enclosure.

Baseball Stadiums: MiLB Mascot Mania

A few weeks ago, I mentioned write a post about my experiences with Minor League Baseball mascots.  After taking some time to gather my photographs and put things into a spreadsheet, I can report that I have photographs with 22 MiLB team mascots over the past four seasons.

I've had my picture taken with mascots at almost all levels: Triple-A, Double-A, Class A Advanced, and Class A.  I do not have any pictures with me and mascots from Class A Short-Season or Rookie level teams.

My first photograph with a mascot happened by circumstance.  In 2011, I attended a Tacoma Rainiers game will in Seattle for the AAG Annual Meeting.  I don't remember the situation, but I was exploring the stadium when Rhubarb the Reindeer walked by, and I jumped on the chance to get my photo taken with him.

Me with Rhubarb the Reindeer.

Although I have been attending MiLB games since the early 1990s, I never sought out photo opportunities with mascots until 18 months ago.  I was teaching in the geography department at Oklahoma State University, and decided to add some life to my first day of class slides and incorporated photos of me with mascots.  If students guessed where I was based upon the picture they got a bonus point, and it helped me learn names with faces, too.

So the first time I did that, I included the my photo with Rhubabr and some others that I accumulated during the 2012 season.  In order, I got photos with the Arkansas Travelers mascot Shelly (put out to pasture since the team's rebranding in 2014), the Montgomery Biscuits mascot Big Mo, and the Memphis Redbirds mascot Rockey the Rockin' Redbird.

Me with Shelly at Dickey-Stephens Park.

Me with Big Mo at Riverwalk Stadium.

Me with Rockey the Rockin' Redbird.

During the Spring 2013 semester before I went to Los Angeles for the AAG Annual Meeting, I had a student ask if I was going to get my picture taken with any mascots at the games I planned to attend.  That's when something that started by happenstance turned into a hunt to get my picture with as many mascots as possible.

On that trip, I attended two Minor League games and got my picture with Tremor from the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and Thunder from the Lake Elsinore Storm.

Me with Tremor at LoanMart Field.

Me with Thunder at the Lake Elsinore Diamond.

During the summer, I visited the Dayton Dragons while in Cincinnati, Ohio, for the AP Human Geography Reading.  So I got my picture taken with all three of the team's mascots: dragons Gem and Heater, and Wink, an ogre.

Me with Gem and Heater during a rain delay at Fifth Third Field.

Me with Wink at Fifth Third Field.

Before my move from Oklahoma to Alabama, I did some sightseeing in in the Ozarks and got my picture taken with the both mascots for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Strike and Sinker, and the Springfield Cardinals duo: Louie and Fetch.

Me with Strike at Arvest Ballpark.

Me with Sinker the Lake Creature at Arvest Ballpark.

Me with Louie at Hammons Field.

An extreme closeup of me with Fetch at Hammons Field.

During the 2014 season, I got nine pictures with mascots from eight teams.  The first three mascots I saw came during the AAG Annual Meeting in Tampa, Fla.  I got pictures with Phinley from the Clearwater Threshers, Marty from the Bradenton Marauders, and Blue from the Tampa Yankees.

Phinley try to eat me at Bright House Field.

Me with Marty at McKechnie Field.

Me with Blue at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

After the AP Human Geography Reading I made two stops on my way back south, and saw the Bowling Green Hot Rods and Nashville Sounds.  I got photos with both mascots from the Hot Rods, Axle the Bear and Roscoe the Grease Monkey, and I got a picture with the Sounds' mascot Ozzie.

Me with Axle the Bear at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Me with Roscoe the Grease Monkey at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Me with Ozzie at Herschel Greer Stadium.

In July, I went to a Gwinnett Braves game and got my photo with their mascot, Chopper.  I had been to a G-Braves game prior to this season, but did not get a picture with the groundhog.  So I made sure to my picture with him this time.

Me with Chopper at Coolray Field.

In early August, I made a trip through the Tennessee River Valley and visited the Chattanooga Lookouts and Huntsville Stars.  The primary purpose of the trip was a reunion with former Stars coworkers, as the team has been sold and is supposed to move to Biloxi for the 2015 season.  While I had been to a Lookouts game at AT&T Field many years ago, I had not blogged about my experience and wanted to be sure I got my photo with the Lookouts mascot Looie.  With the Stars set to move, I felt compelled to get my photo with Homer the Polecat.

Me with Looie at AT&T Field before I competed in musical chairs.

Me with Homer the Polecat at Joe W. Davis Stadium.

I have a few places in mind that I hope to visit in 2015, but it's too early to predict how much I may get to travel next season.  I know that I will be in the Chicago area in late April for the AAG Annual Meeting, but many Minor League teams have yet to release their 2015 schedules.  Closer to home, I'm hopeful that I can see the minor league teams in Georgia and Alabama that I have not visited yet, which would add four teams to my tally and theoretically six mascots to my picture collection.