baseballmapper blog

By the time the Sasquatch take the field at home on May 27th to face the Badland Big Sticks, it’ll have been over 650 days since baseball has been played at Black Hills Energy Stadium. What do you do when you’ve had to wait so long without baseball? Well, besides crying… We’ve all adapted and adjusted to a new “normal” over that time. It’s crazy to think that in the spring of last year, businesses would be forced to close and Americans would begin to change their everyday way of life.

When a true baseball visionary offers to give you time out of his day, what do you do? I mean, besides kiss your wife, tell her how fortunate you are, and play your favorite lotto numbers? Of course, you take him up on it! And especially when it’s Jesse Cole, the world renowned owner of the Savannah Bananas. Ever since 2016 when he took over an empty ballpark in Savannah, GA, all he has done is win. Surprisingly, that has very little to do with baseball titles. You ask him, he’ll state it rather plainly. “We never promote the baseball. If we lose, we never say we lose. We talk about the crowd, we talk about the experience. We post that. Our brand is we make the game fun. We make baseball fun.” Clearly to Cole, “winning” means something altogether different than what a traditional baseball team owner may connect to wins, pennants, and rings. But if you spend a little time with THIS owner, maybe that makes all the difference.

Taking one last look from the upper deck at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile, I knew I was saying goodbye to an era of baseball in Alabama. We were never going to be able to make it back there for a game on the next beach vacation. It seemed like, perhaps, Mobile residents had already come to that conclusion over the last few years. It was hard not to notice a lack of turnout for the games we attended. Rows of empty seats made for easy work in regards to retrieving foul balls, but it wasn’t without its consequences on the team. That final time at The Hank, I had my camera ready and took pictures of the empty 755 Club, closed shops on the concourse, and an empty lawn out in the outfield.

Even as the calendar turns to November in Chicagoland, and the weather clearly isn’t designed for baseball, that doesn’t keep me from missing it. And granted, since this year meant a whole lot less baseball games to attend for all of us, any opportunity to go to a game is notable and worth considering. But going to a baseball game in November? Is that even possible?

A few months ago, I didn’t think that the opportunity to attend a baseball game in person would exist in 2020. COVID-19 had swept all sports away over a couple days in March. MLB spring training started and was then canceled. It was a brutal couple of months of lock-down, but starting in June, things started to change. Independent leagues and Collegiate summer leagues created pods, and in some cases, entire new teams to get some baseball played in 2020. Some of these teams are playing “home” games in different cities, but they are making it happen. Shameless plug… we put all these on a map, so you could find them easier here.

GAME DAY MEMORIES: Geneva, IL (Kane County Cougars/Class A Midwest League)

One of my favorite baseball stories of all time has nothing to do with the game being played on the field but more so tied to my experience in the stands.

Are you moping around feeling like your life isn’t complete? We get it.

We miss baseball too…

But something has happened over the last couple of months that has offered some hope to baseball fans. And while those of us who love nothing more than checking out a new major league ballpark could easily get down in the dumps feeling like all is lost for 2020. One thing we have noticed in talking to other people who are less focused on baseball 24/7 than we are is that there’s this belief that there is no baseball this year. Right now, more than ever, people are looking for things to do and they’re sad they can’t go support their favorite team, whether that be an afternoon in the bleachers at Wrigley Field, tailgating at Miller Park, or being able to enjoy the food at a Sox game.

Two weeks. You have two weeks to find something for Father’s day. I mean, the guy is really a big deal. And since we really can’t point you to some awesome ballparks you might not know about on baseballmapper.com, we figured we’d help bail you out and point you towards some sweet gifts instead. Keep in mind, we have no affiliation with any of these companies or products (although that would be awesome). None of the links are affiliate links and we are earning no money by promoting these products. We just think they are awesome. And if our own children don’t do the right thing, we may have to buy these for ourselves:

As the calendar turns to June, each summer I begin to plan my family’s routes throughout the country for upcoming vacations. And by vacations I mean, unique opportunities for out-of-town baseball. But this June is unlike any other in memory, and we find ourselves in the middle of a pandemic and civil unrest. In some ways, it definitely makes us question what’s most important. On the other hand, isn’t it the perfect excuse to want to get away from it all?

Growing up watching Chicago Cubs baseball on TV, I always felt jealous of the people who lived off of Waveland Avenue across from the ballpark. I mean, how amazing would it be to have baseball in your backyard?