Around The Bases
By Leslie Dickstein
Remember the thrill of your first major league game? How huge the stadium felt? How green the grass looked? Sitting there in the stands, whether you've attended one game or a hundred, you'll find it hard not to feel a sense of awe.
A sense of history too--which is why a tour of some of America's grand ball parks would be a great vehicle for pitching your kids American history in an attractive package. We have a specific two-week trip in mind, beginning July 14, that includes games plus about three days of sightseeing in each city visited.
Begin in Baltimore, Md. Granted, Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the newest ball field on the block, having been completed in 1992. But the stadium has been widely praised for its classic, fan-friendly design. Plan to arrive in town by early afternoon, in time to get to the Yards for the game against Toronto at 7:35 p.m. The next day take a guided stadium tour and visit the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Baseball Center, a national landmark that also houses the Baltimore Orioles Museum and the Maryland Baseball Hall of Fame. You might also venture over to the Ripken Museum, in nearby Aberdeen, Md., which has pictures and memorabilia documenting the Ripken baseball dynasty. Besides baseball, Baltimore has its magnificent Inner Harbor, the National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center and the B. & O. Railroad Museum.
From Baltimore, head north on I-95 to New York City and Yankee Stadium, site of more than 30 World Series since it opened in 1923. Take advantage of the fact that the Bronx Bombers are on the road by doing the stadium's behind-the-scenes tour. Don't miss Monument Park in deep center field, where you'll find tributes to Yankee greats like Babe Ruth and "Iron Man" Lou Gehrig. You can see a game in the Big Apple, at Shea Stadium, home of the Mets, who have a three-game stand against Philadelphia July 16-18. Shea is where the 1969 Miracle Mets worked their magic, and is within a few line drives--and a trolley ride--of the 1964 World's Fair grounds, with its 140-ft.-tall metallic globe, the U.S.T.A. Tennis Center and the New York Hall of Science. If you can't get enough baseball, the Yankees play Detroit on July 20. Or take in other New York City sites: the dinosaur-rich American Museum of Natural History, the Children's Museum, Central Park's Wildlife Conservation Center or the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. If your kids eat, breathe and sleep baseball, take them to Manhattan for Mickey Mantle's Restaurant and Sports Bar or the Official All Star Cafe.
On to Boston and Fenway Park, arguably the best of the old-time ball fields--though with a few dubious distinctions. For starters, the park's opening game was held the same day the Titanic sank, in 1912. The home-team Red Sox have managed to stay afloat but haven't won a World Series since 1918. Still, no fan would want to miss seeing the Green Monster, the 37-ft.-high left-field wall painted in 1947. The Red Sox play Toronto (with ex-Red Sox legend Roger Clemens) on July 23, but before game day, spend a couple of days touring Faneuil Hall, the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum, the New England Aquarium and the Freedom Trail. Boston by Foot has guided tours of the city for kids age six and older.
Wind up your baseball tour in Cooperstown, N.Y., where, lore has it, the game began more than a century ago. Make your way to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the repository of such memorabilia as the bat Babe Ruth used for his "called shot" in 1932 and the uniform Hank Aaron wore the night he hit his 715th career home run. Plan to get there for the annual Hall of Fame weekend, July 25-27. Festivities include the induction of this year's new Hall of Famers--including Don Sutton and Larry Doby--autograph sessions and the 52nd annual Hall of Fame Game, featuring the Orioles vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. Before leaving town, take a trip to the Doubleday batting range (open on weekends only until July 1), the American Baseball Experience (a wax museum) and the Cooperstown Bat Co., just two miles away.