So the world series has come and gone and the MLB has a new Champion in the Houston Astros (congrats on beating LA). The series was a memorable one with instant classics in games 2 & 3, and the entire series going the distance to a thrilling game 7.

Since that day where the season ended, I’ve been busy planning this thing and getting my shit together, all whilst balancing my job (where I have only told one person my plans), a personal life and of course the silly season in Sydney – where it is summer so the days are extra long.

Alas, one important milestone was reached during all the excitement and craziness, and that is the release of the 2018 MLB schedule for each team, and with that, the putting together of a schedule for me to get around the country and complete the Thirty before 30 dream!

To preface, this actually took me a lot longer than anticipated to put the route together.

If you’ve read my blog, I had the rough idea that I would start in Seattle and zig-zag my way East until I ended up in Miami. Well…… you might say I’ve done that…..
You see, the way the schedule broke, and to optimise time for me to save enough coin (that is stay in Sydney and work) and also see each stadium before September 6 (my 30th birthday), I had to take a couple of shortcuts and a few flights – but fuck it, it’s my trip and I’ll make the rules.

For ease of read, I’ve organised by Month and listed the home team by full name (opponent in brackets). I’ll also provide a detailed breakdown and some interesting facts about how this schedule breaks in my next post (now that I’m back into writing).

So, without further hesitation, below are the games that I’ll be attending, the dates and also any flights (note that between each game I’ll be DRIVING – so there’s some big days on the road here). I’ve also put this into a spreadsheet, so if you’d like to see a calendar view for easy reading, please let me know and I’ll happily email it to you (you can also pick out any games that you might want to see me at).

Feel free to play the below whilst reading to really put you into the mood 😉

MAY

16th – Seattle Mariners (Texas Rangers)
20th – San Francisco Giants (Colorado Rockies)
22nd – Oakland Athletics (Seattle Mariners)
25th – Los Angeles Dodgers (San Diego Padres)
28th – San Diego Padres (Miami Marlins)
30th – Arizona Diamondbacks (Cincinnati Reds)

June

2nd – Colorado Rockies (Los Angeles Dodgers)
3rd – FLIGHT FROM DENVER TO HOUSTON
3rd – Houston Astros (Boston Red Sox) – Note I’ve had a look and this is an evening game. early flight for me to make it!
4th – FLIGHT FROM HOUSTON TO DENVER
7th – St Louis Cardinals (Miami Marlins)
9th – Chicago Cubs (Pittsburgh Pirates)
11th – Chicago White Sox (Cleveland Indians)
15th – Kansas City Royals (Houston Astros)
16th – FLIGHT FROM KANSAS CITY TO DALLAS
17th – Texas Rangers (Colorado Rockies)
18th – FLIGHT FROM DALLAS TO KANSAS CITY
20th – Minnesota Twins (Boston Red Sox)
22nd – Milwaukee Brewers (St Louis Cardinals)
25th – Detroit Tigers (Oakland Athletics)
29th – Toronto Blue Jays (Detroit Tigers)

July

3rd – Cincinnati Reds (Chicago White Sox)
6th – Cleveland Indians (Oakland Athletics)
8th – Pittsburgh Pirates (Philadelphia Phillies)
12th – Boston Red Sox (Toronto Blue Jays)
14th – New York Mets (Washington Nationals)
17th – WASHINGTON D.C FOR THE ALL STAR GAME!!!
20th – New York Yankees (New York Mets)
22nd – Philadelphia Phillies (San Diego Padres)
24th – Baltimore Orioles (Boston Red Sox)
31st – Washington Nationals (New York Mets)

August

11th – Atlanta Braves (Milwaukee Brewers)
20th – Tampa Bay Rays (Kansas City Royals)
22nd – Miami Marlins (New York Yankees)
23rd – DITCH MY CAR IN MIAMI SOMEHOW
24th – FLIGHT FROM MIAMI TO LOS ANGELES
25th – Los Angeles Angels (Houston Astros)

AUGUST 26th?? THE THIRTY BEFORE 30 IS COMPLETE!!

Why are the called the Marlins?

The Marlins take their name from the minor league Miami Marlins that called South Florida home from 1956-1960, 1962-1970, and 1972-1988. Owner Wayne Huizenga hoped to give his expansion team, which entered the league in 1993, more regional appeal by including Florida in the name.

Why am I excited to see their city?

If Northern Florida is white trash, Southern Florida is where the Caribbean meets the United States in a melting pot of all that is cool in Latino culture.

Down here, guys get away with wearing white pants, convertible low-riders are the norm and there’s a certain flashy ego that you either love or hate – no in-between!

American actors Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, as detectives James ‘Sonny’ Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, in a promotional portrait for the TV series ‘Miami Vice’, circa 1985. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

It’ll be great to be back here, especially at the end of the trip and hit the super clubs, relax on South Beach, and try sell my car (which I’m planning on buying in Vancouver Canada) to a scrap metal yard after I’ve driven it cross country.

Lastly, who could forget the mass immigration of retired Jewish new Yorkers who now call Miami home. Yes loyal readers, it is truly a melting pot of cultures down here, and one I’m looking forward to getting back into.

“eh the air it’s so humid down here!”

“can’t find a matzo ball soup here like back home, oy vey!”

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

Miami have one of the newest ball parks opening in 2012. Being Miami and having the melting pot of cultures, sights and sounds as above, they’ve modelled the joint with a bunch of neon colours and over the top “flash” you’d expect from Miami.

One interesting tradition is the giant mechanical sculpture thing outside of centre field, that does a whole bunch of crazy shit whenever the Marlins hit a home run (in a similar vein to the Marlins division rival Mets who Raise the Apple – which you of course read about previously).

Who is a famous fan?

 First things first, you don’t go to Marlins games to watch the baseball. In fact, I’m not sure you even go to baseball games in Miami to be seen! The city simply is not a massive baseball town – despite the Cuban influence (it’s Cuba’s national sport).

However, recently ownership has changed to former Yankee legend Derek Jeter and his group, so expect things to change here.

Famous fans include, Pitbull, DJ Khaled and The Rock (legend) amongst others. But I’m going with the guy who perhaps isn’t your typical celebrity, but boy, is he humble.

This guy goes to different baseball games all around the country, wearing his obnoxious orange Miami Marlins jersey behind home plate just cause he can (read: he’s got a shit load of cash), the one and only MARLINS MAN!!

God I hope I get the opportunity to meet this guy!

A fun/weird fact about the Marlins?

Prior to 2012, the Miami Marlins were known as the Florida Marlins to appeal to a wider fan base and garner support outside of Florida. Further, compared to what they wear today (all those neon colours), the Marlins were relatively tame rocking a teal/grey/black combo in a similar vein to the Seattle Mariners (coincidently the first post of the 30 teams).

Not very Miami wouldn’t you say? So even though a lot of people felt the changing of logo/colours was a bit ridiculous, it’s now here to stay and I reckon it looks pretty good and suits the city well.

Why are the called the Rays?

Vince Naimoli, owner of Tampa Bay’s expansion team, chose Devil Rays out of more than 7,000 suggestions submitted by the public in 1995.

The reaction was not positive.

“So far, I’ve fielded about 20 phone calls protesting Devil Rays, and most of the callers have described themselves as Christians who are upset about the word devil,”

It’s likely it bought up images of those shitheads from Duke University (fair enough)

Naimoli reportedly wanted to nickname his team the Sting Rays, but it was trademarked by a team in the Hawaiian Winter League. The team dropped the “Devil” after the 2007 season and the curse that had plagued the franchise for the previous decade was apparently lifted, as Tampa Bay made a surprising run to the World Series the following season.

Why am I excited to see their city?

Northern Florida is where its at!

I’m keen to see all the washed up wrestlers who now reside in Tampa, the boardwalks where you can sip frozen alcohol by the beach, and indulge in some of the trashiest activities in the USA.

GIVE ME TAAAAMMMPPPPAA!!

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

It’s apparently a thing that this ballpark has literally no soul and is not the greatest fan experience (apparently not many fans give a fuck about the Rays).

It’s an indoor stadium as the tropical weather of Tampa is prone to storms, and unlike other teams with indoor stadiums (for example Arizona), the Rays stadium has a tradition of balls which are hit actually HITTING the roof – a fatal design flaw.

That being said, there is one tradition where the fans ring cowbells every home game. No this is not because Tampa Bay is known for cows (I don’t think there’s a cow within 5 hours of the place), but rather because the owner of the team enjoyed a Saturday Night Live skit involving cowbells, and thus, a tradition is born……….

GIVE ME TAAAAMMMPPPPAA!!

Who is a famous fan?

It’s not easy to find a famous Tampa Bay fan because, quite simply, baseball just isn’t a big deal in Tampa.

But there is one guy, and I alluded to where he might come from before. He is the guy who told you to say your prayers and take your vitamins. An inspiration to us all, the one and only real American, HULK F’N HOGAN!

CUE THE MUSIC!

A fun/weird fact about the Rays?

The Rays look quite plain today with their uniforms and colours, but this wasn’t always the case. In their early days, the Rays were one of the coolest neon go-getters this side of 1989!

Whilst not traditional baseball attire, I bet we all wish the team would go back to wearing these right?

GIVE ME TAAAAMMMPPPPAA!!

Why are the called the Braves?

 The Braves, who played in Boston and Milwaukee before moving to Atlanta in 1966, trace their nickname to the symbol of a corrupt political machine.

James Gaffney, who became president of Boston’s National League franchise in 1911, was a member of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party machine that controlled New York City politics throughout the 19th century.

The Tammany name was derived from Tammamend, a Delaware Valley Indian chief. The society adopted an Indian headdress as its emblem and its members became known as Braves.

An actual Brave:

Why am I excited to see their city? 

Atlanta – known as the capital of the South, has become more of a cosmopolitan city since hosting the summer Olympics in 1996.

With the Coca-Cola factory, great golf courses and the Buckhead neighbourhood, there is plenty to do and some great people to meet in Atlanta.

To be honest though, the main reason I’m excited to see the city again is to hang with my good mate Dave, who I drove cross country from LA to Atlanta back in 2013. A trip where we truly had the time of our lives (see below).

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

When the Braves need a rally, nothing beats the Tomahawk Chop! Well, the only thing that beats a Tomahawk Chop is a Tomahawk Steak – but that’s another blog post for another day.

Who is a famous fan? 

Now, I’ve focused heavily on musical famous fans, so with the Braves…… I’m going to stick with my winning formula (give the readers what they want I say)!

So as the capital of the South, you’ve got some awesome rappers who call Atlanta home. T.I, Ludacris, Young Jeezy and Future are all some of Hip Hops biggest names that mastered their craft in or around Atlanta.

But, it would be rude of me to not cue up perhaps the greatest rap duo of all time, none other, than the ATLiens OUTKAST.

NOW CUE THE MUUUUUUSICK!

A fun/weird fact about the Braves?

Much like our friends in the last post the Nationals, the Braves also have a logo that is very similar to another entity, though this time not the corporate type.

Below I’ve posted the Braves logo and the University of Alabama’s logo (not necessarily in that order). If you can tell me the difference, I’ll buy you a beer*

Is this the University of Alabama trying to infiltrate the MLB? Or are the Braves looking at expanding their reach out of state? Again guys, I’ll let you know when I hit the ground.

*may not actually buy you a beer 😉

Why are the called the Nationals?

Washington’s original baseball team was interchangeably referred to as the Senators and Nationals, or Nats for short, for most of its time in the District before relocating to Minnesota in 1960.

Washington’s 1961 expansion franchise was known almost exclusively as the Senators until it moved to Texas after the 1971 season. When the Montreal Expos relocated to the nation’s capital in 2005, the team revived the Nationals nickname.

Why am I excited to see their city? 

Washington D.C is a great city where the air smells as political as the conversations.

With the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill and 100’s of museums all in walking distance, it is an awesome place for a tourist to explore and see some of the coolest monuments on earth.

Check out my singlet phase!

In addition to this, Georgetown (what a name), is nearby, which has the George College campus, as well as tons of cool bars and restaurants – it feels as if they’ve transplanted a really cool college town right into the city.

Yep – very excited to get back to DC.

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

Even though they’re a relatively “new” franchise. The Nationals have gone above and beyond to create some awesome traditions in their ball park.

From Veteran salutes at every home game (hey, it’s the nations capital), through to their Centre Field Entrance, it appears the Nationals are doing what it takes to really engage their fan base and build support for the great product they’ve managed to put on the field in recent times.

However, by far the coolest tradition they do, is the PRESIDENT RACE at every home game. Here, they line up some former classic Presidents of the USA and race them… because why not?

Check it out below:

Wonder if we’ll ever get a head to head with Trump vs Obama? We can only hope

Who is a famous fan? 

Being in the nations capital, you’ve politicians like Joe Biden and George Washington (probably).

But the guy I’m going with is again down the music ally and a very underrated rapper – WALE!

CUE THE GOD DAMN MUSIC! (great song)

A fun/weird fact about the Nationals?

When the Nationals moved from Montreal to Washington, is it possible they stole Walgreen’s (a MASSIVE chain pharmacy) logo?

Is something more sinister going on here with corporate greed entering the whole baseball arena?

Folks, I’ll let you be the judge here…..

Walgreens:

Nationals:

(gotta wake up pretty early in the morning to pull a fast one on me)

Please can we take a minute to appreciate how good this logo is?

Ok, commence reading about the “O’s” or as they say in Maryland – “O’s Hon”

Why are the called the Orioles?

When the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954, the franchise was rebranded with the same nickname of the Baltimore team that dominated the old National League in the late 1890s.

That team, which featured the likes of Wee Willie Keeler and John McGraw, was named after the state bird of Maryland. The orange and black colours of the male Oriole bird resembled the colours on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore.

Check out this guy below:

Why am I excited to see their city?

 To be honest, there’s not a lot in Baltimore I’m excited to see outside of their ballpark Camden Yards – another very very attractive and classic ballpark, and also the harbour views which will probably remind me of home.

Apart from this, I am hoping I can find the place where they make my favourite seasoning – none other than OLD BAY!! mmmmmmmmmmmm

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

One interesting tradition that the Orioles undertake, is following the singing of “Take me out to the ball game” in the seventh inning stretch, the team plays the song “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” – a bit odd when Baltimore is a reasonably sized city right?

The reason for this is because 1975 General Manager Frank Cashen suggested the team play some pop music to engage the younger fans.

Sure enough it worked, but someone in the Orioles office forgot that pop music only lasts a few weeks, and thus “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” stills plays to this day as tradition (here we got my man John Denver’s redition)

 BONUS UN-TRADITION

Whilst you-tubing, I also found this song. Labelling it a must watch so get in the spirit – if it’s not a tradition, it damn well should be!

Who is a famous fan?

Oh man, this is too easy of a layup for me. I could go with Maryland’s second finest export (after Old Bay) Olympian Michael Phelps, or awesome actor Edward Norton, but instead, I’ll go with one of the greatest characters and scenes in TV history Elaine Benes (of Seinfeld fame).

Must watch clip below:

A fun/weird fact about the Orioles?

Politics and sports should never mix right? Well tell that to the Orioles who were somewhat trailblazers when it came to US-Cuba relations.

The team split a home-and-home series in a pair of exhibition games against the Cuban National Team, which included a 12-6 loss at Camden Yards on May 3 1999.

Isn’t that nice????

Why are the called the Phillies?

Founded in 1883 as the Quakers, the franchise changed its nickname to the Philadelphia’s, which soon became Phillies. New owner Robert Carpenter held a contest to rename the team in 1943 and Blue Jays was selected as the winner (shout out Toronto).

What could have been?

While the team wore a Blue Jay patch on its uniforms for a couple of seasons, the nickname failed to catch on – so back we go to the Phillies (a better name for sure).

Why am I excited to see their city?

Philadelphia literally translates to “The City of Brotherly Love”, and is one key East Coast city that I haven’t been to but am very keen to see.

A big highlight for me will be seeing the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and also some of the dive bars that are scattered around town.

But, the BIGGEST highlight for me will be… well just watch below 🙂

The stairs baby! The stairs! (do not care how cliché it is to shadow box at the top of those)

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

Another city where the mascot becomes the tradition, the Philly Phanatic is probably the funniest and weirdest mascot in the league. Whilst the product on the field hasn’t been amazing recently (since the 2008 World Series win), the Phanatic is worth the price of admission alone.

Check him out!

 Who is a famous fan? 

Surprisingly, for an East Coast team in a large market, there just ain’t a lot of famous fans of the Phillies.

But one guy who WILL stand out from the common everyday SMITH is…. Well, CUE THE MUSIC!

A fun/weird fact about the Phillies?

Once upon a time, playing night baseball was a thing of dreams. How would you power those lights in a stadium so people could see that little white dot moving at 1 million miles per hour you say?

Well, the Phillies broke new ground and started a revolution, when they (along with the Reds), played the first ever night game!

Thus a tradition of prime time baseball was born – thanks Philly!

Now, before you read this post, I really want you to play this song – it’ll make it so much better!

SO STEP RIGHT UP AND MEET THE METS!

Why are the called the Mets? 

Team officials asked fans to choose a nickname from among 10 finalists when New York was awarded an expansion National League franchise in 1961. The finalists were Avengers, Bees, Burros, Continentals, Jets, Mets, NYBS, Rebels, Skyliners, and Skyscrapers.

The team received 2,563 mailed entries, which included 9,613 suggestions, and 644 different names. Mets was the resounding winner, followed by two nicknames that weren’t among the team’s 10 suggestions—Empires and Islanders.

Why am I excited to see their city?

See New York Yankees:

For the record and fast fact, the Mets play in Queens, whilst the Yankees play in The Bronx. Each year they play in two interleague series called “The Subway Series”.

Here’s some photos of me at this very series (and trying to get a photo with Mr Met – more about him later)

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

The Mets are another team with a relatively new stadium, but one cool feature of the stadium is the “Big Apple” (get it), that gets raised every time the Mets score a home run! (or you can watch below for a premature apple rise – pure Mets, pure gold!)

Very gimmicky, but it really gets the fans going!

Also, we have got another one of the coolest mascots who is a tradition at all Mets events – MR MET!

Hmmmmm, feels like we’ve seen this guy before?

Is it possible that the Reds mascot is simply Mr Met in disguise? Did Mr Met go commie on us at one point, or did Red shave and drop his heritage??

The investigation will continue when I’m on the ground – stay tuned.

Who is a famous fan?

Again, like the New York Yankees and these other big East Coast teams, there is no shortage of celebrity fans of the Mets.

It seems, much like their play on the field (a joke), plenty of comedians love the Mets.

Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Rock, John Stewart and my boy KFC from Barstool Sports all LOVE the Mets (which will probably be the death of KFC one day).

But I’m going with the Jewish Juggernaut himself, Mr Jerry Seinfeld!

CUE THE STANDUP!

A fun/weird fact about the Mets?

The Mets use the colours Blue, Orange, Black and White.

The reason? These are the colours of the Dodgers and Giants (you’ll recall from earlier in this blog that both these teams left New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively – if you don’t, I suggest you catch up son!).

It was thought that to engage the New York fans who felt let down by the teams leaving for the Wild West, these colours could be used and quickly adopted… the result? Errrrrr not so much – but for these fans it would still beat cheering for the Yankees!

Perhaps the most famous team of them all. We’re down to the “Capital of the World” New York City, and their darlings – the Yankees!

Why are the called the Yankees?

In 1903, the original Baltimore Orioles moved to New York, where they became the Highlanders. As was common at the time, the team, which played in the American League, was also known as the New York Americans. New York Press editor Jim Price coined the nickname Yanks, or Yankees, in 1904 because it was easier to fit in headlines.

Why am I excited to see their city? 

I’ll level with everyone here…. I’m not a massive New York City guy.

Sure it’s an awesome place, with heaps of things to do, but after a while for me, the city becomes somewhat repetitive and at the end of the day…. It’s just another big City.

Don’t get me wrong, Central Park, Broadway, Times Square, Empire State, Statue of Liberty are all INCREDIBLE! But whilst you’ve got all of this, you also have to deal with over crowding, intense heat (or cold) and trash… literally trash everywhere! I don’t get it. why is it always just on the streets??

Anyway, like I said, it is an incredible place, but I’m not convinced it deserves all the hype it gets.

Does that make me sound like an asshole? Probably….

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

Another team steeped in tradition, (well until they built the new Yankee Stadium), being at a Yankees game is an experience in itself. Every game feels like a BIG game because of the stars on the field, and the New Stadium has some of the finest details.

One cool tradition is after the 5^th inning of every game while the grounds crew is dragging the infield base paths (basically smoothing out the dirt between bases), the famous Village People song “YMCA” plays over the loud speaker.

One the song reaches its chorus, the grounds crew drop what they’re doing and well…. Just watch!

Who is a famous fan? 

Wow. I mean, it feels like everyone is a fan of the Yankees right? Can’t really go a day without seeing the famous NY logo on a cap on someone no matter where you are in the world.

With a list too long to type out this time of night, I’m going to go down the music route (for something different), and one of my favourite and perhaps best Hip Hop star of all time, the King of New York Jay-Z!

DO me a favour an cue some music!

A fun/weird fact about the Yankees?

With 27 World Series titles (yes 27), the Yankees are by far the most successful team in professional baseball history (St Louis is in second with 11……). Basically, the Yankees have won close to 25% of every World Series played, an incredible statistic in any sport.

As an FYI, fierce rivals Boston Red Sox have won 8 – bit of catching up to do, but recent results suggest the Red Sox have a greater chance in 2017 than the Yanks.

Why are the called the Red Sox?

Check the colour of their socks for all 4 uniforms….

Why am I excited to see their city? 

Ah Boston. What a city! Here it feels like New York but with more space… if that makes any sense? You’ve got some awesome Irish bars around town, Fenway and the historical Cambridge neighbourhood.

Whilst some pockets have a reputation for being rough or trashy, the diversity in the city makes it some thing awesome and I’m excited to go back again.

What is a tradition at their ballpark?

A tradition at their ballpark? Hmmmm. This is a difficult one, because it really feels like their entire ballpark is one big tradition!

I’ve been fortunate enough to have been to a game at Fenway Park (pronounced Ffenway Pahrk in Boston), and the ground whilst old, felt like you were taken back to simpler times. Here I am below enjoying a game with my mate Simmo.

People with grills set-up outside, guys with grills cooking the finest street meat, I had one of the greatest baseball experiences at Fenway that beautiful summers day.

One notable feature is “The Green Monster”. A green wall in left field that extends 11.33m high and is a challenge for even the best hitters to get a homer over.

Looking at the monster!

Who is a famous fan?

Given how big the Red Sox are (trust me they are world renowned and probably the second biggest team after their intense rivals the Yankees), there is again no shortage of famous fans.

From Ben Affleck (of course), Matt Damon (duh), Mark Wahlburg and half of the New England Patriots roster, you can pretty much name a celebrity fan and you might hit on them cheering for the Red Sox.

But like I did with the Chicago Cubs, I’m going with the founder of my favourite site on the internet, and also one of the best writers I’ve had the pleasure of reading for almost 10 years (humblebrag).

None other, than the King of the Beach, Salt of the Earth, Brick by Brick, Pizza review legend and founder of Barstool Sports Dave “El Presidente” Portnoy!

Cue some music!

A fun/weird fact about the Red Sox?

Much like their tradition rich rivals the Cubs, the Red Sox had a hard time winning the World Series due to the “curse of the Bambino”.

Basically, the owner of the Red Sox in the 1919-1920 offseason traded away star player Babe Ruth (to HEATED rivals the New York Yankees) for nothing but cold hard cash. Babe would of course go on to be one of the most successful baseball players of all time winning multiple World Series with the Yankees .

Meanwhile, the Red Sox would have to wait 86 years between drinks, not winning another World Series title until 2004.

Don’t feel too bad for the city of Boston though. Since 2000, this is how their sports teams have performed:

Patriots (NFL) – 5 Super Bowl titles

Red Sox (MLB) – 3 World Series

Bruins (NHL) – 1 Stanley Cup

Celtics (NBA) – 1

Quite insane which has earned this “blue collar” city, the moniker “Title Town”