Baseball Trip / Book Writing

[donk13]

Please forgive this n00b if this is the wrong forum for this.

I have an idea I am working on and will be over the next year. I am planning a trip to each MLB Stadium, CWS, LLWS, Minor League games, as well as HS and other amateur games. The idea is to travel and watch maybe 75+ games over the course of several months, talk to fans, players, coaches, etc... and write a book about it all. I would like to interview any and everyone about the game of baseball. From the history to steroids to the stadiums themselves. I want to get the feel of each MLB team and its fans as well as the differences from HS to the minors to the majors.

So my question to you guys is this:
What would you want to hear about?

I am not sure the book could really come together till the interviews are done but I am going to start to put together types of questions for HS players vs Minor league players.

I hope to raise money for charity (Jimmy V Foundation is first choice right now) along the way. Ways I hope to do this are sponsorships, auctions (of any memorabilia I can collect along the way), and from any book sales.

This is really an idea in the making so any feedback, input, questions, or comments are greatly appreciated.

The last thing I want this to turn into is a day by day account of my travels (there will be a blog for that) or solely about the stadiums I visit since this has been done in the past. The hardest part might be getting some top execs or players to interview. I don't have anyone helping me but me. No marketing people etc....
I will create a website as well to post pics and the blog and what not and I need help with naming that as well. I was thinkign of something like dreamtrip.com or something. I have some thoughts on that but nothing concrete yet since, like I said before, this is an idea in the making.

Ok enough rambling for now.
What do you think?

[Colonel Kataffy]

Sounds awesome. Entirely right forum. I'd love to hear stories from vendors. I know that sounds weird, but if you go to these old parks, there is always a vendor that has been working their for 50 years. I bet they have stories.

[MicroBob]

There was a book called 'Stolen Season' by a guy who travelled all over the country attending minor-league games.
Pretty good read actually.


I might also recommend a couple of non-baseball books about travelling around the country:
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon (think that's his name)
Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck.



Get the book Baseball America Directory for a long list of phone-numbers and executives' names.
Probably available on BaseballAmerica.com although I've also seen it in bookstores.

If you call ahead of time and make arrangements and are courteous and professional I think you'll be surprised at how accomodating the executives will be for interviews.


There was a couple that travelled to every minor-league stadium in 1991 or so. They had some video-tape about it but mostly just did interviews as they were travelling along.
Lots of interesting stories.
Probably could find out more about them via a google search.
And they might be willing to talk to you if you were able to track them down.



There are also books by guys who travelled with individual teams.
John Feinstein travelling with Holy Cross mostly (I think) in a college hoops season in the Patriot Lg.
There was some guy who I met in 1992 who travelled with the Waterloo (IA) Diamonds in the Midwest League but I can't remember his name.


But I again refer to Stolen Season as one of the better books that is similar to your plan.
Probably can find it on half.com (the e-bay for new and used books).
He did such a good job of interviewing the players and GM's, etc and documenting their various joys and frustrations even though he only met each of them for just a few days.

[donk13]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds awesome. Entirely right forum. I'd love to hear stories from vendors. I know that sounds weird, but if you go to these old parks, there is always a vendor that has been working their for 50 years. I bet they have stories.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the idea. I'll be sure to put that down on my list.

[donk13]

[ QUOTE ]
There was a book called 'Stolen Season' by a guy who travelled all over the country attending minor-league games.
Pretty good read actually.


I might also recommend a couple of non-baseball books about travelling around the country:
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon (think that's his name)
Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck.



Get the book Baseball America Directory for a long list of phone-numbers and executives' names.
Probably available on BaseballAmerica.com although I've also seen it in bookstores.

If you call ahead of time and make arrangements and are courteous and professional I think you'll be surprised at how accomodating the executives will be for interviews.


There was a couple that travelled to every minor-league stadium in 1991 or so. They had some video-tape about it but mostly just did interviews as they were travelling along.
Lots of interesting stories.
Probably could find out more about them via a google search.
And they might be willing to talk to you if you were able to track them down.



There are also books by guys who travelled with individual teams.
John Feinstein travelling with Holy Cross mostly (I think) in a college hoops season in the Patriot Lg.
There was some guy who I met in 1992 who travelled with the Waterloo (IA) Diamonds in the Midwest League but I can't remember his name.


But I again refer to Stolen Season as one of the better books that is similar to your plan.
Probably can find it on half.com (the e-bay for new and used books).
He did such a good job of interviewing the players and GM's, etc and documenting their various joys and frustrations even though he only met each of them for just a few days.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the info. I'll definately look into that book. I have found a few people who have made similar trips that I am talking to getting ideas and such.

[MicroBob]

Also a book called Baseball Lives about the lives of different people in different aspects of baseball.

One chapter about a GM, one about a star player, one about a radio broadcaster, etc etc.

If you run across any minor-league radio announcers they will usually have some good stories to tell...and they love to tell them.


I was a radio-broadcaster in minor-league ball for about 10 years and have story after story of busses breaking down in scary neighborhoods (team almost got into a brawl with a local gang), triple-headers until 2am, games in front of 9 fans, games where I couldn't see the outfielders because there was so much fog, game where an outfielder just left the game because he got the runs (manager had no idea where the hell he went, couldn't find him in the dugout, and had to use a pinch-hitter).

etc etc etc.

[donk13]

[ QUOTE ]
Also a book called Baseball Lives about the lives of different people in different aspects of baseball.

One chapter about a GM, one about a star player, one about a radio broadcaster, etc etc.

If you run across any minor-league radio announcers they will usually have some good stories to tell...and they love to tell them.


I was a radio-broadcaster in minor-league ball for about 10 years and have story after story of busses breaking down in scary neighborhoods (team almost got into a brawl with a local gang), triple-headers until 2am, games in front of 9 fans, games where I couldn't see the outfielders because there was so much fog, game where an outfielder just left the game because he got the runs (manager had no idea where the hell he went, couldn't find him in the dugout, and had to use a pinch-hitter).

etc etc etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll take a look at that book as well, thanks.

sounds like an interesting job being a minor league radio annoucner. how did you come into something like that? did you play ball?

if i start anoying you with questions let me know. I love this game and love to hear stories about. Its the one thing I can't get enough of and I seem to be in the minority there. Most people I know get bored very quickly when I talk baseball.

[donk13]

I am also searching for a website name so if you have any ideas throw them my way.

Thanks