The Ballpark Bucket List: Take THIS Out to the Ballgame

Need something to take your mind off of the awful Home Opener yesterday? Well, here at South Side Sox, we’ve got you covered. A complete deviation from our usual type of coverage, today I’m here to review a cool new book for fans who have a Major League Baseball stadium bucket list!

---

Are you in the process of or planning to make the rounds to all 30 MLB stadiums? If so, this is a must-have, comprehensive, guided journal you shouldn’t leave home without!

It was 1993 when my then-boyfriend, now husband, and I began our quest to visit all of the MLB parks. Of course, our first one was the new Comiskey Park — and Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, where the Sox lost a nail-biter, 3-1, against the eventual World Series Champion Toronto Blue Jays. Over the past 30 years, we have made it to 19 more stadiums for a total of 20, leaving us with 10 more to go. We’ll knock one more off our list when we hit Yankees Stadium this summer to see the White Sox face off against the Bronx Bombers in June.

Melissa Sage-Bollenbach

This journal is something that I really wish I had had when we started our adventure all of those years ago. It’s bound in faux leather with superb, heat-stamped cover art. It has everything you need to begin your stadium expeditions — the perfect companion to preserve every park’s memories and unique experiences.

The journal includes:

• A brief description of all 30 parks
• A place to log details of the game, favorite players, as well as food consumed, and souvenirs purchased
• Prompts to record memorable moments and rating systems for fan engagement and ballpark music
• A checklist for specific plays that happened during the game
• Details about notable ballpark traditions
• Information and history on Spring Training
• Pages for autographs and several blank scorecards
• A final challenge to extend your bucket list to other baseball experiences, including visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame and attending an All-Star Game, to name a few

Melissa Sage-Bollenbach

When I received my journal copy, my 17-year-old son was anxious to sit down and go through it with me. Since we had recently returned from Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic, the excitement of a new season pulsed through our veins. It would be only fitting for me to give him the journal, so he could record the beginning of his stadium adventures (it really is an ideal gift for a young fan who is hoping for future baseball adventures). He enthusiastically began filling in the details from our recent trip, and will now have a special keepsake to pass down through generations.

Melissa Sage-Bollenbach

If you plan to make the trek to visit all of the MLB stadiums, you need to pick up a copy of The Ballpark Bucket List: Take THIS Out to the Ballgame, by James Buckley Jr. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local, independent book store!

Melissa Sage-Bollenbach

---