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May 27, 2014 This is Not Your Father's Baseball Road TripIntro and ItineraryRemember that time your mother or father took you on your first baseball road trip? You packed up the car, bought the tickets, took time off from work or school. The drive was excruciatingly long, and it felt even longer because your dad made you listen to DEVO the whole way there. Maybe you went to Fenway and Shea, or Wrigley and Comiskey, or Dodger Stadium and the Big A. You probably brought your glove to the game, because of course you were going to catch a ball. We’re happy that you have these beautiful memories from your childhood. We really are. But that is not what you should expect from us.
Today we will embark on a road trip of our own. Over the next week and a half we will be chronicling our journey here at Baseball Prospectus. Let me be perfectly clear: THIS IS NOT YOUR FATHER’S BASEBALL ROADTRIP. This is an entirely different beast. This is the intense, absurd, insane, bastardized version of your treasured childhood memories.
And who are we? We are Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman. If you know us, you probably know our blog, Cespedes Family Barbecue. We tend to focus on the more comedic aspects of baseball because baseball, after all, is a game and should be treated as such. While we love a good joke about Prince Fielder’s cervix (looking at you, Sam), we also know quite a bit about the ins and outs of the sport. We’ve been Baseball Prospectus subscribers for years, and we’re honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the site.
What does this road trip entail? Starting in our hometown of Washington D.C., we will make our way down through the south and eventually to Texas, where we will be experiencing almost as much BBQ as we will baseball. This trip will include 13 games in 12 days, and we will see almost every level of baseball, including a college regional, Low-A, High-A, Double-A, Triple-A, and the big leagues. Who knows—we might even stop off at a little league game in Mobile or a retirement home’s softball playoffs in Arkansas. And while baseball is the backbone of the trip, we’ll still have time to see some of the South’s cultural gems.
As you read this, we’re probably already on our way to Lynchburg, Virginia for the first stop on our trip, a High-A showdown between the Lynchburg Hillcats (Braves) and the Frederick Keys (Orioles). If you enjoy funny stories, minor league absurdities, large Cuban sluggers named Yoenis, Elvis Presley, and the lighter side of baseball, we think you’re going to love our series. So buckle your seatbelt, grab some snacks, and get ready for a week and a half of the absolute finest the Cespedes Family Barbecue crew has to offer. Just remember: this is not your father’s baseball road trip.
May 27th: Frederick @ Lynchburg 9 comments have been left for this article.
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This is going to be good.