So instead of hunkering down at a table for one and gorging ourselves on wings last night, we did some preliminary research for the Great Baseball Road Trip 2K8. This year’s trip, it has been decided, will be an all minor league affair, likely taking us to the loveliest parts of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and possibly beyond. This year’s trip is partially in response to a disconnect with the salaries and scandals of the big leagues; more to the point, however, it is a recognition that on virtually every other GBRT, the one or two minor league games sprinkled in among the five or six major league games have ended up being the baseball highlight of the trip for our crew. There’s something far more intimate and far more pure about the small stadiums, the fans and even the specialty foods at minor league games. There are no retractable roofs, everybody hustles and sometimes, if you’re lucky, you see a rising star on the way up or a washed-up former major leaguer on the way down. You can hear yourself think at a minor league game. You can start strange conversations. Yeah, so anyway: We haven’t been to any of the ballparks that we plan to visit this year. We haven’t set an itinerary yet for sure, but like we said: Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana are definitely in play. Has anyone visited parks in these or surrounding states, and would you have any recommendations for a crew of baseball lovers?

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