2012 Baseball Trip-Game 10: Reunited, and it feels so good!!!
West Michigan Whitecaps vs. South Bend Silver Hawks
Fifth-Third Ballpark–Comstock Park, MI: Well, my ex was actually nice enough to drive my kids down state so they could join us for our last game of the trip. I was so happy to be reunited with my babies again, you have no idea!!!! My mom was able to join us, too, for this game, and due to medical reasons this is her first game in some time. It was Sunday, so that meant family day, and the kids could get in free with their Crash’s Kids Club passes. We were also able to get on the field to get some autographs and pics with some of the players and mascots. Brian loves to see Crash and Frankie, and the players are great with all of the fans, especially the kids. It was still extremely hot, but I had the foresight to get us seats under the over-hang and out of the sun. The kids still spent some time on the playground, though. The Whitecaps fell behind 4-0, but battled back on home runs by Dean Green and Steven Moya. Kyle Ryan pitched for the ‘Caps, and did a solid job. This game was so much fun, and it’s just one of those days that you’re so thankful for. This was the perfect finale for our 2012 baseball trip. We have more games on tap for this season, but will start looking into potential trips for next year. Final: Whitecaps 5, Silver Hawks 4.
Trevor with Patrick Leyland. Both are catchers, and both have dads who are great baseball coaches.
Kyle Ryan pitching for the Whitecaps
Brian with his Nana
Brian meeting PBS’ WordGirl!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Minoring In Baseball 
Congrats on another successful trip! Nice to see Brian broke out that monkey backpack. I need to get me one of those!
–Jeff
Jeff-the backpack is a must for Brian,but he had a great time as we all did. The trip was a good time.
–Mike
It looks like you guys had an awesome trip! The Whitecaps ballpark looks like it would be fun to visit. They have a lot of interaction it also looks like. Glad the Caps won!
-Quinn
Quinn-the ‘Caps stadium rivals most Triple-A ballparks (other than Buffalo!). They do a lot of fun stuff for kids and families. I can’t wait for our next game.
–Mike
The boys of summerAh, sniprg when a young man’s fancy turns to baseball.Yep, for a good chunk of red-blooded Americans, the arrival of sniprg means only one thing sniprg training for Major League Baseball.So you’re a huge fan and you can’t wait for opening day to get your fix, or maybe you just want to see how the new guys your favorite team signed in the offseason look, or you want to catch a glimpse of the latest crop of rookies. No problem, you just need to head south.Cactus and grapefruit, oh myAlthough the dates back to 1869, when William Marcy Boss Tweed, head of New York’s notoriously corrupt Tammany Hall political machine sent the New York Mutuals to New Orleans to prepare for the coming season.Since then, baseball teams have prepared for the yearly grind in various locations throughout the country, finally settling in two areas in modern times Arizona (the Cactus League) and Florida (the Grapefruit League).Spring training offers a great chance for folks in the north to take a nice vacation from the lingering snow and cold, as well as offering an economical way to see pro baseball’s big stars game tickets are far less expensive than those for the regular season.Although teams can (and do) change towns and venues from time to time, even today, here’s a list of where you can find your favorite MLB team during the month of March, current as of the 2012 season:Cactus League Arizona Scottsdale Mesa Glendale Goodyear Goodyear Scottsdale Surprise Tempe Glendale Phoenix Phoenix Peoria Scottsdale Peoria SurpiseGrapefruit League Florida Kissimmee Sarasota Fort Myers Lakeland Kissimmee Jupiter Fort Myers Port St. Lucie Tampa Clearwater
Great pics and write-up from the trip and this sounds like the perfect conclusion to a fun vacation – all together again! While I’m sure it’s fun to have a few days away, I can only imagine how much you missed them.
— Kristen
Kristen-miss them I did! It is good to be able to relax once in a while, though, and only have yourself to worry about. They’ll have my full attention until next year, though!
–Mike