By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

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So we all received a bonus when the MLB decided to post its schedule early.  For the benefit of those who don’t know my plan as yet. … I am planning on attending at least 1 baseball game a day at an MLB Park for the whole calendar season of 2015.

I will see many doubleheaders during this odyssey, I will be adding these to the list as the games start times become available.

After perusing this 2430 games schedule on the docket next year.  I now have my tentative schedule.

I will be writing lots on the journey as the information becomes available….so stay tuned…

Photo Credit – Eddie Bultman

Here are some bullet points for this trip.

– For a game to be considered legitimate, a ballpark chaser has to view at least 5 innings at a ballpark without leaving the premises, or 4 1/2 if the home team is leaving.

– My home ballpark is Safeco Field, so naturally I will be seeing the most games there than anywhere else, with the exception of Citizens Bank Ball Park in Philly, as I have a brother that lives a minute drive away.

– As of right now, I have scheduled at least 3 games per ballpark.  Some more than others, and for the cases of doubleheaders added, it will simply be placed on the cumulative game total.

– With 180 days of the schedule, and 2 for the ALL – Star Break (HR Derby + Game), and potentially 1 overseas), that is why it is listed as 183 days.  Having said that, I am not going to the ALL – Star Festivities, and if the MLB opens up overseas (meaning not USA or Canada) I am not going to that game.

– The real opening contest is slated for SUN Apr.5, 2015 (TBD) – and that is where I am starting from.

– I have given myself much flexibility for several doubleheader chances throughout this journey, as I keenly observed when the Yankees/Mets, Dodgers/Angels, A’s/Giants, Orioles/Nats, Cubs/Brewers +Houston/Texas are all in town at the same time.  I believe I should be able to attempt 50 – 60 days of 2 games for the whole campaign.  I have done 10 attempts in 24 or 27 days before, so just stretch that out by 6 – 8 in multiplication.

– The MLB schedule start times will be posted for every single team by the end of January.  The Indians and Red Sox are usually the last teams to have them up.  Sorry for picking you guys, but maybe this year, you will strive not to be.

– My favorite teams in the AL/NL are the Yankees and Nationals, and I will be seeing them play in many road venue’s as well as at home.

The Mariners have one of the gem stadiums in all of baseball right now. As a person with season ticket holder rights, I will take advantage of savings and perks – to witness about 30 games in 2015 out of the 230 or o I am going to.

– For April and May, I am witnessing about 80% of the Mariners games at Safeco.  In some cases, I will be flying short plane trips to Arizona, San Diego, Texas and the Bay Area to make up the other games.

– While in Seattle, I will cross the border to my native homeland Canada at least 14 times,  As a permanent resident, I am only allowed to travel 180 days out of the year in the USA.  I will be visiting the Rogers Center for 3 games in September, but I want to have some eligible days in case I end up staying in the country for some playoff series.

– I have a good chance of not being rained out to start with all the 5 California teams, Arizona, Seattle – with both Florida and Texas teams heavily favored on the docket to begin the campaign, but we all know mother nature can wreak havoc anywhere.  I will try to make it to the stadiums every day no matter what travel I am faced with. While it would be nice to not have a suspended or cancelled games, in the course of a full year the probability is high.  With not many East games until June, I have upped my odd just a tad though.

– I have a primary rental car that I will have parked in Seattle for the 1st 10 weeks.  I will be able to drive it to and from Oakland/San Francisco and Seattle pretty easily. When I do start venturing Eastbound, I will use the I – 5 highway to Los Angeles, then onto Phoenix, Colorado, Kansas City, Chicago, Washington before I set up the car in Philly from mid June to the end of August.

With family living in New Jersey about a $5 public transit move away, I will be visiting CBP for another 30 games to help keep costs down for the whole year trip. In addition to this park being cool – it also has doubleheader chances with both New York teams and Baltimore/Washington. It is a good place to set up shop on the Eastern Seaboard.

– I will have 35 free rental days from National/Alamo to play with.  For this reason, I never have to drive with the main car into Texas, Atlanta, or Florida with that car.  Also where it makes sense time-wise to fly somewhere, I have the ability not to spend and arm and a leg with rental car expenses.  

-As an Executive Elite member at National Car Rental I am able to pick my own car, have 4 additional drivers free, and also take a car from airport to airport (within 24 hours) and not pay the one-way fees).  This means I can rent a car at Oakland’s Airport, and drop it off at LAX in Los Angeles within that full day window.  What is so awesome about the free days is I also don’t pay any taxes except the cleaning charge.  I will probably end up using all 35 days I possess.

– Lodging I will divulge more at a future date, but I usually bid through Priceline, plus I have friends in several cities of the 30 parks.  Car rentals/Gas and plane tickets will be the most costly part of the trip.

Okay enough chat, we have 7 months for that…Here is the schedule!

If there are 2 or 3 cities listed, I will be picking parks based heavily on doubleheaders factors once all of the game times have been posted.  The order is my preference in seeing the park that day.

April

Opening Day  April 5th – TBD

6 – 8 SEA   (Safeco Field Home Opener)

9 – 12 OAK

13 – 16 SF (AT @ T Park Home Opener)

17 – 22 SEA 

23RD – SF  

24 – 26  – SEA 

27 – 29 ARI/SD/LAA 

30TH OAK

May

1 – 3 LAD/SD

4th SEA

5 – 7 SF

8 – 10 SEA

11 – 13 ARI/LAA/LAD

14 – 18 TEX/HOU

19 – 21 MIA

22 – 24 NYY

25 – 27 NYY/NYM

28 – 30 OAK/SF

31 SEA

June

01 – 03 SEA

04 – 07 LAD

08 – 10 NYY/NYM

11TH – OAK

12 – 16 LAA

17 – ARI

18 – 20 COL

21 – KC

22 – CHC

23 – 25 WSH

26 – 30 PHI

July

1 – 2 PHI

3 – 5 WSH

6 – 8 SF

9TH – SEA

10 – 12 SF

13 – 16 ALL STAR BREAK

17- 22 PHI

23 – NYM/NYY

24 – 26 TB

27 – 29 BAL

30 – 31 PHI

AUG

1 – 2 PHI

3RD – WSH

4 – 6 PHI

7 – 9 CHC

10 – 12 CWS

13 – CLE

14 – 16 HOU/TEX

17- 20 TEX/HOU

21 – 23 NYM/BAL/WSH

24 – 27 PHI

28 – 30 ATL

31ST – BOS

SEPT

1 – 2 BOS

3RD – WSH

4 – 6 – CIN

7 – 9 – KC

10TH – CIN

11 – 13 CLE

14 – CWS

15 – 17 MIL

18 – 20 TOR

21 – 23 STL

24TH – CIN

25 – 27 DET

28 – 30 PIT

October

1st – CWS

2 – 4 MIN

END OF THE REGULAR SEASON

Ben Fallon (Left) and Chuck Booth (Right) at Nats Park (Patriots Day 2012).

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