Baseball Trip '09 is Underway!

This entry is being written at about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, somewhere within the confines of Pennsylvania as my travelling companions and I make our way to Pittsburgh. That is where we will stop over at our good friend Matt's house -- a way station of sorts -- before continuing tomorrow to our first baseball stop. There are six of us piled into a rented minivan (mint green in color, which is surprisingly masculine, I swear). Jay and Isaac will likely be sharing the lion's share of the driving, as they are the only ones named on the insurance. Dibi brought a bag of fruit, Geoff is rocking a Mark Grace Cubs jersey, and Murphy and I spent two and a half hours watching THERE WILL BE BLOOD on the computer. A good music mix is playing, there are peanuts and sunflower seeds to be eaten -- we're off to a good start! Here's a brief look at our itinerary for the coming week:

• Tomorrow we will arrive in Cincinnati, Ohio, home of those rascally Reds. The Reds will be taking on the Milwaukee Brewers -- who, oddly enough, we saw last year when we went to Milwaukee. (See how it all ties together?) Supposedly we will also eat chili over spaghetti, but this can neither be confirmed nor denied.

• On Friday we will make our way west to the great city of St. Louis, home of a beer of some kind, an arch of some kind, and of course, the Cardinals, who will be playing the Arizona Diamondbacks. I am particularly excited to visit what is widely considered to be the greatest baseball city in the world!

• On Saturday, we will continue to Kansas City, which should be very interesting, because really, have you ever met a Royals fan in person in your life? Do they really exist? Is the whole team, ballpark and history a grand illusion? I know I watched the 1985 World Series... but it's still hard to comprehend the very concept. We hope to see it for ourselves when the Royals play the Tampa Bay Rays. There will also be BBQ... oh yes, there will be BBQ.

After that we'll turn around and come alllllll the way home, with another pit stop in Pittsbrgh (I promise I will not make any "Pitt-stop" jokes... oh wait). I intend to blog whenever I can, though I don't know what the internet situation will be like in any of these cities. (Do they even have internet in Kansas City? Probably.)

Anyway, I think we're approaching Pittsburgh now, where you can most assuredly grow a beard. Food beckons. 'Til later.....