Sports Travel and Tours President Jay Smith is making sure baseball fans get every opportunity to engage retired American league and Major League Baseball umpire Al Clark, connecting Al to fans on the other side of the globe and expanding his “Ump’s Eye View” presentations for 2018. Thanks to Jay’s role in the last year as chairman of […]
Read More
The Induction Plus trip will offer two games and tours of two of America’s most iconic baseball stadiums: Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. Here’s a look at what you can expect to experience at each. Yankee Stadium Date/Time: The tour, which is scheduled for Friday, July 22, is expected to last approximately one hour. Tour Stops: While areas visited on the tour are subject to availability, each tour begins at Gate 6 and will end in right field (sections 105 and 106) to watch batting practice or warm-ups prior to a game. Stops include Monument Park in honor of the greats, the New York Yankees Museum, the clubhouse/batting cage area and the dugout. The museum offers an exclusive program called “Hands of History,” where guests can actually touch historic Yankees artifacts while the museum curator shares related stories. Each guest is able to hold between 10 and 15 artifacts, which can include Babe Ruth’s bat, Mickey Mantle’s bat from the 1958 World Series and/or his outfielder’s glove, Derek Jeter’s jersey from his 3,000th hit game, the home plate from the final game at the former stadium and the first game at the present stadium, and World Series rings and trophies. Photography is welcomed and encouraged during the program. Click here to see panoramic views of the stadium’s most popular attractions. Notable Eateries: Hard Rock Café (located at Gate 6) Mohegan Sun Sports Bar (at centerfield) Gluten free NY Grill (at the Great Hall) Fenway Park Date/Time: The tour, which is scheduled for Monday, July 25, is expected to last approximately one hour. Tour Stops: Stops include the field’s warning track, the Press Box, the State Street Pavilion Club and a break to sit in seats from the stadium’s reconstruction in 1934. The experience concludes atop the fabled Green Monster, which contains 269 seats—just recently installed in 2003—and measures 231 feet long as well as 37 feet, 2 inches high overlooking left field. Areas seen through the tour are subject to availability and dependent on the weather conditions. Notable Eateries: Pavilion Right Field Grill Wheels Up Clubhouse (section 157) Van Ness St. Grill (section 94) Learn more about the Induction Plus trip, which is scheduled from Thursday, July 21 to Tuesday, July 26.
Read More
With the arrival of spring, both baseball season and summer vacation are quickly approaching. Sports Travel and Tours makes it easy to plan a baseball getaway that the whole family can enjoy, and the Hall of Fame Induction Plus trip is no exception, offering access anywhere from the Induction Ceremony itself to the Parade of Legends. The trip, which is scheduled from Thursday, July 21 to Tuesday, July 26, will feature two games at two different ballparks starting in the Big Apple. After arriving on Thursday, travelers will mix, mingle and enjoy a meal during the trip reception, and hear from former Big League Umpire Al Clark during his “Ump’s Eye View” presentation, a Q&A focused on baseball from the umpire’s perspective. While in New York, travelers will stay in the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, located in the heart of Manhattan. The hotel features a state-of-the-art fitness center, even offering personal training and yoga classes, the sophisticated, yet casual Hudson Market Bistro, and a 24-hour business center for those who must telecommute. Starting on Friday, travelers will embark on a roughly hour-long tour of Yankee Stadium, which includes visits to Monument Park, the New York Yankees Museum, the clubhouse, the batting cage area and the dugout. That, and a half-day tour of the city all lead up to the San Francisco Giants versus the Yankees game starting at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. On Saturday, travelers move on to historic Cooperstown, where they will tour the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum features just under 40,000 three-dimensional items, three million books and documents, and 500,000 photographs. The next stop on the itinerary is historic Doubleday Field, where the Hall of Fame will present the Ford C. Frick and J. G. Taylor Spink Awards to broadcaster Graham McNamee and Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, respectively. Starting at 6 p.m., the Parade of Legends will commence as Hall of Famers make their way from Doubleday Field down Main Street. More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to return to Cooperstown for the weekend, with the full list to be announced in early July. Sunday, of course, marks the big event: the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The event, which is expected to last two to three hours, will be held at the Clark Sports Center starting at 1:30 p.m. The 2016 Hall of Fame class consists of Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza, to be the 311th and 312th members of the Hall of Fame. A box lunch is offered by Sports Travel and Tours. During the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, travelers will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Albany, which features cribs and high chairs for children, a 24-hour Business Center, a fitness room and a heated indoor swimming pool with whirlpool. Various dining options are just steps away with the 24-hour Pavilion Pantry Market, the Garden Grille & Bar and the Recovery Sports Bar with 40 large screen TVs, to continue with your sports-themed weekend. On Monday, the group departs for Boston for a tour of Fenway Park, where they’ll visit the Press Box and the State Street Pavilion Club. Starting at 7:10 p.m. that evening, they will watch the Boston Red Sox take on the Detroit Tigers. Travelers will spend the night at the Embassy Suites Boston, which features a 24-hour business center, a fitness center, an indoor pool with whirlpool and the Porter Bar & Grill. Complimentary breakfasts and evening receptions are offered daily. Travelers can depart at leisure from Boston on Tuesday. Additional pre-trip and post-trip hotel nights are optional. As part of the Sports Travel and Tours package, travelers will be transferred between cities and to and from events in a deluxe motor coach. Travelers also receive 24-hour trip assistance, a trip souvenir and a Baseball Hall of Fame membership that includes a subscription to Memories and Dreams Magazine, a Hall of Fame Yearbook and a 10 percent discount on purchases through the Museum Store. The Induction Plus trip is not one you’ll soon forget. Learn more about Induction Plus and Sports Travel and Tours’ other Hall of Fame trips, Seattle Induction Special and Eastern Loop.
Read More
Visiting Cooperstown, New York, the historic birthplace of baseball, had been on Lamar Williams’ bucket list for years. An avid baseball fan all his life and a former 25-year Little League umpire, Lamar has followed the new inductees into Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame as far back as 1974, with the induction of Mickey Mantle. […]
Read More
For the Laughlin family, a love of baseball has become a family tradition. Dave Laughlin taught his son Jeff how to play the game and coached him on his little league team. Now, Jeff does the same for his two sons, 6-year-old Andy and 9-year-old Adam. Because baseball has been an integral part of the […]
Read More