As much as hockey means to Canada, that’s what baseball means to America. It is, after all America’s sport. Baseball is popular all over the world, though. An event like the World Baseball Classic helps elevate baseball’s status globally. Countries like Japan, Dominican Republic and Cuba are hotbeds for baseball talent. One country that isn’t usually associated with baseball is Germany. Their national sport is football and its top league is known as Bundesliga.
Germany also has a baseball league known as German Baseball-Bundesliga, which is comprised of 14 different teams. While it may not be a staple of the country, two native Germans, Björn and Ana, fell in love with the game. They like it so much that after they moved to America, they decided to embark on a journey. Two years later, their journey is two-thirds 0f the way done.
Björn and Ana decided that they were going to travel to all 30 ballparks in just three months via motorcycle.
“The decision came two years ago,” said Björn. “My wife Ana and I have always had a passion for baseball and made it our goal to see every stadium.”
Prior to their journey, the two have only attended one big league game before and it was at a stadium that no longer exists.
“The only ballpark that we saw before was the old Busch Stadium,” said Björn. “I wouldn’t classify us as Cardinal fans. We are just happened to be in the area.”
While Björn and Ana did say that they loved football (they prefer the German rules to the NFL version), they said absolutely no sport can compete with baseball.
“We are baseball nuts from Germany,” Björn said with a smile through his thick accent. “This game is god’s gift to man and we absolutely love baseball.”
Ana said that the two started their trip on the West Coast and just visited Progressive Field in Cleveland. After Pittsburgh, they will head out to Philadelphia to catch a game at Citizen’s Bank Park.
The two were able to get seats 15 rows directly behind home plate. As they sat in the sun with their custom made “30 stadiums in 3 months” brown T-shirts and sunglasses, I approached them as they were taking in the view. When I told the two that PNC Park was voted as the most beautiful ballpark by multiple publications, they weren’t surprised.
“It is breathtaking. It is absolutely stunning,” Ana said. “Actually, I can say it is the most beautiful stadium that we have seen on our journey so far.”
But can it be topped?
“I highly doubt it,” said Björn.
Photo Credits: Mopup Duty
