Getting My Stamp On

 A few years ago when we were at the Royals game, I was told about a Facebook group that is all about visiting different stadiums. I just kind of made a mental note and figured that information would be useful down the road. A few days later we were at the Iowa Cubs game and I saw the Minor League Stadium Passport and bought it. It was a bit outdated since Savannah was still listed but I didn't care. We were on a mission to see all the minor league parks and this would be a good way to track them.

Iowa Cubs versus the Colorado Springs Sky Sox was my first stamp. I would pick up several more minor league stamps including Midland and Nashville. Then the pandemic happened and minor league baseball was restructured.

Then while at spring training the other year, I saw someone carrying what looked to be a passport. Sure enough there is a spring training passport and I had to have it. So now I have 2 passports plus my national park password. It is still 1 park.. 1 stamp. No multiple stamps for me.

I never really felt the need to stamp in at a Major League game since the ballpark app allowed me to check in and track teams and stadiums. Then the pandemic hit and I discovered the Ballpark Stampeders Facebook Group.

This is a group of baseball fans that visit baseball stadiums and stamp in. Some have been to all 30 stadiums and more. This group made me want to stamp in at Major League games as well. However, unlike the minor passport, there are several options for the major league park.

You can get the Big Book -- which has a page for each of the current major league ballparks and allows you to add inserts as new parks become available. It is leather bound and comes with $75 price tag.

Or you can get smaller books like the minor league passport which are $20. Since I got a deal, I got the big book and a little book. Of course, I did....

My little book is set up for Milwaukee games only and 1 page per team. If we see a team more than once (and we always see the Reds or the pirates), extra stamps will go in the back.

Since the minor league has been restructured and teams lost, I need a new minor league passport or four of them.. one for each league. I only got one so far. I will get the rest as I need them. I liked that it is red so it easier tell apart from the Major league ones.

I will continue to use my old minor league passport for duplicate games and special games like a taxi squad game.

So now I have 5 major league passports and 2 national park passports. That's a lot of stamping and book lugging on vacation but it will worth it. 

I love being part of the Ballpark Stampeders Group. I learned I'm probably one of the less crazy stampers out there. Every stamper has stories to tell and their own way to stamp. I met a fellow stamper at the Brewer game this year.. his seats were in the next section over. I'm sure I will meet more as time goes. It is a fun little hobby and if you ever have a desire to visit multiple ballparks, you might want to think about stamping in as well.