A Victim of the Free-Market Economy

Baseball Road Trips are what make me happy. The thought of traveling around on buses and trains, finding and experiencing new ballparks and cities, and exploring communities and neighborhoods fills me with joy, but empties my pocketbook. I have gotten on here before and complained about how expensive Baseball Road Trips can be, but now I am putting my foot down.

These last few months have really been a drain on my finances. Car repairs, student loans, moving into a new apartment and transportation costs have stretched my savings to nearly nothing. I'm sorry to say, but the prospects for future extended road trips are bleak and distant. They cost so much money and take so much out of me that I cannot afford to go bankrupt because of a trip to Reno or Utah. I am disappointed with this reality and a little ashamed to be admitting to it, but it will only allow me to work harder and save more so that Baseball Extravaganza 2012 can be more epic than 2011. That is a promise and pledge to all of you.


So, now what? I was planning on going to San Francisco this week, but I have nixed that for some more hours at work. I would really like to save up at least a partial amount to do a Tacoma/Seattle trip in the middle of next month. Maybe at the end of August I can have enough to make the trip to Reno or Salt Lake for some games. I don't really know what's going to happen, but I will just play it by ear.

One thing that I have to do before the end of the season is confront my demons and go to an Ems game at PK Park. I don't know when I'll go, but I am very reluctant to go, but I know that I have to go. I love baseball too much to simply ignore the hometown team. I know that my employment was terminated and that I have sworn off allegiance to them, but I have to confront this head on. I have to face the wrongs and show the world that I cannot be put down. There are some other factors that fuel my apprehension, but I will confront those as well.

I wish that I had more uplifting news to report. As the summer drew nearer, I was very optimistic that I could follow through on a lot of the plans I made, but that didn't happen. However, with the baseball season half over, I still have had a season that is unequal to all of the other years that I have taken Road Trips. That is something that I can reflect back on and smile.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)