From The San Francisco Treat by the Murray girls

“Baseball is an allegorical play about America,” wrote artist Saul Steinberg, “a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem.” On the wake of Barry Bond’s spectacular 756th home run, spirits are riding high today in San Francisco. After that electrifying crack of the bat when wood and leather collided, a beat of silence erupted in uproar and cheer. Bonds started rounding the bases. With one arc of a ball into the stands, history was made. Bonds had surpassed the legendary Hank Aaron and his all-time record for career home runs. Whatever their opinion about the man or the team, baseball fans everywhere watched in amazement. Giants’ fans rejoiced.

In the 43,154 person crowd, fans scrambled to catch that famous ball, predicted to be worth $500,000. In the end, a traveler caught it, attending the game with his friends during a layover on his way from New York to Australia.

And he isn’t the only one seeing baseball games while traveling. Baseball fans everywhere enjoy visiting ballparks on the go, whether for the sheer entertainment value, to check out a different stadium, or to follow their home team when they’re on the road. The Murray girls, two sisters from Colorado, are on embarking on a massive baseball tour this Summer. As they state in their blog: “with four months and their life savings, two sisters set out to visit all 30 baseball parks (and lots of other stuff, too) in one fell swoop.”

While in San Francisco last month, the Murray girls saw both the Giants and the Oakland A’s across the bay. Here’s what they had to say about AT&T park:

“We watched the SF Giants stomp on the Diamondbacks (13-0…but sorry, Barry- no homers today) on a gorgeous summer afternoon. The park was equally as beautiful, with great views of the Bay Bridge and little quirky things all over.” (more…)

Inspired to hit the road for baseball? Check out these useful links:

Take Me Out to the Ballgame Travel Deals
San Francisco Travel Guide
United States Travel Guide
Popular Destinations in the United States