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Monday, April 30, 2012

The Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch of Baseball


As we prepare for our journey, we are constantly looking for tales from other baseball travelers who have attempted this pilgrimage.  It takes a particular kind of passionate person to undertake this feat.  One such individual is Reggie Deal.  The 39-year-old baseball-loving Texan is completely blind, but that has not stopped him from following his dream.  Yesterday Reggie began his journey in Arlington, TX, as he watched his Rangers lose to Tampa Bay on Sunday Night Baseball.  With the assistance of his wife, he will spend the next 30 days traveling around the country, attending one game each day.  He says in an interview with MLB.com that he has been planning this trip since his college days at Texas A&M and he feels very fortunate to have this opportunity.   Check out his full interview here:


Reggie’s story really shows how baseball is such an enriching and fulfilling holistic experience. Box scores show who won and lost, statistics give an assessment of a player’s talent, and television broadcasters present educated analysis of the action, but there is nothing quite like attending a game in person.  The sound of baseballs hitting wood and leather, the smell of the freshly cut grass, the feel of the well-worn metal seats, and the taste of Cracker Jacks are all aspects of the game that Reggie loves.  For any die-hard baseball fan, a day at the ballpark is a day in heaven.  Anticipation of such events will get him up every morning for the next 30 days.  It was memories of these experiences that drove my friends and I to begin planning our trip on a snow-covered January night. I am proud to place myself in a select group of baseball enthusiasts alongside such a remarkable man as Reggie Deal.

Good luck on your trip Reggie.  It’s going to be a blast.

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