Take me out to the ballfields.

• Author: Jerome, David
• Position: Athletic Arena

"Every day that the [Chicago] Cubs had a home game, I would head down to Wrigleyville and do a little pregame elbow-bending with some of the Windy City's most faithful fans...."

"I SEE GREAT THINGS in baseball. It's our game, the American game. It will repair our losses and . be a blessing to us." I often think of that Walt Whitman quote. I cannot remember a time when I was not a baseball fan--or did not love to travel. Over the years, I have been able to combine my two passions by visiting a number of major league baseball stadiums. I started seeing games at different ballparks in the late 1980s and early 1990s, just before the renaissance of the new smaller downtown venues.

Inspired by the 1987 movie "Bull Durham," I also have seen games at many minor league stadiums, including Durham Athletic Park, home of the Durham Bulls. In addition, I have wandered around the graveyards of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and the Polo Grounds in Manhattan trying to imagine long-ago greats playing our National Pastime where these magnificent Green Cathedrals once stood.

Here are a few of my most memorable experiences on the road with the Grand Old Game:

A couple of decades ago, my friend Nick and I were in San Antonio, Texas, exploring the Alamo when we learned that retiring baseball legend Nolan Ryan was pitching his last home opener that night in Arlington. With a sense of urgency, we gassed up our rental car; bought some beef jerky, spicy fried pork rinds, and lot of soda; and high-tailed it up Interstate 35 for 250 miles.

We arrived with the game already in the second inning, a complete sellout, and no ticket scalpers anywhere. Our opening night excitement was fading quickly as we loitered around, hearing occasional cheers from the crowd, and wondering why we had just driven four hours for nothing. Then we noticed fans coming out to smoke in a designated area. As they left, their tickets were initialed on the back by the usher watching the gate. Ah, a crack in the armor, we thought.

When some fans started to leave the game for good a few innings later, we asked them if we could have their used ticket. After a few rejections and quizzical looks, we were given two used tickets. We went over to the smoking area and with our best Texas drawl said, "How y'all doin'?" After establishing some rapport with the smoking Texans, we were able to borrow a ballpoint pen from a deep-voiced, big-haired diva sucking on a Virginia...