Can't resist a list

Last week ESPN published an article called 'The Bucket List for the baseball fan'. It listed 50 must-do tasks for committed baseball fans, with 10 of those in bold as the cream of the crop. I thought it'd be interesting to examine these 10, followed by a suggestion of my own. (I won't examine all 50, the reason being that I have no comment on most of them.)

These are in no particular order, as the list wasn't ranked.

Spend a week at spring training. Always wanted to this, or at least a couple of days. I tend to not love spring training as much as most big-time baseball fans, because during this time of year, I'm knee deep in March Madness prep. But for maybe the first week of March, just before conference tournaments, I'd love to watch the Cubs train and play.

Coach a Little League team. Another one I've considered doing, but not without some good friends as assistants. My favorite coaches as a kid in Little League were guys that weren't team Dads, so I think I'd be a good coach. Maybe next year after I graduate I'll have more free time.

Tour the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Done and I strongly suggest it to baseball fans of all types. Seeing the equipment and exhibits about the legendary moments in the game's history is fascinating. And then the Hall itself, with the plaques of all the greats, is even better. I'm not going back though until Ron Santo is in.

Attend a townball game in Minnesota (the smaller the town the better). Never done it, should have though when my buddy Marc lived up there for the past two years. Oh well.

Sing "Sweet Caroline" at Fenway Park. I went to Fenway when I was 11, but don't recall singing Neil Diamond. It's one of the few parks I have crossed off my list, yet is #3 on the parks I want to go to. (Behind only Baltimore and San Francisco).

Take a week-long road trip through the minors, the lower the league the better, and make sure to include a team owned by Mike Veeck. I've never actually been to a minor league game, though I may attend one next week (at Wrigley Field though). This would be a ton of fun, especially with my uncles and younger cousins. And anything Veeck-related is a must, the family is legendary and there was a great Gary Smith article about one the grand-daughters in the family.

Collect baseball cards. Done. For about six years, every cent I earned went to baseball or basketball cards. Because of that, I know have three large books, as well as a huge shoe box, filled with cards. Most are worth nothing, some are worth a bunch, I'm not giving (or selling) away any of em.

Catch a foul ball. And then hand it to the nearest kid. Halfway done, but not as a fan. As a vendor about a year ago, a ball came right at me and I reached out to catch it, but was bumped by a fan, causing me to miss the catch but not miss a giant bruise on my arm. Ball went to the bumper, who then gave it to his younger son. I would have given it to the same kid, but would have saved myself a lot of pain. Still waiting to catch my first foul ball as a fan.

Enjoy a beer in the bleachers at Wrigley Field on a sunny summer day. Done, and I couldn't recomend it enough. People all the time give Wrigley a bad name because of how popular it has become and how it's basically a giant bar where the fans don't watch the game. And some of that can be true. But I dare you to sit in the bleachers for a full game on a beautiful sunny afternoon, drink a couple Old Styles, and not have a blast. It's impossible. From the game to the people watching to the off-the-scale ambiance, there isn't anything better than the Wrigley bleachers.

See your team play in the World Series. Screw you ESPN.

My suggestion Eat for the cycle. Eat a hot dog, a bag of peanuts, a stadium specialty item (Italian beef in Chicago, crab cakes in Baltimore, fajitas in Texas, etc.) and some sort of ice cream in nine innings, as well as a couple beers (or pop for the U-21 crowd). Not only will you be unable to move for three days following, you will have a greater respect for what Babe Ruth did on a nightly basis for the Yankees.