I've got the anwers to your questions!

Jerrad Anderson

The best food-

Every ballpark had its unique food, something to help it identify with the city’s heritage, residents and team. But when looking back on all 30 teams and their ballparks, a couple stand out.

Seattle-they had a variety of foods including BBQ brisket sandwich, street style tacos and for you beer drinkers(I am not one)a variety of beers on tap and local microbrewery options.

Pittsburgh-If I could say one thing about Pittsburgh, it’s get yourself a Primanti Brothers sandwich at the game. Roast Beef, fries coleslaw, such a welcome change from a hot dog.

Baltimore-Camden Yards has smartly incorporated outside office space and restaurants into the ballpark. I love the BBQ sandwich and they have a gluten free option and plenty of horseradish sauce. There is also seafood, which I love.

The best fans 

That’s a tough one. I would describe the best fans as ones who actually care about the players and their team, care about the game and still manage to be kind to those who are at the ballpark for the first time.

Philadelphia gets high marks for the knowledge of the game, and for abililty to stick around in the extra innings.

St. Louis-They love their baseball and nobody turns out more on a Friday night then Cardinals fans. They remember Bob Gibson, Stan Musial all the way to Ozzie Smith and Adam Wainwright.
Atlanta-This scale may be tilted but the fact that this stadium was the only one that pulled off wave gets high marks in my book. And the fact that a sellout came to pay tribute to Chipper Jones, says a lot about how much the Braves fans miss the glory days of the 90’s.

Tyler Goodpaster

Which was your favorite park to visit?

Favorite park to visit definitely goes to Fenway Park. Growing up in Chicago, as a Cubs fan, I was always accustomed to Wrigley Field being one of the true gems in baseball for its history. Going to Fenway Park reignited that historic spirit with childlike enthusiasm and giddiness once entering it’s walls. It is such an intimate place to watch a game. It is much smaller in real life. The fans are passionate and love their baseball. I love the green monster and I love how they, unlike the Cubs, have updated Fenway to improve the fan experience and generate more revenue. What really made it cool is when I told one of the information desk attendants that it was my first time at the park, she gave me a Red Sox Nation wristband and a button.

Renee Lewis Flask

What's one piece of advice you'd give to anyone considering their own 30with30?

 One piece of advice? I could give lots, but being the absolute best shape that you can be to handle the long nights, early morning, food changes, time changes, jet lag is super important. Don’t forget to bring every kind of medicine you can for any kind of illness so that you are prepared. Renee, it’s hard to give ONE great piece of advice, I’ll have to give several in my book. :)

Cassie Maddox

Would you do it again if given the chance?

Cassie, boy that is a tough one. It’s such a once-in-a-lifetime experience, that I don’t know if it deserves to be repeated in my lifetime. I would have to say no, not because I didn’t love it, but because trying to replicate it just wouldn’t be as much fun.There were so many experiences that can't be replicated, I say just let the memories stand alone.

Mandy Seeley

How do we achieve world peace?

Mandy, in order to achieve world peace we must first…….you know what…..this is a baseball blog…please forward your questions to the Dhali Lama

Kyle McCright

Any suggestions or advice for me since you have seen them all? Also what was your top 5 favorite stadiums?

First the top five stadiums in order go like this. 

1. Fenway Park in Boston 

2. PNC Park in Pittsburgh 

3. Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City 

4. Angels Stadium in Anaheim 

5. Miller Park in Milwaukee.

In regards to any suggestions that I could make, just plan ahead. make sure that if you get in early to the city, you get a nap in. Also make sure that if you are trying to save money, buy snacks and food outside the park, they are always cheaper. A long list of suggestions, will have to be in my book.

Jon McBride

1.    How the heck did you pay for all of this?
This is a long and well thought out question so I will answer it with a long thought out answer. First off, I have always tried to live frugally and was fortunate and blessed enough to have the funds available to go on this trip. Funny enough Jon McBride, I paid for this trip by myself. Looking back maybe I should have monetized it more or asked for sponsors. It no doubt was a costly but fun, exciting and once-in-a-lifetime endeavor. Before I even purchased tickets, I put together a draft schedule and flight schedule to see how much it would cost, and made projections from there. To make sure that my budget didn’t get too out of hand, I tried to set an ideal baseline number and then a drop dead figure that if I went over, would require me to stop the trip. Thankfully, I hit right on the drop dead number at the end of the trip. I would like to say that I was truly blessed with the generosity of strangers, allowing me to stay at their home, use their transportation and, in rare circumstances, eat their food.

2. Ballpark ... how much did it actually cost?
Well as far as ballparks, the cost of tickets for two can range wildly depending on the day, crowd, and team. I found that the most effective and cheapest way to purchase tickets was through StubHub. 9 times out of 10 the tickets were at or below face value, with the price of handling fees and taxes included in the price of the ticket. Now, that is not to say that scalpers weren't around. A ticket could usually be purchased well below face value after the start of a game. For two tickets to all 30 ballparks, I paid just over $1100.

3. What things were most surprising that you didn't anticipate?
The most surprising thing was the amount of time it takes to ride public transportation in large cities, especially the subway. What appears to be a 30 minute ride will turn into an hour because of all the stops. My advice to be safe, is calculate how long it would take to get to your destination by car, and then add another half an hour. Of course, there are always the train or bus schedules.  

4. What was the coolest city that you didn't expect to be cool?
Quite frankly one of the coolest cities that I didn’t expect to be cool would have to be New York. I had no desire to be in New York, partly because of bias for Chicago but also the potential chaos it could create getting across the urban jungle. New York has its own mentality, like being in it's own country. I love the fact that on almost every corner you can usually grab something to eat. Getting through the subway is always interesting because street performers take their act right inside the car. But, I thought it was cool that just about anywhere you wanted to go, New York had the transportation to get you there.

5. How many second dates did you get out of this?
As far as second dates, I’m sure if you surveyed the women, almost every one of them would say yes, or I at least would like to think that. LOL….It’s tough when I’m traveling around the country to make it around for second dates.

Terri Reddout

1.    Did each ballpark have it's own "personality"?
Terri-many of the ballparks were similar in taste and measurement but not much else. Obviously an example that comes to mind is Fenway Park and the ability to keep the green monster in left field while totally refurbishing the entire facility. The new Yankee Stadium and a museum inside the stadium, which is an excellent idea. There are a lot of cool things inside.

Having said that, many of the parks are new, so I think they are still trying to find their identity and personality. A lot of the personality though for new ballparks seems to surround having a giant video scoreboard in the outfield somewhere. As a side note, the video scoreboard crew almost without exception, would never replay a controversial play on the scoreboard. Maybe an agreement between MLB and its umpires to cut back on fan critcism.

2. Were there any interesting customs at any of the ballparks?
Many, soo many…Boston Red Sox fans always sang Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond after the 7^th inning stretch, which you can see in the movie “Fever Pitch” with Drew Berrymore and Jimmy Fallon.  In Yankee Stadium, the right field bleachers before the game, have a roll call announcing a players name till the Yankee player recognizes the crowd or tips his cap. And of course in Wrigley
Field in Chicago, it’s the 7^th inning stretch, sung by a celebrity announcer. I think one of the coolest customs is the hot dog shoot at PNC Park in Pittsburgh where the mascot takes an air cannon and shots wrapped hot dogs into the stands. CLASSIC

3. Were your dates baseball fans or just looking for a way to get notoriety?
Ha ha I think the dates were just looking for a good time. I don’t think notoriety ever played into their equation. Heck I don’t think it even played into my equation. I also remember two prominent men in the LDS church having a conversation. The much more learned and experienced leader said to the younger “you will have a lot of great things said about you, don’t believe any of them.” I tried to just be low key and not toot my own horn too much, and just try and be a gentleman and be myself.

4. What was the strangest thing you saw inside a ballpark?

The strangest thing I saw inside the ballpark??…I think it would be probably be the bathrooms at Wrigley Field, if you are a male. Using the facilities to “relieve” yourself could be the most akward 30 seconds of your life. The men’s bathrooms consistent of a communal, urinal trough. Men while going to the bathroom must look upward at the ceiling to avoid the gaze of another man doing the exact same thing across the trough. That, is the strangest and most uncomfortable thing I have ever been a part of.

5. How many dates worked hard to get your face and t-shirt up on the scoreboard?

Terri, sadly you were the only one who worked O.T. to get my shirt up on the scoreboard for thousands to see in Seattle. But, I did almost catch a home run ball and made it on T.V.