2007 Tour For The Cure Report

2007 TOUR FOR THE CURE presented by Louisville Slugger

> IN THIS REPORT HELLO FROM THE ROAD page 2

TOUR SPONSORS page 3

FAVORITE THINGS page 4

FUNDRAISING page 5

THE SCHEDULE page 6

TRAVELS page 7

BALLPARKS page 8

PHOTOS page 10

ADDITIONAL NOTES page 12

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> HELLO FROM THE ROAD Hello Everyone, For the second straight year, the Tour for the Cure completed its massive 189-game, 44,000-mile trek across North America, raising funds for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Tour began in 2006 with Cass Sapir, who founded the TFTC and passed the torch on to Tim Riley in 2007. It’s safe to say that we’ve come a long way (literally) in just a short time of two years. We have raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research, met with tons of great people across the country and seen A LOT of baseball. Since it began, the Tour has raised almost $50,000 for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. We hope to see that number increase substantially as the Tour continues throughout the upcoming years. In 2007, the Tour welcomed three official sponsors of the Tour—Louisville Slugger, StubHub, and TomTom. Louisville Slugger played a crucial role in this year’s Tour—signing on as the official presenting sponsor and providing the TFTC with an immense amount of support throughout the trip. The Tour for the Cure would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who made the Tour possible. In addition to our official sponsors, the TFTC Team wants to thank all of the Major and Minor League teams who opened their gates, welcomed the Tour into their ballparks and encouraged us to raise money for the Jimmy Fund. A fundraising venture like the TFTC is truly a team effort, and we could not have done it without the overwhelming support from all of the individuals at each ballpark. We hope that you enjoyed our visit as much as we did. Last but certainly not least, we want to give a special thank you to family, friends, and even perfect strangers who kept us fed, offered us a place to stay, and made sure we always had clean clothes on our backs. Included in this report is a short summary of the 2007 Tour for the Cure—a recap of the schedule, travels, fundraising, and a whole lot more. I hope you have a chance to read it all the way through, as it provides a nice snapshot of life on the Tour. If you have any questions or comments, or are interested in participating in the 2008 Tour, feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Until then, enjoy the greatest time of the year in baseball—the pennant races, the playoffs, and the long road to the World Series. See you on Opening Day 2008. Sincerely, Tim Riley Director, 2007 Tour for the Cure [email protected]

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> TOUR SPONSORS The 2007 Tour for the Cure partnered with three sponsors who helped make the Tour a smashing success and contributed both monetary and in-kind donations.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER

> > presenting sponsor of the Tour for the Cure

The Tour for the Cure’s first presenting sponsor, Louisville Slugger stepped up to the plate in a very big way, providing both the monetary support that covered 50% of the Tour’s expenses and customized mini-bats to give away at every game. Louisville Slugger is synonymous with the world of baseball—since the company was founded in Louisville, KY over 120 years ago, Louisville Slugger has sold more than 100,000,000 bats—making it, without question—the most popular bat brand in baseball history. We are thrilled and honored to have Louisville Slugger as our presenting sponsor for the 2007 season. Special thanks to Rick Redman at Louisville Slugger for helping us along the way! We could not have had such a successful Tour without Louisville Slugger’s participation.

STUBHUB

> > official ticket provider of the Tour for the Cure

StubHub is the largest ticket marketplace in the world, based on sales. On StubHub.com, fans of all types can buy and sell tickets to any event—baseball, football, basketball, soccer, hockey, music concerts, and even Broadway shows. StubHub recently became the official online provider of secondary tickets for MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball. During the course of the Tour, StubHub supplied the Tour for the Cure Team with tickets to any Major League game any time we were in need of seats. We are grateful to StubHub for providing such an excellent service and great seats to a number of MLB games. Special thanks to Joellen Ferrer at StubHub for always making sure we had tickets for all the games!

TOMTOM > > official GPS of the Tour for the Cure TomTom is the “number one-one GPS-S in the world-world.” TomTom provided the Tour for the Cure Mobile with a GPS Navigation System, ensuring that we would never get lost during the course of the 45,000-mile trip. The use of a GPS unit was essential every day on our Tour. Our TomTom GPS unit guided us across North America through 46 states and three Canadian provinces. Special thanks to Karen Drake at TomTom for our GPS unit! We would still be lost somewhere in the Midwest without it.

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> FAVORITE THINGS Here is a collection of gadgets, tools, and supplies the Tour for the Cure used on a daily basis.

1ST ROW

2ND ROW

3RD ROW

4TH ROW

2007 Chrysler 300M Apple 12” G4 Powerbook Verizon Wireless USB720 Modem Apple 5th Generation iPod 30GB Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter TomTom One GPS

Motorola SLVR phone Chuck Taylor All-Stars Nikon D80 w/ 18-55MM Lens Nikon 55-200MM Lens Phillies Hat (1950 Cooperstown) Canon Camera Backpack

Coleman Sleeping Bag Raffle Tickets Plain Whiteboard, 24” x 36” Expo Dry Erase Markers Car Charger Power Strip

Levi’s 501 Bootleg Jeans Moleskin Notebook Propel Fitness Water Nature Valley Granola Bars 3-Pocket Waist Apron Tour for the Cure Baseball Tee

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> FUNDRAISING The Tour for the Cure’s mission was to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute while visiting every Major and Minor League Ballpark.

HOW WE DID IT Minor League Games The Minor League is where the Tour did the bulk of our fundraising. Once the 189-game schedule was set in place, we would contact teams in advance and ask to set up a fundraiser. The team gave us a table and a signed item to raffle off (such as a team signed jersey, bat, ball, or other memorabilia). The Tour for the Cure Team sold raffle tickets from the time the gates opened until the start of the 7th inning. The winner of the raffle was announced during the 7th inning stretch. All of the money collected during the game went directly to the Jimmy Fund and the DanaFarber Cancer Institute. KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL RAFFLE 1. The Prize. The most desirable prizes were usually rare jerseys and team signed bats. 2. Team Involvement. The more the team endorsed the Tour for the Cure through announcements during the game, the more receptive people were to our cause.

NUMBER OF FUNDRAISERS

107

NUMBER OF FUNDRAISERS RAINED OUT (CANCELLED)

9

NUMBER OF INFO TABLES (NO FUNDRAISING)

18

AVERAGE AMOUNT RAISED PER GAME

$225.16 RAFFLE TICKET PRICES



1 ticket = $1 8 tickets = $5 20 tickets = $10 50 tickets = $20

3. Selling Tickets in the Stands. Having the ability to raise

TOP FUNDRAISERS

money in the stands determined whether the night would

1. Fresno Grizzlies | $805 | Team signed jersey

be successful. Each ballpark had different policies and guidelines for raffles—some prohibited fundraising in the stands and only allowed the TFTC to sell raffle tickets in the concourse area. Typically, we raised four times as much

2. Idaho Falls Chukars | $720 | Team signed bat 3. Binghamton Mets | $579 | Player signed jersey

money selling tickets in the stands.

4. Midland RockHounds | $570 | Team signed bat

Major League Games

5. Trenton Thunder | $525 | Team signed jersey

The Tour for the Cure’s focus at Major League games was more on promotion and publicity rather than on actual fundraising, as fundraising in MLB ballparks is restricted. The Tour for the Cure did local press (tv, radio and print) and participated in pre-game ceremonies such as throwing

TOTAL FUNDRAISED ON TOUR

$22,063.00

out the first pitch. Similar to the Minor League, MLB teams donated signed memorabilia to be auctioned off online at the end of the Tour.

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> THE SCHEDULE Planning to visit 189 different Major and Minor League ballparks in 159 days is quite simply, a logistical nightmare. In order for the schedule to fall into place, it takes a lot of time, patience and a bit of a luck along the way.

MAPPING OUT THE TOUR The key to planning a trip such as this one is to schedule as many doubleheaders as possible while taking off as few days as possible long the way. Typically, both the Major and Minor Leagues have day games scheduled a few times throughout the week. Armed with a 160-page spreadsheet that contained every game from each Minor League and Major League team, the Tour for the Cure Team sat down in front of our computer and started mapping out the schedule, one game at a time. Below is a list of the leagues that were visited during the trip.

Major League Baseball 30 teams American League | 14 teams National League | 16 teams

Minor League Baseball 159 teams







Class > Triple-A International League | 14 teams Pacific Coast League | 16 teams Class > Double-A Eastern League | 12 teams Southern League | 10 teams Texas League | 8 teams Class > High-A California League | 10 teams Carolina League | 8 teams Florida State League | 12 teams Class > Low-A Midwest League | 14 teams South Atlantic League | 16 teams Class > Short-season A New York-Penn League | 14 teams Northwest League | 8 teams Class > Rookie Appalachian League | 9 teams Pioneer League | 8 teams

2007 TOUR FOR THE CURE

HOURS SPENT PLANNING THE FULL TOUR SCHEDULE

100

NUMBER OF TOTAL GAMES

189

OPENING DAY OF THE TOUR

4 NEW YORK METS VS.

APR

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

FINAL DAY OF THE TOUR SEPT

9 FLORIDA MARLINS VS.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

TOTAL DOUBLE HEADERS

38

... AND ONE TRIPLE HEADER ON JULY 26, 2007

11 AM ROCHESTER RED WINGS 1 PM BUFFALO BISONS 7 PM JAMESTOWN JAMMERS

HARDEST STRETCH OF THE TOUR

52 GAMES IN 30 DAYS

LONGEST STRETCH OF THE TOUR WITHOUT A DAY OFF

55 DAYS

NUMBER OF DAYS OFF

9

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> TRAVELS N U M B E R O F S TAT E S V I S I T E D

46 NUMBER OF CANADIAN PROVINCES VISITED

3 N U M B E R O F M I L E S T R AV E L E D

44,547 N U M B E R O F D AY S O N T H E R O A D

160 A V E R A G E M I L E S T R A V E L E D P E R D AY

278

GAS PRICES April 3 to September 9

$4.00 May 25 $3.48 New Mexico

July 4 $3.05 Montana

$3.50

September 9 $2.79 Pennsylvania

$2.50

$2.00

April 3 $2.48 Pennsylvania April

August 10 $2.46 Mississippi May

June

July

August

September

A FEW TRAVEL FACTS Each year, the average American uses 500 gallons of gas and travels approximately 12,000 miles every year. In just over five months, Tour for the Cure used over

1,750 gallons of gas and traveled 44,547 miles. 44,547 miles is the equivalent of traveling around the world slightly less than two times. In baseball terms, the Tour instead could have ran around the bases

653,356 times.

2007 TOUR FOR THE CURE

Over the course of the 160 day trip, there were only

30 days when gas was not purchased. The number of flat tires or speeding tickets received on the trip:

ZERO.

Longest 24-hour stretch of traveling: 952 miles

and five different cities—Boston, MA, Burlington VT, Ottawa, ON, Syracuse, NY, and Pawtucket, RI.

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> BALLPARKS MAJOR LEAGUE FAVORITES AT&T PARK SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS B. 2000 | C. 41,503 D. HOK SPORT FENWAY PARK BOSTON RED SOX B. 1912 | C. 38,805 D. OSBORN ENGINEERING PNC PARK PITTSBURGH PIRATES B. 2001 | C. 38,496 D. HOK SPORT SAFECO FIELD SEATTLE MARINERS B. 1999 | C. 47,116 D. NBBJ & 360 ARCHITECTURE

THE BASICS

BEST FEATURE

DID YOU KNOW?

Located by the bay, AT&T Park is a great place to see a game even if fans are wearing sweatshirts in July or August.

Fans can eat the delicious garlic fries and surf the internet at the same time, thanks to the 122 wireless internet access points located around the park.

Of the 45 homeruns Giants players have hit into McCovey Cove (located past right field), 35 of them have been hit by Barry Bonds.

Fenway is the oldest park in all of baseball, and is home to some of the most passionate fans in all of sports who are known as Red Sox Nation.

The 37-ft high and 240-ft long Green Monster is the best outfield wall ever constructed, complete with a manually operated scoreboard.

The lone red seat located in the right field bleachers (Sec. 42, Row 37, Seat 21) marks the furthest homerun ever hit at Fenway by Ted Williams.

PNC Park is the smallest park in all of baseball, with affordable seating options that also provide a more intimate setting for a baseball game.

The seating and the views—the highest seat is only 88 ft. away from home plate—and most seats include a clear view of the Pittsburgh skyline.

The right field wall is 21 ft. high, in honor of #21 Roberto Clemente. The bridge connecting the downtown with the ballpark is also named after Roberto Clemente.

Safeco field is one of the more expensive parks recently built, costing $517 million. The ballpark offers views of both Puget Sound and downtown Seattle.

The food is top notch—home to the best concession stand name for Thai food called ”Intentional Wok.” If you desire fish, try the “Ichi-roll Sushi.”

A railroad yard sits out past center field, and the sound of the train horns can be heard during games when the trains pass by the park.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Each year, there are over 2400 games played in Major League Baseball from April to September. The Tour for the Cure was fortunate enough to have the chance to see a lot of great professional baseball all across the country. Here are a few of our favorites from our travels around the 30 Major League ballparks.

MEMORABLE GAMES .

NEW YORK METS VS. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BUSCH STADIUM, APRIL 4, 2007 GAME NUMBER: 1 Our first game of the trip, the Tour drove over 1,500 miles to get there. Game time temperature was 34 degrees.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS VS. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ATT&T PARK, JUNE 11, 2007 GAME NUMBER: 84

DELICIOUS FOOD CHEESESTEAKS CITIZENS BANK PARK Forget hot dogs. A lot of ballparks offer “Philly Cheesesteaks” but none of them come close to the real deal. If you want to know what a cheesesteak is supposed to taste like, come to Philly and grab one at Ashburn Alley in CBP.

UNIQUE SEATING OPTIONS THE PARK AT THE PARK PETCO PARK An elevated grass area, the “Park at the Park” is located beyond the center field, offering $5 grass seating along with a giant video screen that displays the game in case you can’t see every play. .

ATMOSPHERE

Our last game in California, Barry Bonds hit career homerun #747 on his way to breaking Hank Aaron’s record.

DODGER STADIUM

KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS. NEW YORK YANKEES

The left field bleachers are the best place to have a good time at this ballpark, where beach balls were constantly batted around the crowd during the Tour’s visit. Ushers tried to capture all the beach balls, but were taunted, teased and booed by fans for doing so. Baseball fans + beach balls = FUN.

YANKEE STADIUM, AUGUST 4, 2007 GAME NUMBER: 144 Sitting in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium, the Tour witnessed Alex Rodriguez hitting his 500th career homerun over the left field wall. 2007 TOUR FOR THE CURE

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

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> BALLPARKS MINOR LEAGUE FAVORITES CIVIC STADIUM EUGENE EMERALDS B. 1938 | C. 6,800 D. N/A MONTGOMERY RIVERWALK STADIUM MONTGOMERY BISCUITS B. 2005 | C. 7,000 D. HOK SPORT WEST END FIELD GREENVILLE DRIVE B. 2006 | C. 5,700 D. THE DLR GROUP WHATABURGER FIELD CORPUS CHRISTI HOOKS B. 2005 | C. 7,000 D. HKS INC.

THE BASICS

BEST FEATURES

DID YOU KNOW?

An older ballpark with a community feel that has been a home to baseball for almost 70 years, making it one of the oldest in the Minors.

The majority of the seating consists of a large wooden grandstand, giving the ballpark a classic old-school feel.

Shortly after it was built, the people of Eugene authorized the City to deed the ballpark to the Eugene School District for a grand total of $1.00.

Built out of an old train station from 1897, Riverwalk Stadium is the best example in all of baseball of how to incorporate existing space into a design.

The 360-degree concourse gives fans a chance to watch the game from an infinite number of places. The curved right field wall is one of the more interesting designs of an outfield.

A train still runs past the left field wall. Rumor has it that the mayor of the city has pledged $1,000 to any Biscuits player that hits a train as it passes by the stadium. (It has happened at least twice.)

If you can’t get tickets to see the Red Sox in Boston, come to Greenville to see a Fenway Park replica that has the same dimensions of the original.

The ballpark has a very intimate feel, as all 5,700 seats are located between the foul poles. Keeping with the Fenway theme, the crowd sings “Sweet Caroline” during the 8th inning.

Shoeless Joe Jackson used to work in Greenville as a cotton textile worker and played for the company’s baseball team. He eventually went on to play for the Greenville Spinners.

Whataburger Field is named after the tasty fast-food chain of the same name. It is a newer park that pulls out all of the stops and has the feel of a Major League stadium.

This place has all the possible amenities you could want, including a pool, hot tub, basketball court, 27’ ft. high rock wall, and great views of the Harbor Bridge from all around the park.

A little league field sits out past center field, where kids play each night before Hooks games. After the kids finish their games, they can walk over and watch the Hooks play.

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Minor League baseball has a lot to offer fans of all ages. Teams offer some great promotions for their fans, including 2-for-1 tickets, Thirsty Thursdays, and all-you-can-eat deals, making these games affordable and fun. In addition, each ballpark has its own quirks that make it distinguishable from other parks across the country, whether it be food, seating, or crazy mascots. Here are some of our favorites from around the Minor Leagues.

TOP WEEKLY PROMOTIONS

DELICIOUS FOOD TURKEY MIKE’S SAN JOSE MUNICIPAL STADIUM The Tour didn’t eat at ballparks every night, but of all the times we did, the BBQ at Turkey Mike’s always comes to mind—a place where you can get sausage, chicken, and hamburgers along with two sides.

UNIQUE SEATING OPTIONS 3RD BASE DUGOUT

FEED YOUR FACE MONDAY

RECREATION PARK

HAGERSTOWN SUNS

Every ballpark has “the best seats in the house” but the Visalia Oaks park offer something a bit more unique—a third dugout located down the 3rd base line just for fans who want the same view as the players.

For $10, fans can get a ticket and all the food they can eat (hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, etc.).

GUARANTEED WIN WEDNESDAY CASPER ROCKIES

ATMOSPHERE

If the Rockies do not win the game, every fan is given a general admission ticket for a future home game.

DUTCHESS STADIUM

DOLLAR MONDAY

“Fun is Good” is the team’s official motto, and rightfully so. This park has one of the best and most humorous PA announcers you’ll find in the Minors, and the fans are treated to promotions between every half-inning. In the 6th inning, all of the kids in the stands form a giant conga line in the main walkway. The fun never stops here.

BURLINGTON BEES All general admission tickets, hot dogs, pizza, popcorn and cans of soda are just one dollar. 2007 TOUR FOR THE CURE

HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES

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> PHOTOS

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> PHOTOS

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> ADDITIONAL NOTES Visit http://www.tourforthecure.org to read blog entries, view pictures and videos of all of the ballparks visited during the Tour. Any questions or comments can be sent to [email protected]. The Jimmy Fund >> http://www.jimmyfund.com Dana-Farber Cancer Institute http://www.dfci.org Louisville Slugger >> http://www.slugger.com StubHub >> http://www.stubhub.com TomTom >> http://www.tomtom.com A version of this report is also available online > > http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/300014 Photos from the Tour for the Cure > > http://flickr.com/photos/tourforthecure Videos from the Tour for the Cure >> http://www.vimeo.com/tourforthecure/videos

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