AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — An Amarillo man has visited every Major League Baseball stadium in the United States while collecting memorabilia along the way.
Jimmy Myers has been going to baseball stadiums since the mid-70s. In 2000, he decided to visit all of the U.S. MLB stadiums as a bucket list item. Myers said he has been to around 100 ball games and more than 30 stadiums in total, including stadiums that have been torn down and rebuilt.
“The Rangers have had three baseball stadiums since I’ve gone,” he said. “Arlington Park, the Globe Life Park, and now Globe Life Field, and I’ve been to all of those. I’ve been out to San Fransisco a lot, and I used to go to Candlestick Park when they played there. And now they are in Oracle Park which is my favorite stadium. I’ve been to the old Yankees stadium and the new Yankees stadium. In Atlanta, there was Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field replaced it, and now they play at Tourist Park. I haven’t been to Tourist Park. I’ve watched Minnesota play in Old Homer Dome, as they called it, and been to both Milwaukee fields. I’ve been to several extra stadiums, so it’s been a great thing to do for a baseball lover.”
Myers’ goal was completed on June 16 when he saw the New York Mets in action against the San Diego Padres with his wife. His last stop completed his memorabilia collection.
“I collect a baseball with the logo on it when I go to the stadiums and a little bat,” Myers said. “Also, I don’t want to stand out so I buy a baseball cap for the home team, which is hard if you’re not a fan of that team. But I still wear that cap and root for them, at least outwardly, in the fields.”
Myers said his favorite team is the New York Yankees, with the Texas Rangers coming in second.
“Rangers didn’t come along until 1961, and I was a baseball fan before that,” he said. “I used to go to the Amarillo Gold Sox games out at the stadium and the Rangers didn’t exist. The Yankees were the Double-A farm club. The Gold Sox were for the Yankees. I knew names like Mickey Mantle and, playing in Amarillo at the time, Joe Pepitone and Phil Linz were other Yankees that played in the majors that went. That is why I like the Yankees. I like the Rangers and I root for them all the time, but not if they are playing the Yankees.”
According to Myers, one of the memories that sticks out the most to him during his journey was the first time he saw a Yankees game.
“Seeing the old Yankees Stadium and the Monument Park they had there and getting to see that before the game,” he said. “It turned out that was August 17, 2001, so that was less than a month before 9/11. When we toured New York, we went by the Twin Towers, so that game kind of sticks out just because of what happened less than a month later.”
Myers said that although he has visited the Astrodome in Houston, he wishes he had seen a ball game there. He said he hasn’t been to a World Series or Field of Dreams game yet, but Myers noted that he will hopefully get the chance to go to the games one day.
According to Myers, even though he is done with his baseball stadium journey, he will still watch the ball games when he can.
“People ask me all the time if I’ll pick up football or basketball,” he said. “I think I’m a little too old for that to start. I still will go to games when I can. I’m sure my wife and I will head down to Dallas and watch a game or two. When I’m in another city, if there is a baseball game, I’ll go to them. I’ve accomplished what I have set out to do. That bucket list is finished, and I guess I’ll have to figure out something else.”
For the latest Amarillo news and regional updates, check with MyHighPlains.com and tune in to KAMR Local 4 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. and Fox 14 News at 9:00 p.m. CST.
