If I am being honest, I had anticipated that the trip was going to go downhill for me once we left Bristol. I had always wanted to visit ESPN HQ, but I can go to a ballpark anytime. How would they make two games in a suite special? Well, I am not ashamed to say, I was very wrong.
Our next stop was Yankee Stadium, which started with a tour of the ballpark. While the tour took us to places that were open to the public such as Monument Park and the Museum, our guide was gregarious and knowledgeable so it made the experience worth it. Following the approximately hour-long tour, we settled into our suite. The suite had an indoor/outdoor setup with plenty of room for everyone. There were ballpark classics as well as a bar serving soft drinks and adult beverages.
As we got our bearings, television play-by-play voice of the Yankees and ESPN Radio host Michael Kay entered. He shared his take on the game as well as participated in a Q&A session. While I am not a New York local, those that had a strong connection with the team were moved by the moment.
But the special guests didn’t end there. Joining us for the whole game was SportsCenter and NHL anchor Arda Ocal as well as ESPN Radio host Michelle Smallmon. I am a fan of Arda as he is one of the hosts of ESPN’s Star Wars podcast “Never Tell Me the Odds.” He also was the sideline reporter for the Big City Greens Classic. Rebekah is a huge fan of Michelle from her previous work on the Ryen Russillo Show. Let me be clear, these were not drive-by talent sightings. We got to spend time talking about sports, ESPN, Star Wars, and their careers throughout the game. It was neat to get to know these folks better as it hit home that they are fans like the rest of us.
It was an amazing and close game with the Cardinals taking the victory from the home team — although it was apparently the first time since 1964 that the Cards had secured a victory at Yankee Stadium. We returned back to our hotel and had the evening free. While the smart thing would have been to relax, when my nephew says he wants to see the Back to the Future musical, you take him to the Winter Garden Theatre to see it. After the fun show, I returned back to my room and packed for our departure to Philadelphia.
Before heading down to the “City of Brotherly Love,” we made a stop at the Jackie Robinson Museum in Manhattan. Our amazingly thorough and engaging guide gave us an overview of the museum before it opened to the public. While I have obviously learned much about Jackie over the years, our guide’s storytelling really was impactful. We had about an hour in the museum and its gift shop before we began the bus ride.
As we entered the bus, we met our guest for the day, ESPN “Get Up” producer and sports trivia author Paul “Hembo” Hembekides. His presence was surprising yet appreciated as he just had a daughter earlier this week. Doobie is a big fan of Hembo and our guide Mike made sure he had a spot on the bus near the special guest as he would be sticking with us through this evening’s game. As we drove down, Hembo played some trivia and answered some questions, which resulted in what ended up being like an impromptu ESPN Radio show.
Hembo made the time fly by but we made it to our Philadelphia home of Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia. We did make good time, so not all of our rooms were ready. While we waited, Mike arranged a special bus ride to the “Rocky Steps.” After an on-our-own lunch, we returned to the hotel for a brief nap before heading to the ballpark, Citizens Bank Park.
There was no ballpark tour this time, so we went straight to our suite which had a similar food and beverage setup with the addition of some Philadelphia pretzels and cheesesteaks. In addition, as ESPN Bet is an official partner of the Philadelphia Phillies, we also got some ESPN Bet ballcaps. Once everyone got settled, Hembo took some folks on a tour of some of the exhibits in the park, but I elected to stay back to take a quiet moment to appreciate the beautiful ballpark.
Before long, the Sunday Night Baseball crew of Karl Ravech, Eduardo Perez, David Cone, and Buster Olney stopped by to mix and mingle. Doug Glanville from our day at ESPN also came and said “hi.” I truly appreciate the graciousness of the Sunday Night Baseball team knowing that they had a game to broadcast. They were very generous with their time and knowledge. They didn’t treat this as a drive-by, they were proactive in meeting everyone and taking the time to make true connections. I had the opportunity to talk to Karl Ravech about the Little League World Series, which is one of my favorite ESPN traditions. He shared how much that event means to him and how it is a great reminder that sports are supposed to be fun.
As it turns out, we also had one more surprise guest: the one and only Phillie Phanatic. He posed for pictures while also giving our Boston Red Sox loving guide a hard time. It ended up being another great ball game with the Philies walking off in extra innings. While beyond ESPN’s control, it is amazing how we got three great games. After the game, we headed back to the hotel, which ironically lost ESPN due to the DirecTV blackout. The next morning we took our transport to the airport and let it sink in what an amazing experience I just had.
My favorite part of my job is to see fans experience something special. Whether it is Disney Parks fans hearing the latest announcements at D23 or Marvel fans watching a drone show at Comic-Con, hearing the roar of the crowd at Star Wars Celebration as a new trailer debuts, or catching the twinkle in the eye of a baseball fan as the Sunday Night Baseball team enter their suite. These few days have been filled with those special moments and creating special connections. As a Disney fan, watching special memories be created is my fuel. And while this was not a Disney experience, it was filled with magical moments.
In addition, what I love most about Disney are the people. This talented group of artists, technicians, and operators work together to create special moments for their guests. What I learned over the past few days is that the people at ESPN are just as special. They work diligently to serve sports fans across various mediums. This is not just a job, but a calling. What was amazing about our ESPN Experience is that it connected me to some of those people which in turn made me more connected to ESPN. There is no question that ESPN’s business is changing, but I now know that they will succeed because of their team’s desire to be the best they can be. I hope many more people will be able to enjoy an ESPN Experience following this inaugural trip, it is so much more than the sum of its parts.
In case you missed them, you can catch up on Days 1 and 2 of our “Take Me Out to the Ballparks” tour experience or look back at our live blog.