Hi to all prospective 2006“Down Under” Baseball Tourists!!

 

Please excuse my tardiness in getting back to you in recent weeks via the ABF website. Two things have drastically interrupted that process. First and foremost, I have been busy celebrating that magnificent win-for –the-ages – The Chicago White Sox are World Series Champions!! There are so many knockers I’ve had to contact just to remind them of their derisive comments over the years about my beloved Sox. And man, haven’t I enjoyed that part. Then of course the mandatory celebratory drinks have taken up the odd evening (or ten!) What a performance! Four straight complete-game performances by the starting pitchers! A mind-blowing 11-1 record in the playoffs! Leading their division and league from the first day to the last! A season to be savoured!

 

Enough of that! I was also been crippled by a recurring computer problem in recent weeks but am back aboard now. My first reaction to the response to the letter on ABF’s E-news was one of astonishment! To date, I’ve received 40 emails which represent a possible 82 tourists. Wow! There’s no doubt there are a lot of Aussies whose addiction to the beautiful game compares closely to mine.

 

Most of the contacts so far have indicated a preference for making the trip later in 2006 rather than earlier. The most popular option by far is to tour in August. It would seem that most interested parties would like the added time to prepare and save. Some see the games at that time of the year as having an extra “edge” as the teams in contention fight for playoff spots.

 

August also holds the added advantage of accommodation being slightly more affordable, and the weather at that time of the year, in my experience, is, in the main, very enjoyable.

 

So, where do we go from here?

 

Most potential tourists are keen to get some indication of tour costs. I know you will appreciate that the largest determining factor at the outset is the release of the official MLB Schedule. Our itinerary will depend so much on this release. To give interested parties some idea of costs, I can estimate that a tour of the cities shown in my original letter – that is, arriving in L.A. and travelling to Anaheim, San Diego, Chicago, New York, Boston and San Francisco- would currently cost in the vicinity of $7,500 - $8,000 per tourist. This would cover flights (both international and within the U.S.) accommodation, breakfast each day, admission to all games (probably 8 or 9 in all), some attractions outside of baseball and a Tour group Polo shirt. Obviously, estimates like this are an exercise in crystal-ball gazing to some extent, and will be influenced by factors like airfare changes, taxes (especially city accommodation taxes within the U.S.) and fuel prices.

 

There will be a payment schedule in operation once you decide to tour. A deposit of 20-25% will be required upon acceptance (probably in the early months of 2006) with the balance to be paid at a date to be fixed. More specific details regarding the itinerary and costs will be published on this website as soon as the 2006 MLB Schedule becomes official.

 

Meantime, I hope the August date is favourable to as many of you as possible. By the sound of your emails, you’ll be a great group to tour with! For those of you who wish to climb onto the White Sox bandwagon for a repeat in 2006, I can direct you to some great sites to buy your caps, shirts etc so we’ll be correctly attired for a double-header at U.S.Cellular Field when the World Champs strut their stuff in August against the Yankees!

 

Best wishes for a great Christmas.

 

Bill O’Sullivan