Interview #67: Visitors from the North
Baseball Brittany and her quest to see every stadium
Brittany Leybourne is a Toronto native and lifelong baseball fan. She was born in 1994, so one year too late for the glory days of Blue Jays baseball and their two World Series wins. But those seasons made an impact on her hockey-loving dad and she got the baseball bug very early on.
She is now nearly halfway through her recent goal of seeing all 30 MLB parks, a journey that began when her and her partner found out the best way to spend their vacations is road-tripping through the Midwest. They’re still determined to get it done despite some unforeseen road blocks popping up in 2025: a hurricane wiping out Tropicana Field, faulty ownership wiping out the Oakland Coliseum, and trade wars driving up exchange rates.
We talked about her love of baseball, going to stadiums with her partner, and life as a lefty shortstop. You can follow her quest on Instagram: @baseballbrittany.
Current Status
How's vacation?
I'm not doing anything, I'm just taking time off work.
So no baseball stadiums?
We were planning on going to California and Arizona and doing a whole West Coast trip. But living in Canada and the tariffs, it would cost a lot, so we had to delay that trip for a bit. We were looking at it about a year ago. We put a deposit down. We were saving up for it and the due date was May 31st, and we're going to leave July 1st, but a week before the due date, the price just kept going up. The price didn't change for Americans, just the exchange rate.
We ruined your trip!
Just delayed it. It's OK.
Have you ever been in Arizona in July? You lucked out.
We kept watching it, it went from like $3,500 to $4,000, and it just kept going up. We were like, we can't do that.
What was your plan for this year before things changed? So this July, you would have gotten five more?
We were going to go to Florida in May, but because of Tampa, we had to cancel that as well.
You don't count the temporary Tampa situation?
No. He's already been to spring training because his dad used to live in Florida, so he's already seen those games, he's already been there. So we want the true MLB experience. So we're going to have to do Florida, New York, Texas. And he's done most of the East Coast other than Boston. I still have the Orioles, and Washington, so I'm hoping we can do that while we're going to Boston. He would have to do it twice, but I need it.
We were in Cleveland for my birthday last year. He said he was like, Paul Skenes is pitching tomorrow. I was like, how far is Pittsburgh? Literally an hour. We didn't even plan. We were like, tomorrow morning, we're gonna drive to Pittsburgh because it's so close.
Are a lot of people not coming to America? Is it different than it was before?
I think because of everything that's been going on down there lately, a lot of Canadians are just like, we're not gonna do that. Once the tariffs came, a lot of stores got rid of all American items and started really promoting made in Canada, so shelves would be completely emptied with big holes from all these American items. It's kind of refilled a little bit again, but it's a big point to not go to the states, not give our money there.
Hearing that I realize how lucky we were to get our trip done in one giant go in 2006. No rainouts, no destroyed stadiums, no obnoxious politicians wreaking economic havoc, just 26 ballparks in 42 days. What if I had it planned 14 years later and 2020 happened? Or like Brittany this year and tariffs and Hurricane Milton wipe out 6 new stadiums for 2025. And with a lockout on the horizon, the lesson here, is go to as many as you can when you can.
A Left-handed Shortstop
What is it about baseball that got you hooked? You were born after the two World Series titles in Toronto.
Yeah, the year after Toronto won. I think that kind of helped, because my dad's more of a hockey fan. But in the summer, he did really like baseball when there's no hockey to watch. So he was able to be around it when they won the two World Series in a row. I think that just kind of stuck with him. I was always more sporty growing up, so he kind of pushed that on me and he noticed that I started to like baseball. So we’d go to a lot of baseball games together.
And then third grade, I joined softball and I've been playing softball ever since. Through high school, college, and now I play in a slow-pitch league. It just stuck. I just loved going to baseball games and watching them play. I really like the thought behind it. You have to think all the time in baseball, even as a fan, if you're really into it, you're constantly thinking about what's gonna happen next. Like, what this person is doing, what pitch is gonna come.
What position are you?
I was shortstop, but I play catcher if needed. But I am left-handed so they didn't know where to put me at first. I started at shortstop because I was the only person that could throw to first when I was younger. I had a good arm.
How long did you play shortstop?
I've always played as a lefty shortstop. I started playing as a shortstop, grade four, like 10 years old.
And you played in high school and in college?
As a short stop.
Your back is facing home plate every time you throw.
Yeah, I have to take that extra step. But I have a fast enough arm, I think it's OK. I can whip it down there. A lot of people didn't like it at first and if I joined a new team, they'd always put me at second, first, or right field. And I struggled hard because it's the opposite side of the diamond that I'm used to. But then when they finally like gave me the chance, I was thriving. It's an extra step to throw it to first but you're already kind of running.
What's kept you being a fan for so long? Up until recently, you'd just been to Rogers Centre? And the Blue Jays have had their ups and downs.
I think with playing, watching helped me figure out some things that my coaches maybe didn't know as well, so I was able to know a little bit better about who to throw to, when to throw. I really liked Yadier Molina, the catcher for St. Louis. That kept me watching for a bit when the Jays obviously weren't doing too great. Catchers are my favorite position. I love Alejandro Kirk now. It's just always my favorite position to watch.
And then I met my partner and he really loved baseball, so I had someone to go with and watch with, so that helps too. And he's a stats guy, so he's looking all the stats, all the time.
How did you guys meet? Were you sitting next to each other at a baseball game?
No, no. Through friends. I work with a girl who was friends with him in high school, so met him through that.
She was like, you're both baseball fans, have at it.
Actually, we didn't even know that for a while. The first month, we both didn't know each other liked baseball. He asked me if I wanted to go to a Jays game and I was like, oh my God, yeah, I love baseball!
Was he the one that came up with the idea first because he's been going to stadiums already?
Yeah, he's been to 20 now. When I met him, he was actually on his way to Colorado. He’d already been to New York, and he's been to San Francisco. So he was already kind of wanting to see them all. Once we met and we both realized that's both what we like, we just went full force into it.
When I started playing hockey, which I shoot right handed, I always wondered why all the Canadian players play lefty, even though lefties are like 12% of the population. And now with lefty shortstops, I think everything is reversed in Canada.
Ballpark Chasing
When did you start going to trying to see more stadiums?
I met my partner a few years ago. He already had an idea of wanting to go to all 30 stadiums. One thing we had in common was baseball, but I'd only ever been to the Rogers Centre. We started last year to try to see as many as possible. I've seen 14 so far. We did a Midwest trip, so we went to Cincinnati, Cleveland, St. Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minnesota and then both Chicago’s and Detroit in a big road trip together. We've done Seattle, Pittsburgh, Atlanta. We have a map with the places we've been, but it's all mostly his. We got lucky to see Oakland before they closed. Which was interesting.
You would have gone last year at the end? The neglected stage.
Yeah, it was dark and empty. Most of the hallways, the lights are off. There was nothing on. It was wild.
What was it like in Oakland? I mean, that had to be 100% different. You were there, it's rundown, they've neglected it, the fans have just been abused by ownership. That could not have been a fun atmosphere.
It was odd. It definitely made me feel for everyone in Oakland. When we showed up, there was way more people outside of the stadium, and there was probably like 20 people inside. Everyone working there just seemed upset with how it's going. We bought some shirts, the “Sell” shirts, and all the staff were kind of pointing, like thank you. It was definitely weird. It felt sad. You could feel the emotions from the fans.
What's the reason you want to see them all? And you're doing it quickly, too.
I don't know if there's a big reason. We're both big baseball people. I've been a baseball fan my whole life. St. Louis is my favorite team, so it's never been about Toronto. I was always wanting to go to St. Louis. But it's just really cool to see the different cultures of each stadium and the different structures. I loved how Seattle had an older looking stadium. I can't remember the exact architecture style. (note: postmodern, apparently)
It's just really cool and to see the fan culture, like how similar yet different they are for each stadium is really cool. And each city is really nice.
Why the Cardinals? You just like red birds more than blue birds?
It was mostly Molina. He's such a good catcher and his personality was fantastic. I was really drawn to him and that made me stick with St. Louis. And the city, once we went there, the city was fantastic and the people were great and the stadium was great, the food was good at the stadium. It just felt like my kind of place.
What's your favorite so far?
I get told I'm biased because St. Louis is my favorite team, but I did love Busch Stadium. PNC was incredible with the bridge. That’s everyone's top. I really love Seattle too, just the atmosphere. And the weather was perfect. It was a really nice stadium. We went in May and I think we got the perfect end of May weather.
Had you been to America much before?
Buffalo.
That doesn’t count.
That's about it. I went to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan a few times. So this is a lot of new places for me.
Would you ever try to do all of them in one year? Money permitting.
Oh, I wish. I wish I could do that. If I could do it in a year, I absolutely would. When we did our Midwest trip, we went to at least a game a day. We go to each stadium twice. First day, second day, drive to the next one. We were always at a baseball game.
That's a great way to do it. You get to settle in. You're not rushing. You get to enjoy the stadium and the baseball. How did you come up with that strategy?
It was originally just to get as much baseball in as possible. Like, we're already here, we might as well just go to another one. But it kind of worked out because we both like seeing the actual stadium, too. The first game, we would usually walk around, see the stadium, go through all the levels, whatever we could go through. And then the second day, we just hang out and watch a baseball game. So instead of having to pay for a tour, we did our own little mini tour. And now we do it every time. First day, tour the stadium, second day just watch the game.
And you’re rainout proof, too.
Definitely. When we were in Cincinnati, we got rained out and thankfully we had the next day. That was our first day on our Midwest trip.
Did you drive from Toronto? What car do you have?
We drove. It was a Honda Civic.
What was it like driving through the middle of the country and just seeing farmland for miles and miles?
It was an experience. Just nothing.
Is there something like you try to do or get at every park?
I get a hot dog at every stadium, I take a picture with my hot dog. Then I also get patches, well I try to get patches, it's kind of hard lately, there's some places that just don't sell them anymore. But I do embroidery, so I was hoping to make a big embroidery thing with all the patches. So far I've been decently lucky. I think it's just Cleveland that I'm missing.
My partner gets a lot. He gets a hat, he’ll a cup, he tries to get the ice cream helmets, and then something else. We have like a whole, he calls it a baseball shrine, full of just stuff from all the teams.
Where did you normally go on vacation before all these trips? You would never pick Kansas City or Milwaukee otherwise.
No, definitely not. I actually went to Europe a lot. So at first when he said, the States, I was I was like, I have no interest. But then he's like, baseball stadiums, and we can go see all those. And then once we started, I was like, this is great. I love this.
What's the biggest difference between traveling in Europe versus America?
People are openly friendlier in the States. In Europe, they're very nice, but they're more to themselves and quiet. But Americans, they'll just come up and have a whole conversation with you. Even here, my partner always wears the opposite team to the Blue Jays because of how much he doesn't like the Blue Jays.
That's an intense hatred. I respect it.
Yeah, he's one of the only ones that will stand there screaming for whatever team is playing against them. But sometimes we'll get people who are from wherever the team is from and they'll come up and start talking to us.
Walking down the street as a Canadian, we always say hi to each other, smile. If you did that there, people would just look away. In America if you did that, they would have a whole conversation with you.
Are there any stereotypes about Americans you can confirm or bust?
Definitely busting the mean American stereotype; I didn't meet a single person that was mean. The Southern hospitality feeling is definitely true, going to Atlanta, you could just feel warmth from everyone.
Even for me, from California, visiting all these stadiums and all these different regions was eye opening, like every region is so different. I don't know if it's similar to that in Canada. What's it been like going to different places and seeing how different everything is?
I found it really, really interesting. There's a big obvious stereotype of Americans not being the nicest people. But, honestly, I haven't been to a single place where people weren't so incredibly welcoming, and like the most I got was for wearing a Toronto hat. They're like oh, Blue Jays. But nothing crazy. Atlanta, they were the kindest people I've ever met everywhere we went. Everyone was very, very kind.
But I do like how different each city is. The people are so different, which is very interesting. Like Ontario is kind of its own thing, and then there's a few different sections through Canada, but it's nothing like the states where each city is its own culture.
What have been some of your most memorable experiences?
We planned to go to Oakland like two weeks before we left. It wasn't even a thought in our heads. We just got back from Seattle and our big road trip as well. So we went to Seattle in May, the Midwest road trip in the summer, and then it was August and my partner was like, do you want to go to Oakland? And then he sent me the prices of the tickets and it was literally leaving in a week. So we booked them, and it was three days total. So we fly in, we went to a game with our backpacks still on, right from the airport to the stadium. We didn't even stop anywhere. They let us in, thankfully, with all our clothes. We saw the game, went around San Francisco the next day, watched the game, and then we were flying out at 6AM the next morning. We got to the airport at like 4 AM after a night game.
And then our flight was delayed for a few hours. We had to go from Oakland to Vegas to Detroit, so we missed our connecting flight. And then so we were like, OK, let's just go to Vegas. We'll figure it out once we get there. We get to Vegas. They didn't have a flight for us until the next day. But they said come back at 10PM and see if we can get on a flight. So we came back at 10PM, they said there's no flights and what they wanted to do was send us the next day to Atlanta to Detroit. And we're like, this is too much for a one-day trip. We ended up booking with Delta, getting a direct flight to Detroit that night. And as we were about to land in Detroit, they said, Detroit's flooded, we can't land here, so we're going to go to Grand Rapids and wait it out. So we waited on the tarmac there for 2-3 hours until they said, we're getting you a bus, there's no flights. So we had to get off and thankfully, as we were getting off, my partner’s like, we're renting a car, we're not getting a bus. As we were getting off, they told us the bus wouldn't be there ‘til tomorrow. So it would have been like a five-day trip.
All that just to see Oakland.
My favorite part of this was their strategy of seeing two games at each stadium. That’s something I’m gonna have to implement when I do a Baseball Trip Part II someday. I remember some of the stadiums, we’d get to the ticket window after a whole day of travel, head inside, walk around taking pictures and exploring until first pitch, grabbing souvenirs and then sit down to watch the game. Some days it felt rushed like we didn’t get to see a baseball game and mostly did a tour. The second day, you’d get to slow down, enjoy the atmosphere, talk to people, watch some baseball.
And I’m glad we Americans have been nothing but polite and friendly to them on their travels so far. See, we still have some redeeming qualities down here.