Baseball is just one feature of our journey, which includes national parks, visits with friends and even a permanent relocation to Florida. But baseball is an important part.
Delphine's mother liked to watch baseball, instilling a love of the game in her daughter. When Johnnie mentioned going out to see the Durham Bulls minor league team, he found Delphine not only willing, but insistent on going. In 1986, they began watching on a regular basis.
In a few years, because the Braves organization promoted so many Bulls to the majors, the Coxes were familiar not only with the Braves but also the other teams in both leagues. Many of the old Bulls players had moved on to other National and American league teams.
Several times Johnnie and Delphine traveled to Atlanta to see the parent team in action at Fulton County stadium. In 1989, on a trip to New York, they saw the Yankees get creamed by the Brewers 10-2.
In 2000, Johnnie took a business trip to Dallas and saw the Rangers play in Arlington. They decided that trip didn't count, because they both hadn't seen the ballpark. Likewise, a winter trip to Toronto in which they both saw the Skydome didn't count, because they hadn't seen a game there.
Another business trip, this time to San Francisco, netted them the Giants and the Athletics. Then, in 2001, they saw Turner Field in Atlanta, as well as Fenway, Shea and Camden Yards.
But 2002 is the year. This year they will see the rest!
