NEWS RELEASE: APRIL 23, 2002 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Joe Connor - E-mail: [email protected]

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION - Off The Success Of "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Spring Training Experience," MLB Writer Joe Connor Debuts "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: Fully Loaded!" On The One-Year Anniversary Of The Web Site Dedicated In Memory Of His Late Father

- Experienced ballpark writer and publishing pioneer pens another volume of his useful electronic guides, which help baseball fans maximize a ballpark tour - right at their fingertips; Planning guide is available exclusively at www.modernerabaseball.com for $12.50 (USD) with portions of proceeds going to a leading nonprofit literacy organization and with purchase, fans also receive free, individual advice on planning their trip -

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - (April 23, 2002) - - Fresh off of the success of "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Spring Training Experience," MLB Writer Joe Connor today announced the debut of "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: Fully Loaded!" on the one-year anniversary of www.modernerabaseball.com, a Web site Joe dedicated in memory of his late father. Connor, a self-proclaimed "ballpark rat" and a freelance writer covering the San Diego Padres, has visited more than 100 ballparks, including every Major League Baseball ballpark and spring training facility, in addition to numerous minor league and collegiate ballparks in the U.S. and Canada, the College and Little World Series and ballparks in Australia. A free sample of the latest guide is also available on www.modernerabaseball.com.

The experienced ballpark writer and publishing pioneer has penned another volume of his useful electronic guides, which have paved a new path in publishing by helping baseball fans maximize a ballpark tour - right at their fingertips. The latest guide is available for purchase exclusively at www.modernerabaseball.com for $12.50 (USD) with portions of the proceeds going to Laubach Literacy, the oldest and largest literacy organization in the world, which helps adults and their families acquire the listening, speaking, reading, writing, mathematics, technical and problem-solving skills they need to improve their lives. With the purchase of the guide, fans also can receive free, individual advice from Connor via e-mail on planning their trip. Connor helped many fans maximize their ballpark tour with his previous guide, "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Spring Training Experience." He has also been a featured guest on numerous radio stations including ESPN Radio and FOX Sports Radio.

"I am very fortunate to be able to do what I do," said Connor. "My father was not only my guiding light to baseball, but my guiding light to life. His words, 'There is no substitute to education,' are poignant and true. Laubach Literacy has more than 1,100 member program throughout the U.S. and 76 partner programs in 44 developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. By donating $2 off every sale, we will be helping provide the funds that go toward teaching people how to read. I can't think of a better cause."

"A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: Fully Loaded!," which is designed to serve as a "ballpark planning tool kit," provides planning tools right at fans fingertips. It features every Major League Baseball ballpark, with Web site links to team schedules, and rental car, lodging and "must see" city attractions information. "Bookmarks," which act like chapters in a book, enable users to easily click with their mouse between every team profile. An e-guide is just like a regular guide, only it's electronic. Since the Internet will be a tool that fans will use to check schedules and other information, the guide provides more direct access preparing for a trip - right at fans' fingertips - than a traditional, physical guide does.

"I enjoy sharing my experiences with the fans and helping them to realize their dreams," Connor explained. "The best way I know how to do that is by providing information right at their fingertips. As a journalist who's visited these ballparks and cities, I have a unique perspective that I offer fans not only about each unique ballpark, but about each unique major league community as well. In this guide, I have also incorporated fan feedback from my previous two guides to make the ballpark tour planning process an even easier and more user-friendly experience."

Text in the guide is written in short, understandable paragraphs, similar to USA Today type reading. In fact, there's little "scrolling" and "hard reading," but rather utilizing the Web site links and compactful information to plan a ballpark trip. The guide is written in Adobe Acrobat PDF, a free, universal format that works easily with any type of personal computer or laptop, and enables Web site links to be included inside.

In addition to details and links to the 30 teams, information and Web site links to hundreds of minor league and independent league ballparks within a short drive of major league ballparks are included, plus features on both the College and Little League World Series. Connor provides dozens of tips on making the most of any trip - from saving money to trying to determine the best seat locations for fans, and what city sites to visit before the ballgame.

Each team profile follows the same simple format, providing "planning" tips on securing the most affordable rates on airports and hotels to a particular ballpark city, followed by information on "pre-game rituals," and "photo ops" before and during the game. Each ballpark profile also features Connor's "pluses" and "minuses," detailing what fans will probably enjoy and not enjoy about each ballpark. "Concession Obsession" features the one concession item at each ballpark a fan should indulge in, while "Surprise, Surprise" and "Hot Tip" provide fans with additional information and advice to plan a ballpark trip. Lastly, each ballpark profile features "must sees" when it comes to city attractions in every ballpark city. This information also includes sites that are "off the beaten path" and a "hidden gem" site, plus "getting away" attractions outside the city or en route to the next closest major league ballpark.

"A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: Fully Loaded!" differs in style and content from traditional guide's. Written from a first person, fans-perspective, Connor's effort is designed to help fans plan the ballpark trip of their dreams. Links to other sports teams and the top sports bars in every major league city are also included inside the guide, along with the wealth of information previously mentioned.

The 2002 Major League Baseball campaign will mark the final time for the Cincinnati Reds at Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium). In 2003, the Reds will debut in Great American Ballpark, being constructed next to Cinergy. New ballparks are also slated to open in Philadelphia and San Diego in 2004. In the past few seasons, several new ballparks have opened including in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Houston, Detroit, San Francisco and Seattle, not to mention numerous minor league and independent league ballparks.

"A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: Fully Loaded!" is not sold in stores. It is an e-guide, available exclusively at modernerabaseball.com. Interviews with the author, as well as advance copies of "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: Fully Loaded!" are available to the media, by contacting (619) 886-8324 or via [email protected].

OTHER VOLUMES

Connor's electronic guides are sold in volumes. "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: Fully Loaded!" is volume three of the e-guide series. Previous volumes have included his first guide, "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: A Case Study," which detailed Connor's first ballpark tour trip when he visited 15 ballparks over 21 days. In volume two of the series, Connor penned "A Fan's Guide To The Ultimate Spring Training Experience," which details every spring training facility and city attractions in both Florida and Arizona.

ABOUT JOE CONNOR

Joe Connor is a freelance writer covering the San Diego Padres and Major League Baseball. He has witnessed baseball in more than 100 professional ballparks throughout the United States and Canada, including every MLB ballpark and spring training facility. Connor has also attended the College World Series and the Little League World Series and visited ballparks in Australia. His work has appeared in multiple San Diego publications, and in 2001 he debuted a fan-based Web site, modernerabaseball.com, in memory of his late father. He has appeared as a guest on numerous radio stations and during his career has conducted one-on-one interviews with the likes of future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn, legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, commissioner Bud Selig and Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard, among many others.

ABOUT LAUBACH LITERACY