Lee Ross has rooted for the hometown team at all but one baseball stadium in the nation.
He’ll get his chance on Tuesday, when the Washington Nationals host the Cincinnati Reds.
Ross, 75, of Glendale, and his friend, Dimon McFerson of Ohio, set out to visit the nation’s 30 Major League Baseball stadiums nearly five years ago after the longtime friends saw four baseball games in four cities and thought, “We can get all of them,” Ross recalled.
Growing up in Driggs, Idaho, baseball was how Ross passed the time, playing in sandlots and listening to radio broadcasts of the St. Louis Cardinals, the nearest major league team the airwaves carried west.
He played through high school and at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. In 1958, Ross moved to Inglewood with his wife, Chloe, where he played with McFerson in city leagues.
His goal to see every stadium was not merely about the game or team, but the park, Ross said. That meant showing up 90 minutes before game time to stroll around the stadium.