Hatfield-based firm is the official travel company of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

HATFIELD—As the days start to grow longer once again, many sports fans set their sights on the upcoming baseball season, mapping out how to get to the most anticipated match-ups and crossing stadiums off their bucket lists. That’s where Sports Travel and Tours enters the picture.

The Hatfield-based company regularly offers baseball trips from June to August, including several travel packages that take guests to witness the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“Sports Travel and Tours takes the hassle out of travel,” Sports Travel and Tours President Jay Smith said. “All hotel accommodations, transportation and scheduling are taken care of, leaving the guest to focus on having a good time and making memories that last a lifetime.”

Smith founded Sports Travel and Tours in 1996. Its mission is to offer trip options to sports fans so they can attend games and other events across the United States and Canada. Smith and his staff have successfully worked with tens of thousands of travelers while fulfilling dreams and “bucket lists” worldwide.

Sports Travel and Tours has been the official travel company of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since 2007. The firm celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016.

Sports Travel and Tours offers trips for baseball fans that take them to all 30 major league stadiums as well as many minor league stadiums. The company also has its own Stadium Hall of Fame to honor travelers who make it to all 30 parks. There is an induction ceremony for them at Cooperstown every four years; the next one will be in 2021.

Baseball isn’t the only sport fans can take in through the company’s travel packages. Sports Travel and Tours offers themed excursions for fans of basketball, football, golf, hockey, horse racing, rodeo and soccer.

While many of the company’s travel packages feature destinations within the United States, Sports Travel and Tours has also branched out to offer international travel packages, including a March trip to Japan that features tickets to baseball games and sumo wrestling matches, and a football-themed trip to Dublin, Ireland, in August 2020.

Then there’s the Flexible Independent Travel (FIT) program, which allows travelers to customize a self-guided getaway to fit their budget, time and interests. All of Sports Travel and Tours’ offerings support a goal of helping travelers see any game, at any place, at any time.

“Our staff makes this happen through hard work, commitment to excellence and a strong desire to please our customers through whatever means necessary,” Smith said. “We love sports and the challenge of putting you together with whatever sporting event you may be interested in.”

For more information about Sports Travel and Tours, visit the company’s website at sportstravelandtours.com or call 800-662-4424.

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Sports Travel and Tours of Hatfield has served as the official licensed travel company for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for 12 years

HATFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS—Several years after launching Sports Travel and Tours, Jay Smith took a group of baseball fans to the induction ceremony at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for the first time. He had 15 travelers. No one at the Hall of Fame knew his name or had familiarity with his Hatfield-based business.

Smith was determined to change that scenario.

Seeing the opportunity to collaborate with the acclaimed organization, he brought his idea to its leadership. “I remember seeing that we were a round peg and a round hole,” Smith said. “A perfect fit. I went to the guy who was then the director of sales, and I said, ‘I’m not leaving this planet until Sports Travel and Tours is the official travel company of the Hall of Fame.”

It took a few years, but Smith finally won the hall’s leaders over. In June 2007, Sports Travel and Tours was named the official licensed travel company for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Since then, when the phone sounds at Sports Travel and Tours and the ring has a particular sound, staff knows the call is coming in from 888-310-HALL, the only dedicated line that the Hall of Fame offers to anyone interested in a baseball travel package.

In today’s online era, there are also multiple links directly from the Hall of Fame site to Sports Travel and Tours’ induction packages.

What the Hall of Fame gets out of the arrangement is vastly increased memberships, Smith said, as well as efficient, organized and convenient access for guests. “You have people who love baseball. We take them to stadiums and make their travel easier,” Smith said.

Last year, Sports Travel and Tours took roughly 1,000 fans to the Hall of Fame; they experienced all the perks the partnership now offers, such as skirting interminably long lines to get in the museum and VIP seating at the induction ceremony for certain programs.  

This year, the business is offering 10 different packages, from the most basic Induction Weekend–Base Hit package to nine other selections that offer increasing add-ons to enhance the experience of getting out to see the six 2019 inductees. Mariano Rivera, Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in saves, pitchers Mike Mussina and the late Roy Halladay, and designated hitter / third baseman Edgar Martinez, were all elected by the Baseball Writers, while Lee Smith and Harold Baines were elected via the Today’s Game Committee.

Smith said his staff meets quarterly on the telephone with staff from the Hall of Fame. In a call February, the partnership was renewed for four more years. “I thanked them for continuing the partnership,” he said. “One of their vice presidents said, ‘Jay, you guys outshine every other official licensee that we work with. You’re not even in the same ballpark as anyone else. You rise so far above.”

Sean Gahagan, the vice president of retail merchandising and licensing at the Hall of Fame, said the biggest positive in working with Sports Travel and Tours is the total commitment to excellent customer service.

“Sports Travel and Tours goes above and beyond, paying attention to the smallest details to ensure that our visitors have a great experience on their trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,” Gahagan said. “Every member of the Sports Travel and Tours staff has a passion for what they do. You can tell they really love their work, and it shows in the way they treat their customers.”

Smith said Sports Travel and Tours continually tries to improve its programming and services.

For instance, in years past, VIP seating was not offered as part of any package deal. Now, Sports Travel and Tours can choose between packages that include the VIP section seats—near players’ families and team dignitaries—or those in the general seating area.

Sports Travel and Tours arrives at the Hall of Fame a few days in advance to set up 500-800 chairs on the field where the induction takes place. “We are the only company that is permitted to do that,” Smith said. “Everyone else generally sets up behind us.”

Also, all travelers with Sports Travel and Tours receive a lanyard that allows access to an alternate entrance to the museum, which means they can avoid waiting an hour or two in line to buy a ticket.

Our travelers also arrive by bus and get dropped off in front of the museum; individuals must park in a lot several miles away and wait for the shuttle into Cooperstown.

In the first year of the Hall of Fame partnership, Smith said the numbers jumped up near to 1,000 travelers, but that was because two iconic players were inducted that year—Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. In the years following, the numbers were closer to 100 to 200. “Now, we are consistently upwards of 700 to 1,000 per year, depending on who the inductees are,” Smith said.

He adds that 700 people are already registered for the induction in 2020, even though the players won’t be announced until next year, and there is no programming yet.

“The partnership has opened doors for us,” Smith said.

He adds that the recognition his team received in February, and fulfilling the organization’s mission, means more to him than the increased sales. “Yes, there is a financial reward, but it’s a fascinating feeling to take travelers to the Hall of Fame and know you were a part of fueling someone’s passion. We’re hitting people in their souls. We bring joy to people.”

Fred White, of Temecula, Calif., and his wife, Kathy, appreciate the convenience of traveling with Sports Travel and Tours and have been on many adventures, including multiple induction ceremonies.

Over the years, the Whites have met sports stars—like former San Diego Padres pitcher Randy Jones and his wife, Marie Stassi, whom they spoke with in Cooperstown about his baseball career and battle with throat cancer—and they’ve also come to know the travel company’s guides.

“The thing that really catches me off guard is the knowledge of the guides,” White said, adding, “The staff make us feel welcome and like a part of the organization. That’s something you don’t find very often.”

Learn more about Sports Travel and Tours.

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HATFIELD, MASS—When Dr. Fred White and his wife, Kathy White, traveled with Sports Travel and Tours this summer to witness the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum induction weekend, they expected to see some familiar, famous faces.

Fred White also recognized someone not quite as well-known on the streets of Cooperstown, New York.

While exploring the small town of about 1,800 residents, Fred saw writer Gary Kaschak talking on the phone. The author of “My Name Was Mickey Mantle” had recently been featured in the newspaper near the Whites’ home in Temecula, California. Fred White recognized Kaschak from the photo that ran with the article.

“When he was off the phone, we started up a nice conversation,” Fred White said. “He ended up interviewing us for the local paper. I bought a copy of his book from him, and he signed it. I later emailed him my thoughts about the book and how it reminded me of my childhood. Seeing him was probably the highlight of the trip.”

The Whites were repeat travelers with Sports Travel and Tours, a sports travel firm from Hatfield, Massachusetts.

Having found Sports Travel and Tours via the Baseball Hall of Fame website four years ago, the Whites have already done the Mid-Western tour to Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and Minneapolis, and The Lakes tour that started in Toronto and included stops in Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

“On our first trip, we didn’t know anybody,” Fred White said. “But there’s always people on these trips who are very outgoing. We met Fred Soland, an electrical engineer from Houston, who was earning his Stadium Hall of Fame credentials by getting to all 30 major league stadiums. We’ve kept in touch since then and joined him on The Lakes tour, too.”

Like most Sports Travel and Tours customers, the Whites were avid baseball fans. They’ve held season tickets to the San Diego Padres for more than 30 years and have attended spring training in Arizona for more than 35. They were eager to take part in a Sports Travel and Tours induction trip and became even more interested when it was announced that Trevor Hoffman, a longtime Padres pitcher, would be inducted in 2018.

“A lot of people from San Diego went to Cooperstown for the occasion,” Fred White said. “The size of the crowd was 53,000. Gazillions of people show up, though so few people live there. Induction weekend is always special.”

The trip marked the fourth induction the Whites have seen live. In 2007, they traveled on their own to see Tony Gwynn’s induction, but Fred White said they much preferred the experience of traveling with Sports Travel and Tours.

“In my radiology practice, I’m involved in a lot of national events and meetings that require me to travel quite a bit, and I always have to worry about hotels and transportation,” he said. “When we work with Sports Travel and Tours, we pay one fee, and they take care of everything. It’s such a pleasure to have the opportunity to sit back while someone takes you to and from the hotel.”

Fred White said Sports Travel and Tours staff did a great job of keeping their travelers up-to-date and informed.

“The communication with Project Sales Coordinator Anthony Incampo is excellent,” Fred White said. “We’re always notified about what to do and when to do it, and we’re provided with whatever tickets we need. Sports Travel and Tours has a lot of class, especially because President Jay Smith leads from the top and has created a great organization.”

Over the years, the Whites have met sports stars—like former San Diego Padres pitcher Randy Jones and his wife, Marie Stassi, whom they spoke with in Cooperstown about his baseball career and battle with throat cancer—and they’ve also come to know Sports Travel and Tours’ guides.

“The thing that really catches me off guard is the knowledge of the guides,” Fred White said. “We met Mindy Strauss, a young woman from St. Louis who led the Grand Slam tour, and she was just so knowledgeable and willing to answer questions.

“The staff make us feel welcome and like a part of the organization,” said Fred White, noting that he and Kathy White will be traveling with Sports Travel and Tours every year. “That’s something you don’t find very often.”

Learn more about Sports Travel and Tours.

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COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK—Following the announcement in January of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum 2018 inductions, Sports Travel and Tours of Hatfield, Massachusetts, has outlined its trip options for taking in the ceremonies.

On Jan. 24, it was made known that the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 will include Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves, Jim Thome of the Cleveland Indians, Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels and Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres.

Two modern-baseball-era electees, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, who both made their big league debut with the Detroit Tigers in 1977, were announced in December 2017. The six will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 29.

The day before, a July 28 awards ceremony will recognize Bob Costas for his excellence in baseball broadcasting with the Ford C. Frick Award, and sportswriter Sheldon Ocker for his devoted coverage of the Cleveland Indians with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

Sports Travel and Tours has five travel package options for taking in the events this season.

The standard Base Hit travel package offers travelers the chance to arrive in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Friday, July 27, for a trip reception. Saturday, travelers will enjoy the awards presentation at historic Doubleday Field and watch as their favorite Hall of Famers, including this year’s inductees, march through downtown Cooperstown in the Parade of Legends.

The package includes admission to the Hall of Fame to view its nearly 40,000 three-dimensional items, three million books and documents, and 500,000 photographs. Sunday’s induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center rounds out the weekend.

For a longer trip option, the Extra Innings trip allows travelers to stay in Cooperstown on Monday for the Legends of the Game Roundtable, at which the 2018 inductees will reminisce with fans about their favorite baseball memories.

For a better view of things, the Infield package offers all the features of the Base Hit option but with reserved seating in the same area as the media, players’ families and Major League VIPs and an Ump’s Eye View talk with Al Clark on Friday night. Clark, an umpire for 26 years, gives fans an inside look at the sport.

The Home Run package allows travelers to combine the best features of all the packages. Over four days of events, travelers will have upgraded, infield-quality reserved seating, upgraded accommodations and a seat at the table for Ump’s Eye View.

Finally, the Grand Slam includes all the features of the four-day Home Run trip, but travelers will experience a private showing of museum artifacts not currently on display, and they will receive a baseball signed by a 2018 Hall of Famer.

All trips include daily breakfasts, a box lunch on induction day, 24-hour trip assistance, a trip souvenir, round trip event transfers and a Hall of Fame membership that entitles travelers to a Memories and Dreams magazine subscription, a Hall of Fame yearbook and 10 percent off purchases at the museum store and online.

Learn more about Sports Travel and Tours’ induction weekend travel packages.

Learn more about Sports Travel and Tours.

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