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Philly SPORTS
Around the
Bases by Nick Coppola photos by Stephen Pagano
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s I sat in authentic seats from Citizens Bank Park conducting this interview, I couldn’t help but think I was at a baseball game. I scanned my surroundings and noticed authentic stadium seats from other baseball stadiums. Sports memorabilia hung on the walls or was propped neatly in a corner of the room. Finally, my eyes came across a row of pictures bordering the entire top half of the back basement wall. I asked my friend Stephen Pagano why he had basically the same picture of the same four guys displayed along the wall. “My friends Pat, Jas, Steve and I visited all 30 MLB stadiums and those are pictures of us at all of them,” he answered. This is the story of Stephen Pagano, Pat Lerro, Steven Grosso and Jason Pinto and their adventures traveling the country to visit every MLB stadium. Four childhood friends from South Philadelphia who share a passionate love for the game of baseball and all it has to offer in a lifetime.
The long journey started with a night trip to the old Yankee Stadium in 2006. The Yankees were playing the Red Sox that day in a classic AL East rivalry game. At this point in time, the guys did not have their goal in mind yet. “The environment in New York was intense and exciting,” Grosso says. “Seeing a rivalry like that was a lot of fun to experience.” Little did the four know, that one day in New York would have a huge impact on their lives for years to follow. After arriving home from Yankee Stadium, the guys decided to plan road trips to closer stadiums on the East coast starting the following season. Their original plans were to hit the most historic baseball
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stadiums first. Trips to Camden Yards in Baltimore, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium in New York, Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago closed out the 2007 baseball season for the quartet. Still, the group didn’t have their ultimate goal set in stone while touring those five stadiums. However, that one September night in Boston would change the mindset of the group going forward. It was the sixth inning and Jason Pinto’s eyes lit up as he glanced at the old-school style scoreboard displayed along the “green monster” in left field. Without actually saying any words, he directed his friends’ attention to the scoreboard so they would also realize what was taking place. The Red
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Sox’ starting pitcher Clay Buchholz had a no-hitter intact against the Baltimore Orioles and his dominance continued as it got later in the game. “I didn’t want to jinx the no-hitter but I wanted the guys to know what was going on without saying the words,” Pinto explains. Finally, the last out of the game was recorded and the crowd erupted with claps and cheers for their hometown pitcher. Bucholtz finished the game with a no-hitter! “The no-hitter at Fenway really compelled us to start planning more trips,” Grosso says. “Experiencing something that unique was a sign that we need to continue traveling to other baseball stadiums.” “It was the first time I heard a stadium that loud in my life,” Pagano says. “We were jumping up and down like our team won the World Series. Little did we know the Phillies would go on to win it all just a year later.” With the conclusion of the 2007 season, the group decided they were going to tour the country and visit every MLB stadium the league had to offer. It was final, the goal was set and 24 stadiums remained as the 2008 season rolled around. Like many kids growing up in the city, the four friends acquired their love for the game of baseball at a young age. They played little league baseball, watched baseball movies like Rookie of the Year and The Sandlot and mimicked their favorite players’ batting stances while playing up the street.