Bloops: The Shortest Possible Baseball Road Trip
Posted by Neil Paine on June 3, 2011
Ben Blatt of the Harvard College Sports Analysis Collective used linear programming to plan the optimal road trip to all 30 MLB stadiums.
Posted by Neil Paine on June 3, 2011
Ben Blatt of the Harvard College Sports Analysis Collective used linear programming to plan the optimal road trip to all 30 MLB stadiums.
June 3rd, 2011 at 5:58 pm
This reminds me of articles in baseball magazines from years ago about planning your own summer baseball vacation. The author analyzed that year's schedule and provided various itineraries to take you from one city to another to take in as many games involving as many teams as possible in the least amount of time and with the least amount of travel.
As a teenager, I actually followed one of those trips, taking me (I think) to Minnesota, Milwaukee, Chicago (Cubs and Sox), Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis in the space of 10 days or so, without seeing the same team twice. Great time for a young guy, but I couldn't do it now.
June 3rd, 2011 at 9:40 pm
I don't know who did this research, but I suggest we all chip in five bucks and get this guy a bottle of wine and a hooker.
June 3rd, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Neil, did Ben Blatt's wife/girlfriend/significant other accompany him on this road trip or is it merely virtual?
Has he actually done it and would he be still married when he got back? (lol)
June 4th, 2011 at 11:13 pm
I don't know about shortest but I once managed to see three doubleheaders in 48 hours in Milwaukee in Chicago. I don't think there are enough twin bills to see that happen again.
http://pinetarandbrickbats.blogspot.com/2011/06/six-baseball-games-48-hours.html
June 6th, 2011 at 9:04 am
#3 - I'm pretty sure it's purely hypothetical.