These Tarrant County sisters have seen every MLB team play at least once since 2006

While many folks think of retirement in a nice rocking chair watching the sunrise or sunset, Ella Martin and her sister Ann Lefevre are more comfortable in a stadium seat.

Since they retired years ago, 83-year-old Ella and 86-year-old Ann have spent their springs and summers driving around the country visiting baseball stadiums and going to spring training. Since 2006 they have made an almost annual trek taking in America’s pastime.

They skipped 2020 and 2021, of course, because of the COVID 19 pandemic, though they did attend spring training in Florida before the pandemic hit full force. The only other years they have not hung out with the boys of summer were 2008, 20015 and 2019, but they were still on the road.

“We needed destinations and a purpose. Baseball stadiums was one,” Martin said. “State capitals were another. We’ve been to all except Alaska and Hawaii. Governors mansions, presidents libraries and homes, Texas courthouses are others. We took a U.S. Parks bus tour. We went to England and Europe.”

In other words, they love traveling after spending their working years in a classroom as a teacher in Castleberry (Martin) and in an office as a certified public accountant (Lefevre). And their favorite destinations are ballparks. As they prepared to embark on a trip to Florida for spring training they have taken in 36 visits to baseball stadiums, a few more than once, and they’ve seen teams switch venues and venues switch names.

“We spend several months in the planning of each trip, which is almost as much fun as the actual traveling,” Martin said.

Through it all, they’ve been there, having seen every team play at least once over nearly two decades.

Their favorite stadiums

Their favorite is San Francisco’s Oracle Park because of its location and setting by the San Francisco Bay. Also near the top of their list is Marlins Park, which Lefevre called a “much better venue” than their previous home, which, of course, they’ve also visited.

They never visited old Yankee Stadium, but they have been to the new one, which opened in 2009. They have been to what are now the oldest and most legendary parks, Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, and Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs’ historic home.

Other stadiums and things connected that have stood out to them include:

▪ Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks: best hot dog and best graphics.

▪ RingCentral Coliseum, home of the Oakland Athletics: the loneliest stadium (supported by their consistently draining attendance over the years).

▪ Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia: best mascot (Philly Fanatic).

▪ Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays: best roof opening.

▪ PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates: best yellow bridge.

Their excursions have also taken them to places such as the Field of Dreams in Dysersville, Iowa; the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York; and the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

Martin said it’s not just the baseball trips that bring them together. They just love to travel together.

“We enjoy the same things and have similar tastes, therefore it is very amicable,” she said. “We do make compromises when one wants to see something that the other one is not particularly interested in, such as the Golden Driller statue in Tulsa, Oklahoma.”

Love of game started early

Born and raised on a farm in Hill County, they grew up with their parents listening to baseball games on the radio. Then, after they were both grown, the Texas Rangers came to town, relocating from Washington, so they took their mother to a lot of games.

Now, Martin lives in Benbrook and Lefevre lives in west Fort Worth, and Rangers games are a short drive away. And while they do love their home team, Martin has also become a fan of the New York Yankees and New York Mets, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Lefevre also likes the San Diego Padres.

The trips haven’t been as lengthy in recent years, but the sisters said there is no end in sight for their adventures, with Martin saying it will continue “as long as they will issue us a driver’s license.”

“Our families accuse us of having it down to 15-minute increments,” she continued. “Traveling with someone with which you have so much in common is very enjoyable. We have a very similar sense of humor and spend most of the time laughing — not at anyone, just enjoying the experience.”