Sept. 29, 2006

Jim Kaat has devoted the past 50 years to major league baseball, first as an all-star pitcher and then as a broadcaster for the New York Yankees. He also has another passion: traveling in his state-of-the-art motorhome.

“I’ve gone from being a major league pitcher to a major league RV owner,” said Kaat, 67. “I’ll travel roughly 5,000 miles in my RV this year. It’s a great way to see America, and as relaxed a way to see the country as there can possibly be.”

Kaat called his last Yankees game on Sept. 15. In retirement, he and his wife, Mary Ann, and their two cats plan to hit the road in their 36-foot motorhome. By the end of the year they will have visited at least 20 states.

“You can’t beat the convenience and comforts of an RV,” Kaat said. “It really takes the stress and hassle out of traveling.”

The RV enables Kaat to combine his love of travel with golf. “I’ll play many of the top courses during our trips. The nice thing about the RV is that we have our home with us. We keep everything we need onboard and we’re ready to go at a moment’s notice. And we don’t have to leave our cats behind.”

The Kaat’s motorhome is equipped with living room and bedroom slideouts. “I love that feature,” Kaat said. “When we pull into a campground and put the slides out, we have all the room we need. I also have plenty of storage for my golf clubs.”

Kaat, who made his professional debut for the Washington Senators in 1959, appreciates the freedom and flexibility RVs offer. “RVing allows for impromptu detours. If something looks interesting, we can go exploring because we’re not in a set schedule. And if Mary Ann and I get tired while we’re on the road, we’ll take a break and have a snack in our climate-controlled motorhome.”

The Kaats enjoy spending time at RV campgrounds. "We’re real campers," he said. "When we pull into a campground, we love to roll out our awning, set up our lounge chairs and cook on our grill.”

From 1959 to 1982 Kaat won 283 games pitching for five teams. His best season came in 1966 when he won 25 games for the Minnesota Twins. The 6-foot-4 lefthander was an all-star three times, won 16 Gold Gloves and earned a World Series ring with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. His career earned run average is 3.45.

Kaat discovered motorhoming through baseball friends Bob Gibson and Bill White, who are avid RV owners. “They got us interested, so we rented an RV for a couple of trips and found out about all the benefits and decided to buy our own.”

As a professional athlete and Yankees broadcaster, Kaat is a frequent traveler. But he’ll tell you his most memorable trips have been in his RV.