As Major League Baseball’s playoff season heats up, today I’m talking travel with Frank Catalanotto, head baseball coach at Hofstra University. Catalanotto also played 14 seasons in MLB.

A native of Smithtown, New York, Catalanotto was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 1992 amateur draft. He made his MLB debut in 1997 with the Tigers. He also played with the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers and his home state New York Mets before retiring after the 2010 season. For his career, Catalanotto hit .291 while playing several positions. He also won the Player of the Week Award twice.

In 2012 he published Heart & Hustle, his autobiography. It’s a book about perseverance, spirit and support as much as it is about baseball. It’s one of the most impactful autobiographies I have ever read.

His coaching career started at the New York Institute of Technology in 2019–2020. He took the helm at Hofstra in 2022.

Early in his career his daughter was born with a hemangioma, a vascular birthmark, made of extra blood vessels in the skin. A staffer with the Rangers led the family to Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon, Ph.D., president and founder of the Vascular Birthmark Foundation. Daughter Morgan underwent two operations but is doing great now in her 20s. The Frank Catalanotto Foundation was formed to honor Morgan and raise funds and awareness for VBF.

Catalanotto discussed all of this in our interview. As talk turned to travel, he discussed his travels as a player and now aa coach. He talked about the difference in planning and organization. Having played games in every MLB city and overseas, Catalanotto discussed his favorite spots, seeking restaurants and more, including his travel tip, of course.

The Hofstra Pride finished the 2023 season with a 26–26 record in the tough Colonial Athletic Association. The season is over, but Catalanotto’s work continues as the team prepares for the 2024 season. Catalanotto finished by giving a quick scouting report on the 2024 Pride.

Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, online writer