He’s been to the Polo Grounds, the old Yankee Stadium, San Francisco’s AT&T Park — and every still-standing (and some no longer in existence) Major League Baseball stadium between New York and California. He’s met former star players and collects memorabilia and memories from his visits to ballparks and talks with National Baseball Hall Of Fame inductees. He claims to have run the first baseball card show in Connecticut, right here in town (back in the late 1970s) and has been passionate about the game of balls and strikes throughout almost all of his 73-plus years.

On Monday, September 15, this baseball fanatic, Newtown’s Chris Spiro, will share his America’s Pastime experiences with the community at a talk, “Interesting Moments in Baseball History,” at the C.H. Booth Library, beginning at 7:30 pm. The event is hosted by the Newtown Historical Society.

Bring your baseball knowledge — there will be trivia questions — and wear your favorite team’s hats or shirts … if you dare.

Spiro, who grew up in the Bronx, went to his first game — at Yankee Stadium — back around 1950. He’s a diehard Yankees fan, and isn’t afraid to show it. In fact, he’s been bold enough to wear his interlocking NY cap into Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. Spiro takes pride in (jokingly) being asked to leave by Fenway Park security officials.

He fondly recalls teasing Mets fans about their team, and how many Hall of Famers the Mets have compared to the Yankees. During a visit to Cincinnati, he argued with fans about who the best catcher in baseball history is. They cherish Johnny Bench, but Spiro had a bunch of Yogi Berra accolades and factoids to throw back at them.

Don’t be mistaken, Spiro loves the company of, and chance to talk to, a fan of any team. “You get to interact with the people,” he says is one of the best things about going to a game. “You can talk to any baseball fan.”

After all, fans of the game have stories and experiences to share, he notes.

In the years following that initial visit to see the Yankees, Spiro went to the Polo Grounds, the now demolished home to the New York Giants before the team moved to San Fran; Shea Stadium after the Mets joined baseball in 1962; and, throughout the years, found himself at a few more stadiums — in Boston to see the Red Sox, Seattle to see the Mariners, and Chicago to watch the Cubs.

For years, he and his wife, Peggy, drove cross country. Together, they went to many of the 30 Major League cities — and stadiums. Peggy passed away four years ago and, last summer, Spiro finished off his grand ballpark tour with a visit to the handful of California stadiums he had not yet seen. He’s been to 40-plus ballparks throughout the years, having attended the old and new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets, as well as many other teams that have had new home parks built in recent years.

“It just kind of happened,” said Spiro, noting that there was no master plan to attend every stadium — at least not until recent years, once the list was whittled down to a select few. “I think it’s every true baseball fan’s dream to get to all of the ballparks.”

The accomplishment of visiting every Major League ballpark was completed with a trip to see the San Francisco Giants last summer. To celebrate the occasion, Spiro’s family — his five children (Suzie, Tom, KC, Katie, and Tim) two with significant others, and a granddaughter (Maggie) joined him.

“Family is everything,” Spiro notes.

To the outsider, it may seem that stadiums — for Spiro — are a close second.

“I always liked the idiosyncrasies of different parks,” said Spiro, noting that the original pre-renovated Yankee Stadium featured a flagpole in the field of play, and adding that Fenway has the Green Monster. Newer parks incorporate some history (Houston’s Minute Maid Park has a flagpole in the field of play), but they are more business-driven than they once were.

“I think a lot of the ballparks have become too commercial,” Spiro points out.

Spiro’s career (he used to be an insurance adjuster before getting into the mortgage business, and eventually into financial services), which took him to Utica, N.Y., and eventually Newtown in 1966, hasn’t prevented him from traveling to all of the Major League cities, or to see numerous national parks along the way. He’s an avid traveler, whose focus of late has been on marking every presidential museum off the to-do list.

Long before traveling to each stadium became his thing to do, Spiro had other baseball interests. He attended a baseball card show in New Jersey in the late 1970s and found himself talking to the show promoter who went on to suggest Spiro put on a card show in Connecticut. With help from the promoter, and his contacts, Spiro got in touch with card dealers, and arranged to have Don Larson — the only pitcher to have thrown a perfect game in World Series history — attend as the featured guest. The show was held at Newtown High School.

During the next decade, Spiro hosted more card shows. Former star players, including Don Drysdale, stayed at his house when they came to town to sign autographs in shows. Spiro said he extended the invitation to have them stay with his family, rather than go to a hotel. He made connections with the retired baseball players and also attended National Baseball Hall Of Fame inductions where he made more baseball contacts.

Now, he enjoys sharing his stories — and those he’s obtained from others in the baseball world throughout all of these years.

“I love baseball and, therefore, I love talking about baseball,” Spiro said.

John Renjilian, who sits on the Newtown Historical Society’s board of trustees, views the upcoming talk as an opportunity to hear about baseball from a unique perspective.

“I think it’ll be a great deal of fun to hear his experiences,” Renjilian said.