Greensboro

On Making the Wrong Decision

NewBridge Bank Ballpark, 2016

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers) vs.
Greensboro Grasshoppers (Miami Marlins)
NewBridge Bank Ballpark
South Atlantic League (A)
Greensboro, NC
7:05 PM

Outside the Game: 
I was awakened the next morning at 9:30 AM by sound check for the festival. I can't say this was surprising to me, nor can I say I wasn't still annoyed by it. I tried to take it in as much stride as possible and went to do my morning permutations and pack up.

I didn't have a game until that night and just a two-hour drive, so I was going to take in some local sights. I did spend some time walking around the emerging festival and grabbing breakfast from a stand there. I then walked out to the Durham History Hub, a free museum that held the rest of the display on baseball cards I saw at the stadium the night before. Walking back, I was waylaid by a bicycle race that was crossing the road, but I was able to sneak through to get back to my car and leave town before tempting fate any further.

So that happened.

After an uneventful drive, I stopped at local zoo, the Greensboro Science Center. It was a pleasant enough little zoo/natural history museum and a way to kill an early afternoon. Afterward, I checked into my hotel, and then drove the short distance to the park to pick up my ticket and take my outside pictures. There was no one at the ticket booth, so I managed to wander inside, where someone said they'd help me. There were two dogs sleeping the stadium office, who I would later find are part of the on-field entertainment.

I went back to the hotel for a shower and a nap, and then drove back out to the park. After the early end to the game (even with extra innings), I was back at the hotel for a longer-than-average night to prove out the scorecard, take a soak, and watch some TV.

The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, NewBridge Bank Park

NewBridge Bank Park is a victim of bank naming, formerly known as Greenboro Ballpark. It fit into the area of downtown where it was built, so it wasn't quite a cookie-cutter as some newer minor-league parks. The main entrance plaza faced downtown, with some fountains and baseball statuary, a bench where you can sit with the mascot facing downtown, and a memorial for a local stewardess who died on 9/11. An arched brick walkway runs the length of one side of the park, with its own pitcher and batter mural, ending at the first base entrance with the main ticket booths and team store.

Further brass memorial plaques to local baseball luminaries line the outfield walls on the sidewalk that lead to a condo development overlooking the park, a rather common site these days at minor league parks. There was center field entrance gate, I think just for them. Behind home plate is another Box Office and corporate offices.

Inside, the park was a mix of new ballpark designs, with features more at a AA level than A ball. All the entrances emptied out into the main promenade that circled the park completely above all the seating areas. A second level from first to third base behind home plate help party decks, and the luxury and press boxes. Regular seating ran into the outfield, and there was a picnic berm general admission seating for the entire outfield, including the "Natty's Hill" area in center. The Safelite Grandstand and Sunbrella Patio anchored left field, while the Corona Patio was in right.

The first base entrance had a bunch of baseball statuary and memorials to local luminaries, as well as dogs "Yogi Berra" and "Babe Ruth." A statue to Jim Melvin stood watch over the right field entrance. Just to confuse things, there was also a putting green by the kid's area in left. The new video board stood proudly in right-center, and in a nod to Durham, there was a "Hit It Here Get Free Jeans" sign above the timer board, sponsored by Wrangler jeans. (Fun Fact: Wrangler jeans are headquartered and based out of Greensboro. I did not know that either before this day. Never say you didn’t learn anything reading this blog.)

Guilford, for some reason

The inevitable grasshopper mascot was named Guilford. He was joined by his "wacky" human counterpart (you know he's wacky because he's wearing a jester cap) named "Screetch," who sounded exactly like you'd imagine him to knowing nothing else but the information I just provided you. There were your standard races and contests with a twist or two. The dogs played a part, bringing umpires balls and having a fetch race with a fan from the stands. The local race were kids dressed up in sausage package costumes, and presumably the "Ants in my Pants" catch game was done using Wrangler coveralls.

About what I expected a "Screetch" to look like

There was a pretty healthy crowd for the game, and there were definitely as many baseball fans as families just there for a night out. There were a lot of scorers and people who knew all the players, and there were at least three K counters going on, so well done, Greensboro.


At the Game with Oogie: 

No-hit scoring

I got a seat up in the lower deck behind third base that had a sight line just clearing the extended netting. It was a full house, so the seating area was quite crowded. I was sitting next to the wife of one of the choral performers from the pre-game show. Just behind me and to my left were an older couple sitting in the handicapped area who had a K count going over the railing--and also hanging a Guilford mascot from the railing that looked a little too much like it was being lynched.

BBQ sandwich and souvenir soda

I grabbed a BBQ sandwich from the supposedly "premiere" stand off the third base line, but it was a dry disappointment that had to be washed down with a hot dog.


The Game:

First pitch, Crawdads vs. Grasshoppers

SALly league rivals the Hickory Crawdads and the Greensboro Grasshoppers faced off this evening in what can only be described as a pitcher's duel and poor-judgement bonanza that eventually cost the home team.

The first five and a half innings went in a blur of two hit batsman for the Crawdads, a double and a single for the Grasshoppers, and 12 strikeouts. This game was going briskly. Greensboro got the leadoff man in the bottom of the fifth only due to a yip by the third baseman. Two short singles loaded up the bases, but the Crawdad's pitcher bore down and got a strikeout and a double-play ball to third.

In fact, things were going so well for the Grasshoppers, their starting pitcher had a no-hitter through five. And then, presumably for a good reason, they pulled him in the top of the sixth. The effects weren't immediate, as the Crawdads went in order in the sixth, and the Grasshoppers finally broke through with a one-out homer that just cleared the right field fence, staking them to a 1-0 lead. Not quite as dramatically, the Crawdads got a one-out double in the seventh to break up the no hitter, and both teams went mostly quietly into the ninth.

The top of the ninth for the Crawdads started with a leadoff walk, and then a bunt to move over the runner. A grounder to short made it two outs but moved the runner to third. A routine grounder to third seemed to signal the end of the game, but it went through the wickets, tying the game at 1-1 before a fly to left ended the half. In response, the Grasshoppers only mustered a two-out walk, so into extras we went.

The top of the tenth started with a single for Hickory, and a jittery catcher let one go through the five-hole to get the runner to second. An infield grounder led to unsuccessfully trying to get the lead runner, making it first and third with no outs. A slow roller to first brought in the runner from third in return for an out and moving the runner to second. Another infield grounder, another blown play, and it was first and third. A strikeout gave hope to stem the bleeding, but a single to center brought in another run before a fly to center ended the half at 3-1, Crawdads.

Greensboro managed a one-out walk, but went meekly the rest of the way, ending the match at 3-1 for the visitors.

The Scorecard: 

Crawdads vs. Grasshoppers, 06/25/16. Crawdads win, 3-1.

The scorecard was the centerfold of the magazine-print half tabloid program. Although it was magazine paper, it was easy enough to write on with pencil. A quarter of the card is taken up by advertising, and the individual boxes were tiny, but it was more workable than other slightly larger cards. However, the complicated tenth was nearly impossible to record in its cramped quarters.

The story of this game is that the Grasshoppers pulled a pitcher throwing a no-hitter at the start of the sixth. It wasn't as though he was struggling, either. His final line was 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SOs. I can only imagine it was a pitch-count thing, but it is only karmic justice that they lost. The other starter was no slouch, either, giving up just a homer to right and striking out 8 on his own. (There were 24 Ks for the entire game.)

The K-Man for the Crawdads complied in the third inning, but the "Sheetz Meat of the Order Hitter" for the Grashoppers wasn't up for the challenge, going 0-4 with two strikeouts. A couple of out of the ordinary plays were a bunt pop-out to the pitcher in the top of the first and a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play to end the top of the fourth.

The Accommodations:

Quality Inn & Suites

I was at the significantly less fancy, yet eminently more quiet Quality Inn & Suites in Greensboro. The bathroom was right off the entrance, and the bedroom was the king-sized bed and easy chair on one side and the dresser, TV, and desk on the other. It was a standard hotel room, and I got some standard hotel sleep, so nothing else to say on the matter.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2016 The Carolinas