Worchester

On Running on Luck

Just an average game

Friday, April 29, 2022
Vernon, CT

 

Outside the Game: 
It was a long, stupid Friday at work, as well as other unwanted memories. This was the first week of my father's birthday and wedding anniversary since he passed, and I was in a fog most of the week to begin with and needed to get away to get my head straight. I was not in a good mental place, so I decided to put the first new notch in my belt in two years and see the new AAA-affiliate for the Red Sox up in Worchester ("Woo-stah"), MA.

The process didn't begin swimmingly, as I found at that every, single hotel within five miles of Worchester was sold out for the weekend. There are tons of colleges in the area, but none of them were graduating yet, and the sports teams were all done with their seasons, so I could never quite find out why this was the case, but a couple of people at the hotels I called acted like I was an idiot for not knowing without actually telling me why. So, you know.

I gave up trying for hotels nearby and just decided to stay outside of Hartford. It would be a two-hour drive up, and then a manageable one-hour each way to Worchester, with an easier two-hour drive home on Sunday. I booked my hotel, and then just stopped working at a little after 6 PM to grab a Lyft to my parents' house. The traffic wasn't too bad, but an accident held us up for a little bit, though the Rasta-man driving me helped me keep a cooler mindset on things.

Once I arrived at my parents' house, I did all my weekly things for my mom before heading out around 7:30 PM. I put the game on the radio, the address in the GPS, and headed out. I thought that I had checked the GPS and it was taking me the 84 route, but I was unfamiliar with my mom's GPS and found out much too late it was taking me via the dreaded 95. There was, of course, tons of traffic as I slogged across Manhattan, but at least the game was on, and I didn't have too long a drive through the sludgy--but moving--congestion.

After breaking out into mid-Connecticut, the traffic thinned out, and I was just night cruising, with the curious situation on the game following itself through, as the Metropolitans were pitching a combined no-hitter, the potential second game allow no-hits in their history. The time just flew by as I was driving. The further I went, the more I tried to change as little as possible so as not to effect the karma. I arrived at the hotel at the eighth inning. I left the car and radio running to check in, and then put the car around back into the last open parking spaces before settling in for the ninth. The victory in hand, I ran upstairs to my room with my stuff, stopping to grab some snacks in the vending machine, and then watched the post-game live on TV before getting ready for bed and amping down as much as possible, given the circumstances.

 

The Accommodations: 

Holiday Inn Express, Vernon, CT

I was staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Vernon, CT, on the east outskirts of Hartford. It was almost exactly what you'd expect of a Holiday Inn Express just past its prime. The facility was still nice, but rough around the edges. I wasn't paying too much attention on the way in due to the game, but it was a standard king bedroom, with the bathroom with tub and vanity sink to the right of the entrance, with the bed and nightstands in the main room opposite a wall with a desk, entertainment center, and appliances.

The bed was actually quite nice, and I appreciated it the most in all of the lollygagging I did during the mornings on this trip.

On Woostah

Polar Park, 2022

Saturday, April 30, 2022
Buffalo Bison (Toronto Blue Jays) vs. Worchester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox)
Polar Park
International League (AAA)
Worcester, MA
4:00 PM 

Outside the Game: 
I didn't have to get up early today, and I knew it. Upon waking up the first time, I realized it was almost time for the breakfast buffet to open, so I threw on some clothes and went down to eat, the first patron to dare the morning. I put together a decent spread of food while I scrolled my phone, and then stomped back up to my room to nap and flop about until I headed out around noon. I acquired some gas, snacks, and a newspaper of the previous night's events at a gas station around the corner, and then headed out into the early Connecticut afternoon.

It was an easy drive out to Worchester. Once there, I wasn't quite sure what to do. The parking decks for the stadium were still very much under construction, and not having anything else to go by, I paid to park in a small mini-mall right underneath an overpass from the stadium. Parked up, I went out to stadium to do my photographs, though I was thwarted in going to the team store because they closed it well before the gates opened for the game. I found out gates were supposed to be at three, so I did my extended walk-around outside, and then ambled aimlessly around Worchester until the gates opened, putting in a call to my mother as I wandered. By the time I got back to the stadium, even though it was well before 3 PM, they were already letting people in, so I took the opportunity and went in myself.

After the game was over, it was just after seven. Having nothing else to do in Woostah, I decided to drive back to the hotel. Outside of dealing with some truly confounding New England streets, I was off and flying when I rejoined the highway, and stopped for some McDonald's snacks before arriving at the hotel. I made a quiet evening of things, getting all packed up and then soaking in the tub for a long time, increasingly worried about my neighbor across the hall coughing up a lung for hours. Brave new world.

I eventually settled into bed and was asleep at a reasonable hour.

The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Polar Park

"Polar Park" is quite the edifice, carved out of some downtown space in Worchester. Though the park opened last year, the construction is far from done outside the park, with the most notable issue being the lack of complete parking lots. Several blocks around the outside of the park remain a construction zone, but everything in the immediate confines of the park are at least in working order.

At the home plate entrance plaza, you have grouped the team store, the ticket booths, giant faux-autographed baseballs of Red Sox greats, and giant World Series rings that you can stand and take pictures within. There are also various paintings on the park, the largest being a mural on the outfield wall detailing "Legends of the Canal District." A big yellow bench honors Harvey Wall, the local artist that came up with the "smiley button." Gate A in the outfield leads into a closed-off pedestrianized street entrance with a number of concessions.

The main entrance curiously takes you into a lower level with the team store where you have to walk up two flights of stairs or take an elevator to get to the main concourse. The stairway holds a great deal of Ted Williams memorabilia, as well of the Hall of Fame stolen from the previous AAA home of the Red Sox, sorely missed McCoy Field. The main promenade circles the entire park, with the main seating bowl descending from it. The seats taper off into a berm in left to center field and a "blue monster" in right field, for some strange reason. A giant new video board rises above the berm in left field, with  a second small video board in the wall of right field. A second luxury box level extends first base to third base behind home plate, and special areas include the Hanover Deck in left field, the Flexcon Landing in right-center, the County Bank blue monster, and Shaw's Terrace by third base. The park did also have pitch clock displays that the pitcher, umpire, and players could see. I'm not sure how much an effect it had on the game, but the game did go along at a good clip--so progress, of sorts.

The outfield area by left field is a long street that has several stationary vehicles and two buildings for pubs. Directly behind the big batter's eye is an extensive playground for the kids that is patrolled by the likes of a clown making balloon animals and a stilt walker. In dead center, a Harpoon Taps Bar marks the distance from home plate, should a ball make it out there. There is an extensive patio in right field with concessions and a history panel on local pie-makers Table Talk, whose factory is a few blocks from the park. A grab-and-go Woosox Market is also nearby on the concourse.

The mascots are Woofster the dog and Smiley, literally a giant foam Smiley pin. The between-inning events are about what you expect from the minor in a post-Covid world, with contests and games, and a perhaps too on-the-noise giant inflatable ball wrestling match. The crowd, while not near capacity, was active in the game, with the regular amount of New England scorers in attendance.

The highlight of the game, really, was an usher who was either too into or not into enough the t-shirt give-away he was roped into doing. He specifically looked for people who weren't paying attention and whipped the shirts into the back of their heads. That man is my spirit animal.

At the Game with Oogie: 

Back on the scoring horse at a new park

I was in the gates as they opened, and exploring the new park with my usual efficiency. It felt both familiar and weird to be going through these motions again after two years that seemed more like a hundred.

I walked about and poked and prodded and took my pictures, stopping to grab some Coney Island hot dogs along with a Table Talk pie (which seemed appropriate). I eventually trekked back downstairs to the team store for some shopping, and then occupied my time with more snacks and whatnot before settling into my seat by the home dugout on the first-base side before the start of the game.

The early-season game wasn't terribly crowded, but there was a family of men sitting next to me, and the oldest, with a gravel voice from the hoary depths of New England, started talking with me about what happened during certain plays, as he saw me scoring. He was super-disappointed at "tha Sawx blowing it again," and unbeknownst to him, he would have to go home and watch his beloved parent team get thumped in a walk-off by the Orioles, of all people. A family with a lot of surly and loud kids was in the rows behind me, but you can't get too mad at kids. A family with fraternal twins several rows in front of me took shifts keeping score for the game, so all was balanced in the world.

The Game: 

First pitch, Bison vs. Red Sox

I wasn't quite sure how well the AAA teams related to their MLB counterparts, because if then the Bison would wipe the floor with the Woo Sox (honest-to-god their real nickname), but what turned out on the field was even more inexplicable.

The Bison struck early, converting a leadoff walk, single, and sacrifice fly into a first-inning 1-0 lead. Worchester answered right back in the bottom of the first, turning two doubles into the evener at 1-1. The second inning was uneventful, with both teams going in order. Buffalo continued their woes in the third, but the Red Sox took a leadoff double, a triple, and a single to put two more on the board and grab a 3-1 lead after three.

The Bison came right back in their stead in the fourth. An error got the leadoff batter on, and a single and hit batsman loaded the bases. A double cleared those bases right up, and the Bison were quickly up again, 4-3. Not letting sleeping dogs lie, Worchester hit a two-out homer to tie it at 4. The Bison stranded a leadoff walk and two-out baserunner that reached on an error in the sixth. In their half, Worchester had a one-out single reach third base after a stolen base and errant throw, but there he stayed.

The action picked up again in the seventh, as Buffalo strung together a leadoff double, a walk, and a two-out double into two more runs, taking the lead again at 6-4. Coming right back, the Red Sox turned a walk and a homer to left field to knot it up again. Things slowed in the eighth with the Bison going in order and Worchester stranding a walk. Both sides rather unclimactically went in order in the ninth.

On to extra frames with that stupid, stupid ghost runner. Buffalo started with a walk and a double to bring in two runs, getting to third on the throw. He then executed a delayed steal of home that shook the pitcher so much that he threw the ball clear to the backstop. Another double followed and was left on the basepaths, but the damage was already done, with the Bison up 9-6. Worchester got a run back on a leadoff single (tell me how that makes any sense--seriously, just think about that sentence), but couldn't manage any more, losing 9-7.

The Scorecard:

Bison vs. Red Sox, 4/30/22. Bison won, 9-7

To my great surprise, the program didn't include a scorecard, nor was there one on offer. Say what you will about New England, they like to score a game more than your average fan. I can only conclude that they expected so many people to be scoring on their own books that they didn't see a need to have their own branded one, and that did seem to be borne out by all the people at the game scoring with their own scorecards. I whipped out the old reliable BBWAA scorebook for my purposes.

The sombrero vendor got rich off this game, with four total golden sombreros to go around and one with tassels, along with the 26 total strikeouts. There were several plays of literal note, but they were only at the end of the game. In the top of the tenth, after a double, the runner was clearly out 9-6-5, but was somehow called safe. I made a note of the steal of home that followed, which I believe might be my first one in person ever. In the bottom of the tenth, there were arguments, recriminations, and ejections after a 6-4 putout call on a fielder's choice.

The only other scoring of note was the stupid extra inning ghost runners. I think I had my notation worked out for it going forward, but I still hate it.

The Accommodations:
I was at the Holiday Inn Express in Connecticut again. Not much to report on that front, although I did have a nice soak in the tub when I got back. Did I mention the soak in the tub? Because it was awesome.

On a New Month of Possibilities and Danger

Sunday, May 1, 2022
Jersey City, NJ

 

Outside the Game:
I had another slow morning, just braving the outside world enough to get some breakfast before collapsing back in bed for a while. I eventually got up the gumption to finish my packing and head to fill my car and check out of the room. I was quickly back to the highway and had a largely uninteresting drive back to my parents' house, as I went the 84 to Tappen Zee route instead of slogging through 95 again. I dropped off the car, checked in on my mother, and then called a Lyft to take me home, which was arrived at after a brief drive.

I did laundry and sorted out my items before going to bed early for another week of work.

The Accommodations: 
Home, sweet home, sweet Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.


Stand-Alone Trip, 2022

Syracuse

On Difficulties Getting Out of Dodge

Thursday, May 2, 2019
Cooperstown, NY

Outside the Game: 
So, there was a simple plan. I was going to get out of work at a decent hour, head out no later than 6:30 PM, and be in my hotel in Cooperstown at 11 PM.

No plan, of course, survives contact with the enemy.

First up was that the PATH trains back to Hoboken from work were all messed up. After getting as much information as I could about the delay, I called an audible, and decided to go home via Newport, which is always possible, but definitely the lesser of the two options. I get on a super overcrowded Journal Square train, disengaged myself at Newport, and trudged unhappily out to the light rail station to wait for the appropriate train.

It is here where I completely spazzed out. My age being what it is and my eyes not being what they were, I've been attempting to transition over to progressive lenses, as close-up material is getting blurry these days with my regular distance lenses. I even went so far as to purchase the glasses, but they give me intense headaches trying to get used to them, and I just end up carrying them in my messenger bag out of guilt and failure and continue to take my glasses off when I'm reading on the subway.

This interesting diversion into my everyday glasses policy pays off here. While I was waiting for the light rail, I reached back into my shirt pocket to retrieve my glasses for outdoors reading, and I was unable to find them there. This immediately set off a twinge of panic, as I've always harbored a horrible fear of accidentally missing my pocket and dropping my glasses on the subway when I wouldn't be able to hear them. I search my pocket, the interior of my jacket, my jacket pockets, my messenger bag, etc., as I realized I was likely going to have to use my progressives on the road for the first time in the worst possible circumstances. Overcome by emotion, I gave myself a face palm, whereupon my hands solidly connected with the tops of eyeglasses frames, which sat--as they had been for the entire trip--rather solidly on my head.

This is not what they call a "good omen."

I eventually made it back to my apartment and grabbed all my pre-packed stuff for this trip and Lyfted down to my car's garage. All things considered, it wasn't as bad as it might have been, and I was off on the road just before 8 PM. There was light traffic for the most part on the drive up, even the accursed 495 exchange, and I started to relax, just as the GPS decided to have some fun in the final approach to Cooperstown to divert me through unpaved country roads between farms that would likely save me .1 miles on the trip. And so I was driving in pitch darkness on tiny farm roads, trying not to die on my relaxing final drive into Cooperstown.

I got to my hotel just before midnight, which was great time, all things taken into account. The sky opened up just as I got all my stuff into the room, and I had a decent night's sleep as nature raged outside my window.


The Accommodations: 

RailRoad Inn, Cooperstown

I was at the Railroad Inn again, after my satisfactory stopover in December. I was in a different, but similar room, and the only real changes seem to be the addition of actual sitting chairs to the rooms, which was a weird omission during my last visit. A king-sized bed sat on one side of the room, facing the aforementioned chair, next to a dresser under a big-screen TV. The bathroom was off the main room, with a fancy shower and small sink next to a regulation toilet.

There was nothing much to note. It did what it needed to.

On People Not Understanding What a "Day Off" Means

NBT Bank Stadium, 2019

Friday, May 3, 2019
Scranton RailRiders (NY Yankees) vs. Syracuse Mets (NY Metropolitans)
NBT Bank Stadium
International League (AAA)
Syracuse, NY
6:30 PM


Outside the Game:
I woke up early to shower and pack up. I loaded everything into my car for the drive later and then returned to check out of the hotel to find myself faced with the same employee from my visit in December. I don't think he remembered me, but he confirmed I could leave my car until I departed town, and I headed out into the damp morning to the Hall of Fame.

A short walk later got me to the Hall, where I got in free thanks to my shiny membership card, and I headed directly to the Library to finally get in after all these years.

I found it, of course, closed. The bookstore outside was, however, opened and manned, and I talked with the attendant about what was going on. He said there was only one librarian today and that she was in a staff meeting, with the library opening a little late after the meeting was over. We talked a little about the state of baseball and the mutual-agreed disgrace that was Tim Tebow being in AAA.

Finally

The library eventually opened, and I was second in line, as their was an older couple waiting. They were asking the young librarian for help with a service that I hadn't heard of before. Apparently, the Hall of Fame Library can pull nearly any baseball contract, majors or minors, for someone. The man was asking for his own and his wife was seeking her father's contract. As she was off helping them, I wandered around the small room and started to do some research on the library computer.

When they were delivered the copies of their respective contracts, I bombarded the haggard solitary librarian with dozens of questions, which she answered dutifully. I decided to pull a book or two and gave her the slips. She said because she was alone, I would have to wait an hour or so for her to get the books, which was fine. I went out into the museum and puttered around the exhibits again.

On the top floor, they were installing a new exhibit on baseball cards. There were workmen installing display cabinets and the like, and I got to talking with the staff member guarding the entrance. It was set to open on Memorial Day, of course, but he let me poke my head in and see what they were doing. After a satisfactory conversation, I headed back to down to the library.

The Ball, She Honks

The librarian was helping other visitors, but she slid over my books, and I went back to the table to enjoy. The most important one was a 1980s Dutch instructional book on baseball that I spent some time using my Duolingo Dutch and general baseball knowledge to plow through. The other was a scoring book that unfortunately wasn't what I thought it was, but I didn't really have time to make another attempt. I was already laden with several pages of cribbed references to books in the HoF system that I hadn't known existed, to become Amazon purchases later on. I turned my books back in, thanked her, hoped she got some help soon, and headed to the museum store. I bought the full version of Stratomatic, along with a bunch of other crap I'm sure I didn't need before heading back out into the dreary afternoon.

I stopped at various stores on the way back to the hotel, buying some scoring socks at the new Beseballism store, as well as other small and sundry purchases. They were doing heavy construction on the third-base seats at Doubleday Field, but there was still a high school tournament playing on the field. The batting cages next to the field were finally open, and I popped in there for a bucket of balls before buying some lunch sandwiches and heading back to my car in the mild drizzle.

I booked my hotel for the night in the parking lot of my last hotel and then headed for the two-hour drive over to Syracuse for the game that evening. The drive was fine, except for one... tiny... little... thing. I got a call from work in the last half-hour of the drive, as the client had decided to do something so incredibly stupid that it hadn't even entered my mind to prep anyone for while I was gone, because they couldn't possibly be stupid enough to try the thing that they then went and did.

So, you know, obviously. So while I'm trying to complete an unfamiliar drive, I'm trying to talk through a client submission process over the phone with people who hadn't done it before while straining to hear the turn-by-turn directions from my GPS and trying to do so without running anyone off the road. After talking for nearly twenty minutes, I realized the client couldn't do this process even if they wanted to, because they didn't have necessary prerequisites in place, and I told work to tell the client that, and that I was going to take a nap.

I did complete the ride without killing anyone or myself, and I parked in the lot across the street from my hotel to check in with a very nice lady with no teeth. It was quite a first impression for a supposedly upscale hotel in the middle of some big lakeside redevelopment. But my room was ready early, and true to my word, I went up to my room, unpacked, and the took a stress nap that you would not believe.

I called work when I woke up, and nothing else having gone wrong since my last call, I headed out to the stadium. My GPS had the yips, but I eventually found the place and got in and parked. I was stalled going in because I left my multitool in my pocket and had to walk back to my car to dispose of it, but the gate staff didn't ask for a second screening and just waved me through. So there's that.

I didn't wait for the post-game festivities and fireworks and went straight back to the hotel, picking up some snacks downstairs before going back to my room for a hot, hot shower. I set up all my rain gear to dry and then went directly to bed early, not prepared to deal with absolutely any more of this day.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home to center, NBT Ballpark

I had been at NBT Ballpark years ago, when the team was the SkyChiefs and the field was turf. Thankfully, they had corrected both of those errors in judgment by this, my second visit to the park.

The fortress-looking facade houses a slightly underwhelming AAA park. It isn't bad, but it is just out of date enough to not have historic interest. The main gate is the only one that opens, and the large flanking entrance ramps on each side of the field haven't been used recently. The entrances dump out onto a promenade that runs outfield-to-outfield behind home plate, above the one lower section of seats. An upper deck houses additional general admission seating, as well as the press box and a row of luxury boxes.

The promenade ends in right at the Hank Sauer Room of Excellence, which wasn't excellent enough to be open this day. The serviceable team store is also on the promenade, as well as the Syracuse Baseball Wall of Fame, and--in a nice nod to the people in the seats--the Frederick J. Karle Fan Walk of Fame, and all the concessions. The only fan-accessible part of the outfield is the Jim Beam Party Deck in right field. A giant digital board sits in left field, to the left of a looming batter's eye in center, framing the trees that line the outfield wall.

What's a "Scootch"?

Generic orange monster Scootch runs the on-field activities with the human fun staff. In spite of the rain, the questionable tests of skill went on as scheduled between innings, with the regular minor-league fair of events. The crowd wasn't huge for a weekend game, but those that showed up mostly stayed for the entire game, even with the inclement weather, so good on them.


At the Game with Oogie: 

Rainy scoring

Even before I got inside, I was greeted by a free spiede sample from Lupos, so I knew I was in for a good food night. Once I got in, I did my photos and some shopping and then made a bee-line for the spiede stand to grab another of the lovely spiced goodness which is the only thing that Binghamton can be proud of these days.

Lupo's, baby

I got a ticket behind the home dugout and not quite past the screening, which had been extended out to the outfield. I was in a sea of families by the dugout, but they all seemed to be okay. However, there was a light rain since before the start of the game. The rain got serious, prompting me to don my rain gear, but even these precautions were not enough, especially when dealing with a newsprint scorecard, and I retreated up to the covered seats for the remainder of the game, which was never paused by the constant downpours.

The first row under cover was filled with college kids, so I went a row back from them where it was just me and a couple of older men. One of them witnessed me taking careful score of the game and taking pictures and asked if this was my job. I'd be lying if I said this was the first time I had ever been asked this. Since I was writing this up for the stadium Website, the technical answer was "yes," but I just told them I was a big baseball fan, which was also true.


The Game:

First pitch, RailRiders vs. Mets

The damp fiasco was billed as the first "Route 81 Series," which is the road that connected up Scranton (the Yankees' AAA team) and Syracuse (now the Metropolitans' AAA team), and it wasn't much of a contest. Even with most of the Scranton team already playing in the majors thanks to the plethora of early season injuries on the parent Yankees, it was a walk-over of epic proportions.

The RailRiders jumped out to an early lead in the first that was mostly the Mets' fault. A one-out walk and wild pitch was followed by a single to bring in the run and stake them to a 1-0 lead. Syracuse went in order. Scranton kept going in the second with a one-out walk followed by a triple to left to give them another run, extending the lead to 2-0. The Mets started their half with a bunt single and a stolen base, but the runner was left to rot with three quick outs following. The RailRiders finally stopped scoring in the third, with a leadoff single erased on a double-play. Syracuse had their own leadoff single that they again stranded.

Scranton had a leadoff walk in the fourth fall another victim to a double-play, and the Mets had exactly the same fate. The RailRiders went back to their scoring ways in the top of the fifth with a solo home run to right, while Syracuse had another leadoff walk erased on another double-play. Scranton scored some more in the sixth with a one-out double and two-out single to extend their lead to 4-0, while Syracuse again went meekly in order.

After all their regular scoring, it was almost impossible for the RailRiders to not score in the top of the seventh, as a leadoff single was followed by a double, making it second and third with no outs, but two strikeouts and weak pop-out got Syracuse out of the inning. Perhaps feeling cocky, Syracuse finally got a run of their own in thanks to their own leadoff single and double. A wild pitch brought in the run and moved the runner to third, but three straight strikeouts ended the threat. Scranton got more on the board in the eighth, as a one-out rally featured two singles, a walk, and another single to plate two runs and extend their lead out to 6-1. The Mets went in order in their half. Not content to go quietly, the RailRiders tacked on three more runs in the top of the ninth, with a single and back-to-back home runs, running their lead to 9-1. Syracuse went in order again, bringing the soggy night to close with a 9-1 victory for the visitors.


The Scorecard:

RailRiders vs. Mets, 05/03/19. RailRiders win, 9-0

The scorecard was free, which was extremely rare for AAA baseball, but it was newsprint, which explains most of it right there. The scorecard was in the centerfold, and to its credit, it took up the entirety of the page, with no weird blank spaces or ads eating up the real estate. Player lines with plenty of space for replacements ran down the left side, with space for 12 innings of ball and summaries at the end of each line, and run and hits at the bottom of each column. Pitching lines were located under the batting lines, with printed spaces for five pitchers, but it was oddly split into two columns without the column keys printed on the right side, which had to be manually added.

As the scorecard took up the entire page, the scoring squares themselves were spacious enough to score comfortably, and they had no pre-printed diamonds. However, there was background printing on the newsprint, which makes erasing extra smudgy and difficult.

Outside of the shellacking that the RailRiders gave the Mets, there wasn't all too much out of the ordinary for the scoring. There were five double-plays in the game, including a strike-em-out, throw-em-out number, as well as DP F9-5 on an attempted advance. The K-Man did not strike out; the Hit Man did not get a hit. Tebow looked completely overmatched at the plate, and went 0-3, including grounding into one of the many double-plays.


The Accommodations:

Aloft Syracuse

I decided to splurge a little bit and stay at the Aloft Syracuse, which, as mentioned, was one of the anchors to a redevelopment project that really hadn't gotten much into the execution phase. They were clearly trying to do something with the lakefront, but they hadn't done it yet, though several construction sites were in place to give the illusion that it might happen.

The whole place suffered from a bit of try-hardism, as it and the surrounding incomplete development aspired to more than they could achieve. The hotel staff weren't quite where they needed to be for a hip boutique hotel, the facilities weren't quite there, and it could never quite get over the fact that it was located at the periphery of Syracuse, of all places.

The room itself was fine. The room opened to a long hallway with a sink and vanity across from dressers and minor appliances, ending in smallish bathroom with a hip sliding door. The main room was a large bed under some hipster art across from a working desk and a window overlooking the undeveloped lakefront. The room wasn't as maintained as it should have been, with soap stains and dirty windows, which just added to the death a thousand papercuts to their aspirations to hip boutique-ness.

There are those who would say that my overall mood of the day has unduly influenced my view of the hotel, and as right as they may be, I am personally insulted by the very insinuation.

On Heading Back

Saturday, May 4, 2019
Jersey City, NJ


Outside the Game: 
Despite all the previous day's activity, I was still up relatively early on Saturday, and puttered around the room packing up my rain gear and the rest of it and mostly lazing around until the appointed hour to kick myself out or pay for another day.

I eventually dragged all my stuff down to my car, checked out of the hotel, and then headed out. I stopped at a nearby gas station to fill up my car and stock up on questionable roadside breakfast foods, and then pointed my car south and drove.

It was actually a pretty relaxing drive, at least much more so than the day before, and there were no real traffic backups except for congestion until I got back to Hudson County. There was a moderate backup getting past the Holland Tunnel, but soon enough I was parked up and back at the apartment, desperately trying to simultaneously put all the junk from this trip away while finishing prep and packing for the Netherlands trip that would be commencing later in the week.

As always, my ability to schedule properly amazed even me.


The Accommodations: 
Home, sweet, Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2019 Stand-Alone Trip

Indianapolis

On Finally Finishing Another League

Victory Field, 2018

Saturday, September 1, 2018
Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds) vs.
Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Victory Field
International League (AAA)
Indianapolis, IN
7:05 PM


Outside the Game:
I woke up feeling refreshed, and not having to run down to a buffet, I cooked up the breakfast sandwiches I had bought the night before in the microwave and had a civilized breakfast at my dining table on a plate and everything. I then showered up, finished packing, and checked out. I was a little worried when I checked out, as the new attendant on duty seemed to imply that he was charging my entire bill on my card (I had already paid on Hotels.com), but in the end, it worked out.

I had a fairly boring two-hour drive south through cornfields to get me to Indianapolis. With a little bit of construction to break it up, I was there with little fanfare. I went directly to the Indianapolis Zoo, because that's the sort of thing I do, and I was glad I did.

The zoo had excellent facilities, including a dolphin house where you could walk underneath their living tank, and a penguin house where they had a glass floor section where the penguins could swim to either side of the exhibit. The keystone for me was the orangutan house they had, which was just about everything I've ever wanted in an orangutan house. There was giant central building, but there were also visible climb ways where the orangutans could climb around to sit on towers or go to other play areas, all with a sky ride that went around it. The main house had large glass walls, and the curious orangutans used them as much as the guests. At any time, at least one or two were at the base of the building, hanging out with whoever was out front. Once you went up the ramps to inside, there was more glass walls for orangutans to interact with people, and vice versa. The troop inside had two babies from different mothers. One mother was watching the two climb and run and play and fight, while the other mother was off on a platform taking a nap with a blanket pulled over her head. It was very relatable.

Watch the kids, I'm taking a nap.

I spent a lot of time there and made a couple of visits to it again as I went around the rest of the zoo. They are my absolute favorites. The rest of the zoo was also nice, and I stopped in a cafe for some lunch before heading out to see the rest of the place before exiting through the gift shop.

I had another problem trying to exit, as I couldn't find my car. I was convinced I was in the right row, but after stomping through that row and the next, I really couldn't find my car. It is then, with great embarrassment that I realized that my car did have an auto-unlock. The technology had advanced so that my key looked like a normal key, but there were some buttons in there that remotely unlocked the door and opened the trunk. After pressing the unlock button in vain and not being able to see the lights in the harsh afternoon daylight, I just held down the trunk button, and nearly immediately, I saw my trunk pop open a row in the other direction. I sheepishly got in and drove to my hotel.

The hotel was a fancy affair, and I had to leave my key with the valet as I checked in. I got myself sorted out, but I had to wait for my key, as the valet had left, and his backup was helping another guest. He eventually got me my key back, and I drove around the corner to park in the underground garage beneath the hotel. I dragged all my stuff up to my room and unpacked and then tried to take a nap before the game. I was able to rest my eyes, but sleep never came fully before I had to walk down the street to the game and wait to get in.

After the game, I stayed for a little of the fireworks before going back to my hotel and watching the rest of the fireworks from my hotel room while waiting for some room-service second-diner of a burger and fries. For desert, I found the Swedish Fish I had brought at the zoo but forgot about in the panic looking for my car. It was then time for sleep in a bed of many pillows.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Victory Field

Victory Field is about as full-throated a name as you can get for your ballpark, and the imposing AAA structure pretty much lives up to its name, dropped in the middle of downtown Indianapolis near the convention center, canal, and several cultural attractions. The main facade is behind home plate, with a wall of mirrored windows staring out onto downtown, with the team store and ticket booth flanking the entrance. Another entrance plaza is behind center field, facing across to the convention center, with its own ticket booths. A smaller “cooler gate” is in right center specifically to clear patrons bringing coolers into the park, and another small entrance is at right field, which is the place to go when you want to get in quickly. The entire park is surrounded by sidewalk, with the exception of the right field-first base line, which is fronted by a staff parking lot.

Once inside any of the gates, you are out onto a main promenade that circles the entire park at the top of the lower seating bowl. Two larger plazas are on the promenade by the main entrances. The regular seats are in a single tier running from outfield corner to outfield corner. Long picnic hills run the length of the outfield, with the exception of the batter’s eye, unconventionally formed by a stand of trees. A gigantic digital video scoreboard rises in right-center field over a single-row outfield wall with an auxiliary scoreboard in the left-field corner, with a distinctive extension in the wall in dead center pushing the outfield wall further back. The downtown skyline, especially the convention center and Marriott hotel in left field, provide the backdrop for the game.

This being one step away from the majors, there is a legitimate second level rising above the lower level from outfield to outfield behind home plate. It holds a second level of regular seating, as well as luxury boxes, the press box, and some party decks. As with the lower level, a walkway runs along the top of seats, providing access to all the boxes as well as the seats below.

The Corona Party Deck is on the promenade in the left-field corner, while in right field is the Elements Picnic Area. In center, there is the PNC Plaza that houses some concessions, fan services desks, and midway games. Along with the concessions and the team store, the promenade also holds The Max Schumer Victory Bell (rung after each home win), hanging memorials to famous players who have come through Indianapolis, a flag pole dedication (from the previous iteration of the ballpark), the lineups and league standings, an IHSAA College baseball display, and—perhaps most notably—a payphone. A retired number 42 for Jackie Robinson is also on the right-center field wall.
Rowdie, a red monster-looking thing, is the local mascot. He shows up prior to the start of the game to run the events on-field between innings and carouse with the fans. Most of the entertainment is standard minor-league fare of races, contests, and giveaways. One twist on this was that they had events after the game was over. While waiting for the post-game fireworks, they had a "shirts off our back" give-away, where the players gave out their jerseys to some fans and a shrimp eating contest out by home plate.

Rowdie & fan

The crowd was a sell-out, and everyone seemed to be into this game, which was important to keeping the playoff hopes alive for the Indians, who were one game out of first and in third place with a handful of games to play. The big crowd was attentive to the play on the field in addition to the other entertainment and was suitably behind the home-team victory and subsequent ringing of the Victory Bell. That said, they also did all stay around for the post-game fireworks in big numbers.


At the Game with Oogie:

Brat, pretzel bites, and souvenir soda

I walked over from the hotel just in time for the gates to open. I did my pictures and walk-around, and then grabbed a combo of a brat, pretzel bites, and a souvenir soda.

My seat was in the last few rows of the lower deck just beyond third base. They were fine seats by any estimation, especially given that it was a sell-out and I had purchased the tickets the day before. There were a couple of older ladies and a family to my left, a pair of guys to my right, and a family with a really cute baby that kept looking at me in front of me. The family to my left asked me where I got the scorecard, and I directed them to the team store. I also talked a little about the game with the guys to my right, especially about some of the more bizarre plays that came about during the game.


The Game:

First pitch, Bats vs. Indians

Another day, another pennant race. The Indians were also one game out of first place with a handful to play, needing to win out to almost assure their spot in the playoffs. Standing in their way was the visiting Louisville Bats.

The Bats wasted no time establishing themselves as the spoilers, turning a leadoff triple and a sacrifice fly into a 1-0 lead. Indianapolis was only able to muster a two-out double in their half. After a hot start, Louisville went in order in the second, while the Indians got to work. The half started with two singles and a double to load the bases, but two quick outs followed. A single brought in a run, and the single after it brought in two runs, and an error loaded the bases again. The pitcher then got out of the inning with a strikeout, but the catcher couldn't get a handle on it, and the batter made it to first safely, scoring another run before a strikeout--caught this time--ended the bat-around inning at 4-1, Indians. In the third inning, the Bats got a leadoff single to third and left him there, while Indianapolis got another run on a leadoff single, stolen base, fielder's choice, and a sacrifice fly to deep left, extending their lead to 5-1.

Louisville just had a single in the top of the fourth, and the Indians went in order. The Bats went in order despite a leadoff walk in the fifth, while Indianapolis stranded a one-out double. Louisville squandered an opportunity in the top of the sixth, where a leadoff error made to second on a fly out and to third on a short single. But he tried to score on a not-deep-enough fly to right, leading to a double-play when he was nailed at home. The Indians just had a two-out walk in the bottom of the frame.

The Bats stranded a two-out walk in the seventh, while Indianapolis went in order. Louisville finally had something going again in the top of the eighth, as two walks and a single closed the gap to 5-2. The Indians struck out in order in their half of the eight, but the Bats did as well in their last shot in the ninth, securing the home 5-2 win.


The Scorecard:

Bats vs. Indians, 09/01/18. Indians win, 5-2.

The scorecard was a separate $3 cardstock pamphlet that came with a roster. The scorecard is in the centerfold spread, taking up about 80% of the space, with scoring instructions and a small social media ad taking the rest of the space. It is printed on white, so there is copious space for notes, especially considering the card has a notes area for each team next to the pitching lines at the bottom of the card. The order of the teams was non-canon, with the home team on the left and visiting on the right, for some reason.

The player lines have copious space for replacements, but not enough for one for each player. I ended up having to use a lot of the space, as both teams did not use the DH for some reason, and there were a lot of pinch hitters and new pitchers. Each batting line ends with copious totals, including walks and strikeouts in addition to at bats, runs, hits, and RBIs. Each inning column ends with split innings totals. There were no pre-printed diamonds, so there was a comfortable amount of space to score in.

Two players got the golden sombrero, and one earned tassels. Again, the strikeout batter for the game obliged on his last at-bat. And there were a couple of doozy scoring plays or plays of note. In the top of the third, a line drive over the wall was called foul by the umpires, but the manager and player disputed the call should be a home run, and I have to say, from where I was sitting, they had a legitimate beef, but the call stood, and that batter ended up getting a single and being stranded at third. In the top of the sixth, an attempted sacrifice fly went wrong and turned into a DP F9-2. You don't see that everyday, either.

But the play of the game was the bottom of the second. With two outs and bases loaded, a dropped third strike on a strikeout led to a run as the batter reached first base. Firstly, I'll never, ever see that play again. I will not. Secondly, it made me thinking hard about if the run was earned, or if the batter got an RBI, because who the hell comes up with this stuff? A dropped third strike with the bases loaded. I mean, really.


The Accommodations:

Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, IN

Even though it was a short trip, I was splurging again on a hotel. Combined with a Hotels.com free night for just over $100, plus a Hotels.com discount, I was able to get a room in the Marriott Downtown for significantly under $100. It was within walking distance of the park, and with the bundle deal that Hotels.com was doing, I also got free parking, which normally costs about another $50. So with that kind of deal, I couldn’t really say no.

I was housed on one of the higher floors of the facility in a room that faced the stadium. It was clearly visible from my room out the window, being a block or so away. The entrance to the room passed a large closet on the left, with the bathroom entrance on the right. The bathroom had a fancy vanity, with stylish mirror lights and a fold-out makeup mirror. The only disappointment in the room was the waterfall shower which didn’t have a tub.

The bedroom further on held two queen beds with nightstands on one wall and a reading chair with table next to the dresser with built-in desk and chair under the gigantic, bottom-lit, flat-screen TV that as on the wall opposite.

I spent a good deal of time in the room and had a lot of room service, and it was an absolute delight, especially with all the pillows from both beds piled high onto one to the point that I had to burrow in to fit myself on the bed.

On Indianapolis Being Nicer Than I Expected

Vonnegut Mural

Sunday, September 2, 2018
Indianapolis, IN


Outside the Game:
My original plan for this day was to drive up to Gary, where an independent-league team had a game that evening. It was already going to be a long slog driving up there and then over to Detroit after the game, but a bit of research turned up that Gary is one of the only cities in Indiana that uses Central time instead of Eastern time, which means I would be losing two hours (one to get to the game, and one leaving the game) in addition to the already long drive, and the Sunday afternoon game was also at 6 PM instead of 1 or 2 PM, and that about sealed the deal for me. I'd get them when I was out doing Central time-zone teams.

Despite my nice surrounding, I had a fitful sleep, but I woke up in time for room service to deliver my stacked breakfast sandwich. I showered, finished packing, and then took a short nap to get me right. I checked in for my flight the next day, and then dragged all my stuff downstairs. As I checked out, I asked the attendant if I had to get my car out of the garage immediately, or if I could leave it there after check out. He assured me it wouldn't be a problem, so I packed all my stuff in my car and then walked out to explore Indianapolis proper.

My first stop was going to be the nearby Eiteljorg Museum of Native art, but they weren't opened until noon, so I went next door to the earlier-opening Indiana State Museum. It was a nice facility that had historic and natural history exhibits, with a lot of the later focusing on animals that got trapped and died. The history exhibits were informative to someone like myself who had no idea about Indiana at all, and it didn't shy away from the darker parts of it, including the KKK-affiliated governor they had.

Oh, right, those guys.

Going through the famous Indianapolis exhibit, I saw David Letterman and Kurt Vonnegut, and then it struck me that they must have a museum to Kurt here. I quick look at the internet later, and there was, in fact, a museum, and it was open today. I changed my itinerary to visit it next, and I stopped at the information booth on the way out to get directions.

The well-meaning older gentleman at the desk informed me that the museum had moved to a new building in the tourist district from its old location just near here. He took me to the gift shop to try and find the phone number for the place, and after far more effort than was probably necessary, we found it. I went outside and called up, and the lady informed me that they were at the original location that I had on my map as the deal to move had fallen through, and I told her I'd see her soon.

Indianapolis had an old commercial canal that they turned into a lovely civic attraction. It ran behind the museums, so I walked along it. There were rental paddleboats splashing around in them, and the canal opened into a big plaza with a fountain. Along the way, I got a picture of a guy and his dog who were doing some macro photography of LEGO minifigs. Well, the guy was; the dog was just hanging out in the shade happy to be there.

A short walk took me to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library is a small storefront museum. It has a small gift shop up front, and then an area dedicated to small exhibits about his life, with a large timeline on the wall, and a room next to it with a gallery of his art. In the back of the museum is a recreation of Vonnegut's library and writing desk, with a working model of the typewriter he used (his actual typewriter from the 70s was in a case in the front of the museum). It was an experience sitting down and typing at the thing, starting, of course, with an "*" and finishing with "So it goes." I spent far too much money at the giftshop on things I didn't need, and then I walked across town to the tourist area to get a picture of the mural of Kurt on the side of one of the buildings.

*

I stopped for a late lunch at a trendy "locally sourced" food restaurant, grabbing a smoothie and sandwich that, while overpriced, were still quite good. Then it was a walk back to the Eiteljorg Museum. I managed to enter through the back so I had to walk all the way to the front to enter. The first exhibit was about Westerns, old and new, which was pretty interesting, and had things such as Swearengin’s suit from Deadwood and props from Westworld. I went upstairs to the Native galleries to walk around, and I found a converted cigarette machine called the "Art-O-Mat" that would give you real art for $5. I went down to the front to get change of a $10 and came back up, carefully followed in the instructions, and was rewarded with a small painted tile. Neat.

Art-O-Mat

I bought some things at the gift shop before heading back to my car. I packed up the trunk again and headed out. I was driving on empty at this point, and I had a touch-and-go ride to get to the only gas station on the edge of downtown, but I successfully filled up before my four-hour drive up to Romulus.

The drive itself felt really, really long, but with the exception of a little construction and some congestion, it went as quickly as possible. I got to hotel and stretched after leaving the car to go check in. You know you picked a good hotel at the airport when there are flight crews there, and I had to wait for a couple to check in, so I was feeling good about that. I got my key, went to my room, dumped all my stuff, and decided to take a run out to the airport in the early evening to drop off my car now so I would have to deal with it the next morning. I drove the short distance to the rental car return lot, dropped the car off, and got onto a shuttle back to the airport just as it was leaving. I called the hotel and had to a wait a bit for the hotel shuttle to pick me up, but I was back at the hotel in a relatively short amount of time.

I went back to my room and ordered up some room service steak and desert as I finished packing up for the last time. My food arrived, but it turned out there was a computer problem, so I had to pay in cash. Frankly, it was one less thing to deal with tomorrow morning, so I was fine with it. I ate up and I rewarded myself with a soak in the tub for a while. With everything as settled as it was going to be, I hit the hay for my last time this trip.


The Accommodations:

Delta Hotel, Detroit Airport

With all the good experience with Marriott properties so far for this trip, I decided to end up at one more. The new mid-range line of hotels from Marriott are called “Delta,” and I stayed at the Delta at Detroit Airport for my last night. It actually turned out to be literally next door to the Comfort Inn I was at the first night. With all the flight crews checking in, I knew I was at the right hotel.

The room was mid-range upscale. The small bathroom with upscale décor was to the left of the entrance, with fancy vanity, toilet, and tub, and soak I did that evening. The bedroom had a king-sized bed with night tables and a lounge chair on our wall, and a dresser/desk and luggage rack under a large flat-screen TV on the other.

Convenient, clear, quiet, and affordable. It hit all the checkboxes I needed for the stay.

On Getting Back in an Un-Laborious Manner

Detroit International Airport

Monday, September 3, 2018
Jersey City, NJ


Outside the Game: 
I woke up at a reasonable hour, grabbed my stuff, and went down to check out and grab the shuttle. The shuttle took my half-awake self to the airport, and I managed to get dragged out of the security line because I didn't take my GPS out of my bag before sending it through the scanner. That setback aside, it was a nothing morning. I wandered over to get a breakfast platter at a diner at the airport, and then went to wait at the gate.

Surprisingly, there were no delays, and we boarded without incident. I had sprung for a really cheap upgrade to first class, so I was on the plane first and settled in for extra snacks and beverages for the duration of the flight. As usual when I was in first class, I was dozing on and off for most of it but did manage to get at least three drinks and two snacks out of it.

We landed a little early, and I hauled out to the cab stand and had an uneventful drive back to the apartment for an afternoon of laundry and more napping.


The Accommodations:
Jersey City, sweet Jersey City

Click here to see all the pictures from this trip.

 2018 Indiana

Durham

On Tacking Some Pleasure onto Business

Durham Bulls Athletic Park, 2018

Sunday, June 17, 2018
Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves) vs.
Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays)
Durham Bulls Athletic Park
International League (AAA)
Durham, NC
5:05 PM


Outside the Game: 
By some intangible irony, it was decided to schedule a large, international, multi-partner meeting with my primary client the week I was heading off for vacation. I would be at the client until Tuesday, and then I'd be leaving on my vacation Friday after work. My attendance was made clear to be mandatory.

So, I made the best of it. Having to fly out the Sunday before the meeting, the only options were early in the afternoon or late at night. As the all-day meeting the next day was starting rather early, I didn't want to get there the night before, so I chose the early flight out of Newark Liberty Bald Eagle God Bless America Airport, with the added benefit that I'd be able to catch the Sunday afternoon Durham Bulls game, as well as actually spend some time in the fancy boutique hotel they always put us up in.

This slight silver lining was immediately stepped on by my boss at the time, who decided we needed a rental car for this trip (we didn't), and since I was the only one not getting in late at night, I should be the one to pick it up. sigh

Anyway, the flight wasn't until early afternoon, so I spent Sunday morning cleaning up my apartment for the upcoming trip, as well as doing as much packing as I could given that I was already going away for two days in the middle.

One plus side was that since this was a business trip, I could use the company car service, call ahead for a pickup, and not have to worry about paying. My ride showed up promptly at 11 AM, and I grabbed my ruck sack and had an easy ride to the airport. Given it was Sunday afternoon, I wasn't expecting too much, anyway.

I got through security with no problems and stopped off at a Japanese noodle shop in the terminal for lunch. It was one of the iPad-only restaurants, and I ordered with no problem, but there was an issue on the human end. Apparently, some people called in (it was Father's Day, to be fair), so the people covering had no idea where anything was, and it took forever to get my food. As I had nowhere else to go, it wasn't that much of a problem. Some other patrons trying to catch a flight were less forgiving, however.

As my flights to Raleigh-Durham International are never without incident, it was of little surprise when it was announced this one was delayed. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a short delay, and we were boarded within our on-time window. I shared a row with one guy who also appeared to be traveling for business, and we politely didn't speak a word to each other as we had an uneventful flight down that actually ended up landing a couple of minutes early.

I was off to the car rental, where I picked up our black Chevy Malibu and made the short drive to the hotel in downtown Durham. The 21c Museum where they put us up had valet service, of course, which I took advantage of, as I wasn't paying. I quickly checked in, unpacked all my stuff, and headed off to the game.

It was a short, but hot, walk in the shade to the park, and I arrived just as they were opening the gates, so I was quickly inside and on my way.

After the game, I did the same short walk back in much cooler weather, although I was already soaked with sweat from sitting in the game all afternoon. I ordered some room service, took a shower, got my sweaty clothes sent out for laundry (again, not paying), and then ate dinner and ironed my work clothes for the next two days while watching Westworld on HBO before turning in.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Durham Bulls Athletic Park

DBAP hadn't changed much since my last visit. Since I was on a business trip, I didn't bring my regular camera with me, although I did snap a few photos with my tablet. I did my usual walk-around, but then kept it to the inside and shade, as it was super hot and humid for this game.

Despite this, and despite that it was Fathers' Day, they still had a decent crowd on hand, and I think the weather had more to do with the empty seats than Fathers' Day. It was pretty damn brutal.


At the Game with Oogie:
The Friday before I left, I finally used the "best available" button on the ticket Website, and I didn't think too much of it when I got a $32 ticket somewhere in the lower deck. It was a business trip. I lived a little.

When I got into the stadium, it turned out my seat was literally the second row behind home plate. When the usher took me to my seat, I was stunned for a minute, and then stunned again as he brushed away the tip I tried to give him. Needless to say, I had a good view of the game.

I walked around before the game and got some food. Because of the heat, I wasn't very hungry, so I only grabbed a BBQ sandwich, but I did grab an extra drink to get me through the game. I was sitting right up front, and there was a family behind me and a couple in front of me. It turned out that the extra drink wasn't enough, because it was hot and humid in the extreme, and the sweat just came pouring out.

Being in such a primo seating area, I assumed there would be concessions, but the water guy didn't show up until the late innings. I flagged him down when he was a row away, and then he promptly skipped my row and never came back. I still hold some animosity towards him to this day.


The Game:
The newly renamed Gwinnett Stripers (nee' Braves) came to North Carolina to face off against the hometown Durham Bulls. Under the hot local sun, the game was laborious, but despite a late rally attempt, the victors walked away with the win.

The Stripers led off the game with a single, but then went in order. Durham also started with a single, but then had a walk before a double-play and a fly-out ended the threat. Gwinnett jumped out in the second with one out where a single up the middle was followed by a booted grounder to short and then a two-out walk to load the bases. A clutch double brought in two runs and staked Gwinnett to an early 2-0 lead. The Bulls only had a walk in the bottom of the inning. The Stripers struck again in the third, getting a run off two singles and a booted grounder by the first baseman to extend their lead to 3-0. Durham went in order in their half.

Gwinnett and the Bulls only had a single in each of their frames in the fourth, while both sides went in order in the fifth. The Stripers had a leadoff walk in the top of the sixth make it home after a wild pitch and another error by the first baseman, leaving them with a 4-0 margin. Durham got some back in the bottom of the inning with a fielder's choice after a single and then a homer to right to close the score to 4-2.

Gwinnett only had a single in the seventh, and the Bulls scattered two for their part in the bottom of the inning. The Stripers went in order in the eighth, but Durham threatened with a one-out single and double before getting two quick outs to leave the score as is. Perhaps exhausted from the heat, both sides went in order in the ninth, leaving the Stripers with the 4-2 final victory.


The Scorecard:

Stripers vs. Bulls, 06/17/18. Stripers win, 4-2.

The scorecard was part of a rare free program at the AAA level. It was a half-tabloid on magazine paper, except for the centerfold scorecard, which was on heavyweight paper. Although it only took up about 75% of the spread, the scorecard wasn't too cramped, even also with the pre-printed diamond in the center.

There was one line for each player, but there was space in the box for replacements. Each batting line ended with a summary, and each inning had inning totals on the bottom. The pitching lines were under the batting lines, and those were a bit more compressed, having only three slots for pitchers, where one team used five. The catcher lines were located next to the pitcher lines. The scorecard itself was printed on a white background, so it left space for notes.

There weren't any really scoring plays of note, although three errors by the Bulls most likely cost them the game. Also of note were the strikeouts, perhaps due to the oppressive heat of the day. There were 21 total. Three players got the Golden Sombrero, and one got one with tassels. I started drawing little sombreros (with tassels as appropriate) on my scorecard for the first time this game. Everyone needs a little bit of whimsy.


The Accommodations:

Room service at the 21c Museum Hotel

I was at the 21c Museum Hotel. This was the hotel that they always put us in when we visited this client. It was an art boutique hotel that was a converted bank. Several locations had been turned into art galleries, including the old vault, and it had a fabulous restaurant as well.

The rooms were similarly up to snuff, with artsy features such as bathroom vanity lights that made shapes on your pupils when you looked in the mirror, and seemingly endless shower stalls. The bed was flanked with all the possible outlets you could imagine, and the closets were stuff with robes and umbrellas and other business-type essentials. There was even a small couch and table to work, and/or get room service.

One of the big "hip" things with the hotel were these giant plastic penguin statues all around the facility that you were allowed to do whatever with. I tried to bring one back to my room as I always did, but I couldn't find out that evening. Perhaps they had all been grabbed before I got there.

On Never-Ending Meetings

Monday, June 18, 2018
Durham, NC


Outside the Game:
This day was mostly on all-day meeting on digital processes, so I'll spare you the details. We all met up in the morning, and I told my boss that he had to drive if he wanted to get their alive.

The meeting was fine for what it was. Afterwards, we had a mandatory fun time at a local Mexican restaurant. I stayed as short a time as possible, and at least on that point my boss and I were in alignment. We skedaddled back to the hotel, where everyone went off to do work. I checked up on my emails, but there was nothing I could really do, so I wandered down to the Tabaco Plant area for a little while before giving up due to the heat and heading back to the hotel for the evening. I hit the hay early as we had the same start time the next day, and I also had to check out before we left.


The Accommodations:
I was at the 21c again. I grabbed some more room service that evening (though it was just a sandwich and some of their incredible desserts), and I did find a plastic penguin for my own that evening and spent the evening entertaining him in my room.

On Never Again

Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Durham, NC


Outside the Game:
I'll spare the details of the second day of meetings except to say that there was an emergency that I got informed of while I was in the meeting, sitting next to the client that was affected and across the table from the only people who could fix it. So, there was some extra fun stress involved to begin with.

My boss was whining about trying to catch an earlier flight that was his own scheduling problem to begin with, but after our meetings wrapped up, we headed off to the airport, dropped off the rental car, and then went our separate ways for the most part. At the security line, they were trying a new system where a bomb sniffer dog was at the head of the security line and sniffed everyone, and if we passed, we didn't have to take anything out of our bags. Seeing that dog was the last highlight of my day.

As soon as we were through security, delays started coming in. The flight that my boss had been trying to catch hadn't left yet. Everyone was out by an hour, and since we were at the airport early, it only meant longer to wait. I ended up hanging out with two coworkers as we got some food and tried to wait out the delays. They were going back to NY, but I was trying to get back to Newark, much closer to home.

The short delay became a long delay. After several hours, we were grabbing some more food, when there was an update on my flight. After running to see what it was, it turned out after making us wait five hours, they cancelled my flight. I then was in a tizzy trying to get rebooked but kept on running into dead ends. One of my coworkers was able to get in touch with one of the supervisors at home, and I got the contact information for our corporate travel service. After several frustrating attempts, I finally got in touch with someone who understood my request to get me on the next damn flight to anywhere in NY and not try to rebook me on United, which didn't have any flights to NY before Thursday, and that was by way of San Francisco.

I finally secured a very expensive seat on a Delta flight the next day while my phone was running out of power, but then I realized I had nowhere to stay that night. With all the cancelled flights, all the hotel rooms east of Duke were booked solid, and that was only if I could get in touch with United, which had a two-hour phone wait time and no one at their gates.

I called up my account manager for this client who lives down there. She agreed to take me in for the night because that's the kind of person she is, and I grabbed a cab to her house. After introducing me to her husband, daughter, three dogs, and two cats, she got me some water and showed me around her frankly palatial house in the Raleigh suburbs. She got me all set up in her guest room, and I eventually collapsed from the travel stress to the soothing visuals of the fish tank that was in my room.


The Accommodations:
As mentioned, I was in my account manager's guest room, which was easily a thousand times better than sleeping at the airport or getting into a hotel room at 3 AM in the morning.

On Finally Getting Home

Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Jersey City, NJ


Outside the Game: 
My account manager dropped her kid off at day camp and then took me to the airport. I checked in, got through security, and boarded on time for an uneventful flight to JFK, where I took in the first third of Paddington 2.

Thanks to the mishaps, however, I had to go in straight to work, which I did thanks to the corporate car service, worked the rest of the day, and then went home to collapse.


The Accommodations:
Home, finally.

Click here to see all the pictures from this trip.

2018 Stand-Alone