Granville

On Getting Out of Town for Something Unlikely

Rental car

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Morgantown, WV


Outside the Game: 

I was burning one of my Summer Fridays to be able to go out to see the grand opening of a stadium, something I had never done before and one of the items on my baseball Bucket List that I wondered if I would ever be able to complete. But as it happened, a new minor league franchise was opening up in the backyard of my best friend, and he had already scored season tickets. So, this was pretty much a no-brainer.

I had walked the necessary people through my one-day coverage document, and I headed out to Newark Freedom Liberty Bald-Eagle Apple Pie America airport after work. I took the PATH out to Newark and grabbed a NJ Transit train one stop to the airport with plenty of time before my 9:30 flight. I got through security and grabbed dinner at the diner in C terminal and waited to board.

It was with great surprise that my flight boarded on time and with no major incidents, we were in Pittsburgh on time to land at 11 PM. I quickly got my rental car in a dead, night airport and started my hour-and-a-half drive to Morgantown. I may have gotten the drive time down to an hour fifteen, but sometime after midnight, I quietly arrived at my friend's house, and quietly went inside and crashed for the night so as not to wake the wife and child.


The Accommodations: 

I was staying in the computer room at my friend's house now that his step-son had taken over the old guest room for some reason. It was an air mattress, but my back survived the trepidations.

On the First Time for Everything

Monongalia County Ballpark, 2015

Friday, June 19, 2015

Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians) vs. 

West Virginia Black Bears (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Monongalia County Ballpark
NY-Penn League (A-)
Granville, WV
7:05 PM


Outside the Game: 

After the somewhat late arrival, I was similarly a little late in rising the next day. But breakfast waits for no man, and the day got on its way, as we settled into some important video gaming, breaking only for lunch before getting back into the digital trenches.

Eventually, it was time to head out to the stadium for the grand opening. It had been on and off raining all day, but I knew that unless it was end-of-the-world weather, they were going to get this no-brainer sellout and grand opening in, come hell or presumably high water. Without the planned connecting road to downtown, it was a bit of a drive to the park, but we got there and parked in one of the only opened lots, as construction was still being completed on the other lots in the outlying areas of the park. It was down to a fine drizzle by the time we got inside, so we hoped that was a good sign.

After the game, we got back to the car and fought through some congestion back to the house, where we capped the night with a little more video gaming and then hit the hay.


The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, Monongalia County Ballpark

With a name like “Monongalia County Ballpark,” you know they haven’t successfully sold the naming rights yet. On the damp day of its grand opening, the stadium was clearly not quite finished. The signage was all temporary, the gate procedures seemed ad hoc, and the landscaping was very much not finalized, with large swathes of unleveled dirt and unfinished pavement surrounding the park. This is perhaps even more surprising given that the park hosted a spring season of college baseball for UWVa prior to the start of the NY-PENN League season. The park wasn’t the only thing incomplete, as the new road to connect up more directly with downtown Morgantown was not yet finished, the surrounding stores and hotels were not yet open, and there was even just one parking lot available for all the facilities.

The park itself is a fairly standard layout in a very non-standard configuration. Entrances are at right field and center field, with center field only open for the stadium’s premiere. The park is aligned at the bottom of a large hill with the usual marquee home plate entrance jammed up against the base of the hill, with no access. I’m not sure if this was because of them not being able to do the necessary landscaping in time for opening, or if this was some misbegotten decision on the part of the ownership.

The entrance opens out onto a narrow promenade that starts in center field and runs out to right field behind home plate. The walkway winds down a steep slope behind left field until it reaches the grandstand at third base. It levels off as it runs around the top of the seating bowl, and then leads out a wider right field plaza that ends in a stairwell down to the not-yet-open right field entrance. The main grandstand runs from dugout to dugout, extending down from the promenade via staircases. A second row tops the grandstand from a slightly shorter distance, hosting the luxury boxes and the press box. The chairs are all molded plastic bolted onto bleachers and weren’t exactly what you’d call “comfortable.”

What in other parks would be picnic hills in left and right field are too dangerously steep for that purpose here, and just end up as empty space, though apparently there are plans in the works to level them off. The two main concession stands are on the grandstand promenade, although there are additional stalls in the right field plaza area. A small box of a team store is on the promenade by third base, and it is too small by half. People were entering the store and getting on the end of the checkout line as it weaved through the entire store on its way to get to the front. Similarly, the promenade narrows in the grandstand, and it was wall-to-wall people, especially by the backed-up and overwhelmed concession stands.

Some other things of note are the field is nearly completely turf, except for the pitchers’ mound, and especially in these wet conditions, they seemed particularly dangerous to the young prospects playing on them. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a career-ending injury or two. Also, the seats ride up right next to the field, but this necessitates foul ball netting across the entire sitting area, as well as some interesting situations of people having to check behind them when foul balls are hit as they often carom off the upper deck and fly back into the stands. The only place to get an unimpeded view of the field is the right field plaza.

The brand-new digital video board and scoreboard sits in left-center field, above a single tier outfield wall that is not yet overgrown with local ads. A bank of trees forms the batter’s eye, and the rest of the outfield wall vista is the rolling mountains in the distance.

Hanging with Mr. Cooper.

So, the brand-new mascot for the Black Bears is Cooper, the black bear, named for nearby Cooper Mountain, home to actual black bears. The costume was preternaturally clean, as this is the first game he was attending, having only been out for a few PR appearances prior to the first game. He was introduced in the pre-game as “just having come out of hibernation,” so who knows if they will do this every spring or not. He pretty much did standard mascot duties for the game, schmoozing with fans and helping out with the on-field activities and whatnot. Most of those were standard minor-league stuff, apart from the “Smile Cam” and “Bear Hug Cam” (presumably in the place of kiss cams), and the playing of Thank God I’m A Country Boy by John Denver during the seventh inning stretch.

As this was the franchise opener, the park was packed to capacity, even with the rainy weather. All new franchises have enthusiasm at the start of the tenure, but who knows if it will keep up? But for now, the greater Morgantown area seems pretty smitten with its first professional team, and they were all very much into the game and festivities.

At the Game with Oogie: 

Rain scoring

So I was with my friend and his family, who had secured season tickets when the team first offered them last Fall. Because my friend is tenacious, he managed to grab seats right next to the entrance to the dugout and put the seat for his son right next to the dugout. Cute kid + dugout access = more freebies than he'll ever need in a long lifetime. This was evidenced nearly immediately, as the friggin’ President of the NY-PENN League, on hand this evening for the grand opening, gave him a ball even before the game started. That little so-and-so won't know how good he has it.

I split up with my friend and his family to do my walking around and photography. That was hampered a lot by the netting that covered the entire seating area and the weather, but I made do. Getting around was difficult, because the tiny park was filled to capacity, and my foray through the team store was even more memorable, as it was just a matter of joining the back of the register line as soon as you got in, as it was snaked throughout the entire confines of the small building. But I did get some opening day merch, so there's that.

Pepperoni roll and souvenir soda

I settled on a local favorite for food and got a loaded pepperoni roll, whatever that was, for food. I went down to the seats, which were right behind the plate and, as mentioned, right next to the home dugout. The seats were molded plastic things bolted onto bleachers, so they weren't the most comfortable things in the world, and the drainage left something to be desired, as water was pooling in the concrete floor at our feet.

But through it all, it was the first grand opening of a ballpark I had even been to, and it was probably the only opportunity I would have in this situation. It was also good to spend some time with my friend and his family watching a ballgame.


The Game: 

First pitch, Scrappers vs. Black Bears

The good news was that the inaugural game between the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and the brand-new West Virginia Black Bears not only got off despite the weather, but it was also a run-soaked affair. The bad news is that the new home team ended up on the wrong end of it.

The first inning was the first and only to go quietly, with both sides going in order. The Scrappers then went to work in the top of the second, scoring three runs on a single, a triple, a hit by pitch, a walk, an error, and a ground-out, putting them up 3-0 early. West Virginia came back in the bottom of the second with their own run on two singles and an error, to close it to 3-1. Mahoning Valley then tacked on four more in the third, starting the frame with back-to-back homers, and then getting two more runs on a hit batsman, a single, a wild pitch, and another single to extend their lead to 7-1. The Black Bears went in order in the bottom of the third.

The Scrappers didn't manage to score either in their next half-inning, with just a walk to show for the top of the fourth. West Virginia got a runner as far as third after a leadoff single, but he went no further. The hiatus on scoring was over in the top of the fifth, with Mahoning Valley blasting out four more runs on a spate of walks and hit batsman driven in by a sacrifice fly and a bases-clearing double, stretching the lead to 11-1. The Black Bears just had a two-out double in the bottom of the fifth. The Scrappers drove in three more runs in the top of the sixth on the back of a walk, two doubles, and a sacrifice fly, making the lead a ludicrous 13-1, while West Virginia just went in order in the bottom of the inning.

The scoring kept coming for Mahoning Valley in the top of the seventh, with two more runs on three singles and a bunch of errors, making it 15-1. Clearly reaching the limit of their dignity, the Black Bears busted out in the bottom of the seventh, with five runs on four(!) walks, two errors, a strikeout passed ball, and a double, to make it a more respectable 15-6. For the second time in the game, the Scrappers went in order in the top of the eighth, while West Virginia got another one back on four walks, to make it 15-7. Mahoning Valley went in order in the top of the ninth despite a leadoff walk thanks to a double play, and despite the efforts on a walk and hit batsman, the Black Bears were not able to more than double their score, and lost their very first game, 15-7.


The Scorecard: 

Scrappers vs. Black Bears, 06/19/15. Scrappers win, 15-7.

As the Black Bears hadn't gotten their scorecards printed in time for their first game, I was left with using the BBWAA scorebook for this game.

Where to start? There were 17 walks in this game. 17! There were also nine errors. There were also five hit batsmen, the sort of average you'd expect to see in a late 60's game between the Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The hardest part of scoring this game was keeping track of earned versus non-earned runs thanks to all the errors. You're hard-pressed to find many scoring plays where there isn't an E somewhere in there. Or at least a hit batsman. 

In all this slop, there were some plays of special note. In the top of the fifth, with a runner on first and second, there was a pickoff throw from the catcher 2-3 that caromed off the runner's helmet that let the runner on second advance to third. In the bottom of the seventh, a runner reached first on a wild pitch on a swinging third strike. He then made it to third on the next batter's double but was thrown out after going too far towards home 7-5. Also, the Scrapper as a team hit for the cycle, although you almost have to in order to score 15 runs.


The Accommodations: 

I was in the computer room again, with no great problems arising from the air mattress.

On Neither Rain Going Away and Nor Coming Back Another Day

Quitters

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Morgantown, WV


Outside the Game: 

So, we had plans to see game two in the short history of the Black Bears later in the evening, but until then, we had a day to kill. After getting up, having some breakfast, and starting with our day, it was time to retire to the computer room for more computer games for the rest of the morning, interrupted by a brief run out for lunch before more computer games.

As the afternoon wore on, there was more and more rain coming down from the skies, until it eventually cleared up mostly in the late afternoon, with a good prognosis for the weather clearing for the game, much as it had the night before. Despite the adult male optimism, the wife and son portion of the contingent was not so positive-minded, so it was just us to drive down to the park for the game. A drizzle turned into a downpour as we waited in the parking lot, and just before the gates were set to open, the stadium screen flashed up a message that the game was cancelled because of weather, so I got to be there for this milestone in the Black Bears franchise as well. 

We drove back to the house for some impromptu video gaming for the rest of the night before turning in.


The Accommodations: 

I was again in my friend's computer room on the inflatable mattress, and I was only starting to feel some ill effects in my back from it.

On When Delays Work To Your Advantage

Sunny Pittsburgh

Sunday, June 21, 2015
Jersey City, NJ


Outside of the Game: 

The delay on my flight actually worked out to my advantage in the morning, as I didn't have to get up nearly as early as I was expecting, so I was able to get up and say goodbye to my friend before heading out. I was on the road for a nothing interesting ride back to Pittsburgh International Airport.

After dealing with the New York area airports, it is so easy to forget how much other airports are not like that. I dropped off my rental car and was through security in under a half hour, so I had nothing but time to worry if there would be more delays. I tried to get on an earlier flight, but there were no seats left, so I just got some breakfast and waited sullenly by the terminal.

But I was pleasantly surprised when in addition to my plane being at the gate, the crew wandered up rather early in my waiting period. In overhearing their conversation with the gate staff, the pilot came in very late this morning, so they had to move the flight back so that he had his appropriate time off between flights. Thus informed, and sitting as I was close to the gate, I dozed off until the plane started boarding.

We all got on the flying bus with little effort and were off at our new flight time. I got out at Newark, hailed a cab home, and was off doing laundry in no time.


The Accommodations: 

Home, sweet Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2015 Stand-Alone Trip

Niles

On Laboring Not to Labor

Comfort Inn

Thursday, August 28, 2014

New Columbia, PA


Outside the Game:
After suffering through a short week at work, and narrowly avoiding having to work over the holiday, I managed to escape intact. Because of concerns about work, I had avoided making baseball plans for this weekend, the effective last weekend that the minor leagues would be in operation before the September MLB call-ups.

The next states on my agenda were Ohio and Virginia, but more of the teams were home in Ohio. A cursory look at flights towards the middle of the week yielded no last-minute fares to either destination, which meant either spending $800 for a plane ticket, or driving it. In a well-planned, last-minute decision I went with a drive out to Ohio, as three teams that were home were on the eastern border of the state, and the directions would be easy enough: get on I-80 and head West.

I got home from work and did some perfunctory laundry and research. I filled up note cards with pertinent information on the teams, picked out my first hotel for the night about half-way to Ohio just off I-80 in PA, and packed up. I headed out to my car a little before 9 PM and was on my way.

Everything seemed to be an apology for the previous weekend in Buffalo. I managed to navigate the by-roads out to 80 easily, and once I got on 80, there was nothing but open road and darkness. I was listening to the Metropolitans blow a lead until the station faded to static, and then it was onto classic rock stations to keep me attentive.

The drive was without issue. I won't say how fast I was going, but 80 wasn't just the name of the road. It was a night drive on open road, and I just ate up that road. This is everything I liked about driving. The hotel was just shy of three hours from home, but I made it in two and a half, pulling in just shy of 11:30 PM after going down the street to grab some food at a Sheetz, the only food for miles.


The Accommodations:
The top considerations for my hotel this night were 1) location (halfway to Ohio) and 2) location (easy on and off I-80). In case anyone is wondering, the hotel that best meets those criteria are the Comfort Inn in New Columbia, PA. The city is a middle-of-nowhere town just west of Williamsport, and two hotels were the only thing located down a long private road just off of 80.

I wanted someplace nice, but not too fancy, as I wouldn't be there all that long (not expecting making such excellent time out there). The nicely appointed bathroom was just to the right of the entrance, with the bedroom in the rear of the room. One one side of the room was my bed, nightstand, a lounge chair and Ottoman, and refrigerator and microwave. On the other was the dresser with flat-screen on top and work desk.

After the nightmare of Buffalo, just a quiet room would have been appreciated. But this was clean, comfortable, well laid-out, and quiet, so it might as well have been heaven.

On Finishing a League, Oh, and Some Car Trouble

Eastwood Field, 2014

Friday, August 29, 2014

Auburn Doubledays (Washington Nationals) vs.
Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians)
Eastwood Field
NY-PENN League (Short Season A)
Niles, OH
7:05 PM


Outside the Game:
I woke up the next day quite refreshed and ready to go--if not quite ready to get out of bed. I awakened and went down to breakfast, which was in a hotel room next to the attached restaurant. I filled up with breakfast along with a room sparsely populated by what appeared to be exclusively truckers. Suitably fed, I went back to my room, and, having no agenda before 7 PM that night and being three hours away, I took a nap or two.

Eventually running up against my checkout time, I got up, showered, and finished packing up. My last task was arranging my hotel for the night. I had a $100 voucher from Hotels.com thanks to the Buffalo debacle, so when I found a Residence Inn right next to the ballpark (especially considering I'd be spending a lot of time there), I booked that for something like $80 out-of-pocket and did some research on my destination. There didn't seem much to Niles, Ohio, except the presidential library and birthplace of William McKinnley, so I penciled that in and headed out to the car.

Essentially in the Middle of Nowhere, PA, I didn't expect much in the way of traffic, and progress was good. Outside of some Penny left-lane hogs, there wasn't much to complain about. Except that there was always someone going faster. I was in the right lane going at a good clip, but I had a tractor trailer coming up my tailpipe.

That was the last thought I had before the front of my car exploded.

There was a lot going on in the ole' noggin in the next couple of milliseconds. There was smoke pouring from the front left of my car, the tractor trailer was still behind me, and I had no idea what to do. Some part of my lizard brain eventually kicked in, and I pulled off to the right into the breakdown lane and shut off my car. Happy to not be in a truck grill, I took a moment to assess the situation calmly.

When the screaming stopped, I turned on my hazard lights and got out of my car. Thankfully, I had managed to make it all the way into the shoulder before stopping the car, and I was at the start of a curve giving people coming up on me good visibility.

Minor damage

A quick looksy at the car identified the source of my problem. My front left tire had blown out spectacularly. The burning remnants of such created a splatter pattern up the wheel-well of my car that was pretty heavy metal. I had a spare, but I wanted to make sure if anything else in my car was messed up. So I sat on the railing and called AAA. The good news is that I broke down right in front of a mile marker, so I was able to give them a pretty precise location. The operator told me that someone would be out within the hour, and it was about 12:20 PM, so I was feeling okay about that. Also, there were worse days to be broken down. It was in the high seventies with clear skies all around, so I had that.

After twenty minutes or so, I got a call on my cell from AAA, telling me that the tow truck would be there shortly. It was at the end of this call that a state trooper pulled up behind me. I told the AAA person I had to go, and I went to greet the officer. He asked if there was any damage besides the blowout, and I said I didn't know, and that there was tow truck coming from AAA shortly. He pointed out that a lot people have blow outs on this stretch of road. It was then that I noticed the remnants of tires lining the side of the road for at least a quarter mile in both directions.

It was then that the tow truck showed up. The officer thought he'd put me on his truck and replace the tire at his shop, but the mechanic quickly started to jack up my car where it was. The officer went to put out some road flares as I went to get my spare, which hadn't seen the light of day in 20 years.

After removing all my crap from the trunk, it quickly became apparent that some time in the last decades that the spare had rusted into its holder. Asking permission freely given, the mechanic cut out my spare, which turned out to be half inflated at this point. A minute later he had the tire on. He and the officer told me to go two exits and there would be a filling station where I could get some air. I thanked the officer and the mechanic, and I was off again, with a little under an hour and a tip to the mechanic to show for it.

I gingerly drove the two exits, and found the many service stations promised, pulling into the first one and going to the air station. My car was making a weird noise that I was worried about. A quick inspection identified this as the remnants of my wheel-well lining that was scraping against the spare dangerously.

Dressed in tan and white, I got on my knees and wrenched the plastic until it was back to where it sort of should be, or at least wasn't scraping the wheel. It was then I noticed that my front bumper was mildly dislodged as well. Filthy, I went to fill my tire, but then realized I had no idea what I should fill it to. A quick call to my father later, I had filled up the dangerously underfilled spare and was again on my way.

The rest of the drive to Niles was relatively uneventful. I pulled into town an hour or so later than expected and in much more need of a shower and nap than expected. Dreams of William McKinnley quickly dwindled, and I decided to just get to my hotel and shower and nap before the game. However, the hotel address led to a mall, and I had to call to find out where in the mall to go. More succinct directions in hand, I drove to the back of the facility and found my hotel. A quick park and check-in later, I drove around to the entrance by my room. It took me a minute to get in the door as I couldn't figure how to insert my keycard, until it eventually dawned on me that it was an RFID card.

I dragged my stuff to my room, took a shower, and collapsed for a half hour. A little more than a half hour before the game, I got dressed, grabbed the game bag, and was off. I knew I was within two minutes to the stadium, and after one or two false starts, I eventually found the entrance to the park around a corner, parked up, and did my business.

Civilized snacking

After the game, knowing the way, it took under a minute to get back to the hotel. Not having to drive that night and having had a long day, I bought a mini bottle of wine from the hotel store and went back to my room. A quick look around the extensive room found some tea and free microwave popcorn. Still able to see the fireworks display at the park from my room, I watched while having some wine and eating free popcorn. This is the right way for a night to go, even if the day was less than perfect.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Eastwood Field

There are urban ballfields; there are rural ballfields; there are suburban ballfields. And then there’s Eastwood Field, which is literally built in a giant mall parking lot. As much as I’d like to be kidding, Eastwood Field is smack dab in the center of a sea of asphalt behind a largish mall in suburban Ohio. "Well, at least there’s tons of free parking," you might think. And you’d be right, except for one thing: the entire park is surrounded by a giant chain link fence. While this may score them points for their zombie apocalypse preparations, there is also a more mercenary plan afoot. Whether you drive in the gate, or walk in the gate, you have to pay $3. This is the only such scenario that I’ve ever seen of its kind in minor league ball that might as well be called the “Attendance Suppression Tax.”

Once you pay your tax, you can walk around the outside of the park. The main entrance is by home plate, under a giant portico under the stadium sign, right next to the ticket booths and team store. You walk around the park, but there’s not a lot to see. The only real entrance is the main one at home plate. It has a standard minor-league layout, with an outer promenade running from outfield to outfield behind home plate being mirrored by a walkway at the base of the grandstand seating that covers the same distance. Ramps connect the outer and inner walkways at regular intervals and at the end of the grandstand, including an unusual wide ramp up behind home plate, which steals away some valuable home-plate seating.

The main seats rise up from the grandstand walkway from about first to third base behind home plate, or down from there for field-adjacent box seats. All but the last sections of seats have a level on top of them, which holds the luxury boxes and press boxes, along with the championship banners on the front of the press box. A section of bleachers sits separate down the left-field line, while there is a small picnic hill along the right-field line. A small kids zone is at the end of the left field stands down a small stairwell, while picnics tables are in a small plaza in right field with a party deck and the "Bullpen Bar and Grill." A two-tier outfield wall covered in ads lies beneath a wall of trees that disguises the fact the stadium is in a mall parking lot. A small digital scoreboard rises above right-center field where there is just a single layer of outfield wall.

All the concessions, stores, and stands are in the outer promenade. A small case of trophies and awards sits behind first base on the walkway.  “Fitness Stations” are around the promenade, encouraging people to do exercises while watching a ballgame, which doesn’t quite make sense.  A “Hall of Champions” is along the end of the grandstand, two retired numbers are on the outfield wall, a dedication for the stadium is on the main entrance, and a plaque honors the namesakes of Cafaro Field.

Toodles

Mascot Scrappy the hard-hatted dog is present as soon as the gates open for the game. He runs the minor-league standard activities between the innings, including races, give aways, and contest. The “Lipton Beer Inning” was in the fifth, with half-priced brews for the duration. Despite having to literally pay twice to get in the door, the grandstand was pretty filled for this game, although the fringes down the lines were sparsely populated at best. The fans paid attention to action on the field, but were most enthusiastic about the stuff between the game, especially the Toss-A-Ball that was featured after its end.


At the Game with Oogie:

Night scoring

I had bought my ticket that morning, and seeing this game with the Scrappers would complete the short-season A NY-PENN league teams for me. So there was that. I got my regular seat behind the home dugout, and I hoped for a four and a half legal innings to finish out my first league since the CPBL the year before.

And speaking of the NY-PENN league, the visiting team that day were the Auburn Doubledays, and I ran into the husband-and-wife team again. I first saw them when they were sitting in my area at the Muckdogs home game in June. The husband was easily recognizable because of a port birthmark on the right side of his face. I saw him the next day at the Auburn home game. They were there again this night. It dawned on me that eastern Ohio isn't all that far from western NY, but I wondered if they were following the team all year, or I had just run into them on the few opportunities they went. I saw them in line, and I think they saw me. (How many guys in Cyclones hats do you really see at these endeavors?) We kind of eyeballed each other for a second, but neither of us said anything.

All of the concessions were on the outside loop of the stadium. After careful consideration, I got a pulled pork sandwich from a BBQ place on the third-base side (that was even on sale), and, still hungry, supplemented it with a corn dog and some chicken nuggets.

Corn dog and nuggets, the dinner of champions

There was a family sitting behind me, and the storyline of the night was the fact that the teenage daughter's crush was at the game with her somewhere. To her great chagrin, her father kept looking around for the boy in question, causing the daughter no amount of angst and calling him a "creeper." She gave a play-by-play of the texts they were exchanging, until the father eventually located the other family, and then, as casually as possible, tried to direct his daughter's attention to the correct location. During the seventh-inning stretch, he was finally able to get her to look in the correct area. And she just "just couldn't with him at all."


The Game:

First pitch, Doubledays vs. Scrappers

The playoff-bound Scrappers were facing the Doubledays, who had been eliminated from playoff contention. With not much to fight for, it is perhaps unsurprising that this went according to script.

The Doubledays got a two-out double and nothing else in the first, while the Scrappers got on the board right away. A leadoff double that missed going out by inches was followed by a steal of third, with the runner coming home easily on a two-out double to right. A single brought in the runner on second, but a fly to left ended the inning at 2-0, Scrappers. Auburn went in order in the second, while Mahoning Valley kept going with a two-out rally started with a single up the middle and a stolen base. Another single up the middle brought in the run, and the play at home got the runner to second. A passed ball got him to third, but a strikeout ended the second at 3-0, Scrappers.

The third began with a leadoff single, but the Doubelday was erased on a double-play and a come-backer to the pitcher quickly ended the half. The Scrappers, meanwhile, only had a one-out single that made it to third on a fielder's choice and wild pitch, but was stranded on a fly to left. The Doubledays had some life in the fourth. Although a leadoff single was erased on a double-play, another single followed and made it to second on a wild pitch. A walk put two men on, but a strikeout ended the threat. Mahoning Valley went in order in their half.

Auburn only had a two-out single to show for their half of the fifth, as did the Scrappers. But Auburn got on the board in the sixth, with a leadoff double followed by a short single, leaving it first and third with no outs. The next batter lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring in the run and move the runner over, but two more outs ended the scoring at 3-1, Scrappers. Mahoning Valley only had a one-out single in their half.

The Doubledays kept it going in the seventh, with a back-to-back single and double that brought in the lead runner. A fielder's choice that couldn't be executed made it first and third before a passed ball made it second and third. A ground out to first froze the runners, a come-backer to the mound got the runner at third in a rundown, and a grounder to short ended the top of the seventh at 3-2, Scrappers.

Mahoning Valley got some of that back in the bottom of the inning. A one-out bunt single was followed by another single, and then a double to clear the bases. A hit batsman chased the Auburn pitcher, and a double-play ended the seventh at 5-2, Scrappers. Both sides went in order in the eighth, and the Mahoning Valley closer did his job in the ninth, getting the Doubledays in order and sealing the 5-3 Scrapper win.


The Scorecard:

Doubledays vs. Scrappers, 08/29/14. Scrappers win, 5-3.

The scorecard was part of the $3 program sold at park kiosks. It was a full-color magazine program with the scorecard taking up the centerfold. Because it was on glossy magazine paper, pencil writing was difficult, and the writing in red colored pencil is almost illegible. That said, it was a comfortable-sized scorecard, with three replacement lines for each player line, detailed scoring instructions on the bottom quarter of the card, holding miscellaneous data lines for League, Attendance, Time, Weather, and umpires. Nearly uniquely, each side of the scorecard had a section dedicated to proving out the card (by adding Runs, Left on Base, and put-outs, and comparing that number to the sum of at bats, walks, sacrifices, and hit batsmen/interference calls).

There were only a couple of odd plays/scorings. The first hit by the Scrappers missed a home run by inches, warranting a note. A fielder's choice in the top of the sixth on a non-force play to third ended as a "6-5t," and a come-backer to the mound in the seventh led to a 1-2-5 putout.


The Accommodations:

Residence Inn

Since I figured I'd be spending a long time at the hotel for this night one way or another, I decided to splurge a little and get a room at the Residence Inn that was right next to the park. As mentioned, I used the voucher from last weekend to drive the normally pricey hotel to under $100. Thanks to the blow-out, I was an hour or later getting in than I expected, but since I abandoned all touristy activities to rest up, and with a relatively short game, I spent my money's worth of time at the hotel.

Firstly, the room was just a smidgen smaller than my actual apartment, and it was at a brand-new hotel that opened up in late spring. To the right of the entrance was a full-fledged kitchen, with appliances, cooking and eating utensils, cabinets, and a dining island. The next room in was the living room, with a spacious desk, TV-stand, and a couch (with dining table) that ran the length of the kitchen island.

It is then when you got to the bedroom (with reading and accent lights), then a bathroom foyer/dressing area (with dressers), and then the spacious bathroom in back, with a fancy sink and toilet on one side and the glass-walled shower to the right.

The only thing to be said against my room was that it was on the first floor, and the unkind garbage truck that came by in the morning made too much noise. But otherwise, it was a quite enjoyable stay.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2014 Labor Day Ohio

Burlington

On Crunchiness at the Edge of America

Historic Centennial Field, 2014

Saturday, August 2, 2014
Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians) vs.
Vermont Lake Monsters (Oakland As)
Historic Centennial Field
NY-PENN League (Short-Season A)
Burlington, VT
6:05 PM


Outside the Game:
With a bit more sleep in my system, I tossed some breakfast buffet in me, packed up, and headed out north to Burlington. As I didn't know when the game that night would end, how fresh I was going to be feeling after the game, or how far I was going to go, I didn't book a hotel for the night before I left. I knew that my likely route would be taking me past some tourist areas about two hours out, and I had at least five hours to home, so I just decided--for better or worse--to leave it to fate and see what happens.

Far removed from civilization, and the need for unnecessary road work on a summer weekend, progress was swift. It seemed to just be me and people heading home to Canada, judging by the license plates. At around noon, I rolled into town and was being directed by the calming British voice from my TomTom to an area in the back of the University of New Hampshire campus. The entrance to the park was pretty well hidden, and I passed it once or twice and almost ran a couple of stop signs trying to find it. On the third pass, I saw the almost hidden entrance and pulled in, driving past an ancient football field to get to "Historic Centennial Field" behind. I parked and got my ticket at the booth and did some preliminary picture-taking. In my walking about, I noticed a good deal of flyovers from military planes, which suggested a military base nearby, or a more careful air patrolling of the Canadian border than I expected.

Pictures taken, I decided to head out to see what there was to see of Burlington. I heard of an aquarium/science center by Lake Champlain, so I went out there, stopping to get some much-needed gas. The city was a mixed pedestrian/bike/car usage layout by the lake, which means that driving is near impossible. I eventually got myself settled into a municipal lot across from the ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center, and before heading inside, I stopped at an outdoor grill concession set up across the street to grab a cheeseburger and soda, since we were rapidly moving out of lunchtime.

ECHO Lake

Thus fortified, I went to the center, where I was informed that this was the first day of Champ Week in Burlington, and that most of the special events for the day were centered around Champ. Champ, for those not in the know, is the Lake Monster in Lake Champlain, the American cousin of Nessie in Loch Ness, with sightings going back to the European discovers of the lake several hundred years ago. His "birthday" was declared to be the next day, which, in a way that I am not sure is relevant, is also the birthday of my late grandmother.

The entire museum is less an aquarium (though most of the lower-floor exhibits were sea life-based), but the endeavor was quite well-done overall. The over-arching theme was clearly garden-variety New England granola hippie, but it was all executed in an educational and interesting way that wasn't ham-fisted. And a good deal of the exhibits were legitimately interesting, especially an experimental erosion table that was operated with magnetic sand that you could erode by making it "rain" by putting your hand over the area. There were some undeniably neat things going on.

I went out on the observation deck and plopped onto one of the deck chairs in the shade to take a little nap before the 2 PM presentation on Champ. Nap achieved, I went downstairs and watched the presentation, which sadly concluded that Champ probably wasn't real to the disappointment of many.

After an inevitable stop at the museum shop, I headed outside to walk along the lakefront for a bit. The true crunchiness of the place started to show, as there were herds of actual hippies walking along and congregating on lawns here and there. There was a skate park a little way down from where there were doing a breast cancer survivor dragon boat race. A lot of stuff such as that.

After traipsing around the waterfront for a while, I decided to head to the center of town for a little. After a short drive, I even found a street space that I could fill up until I had to go to the ballgame. The center of town was mostly closed off to car traffic except for some crossing streets. The large pedestrian mall was lined with upscale stores, and there was additional foot traffic from the "Festival of Fools" that day, which was several stages of street performers that were showcasing throughout the weekend. The entire place reminded me of a nicer Hoboken distilled down to one street.

Knuck juggles

I watched some of the street performers (one was even a clown with an olde timey baseball act) and walked around a bit. I eventually saw a sign for an olive oil store with free samples, and they might as well have just hit me over the head as soon as I walked in and took my wallet; it would have saved everyone a lot of time. The place was wall-to-wall jugs of olive oils, vinegars, and other seed oils. They had an olive oil butter that was made of olive oil, but somehow magically tasted exactly like butter. It tasted exactly like butter. I was already pretty gone by the time I found the exotic sea salts, so throwing some Sicilian Salt onto the purchase really didn't even make a difference. I was rung up by a girl originally from New Jersey, so it is a small world.

I eventually left, laden with my purchases, and I did some more walking around before it was time to head over for the game. I went back to my car, put everything in the trunk, got out my game bag, made the short drive back to the park, and got in line for the game.

Getting out while the getting's good

Afterward, while most of the assembled were still waiting comfortably in their seats for the post-game fireworks, I set out to my car, entered "Home" into the TomTom and headed out to drive until I dropped. It was a little before 9 PM, so I figured I could at least make it halfway to Hoboken before finding someplace to rest for the night. The TomTom flashed 6 hours for the drive, but when it doesn't know the speed limit, it assumes around 35 miles per hour, so I knew I was going to have a closer to five-hour drive.

I headed out, relatively well-rested and with a full tank of gas. I was largely driving straight south to get home, it was all a matter of crossing over into New York. After leaving Burlington, it was heading further and further into the hinterlands, from interstates, to state roads, to county roads. And I was getting a little concerned about these half-paved strips that the soothing British voice was guiding me down.

It was with some concern, then, when I heard the voice tell me that after 400 yards, I should take the ferry. THE FERRY? How exactly is this an option? Who thought that was a good idea? As the lack of any electrical light for at least five miles would attest, the ferry was not running at night.

So I had a well and proper freak out. After telling the nice box to avoid the ferry, it immediately sent me out the way I came and further south, though I was following it with much less confidence than I had just a few minutes before. I was peeling around these non-existent roads in the pitch dark, with no other cars around, calmly cataloging all the things that could go wrong out here and how long it would take them to find the body. Eventually, signs appeared mentioning a bridge, and I got more confident of my continuing survival.

The bridge came and went, and it was all a matter of getting onto 87 South. The TomTom kept telling me to turn off the state road I was on, but the signs on said state roads said to stay on that road to get to 87 South, and I know which of the two I was believing more at this point, so I followed the signs, and eventually got to 87 South, and as soon as I merged, I put it to the floor and decided to see how long I could hold out. My ETA put me at home at about 2:30 AM, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility to make the drive.

The next check-in I put in for myself was at 2 hours from home at 12:30 AM. And what residual Adrenalin I had was gone at that point, and while my gas tank wasn't empty, my metaphorical gas tank sure was. With the next exit looming some half-hour in the future, I pulled off at an exit with two hotels visible. I parked and stumbled in to the Howard Johnsons to be told that they were full up for the night, as was the Comfort Inn next door. The only suggestion he had was a motel down the road a bit. I asked if they had rooms, and he said yes, and that was the end of it.

A couple minutes later, I was pulling up the long driveway to the cabin motel. A nice Chinese couple were there waiting, saying they had gotten a call from the Howard Johnsons. I eagerly took their last room and then parked my car and headed to my room. And that adventure will be discussed later.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Historic Centennial Field

As granola crunchy as Burlington is, it is perhaps unsurprising that their ballpark is of a similar temperament. The "centennial" of "Centennial Field" is not the country, but the first graduating class of the University of Vermont at the turn of the twentieth century. The grandstand was rebuilt in the 20s, and is the basis for the extant park. As with most old parks still in use, Centennial Field has expanded outward, not upward, but without the organization found in many of those parks.

The olde timey affair starts before you even get to the park, marked by a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" sign that leads down a narrow road, past another old athletic field, past the old shed ticket office, to the park itself. The current ticket office is a low shed-like building a short way off from the main (and only) entrance to the park between the ticket office and the grandstand.

The park is an old-school original. A steep row of seats rises up from a narrow walkway that runs the gamut of the seating area from just beyond first base to just beyond third. A wood overhang provided the only protection from the elements for the seats behind the netting in front of home plate, and the wooden press box is perched at the top of the seats behind home. Two rows of what passes for VIP seating how been added behind homeplate, no doubt built into the field and shortening the distance to the backstop. A surprisingly up-to-date scoreboard and video board watches the action from left-center.

Several narrow and short ramps provide access to the seats from under the grandstand. They have padding on the tops to prevent any coconut-wood beam interactions. The ramps are filled with pictures of UoV baseball teams and inspirational quotes from baseball luminaries, and one has a baseball card vending machine just outside.

There is a stadium map sponsored by the Burlington transit system in the style of the city's transit maps, and this was one of the first times I actually had to consult one, as the organic growth of the stadium made for some interesting routes. The exterior promenade went mostly from outfield to outfield around home plate, housing all the stores and concessions in  small barn buildings scattered around. Left field terminates in an open picnic area that services the all-you-can-eat seats at a tented grill area. Getting to the right field area is a bit more challenging. You have to spot a sign pointing in between two groundskeeper sheds (helpfully marked by sort-of-clear mascot footprints), weave through some storage areas, and then you will eventually emerge beyond right field, where home batting cages, a picnic patio, and a children's play area reward you for your persistence.

Enter Champ

Champ the Sea Monster is the inevitable mascot. The day I was there was part of Champ's birthday festivities, as well as military appreciation night, prompting a giant inflatable army private to make tours of the grandstand for most of the game. The entertainment was minor-league standards, with a couple of local twists, such as a local door company sponsoring a musical chairs game with doors and a vending company sending out water for the umpires in a tiny electric cart.

The crowd on the drizzly evening was pretty impressive for low A ball, and they seemed to be into the game, though Champ was clearly the star of the evening for most of the families in attendance.


At the Game with Oogie:

Historic scoring

I had called for tickets the day before and had requested and received a seat behind the home dugout. As with the minor leagues, it was mostly families all around me, mostly ex-military. A family with a cute little daughter was to my right, and a couple with two boisterous boys were in front of me. Perhaps most interesting was a solo woman just past middle age who was sitting behind me and keeping score. She was clearly a lifer, and although we never talked, there was a clear simpatico going on.

There wasn't much in the way of trademark food, but I did get a "monster" foot-long hotdog, and a corndog, because how can you not get a corndog?

Cooooorn Dooooog

The worry for the game was the reports of about a 40% chance of the showers and thunderstorms that were plaguing those further south were going to come up and harass the game. My worst-case scenario had multiple rain delays holding up my departure, especially if they didn't get an official game in. When a drizzle started in the fourth inning, I was concerned, but I was more relaxed after the game became official after the fifth, and the half-hearted rain disappeared completely by the sixth.


The Game:

First pitch, Scrappers vs. Lake Monsters

The Scrappers and Lake Monsters faced off under the threat of rain in the early evening that only manifest itself as mild showers in the middle innings that tapered off for good by the seventh, thus preserving the post-game fireworks for the remaining crowd.

The Scrappers went quickly in order in the first, but Vermont started off with a leadoff single that moved to second with a one-out walk, but two more outs stranded the runners there. Mahoning Valley went in order again in the second, but the Lake Monsters got through. A leadoff walk came home on a towering, one-out homer to left. A blown throw by the second baseman put the next batter on second, and a two-out double brought him home before the end of the inning, leaving it 3-0, Vermont.

The Scrappers managed to break up the perfect game with a controversial two-out single in the top of the third, but had nothing else, and Vermont only managed a walk. Things changed in the top of the fourth, as Mahoning Valley started the inning with a double, brought in on a one-out double. The trailing runner made it to third on a ground-out, but he was then driven in with a two-out double to center, before a pop-out ended the half at 3-2, Lake Monsters. Vermont went meekly in order in the bottom of the fourth, as did the Scrappers in the top of the fifth.

A bizarre play lead off the bottom of the fifth, eventually ruled a single and a caught stealing (see below), but another single was enough to chase the starting Scrapper pitcher. The reliever got two quick pop-outs to end the half. The Scrappers got a one-out walk followed by a fielder's choice that erased the lead runner. Another walk made it first and second with two outs, but a fly out to right ended the threat. Vermont only had a two-out bunt single to show for the bottom of the sixth. The Scrappers had their own two-out single and nothing else in the seventh, while the Monsters started the bottom of the inning with back-to-back walks, then two quick outs, a booted grounder at third to load the bases, and a strikeout to strand everyone.

The Scrappers again only had a one-out single to show for the eighth, and the Monsters only had a two-out single to show for theirs. The Vermont closer gave up a one-out single that was immediately replaced by a pinch runner, but the next batter grounded into an around-the-horn double play to end the game with a 3-2 Vermont victory.


The Scorecard:

Scrappers vs. Lake Monsters, 08/02/14. Lake Monsters win, 3-2.

The scorecard pamphlet was actually a separate item from the program, all on heavy paper with scoring instructions and full rosters and game notes. With the glossy magazine program, it was $3, which was a bit of a bargain. Considering all the trouble they went to for the separate scorecard, it was a little disappointing that at least half of it was taken up with ads. That said, the scorecard was perfectly fine for scoring, but less so with substitutions or pitchers. The announcers were especially scorecard conscious, and announced the inning totals for all categories at the end of each half-inning, and went out of their way to announce all the extra information (time of game, attendance) that they have on the scorecard, which is seriously missing at many parks, especially in the low minors.

There were a lot of notes on the various "inning events" during the game, all of which were successfully completed. There were a couple of oddities during the game. In the top of the third, the first Scrappers hit that broke up the no-hitter was quite controversial. The umpire called him safe after a close throw from second, but it was apparent to nearly everyone else that he was out by at least a half step. Odd statistical note is that until the bottom of the seventh, every Scrappers hit was a double.

The big weird call of the night was obviously the bottom of the seventh. The leadoff hitter grounds to second base, who rushes and overthrows the first baseman, but the runner does not turn to foul ground after over-running first base, and is therefore in play. The catcher who was backing up the overthrow from second, threw the ball to the pitcher, who tagged the runner before he got back to first, for a caught stealing 4-2-1. They awarded the batter a single, however, before the caught stealing, which I don't think was justified at all. But what are you going to do?


The Accommodations:

Red House Inn

Where to begin with the Red House Inn? A little research informs me that it was constructed in the 60s as a rental cabin place in the Catskills, and it doesn't seem to have changed since then. I got there at night, which is probably the only reason I decided to actually stay there.

The room I had could be, at best, dated to the early 70s. The door was opened with a physical key, and had only one lock and no peep hole. The room had some funky wood paneling and generic hotel art from the 60s. The pattern on the bedspread was a 70s nightmare. There were two twin beds with this crime of fashion on them on one wall (along with a rickety night stands with rickety lamps), and some worn-down chairs around a worn-out desk with an 80s TV (sans remote). In the back of the room was a cabin kitchenette, with a dual hot plate, an 80s microwave, and a small sink.

The bathroom was at the back, with a long counter and small sink, an aged toilet, a medicine cabinet missing one sliding door, and a run-down shower. There was a furiously working dehumidifier in there as well, and even with that, the towels were damp to the touch. I took a shower in a way that made me regret the decision.

The bed seemed to have clean linens, but I didn't dare go under anything more than the comforter. I piled all the pillows on the bed furthest from the door, and tried to turn on the 70s-era air conditioner unit, which resulted in so much noise and so little cold than I just turned it back to the fan.

Unsurprisingly, the wifi network didn't reach my room. I just got into bed and eventually passed off to sleep in time for my neighbors to get in at 2:30 AM and wake me up. Just like home.

The experience was pretty horrible, but really, with a little bit of effort, this place could be cheap and tolerable. I think the old Chinese couple are the only staff, so they can't do as much. It's a shame, though. The place has kitschy potential in spades.

On Never Having to Go to New England Again

Sunday, August 3, 2014
Hoboken, NJ


Outside the Game:
I awoke blearily, happy to find myself alive at around 8 AM the next morning thanks to the noise of several other guests leaving and slamming various things. I got back to a sleep for a little, but at a quarter to nine, I was re-packed and walking back to turn in my key. A lady from Canada was doing the same, and we passed our keys to the old Chinese lady and went on our way.

I got into the car and turned on the TomTom and hoped to be home before the end of Talking Baseball, which was just coming on the radio as I made it back to the Thruway. The drive did not begin auspiciously, as I managed to pull into the EZ Pass lane, got cars behind me, and then I had to sheepishly pull into the office and walk out to the person in the booth to get a ticket.

That failure behind me, I pointed the car south and floored it. There were few cars on the road and no construction, so the drive was without incident. I pulled off at the last service area on the Thruway to get some breakfast and gas (both in under five minutes) and kept going into Jersey.

After last night, I should have known not give my TomTom any rope, but as I was making good time I decided to follow the calming British directions, which, instead of driving down 17 to meet up with 3, took me a microscopically shorter distance on the Turnpike that only cost me $2.45. I see smashed electronics in the future, I really do.

Nevertheless, I was soon parking and dragging my stuff back to the apartment, for a long soak in the tub, to be followed by a vigorous, vigorous nap, and then some light laundry and unpacking.


The Accommodations:
Thankfully, Hoboken.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2014 Labor Day

Jamestown

On First Pitch When?

Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park, 2014

Monday, June 16, 2014

Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians) vs.
Jamestown Jammers (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. Park
NY-PENN League (A-)
Jamestown, NY
11:05 AM


Outside of the Game:
Needless to say, 11:05 AM is an odd start time for a ballgame. This was predicated by "School Day" at the park, and five hundred or so students being bused in for an afternoon of baseball, which is everything this country should be, frankly.

The early start time prompted the drive down to Jamestown the night before for the morning game. For another night, I woke up unnaturally early despite my best efforts. I dragged myself down to the breakfast buffet, which was largely deserted at this ungodly hour. I had some eggs, cereal, and apple juice while sort of browsing Reddit on my iPad. I dragged myself back upstairs and napped in for another hour or so completely immersed in the copious pillows available to me.

Eventually, I had to drag myself back out of bed. Already packed up, I headed out to the car with my bags and then checked out of the hotel.

A truly short drive later got me to the park at a little after 9 AM. The ticket booth wasn't yet even open and nothing was going on outside the park, so I did my walk-around and took my pictures. Next to the park was a soap box derby track, or the soap box derby track. It was unclear. Either way, it was much shorter than I expected a soap box derby track to be.

Soap Box Derby

With my photos done and no indication that the park would be opening any time soon, I drove downtown to see what I could see. I knew about a couple of little museums, but at this ungodly hour, they weren't even thinking about being open yet. I parked and walked around doing some scouting before heading back to the ballpark at ten. And at exactly ten, the ticket booth and main gate both simultaneously opened. I retrieved my ticket from will call and then went into the park.

After the game, broiled to an even 400 degrees or so, I nearly ran back to the waiting air conditioning of my rental car, parked on the grass next to the soap box track and thankfully free of foul ball impacts. I lay supine in the air conditioning for a good five minutes before heading back downtown. As the game was over in under three hours, even with the extra innings, I had some time to kill.

I parked right in front of the Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz Museum. When such a thing presents itself, how can one possibly resist? Jamestown is the proud hometown of favorite daughter, Ms Ball, and it has erected a two-part museum to her TV career and personal life. I sprang for the audio tour, hosted by Lucy's daughter, Lucie Arnaz. And despite what you might think, it was actually quite informative and interesting. In addition to reproductions of the most famous sets and episodes of the show, the museum gives visitors a great deal of backstory about the program, DesiLu productions, and the legacy that it left. (For example, I Love Lucy was one of the biggest and first syndicated shows in re-runs because it was the first sitcom that could be re-run, since it was shot on film [at DesiLu's expense], a deal quite similar in implications to Fox allowing George Lucas to have the merchandising profits for Star Wars.)

Recreated TV set

The second museum focused on the lives of Desi and Lucy, from their beginnings, the show, the divorce, and their later lives (including an unknown-to-me spate of board game endorsements by Lucy). Besides completely whitewashing the divorce and the reasons for it--according to the museum, it just kind of happened, and they remained friends for the rest of their lives--it was an informative trip through TV history. The museum hosts a comedy festival every year, which is ironically headlined by Jay Leno this year.

Coming up on three in the afternoon, I decided to head out to Erie. While it was only a little under an hour drive, baking in the sun all afternoon had taken quite a bit out of me. I was getting drowsy, and I had to make an effort to keep attentive, even with a blaring radio and the AC turned up as high as it would go. But despite my limitations and a few left-lane hogs (nearly as soon as I crossed over in PA), the ride was uneventful.

At least until the end. I had completely forgotten everything about the hotel I booked in Erie except for the address and the name. The TomTom calmly guided me to my destination address, which completely lacked any hotel. I looped around the supposed location of the hotel several times, getting more and more annoyed, until I noticed a hotel-like building at the back of a mall. I recalled that the hotel was next to a mall, so the next time around, I pulled into the mall, drove to the very back of said mall, and eventually found my waiting hotel.

I checked in and went up to my room for a desperately needed shower and bit of a nap. I got situated in the hotel, and then headed out for some dinner. Having had lunch at around 10:30 AM, I was extremely hungry for some unknown reason. There was a Cracker Barrel not too far away (shut up--I like then when I'm on the road), and I scarfed down an American-sized dinner and desert while being waited on by a perfectly nice waitress who was so good at her job that she clearly should be doing something else.

Worn down from the day and the travel, and now weighed down by dinner, I went back to the hotel for a quiet and slow night of catching up on writing this thing up before heading to bed early.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park

Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. Park is a tiny little single-A park tucked into the local community college campus. Next door is the All-American Soapbox Derby track, which prompted me to wonder at how short soapbox derby tracks really are. The treeline at the back wall of the park is right in front of the parking for one of the campus buildings, prompting a bevy of warning signs about errant fly balls and the like. Parking for the stadium is on the park by the derby track (and on the derby track), which inspired me to park as far back as possible to avoid any foul balls, or possible soapbox derby cars.

The park has only two entrances behind home plate, one nominally the "main gate" and one for bleachers only, but they both empty into the same place, no doubt due to some renovations at some point in the past. The park is laid out in two rings: the outer wall, and the inner building. The outer brick building holds the concessions (such as they are), bathrooms, and clubhouses, and extended the length of the park. A smaller brick building backs the grandstand and houses the team store only runs from first to third, where they end in an entranceway. Having the clubhouse in the exterior wall means that the home and visiting players have to walk through the crowd to get to the clubhouse, which is a throwback to some older parks (and a boon for kids looking for autographs).

The grandstand behind home plate is the only covered area in the stands. On top of that roof sits the retro press box. Beyond first and third base are straight-out metal bleachers that extend to the edges of the outfield that have a clever two-level walkway. One level is at the base of the bleachers, and then a small stair leads down to the ground, so that people walking by won't interrupt the view of the fans in the bleachers. Left field ends in the home bullpen, and the right field area has the visiting bullpen, plus the "Vineyard" group picnic area. A solitary scoreboard sits in right-center.

Bubba Grape, the Baseball Ape

Mascot Bubba Grape, the Baseball Ape, helps runs the between-innings activities. Bubba is incredibly popular, but on School Day, in a park packed with kids, he was literally mobbed when he showed up. I'd like to coin a new phrase: "More popular than the mascot on School Day." There were slightly less between-innings contests than normal, and what was there consisted mostly of your standard contests and races.

The crowd, bussed in from local schools, filled the place up and gave some enthusiasm to an 11:05 AM start. They were mostly into the game as well as the between-inning contests, of which they and their schoolmates were heavily featured.


At the Game with Oogie:

Morning scoring

So this was an early start to things. When I got into the park at 10 AM, I made my way directly to the program booth to buy one of the same. The gentleman behind the booth got to talking to me, and pointed out that there were about 500 school kids who were going to arrive at any minute, so if I wanted to do anything in peace and quiet, I should do it now.

After taking my pictures and walking around, I decided to get some food before said schoolkids showed up, as there was only the one concession stand, and I didn't want to get stuck behind a wall of kids. Despite the early hour, I got a full-on house hot dog with cheese and chili, which I ate at one of the picnic tables across the way, and watched as the inevitable school children began pouring into the stadium.

The Swashbuckler

After some more wandering, I found my seat, but it was under the grandstand, and not behind the dugout. There were only bleachers behind the dugout, so I decided to leave my seat vacant. While in the grandstand, however, I saw at least one guy with a "Minor League Parks Tour 2014" T-shirt on. I was going to ask him about that after the game, but he was lost in a swirl of students before I could find him again, and baked as I was from several hours in the afternoon sun, I wasn't in a mood to go looking too hard for anything except shade or air conditioning.

The bleachers behind the dugouts had a row of real pull-down seats, so I grabbed one of these. I was mostly surrounded by schoolkids behind me with varying interest in the game. They were all into the cheering at least, so the home team had that going for them.


The Game:

First pitch, Scrappers vs. Jammers

Perhaps it was the early start-time. Perhaps it was the earliness in the season. For whatever the reason, this game was a mostly punchless contest between the Jammers and regional rivals, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

The Scrappers scattered two singles in the top of the first to no avail. The Jammers had a leadoff walk promptly picked off trying to steal second, and then stranded a two-out single in their half. The Scrappers went in order in the second, and the Jammers had a leadoff single become part of a double-play to end the inning. In the top of the third with one out, the batter reached first on an error by the third baseman, leading to an inexplicably early hook for the starter. The runner stole second and then was joined on base by a walk, but another double-play ended the minor threat.

Jamestown went in order in the bottom of the third inning, as did both teams until the bottom of the fifth, when the Jammers managed to sneak in a one-out single before stranding him. The Scrappers went in order in the sixth, but the Jammers finally found some offense with a one-out triple, brought home by a following single. Two outs eventually ended the inning with Jamestown in the lead, 1-0. Mahoning went in order again in the seventh, as did Jamestown.

Things changed in the eighth, as the Scrappers got a surprise one-out homer to right to tie the game up, 1-1. The Jammers had a one-out walk and a two-out hit batsman in the bottom of the eighth, but nothing came across. In the ninth, the Scrappers got a leadoff walk sacrificed over to second by the next batter. A fielder's choice got him to third, and a two-out walk got him some company, but a ground-out to third ended the half with nothing across. The fading Jammers went in order in the ninth, and we went to extra frames for the first time this trip.

The Scrappers seemed to want to end this quickly, as the same batter from the eighth inning homered to right again with one out. A two out hit batsman was perhaps a message, but he stole second to send a message right back. A walk made it first and second with two outs, but a grounder to short ended it at 2-1, Scrappers. The Jammers gave up the ghost in the bottom of the tenth, striking out in order, capped by a strikeout looking to end the game 2-1, Scrappers.


The Scorecard:

Scrappers vs. Jammers, 06/16/14. Scrappers win, 2-1.

Once again, I had to spring a couple bucks to get a program/scorecard at a short-season A park. I guess they must make money this way, or they wouldn't do it. This one, at least, was a handsome color magazine program, with a scorecard centerfold, and truly plentiful mimeographed and stapled player data for up-to-the-minute information and opponent rosters.

The card itself was magazine paper, which made it difficult to write on with colored pencils, but not nearly as bad as Auburn's program. The scorecard itself was two whole magazine-sized pages without any ads, so it had generous space to write on, and also included instructions for scoring newbies.

The game itself was rather mundane, scoring-wise. There were a ton of strikeouts (17 total), with a corresponding dearth of offense. (But, sadly, the K-Man did not strike out.) Perhaps the only oddity of note is that both Scrapper runs came from the same number 8 hitter belting two home runs in back-to-back at-bats. One wonders why he wasn't walked the second time.


The Accommodations:

Fairfield Inn

For the next two nights, I was to be staying at the rather well-hidden Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Erie. Once located, it was a nice enough place. I had a king-sized bed with an inordinate amount of pillows (and even more hidden in the dressers, so it seemed), with a pull-out couch, refrigerator, and a microwave. The bathroom was generously sized as well.

I spent a great deal of the late afternoon and evening in the room. The travel was starting to catch up to me, and I spent most of the night seeing how many pieces of furniture on which I could site and avoid typing up this travelogue.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2014 Western New York