Category: Family Fun
Movie Night
Louisville Slugger Field-Louisville, KY: The Louisville Bats had a great idea to wrap up the 2017 for their fans, hosting a movie night at the ballpark. Sitting in the stands or laying out on a blanket on the field with a movie up on the video boards is definitely a promotions most fans were excited about. The only thing that wasn’t exciting, was the movie selection the Bats posted on Facebook that fans could vote on. I honestly can’t even remember every movie listed, but I voted for the ‘Lego Batman Movie’, while the new ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was the big winner out of the four. I was a little confused why no baseball related movie was listed, especially ‘The Sandlot’, which I thought would be a runaway winner as far as family baseball flicks go. In fact, there was so much outcry to show ‘The Sandlot’ by myself and other fans, the Bats replied on Facebook stating that wasn’t a movie that they had the rights to show.
In all honesty, however, it really didn’t matter what movie they showed. Brian was able to bring a friend to the event, and we laid some blankets and pillows out to enjoy the show. For me, I was just happy to be on the field, and was more intrigued by how perfect the grass was than anything else. I went to buy the kids some popcorn and pop, and was really pleasantly surprised at the great turnout for the event.
The kids also had a chance to play on the park and ride the carousel.
This turned out to be a really fun event, and the movie wasn’t all that bad, I guess, but the kids enjoyed it and that’s what counts. I think in all there was a lot of positive feedback from the fans, so I’m confident the Bats will hold more of these events. Maybe ‘The Sandlot’ next time, though…. What family baseball movie would you all like to see on the big screen at a ballpark? Poll is below!
Promotion courtesy of the Louisville Bats
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
2017 Frontier League Championship
Florence Freedom vs. Schaumburg Boomers (Frontier League)
UC Health Stadium-Florence, KY: I sat at my desk at work last Friday night, keeping an eye on the score on the computer, hoping the Florence Freedom would pull it off. Already down two games to none, another loss would mean the series would be over, and the Schaumburg Boomers would be champs of the Frontier League. Worse for me, it would mean no baseball game to attend the next day. Lucky for me, and the Freedom, I guess, Florence prevailed in 12 innings to keep the series going. So Saturday night, Brian and I made the trip up to see what could be a championship for the Boomers, or another game for the Freedom. I was a little shocked to see the game tickets at $20 a piece, even for a championship series. You’d think the home team would really want the local fan base to fill the park (not a huge crowd for such a big game…). At least Brian was able to get a photo op with Y’All Star as soon as we entered the stadium.
We sat down the third base side by the Schaumburg dugout, and the Boomers soon became one of Brian’s favorite teams, as I still rooted for the Freedom. The Boomers took the lead in the second inning, however, on a solo home run. Taylor Oldham tied the game for Florence with an RBI double in the third. In the fourth inning, Rock Shoulders hit a monster home run to put the Boomers up 2-1, quickly followed by another Schaumburg dinger. An RBI double put the Boomers up 4-1. Rock Shoulders is an awesome name. Like this guy wasn’t destined to be a professional athlete…
About this time we needed a treat, so Brian landed on the Funnel Cake Deluxe. This was served in a helmet, and consisted of a funnel cake, a crap load of ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles and Oreo pieces. It was amazing, and both of us together couldn’t even finish it!
The sixth inning added more runs for Schaumburg. They hit another home run, and a sacrifice fly scored another to take a commanding 6-1 lead in the game. Florence came back with a two-out run in the bottom of the inning, to cut the lead to 6-2. Andrew Godbold paced the offence for the Freedom, going 2-3 with a run scored.
Between innings, Brian was supposed to participate in an on-field race, but back out once he learned he would be wearing over-sized underwear… Oh well, at least he did run across the field during the seventh inning stretch.
On the mound for Florence, Cody Gray got the start and took the loss. He tossed four innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, while striking out six. He would be replaced by Tony Vocca, who gave up two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings of work. Kit Fowler started for the Boomers, pitching three innings and giving up a run. Michael Wood would earn the win, tossing 4.2 inning, giving up one run and striking out four. FINAL: Freedom 2, Boomers 6.
After the final out, it was time for celebration for the Boomers. I don’t care what age you are or what level of ball you play, when you win a championship it is a big deal. Congratulations to Schaumburg, they definitely deserve it. And congratulations to the Florence Freedom on a great season also. We’ll be back at UC Health Stadium next season.
And of course they got to pass around the Frontier Cup and hold the Frontier League Championship banner:
As Brian likes to celebrate with winners, I found him out on the field celebrating with the Boomers! A few of the players were nice enough to take a photo with him.
I’ll leave off with a very short video of Brian getting a game ball from his new favorite player Kyle Ruchim of Schaumburg. This is what makes the sport we love so great…
Video and photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Color Labor Day Red
Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers (National League)
Great American Ballpark-Cincinnati, OH: Oh, Labor Day. When most people are smart enough to take a day off and relax, we decided to head up to the Queen City for some Reds baseball. As usual, we parked in Newport and took the boat over to the ballpark. Since the boat always drops us off at the back of the park (duh, like, it can’t travel down the street and around the corner…), Trevor and I decided to walk around and check out the façade. I took a photo of some of the statues featured out front, such as the greatest catcher ever Johnny Bench and ‘Charlie Hustle’ himself, Pete Rose. The Rose statue is new to the ballpark this season.
I thought we had great seats again, in the bleachers, but the front row which gave us a great view of the field.
The game started a little slow, and the Reds finally took a 1-0 when Joey Votto took a walk in the third inning to drive in a run. Not very exciting, I know, but a run is a run.
Trevor wasn’t happy in the hot sun, so we found some seats with some shade, and a little closer to the action. The Reds scored another run in the 6th, when Eugenio Suarez earned a walk. Yeah, I know. Yawn. But then Tucker Barnhart hit a double that plated two, so business was picking up. The Reds were up 4-0, and I was feeling pretty good about the game.
The Brewers came storming back top of the seventh, however. Homer Bailey got the start for the Reds, and he pitched a solid six innings, giving up three runs and striking out four. A pair of home runs tied the game at four going into the late innings.
Still tied at four bottom nine, it was hero time for Billy Hamilton. He hit his first right-handed home run of the season to set off the fireworks and give the Reds the win! Relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias got the win for Cincy. This was a great way to spend Labor Day, even though I only got a half-hour nap in before working all night. It was worth it for a fun day of baseball with Trevor. FINAL: Reds 5, Brewers 4.
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Fall Ball Starts
Walsh Park-LaGrange, KY: Despite the fact that practices started in the summer, and, wait, I think technically it still is summer, but fall baseball has started at North Oldham Little League. After a disappointed spring, I had to really convince Brian to play here in the fall. Being this is his first experience with other kids pitching to him, I thought this was a very important step to prepare for next spring.
The Navy blue team, dubbed the Navy Seals, are 1-1 so far in the young season. As one would expect, there was a lot of adjusting in the first couple of games, but really toward the end of the second game, the kids were getting used to being pitched to and hitting the ball. Brian as well was a little hesitant at first, and looked to take a step back at just about every pitch. Now he’s starting to hang in there and hit the ball, though. In the field, he’s been splitting time between left field and second base, but as also seen an inning at the hot corner. With so many walked batters, there’s not a lot of action yet, but as the kids start hitting more the field will become more adventurous and more fun. I think he’s liking second base, which is good, because that’s where his old man patrolled the field through Little League, high school, and into church softball. Brian is also lucky to have some of the very best coaches this season in fall ball. If he opens himself up and lets them help him, he has the potential to really improve. Most of all, though, I hope he has fun and realizes how lucky he is to be able to put on a uniform and play baseball every week…
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Meeting the Bats
Louisville Bats vs. Rochester Red Wings (International League)
Louisville Slugger Field-Louisville, KY: This was such a bitter-sweet game, as it was the last Bats game for us this season. It’s hard to believe the season, and summer, has gone by so quickly, but here we are, ready to say goodbye to Louisville Slugger Field for a while. A good way to send us off, though, is the Bats held their autograph day for their last weekend home series. Brian was excited to meet the players and get his baseball signed. Most of the players were good with the kids, coach Jody Davis was great with the fans, while new-comer Scott Van Slyke skipped over some kids to sign a folder full of cards (look them up on eBay!!!).
It was another warm day, so we made sure to get seats out of the sun. While the weather was warm, the Bats’ bats were hot. Alex Blandino and Brandon Dixon hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, while Scott Van Slyke hit a RBI single to put Louisville up 3-0. Dixon had a career game for the Bats, going 4-5 with three home runs, a double, and seven RBI’s in the game. He was a big part of the Bats’ seven run fourth inning, chasing top Twins prospect Stephen Gonsalves.
On the mound for Louisville, Rookie Davis earned the win, throwing six innings, giving up five runs on six hits, while striking out four. Evan Mitchell came in to take care of the last three innings, giving up one run and striking out one. FINAL: Bats 13, Red Wings 6.
Again, a fun day, but sad that it’s our last Bats game of the season. Hopefully this isn’t the end of baseball season as a whole for us, though. Brian starts fall ball this week, the Florence Freedom are in the playoffs, and we hope to catch another Reds game this fall. The Bats are also hosting a movie night next month which should be fun. I’ll leave off with a photo of Brian up on the #BatsBoard after the autograph signing. Remember to add me on SnapChat @minorbaseball to follow the live game action.
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Church of Baseball
Louisville Bats vs. Rochester Red Wings (International League)
Louisville Slugger Field-Louisville, KY: Last week Trevor and I took in a rare Friday night game, as I usually work nights. Originally, we had planned on attending the game with other members of our Covenant United Methodist Church, but due to lack of interest, they cancelled the trip. It’s a shame they cancelled it, as I was looking forward to getting to know some of the congregation better because we haven’t been members ourselves for too long, joining a few months after the move. This was a good opportunity for Trevor and I to have a good time together, though, so that’s just what we did! Trevor and I don’t really like to sit still too much at a game, and enjoy checking it out from different vantage points throughout the ballpark. We started out this game in left field, where we sort of had most of the section to ourselves.
Starting to get hungry, we went to hunt down some food. Landing on a ballpark favorite hot dog, we got some really good ones. Trevor being a teen-aged boy, had no problem devouring the massive Grand Slam Dog, while I had the more modest, but still filling, Louisville Slugger Dog.
Speaking of dogs, Jake the Diamond Dog was in the house again for the game, hanging out on the concourse before hitting the field for his duties.
We took our regular seats to enjoy our food and more of the game, but the Red Wings really did a number on our home town boys. The Bats did all of their scoring in the second inning, scoring two of their four runs off of a Darnell Sweeney (2-5) home run. Chad Wallach went 4-4 on the night, and he and Sweeney had six of the Bats nine hits.
On the mound for Louisville, Luke Farrell only lasted three innings of the game. He allowed six runs on three hits and four walks, while striking out three. The biggest blow was giving up a grand slam in the third. The Bats gave three more runs in each the eighth and ninth inning, to basically get routed. FINAL: Bats 4, Red Wings 10.
Trevor and I ended the game way up in the cheap seats in right field, and it was a decent vantage point to see the field and the city. Despite the loss, it was a fun time and good to see a game with Trevor as the Minor League season is quickly coming to an end. As for my church brothers and sisters, we’ll be back there on Sunday and hope to attend other events.
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Great American Birthday
Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals (National League)
Great American Ballpark-Cincinnati, OH: I love it that I have a summer birthday. One perk is that it’s a good even split from presents at Christmas. My sister has a birthday on December 29th. It just seemed like Christmas presents simply flowed into birthday presents a few days later. Another perk of a summer birthday is that I can enjoy it at a ballgame. This year the Cincinnati Reds were nice enough to host a day game in celebration, so Brian and I made the short journey to enjoy some Major League Baseball. As usual, we parked over in Newport, KY, and took the boat across the Ohio River to the Great American Ballpark.
It was a super hot day out, but Brian still wanted to play on the kids’ field for a bit. Good gravy, the game hasn’t even started yet and this kid looks so hot and disheveled…
Our seats were amazing, even in the upper deck. We had front row and had a phenomenal view of the game taking place before us, sitting behind home plate. Unfortunately, as northern boys, the sun and heat were not making it comfortable for us, so we had to move down under some shade. At least we had a solid look at Eugenio Suarez’s home run in the second inning. And that was pretty much all the offense the Reds could muster.
Here’s a hit by Scooter!
If Tucker Barnhart is looking at me for a sign on what to throw to Bryce Harper, I have no clue. That guy can hit just about anything…
The game itself wasn’t a great one for the Reds. Scott Feldman started out on the mound, but only lasted one inning. He gave up five runs on five hits, including two home runs. One was a three-run blast by Harper. Well, he’s now on the DL… Asher Wojciechowski (who was just on Louisville last month) came in to throw five solid innings, giving up one run on two hits, while striking out four. And again, the only offense for the Reds was Suarez’s home run. FINAL: Reds 1, Nationals 6.
Despite the score and the heat, this was a great birthday. Lily and Trevor were up visiting Michigan, so I really missed them, but Brian and I had a good time. I definitely want to take in another game here before the season is over, but maybe in September, and maybe a night game so it’s cooler. We’ll be back at the Bats this weekend, but I can’t believe the season is half-way over, and we only have a few more games planned…
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Lego Land
Louisville Bats vs. Charlotte Knights (International League)
Louisville Slugger Field-Louisville, KY: Another gorgeous day here in the ‘Ville, and another Bats game for Brian and I to enjoy. Last weekend the Legos Play Ball Tour was in town for some fun. Brian was able to make some cool Lego vehicles and the kids had the chance to race them, also!
It was a fun way to spend the pre-game, and it kept us out of the heat. The kids were even able to make a baseball player out of Legos and take it home with them, which is cool. I’m sure soon, though, all the parts will just get thrown in his Lego bin.
On to the game, as we settled in our seats with our new free hats courtesy of the Bats.
Starting on the mound for the Louisville was Amir Garrett. He threw six and 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on six hits. He only walked two batters while striking out four. In the ninth inning, the Knights tagged relief pitcher Kevin Shackelford for a pair of runs to take the lead 4-2, but the Bats’ offense wasn’t done yet.
The Bats opened the scoring in the second inning, when Adrian Nieto’s double scored Eric Jagielo. Then in the sixth inning, a Hernan Iribarren double, wild pitch, and error allowed him to scored the tying run. Going into the bottom of the ninth down by two runs, the Bats battled back to load the bases. Four two-out singles scored three runs, including Phillip Ervin’s walk-off winner.
We had a lot of fun at this one, with a good combination of the Legos and the walk-off win. Brian had a good time, and was really into the game at the end, which makes it more fun for me, also. An added bonus was seeing former Louisville Cardinal Zach Burdi on the mound for the Knights, although he did leave the game after facing only a couple of batters for undisclosed reasons. Our next game will be in Cincinnati for my birthday, so that should be a good one!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Bat Boys & Indians
Louisville Bats vs. Indianapolis Indians (International League)
Louisville Slugger Field-Louisville, KY: We were back at it last weekend for another Bats game. I really wanted to hit 80’s night the day before, but just couldn’t make it happen. That promotion is simply tailor made for me, but Bri and I still had a great time on Sunday. And the weather was perfect for baseball, as it’s been lately. Also, coming in the gate Brian got a free mini-bat from the Louisville Slugger Museum. We already have a few of these, but you can never have too many mini-bats. We’ll be making it back to the museum soon to check out their Lego exhibit, anyway!
On to the game, starting on the mound for Louisville was Cody Reed, who only lasted through the first two innings. He held Indy off the board, though, waling two, striking out three, and giving up one hit. Asher Wojciechowski pitched three innings, giving up one Indian run on four hits while striking out five. Kyle McMyne gave up the only other Indy run, but still earned the win. He pitched two innings and struck out one batter. Earning the save was Kevin Shackelford, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
Also during the game, Brian got a game ball thrown to him by Indians manager Andy Barkett. He managed for a few years in the Detroit organization, and must have sensed we were Tiger fans!
The Bats scored one run in the first, and went on to take the lead with three in the seventh. Leading the offense for the Bats, was catcher Rob Brantly, who went 2/4 with an RBI. Helping out was Sebastian Elizalde who went 1/3 with an RBI and run scored. Alex Blandino started the scoring for Louisville in the first, and was 1/2 with an RBI and run scored in the game. FINAL: Bats 4, Indians 2.
Another fun day for us, and the Bats had BBoy McCoy, the break dancing bat boy, in attendance to entertain the fans between innings. I still think that break dancing is very cool, and the movie Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo still holds up, today. Unfortunately, the times he was out, we were either at the playground, or I couldn’t get my camera or phone focused in in time to catch a photo or video. I did find a nice video of him on YouTube, though, that I’ll share. I highly recommend seeing him if he’s at a ballpark near you!
Video courtesy of the Skillville Group
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Swashbuckling at Slugger
Louisville Bats vs. Toledo Mud Hens (International League)
Louisville Slugger Field-Louisville, KY: Another beautiful day at the ballpark, and this time we had Pirates and Princesses on hand to entertain the kids. Lily went through a Disney princess stage when she was younger, so I’m familiar with Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, but I don’t know the name of the newer one, the Frozen one. As far as the pirates go, Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook were there for some looting and pillaging.
The Bats were hosting the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, Toledo Mud Hens, so my allegiance was a little torn. The Mud Hens, however, jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning, and really never looked back. Tyler Collins hit a three run blast to help the Hens out in that first inning, as Toledo sent all nine hitters to the plate. For the Bats, Dilson Herrera answered with a two-run homer of his own to cut into the lead in the second inning. In the fourth inning, and Matt den Dekker triple, a JaCoby Jones double, and a Bats’ error restored the five run lead for the Mud Hens. That was about it for the offence in the game, so Brian and I went to meet the pirates. Lucky for us, the line was a lot shorter than the one for the princesses.
On the mound for the Bats, Sal Romano took the loss, throwing five innings and allowing seven runs on 10 hits. Matthew Boyd got the win for Toledo, pitching six innings and giving up two runs on five hits while striking out five. FINAL: Bats 2, Mud Hens 7.
Another fun day for Brian and I at the ballpark. There were tons of kids at this game, especially girls, for the princesses, which made the line to run the bases really long. Brian opted not to run, and really, he was just playing on the field the day before. Rough loss for the Bats, but this one I didn’t mind as much…
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Minoring In Baseball 