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2011 BBT Day 4: Pouring in Portland…NOT
Portland Sea Dogs vs. Reading Phillies: Hadlock Field-Portland, ME
Here I am again…facing disappointment right in the face. The noon game here has been postponed due to ‘wet grounds’, and I miss an opportunity to see a game in my now favorite Double A ball park. Just like out rain-out in Pawtucket, this was the last game in the series and the teams got an early start to their next road game. The fact that it wasn’t even raining at game time makes it even more frustrating. The weather was better today, so I was able to get some better pics of Hadlock. I also had a friend meet me for the game who trained with me down south. We went to just about every Jacksonville Suns game available, so it would have been nice to share a beer and a ballgame again. We were able to chat with some of the staff here, who let us explore the ball park a little bit more and just talk baseball. It’s nice to know it’s not just the ball players who have to work their way up from the Minors, but the broadcasters and other staff as well. We also learned that the Red Sox are the only MLB team that has a closed circut camera in all of there affiliates to keep track of their prospects. I love the Sea Dogs logo, so they let us spend some time (and money) in the gift shop, too. The only consolation is that we were able to get a jump-start on our voyage south to Boston. We would need that extra time, as Boston treats every Sox game as an event, and the celebration start pretty early in the day.
Current Red Sox who played here in Portland
Photos property of M.I.B.
2011 BBT Day 3: The Dog and Pony Show
Portland Sea Dogs vs. Reading Phillies: Hadlock Field-Portland, ME
For some reason I’ve dreamed of visiting Hadlock Field in Portland for some time, and this ballpark didn’t disappoint. It’s smaller than you might think for Double A, but it’s very cozy. You kind of feel boxed in, but in a good way…sort of like leaving the rest of the world behind when your watching a ball game. One really unique aspect of Hadlock is that the home bullpen is elevated inside the right field wall. The players have to take a set of stairs to a doorway in the wall to enter the game. The Sea Dogs also have their own version of the Green Monster, er, Monsta, with the Maine Monster in left field being a Boston Red Sox affiliate and all. This was another game with low attendance due to the horrible weather, but at least they played it. The Reading Phillies were in town and we were seated right behind their dugout. I have to give a shout out to Reading first baseman Matt Rizzotti for hitting two home runs in the game and throwing me a game ball. Things didn’t go the Sea Dogs way in the game, but they had one more game in the series to get revenge. I was really looking forward to the noon game the next day. Due to the weather I didn’t get some better pics of the stadium, but will have some in the next post because the weather was better the next day. Final Score: Sea Dogs 3, Phillies 14.
Hadlock Field-Portland, ME
The Phillies are in town
Will Middlebrooks #16
Photos property of M.I.B.
2011 BBT Day 3: The Ol’ College Try
Small College World Series Championship-Southern Virginia University vs. Briarcliffe College (NY): The Ball Park-Old Orchard Beach, ME
It may be hard to believe by today’s standards, but Maine had itself a Triple A Minor League franchise right here in Old Orchard Beach. From 1984-1988 the Maine Guides occupied The Ball Park here. As a farm club for the Cleveland Indians, the Guides were a success at first, finishing second in the International League standings and fourth in attendance. The next season, however, the Guides were last in attendance, possibly due to the fact that Old Orchard Beach is more of a vacation spot with a small year-round population. By 1986, the team was not only last in attendance, but also last in the IL standings. 1987 the team became affiliated with the Philadelpia Phillies, and remained in Maine for one last season under the name the Maine Phillies. The team was then relocated to become the Scranton/Wilkes Berry Red Barons in 1988. It’s thought that three things brought about the failure of the franchise: 1)the amount of Miane Black Flies in the area 2)only one road ran in and out of the ball park causing traffic back-ups, and 3)the newer, larger ball parks were being built at this time for minor league ball. Although the stadium hosted some concerts in the 80′ and 90’s, by the 2000’s it was falling apart by the years of neglect. The stadium was shuttered, the grass overgrown with weeds and brush, and it was victimized by vandals and arson. It looked as if baseball would never be played here again until the community rallied around the Ball Park supporters to renovate the park and bring baseball back. By 2008, the stadium was ready to go, and hosted exhibition games and college games. The Ball Park will now host the Old Orchard Beach Rolling Tide, a summer college team in the New England College Baseball League, and hosed the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Baseball tournament in 2010 and this season, which brings us up to today’s championship game…
This is a baseball trip, after all, so we wanted to get an as many games as possible, no matter what the level. We were lucky enough to catch the small college World Series while passing through on our way to Portland. Number one seed Southern Virginia was playing defending champion Briarcliffe College, so we anticipated some good baseball, and the college kids didn’t disappoint. There wasn’t a real big crowd due to the continuous bad weather, but still a good atmosphere and crowd of students and players parents. Briarcliffe came out of the losers bracket to defeat the Knights from Southern Virginia in two straight games to win back to back national championships. The Ball Park itself was a nice place to watch baseball, and we didn’t have any trouble with flies in this weather, but doesn’t compare to most Minor League stadiums. I hope they have success with the Rolling Tide this summer.
- The Ball Park at Old Orchard Beach
Photos property of M.I.B.
2011 BBT Day 2: The Manchester Movie Maniac
New Hampshire Fisher Cats vs. Binghamton Mets: Northern Delta Dental Stadium-Manchester, NH
I was very happy to learn on my arrival to Manchester that tonight’s game was going to be played. This is my first time watching a game from the Eastern League, and I was excited to see actually baseball taking place. Northern Delta Dental Stadium is nothing fancy, but definitely a nice place to watch a ball game. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We had a long chat with the head of the Food Service department, as he worked for the West Michigan Whitecaps for years when he first broke into working in Minor League baseball. He had nothing but good things to say about the ‘Cap organization, but New Hampshire was his home state, so he jumped at the chance to work for the Fisher Cats when the opportunity came. It’s amazing how much my Whitecaps hat is recognized, and the conversations it can start. Our seats were down the third base side, but the visitors dugout, so lots of pics of the visiting Mets. The crowd was pretty thin due to the cold and rainy weather, so it was hard to gauge the real atmosphere. I’m betting this team gets lots of support through the season, though. The highlight of the night was me getting a chance to play movie trivia and be on the big screen in front of dozens and dozens of people. It was Teacher Appreciation Night, but due to the small crowd, they couldn’t find a teacher, so I had to due (my sister is a teacher…so I guess that was close enough). The movie clip they showed me was pretty easy to guess…it was The Incredibles by Disney/Pixar. Having kids is really starting to pay off. I won two free movie tickets to the local theatre, but gave them to some kids because we were heading out of town the next morning. Yeah, I know..awww. In return, the kids gave me a game ball, so it worked out for the best for all of us. If some of the pics look foggy it’s from the, fog, I guess, as well as the constant misting. It really felt good to get the game in though…hoping we luck out in Portland. Our experience in Manchester was definitely a positive one. Final Score: New Hampshire Fisher Cats 7, Binghamton Mets 1.
Northern Delta Dental StadiumThe Starting Lineups
Photos property of M.I.B.
2011 BBT Day 2: A New Spin on Things
Lowell Spinners: LeLacuer Field-Lowell, MA
Seeing a ballpark without being able to watch a game is a little depressing, unless you never planned on watching a game there in the first place. On our way north for more baseball, we decided to check out LeLaceer Field, home of the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League. The Spinners are a short season Single A team, so they don’t start playing games until June. We decided it would still be fun to check out the ballpark, and the staff was nice enough to let us in, show us the park, and let us shop a bit at the souvenir store. LeLacuer Field is very nice of Single A, and they share it with the UMass-Lowell college team, as the ballpark is right on campus. I’d love a chance to get back to here to see a game. Lucky for us we were able to get our baseball fix in later that day. Stay tuned…
Photos property of M.I.B.
2011 BBT Day 1: Pouting in Pawtucket
Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Scranton/WB Yankees: McCoy Stadium-Pawtucket, RI
Our 2011 adventure started out in Pawtucket, home of the International League’s Red Sox, or PawSox. I really liked McCoy Stadium, as it’s a throwback to the more classic ballparks. Walking through the gates at McCoy is like taking a step back into time. The fans and staff are extremely friendly, and are more than happy to talk about the history of the stadium and the team. Some of the older staff members had some great stories. With the rain delay, we had plenty of time to explore the ballpark and get our shopping in also. My favorite park was the mural of my favorite player as a kid, Mark ‘The Bird’ Fidrych. The ballpark has pictures from all sorts of historic events that have taken place there, especially the longest game in pro baseball history that lasted 33 innings. Despite the fact that it had not been raining for some time, the game was called and we missed our first game to rain in the seven-year history of our trip. Some of the fans thought that the teams just wanted to hit the road early, as they played in worse weather the two previous nights. Definitely disappointing, but you don’t have to see a game here to realize how special the ballpark is, but I’m sure since the PawSox were playing the Yankees, the atmosphere would have been great.
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Photos property of M.I.B.
Say It Ain’t Snow
As another blizzard hit our small humble town here in lush Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I find myself more and more concerned with the fact that I’m supposed to be sitting in a ballpark just a few short days from now enjoying baseball. I assumed this ghost was exercised a couple of weeks ago during a tradition that makes my also small and humble university as unique as it’s five National Hockey Championships and it’s banished words list. For the last 41 years at Lake Superior State University we burn a snowman in effigy to signify the end of winter and bring on spring. Apparently the snow gods, or baseball gods, or whatever, must have missed it this year, because the snow just keeps coming. I’m hoping they are one of the three or four people (or gods) who read this blog…just to remind them that it’s supposed to be over.
This was Brian’s first year watching, so he was a little awestruck. He enjoyed the free hotdogs, though.
Photos property of M.I.B.
Baseball Trip Finalized for 2011: New England Bound
There’s nothing like lookin to the future, and trying to come up with a trip that we can fit at least six to seven games into a five day span isn’t easy. Next May we’ll be heading east to the New England area, checking out the Minor League teams there, and even hitting a Red Sox game at historic Fenway Park. Our trip will start off on the Triple A level in Rhode Island, watching the Pawtucket Red Sox defend their home field against the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees. It will be a small taste of the Sox-Yanks rivalry, anyway. Day two of our trip we will head up north to Manchester, NH. There we will watch a Double A matchup between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Binghampton Mets. The third day of our trip will take us up to the great state of Maine for a pair of games. First we’ll see a night game as the Portland Sea Dogs face the Reading Phillies, and we’ll watch the same two teams go at it the next day at noon. After the day game concludes, we’ll head south for some Major League action. I know I don’t care to see baseball live at this level that often, but Fenway is a must for any baseball fan, and Boston is facing the Detroit Tigers, so it’s a chance to see our home team on the road. We also plan to take the tour of Fenway Park the next morning. Our trip will end later that night in Conecticicut, where we’ll watch the New Britain Rock Cats play New Hampshire, who we’ll be seeing for the second time. There will be plenty of other sites for us to see in this part of the country, and I plan to have a beer or two at Cheers in Boston.
2010 Baseball Trip: Day 5-Burlington, IA
Burlington Bees vs. Kane County Cougars: Our trip concluded in Burlington, Iowa, with the Bees. Community Field is the smallest Class A stadium in the country, but it is very intimate and well maintained. They get pretty solid attendance here for such a small community. The team and field are both locally owned, so no plans on this team going anywhere. We had good seats next to the thrid base dugout, but there was the protective netting in front of all of the primary seats. Still very close to the action and players, though. No problem chatting with the guys taking their cuts in the on deck circle. My colon and liver were both glad this was the last beer and cheesey brat of the trip. Luck here, too, to have a foul ball hit right to me on my way to the rest room. The Baseball Gods were good to us on this trip again. Final: Cougars 6, Bees 1. Best: Season tickets for box seat are only $270. Wow, that’s cheap, folks. Worst: No mascot present. The attitude seemed to be that it was a night game during the week, so why go all out. I wanted to see a giant bee, dammit.
Photos property of MIB
2010 Baseball Trip: Day 5-Dyersville, IA
Field of Dreams Movie Site: Our next stop was in Dyersville, Iowa for the ‘Field of Dreams’ movie site. Not much to write about this, but is was just cool being on the field where the movie was filmed. We played catch, took some infield, and I pitched off of the mound a bit. They do a nice job of keeping it in good shape for the tourists like me. Oh, yeah, it’s May, so NO corn stalks in the background. It would have been cool to get a pic of me walking out of the corn, but we got some good ones anyway.
Photos property of MIB
Minoring In Baseball 