Great American Baseball Adventure, Week 6: May 10th-16th, 2010

Flying Squirrels, Mudcats, Pelicans, and Baysox... we must be hitting the nitty-gritty of the low minors. Seven games in five states in seven days... Week 6 of GABA 2010:


Monday, May 10th:
Altoona, PA (130 miles from Frederick)
Altoona Curve (AA Pirates) vs. Harrisburg Senators (AA Nationals)

We had to catch Frederick on the 9th because they were headed on the road, so now we retrace our steps back to the Keystone State. Altoona has one of the best-kept secrets in the minor leagues, Blair County Stadium - mountain views, and even a roller-coaster just outside the right field wall. So unlike the Curve’s big league club, there are highs to go with the lows in Altoona.


Tuesday, May 11th:
Woodbridge, VA (190 miles from Altoona)
Potomac Nationals (A Nationals) vs. Winston-Salem Dash (A White Sox)

Woodbridge is so close to DC, you can almost hear the bureaucracy. We’re in a stretch of seeing Nationals’ farm teams four times in five days, which brings an idea to my clearly idle mind. Maybe I can try out for one of these Nats’ minor league squads! I hear scouts stand around the ‘guess your speed’ booths, and immediately put a uniform on anyone who can throw over 75. Good news is, one of these games has to feature Stephen Strasburg, right?


Wednesday, May 12th:
Hagerstown, MD (85 miles from Woodbridge)
Hagerstown Suns (A Nationals) vs. West Virginia Power (A Pirates)

At this point, we’ll be starting to wonder if every minor league team is affiliated with either the Nationals or the Pirates. Municipal Stadium turns 80 in 2010, and it’s our only chance to see the Hagerstown franchise all year, so we’ll spend this night soaking up the Suns! Wow. An incredibly lame reference, but what do you expect after 35 baseball games in 38 days?


Thursday, May 13th:
Bowie, MD (81 miles from Hagerstown)
Bowie Baysox (AA Orioles) vs. Erie SeaWolves (AA Tigers)

The Mid-Atlantic section of the GABA is great because every team we see is about 7 city blocks from the one before it. Bowie’s Prince George’s Stadium used to play host to the U.S. Congressional Baseball Game, a summer tradition where Republicans and Democrats duke it out on the diamond. The world’s problems should be sorted out on a baseball diamond.


Friday, May 14th:
Richmond, VA (128 miles from Bowie)
Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA Giants) vs. Altoona Curve (AA Pirates)

The ex-Connecticut Defenders have moved south for 2010. Now, they’re transplanted Northerners, getting strange looks for their peculiar accents and for wearing shorts when it’s 45 degrees outside. The excitement of seeing baseball’s return to Richmond might be tainted when the town wakes up in the 5th inning and realizes that they really did name this team the Flying Squirrels.


Saturday, May 15th:
Zebulon, NC (149 miles from Richmond)
Carolina Mudcats (AA Reds) vs. Jacksonville Suns (AA Marlins)

Our first taste of Southern League baseball and the Tar Heel State (we’ll spend a solid week there later in the month). This is the 20th season of Carolina Mudcats baseball, which really makes me feel old since I remember when they left Columbus, Georgia. We can hang with Muddy the Mudcat, dine at Cattails Restaurant, and debate whether North Carolina should trade in its 4,000 minor league teams for a single MLB franchise.


Sunday, May 16th:
Myrtle Beach, SC (209 miles from Zebulon)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans (A Braves) vs. Salem Red Sox (A Red Sox)

Yes, they do allow baseball in South Carolina on Sundays! It’s our one chance to see the Pelicans, the only Braves minor league franchise not called ‘Braves’ or actually owned by the parent team. BB&T Coastal Park has been called one of the top single-A stadiums in the country. And yet, we’ll be tempted to drift off to the beautiful beach by the later innings. Ahh… what baseball trip? Ok, snap back, Holden, snap back!!