It's been all fun and games on GABA 2010 so far, but that's about to change. Well, not really... we will still be watching games and having fun; we're just going to put insane miles on the car in between those games. Hit the road, jack... we're racking up the miles in Week 12:
Monday, June 21st:
Travel day. And boy, are we gonna need it. The big trip west is looming, and our next ten games are in ten different states.
Tuesday, June 22nd:
Montgomery, AL (91 miles from Birmingham)
Montgomery Biscuits (AA Rays) vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (AA Mariners)
No, the miles of travel and days in the sun aren’t playing tricks on our minds; the mascot in Montgomery really is a buttermilk biscuit. In fact, biscuits are shot from an air cannon into the stands during games (much like Lambert’s in Foley!). The stadium’s built into an old train station, and the Rays are a prospect-producing factory. So at least Montgomery has the baseball experience going for it.
Wednesday, June 23rd:
New Orleans, LA (311 miles from Montgomery)
New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA Marlins) vs. Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA Rangers)
The longest distance between cities so far (but nowhere near the distances we’re about to travel out west). Muffulettas, po’ boys and jambalaya are all on the ballpark menu, and there’s a swimming pool to cool us off and two hot tubs to warm us up. Plus, I can’t imagine what else there is to do in The Big Easy after the game. With all these distractions, it’s easy to forget you’re watching Marlins prospects. Is there such a thing?
Thursday, June 24th:
Pearl, MS (189 miles from New Orleans)
Mississippi Braves (AA Braves) vs. Mobile BayBears (AA D’Backs)
From the sinful decadence of New Orleans, we head to Mississippi, a state that repealed prohibition 30 years after the rest of the country. Fortunately, the beer flows at Trustmark Park, even in the Farm Bureau Grill restaurant. And I’m sure Jeff Francoeur will be there, working on his swing… oh wait, he’s with the Mets now. Scratch that.
Friday, June 25th:
Memphis, TN (213 miles from Pearl)
Memphis Redbirds (AAA Cardinals) vs. Nashville Sounds (AAA Brewers)
Two Tennessee teams tangle in a Pacific Coast League showdown! ‘Cause when I wanna grab my sandals and board shorts and head for the coast, Memphis is the first place that comes to my mind… Seriously, though, this is a cornerstone game of the trip. My wife’s a lifelong Cardinal fan, and our first baseball game together was at this park back in 2000. The only minor league stadium I’ve seen that can rival AutoZone Park is Dell Diamond in Round Rock. It’ll be a nice stroll down memory lane, walking in Memphis…
Saturday, June 26th:
Little Rock, AR (136 miles from Memphis)
Arkansas Travelers (AA Angels) vs. Northwest Arkansas Naturals (AA Royals)
Another intra-state rivalry in my wife’s hometown, so with family, I’m thinking we’ll need 4,000 tickets to this one. The Travs have a speed-eater’s dream, a 90-minute All-You-Can-Eat Picnic. We’re talking admission, burgers and dogs, beans, chips, popcorn, and soda for $13.50 a person. I’ll have a doctor on standby to check vitals as I gorge.
Sunday, June 27th:
Springfield, MO (215 miles from Little Rock)
Springfield Cardinals (AA Cardinals) vs. Tulsa Drillers (AA Rockies)
It’s funny, I could swear Springfield’s team was named the Isotopes. Hammons Field was actually built before the Cards came to town, which means Missouri State had one helluva baseball facility all to itself for a season. My wife will smile and soak in another batch of Cardinal prospects… and I’ll spend the whole time humming the theme to The Simpsons.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Great American Baseball Adventure, Week 11: June 14th-20th, 2010
Some unfinished business in Florida, food-gorging heaven on the Alabama coast (YES, there is actually coastline in Alabama), and Brett Favre's indecision crosses inter-sport lines. The GABA's in full swing with Week 11:
Monday, June 14th:
Jupiter, FL (111 miles from Viera)
Jupiter Hammerheads (A Marlins) vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs (A Rays)
Remember chase scenes from old cartoons, where the backdrop would start repeating itself? The Great American Baseball Adventure reaches that point on June 14th, when we visit Roger Dean Stadium… for the second time. The Hammerheads share the stadium with the Palm Beach Cardinals (June 8th). Now, if I see a sign near Jupiter that says ‘end of technicolor’, I’ll really get scared.
Tuesday, June 15th:
Miami Gardens, FL (75 miles from Jupiter)
Florida Marlins vs. Texas Rangers
Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Land Shark/Dorothy Zbornak-Rose Nylund Stadium has seen two World Series titles, but in between, it’s seen some of the worst baseball played this side of Nationals Park. It’s also a football stadium first, which is why it looks perpetually empty on TV (even when 50,000 show up, most of the outfield seating is closed). That doesn’t mean we won’t have fun playing games like ‘Spot the Native Floridian’ or ‘Guess Which Marlin Will Get Traded By The 6th Inning’.
Wednesday, June 16th:
Fort Myers, FL (145 miles from Miami Gardens)
Fort Myers Miracle (A Twins) vs. Palm Beach Cardinals (A Cardinals)
The ‘miracle’ here is that we haven’t passed out after 13 games in the Florida summer sun. Hammond Stadium is the Twins’ spring training home, and happens to be across the street from a ‘Citrus Center’ with the best orange ice cream I’ve ever had. But I digress. This game will be delayed for at least an hour while the two teams argue over which team’s home city has more palm trees.
Thursday, June 17th:
Bradenton, FL (89 miles from Fort Myers)
Bradenton TBA (A Pirates) vs. Jupiter Hammerheads (A Marlins)
Here’s a first – and only – on the 2010 GABA… seeing a brand new team! The Bradenton team was the Sarasota Reds before Cincy got all trendy and bolted for Arizona (how long before the Grapefruit league is just the Rays and Marlins playing each other over and over?). So the Pirates took over and moved the team a whopping 13 miles south to their spring home. Bradenton’s team is so new, it doesn’t even have a name yet. How catchy would the ‘Bradenton GABA’ sound? Ok, ok, moving on…
Friday, June 18th:
Clearwater, FL (45 miles from Bradenton)
Clearwater Threshers (A Phillies) vs. Tampa Yankees (A Yankees)
Get your fill of seafood, early bird specials and overpriced drinks… it’s our last night in Florida. By the way, a thresher is a type of shark. Or a machine that separates a grain stalk’s head from the straw. Since all farms in Clearwater are now condos with Spanish roofs, I’m going with the shark. I’m also predicting our first brawl here as lingering World Series tensions spill over into the minors.
Saturday, June 19th:
Mobile, AL (538 miles from Clearwater)
Mobile BayBears (AA D’Backs) vs. Tennessee Smokies (AA Cubs)
Two things will be on my mind as we pull into the Heart of Dixie. Lambert’s Café, the greatest restaurant in the known world, has a location in Foley. And Hank Aaron Stadium has luxury suites at field level, an incredibly original, novel idea that I’m shocked more teams don’t try. Not that we’ll have money for a suite after two and a half months on the road.
Sunday, June 20th:
Birmingham, AL (259 miles from Mobile)
Birmingham Barons (AA White Sox) vs. Jacksonville Suns (AA Marlins)
We’re a few weeks late for the Rickwood Classic, a AA-regulation game played in throwback jerseys at 100-year-old Rickwood Field on Birmingham’s West End. The annual game is June 2nd, and it’s a shame I couldn’t make the schedule work to get there. The Barons had Michael Jordan for a season, so maybe Brett Favre can don the Barons’ doubleknits while deciding if he’s coming back for a 316th NFL season.
Monday, June 14th:
Jupiter, FL (111 miles from Viera)
Jupiter Hammerheads (A Marlins) vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs (A Rays)
Remember chase scenes from old cartoons, where the backdrop would start repeating itself? The Great American Baseball Adventure reaches that point on June 14th, when we visit Roger Dean Stadium… for the second time. The Hammerheads share the stadium with the Palm Beach Cardinals (June 8th). Now, if I see a sign near Jupiter that says ‘end of technicolor’, I’ll really get scared.
Tuesday, June 15th:
Miami Gardens, FL (75 miles from Jupiter)
Florida Marlins vs. Texas Rangers
Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Land Shark/Dorothy Zbornak-Rose Nylund Stadium has seen two World Series titles, but in between, it’s seen some of the worst baseball played this side of Nationals Park. It’s also a football stadium first, which is why it looks perpetually empty on TV (even when 50,000 show up, most of the outfield seating is closed). That doesn’t mean we won’t have fun playing games like ‘Spot the Native Floridian’ or ‘Guess Which Marlin Will Get Traded By The 6th Inning’.
Wednesday, June 16th:
Fort Myers, FL (145 miles from Miami Gardens)
Fort Myers Miracle (A Twins) vs. Palm Beach Cardinals (A Cardinals)
The ‘miracle’ here is that we haven’t passed out after 13 games in the Florida summer sun. Hammond Stadium is the Twins’ spring training home, and happens to be across the street from a ‘Citrus Center’ with the best orange ice cream I’ve ever had. But I digress. This game will be delayed for at least an hour while the two teams argue over which team’s home city has more palm trees.
Thursday, June 17th:
Bradenton, FL (89 miles from Fort Myers)
Bradenton TBA (A Pirates) vs. Jupiter Hammerheads (A Marlins)
Here’s a first – and only – on the 2010 GABA… seeing a brand new team! The Bradenton team was the Sarasota Reds before Cincy got all trendy and bolted for Arizona (how long before the Grapefruit league is just the Rays and Marlins playing each other over and over?). So the Pirates took over and moved the team a whopping 13 miles south to their spring home. Bradenton’s team is so new, it doesn’t even have a name yet. How catchy would the ‘Bradenton GABA’ sound? Ok, ok, moving on…
Friday, June 18th:
Clearwater, FL (45 miles from Bradenton)
Clearwater Threshers (A Phillies) vs. Tampa Yankees (A Yankees)
Get your fill of seafood, early bird specials and overpriced drinks… it’s our last night in Florida. By the way, a thresher is a type of shark. Or a machine that separates a grain stalk’s head from the straw. Since all farms in Clearwater are now condos with Spanish roofs, I’m going with the shark. I’m also predicting our first brawl here as lingering World Series tensions spill over into the minors.
Saturday, June 19th:
Mobile, AL (538 miles from Clearwater)
Mobile BayBears (AA D’Backs) vs. Tennessee Smokies (AA Cubs)
Two things will be on my mind as we pull into the Heart of Dixie. Lambert’s Café, the greatest restaurant in the known world, has a location in Foley. And Hank Aaron Stadium has luxury suites at field level, an incredibly original, novel idea that I’m shocked more teams don’t try. Not that we’ll have money for a suite after two and a half months on the road.
Sunday, June 20th:
Birmingham, AL (259 miles from Mobile)
Birmingham Barons (AA White Sox) vs. Jacksonville Suns (AA Marlins)
We’re a few weeks late for the Rickwood Classic, a AA-regulation game played in throwback jerseys at 100-year-old Rickwood Field on Birmingham’s West End. The annual game is June 2nd, and it’s a shame I couldn’t make the schedule work to get there. The Barons had Michael Jordan for a season, so maybe Brett Favre can don the Barons’ doubleknits while deciding if he’s coming back for a 316th NFL season.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Great American Baseball Adventure, Week 10: June 7th-13th, 2010
Hanging chads, alligators, and Mickey Mouse... it must be Florida, Florida, Florida! GABA Week 10 criss-crosses the Sunshine State:
Monday, June 7th:
Port Charlotte, FL (105 miles from Dunedin)
Charlotte Stone Crabs (A Rays) vs. Clearwater Threshers (A Phillies)
A team called the ‘Stone Crabs’ managed by a guy named Jim Morrison? That’s just too easy and I’m not going there. The ex-Rangers spring home was gobbled up by the Rays in 2009 when they realized it’s a drag having Spring Training across the street from your regular season home. The GABA research staff is investigating what the hell a ‘Thresher’ really is.
Tuesday, June 8th:
Jupiter, FL (144 miles from Port Charlotte)
Palm Beach Cardinals (A Cardinals) vs. Daytona Cubs (A Cubs)
Now we’re really getting into the heart of the Sunshine State. Roger Dean Stadium is built into a planned, mixed-use community with business and apartments literally across the street. Gucci handbags and wallets are required to enter, and non-millionaires are banished to the bleacher seats.
Wednesday, June 9th:
Port St. Lucie, FL (33 miles from Jupiter)
St. Lucie Mets (A Mets) vs. Jupiter Hammerheads (A Marlins)
Our second (and not last) time seeing the Hammerheads on the road. Wednesday is Wii Wednesday at Tradition Field, where you can win the popular video game system by playing Wii Home Run Derby. And if you’ve never played it before, here’s a warning: two rounds of HR Derby and you won’t be able to move your upper body for a few days. Doesn’t mean I won’t play, though.
Thursday, June 10th:
Daytona Beach, FL (150 miles from Port St. Lucie)
Daytona Cubs (A Cubs) vs. Brevard County Manatees (A Brewers)
This was our nearest ballpark when we lived in Orlando, and home to some great memories. There are plaques all around the stadium commemorating Jackie Robinson, who was allowed to play at Daytona when other cities weren’t so tolerant. We’re missing Belly Buster Monday, maybe the best promotion in the minors (10 bucks for a seat and all-you-can-eat burgers, hot dogs, pizza, popcorn and peanuts), but Thirsty Thursday (dollar beers) is a close second. Blueberry beer, here we come!
Friday, June 11th:
St. Petersburg, FL (161 miles from Daytona Beach)
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Florida Marlins
The FSL is on All-Star break, so we’ll shoot across I-4 to Tropicana Field, which looks like a spaceship landed on its side. The two Florida MLB teams plan to get together and talk about how they’ve made 3 World Series in their combined 29 seasons. And somewhere, at that exact moment, Cubs players will get really, really jealous.
Saturday, June 12th:
Viera, FL (151 miles from Tampa)
Florida State League All-Star Game
Note to self: when planning future GABAs, don’t go to Florida in mid-June. It’s 150 degrees in the shade, plus the FSL goes on its All-Star break. So to make the schedule work, we have to go to an All-Star Game here, instead of a regular-season Brevard County Manatees game. Then again, I’ve always been confused by the Manatees, a Brewers farm team playing in the Nationals’ spring training home.
Sunday, June 13th:
Travel day. I’m making my wife sit through 150 baseball games in all corners of the globe, so she gets this day to ride every ride at every Disney park in Florida. Think we can convince Disney we’re still eligible for the Florida residents’ discount?
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Great American Baseball Adventure, Week 9: May 31st-June 6th, 2010
We're reaching the point in GABA 2010 where my wife reaches over and slaps me upside the head for scheduling games in the Deep South and Florida as the summer's heating up. Grab your beach sandals and bingo cards... we're heading south and into Florida for Week 9:
Monday, May 31st:
Augusta, GA (192 miles from Kannapolis)
Augusta Greenjackets (A Giants) vs. Asheville Tourists (A Rockies)
We go from a racing hotbed to a team named after the prize for winning a golf tournament. Lake Olmstead Stadium doesn’t come with its own practice green, but it is next to an actual lake. No word if a homer hit into that lake means a one-stroke penalty. I might find out by the 7th inning, since it’s two-for-one beer night.
Tuesday, June 1st:
Charleston, SC (182 miles from Augusta)
Charleston RiverDogs (A Yankees) vs. Hickory Crawdads (A Rangers)
Charleston’s next on the GABA restraining order list - three RiverDogs games in six days in three different cities. I’m not sure what a RiverDog really is, and it’s even more confusing since Charleston’s near something much larger than a river. But I’ll bet vacationing celebs on the Carolina coast drop by. Snoop RiverDogg!
Wednesday, June 2nd:
Savannah, GA (107 miles from Charleston)
Savannah Sand Gnats (A Mets) vs. Asheville Tourists (A Rockies)
We’re done with the Carolinas, and we’re heading toward Florida just as summer’s starting. Uh-oh… at least Savannah’s a cool town to visit. Borat once sang his national anthem at Grayson Stadium, billed as the oldest working minor-league park in America. Plus, seeing Tourists try to fend off Sand Gnats is a perfect metaphor for our trip at this point.
Thursday, June 3rd:
Jacksonville, FL (140 miles from Savannah)
Jacksonville Suns (AA Marlins) vs. Carolina Mudcats (AA Reds)
Our first home-and-home! We saw these two teams in the Carolinas back on May 15th. Now they’ll meet on the Suns’ turf, which is appropriate since we’ll be spending the next 15 days baking in the Florida sun. This stadium was actually our first as a married couple back in ‘07 – second row, next to the Suns’ dugout. Did my wife have any idea what she was getting into?
Friday, June 4th:
Lakeland, FL (195 miles from Jacksonville)
Lakeland Flying Tigers (A Tigers) vs. Bradenton TBA (A Pirates)
The whirlwind Florida State League tour begins. People showing us pictures of their grandkids and driving 30 mph on interstates for two solid weeks. By the time it’s over, we’ll be eating supper at Morrison’s at 3PM every day and complaining that stuff costs more than it used to. I actually caught my first MLB foul ball at Joker Marchant Stadium in spring training, and to this day, I still don’t know who hit it. I was near the concession stand and this ball shot through some trees and rolled to me. All my blind luck gone in one shot.
Saturday, June 5th:
Tampa, FL (35 miles from Lakeland)
Tampa Yankees (A Yankees) vs. Jupiter Hammerheads (A Cardinals)
Sharing a city with an MLB club? No worries for the Yanks. I’ll bet these single-A boys outdrew the Rays for the first 10 years of the MLB team’s existence. George Steinbrenner Field has a heavy Yankee Stadium influence, except seats behind home plate don’t cost seven months’ salary and Steinbrenner doesn’t come down to fire the manager between innings. Although that would be a great promotion…
Sunday, June 6th:
Dunedin, FL (26 miles from Tampa)
Dunedin Blue Jays (A Blue Jays) vs. St. Lucie Mets (A Mets)
Dunedin Stadium gets high marks from SI as the Jays’ spring home, but I give it high marks for dropping corporatized-name Knology Park last year. True story: when MLB wanted to use scabs during the ’95 strike, the replacement Jays would’ve played their home games in Dunedin because of Ontario laws about replacement workers. And because the scabs didn’t want to play baseball anywhere it snows in May.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Great American Baseball Adventure, Week 8: May 24th-30th, 2010
Durham Bulls, Asheville Tourists... they're not just in movies; they're real-life teams! GABA 2010, Week 8 chows down on some Carolina cookin'... just watch out for lugnuts in Kannapolis. They're not as crunchy as you think. Here's Week 8:
Monday, May 24th:
Durham, NC (57 miles from Greensboro)
Durham Bulls (AAA Rays) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA Red Sox)
It’s hard to come up with a more classic minor league stop than this one. The old bull’s still hanging in the concourse of the Bulls’ new stadium. And at some point, Crash Davis will crouch behind home plate, get shaken off by Nuke LaLoosh, and tip off the next pitch that’s coming. The real-life Bulls are defending AAA champs, proof that ‘hit bull win steak’ really is a great life motto.
Tuesday, May 25th:
Hickory, NC (151 miles from Durham)
Hickory Crawdads (A Rangers) vs. Delmarva Shorebirds (A Orioles)
I’ll get to spend birthday number 36 in a town started when a man built a tavern of logs under a hickory tree. I can’t make this stuff up. One night last August, the Crawdads let anyone with the first name ‘Michael’ or last name ‘Jackson’ into the stadium for free. And there isn’t a ticket in the stadium more than nine bucks. Classic GABA stuff!
Wednesday, May 26th:
Asheville, NC (79 miles from Hickory)
Asheville Tourists (A Rockies) vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers (A Marlins)
Apparently the Rockies like their prospects to play in elevation as part of their training. McCormick Field’s no Biltmore House, but it’s 86 years old and Tourists’ manager Joe Mikulik once threw the best tirade in the history of tirades. Lou Piniella was seen blushing. I can identify with the Tourists, since that’s exactly what we’ve been for two months straight, and will be for four months to come.
Thursday, May 27th:
Greenville, SC (63 miles from Asheville)
Greenville Drive (A Red Sox) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (A Yankees)
Red Sox. Yankees. Baseball’s fiercest, nastiest rivalry, a bitter conflict between two proud, sometimes obnoxious Northern cities, played out in… South Carolina?! Flour Field at the West End is even built like a mini-Fenway, Monstah and all. This might be a good game to stage a protest against singular nicknames… Greenville Drive is a street address, not a team name!
Friday, May 28th:
Fort Mill, SC (103 miles from Greenville)
Charlotte Knights (AAA White Sox) vs. Indianapolis Indians (AAA Pirates)
You read that right. The Charlotte Knights don’t play in Charlotte… they don’t even play in North Carolina. Knights Stadium’s even built to MLB specs in case Charlotte lands an MLB franchise one day. Although a 10,000 seat stadium might still look empty if the Expos had moved there. This castle marks game #50 – 1/3 of the way through GABA 2010!
Saturday, May 29th:
Kannapolis, NC (29 miles from Fort Mill)
Kannapolis Intimidators (A White Sox) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (A Yankees)
Baseball’s a little different in the heart of NASCAR country. Relief pitchers speed in from the bullpen in brand new Mustangs. Mound visits and stadium repairs must all be done in 14 seconds or less. Runners round the bases just inches from each other to help aerodynamics. And a prospect’s 95 mile an hour fastball is referred to as “2nd gear”. And yes, number 3 is retired, in memory of the real Intimidator.
Sunday, May 30th:
Travel day. I’m envisioning knocking on the doors of Roush Fenway Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and all the other NASCAR outfits near Charlotte, begging for jobs as we realize that we will have no life to go to once this trip ends. This from a guy who once poured motor oil in the windshield wiper compartment of my car.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Great American Baseball Adventure, Week 7: May 17th-23rd, 2010
GABA 2010, Week 7: All about the Eastern seaboard. We'll be knee-deep in Sally League and Carolina League action in a week long on Southern charm. Week 7, I declare!
Monday, May 17th:
Kinston, NC (171 miles from Myrtle Beach)
Kinston Indians (A Indians) vs. Salem Red Sox (A Red Sox)
Can we just board the Salem team bus from Myrtle Beach to Kinston? Our 15th stop in 15 days is chock full of Southern baseball history. Kinston’s now in its second century of minor league ball, and 60-year-old Grainger Stadium doesn’t have a seat farther than 53 feet from the action. Apparently, an old Kinston manager once got ejected, dressed up as the mascot, and went back to the Kinston dugout. This, folks, is a real-life “Bull Durham”.
Tuesday, May 18th:
Travel day. Or we might just follow the Salem Red Sox around Kinston all day, just to keep the stalking theme going.
Norfolk, VA (168 miles from Kinston)
Norfolk Tides (AAA Orioles) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA Red Sox)
The city that once tried to land the Expos is now home to the Orioles’ top farm team. 24 different Tides players from last year also played in the majors, which is a kind way of saying the Orioles needed a lot of help in 2009. This game will be stopped for 15 minutes as Norfolk fans laugh uncontrollably at Red Sox faithful trying to pronounce the Tides’ stadium, Harbor Park.
Lynchburg, VA (190 miles from Norfolk)
Lynchburg Hillcats (A Reds) vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (A Royals)
What, a Carolina League game that doesn’t involve the Salem Red Sox? Blasphemy! Lynchburg did beat Salem for the League title in 2009 (maybe the last time the Pirates beat the Red Sox at anything) before switching affiliations for ‘10. The City of Seven Hills boasts a renovated, 70-year old stadium, and actor Skeet Ulrich. What else do you need, people?
Salem, VA (68 miles from Lynchburg)
Salem Red Sox (A Red Sox) vs. Potomac Nationals (A Nationals)
I swear we don’t own any stock in the Salem Red Sox, although we might by this point. It’s our 4th time to see Salem, but our first time checking out their home digs, and their mascots “Lefty” and “Righty” (two socks, distinctly marked with an “L” and an “R”). Word has it “Lefty” will be converted to a situational reliever for 2010.
Winston-Salem, NC (140 miles from Salem)
Winston-Salem Dash (A White Sox) vs. Lynchburg Hillcats (A Reds)
What better way to start our mad “dash” through the Tar Heel State? The Dash move into a brand new park in ’10, complete with luxury suites. Yep, luxury suites… in a single-A park. For an extra few bucks, Ozzie Guillen will go off on random, highly amusing tirades on a TV monitor in your suite. Sweet!
Greensboro, NC (29 miles from Winston-Salem)
Greensboro Grasshoppers (A Marlins) vs. Lexington Legends (A Astros)
The shortest trip all year between minor league parks, so there’ll be plenty of time to, uh, do whatever it is people do in the Triad. Sadly, Greensboro’s old World War Memorial Stadium gave way to a modern yard in 2005, but like Elton John, it’s still standing (yeah, yeah, yeah!). 8 Sally League games in 11 days, and I'm talking real, fried-okra-and-catfish South Atlantic, not that Lakewood New Jersey, how-did-we-get-stuck-in-this-league stuff.
Monday, November 9, 2009
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!!
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!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)