Photos: Augusta Greenjackets @ Lakewood Blue Claws 7/8/2008

Our good buddy Marco has a nice minor-league baseball pedigree, despite his status as my writing partner at Storming the Floor, which is dedicated to college hoops. He interned with the AA Harrisburg Senators for a time, and has worked as an SID for Temple University, as a media contact for the Owls baseball team.

Marco took a trip to see the single-A Lakewood BlueClaws (Phillies) this week, and was kind enough to send us the photos. Enjoy!

Looks like a great night out at the ballgame. Marco says he got a good laugh out of Noonan with the Augusta Greenjackets (Giants).

Thanks for the pics, Marco. See you when the NCAAs fire up again.

Photos: Hudson Valley Renegades

Designated Bus Leagues lensman Will is making good on his promise to visit all of the minor league parks in his area this summer, and we are all beneficiaries. I did the same thing last year in my locality of Virginia, so I know how fun this can be.

This past weekend, Will took in a little New York-Penn League action, visiting the Hudson Valley Renegades (Rays). Here, Dutchess Stadium plays host to the Staten Island Yankees. There were lots of scouts there, of two distinctly different varieties.

The place was full of Scouts. 500 of them were going to set up tents after the game and sleep on the field.

Radar guns behind home plate. I count at least six.

With state penitentiary in the background. Does every prison town get a minor-league team as compensation?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. See the rest of this set of photos at Will’s flickr page. I love that Will shares his road trips with us. He photographs a minor-league game the same way I do – some field action, a little mascot, some between-innings promotions, and then a fair dose of food and drink. All the important stuff, in other words.

Houston’s Minor League System is Turning Out Some Fine… Ballparks

We spend a lot of time talking about prospects here, but there’s no doubt that players and big-league potential are only part of the appeal of minor-league baseball. For many Americans, a day at the local ballpark is an entertainment option, competing against the movie theater or mini-golf. For more casual fans, especially those with kids, the physical amenities offered by the ballpark can sway the vote. My own five-year-old son will vote loudly for minor-league baseball more for the rides, games, and dippin’ dots than for the product on the field.

So when Minor League News asked readers to vote on their favorite minor-league venues, and didn’t even restrict the vote to baseball, it proved meaningful that so many votes went to ballparks in the Houston Astros organization. Enough so that the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Round Rock Express found themselves in the top two spots in a recent poll.

Overall, 52.5 percent of voters selected ballparks as their favorite facilities, 47.5 picked arenas. Venues of over 800 teams were considered in the rankings. Fans were allowed one vote from an IP address. Approximately 11,000 votes were cast.

[KIII TV]

1. Whataburger Field – Corpus Christi, Texas 38.9
2. The Dell Diamond – Round Rock, Texas 13.7
3. The Arena at Gwinnett Center – Duluth, Georgia 9.9
4. Nutter Center – Dayton, Ohio 7.9
5. Stockton Arena – Stockton, California 6.7
6. Germain Arena – Estero, Florida 6.0
7. Rabobank Arena – Bakersfield, California 4.8
8. Sovereign Center – Reading, Pennsylvania 4.6
9. Brighthouse Networks Field – Clearwater, Florida 3.8
10. Orleans Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada 3.6

The overwhelming love for Whataburger field either shows a very well-traveled readership, or it points to a marvelously organized voter turnout by south-Texas-based fans, but either way, there’s no denying that the field is ready for its “MiLB Cribs” closeup.

I was in Corpus over a decade ago, and I don’t think Whataburger was there then. If I ever get back there, I might just get hooked.

A Bus League Roster in a Major League Park

I spent part of my Memorial Day weekend at the ballpark, thanks to fellow blogger Marco (seen with beer above), who wanted to see the Washington Nationals’ new home, and invited me to meet him there.

Marco, OMDQ and I all are part of the Channel Four News Team that once upon a time filled the pages of Awful Announcing with live-blogs to shake the very foundations of the earth. We’ve scattered a bit since then, but we all still maintain a bond, and work together whenever possible – OMDQ and I here, and Marco and I at Storming the Floor during basketball season.

Even though this was an MLB trip, I can say with some certainty that some or all of these Nats will be seen in Columbus or Harrisburg soon, because I have never seen such a concentration of low batting averages and high ERAs in one place. We watched Elijah Dukes get his average down to .102 and double-clutch at least one fielder’s choice, and wondered what the heck he was still doing in the majors. His mates aren’t much better.

The game was as sloppy as one might expect, with the Nats jumping out by six runs and then promptly giving them all back. Going into the ninth, Marco and I were trying to decide if we could stand extra innings, since we both had three-hour drives to get to our respective homes. Fortunately, the Nats did the only thing one can do in such a situation – they called in Dmitri Young to pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth. Dukes had stopped swinging and walked himself to first base, and Da Meat Hook slapped a single that advanced the former Ray to third. Guillermo Mota uncorked a wild pitch that bounced high onto the backstop, and Dukes plated the winning run (Young was pulled for a pinch runner, which robbed us of the divine comedy of watching him try to get to second on the play).

One thing to know if you plan on going to Nationals Park any time soon: parking is scarce, and everything around the ballpark is under construction. The boarded up warehouses that made this area an eyesore in the past are being converted to million-dollar lofts now that the Nats have brought up the property values. We’ll keep an eye on Washington’s minor-league roster, since there will no doubt be room for some of the young guys later in the season.

 

Guest Column: From the Bigs to the Buses

Getting to know other writers is one of the best things about having a blog. Since OMDQ and I have been in the writing version of the Bus Leagues for more than a year, we have met some great people we are proud to call friends & colleagues. One of those is Jordi, who writes about baseball, politics, and other blood sports at his site, The Serious Tip. Today, he shares his weekend experiences going from MLB to A-ball in South Florida. Enjoy.

From the rural sandlots to the city stadiums, the basic premise of baseball – three strikes, three outs, nine innings, etc – remains constant. Sure, the talent level rises with every step to the majors, but does an increase in whiz-bang glitz and glamour make for a more entertaining game? Is happiness and emotional attachment at the ballpark directly related to cost and hype? Or have I been reading too much Freakonomics?

These questions are a result of seeing two games of various levels this past weekend. Last Friday night, I used one of my season tickets and saw James Shields of the Tampa Bay Rays one-hit the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The next night, I traveled to Viera, nee Melbourne, Florida, received a free ticket and watched the Class-A Florida State League Brevard County Manatees take on the Tampa Yankees.

As anyone who has followed my past writings knows, I am a closet Rays fan. Although I grew up a Mets fan, since moving to Tampa two years ago, I’ve had an interest in the Rays, especially in regards to the team’s transformation from doormat to dominant. So as an admirer, and not yet a full-blown fan, I was on my feet applauding what may have been the best pitching performance in franchise history.

Unlike my newfound fascination with the Rays, the Brevard County Manatees have been my favorite minor league team since their inception in 1994. Formerly a Marlins’ farm team, the Manatees are now the A-ball representative of the Milwaukee Brewers. Personally, I still wear the teal Manatees hat. I think it looks better than the newer red and blue version.

My two weekend destinations, independent of the score, couldn’t have been more different. A trip to the Trop is almost like a journey to the amusement park. Despite its reputation as a bad place for baseball, the Rays ownership has turned Tropicana Field into a fan friendly experience, with batting cages, speed gun contests, and plenty of other bells, whistles, gizmos, and doo-dads. The coup de grace of this new Trop is the new large video score board installed before the 2007 season. Every stat the above-average fan needs is broadcast, from OPS to pitch count, WHIP to walks per nine innings.

Even the fans at Tropicana Field have their own vibe. Whereas a growing number are starting to pepper the stands with Upton and Shields jerseys, many still wear generic merchandise mixed with attention-getting flare such as clown wigs and boxing robes. Topping off this group of new fans was an American Idol contestant in town to sing the National Anthem.

A Manatees game at Space Coast Stadium, on the other hand, is a far different experience. Instead of a celebrity singing for America, for example, the Manatees had two anonymous local crooners. Instead of a promotional foul line race between characters dressed as Pepsi, Aquafina, and Sierra Mist, the Manatees featured two local little league coaches dressed in generic ketchup and mustard bottles. Instead of amplified stereo noise, blinking lights, and new-age scoreboard, Space Coast Stadium relied on an old fashioned public address system and a video screen fit for an Sega Genesis.

So was the Rays’ game I paid for that much better than the low-budget Class-A Manatees contest I saw for free? Well, in this case, yes. But only because of the magnificent pitching artistry of James Shields. If not for the great Mr. Shields, it might have been a toss-up.

Thanks, Jordi! Readers will also enjoy hearing about the J-man’s quest to join the minor-league ranks during open tryouts.

Indy Spotlight – The Ballparks

Minor league ballparks have always been a source of fascination for me.  One of the most interesting things about working for the Nashua Pride (how many more mentions can I make of that job before the hate mail starts rolling in?) was “Historic” Holman Stadium, a city-owned ballpark that played host to a number of amateur activities (including, for many years, high school football) as well as the various professional baseball teams that rolled through the area over the years. 

Holman Stadium was, by far, the oldest ballpark in the Atlantic League; I’m fairly certain that the league’s six other venues were all built in 1998 or later.  But one thing that I always liked about Holman, and this may just be the home team bias talking, was the history that had taken place there.  It was the place where Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe had played in 1946, to become the first black ballplayers to see action for a professional team based in the United States.  Sure, the layout is terrible – the field of play isn’t visible from the main concourse, for example, so on a busy night, you could go for a hot dog and miss three innings – but there was, and still is, a certain charm to the place. 

But don’t take my word for it.  I still get all misty when I visit Fenway Park.

There are 62 independent teams in action this season, 61 of which have home stadiums.  Wikipedia lists the cost information for 20 stadiums, the year opened for 55 stadiums, and the capacity for 60 stadiums.  Using that, I put together a few lists – oldest and youngest ballparks, biggest ballparks, most expensive, yadda yadda yadda.  It’s interesting stuff, but take it with a grain of salt.  For one, the information is from Wikipedia, and two, the listed capacities aren’t always accurate.  For instance, Lancaster’s Clipper Magazine Stadium is noted as having a capacity of up to 7,500.  On Opening Night, however, they set an Atlantic League record by packing 8,485 fans into the place.  Obviously, there’s a slight difference there, probably due to standing room, but still – grain of salt.

Five Oldest Independent Ballparks
Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field (Worcester Tornadoes, Can-Am League) – Opened in 1905
Bosse Field (Evansville Otters, Frontier League) – Opened in 1915
Bringhurst Field (Alexandria Aces, United League) – Opened in 1933
Lawrence-Dumont Stadium (Wichita Wingnuts, American Association) – Opened in 1934
Holman Stadium (Nashua Pride, Can-Am League) – Opened in 1937

Four Newest Independent Ballparks
QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie AirHogs, American Association) – 2008
Regency Furniture Stadium (Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, Atlantic League) – 2008
Sovereign Bank Stadium (York Revolution, Atlantic League) – 2007
Rent One Park (Southern Illinois Miners, Frontier League) – 2007

Five Most Expensive Independent League Ballparks
U.S. Steel Yard (Gary SouthShore RailCats, Northern League) – $45 million
Sovereign Bank Stadium (York Revolution, Atlantic League) – $32.5 million
Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium (Newark Bears, Atlantic League) – $30 million
Haymarket Park (Lincoln Saltdogs, American Association) – $29.53 million
Silver Cross Field (Joliet JackHammers, Northern League) – $27 million

Five Largest Independent League Ballparks (in terms of capacity)
Desert Sun Stadium (Yuma Scorpions, Golden Baseball League) – 10,500
Ottawa Stadium (Ottawa Rapids, Can-Am League) – 10,332
Telus Field (Edmonton Cracker-Cats, Golden Baseball League) – 10,000
Cohen Stadium (El Paso Diablos, American Association) – 9,725
Haymarket Park (Lincoln Saltdogs, American Association) – 8,500

Oldest Average Ballpark Age By League
United League Baseball – 41.4 years
Can-Am League – 37.375 years
Golden Baseball League – 30 years
American Association – 26.2 years
Frontier League – 21 years
Northern League – 7.83 years
Atlantic League – 5.875 years
Continental Baseball League – 5.5 years

Largest Average Capacity By League
Northern League – 6,078
American Association – 5,833
Atlantic League – 5,678
Golden Baseball League – 5,367
Can-Am League – 4,866
United League Baseball – 4,840
Frontier League – 4,647
Continental Baseball League – 2,107