The difference between watching a game on T.V. and being at the game live is quite simple: the former is entertainment, the latter is an experience.
Anytime you pay $50 a ticket, $8 a beer, $5 for some Cracker Jacks and conclude it was worthwhile, you know you’ve got something special.
But, what if that experience came at a much steeper discount, say $6 a ticket, $4.50 for TWO beers, and $2 for some fresh, homemade caramel corn?
Well, then you would find yourself standing in any of America’s many minor league ballparks.
On Tuesday, July 5th, I found myself in that exact place.
A Photo Slideshow
This particular stadium was Joe L. Bruno Stadium, proud home of the Tri City ValleyCats, the Class A-Short Season affiliate of the Houston Astros, which hosts 38 games every summer evening while the ‘Cats compete in the NY-PENN League.
The Valleycats, like the other teams in the league, are mainly composed of players drafted just a month earlier in the MLB draft. “The Joe” as the locals like to call it, seats only about 4,500. But, what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for with character.
This particular night was a little more special than most. Given that the game was just a day after the 4th of July, when over 6,000 people attended, and had a fireworks show scheduled at the conclusion of the game, a large crowd was again expected. The fans did not disappoint. Over 5,400 came to see the ValleyCats take on the Vermont Lake Monsters, currently first in their respective division.
Before the game even started, the festivities had already begun.
I arrived at the ballpark at 4:00pm, three hours before the scheduled first pitch. With a press pass dangling around my neck, I stepped onto the freshly mowed grass as the ‘Cats finished up batting practice and talked with a couple players. The first was Brandon Meredith, a 6th round draft pick out of San Diego State playing leftfield for the ‘Cats. After a quick discussion, including a question about the experience of playing for Tony Gywnn, manager for San Diego State, I walked into the dugout and spoke to Matthew Duffy, a 20th round draft pick out of the University of Tennessee.
Before playing at Tennessee, Duffy explained how he played at the University of Vermont until they canceled the program at the end of his sophomore season. While studying and playing at Vermont, he attended a Vermont Lake Monster game and thought to himself that this was where he would like to be in just a few years. Now, two years later, he was playing the Lake Monsters.
“At this point, it’s better than working,” Duffy commented, a wry smile across his face.
After my quick discussions with the two, it was time to explore the ballpark. Coming off the field on the third base side and into the stands, I turned right and was greeted by a Tiki Bar, a small wooden deck overlooking the field with a bar area, stools, and a straw umbrella to top it off. Next, there was a radar gun machine where, for $1, you got three tosses into a backstop to see how fast you could throw.
Topping out at 66 mph, I called it a day.
After nearly throwing my arm out, two mini-golf holes and a bouncy bounce were the next attraction. But, as quickly as the bouncy bounce caught my eye, so too did the outfield. With a grassy hill behind the ‘Cats bullpen equipped with Adirondack wooden chairs left unoccupied, I quickly made my way over and sat down, surveying the entire field with a unique and extremely comfortable view. Behind us, the Top of the Hill Bar and Grill barbequed away, fresh hot dogs, sausages, and hamburgers perfuming the air. After a small respite from the beaming sun, it was time to investigate the first base side of the park.
Music blaring from the speakers, it quickly became clear that a live band was performing near the opposing dugout. A local band played covers for an hour, serenading the entering fans with classics, eventually giving the mike up to karaoke, where a questionable rendition of Sinatra’s “New York, New York” rang throughout the park, “Albany” replacing the first “New York” in the famous refrain. With what seemed like every man walking by holding a beer in each hand, it was time to figure out the reason. “Two for Tuesday” was the culprit, a promotion giving away two beers for the price of one. Offering two beers for $4.50, basic math courtesy of fifth grade math class found that for the same price, you could buy half a beer at Yankee Stadium.
After my share of math for the day, I walked up a set of stairs and found myself in the press box. I instantly noticed that a friend of mine was calling the game for the ‘Cats and discussed the job and the life of an aspiring play-by-play man while also observing the food spread located on a table just behind me.
After the conversation (and a quick cookie), which opened my eyes to the great advantages of staying in college and avoiding the real world, the first pitch was fast approaching. A short sausage and pepper sandwich break later, the game began.
ValleyCat starter Euris Quezada quickly retired the side in the top of the first and all was perfect in ValleyCat world for the moment. The game continued that way for the first three innings until what began as a low scoring, pitching dominated affair, became a high scoring barnburner, the Lake Monsters eventually triumphing 12-8. Meredith was the star for the ‘Cats, going 4-4 with a double, a triple, and two runs scored while Duffy also did his part, finishing 2-3 before being pulled in the seventh. A miniature motorbike and bike race between costumed mascots of a relish jar, a ketchup container, and a mustard container, a separate race pitting mascots of local politicians against each other, and countless balls and shirts being thrown into the stands highlighted the evening’s in game entertainment, aside from a couple of home runs and a few flashes of the leather.
Once the final pitch was thrown, the last out recorded, and an exciting bottom of the ninth ValleyCat rally subdued, it was time for the fireworks. The ten second countdown ensued and when the timer struck double zero, streaks of colors lit up the sky for a ten minute showcase of the beauties of pyrotechnics. Amid the oooohh’s and aaahhhh’s, I thought for a moment and realized how hard it was to remember the last time I had an experience like this at any ballgame, major league or minor. Even if I hadn’t talked to the players, the intimacy the ballpark allowed for between fan and player made the experience a rewarding one for each and every fan. The opportunity to watch young ballplayers play the game they love, while vying for a chance, a shot, at achieving their boyhood dream, is an experience all to itself.
In the end, minor league baseball’s attraction comes not just from the game being played, but from the atmosphere, the unique oddities and opportunities each ballpark individually offers, the spirit of community and pride in the local team, and the chance to not just “root root root for the home team” but also for the opposing team and its players, so they too can realize their dream of playing on baseball’s biggest stage. In the end, every baseball fan wants to say they saw an All-Star play while they were just coming up. With current All-Star outfielder Hunter Pence and All-Star final balloter Ben Zobrist just two of the products of the ValleyCats in recent years, a trip to “The Joe” has and will continue to offer that chance.
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