Amongst the advantages of living here in the north east are all the medium to small towns that have minor league baseball teams. All along the north east corridor are towns like Trenton, Kinston, Erie, Durham, Camden, Atlantic City, etc... that aren't huge but are big enough to house these Single, Double and Triple A teams.
Before you say "but I don't like baseball" (perish forbid) you don't even have to like the sport to attend these games. Though the rosters are filled with unknowns, young stars and players at the end of their careers these small franchises do as much as they can to keep the crowds entertained.
This past weekend I ventured south to Wilmington, Delaware (about 40 minutes away) and attended a
Wilmington Blue Rocks game. The team plays in a small, relatively new ballpark (Frawley Stadium) in the town's River District.
When you go to any of these minor league games you're usually assured of coming home with some sort of souvenir. Whether it's a freebie that they give before the game starts (this night for example they were giving "magnetic picture frames" sponsored by "Happy Harry's Drug Stores"), a foul ball (I missed two that night) or a t-shirt fired from a cannon (shot by the team's mascot, "Rocky Bullwinkle" a large blue moose) you get more than just a ball game.
And for those of you out there who are always complaining how there never seems to be anyplace to take your kids to, these places really cater to the family. Between every half inning there are prizes, games and contests that keep the crowd entertained. (In fact sometimes you may forget that there's even a ball game going on.)
As I mentioned before the Blue Rocks mascot is a giant Moose. OK, I guess I can buy that. And on many of their merchandise, as part of their logo, is a cool little blue rock character, holding a pick named "Rubble".
Alright, the team's name are Bluerocks, so that makes sense.
But for the life of me, I have no idea why, but every time the Blue Rocks score a run, a giant, psychotic, piece of celery (named- what else, Mr. Celery) runs out on the field.
?????
So if you're looking for some place different to go to, as the summer winds down, and you don't want to spend a lot of money, you can't go wrong by seeking out one of these small town ballparks and enjoying a night watching minor league baseball.
After all, where else could you eat a funnel cake, while dodging gun-fired T-Shirts and watching a large, crazed vegetable cavort about?
