A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Summer of Baseball

Summer of Baseball: Mahoning Valley leaves a sour taste, despite a nice stadium

I’m torn on Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio.

There were a lot of good things about the stadium. But at the same time, there were some things that really ruffled my feathers, so to speak. And it’s just small things. But when you have enough of them, it adds up.

To be fair, it was opening night in the New York-Penn League. So I can chalk some of my issues up to that. But some of the others, well, I just think are silly and not necessary. Let me explain with this review what was good and what was bad.

You walk in, you pay.

You walk in, you pay.

First, the stadium. It’s extremely easy to get to and there’s ample parking. But this is where I have issue No. 1. It’s next to a mall, which means a ton of free possible parking. Except, well, if you park over there, you get charged to walk in.

No, I can’t make this up.

If you walk to the stadium, you get charged $3 per person. So I wonder if somebody lives a little ways away and just wants to walk… they have to pay $3, too? This, to me, is unacceptable. You are charging people an entrance fee no matter if they walk or park. How about this? Up your ticket prices a little and can the fee. It’s stupid and uncalled for. Or, work something out with the mall where you rope things off so people can’t park at the mall and walk in. Or work it with the mall where you can charge people to park there and give them a cut. There are so many ways around this. But to charge $3 for a person to walk into the area? Come on. It’s short-season Single-A baseball.

That made the night start off not-so-good. If a uniformed cop hadn’t been there, I can guarantee one of the two of us would have walked through without paying the fee (not me, I’m unfortunately too nice). Alas, that didn’t matter as there was one there and we paid.

See, here’s the other issue — I’m doing a review on the stadium and I’ve just spend that much time talking about a negative thing. Seriously. Oh, by the way — if we parked in the stadium area, it would have been $3 total in a gated area.

OK, onward.

It took us a few to get the tickets because the lines were huge. We saw no fewer than three people get visibly angry because they had been told they were in the wrong line, get to another spot and be told to go back to where they were. Thankfully, the will-call window I had to go to was a short line. In we went, and it was fine and all but … my lord it was a zoo. Again, I realize opening night, but it’s not like it’s the first time the team had been through this.

Glad I stamped in for this one as I'm not sure I'll get back.

Glad I stamped in for this one as I’m not sure I’ll get back.

Lines were immense throughout the whole game. Again, I get with opening night and a lot of people, things might be slower. But this was slow. Like, get in line and miss an inning or two long. I’m there to watch baseball, not sit in line for food. Thankfully, a vendor came around with hot dogs later in the game. I’ll chalk this up to opening night, but it shows me they weren’t prepared.

OK, the field. It’s excellent. I like the feel of the place. The ambiance was pretty solid. Fans seemed into the game, for the most part (though, people in seats next to ours had to move because they double-sold the seats — can’t make that stuff up), and it was a good place to catch a game. The sight lines are solid and you can see the field from pretty much all angles. You’re also pretty close to the action, which is always a nice thing when you are at a baseball game.

The concourse is like many other smaller stadiums in that it’s behind the main area, and not open. Therefore, if you go searching for food and are in line, you can’t see the game. Bathrooms are easy enough to get to and the team store, for a Single-A team, isn’t bad. You actually get to walk in, unlike a few others in the NY-Penn, so that’s a welcomed situation.

One final note, though. I came across many people who worked for the team and I was a little shocked that it felt like it would be a chore to smile or say hi. I said hi to several people and they just kind of looked at me. I asked a few questions and each person acted like they were doing me a favor to answer. Several walked by groups of people with their heads down and didn’t say a word or smile. This wasn’t everybody, but it was enough where I felt like it wasn’t the most friendly place in the world.

In the end, I’d go back to the stadium to see a game, but I’d do it on a slower day and I’d still not be happy about having to pay if I walked in. Like I said, a few of the items I chalk up to opening day (not that I think it’s right), but some of the things just left a sour taste in my mouth.

Park Notes:  

Eastwood Field
Niles, Ohio
Home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians)
Visited on: June 17, 2016
Opponent: West Virginia Black Bears (Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates)

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 8/10
  • Concessions: 6.5/10
  • Parking: 5/10
  • Ambiance: 7.5/10
  • Friendliness: 6.5/10

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Reading celebrating its 50th with the Phillies

Reading calls itself Baseballtown. With a stadium that was completed in 1951, and one that’s had some renovations over the years, the Reading Fightin Phils have a unique and interesting stadium.

FirstEnergy Stadium is different than when I last visited in, I believe, 2009. They’ve done many upgrades, to make the field a bit more fan friendly, yet have kept the quirky aspects of the park in place.

When you come into the park, you have an area where the food items are and it gives you the feel of a courtyard. It’s definitely busy there, so you might need to push your way around if you want to get somewhere. The concourse is under the main grandstand, so you are behind the action. There’s also not a full walk-around concourse, but that’s normal for older stadiums.

A place to lean and keep score, with a great view.

A place to lean and keep score, with a great view.

You can go out into parts of the outfield, though, to watch the game from different vantage points. Overall, sightlines were OK and it is a tad picturesque of a place to watch a game. Seats are a tad old-school, but it kind of goes with the stadium. They aren’t bad, but I also will say we didn’t sit in ours for awful long.

Concession wise, there is the regular fare from ballparks. Being it was a dollar-dog day, I chose that as my choice for the night. It looked like they had a lot of the regular choices, which is good. I didn’t get too deep into the area with everything going on as it was crowded and after a long weekend of baseball and other items, I just wanted to watch a game.

The field is nice and it has some cool areas. Like many parks today, there were spots people could rent out etc., for large groups.

The on-field things were fine and didn’t detract from the game too much, which was good.

The team store is not huge, but it is very well stocked with different items. Because of that, it’s not easy to get around, but if you want something – odds are they likely have it. That’s always a bonus, of course, as it makes no sense not to stock up, especially with the rebranding the team did a year or two ago.

This was the 50th anniversary of the team being associated with the Phillies, so it was nice to get there during this season. The action on the field was solid, and it’s an easy place to watch a game. The atmosphere is pretty good as people seem to enjoy watching baseball.

I will note this, though – it seems like some of the people (the fans) weren’t the friendliest in the world. I’m not saying this is all of them, and I’m not even saying the people we encountered were regulars. But it was … odd.

Let me give an example.

Throwing hot dogs in Reading.

Throwing hot dogs in Reading.

The tickets I purchased were underneath the overhang, as there had originally been a threat of rain. We got to our seats and made sure we had the right spot. No sooner than we sat down, the lady (an older lady) made sure she told us “If they aren’t your seats, you’ll have to move.”

I’ve never had that happen to me before, especially by somebody not working for the team. I will say as we came up the stands, one of the people there had their feet up on our seats, and a jacket over top the back. So I guess we were infringing on their “territory.” Still, it was a little off-setting.

We decided, instead, to stand for the game at the top of the bleachers where there’s a place to lean etc. Two more people were encountered – and they were the same. I asked one person if people could stand here and he looked at me like I was green and had three heads.

As I walked the concourse a little later, three – yes three – people bumped into me as they weren’t watching where they were going. I tried to avoid the collisions but they weren’t paying attention. None of them said excuse me (despite them being at fault and watching their phones and not where they were going), rather gave me a dirty look.

Honestly, these aren’t things I want to share because it’s hopefully not the norm. But this was part of my experience and, honestly, it took away from my experience.

I didn’t really interact with many people who work for the team or stadium, but it seemed like there were a lot of people around.

Park Notes:  

FirstEnergy Stadium
Reading, Pennsylvania
Home of the Reading Fightin Phils (Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies)
Visited on: June 12, 2016
Opponent: Altoona Curve (Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates)

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 7.5/10
  • Concessions: 7/10
  • Parking: 8/10
  • Ambiance: 7.5/10
  • Friendliness: 6.5/10

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Southern Maryland has the independent feeling in a good way

Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the chance to hit independent baseball teams and stadiums and I’ve found that, for the most part, it’s pretty solid.

Atlantic League teams have stadiums that have a similar feel, but also have uniqueness to them. The ambiances at most of the ones I’ve visited have been pretty solid as well.

That brings us to Southern Maryland.

A great night for baseball in Southern Maryland.

A great night for baseball in Southern Maryland.

During the planning of a trip to see Nationals Park for an afternoon game, the Blue Crabs had a night game at home. From where we parked to take the metro into DC for the Nationals game, it was only about 30 minutes to Regency Furniture Stadium.

The parking was free (awesome), though the lines to get to the will call tickets was a little long and slow, which confused me. Turns out a person at the front of the line was attempting to buy tickets to add on to ones he already bought. Once he got out of the way, it went fast.

The team store wasn’t bad. There were a bunch of items available and prices were actually pretty strong. It didn’t have a lot of items in the store, but if you wanted a shirt or a hat, you could find one. Again, prices were pretty good overall, too.

Food prices were relative to most baseball parks. There were the normal items and such. Hot dogs were decent, so that’s always a bonus. There were also souvenir cups. On another note, it seems like the milk shakes were top of the line, too.

As for the park itself, I found people to be friendly and the park as a whole was cool. The sight lines weren’t bad, though if you were all the way down a corner (where the stands are pointed toward home plate), it’s not a perfect view. You can walk around the whole park and in left field, there’s a small water park and a basketball court, which I could do without seeing at a baseball field.

One of Southern Maryland's coaches watches fireworks following the game.

One of Southern Maryland’s coaches watches fireworks following the game.

People seemed into the game, so the ambiance was solid. They had an on-field guy who was decked out in a colorful outfit who worked to get the crowd pumped up. There were some good spots for photos, so that’s good as well.

The night brought fireworks, which were really good. After the game, we talked with a couple of season-ticket holders who helped us land an Atlantic League ball (with the red and blue seams) via the manager.

In the end, I had a really good experience at the park and would definitely go again. There had been reports that the Batavia Muckdogs (NY-Penn League) would be moving there, but that apparently got squashed. So for now, it seems the Blue Crabs will continue. One thing I’ve realized with the Atlantic League is it’s always a good experience and decent baseball. They had a pretty solid crowd that night, too, which helped.

For fans of professional baseball, it’s a good spot to catch a game. Check it out if you are in the area.

Park Notes:  

Regency Furniture Stadium
Waldorf, Maryland
Home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Independent)
Visited on: June 11, 2016
Opponent: Long Island Ducks (Independent)

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 8/10
  • Concessions: 7/10
  • Parking: 10/10
  • Ambiance: 8/10
  • Friendliness: 9/10

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Nationals Park has a lot to offer

I’m starting to really like sitting in the upper deck at MLB stadiums.

For one, it’s much cheaper. For two, you get a good view of the stadium. Is it perfect for photos? Not a chance. But you can get wonderful views for wide-angle photos.

On top of that, you can often get some shade on hot days!

The upper deck is a good spot to watch a game.

The upper deck is a good spot to watch a game.

That brings me to one of the latest MLB stadiums I’ve visited – Nationals Park in Washington D.C. I had the chance to visit the park a couple of weeks ago for an afternoon game.

Note – it gets hot in D.C.!

Anyway, we got there a tad early and had the chance to walk around the park. It’s really a unique and cool little park. It’s compact, which is nice as it didn’t seem like there were many bad seats in the stadium. We were in the upper deck behind the plate, and it was really nice.

The lower concourse is nice and there are plenty of options when it comes to food and other concessions. I liked the outfield concourse as it had a neat little setup where you get to explore a little bit. We came in via center field and it’s really cool as it opens up a little bit so you can get a view of the field.

The team store is nice and has a lot of options at decent prices. The Passport stamp was easy to locate and use, which was nice. I will say that the shirts and hats they offered were good and, if I was a Nationals Fan, I would have walked away with something. Instead, I just decided to do a baseball grab bag and took a chance – though I only got two game-used balls, no autographs. Story of my life!

Sight lines are solid, which is good. One thing, though. If you are there for an afternoon game, there are not a ton of shade areas, so be ready to fight the sun. The day we were there had more than 35,000 people there, so a lot of people came to watch. Thankfully, we had shade.

Prices for food and drinks seemed on par with other MLB stadiums. I, of course, grabbed a hot dog and it was pretty solid. I enjoyed it. The only other thing I had that day was a gelato, which was fully excellent. There were plenty of options, though. As we walked around before the game, you could see the choices were plentiful and, as noted earlier, the prices were on par to other MLB stadiums.

The ambiance was very friendly. Despite me wearing a Phillies hat, I didn’t feel like there was any hostility (in fact, one of the vendors had fun taking a few jabs toward me, all in good fun), which is always a good thing. The people I talked to were accommodating, which is a good thing. Lines to get in (when we went in) weren’t bad, so that was nice, too.

One of the baseball-themed outside the ballpark.

One of the baseball-themed outside the ballpark.

As for parking, we opted to go south of D.C. and park at a metro station (free on weekends) and take a train up. The train let us off about a block away, which was fully fine. It was perfect and the round trip cost us about 8 bucks or so. It was really nice to do this (as did in Pittsburgh last year) and makes life a whole lot easier and cheaper.

Ticket prices weren’t bad, and with not many bad seats, it’s worth getting a cheaper seat and enjoying the game.

This is definitely one of the better MLB stadiums I’ve been to. Though, to be fair, I haven’t been to too many bad MLB stadiums. That being said, I’d like to hit another Nationals game, especially if it’s at night. It’s not a bad trip to get to for me, so I can see a trip down again this summer, if all goes well that is.

Park Notes:  

Nationals Park
Washington D.C.
Home of the Washington Nationals
Visited on: June 11, 2016
Opponent: Philadelphia Phillies

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 9.5/10
  • Concessions: 8/10
  • Parking: N/A
  • Ambiance: 8/10
  • Friendliness: 9/10

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Rockland a good independent experience

It would seem independent professional baseball is doing quite well. There are several league that all seem to be unique and have solid ballparks and players.

In the end, it’s baseball and it’s usually pretty solid.

Looking in from right field.

Looking in from right field.

Last season, I went to several Atlantic League games. Thus year, I might do the same but I also want to sprinkle in a few Can-Am League games.

The Can-Am League, founded in 2005, is a six-team league with teams in the United States and Canada. One (Rockland) is in New York, two (New Jersey and Sussex County) are in New Jersey, and three (Québec, Trois-Rivières, and Ottawa) are located in Canada.

Over the years, some other teams have come and gone. Québec is the crown jewel of the league, it seems, winning six of the 11 league championships.

By chance, the first Can-Am League game I’ve seen featured the Capitales as they visited the Rockland Boulders and Palisades Credit Union Park.

As has been my experience with independent ball so far, the stadium delivered for the most part. There were some things that seemed like they could be better, but overall this stadium is really solid and probably could even be good for a minor league/affiliated team.

The 4,500-plus seat stadium opened in 2011 and cost $38 million to build. A full walk-around concourse gives you the chance to have some really cool views. Parts of the stadium are really nice, while others seem a tad unpolished. The seating bowl is really nice and gives you excellent views of the action.

There were several seat features that I liked. First, in right field, they had the Budweiser Short Porch that put you field-level and close to the action. As you went toward center, there’s a higher bleacher area, but it also had a table in front of you. So every seat had a place to lean. If you do book (like I do), it’s even better in that regard. It almost gave me the feeling of an older press area.

As you continued around, the left and left-center bleachers are nice and give you a good view. In the left-field corner, there’s a “party” bar area with more seats – in foul ground – that are field level. Pretty cool.

It was definitely a cool place to catch a game.

Keep a watch on the action!

Keep a watch on the action!

The concessions were standard ballpark fare. Hot dogs were average. The fries were normal. They had souvenir cups, which is always a bonus. One total plus? Rita’s Italian Ice. That’s always a bonus when I go to a park on a warm night.

The seats were comfortable and wide, which is always nice. There didn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house. The lineup board (double-sided) was right when you came in. Programs were free, but a scorecard (which had rosters and such for both teams) was just a buck. The team store had a variety of items and the prices were solid overall.

The food choices were OK, and what I tried was decent.

There were some negatives here, though. There seemed to be a lack of security as some kids in our area threw their baseball gloves all over the place for much of the game. The section wasn’t crowded, mind you, but it was annoying and the father had his nose in his phone for most of the game. In the right field section, there was a massive play area for kids. Now, if you stayed away from there, bonus. But it’s there as a warning. There’s also a kid’s train that goes arounf the park the whole time.

The focus didn’t seem to be on baseball for many in attendance. It was a scout night, though, so that could have been a major factor in it. But the ambiance at the park didn’t seem like a baseball focus.

In the end, I’d go again. It was a nice stadium at a decent price and extremely easy to get to. The baseball was pretty solid overall and I enjoyed the night. The stadium is nice and it has its own unique features, making it a place to check out if you get the chance.

On a side note, Québec’s uniforms were awesome and I need to get a hat. I did like Rockland’s uniform’s, too – very solid.

Park Notes:  

Palisades Credit Union Park
Pomona, New York
Home of the Rockland Boulders (Independent – Can-Am League)
Visited on: June 4, 2016
Opponent: Québec Capitales/ Les Capitales de Québec (Independent – Can-Am League)

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 8.5/10
  • Concessions: 7.5/10
  • Parking: 8/10
  • Ambiance: 7/10
  • Friendliness: 9/10

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!