Arriving a few minutes late, we grabbed some food and settled into our seats. I should add that the seats were courtesy of Tanner, who had purchased them at a charity golf outing. The stadium is nice and relatively new with few poor seats in the house. With $5 and $10 prices, an evening out at the ball game wont break the bank either.
Down 3-2 to the Reading Phillies when we arrived, the home team put together several multiple run innings to steal the game 7-3. All of the players were unknown to me: no major leaguers on rehab assignments or pumped prospects. I was particularly impressed by their closing pitcher, Dakota Watts, who cleaned up the final two innings, striking out four of the six batters that he faced. Those who did put wood on the ball did so out of self defense.
Minor league baseball is quite a bit different than the major league variety. Sure it's cheaper. Ball parks are also smaller so the average fan is much closer to the action. Local clubs work hard to make it a family friendly evening: New Britain allows kids to run the bases after the game as an example. Where else can someone see a race between aerosol can mascots sponsored by the Eastern Aerosol Association!
The evening also marked Skylar's first trip to a ball game. One would be hard pressed to understate how much fun she had eating ice cream in a plastic helmet; stealing Hannah's cone; running the bases after the game; or 'oohing' at the 'mink' (pink) fireworks!
