Monday, September 25, 2017

Beloit Discussing New Ballpark...Again

No matter who you ask in baseball circles, I think most would agree that Pohlman Field in Beloit, Wisconsin is one of the worst if not the worst ballpark in all of the minor leagues.  It hasn't had any major upgrades outside of standard maintenance in over 20 years and it is well below current MiLB standards.  The city, the team, and the Midwest League have not minced words about this deficiency and it is no secret that a new or significantly renovated park is absolutely critical for the long-term viability of the franchise in the area.  However, with upwards of 20% unemployment at times of a population just over 30,000, understandably funding a baseball team has not exactly been a priority for the stateline area.  With the downtown experiencing somewhat of a revitalization in the start-up community and MiLB threatening to sunset all grandfathered amendments to ballpark standards by the year 2020, the time is seemingly now or never for this community and this team.  Despite all of the false starts, the 2017-18 offseason could prove to be the most important in franchise history and might finally gain some traction in the talks of a new facility.
Recently, the Snappers released a video using Dow Diamond and the Great Lakes Loons of Midland, Michigan as a model for potential renaissance in the area.  The power of a ballpark - particularly in this small of a community - to jump-start an entire economy is debatable at best, but the video is still worth a watch for anybody with a vested interest in Snappers baseball (and if you're still reading this I'm guessing you do).  The goal is obviously to drum up support for the board and the city by citing past success in a similar city as an example.  I feel torn as I usually do on new ballpark issues.  On one hand a project of this magnitude has the potential to really promote Beloit tourism and lifestyle, and I obviously don't want the team to leave, but on the other hand it also has the chance to completely devastate and bankrupt the area if not implemented correctly.  There have been talks in recent years about the team perhaps being more viable in nearby Janesville, a city with twice as many people and home to a state college (two if you count UW-Whitewater 30 miles away).  It's unclear what region the Snappers are looking to build in as it is still the preliminary stages.
Regardless, after years of ignoring half-assed attempts to build a quality ballpark in Beloit, this may finally be the time not to laugh it off.  I've been going to Snappers games for over 10 years so I am definitely eager to see how this plays out.  Hopefully, no matter what happens, Dollar Beer Night will remain.
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.25:
Brewers 82-74, -5.5, -2.0 WC (3 v. Reds, 3 @ Cardinals)
Reds 66-90, -21.5, eliminated (3 @ Brewers, 3 @ Cubs)
Twins 82-74, -16.0, +4.5 WC (3 @ Indians, 3 v. Tigers)

2017 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 13 (+33 worked)
Peter - 35

Monday, September 18, 2017

Brewers Make Marlins Feel at Home in Milwaukee


Following the devastation of Hurricane Irma across most of Florida, the Marlins made the late decision last week that Marlins Park would be unable to host the Brewers in Miami.  Although Marlins Park itself was well prepared for the storm (large sections of the roof were actually tied down) and did not suffer significant damage, the team made the wise decision to not overly tax the city's resources just to play some baseball games that would more than likely be even worse attended than usual.  It's not uncommon for teams to move a series because of inclement weather or natural disaster - in fact, Hurricane Harvey relocated the Astros to Tampa just a couple weeks prior.  What was unusual about this circumstance is that the road team stadium was chosen as host instead of a neutral site.  No doubt in large part due to (A) short notice and (B) having a retractable roof, Miller Park and the city of Milwaukee opened its arms to the homeless Marlins for the weekend.

I wasn't able to attend any of the games this past weekend, but from what I read, the Brewers went all out.  They dressed up the park with palm trees, played walk-up songs for the Marlins players, and even batted first and played as the "away" team despite being in their own park.  They also donated a significant portion of the proceeds from the weekend to the Hurricane Irma disaster relief efforts.  The Brewers were under no obligation to do any of this and it got a lot of great press for the city and the organization, and helped save face from teams like the Cubs, Cardinals, and Rockies who were understandably upset about the Brewers essentially getting 3 extra home games on their schedule during a critical point in the season.

This isn't the first time the Brewers have done something like this either.  They hosted an Indians series in April 2007 that was snowed out, and a rather famous Astros-Cubs game moved due to Hurricane Ike in which Carlos Zambrano threw a no-hitter.  I don't have many regrets in my life, but not going to that game is still one of them.  Because of the stadium roof, this certainly won't be the last time the Brewers do something like this either.  It's one of the few perks of being a baseball fan in Wisconsin - guaranteed 81 home games and maybe even some bonus baseball, whether or not they go to the playoffs.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.18:
Brewers 79-70, -4.0, -2.5 WC (3 @ Pirates, 4 v. Cubs)
Reds 66-84, -17.5, eliminated (3 v. Cardinals, 3 v. Red Sox)
Twins 78-71, -14.5, +2.0 WC (3 @ Yankees, 4 @ Tigers)

2017 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 13 (+33 worked)
Peter - 34

Friday, September 8, 2017

Joseph L. Bruno Stadium

All photos of Troy and Joseph L. Bruno Stadium available on Flickr.

My 7th and final new ballpark of the year brought me to the Capital region of New York state to see the Tri-City ValleyCats of the NY-Penn League.  This was 5th ballpark visited in this short-season-A league and my 135th ballpark overall.  My good friend Josh and his family keep moving to different cities with ballparks I've never been to, so it works out pretty nice for me and my ballpark chasing.  When they moved to the Albany area about a year ago, I made sure to check the 2017 ValleyCats schedule as soon as it came out and plan for a visit.  Megan and I had a nice long holiday weekend relaxing with Josh, Kara, and their 2-yr old and newborn, but for purposes of this blog I'll just skip to the ballpark part.
We went to the game on Saturday night, which ended up being the last home game of the season due to a stretch of bad weather this week.  Joseph L. Bruno Stadium opened in 2002 and seats about 4,500 people, a good amount for a short-season league.  The ballpark has been hosting the Tri-City ValleyCats since their move from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and are so named because of the three city area of Troy, Albany, and Schenectady, which are all situated about 3 hours north of NYC along the Hudson River.  The park also hosts Hudson Valley Community College and both teams draw very well.  The ValleyCats have broken their franchise attendance record just about every year since their inception, and it was a near sellout even on a cool gloomy night in September.  We got seats about halfway up the 1st baseline behind the dugout for only $10 apiece.
Even though there was nothing very memorable about this ballpark, I was impressed with the overall size, concessions, and amenities for just a short-season ballpark.  For a league that is about the same schedule length as the Northwoods League, they had a lot to offer, certainly more than I was expecting after my visits to some of the other NY teams in the circuit.  There is a good selection of local beers and at least 3 bar seating areas, one of which was tiki-themed.  They had a spacious kids area and a lot of food offerings, including a wood-fired pizza area with an actual stone pizza oven, which I've never seen at any ballpark.  Megan and I found the pizza stand during a stroll around the concourse kind of tucked away, and I wish it would have been more prominent as it was the star of the park.  The main part of the building had your usual 2nd level with suites and press boxes and gave the park the presence of a larger scale.  A nice architectural touch was a masonry block and glass tower staircase leading up to the 2nd level.  A twin tower is mirrored on the other side and servs as the ticket office, and both together form a nice gateway entry.  I think baseball purists would complain about the extensive netting and between-innings buffoonery, but on the other hand they would appreciate how well-supported the team is and how seriously people take their baseball in New York, even for a parent franchise in the Astros that is halfway across the country.  I got a glimpse into my future as I totally used Josh's young son as bait to get a souvenir ball thrown to us by one of the mascots (I was nice and let him keep it).  I fully intend to exploit this as a father and add to my duffel bag full of game balls.
The ValleyCats defeated the Aberdeen IronBirds 6-1 despite an outrageous effort by Aberdeen starter Zac Lowther.  He gave up only 2 runs over 6 and struck out 12.  Carlos Hiraldo went only 4 frames but allowed one run fewer, and that was all it took for the win.  3 relievers shut the door with a combined 7 strikeouts.  We left after the 7th inning because, well, when a toddler does not nap during the day it is a disaster.  Little Simon was a trooper and certainly paid more attention than I did when I was that age.  We missed a 4-run 8th inning by the home team which included a homerun by Miguelangel Sierra.  One interesting tidbit of the game was that Ryan Ripken started for the IronBirds, who I can only assume is the son or nephew of Cal Ripken, Jr.  Cal and his brother Billy actually own the IronBirds and they are of course an affiliate of the Orioles.  Ryan being drafted by the family franchise is probably a case of nepotism, but he is hitting cleanup for Aberdeen and was a .287 average on the season as of this game, so he is at least holding his own so far.
That's probably it for ballpark visits for the season, other than Miller Park of course.  Hopefully I will have a fun playoff story to share in about a month.

park rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 5
views from park - 2
view to field - 5
surrounding area - 4
food variety - 7
nachos - 3 (bag of chips)
beer - 9 (local brews, affordable)
vendor price - 8
ticket price - 8
atmosphere - 6
walk to park - 3 (parking situation is pretty weird)
parking price/proximity - 4 (free but an odd walk to stadium)
concourses - 6
team shop - 6


best food - wood-fired pizza
most unique stadium feature - Top of the Hill Bar & Grill
best jumbotron feature - there was a jumbotron but nothing of note occurred on it
best between-inning feature - local legends race (fun fact: apparently Uncle Sam is a real person and is from Troy)

field dimensions - 325/400/325
starters - Zac Lowther (ABD) v. Carlos Hiraldo (TC)
opponent - Aberdeen IronBirds
time of game - 3:02
attendance - 3633
score - 6-1 W
Brewers score that day - 3-2 L


STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.08:
Brewers 72-68, -5.0, -3.0 WC (3 @ Cubs, 3 v. Pirates, 3 @ Marlins)
Reds 61-80, -16.5, -14.5 WC (4 @ Mets, 3 @ Cardinals, 3 v. Pirates)
Twins 73-67, -11.0, +1.0 WC (4 @ Royals, 2 v. Padres, 4 v. Blue Jays)

2017 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 12 (+31 worked)
Peter - 33