Tour 2017: MGM Park

  
All photos of Biloxi and MGM Park available on Flickr.

Immediately following the last pitch in Montgomery, we got back in the car and made the 3-hour drive down I-65 to Biloxi, which was considerably nicer than the drive through eastern Alabama.  Once we switched over to I-10 West we drove through some beautiful marshland and river basins right and this was around the time Erik awoke from his 2nd nap of the day.  I-110 took us the few miles south to the coast, and an off-ramp that is now completely within the Gulf of Mexico thanks to sea level rise took us right to our hotel.

If you moved Wisconsin Dells to the coast, and splashed in a little bit of New Orleans and Miami, you'd get Biloxi.  Sort of a "redneck riviera" to put it lightly, but actually quite charming.  Even after being decimated by Hurricane Katrina, it is still a popular vacation destination with a 12-mile long beach, casinos, lots of seafood and oyster restaurants, and take-out daiquiri shops.  The corner our hotel was on had the gleaming Beau Rivage across the street, Biloxi Beach kitty-corner, and the ballpark across the other street, so we had a perfect location right near downtown Biloxi.

We arrived around a half-hour before first pitch and walked over after checking in.  The ballpark is situated kind of like the Fort Wayne and Nashville parks where most of the pedestrian traffic is coming from the back of the stadium, but the main entrance is at home plate.  So there was a smaller gate in the outfield with the famous MGM lion statue, and the grander main entrance was up from a monumental stair towards home plate.  The ticketing was weird because it was just set up in a tent at the bottom of the stair, and this might be a byproduct of the stadium being shoehorned into the site.  The footprint is extremely constrained by a freeway, parking garage, and a street on 3 of the 4 sides, and this required some creative netting to prevent balls from smashing cars - even though there were some fouls that well cleared the 1st base net and probably startled some motorists at the least.  The constraints of the site also kind of limit how much of the outside you can see, so after getting our tickets from will call we ascended the steps into the park.

The first thing that hits you when you walk in is the Beau Rivage glistening across the street.  It's not an award-worthy building by any stretch, but it is a stunning backdrop watching the golden accents change with the setting sun.  The other really noticeable thing in the park is the extremely wide concourse.  It's much wider than a typical minor league concourse, I would say at least 40' wide.  Maybe this is just an optical illusion since the concessions/suites building is set back from the grandstand but nonetheless it was a nice feature and provided lots of mingling space and areas for drink/food carts.  Other than the view and the concourse, nothing really jumps out at you.  It doesn't have any really unique design features like Montgomery had with the train station.  It's primarily a stucco finish painted a coastal cream color like you would see in Miami or any other seaside city.  The lackluster architecture aside, it's the location and being a Brewers affiliate are definitely is what makes it memorable for me.  It was cool to see prospects such as Jacob Nottingham, Clint Coulter, and Luis Ortiz playing in the game.  It was only a couple of years ago that some of our top propsects like Orlando Arcia, Michael Reed, Josh Hader, Brandon Woodruff, and Brett Phillips donned the Shuckers uniform, so in just 3 years of existence the residents of Biloxi have seen some really good ball.  I love minor league baseball but it's always more fun watching a game you are more invested in, so Erik and I were both excited to root for the Brewers again on our trip.

We picked up one of the best meals we've had on this trip before heading to our amazing seats right behind home plate.  Erik had a muffaletta sammich and I had a shrimp po' boy.  Both were delicious but I'd be lying if I said I was not extremely disappointed and confused why a team with an oyster logo did not serve oysters.  That'd be like the Biscuits not serving biscuits!  Erik also added another souvenir ice cream helmet to his collection and I brought home a souvenir margarita glass, both of which I'm sure our wives were just thrilled about.  The Shuckers lost in extra racks 4-3 to the Mississippi Braves.  Luis Ortiz got the start for Biloxi, who was acquired in the Jonathan Lucroy trade last year.  He pitched okay, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits in 3.2 innings, but the relievers behind him were phenomenal.  Jon Perrin, UW-Milwaukee alumnus Josh Uhen, and Nick Ramirez combined for only 1 earned run in over 7 innings of work.  Ramirez is an interesting case as he was actually drafted as a first baseman by the Brewers in 2011.  After stalling at the AA-level for the last 3 years he decided that maybe his bat was not going to get him as the major leagues and switched to pitching.  In his 3rd season in Biloxi he is finally enjoying some success with a 1.47 ERA as of this game, and he even still rakes from time to time with 2 homeruns on the year.  He's no Brooks Kieschnick but still pretty damn impressive.  The offense for the Shuckers primarily came in the form of a Nottingham 2-run bomb in the bottom of the 1st.  He was the key piece in the Khris Davis trade and is undoubtedly our catcher of the future if he can get the defensive aspect of his game figured out.  Kade Scivicque hit the game-winning homerun for the M-Braves in the top of the 11th, who by the way very much just stole the old Milwaukee Braves logo for their caps.

With the 11 innings tonight, that put our total at 20 for the day and 47 in 4 days.  We capped off our night with a few drinks at the Hard Rock Casino and a to-go daiquiri at the New Orleans-style shop next to our hotel.  Tuesday morning we had a little bit of time to kill before our flights, so we did some swimming/wading/bathing in the Gulf and the hotel pool.  Well, I should say that I had a little time to kill - Erik ended up spending nearly 7 hours at the Gulfport airport bar, which had a pretty solid gate-to-bar ratio of 7:2.  We had an outstanding time as always and are already kicking around ideas for 2018!

park rankings and statistics: 
aesthetics - 3
views from park – 7
view to field - 5 (lots of foul territory)
surrounding area – 8 (beach, casinos, downtown)
food variety - 5 (points deducted for no oysters!)
nachos - 5
beer - 8 (good price, surprising amount of local brews)

vendor price - 8
ticket price - 7 ($13 box seats)
atmosphere - 4
walk to park – 8
parking price/proximity - 2 (sketchy parking lot with lady holding $10 sign)
concourses - 6 (wide)
team shop - 8

best food – shrimp po' boy
most unique stadium feature – view/area
best jumbotron feature – Krispy Kreme K counter
best between-inning feature – crawfish boil race

field dimensions – 325/400/325
starters – Kolby Allard (MS) v. Luis Ortiz (BLX)
opponent – Mississippi Braves
time of game – 2:52
attendance – 2210
score – 4-3 L
Brewers score that day – off

Tour 2017: Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium

  
All photos of Montgomery and Riverwalk Stadium available on Flickr. 

Following our relatively relaxing weekend in Atlanta, we got into the crazy part of our trip on Monday - 2 ballgames, 1 day, 2 states.  This was a throwback to the old Tour days but not something we have done to this degree in a long time, so I was curious how the mid-30s versions of ourselves would hold up.  After picking up probably the worst car I have ever driven at the Atlanta rental car terminal (an Audi A4), we headed southwest to our first stop - a noon start in Montgomery, Alabama.  It was a 2-hour uneventful drive.  One thing that hasn't changed in the decade since our roadtripping days began is that Erik slept about 90% of the drive.  We grabbed a pint at a brewery/BBQ place across the street before the game but otherwise didn't see much of Montgomery.  It was surprisingly quiet and run down for such a historic downtown in a city of over 200,000 people. 

The ballpark was completed in 2004 and has exclusively hosted the Biscuits since they moved from Orlando that same year.  It is called "Riverwalk Stadium," but had it not been called that I never would have noticed there was a river behind the stadium.  I assumed with a name like that it would have been more integrated into the water, or at least have a view to it, so that was pretty disappointing.  What it lacked in natural scenery it made up for in history.  The entire eastern edge of the park along the 1st base line is a repurposed century-old train terminal.  A freight line actually still operates and passes beyond the outfield wall.  As I mentioned in the last paragraph, Montgomery is made up of a ton of old historic buildings, so this adaptive reuse project helped the ballpark really blend in with the area without having to build a kitschy brick wall in a style that would be obviously fake.  The park doesn't even really look like a ballpark from that side, as much of the train terminal's original character is well maintained.  Inside the terminal is the main gate with a bar on one end and restrooms on the other.  The 2nd floor of the terminal was converted into private suites.  Given the long form of the building it kind of reminded me of the B&O Warehouse in Baltimore on a lesser scale.  It really helped give the ballpark that "enclosed feel" like Camden Yards and helped defines the street at a pedestrian level. 

The other 3 sides of the stadium are not unlike any other ballpark of this size.  There is an expansive area behind homeplate with a team store, customer service desk, and some concessions.  Moving down the 3rd base line are more concessions on a wide concourse, with the main feature of course being a biscuit stand.  Erik got the pimento cheese biscuits and I got chicken biscuits and both were outstanding.  Counting the McDonalds one I had for breakfast and the free one I caught during the game it was a 4-biscuit day for this guy.  Beyond the left field foul pole is a gazebo-type area and a wraparound concourse back to the other side.  The outfield concourse goes behind the batters eye and well beyond the outfield wall in right so it kind of defeats the purpose of having an outfield concourse.  The only real place to watch the game from the outfield is in right field by an odd wall that bumps out.  One of the ushers told us the reason for the anomaly is that there is an old cistern buried there and it would have cost more to move it than to build the entire stadium.  As a result the wall was simply built around it and creates a memorable asymmetrical outfield feature.  After our lap around the ballpark we made our way to our 9th row seats behind the 3rd base dugout for first pitch.

It was Kids Day and Businessman Special Day at the ballpark - two standards at any weekday matinee ballgame.  A little twist on this particular game was it was also Splash Day, so there was a guy who basically just hosed down the crowd between every half-inning.  For the most part the kids enjoyed it and I even made my way over there a few times to catch some relief from the high sky and hot sun.  The Biscuits won 2-1 behind a strong AA debut from Rays prospect Genesis Cabrera.  He tossed 7 innings striking out 8, and gave up just one unearned run on a dropped popup in the 4th.  The Biscuits were able to regrab the lead in the 7th on a fielders choice to secure him the victory.  Cabrera's counterpart for the Barons was nearly as strong, also giving up just one run in 5.1 innings.

Overall I was not surprised with how quick and low scoring the game was in the afternoon heat.  Erik and I were happy to get out of there fast and escape into the confines of our air conditioned car in route to stop #2 of the day - Biloxi, Mississippi.

park rankings and statistics: 
aesthetics - 8 (repurposed train station)
views from park – 3
view to field - 7 (no obstructed views but extended netting)
surrounding area – 3 (not much going on in DT Monty)
food variety - 6
nachos - 5
beer - 6 (bonus points for souvenir cups)

vendor price - 8
ticket price - 8 ($11 box seats)
atmosphere - 5 (splash day salvages this category)
walk to park – 3 (kind of sketchy)
parking price/proximity - 8 (free street parking 2 blocks away)
concourses - 8 (train terminal plus, outfield minus)
team shop - 9 (bonus points for biscuit hats)

best food – biscuits, of course
most unique stadium feature – repurposed train station
best jumbotron feature – Monty dancing
best between-inning feature – spraying kids with hose

field dimensions – 314/400/333
starters – Jordan Stephens (BIR) v. Genesis Cabrera (MGY)
opponent – Birmingham Barons
time of game – 2:32
attendance – 2590
score – 2-1 W
Brewers score that day – off

Biloxi Shuckers Begin Season on 55-Game Roadtrip

This is kind of an old story at this point, but for those who do not know, the minor-league Biloxi Shuckers recently completed a 55-game roadtrip to start their season this year.  A very long story short: the team had moved this year from Hunstville, Alabama to Biloxi and was promised a new stadium by the city in time for the 2015 season, but a variety of delays due to budget and contractor issues pushed the opening back to June 6th.  In any other situation involving a new ballpark and a delay, this wouldn't be a big deal, but since the team was moving and its lease was up in Huntsville, it forced the Shuckers to essentially live as hobos for 2 months, driving around to different cities in the Southern League while living out of hotels and suitcases.  There is a lot of finger pointing and liquidated damages that go along with this - as would be the case in any construction project that did not meet a deadline - but the fact that it is a ballpark and a primarily publicly-financed ballpark at that, this has been much more prominent in industry circles.  What makes it an even better story is that through all of the adversity, the team still somehow managed to win the first half title, despite not having any fans to celebrate that achievement with.  ESPN actually did a nice piece on their tribulations, which was really when this story started picking up national media attention. 

I've been following this for quite some time before that, not only because I am a ballpark enthusiast, but because Biloxi is the Double-A affiliate of the Brewers.  Much like my trip to Nashville this year, I have been waiting for the team to get out of their s***hole stadium before I visited.  MGM Park is still far from being complete; they barely squeaked by with a temporary occupancy permit and continue to finish things while the team is away.  But with this saga nearly behind the team and the city, I look forward to a future visit.  The new Braves stadium is less than two years away, and Biloxi might very well get rolled into an Erik + Peter 10-year anniversary "Dirty South" Tour.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 07.27:
Brewers 43-56, -20.5, -11.5 WC (3 @ Giants, 4 v. Cubs)
Reds 43-53, -19.0, -10.0 WC (3 @ Cardinals, 4 v. Pirates)
Twins 52-46, -7.5, +3.0 WC (2 v. Pirates, 4 v. Mariners)

2015 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 13 (+14 worked)
Peter - 30

Smokies Park

All photos of Smoky Mountains and Smokies Park available on Flickr.

I stopped at one more game on the way home from Phil's wedding - the Tennessee Smokies of the Double-A Southern League in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb east of Knoxville.  After a quick stop at Waffle House #2 of the trip, the drive was a scenic 5 1/2 hours from North Carolina through the Smoky Mountains into Tennessee.  The last 100 miles of North Carolina in particular were very pretty and I snapped as many pictures as I could through my windshield while still maintaining control of my vehicle during the scattered downpours.  It was quite a contrast to the horrible 11+ hour drive I would experience the next day.  Just as exciting as the beautiful mountain landscape were all of the baseball towns I drove through on the way to Kodak - Greensboro, Asheville, Winston-Salem, and Hickory, to name a few.  My mind couldn't help but wander to all of the future visits of Josh and Phil I would be making to con them into taking me to see these ballparks.  Pulling off the exit, Kodak looked and felt like Wisconsin Dells.  Similarly to the Dells, it's less a city than it is a conglomeration of tourist attractions stuffed near the freeway exit.  My hotel for the night was across the street from a winery, a fireworks store, a bus depot that ran to nearby Dollywood, and several other hotels and shops, and I could actually even seen the ballpark from my hotel room up on a hill on the other side of the interstate.  I rolled into town pretty early, so I bought some cheap beer at the gas station across the street and pounded one on my wonderful Motel 6 balcony before heading to the park.

I got there about 6:45 for a 7:15 first pitch, and came to find out the first game of a doubleheader was ending upon my arrival.  I was pretty upset because I had checked my MiLB app a couple times in the morning and it said nothing about this, and I was especially upset because I was in town so early; I would have had plenty of time to watch both games had I known it was a doubleheader.  I made the best of the situation and just decided to walk around the park and grab food while the final outs of game #1 were being recorded.  Smokies Park is not unlike any other minor league ballpark of its size built in the 2000s.  It has the same cookie-cutter setup I have grown accustomed to seeing at many a minor league ball field - 25 rows of seats, open concourse, and upper deck for suites and pressbox made out of cheap and drab materials.  Making this park additionally unspectacular are its location outside of the city, the generic concessions menu, the lacking of even one unique design feature, and even a boring generic name.  I'm not necessarily complaining about the park's simplicity or conformity, but more just the fact that there is really nothing that makes this park stand out.  I've certainly been to many stadiums that were much dumpier and much more basic than Smokies Park, yet still had some sort of memorable feature, whether that be an architectural gesture, the food menu, or something else - Community Field in Iowa is an excellent example of this.  I don't want to just bash Smokies Park for this entire post, so I will say that I did like how the building is used year-round, as in Fort Wayne.  The Smoky Mountain Visitor Center is housed there in such a way where it can be accessed when there isn't a game, and there is also a lot of public conference room space that can be rented.  The stadium also has a 360º circumnavigable concourse and a bar area open to the public, both of which I am always an advocate of.

The plus side of being at a very ordinary stadium is that you tend to focus on the game more, but even the prospect of that was put out of reach early in this contest.  I was barely settled in my seat before the home team had put up a 6-spot on the Montgomery Biscuits, which normally would be a good thing but the Smokies are a Cubs affiliate, so I was quietly rooting against them.  Biscuits starting pitcher Marquis Fleming did not even make it out of the 3rd, surrendering 9 runs in total on 8 hits and 3 walks.  The Smokies starter was not really that much better but was able to pass on a lead to the bullpen because of his counterpart's poor performance, which they maintained for the 9-4 victory.  Tennessee's Christian Villanueva was the star of the game to me.  He is a 3rd baseman acquired in the Ryan Dumpst...er, Dempster trade last year at a time when the Rangers were very deep at that position.  He's only hitting about .260 right now but he went 2-3 with a homer and looks to have really good power to all fields without really having a loopy swing; he keeps his bat in the hitting zone a long time.  Amongst the murmuring of the dull crowd, he also seemed to be kind of a fan favorite, so that leads me to believe he plays hard and is exciting to watch.  Matt Szczur also seems to have a cult following, probably for no other reason than the marketability of his name (pronounced "Caesar").  I was hoping to see Jorge Soler play, but it looks like he is still in the Florida State League.

On top of the bland park and game that was pretty much over in the 1st inning, I didn't even get to see a full 9 innings of ball!  For some reason, the first game of the doubleheader was 9 innings but the second game was 7?  I had never heard of that before.  Maybe it was merciful that it was a 7-inning game given the thrashing, but this meant I unfortunately had two less innings to take advantage of a weekday minor league staple - Dollar Dog Night.  My evening ended with an early night back at the hotel room spent wondering why in the world I thought buying three 24-oz cans of Natty Light was a good idea.  Smokies Park was far from being great, but it is very conveniently located and near a lot of activities and cheap hotels, so all in all not a bad place to stop if you find yourself on a roadtrip along I-40 as I was.

park rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 3
views from park - 6 (built into a wooded hill)
view to field - 9
surrounding area - 7 (Dollywood, Douglas Dam, various tourist attractions)
food variety - 2
nachos - 6 (served in actual sized helmet)
beer - 7 (bonus points for Old Style)
vendor price - 7 (would normally be lower, but it was Dollar Dog Night)
ticket price - 4 ($9 GA)
atmosphere - 2
walk to park - 3
parking price/proximity - 6 (adjacent screwy lot $3)
concourses - 7
team shop - 8

best food - Dollar Dogs
most unique stadium feature - Smoky Mountain Visitor Center
best jumbotron feature - movie trivia gone horribly wrong
best between-inning feature - mascots hold empty potato chip bags with "prize" inside

field dimensions - 330/400/330
starters - Marquis Fleming (MON) v. Yeiper Castillo (TEN)
opponent - Montgomery Biscuits
time of game - 2:19
attendance - 2,177
score - 9-4 W
Brewers score that day - off

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.19:
Brewers 54-70, -18.5 (3 v. Cardinals, 3 @ Reds)
Reds 70-54, -2.5 (4 v. Diamondbacks, 3 v. Brewers)
Twins 54-68, -18.0 (1 v. Mets, 3 @ Tigers, 3 @ Indians)

2013 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10 (+28 worked)
Peter - 35

MiLB Playoffs & September Call-ups

Labor Day signifies the unofficial end of summer in many ways, the most disheartening of which of me is the end of the minor league season. Almost every MiLB league began their playoff schedules early this week, and here's a look at some of the matchups.

International League, AAA:
Gwinnett Braves v. Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees
Durham Bulls v. Louisville Bats

The Braves had a fine first season in suburban Atlanta after the move from Richmond for the 2009 season, and they take on Scranton, who will look to defend their 2008 IL title. The player to watch in this series is Gwinnett outfielder Jason Heyward, who is ranked as the MLB's #3 prospect and has done well at three levels in the Braves' system this year, including 4-11 with 2 RBI since a recent promotion to AAA. The Bats have had a lot of their breakout players called up by a depleted Reds team before and after the September 1st roster expansions, including IL All-Star starter Justin Lehr and top prospect Drew Stubbs. They will struggle to piece together a solid rotation in this series against the hard-hitting Bulls.

Pacific Coast League, AAA:
Albuquerque Isotopes v. Memphis Redbirds
Tacoma Rainiers v. Sacramento River Cats

Every offense at all levels of Cardinals' baseball has done well this season, and four players on the Redbirds' everyday roster finished the season over .300. The Dodgers have had a lot of the same players at AAA the entire seasons because of the high volume of major league acquisitions over the past year, so they definitely have that familiarity going for them. The players to watch in the other series are the River Cats' two slugging 1st basemen, Tommy Everidge and Chris Carter. Everidge finished the season at .368, and Carter has 14 RBI in 13 games since being promoted from AA-Midland. The Athletics perennially have one of the best minor league systems and will be tough to beat.

Southern League, AA:
Birmingham Barons v. Jacksonville Suns
Huntsville Stars v. Tennessee Smokies

The Barons had the best season in their franchise's history, and were highlighted for most of the year by several propects that have since seen action with the White Sox, including Gordon Beckam and Tyler Flowers. The Suns seemed to be the hottest ticket in town this year, amidst rumors of the entire NFL Jaguars' home schedule being blacked out for the '09 season. Huntsville is going to be the lone representative for the Brewers in the playoffs at any level this season, and Tennessee is affiliated with the Cubs. The Brew Crew promoted 2008 first-round draft pick Brett Lawrie to AA a couple months ago as a DH to prepare him for international play, and he has flourished. The Stars' roster also features most of the Brewers' top organizational prospects, including 3B Taylor Green, C Jonathan Lucroy, and CF Lorenzo Cain.

Midwest League, low-A:
South Bend Silver Hawks v. Fort Wayne TinCaps
Great Lakes Loons v. West Michigan Whitecaps
Burlington Bees v. Kane County Cougars
Peoria Chiefs v. Cedar Rapids Kernels

The Midwest League Playoffs feature 8 of the 14 teams in the league playing three rounds. Fort Wayne will definitely be the team to beat. They enjoyed a 94-46 record at their new ballpark, including a 16-4 mark against their first-round matchup South Bend, and they had the best season of all minor league teams this year. The 2008 MWL champion Burlington Bees went a measely 64-79 this season, and are certainly enjoying the fruits of the large NBA-style playoff schedule as they look to defend their title. The players to watch in this postseason are batting champion Alexi Amarista of the Kernels, and league co-MVP Kyle Russell of the Loons, who led the MWL in homeruns and runs batted in.


Minor League playoffs are fun because they feature so many of MLB's rising stars, and are so hard to predict because of September call-ups. Players that remain on minor league posteason rosters are then often rewarded with a later call-up. Many of these players will just be bats off the bench or spot-relievers, but there are a few every year that make an immediate impact for contending teams, or fight for consideration for next year's roster on the teams that are out of the race. Some players, including ones I've listed, get called up even earlier out of necessity due to underperformance at the big-league level, or trades opening a roster spot. Tampa Bay's David Price last year, and then-Angel Francisco Rodriguez in 2002 immediately come to mind. Here's my potential 2009 class:

1. Alcides Escobar, SS, Milwaukee
2. Drew Stubbs, OF, Cincinnati
3. Matt LaPorta, OF, Cleveland
4. Cameron Maybin, OF, Florida
5. Kila Ka'aihue, 1B, Kansas City
6. Josh Thole, C, New York Mets
7. Garrett Jones, 1B, Pittsburgh
8. Buster Posey, C, San Francisco
9. Carlos Carrasco, P, Cleveland
10. Wade Davis, P, Tampa Bay

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.10:
Brewers 66-73, -17.0, -13.5 wild card (3 @ Diamondbacks, 4 @ Cubs, 3 v. Astros)
Reds 63-76, -18.5, -16.5 wild card (3 @ Cubs, 3 v. Astros, 4 v. Marlins)
Twins 70-69, -5.5 (3 v. Athletics, 3 v. Indians, 3 v. Tigers)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 41 (+21 worked)
Peter - 58

Day 24: Five Counties Stadium

All photos of Zebulon and Five Counties Stadium available on Flickr.

After spending the majority of first couple weeks of the trip visiting parks that we had already been to, yesterday brought us to rural North Carolina and Five Counties Stadium, home of the Double AA Carolina Mudcats. We left DC about 11 AM and enjoyed a leisurely drive through Virginia and North Carolina. We arrived in Zebulon, NC at 3:30 PM, almost 4 hours before first pitch. This left us plenty of time to explore the surrounding area. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see or do in tiny Zebulon. So, we grabbed a sixer of Miller Lite from Eckard's Drugstore and, despite the large 'No Tailgaiting' sign in the Mudcats parking lot, we had a tailgate. My friends Lyndsay and Tim made the drive up from Southern Pines to catch another game with us and they arrived at 6 PM, just as we were setting up our fundraising booth. The skies were threatening as we began our efforts but the rain managed to hold off until the 6th inning. We started out very successfully - getting a donation from nearly everyone we asked. Then the parking attendants started directing cars to other parts of the parking lot and they were able to walk into the stadium without passing us. We only raised $9 for the Wake County Habitat affiliate.

We bought discounted general admission tickets and headed into the game. One unique aspect of the Mudcats' stadium is that everything is fishing related. Tickets are called fishing Licenses, the concession stands are called Bait Shops, and the team store is known as the Tackle Box. The field is also very different from other parks because it has pretty standard dimensions, but has a 25' high wall all the way around. Also, there are only three rows of seats on the main level. The majority of the seats are in a steeply pitched grandstand that wraps from first to third base. The are also several sections of seats down the foul lines.

The game was another minor league pitchers duel. The Mudcats got a run in the 1st and another on a bases loaded walk in the 4th. They could have put up a much larger number in the 4th, but with 1 out and men on first and second, the third base coach chose to hold the runners at second and third on a base hit to right field. It looked like a promising inning would fizzle when the next batter struck out but then came the walk saving the third base coach some embarasement. At the end of the 5th inning, Lyndsay and Tim were chosen to take part in the Sonic Build-A-Burger contest. It was a close race between them and another couple until the other girl fell down picking up the bacon and Lyndsay raced to the finish. The Biscuits rallied to take the lead in the 6th, just as the rain began to fall on a 3-run homer by 1B Gabby Martinez. The inning was kept alive by the female home plate umpire. Twice with two outs the Mudcats pitcher appeared to stikeout the Biscuits batter, but she called both pitches balls. When the Mudcats manager came out to change pitchers he got in her face and was tossed. The Biscuits put the game beyond doubt with 3 more runs in the 8th.

After the game, with rain falling heavily, we hit the road to spend the night at Lyndsay's and Tim's in Southern Pines.

park stats and rankings:
aesthetics - 6 (pretty decent for minor leagues)
views from park - 2 (25' wall obstructs view)
view to field - 7 (close, but most are on 2nd deck)
surrounding area - 1
food variety - 5 (there seemed to be a decent mix, but we stuck with Dollar Dogs)
nachos - 8 (we did not get the nachos, but Lyndsay and Tim did and they looked delicious)
beer - 7 (bonus points for Icehouse on tap and souvenir beer cups)
vendor price - 9 (dollar dogs)
ticket price - 9
atmosphere - 3
walk to park - 2
parking price/proximity - 10
concourses - 6
team shop - 7

best food - all-beef Dollar Dogs
most unique stadium feature - Mudcats water tower
best jumbotron feature - Pitch Speed board featuring Muddy Mudcat in a seductive pose
best between-inning feature - Build-a-Burger race

field dimensions - 335/400/335
starters - Wade Davis (MON) v. Chris Seddon (CAR)
opponent - Montgomery Biscuits
time of game - 2:40
attendance - 3980
score - 7-2 L
Brewers score that day - 3-2 W