A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

summer of baseball

Summer of Baseball: Manchester is about the game

Manchester, New Hampshire.

Manchester, New Hampshire.

Manchester, New Hampshire.

I can’t say I’ve ever been here before and, honestly, I wasn’t sure why this was an attractive place to go watch a game, outside the fact that it would make for a good weekend trip to see a couple of games.

Originally, this trip was scheduled for the Fourth of July Weekend, with one game here and one in Connecticut. Bad weather forced that trip to be changed (which worked out well as it landed this tour in State College that weekend and it was a fantastic fireworks show), but I had already purchased tickets for Manchester.

So when the game was rained out, I had the chance to get new tickets. On a weekend in early August, Manchester called again to see the New Hampshire Fisher Cats play Reading, the Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

Score.

Opened in 2005, Northeast Delta Dental Stadium is an interesting place to see a game. Being in the middle of the city, the parking is pretty crappy. In fact, we paid $10 to park in this one lot and we got squished into a silly spot. I think the tickets were $12 each, or something like that. So, basically, we paid an extra seat to park. Now, I realize there was street parking elsewhere for free. The issue was not knowing the area, so we went with a lot. Parking, though, is not a positive for this place.

The stadium from the outside is pretty interesting, especially how it’s tucked in to the area. It’s not a bad looking stadium by any means. In left field, there’s a hotel overlooking the field. The concourse wraps the backside of the field and there’s a little into left field. You don’t miss much if you get up and walk around a little. There’s an interesting bar in the left-field area. Though I didn’t go in, it’s pretty nice and roomy.

There are a couple of souvenir stores — one a bigger one that is downstairs, before you walk up to get into the field, and the other off the concourse. Prices were pretty decent and the main store offered a lot of items.

Keeping book.

Keeping book.

Concessions at the stadium was pretty decent. That being said, we had eaten before coming, so we didn’t really dabble in a lot. The normal ballpark fare was here, but what was nice was soft ice cream. For whatever reason, it seems to be getting harder and harder to find this at stadiums. This place had it. And I got it later in the evening (we were there for a double header) and had no lines. I did, of course, have a hot dog, too, and it was good. One thing to point out is that there is a solid selection of beers here. Concession prices were decent.

A side note for those who keep their own scorecard — the Fisher Cats, if you go to fan relations (on the concourse) offer pre-printed cards with the lineup free of charge. It’s very nice to have, especially when you bring your own book, like I do. It’s much easier to copy off that than standing in front of the lineup board to by taking a photo and reading it off a phone.

One thing, though, is the stadium didn’t stand out. The floors for the seats were metal, so it could get loud if people were walking around. The seats had plenty of space, which is nice. But it’s the same sort of stadium you can see in many places. Overall, it’s a solid stadium with good sight lines and a decent place to watch a game. You could find worse places to watch a game, that’s for sure. However, I’m not sure I would make a specific trip just to see this stadium, but if you can plan it with other reasons to be here, it’s worth catching a game.

Park Notes:  

Northeast Delta Dental Stadium
Manchester, New Hampshire
Home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays)
Visited on: Friday, August 1, 2014
Opponent: Reading Fightin Phils (AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies)

Ratings (out of 10)

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

I am embarking on a summer of baseball with the plan to hit a minimum of 10 stadiums this summer. Hopefully, there will be more than that. I will report on each park that I hit on the blog.

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

Summer of Baseball: Tri-City a fine place to catch a game

A summer trip to “The Joe” is definitely worthwhile, especially if you are within short distance of New York’s Capital Region.

Joseph L. Bruno Stadium sits on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College. It’s not what you would think about when you think of a community college stadium or one where a short-season Single-A team plays, that’s for sure.

A night of ball at The Joe!

A night of ball at The Joe!

Opened in 2002, the stadium is open-style, with a concourse that goes around the bulk of the stadium. There was spots to watch the game from the outfield and the main seating is fold-down plastic seats. There’s really not a bad place to watch a game, that’s for sure.

My first viewing of this stadium came several years ago, when I was still covering pro baseball for a local newspaper. The season before, the team I covered has been quite successful, so I got to head up the interstate to cover the opener at Tri-City. It was one of only two times I ever got to travel to cover the team, so it was pretty cool.

More than that, though, was liking the stadium. I walked around some, I peeked at what there was to offer. The press area was nice and they took care of you. But, even more so, was the overall stadium. What a feel for a game. They draw good crowds. They have a good announcer. There’s something for everybody.

I had the chance to visit two times this year, once for the Summer of Baseball Tour, and a second time as my final game of the year when I went up for the final game of the New York-Penn League Championship. The atmosphere was similar each time, though the wind as taken out of the home team’s sails in the first inning of the championship when State College scored nine runs.

When you come into the stadium, the team store is on your right. The store has a lot of goodies and the prices are pretty good. Walking into the main area, you’re greeted by a customer service area (where, if it’s your first game, you can get a button). There’s lineups on the wall nearby and each  baseline has a plethora of concessions to offer. There’s the normal ballpark fare, then a pizza station and a taco stand, local beers and more. So there are some pretty good offers. I didn’t see soft ice cream, though, which always gets to me as I’d rather just have a soft serve cone than hard ice cream, especially at a game.

Everything I need at a game!

Everything I need at a game!

And like many newer parks, if you get up to visit a concession stand, you can see the field. The big scoreboard in right field is nice to keep track of things, too.

At the first game we attending, one friend caught a foul ball, so that was cool. The second game I went solo, so I just relaxed with my scorebook and watched the Spikes win the championship.

Parking, too, is plentiful — and free. This is also another stadium that gives programs away for free, which is always welcome. The atmosphere is nice and everybody I dealt with was extremely friendly and helpful when needed. If I lived in the Capital Region, I’d likely be a season ticket holder as it’s a great sport to watch baseball. If you are a baseball fan and are in the area, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Park Notes:  

Joseph L. Bruno Stadium — “The Joe”
Troy, New York
Home of the Tri-City Valley Cats (short-season Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros)
Visited on: Friday, July 25 and Monday, September 8
Opponent: Staten Island Yankees (short-season Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees) and the State College Spikes (short-season Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals)

Ratings (out of 10)

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

I am embarking on a summer of baseball with the plan to hit a minimum of 10 stadiums this summer. Hopefully, there will be more than that. I will report on each park that I hit on the blog.

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

Summer of Baseball: Philly is a great place to see MLB action

The Bank.

The Bank.

Ahhh Philadelphia … the City of Brotherly Love.

It’s the city where my parents grew up and where I still have a lot of family. And, it’s also the home of the Philadelphia Phillies – my favorite MLB team.

I usually try and get down to see a game or two each summer at Citizens Bank Park. It’s a great place to watch a game as the park features an open concourse and seating that is extremely fan friendly. The lone time I didn’t like my seat was one year we went and were stuck out in centerfield – and the seats just weren’t great for watching a game – at least on that day.

My first MLB game in my Eephus League Halfliner.

My first MLB game in my Eephus League Halfliner.

This year’s trip was done at the last second. In fact, a minor league game had been being planned but when Cole Hamels and Stephen Strasburg were scheduled to face off.

Score!

Tickets were soon purchased and we did this as a day trip. The seats we had were awesome, pretty much just off to the right side of home plate and on the first level. Needless to say, in all of the trips I’ve made to Citizens Bank Park, these were probably the best seats I’ve had.

Anyway, back to the park.

Like many major league stadiums, the parking is simple and the stadium is close to major highways. I got tickets through Stub Hub, which included a parking pass. Therefore, we didn’t have to pay for the parking. That being said, it’s like many other big-league places – there are big-league prices. Parking, if I remember right, was $15. That’s pretty steep, especially in a complex that includes the home of Philly’s NFL, NBA and NHL teams.

Mmm crab fries!

Mmm crab fries!

The stadium offers many things for fans of all ages. There’s a fine selection of food (including Bulls BBQ, cheese steaks, the normal ballpark fare and Chickie and Pete’s famous crab fries). The beer selection is pretty solid, too, considering each small stand had a different choice. There are microbrews and your everyday beers, too. So it’s nice. Prices for those are pretty normal for a MLB park.

Obviously, souvenir stands and the team store are well-stocked. The prices are what you would expect, but there aren’t many things you couldn’t get there. When I make my trip down, I usually pick up a program and the media guide for the year and it’s usually quite affordable. Sometimes, I’ll walk out with a hat or something as well. This year I didn’t leave with much, but prices were all pretty normal for what you’d see at places like this.

For the most part, it’s a friendly park. But, like any place with so many people working, there are those who are a little more “business-like” in their approach. The vendors are usually quite easy to get along with and customer service always does quite well when I’ve needed to use them.

Play ball!

Play ball!

It’s an easy park to navigate. No matter where you are, you can see the action. There is also a running “counter” around the park, so if you are eating and can find a spot, you can stand at the back of the seats and watch before heading back to your seat.

It’s definitely a modern stadium. Like many newer ones (Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004), it has an old-time feel with many modern amenities. You’re brought closer to the action, too, which is nice. But in the end, it’s not cheap to go to an MLB game, but this spot is well worth the trip.

Park Notes:  

Citizens Bank Park
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Home of the Philadelphia Phillies
Visited on: Saturday, July 12.
Opponent: Washington Nationals

Ratings (out of 10)

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

I am embarking on a summer of baseball with the plan to hit a minimum of 10 stadiums this summer. Hopefully, there will be more than that. I will report on each park that I hit on the blog.

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

Summer of Baseball: Passport is good addition to travels

One of my filled out pages. I don't put a ton of stuff in the notes, rather items of interest to me.

One of my filled out pages. I don’t put a ton of stuff in the notes, rather items of interest to me.

I love passport programs.

Basically, programs that give you a passport and you have to collect stamps for yourself or to complete a challenge. It’s a good concept, in theory, because it gets people out doing things to collect said stamps.

In my actual passport, I only have one stamp – Ireland. When I went into the Bahamas last year on a cruise, I couldn’t find where they would stamp at one of the ports, which is too bad as I really would have liked to have had it done.

The Minor League Baseball Passport.

The Minor League Baseball Passport.

But I digress.

One passport program I am in is the National Park program. There you have a passport and when you visit parks, you can get to certain spots and get a stamp. It’s a really cool program and I’ve blogged about it in the past.

The newest one is even cooler – baseball.

When at a recent game, I discovered this minor league baseball passport. It has 25 spots for you to get stamps from parks you visit and write in any details about the game. Though I keep a scorebook at games I go to, this is a new way to keep track of places I’ve been.

I first saw this passport at a game in Allentown (Lehigh Valley IronPigs), but one wasn’t open. I ended up not buying it because I didn’t want purchase it and find out a bunch of places I planned on hitting up this year didn’t have the stamp available. So, I skipped. I checked at the next stadium and they had no idea what I was talking about.

Then, I hit up Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and they had it – and had one unwrapped. That was huge because it allowed me to see the list of teams who were involved with this program and a lot of the places I hope to hit this year are on it, so I bought it.

A blank page in the passport.

A blank page in the passport.

Score!

Of course, they stamped my passport there and my first game is in the book. What’s nice is I plan on hitting several more stadiums this summer, so it will be nice to get them stamped (as long as the teams still have the stamps etc.) and to get some of it filled up. And though I’ll probably hit places more than once this summer, I’ll only stamp once so I can keep it as a record of stadiums I’ve hit.

There, apparently, is a Major League one, too. However, I’m not sure I would get that one because I don’t go to MLB games, outside of Philadelphia, too often. So I thought the minor league version would work best for me.

It’s disappointing I didn’t know about this at the beginning of the year as there’s at least one stadium I won’t be back to this year… but maybe next year. Still, it will be a cool item to see if I can slowly fill up and look back at in years to come.

At a recent game, a couple asked me about the passport as I was getting it stamped. It’s definitely something that fans can get into using. Every stadium I have gone to, so far, has the stamp and stamped my passport. Not everybody appears to know about it, but those who need to know do.

I did notice that several places didn’t have places to get a stamp (though the majority of the minors seem to be in there). I can’t imagine it costs all that much to have the stamp made, so it baffles me that a minor league team would skip it. In the same light, it appears the originator of this program didn’t include independent league teams, which is a real shame. Independent teams do a lot with customer service and fan promotions, so I have a hard time believing an independent team wouldn’t jump on this.

A stamp from one of the parks.

A stamp from one of the parks.

My only other issue with this passport is not being able to find an active list of participating teams on the website. It’s marketing 101 – if I want somebody to buy it, I need to answer every question I think they might have. As a consumer, my first question was – where will this be stamped? I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just AAA teams with a few lower-level teams in. This way, too, if one was to reach out to minor league teams, it could be noted and updated on the website.

But, overall, I am pretty pleased with the passport and I look forward to filling it up and maybe even getting a second one!

You can find more information about the Minor League Passport at its website.

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