A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

williamsport pa

Summer of Baseball: Reliving youth at Little League Museum

As somebody who lives close to Cooperstown and visits the National Baseball Hall of Fame a few times a year, I know the best times to go to avoid the massive crowds.

Admission is cheap to the museum, and worth every dime.

Admission is cheap to the museum, and worth every dime.

It’s been through that practice that I’ve had the chance to enjoy the museum and all it has to offer. With that in mind, I often try and visit museums in off-months or off-hours, so I can kind of mimic that goal at each spot.

Therefore, I wondered what it would be like to visit the Little League Museum in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on a beautiful summer morning, on the Sunday following July 4.

Turns out it was perfect.

In a beautiful way to relive childhood, the Little League Museum gives visitors the chance to see the impressive history of Little League and is tastefully done. This isn’t a museum that has just been thrown together, rather it connects the history of the game and shows some wonderful items.

Let’s remember, too, that Little League is worldwide. So there are artifacts from all over, which really shows the history. The museum also delivers with it’s different age groups and softball, giving visitors the overall picture of what Little League was when it started and what it is today.

Mike Schmidt artifacts.

Mike Schmidt artifacts.

That’s pretty cool.

Two things truly stick out to me — how many items there are from Major Leaguers who played Little League and the interactive exhibits, which allow you to truly feel like a kid again.

I was excited, for example, to see some artifacts worn by Mike Schmidt when he was playing Little League in Ohio. There was also an autographed ball from Babe Ruth, but that was before Little League (him being a kid), so this was connected to something else. There were countless letters written and displayed, including major stars, Presidents, actors and others.

Pretty sweet.

The interactive area gives you the chance to do some different things, including testing your reactions on ground ball speed, catching a pitcher, timing you from home to first and seeing how high you can jump for a ball at the wall.

I did all but the running aspect as I wasn’t up for it that morning. I enjoyed each one and it’s really kind of cool to see these things working. I’ve been to many museums in my life, but I really do think this uniqueness is what pushes this museum over the top.

Some artifacts at the LL Museum.

Some artifacts at the LL Museum.

The tour took us probably about an hour or so, but I also like to take my time, look at things, take some photos and absorb it all. After the tour of the museum, it was time to tour the grounds.

Remember — the museum is located on the grounds where the famed Little League World Series takes place.

A short walk down the hill takes you Lamade Stadium, which is pretty cool to see up close. It’s still crazy to me that I went to college in neighboring Lock Haven and have never been to a LLWS game. But, by the time you read this, that should have changed as we had made plans for a day trip to watch some games.

It’s really nice to be able to walk around and see what it’s like without the hustle and bustle of everything.

After doing that and hiking back up the hill, it was back into the souvenir store where there are plenty of options for people to get things — and all at prices that are very affordable. You can’t go wrong there, just because of that.

It’s easy to get to, the parking (when we were there) wasn’t bad, but I could see where it could become harder. There seemed to be parking across the street, but the road in front of the museum is pretty busy.

The stop is well worth it, especially for baseball fans or anybody who has been involved in Little League.

Notes:

Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Visited on: July 6, 2014.

Ratings (out of 10):

  • Museum: 9
  • Souvenirs: 10
  • Parking: 8
  • Ambiance: 9
  • Friendliness: 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@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Summer of Baseball: Williamsport is a throwback

There’s something to be said about an old baseball park.

If you are a fan of the game, it’s definitely the way to go to watch. It’s a throwback of sorts. Many of you know that during my newspaper career, I covered a minor league baseball team. It was short-season Single A (so about a 72-game schedule, if I remember right) and I only covered the home games, so it wasn’t a full beat, so to speak.

But it was covering professional baseball during the summer.

Bowman Field is definitely and old-school feel and experience.

Bowman Field is definitely and old-school feel and experience.

The team played at an old, rickety ballpark built decades and decades ago. The team was bought in the 1960s by a group of locals and was still owned by two of them when I covered them. One was the figure head, the other was a partner who didn’t like to say much. Both were classy gentlemen. They were baseball people, though.

And that’s what it was about – watching baseball. But the stadium for those who weren’t fans of nostalgia and such usually didn’t like things much. No beer was served (one of only a couple teams who didn’t sell beer), there weren’t many on-field promotions and the mascot wasn’t always around.

It was baseball.

I’m a fan of such stadiums, usually. But I’m also one who still keeps a scorecard at each game, so I’m a little different as it is.

The team I used to cover was in the New York-Penn League, where older stadiums used to be a mainstay. In this day and age and as minor league baseball becomes a bit more mainstream, teams are looking for better and more current parks.

So getting to see some of these old stadiums is a must for me. They might all be a little rickety and such, but there’s the baseball feel. Bowman Field still maintains an ambiance like that, though there are parts that make it a little tougher.

Let’s take a look at the park.

One of the few places I've been this year that still charges for a program, but it's understandable at this level.

One of the few places I’ve been this year that still charges for a program, but it’s understandable at this level.

Bowman Field in Williamsport – for now – has stood the test of time. Built in 1926, it’s an old park in every sense of the word. There are pillars to sometimes peek around and the seating setup is that of an older park. It’s not to say it’s awful, but choosing your seat can definitely give you a better feel of the park. One set of bleachers, down the right-field line, wasn’t open. I spoke to one usher who noted that section had been closed for as long as he could remember.

It made me wonder why.

The press box is at the top of the stands behind the plate and is quite small. The safety netting goes around quite a bit of the field to save the crowd, which is fine. But, for whatever reason, the netting seemed to be a bit thicker than other places I’ve seen it.

The dugouts are also in a non-traditional spot as they are further down each line. That, of course, makes it a longer stroll for the players as they come to bat or head out onto the field.

The field, itself, has the feel of an older one. The advertising boards in the outfield seem to fit a nostalgic stadium, and the rest of the aura made me feel like we went slightly back in time. Parking is available for free, or in one part, for a fee. People cram into the area for parking though, which definitely give an old NY-Penn League feel.

The sight lines are OK, but there are beams, of course, if under the grandstand. If I ever went back to watch a game, I think I’d make sure I got one of the closer box seats as I believe it would be a lot better to watch a game from there.

The concessions seemed decent. We had eaten at a brew pub before coming to the game, so I didn’t dabble in much. The beer selection was on the weaker side and the hot dog I had was of normal ballpark feel and taste. The souvenir store was actually pretty solid for a small team and I walked away with a t-shirt.

It’s a stadium I’ve long wanted to see and I’m glad I had the chance to see it.

Park Notes:

Bowman Field
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Home of the Williamsport Crosscutters (Short-season A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies)
Visited on: July 5, 2014.
Opponents: Auburn Doubledays (Short-season A affiliate of the Washington Nationals)

Ratings (out of 10):

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

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@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!