Jim Bouton, Bryce Harper, and Beer

A funny thing happened at my local ballpark the other day.

Jim Bouton tossed the first pitch! I thought that was pretty cool. I also thought it was a bit odd that my favorite team, the Lexington Legends, did not mention Jim's appearance on their web site.

Sure, there was a mention that National's prospect Bryce Harper would be there. In fact, there were adds in the paper about it.

Don't get me wrong, seeing big name prospects is a big reason to to see a minor league game. It is one of the reasons I go to a lot of games.

But come on, there should be some mention of Bouton at the park, right?

They did announce at the start of the game that he would be selling and signing his book for the first few innings.

I went to find the author/pitcher. I was pleased to see a huge line of young people waiting around.
WOW! I figured thats pretty cool! Some young baseball fans (they looked to be college aged) going to pick up a copy of "Ball Four!" How cool is that?

Then I remembered, it was $1 beer night. The kids weren't in line to meet Bouton, they were there for cheap beer.

I walked right up to Jim and bought a new copy his book, and he kindly signed it. There was no line. I did see people coming up after me to buy books though.

I DID email the Legends about the lack of promoting Jim Bouton's appearance.

The Legends are a classy group, and they let me know that THEY only knew about his appearance a few hours before the game themselves. They said that they wished they had known sooner so that they could have promoted it!

So, after getting that email, I sort of looked at things a little differently. For the price of a ticket on this night, a baseball fan could go to the park expecting $1 drinks and baseball prospects. Seeing Jim Bouton was an unadvertised bonus.

Turner Field- Atlanta, GA.

For $12 you can tour Turner Field in Atlanta! I think thats pretty cool.

We stopped by for the tour on our way to Florida.

The Braves are a pretty classy organization. The tours are walk up and pretty much hassle free.

I love it when a park makes it easy for you to check things out, even on a non-game day.

The tour includes admission to the Braves Museum (see my other post). Also, the tour was thorough, including visits through the suites, dugout, and the field.

I love it when I get one of those cool old timers as a tour guide. You know, the guys who know everything about baseball. Well, for this tour, our guide was young, but still knew a lot about the team and the park. I was pleasantly surprised.

In fact, all of the staff here when we went were great. There was a friendly attendant in the parking lot keeping an eye on things (I like that kind of security).

Atlanta Braves Museum and Hall of Fame

Wild Pitches

Man, the season is here again! I get so fidgety right before the season starts.

There is so much going on right now, it is a good time to be a baseball fan. Well, except here in Lexington- rain has affected baseball in town.

Still, I am glad the season is going again.

I am excited about seeing some new parks, some prospects, and seeing some parks I visit about once a year. There are some great day and weekend trip baseball towns in and around the state. Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana the Virginias and Carolinas all come to mind for me.

Most towns that have a minor league team also have great museums, restaurants, and other attractions. Go see a game somewhere this weekend!

Tropicana Field

ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex- Florida

http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/

Osceola County Stadium, FL

We took a moment to catch the Astros playing the Tigers this sprint training, at the Astros facility in Kissimmee.

We had a very nice experience at this park, as it only hold 5300 and it feels very comfortable, while a bit minimal.

The promo for this game was a dog and coke with every ticket which was a treat! Oddly, though the park belonged to the Astros, there seemed to be more fan support for the Tigers. That is spring training. The park had a more casual feel than some, so we felt comfortable venturing out and watching the game at different angles.

Space Coast Stadium Florida

Steinbrenner Field- Tampa, FL.

Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is impressive! In fact, the park, and the vibe had a much more major league feel than a minor league park feel.

Then again, this is the New York Yankees spring training home!

Like I said, you would not guess that the park is the regular season home to the single A Tampa Yankees. If you did not know, you would automatically assume that a triple-A team plays here. I guess thats just how the Yankees do things.

We had a lot of fun here and enjoyed the Yankees vibe.

We parked at the football Buccaneer's NFL stadium parking lot, and took a pedestrian bridge over to this park. The gift shop and food vendors were hoppin' but there were plenty of them, so it was easy to get a beverage, or a shirt.

We had a lot of friendly people around us too which was cool.

I have included a couple of pictures from the ped bridge (showing the football stadium and the road), and one of the bridge.

Wild Pitches

So, I recently got back from a spring training road trip to Florida! I had a lot of fun. I actually got to see several games, stopped at a few parks, and took in the sights around Florida.

See my other blog about some of the other roadside attractions we were able to see. I am still thinking about the trip.

This was my first time doing spring training in Florida, and the obvious comparison to Arizona comes up. We visited probably the same number of parks in each state.

For now, I have to say the edge goes to Arizona. it is close though. We felt that staff at the parks in Arizona were a bit more fan friendly than in Florida.

Sure, you are in minor league parks, but they still have a major league vibe going on. We felt that, in the Cactus League, the feel was just more relaxed.

Let me give a quick comparison. We stopped at the Peoria Sports Complex one morning in Arizona. No games were scheduled at that time, but we thought we would stop by for the heck of it.

There were some great, talkative old timers running the gift shop who just seemed happy to be there. They encouraged us to go check out the minor leaguers training that day. We had a great time talking to the guys around the park and in the gift shop. One of the Padres minor league coaches came over and asked us how we were doing! We had a similarly nice experience at Tempe Diablo Stadium before an Angels game.

We had some great experiences in Florida too, and I will write about those as I review the parks we visited, but the mood was more "big league" than in Arizona.

In Florida, we stopped at Space Coast Stadium on a non-game day. The staff there almost seemed confused that people showed up on an off day. Sure, I know that a lot is going on and all, but I think the Nationals of all people should be happy anyone shows up anytime.

As I was in Florida, some things felt off too. I saw a lot of Ohio plates! I know when the Indians and the Reds moved to Arizona I felt it was a great fit, but I am not so sure now. Especially after reading about attendance to their games this season.

Hank Presswood- Cleveland Buckeyes

Hank Presswood had a great career in professional baseball. PLUS, he served in the army for his country! He played for four years with the Cleveland Buckeyes and the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. He says that playing for the Cleveland Buckeyes was the best thing that happened to him!

Limeport Stadium

Jimmie Schaffer, mentioned in an earlier post, sent me a flyer about an amateur park where he volunteers in Limeport, PA!

Limeport Stadium is called, "The Field of Dreams" by locals, and it is packed with history! The flyer notes that it has changed little since being built over 75 years ago. It was built to resemble the old Connie Mack Stadium of the Phillies, and it is in Lehigh County (a GREAT area for a baseball road trip!).

The green fold down seats at this facility are original, installed the night before it's first game!

Few updates have been added other than a PA system, an electronic score board, and lights.

The flyer claims that the park has the deepest outfield in all of baseball (pro or am) standing 485 feet from home plate! Alex Sabo is the only player to have hit the ball over that fence. He would go on to play with the Senators.

Over 100 games are still played here each year.

I am going to have to visit this park next time I see the Iron Pigs! Seriously, this will be a great baseball pilgrimage this year! You have the Phillies and Iron Pigs in the area... and this great over looked field!

http://limeportstadium.org/

Book: Carew- Rod Carew

I read Rod Carew's book recently.

Rod's career was over by the time I became interested in baseball as a kid. I remember following Rose, and Gooden, like every other kid in the 80s. Later on you read up about Mantle, Ruth, Clemente, Cobb and others. Carew was still around in baseball, but not playing. You could almost look at him as an underrated legend.

Anyway, I was glad to read this book to learn some about him! This is a fun, and a bit unusual read. The edition I read was written towards the end of his career, and he talks a lot about other players, managers, his personal life, etc. He adds an afterwards at the end of the updated edition.

The oddest point in the book is Rod's endorsement of tobacco! It is a little strange, but at least he is being honest.


Sometimes, an afterwards fits awkwardly in a book. That is the case here. Rod's daughter Michelle dies of leukemia and he says that his marriage ended. This is very sad because, in the book, his family seems so supportive and together. Obviously the story of his daughter's death is very sad.

Still, hearing about that early Twins team and Rod Carew's climbing the baseball ladder through hard work and a good attitude is fun to read about.

Bob Meyer 1964-1970 Major Leaguer

Bob Meyer spent a few years in the majors, starting in 1964 and ending in 1970. He played for the Yankees, Angels, Kansas City Athletics, the Seattle Pilots, and Brewers.

He sent some great info recently on his very interesting career!

Early in his career, Bob was compared to Sandy Koufax by Whitey Ford, and he also got some great compliments from Yogi Berra! He actually pitched against Sandy in an exhibition game in 1964.

Bob has the rare distinction of loosing a one-hitter, while the opposing pitcher, Frank Bertaina won- also on a one-hitter!

Bob talks about being on a great pitching staff with the 64 Angels (the Yankees traded him to LA).

I love all of the history of the minor leagues. I am especially fascinated with the legendary team, the Hawaii Islanders (Dave Baldwin talks a lot about that team in his book, "Snake Jazz" mentioned on this site). Bob Meyer pitched the first no hitter in the history of Hawaii Stadium as a member of the opposing Vancouver Mounties. He mentions that Al Michaels was calling games for the Islanders at that time!

Thanks for all of the fnu info Bob!

Postcard: Comisky Park, Chicago

"The home of the Chicago White Sox, Comisky Park has a seating capacity of over 60,000 people. It is located on 35th Street and Shields Avenue on the South Side of Chicago."

Wild Pitches

I am not sure if you have heard about the spring training accident involving Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar. Obviously, it looks like things could have been a lot worse.

Please take a moment to read about Luis. Here is a great article from the Braves site:

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110317&content_id=16996920&vkey=news_atl&c_id=atl#

Mike Vail 75-84 Major Leaguer

Mike Vail played in the majors for 7 different teams over 9 years. Mr. Vail took a moment to answer some questions for me recently.

He told me that his favorite major league teams were the Mets, Cubs, and Dodgers. His favorite teams in the minors were the Tidewater Tides and the Reno Silver Sox.

His favorite players include John Bench, Tom Seaver, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Clemente, and Ducky Medwick.

He mentions that Seaver had the best fastball he had ever seen. He also tells me that Ducky Medwick taught him how to hit in the majors.

I asked him specifically about playing with the Portland Beavers. Mike tell sme that he played with them in the PCL during a comeback period. Some, he says, felt he was washed up. He ended up leading the league and ended up in Chicago for 3 years.

Al Raffo- 1969 Phillies

Al Raffo played for the Phillies in 1969. He let me know a great story recently.

"In my only win as a 27 year old rookie, I came to bat with the bases loaded" he tells me.

Jim Bunning was pitching for the opposing team, the Pirates at Forbes Field.

Al drove in 2 runs!

When Al proudly returned to the dugout, he said to Bob Skinner, his manager, Pretty good hit, huh Skip?"

Skinner mentioned that he noticed Al's backside "in the dugout."

Mr. Raffo notes that his manager obviously noticed that Al was nervous, and backing away as he hit the ball.

"However, I'll have you know, that later I also squeezed the runner on 3rd in and managed to pick off the newly acquired Freddie Patek on 1st!"

Al's closing comment is, "How do you like them apples, Skip?!!"

John Grubb- 1972-1987 Major Leaguer

John Grubb played for the Padres in 1972-1976. He spent 1977 and part of 1978 with the Cleveland Indians, and spent 1978-1982 with the Rangers. From 1983-1987 He was in Detroit.

I asked him recently about his very brief time in the minors, especially in 1986 when he played with the Nashville Sounds.

He says that he played there briefly while rehabbing from a shoulder injury. He said it was a nice place, but he was glad to be back in Detroit.

Concerning Kentucky, he says that his oldest son, Chris, went to UK and still follows them closely.

Jimmie Schaffer- 1961-1968 Major Leaguer

I got a great note from Jimmie Schaffer!

Jimmie has a couple of cool connections to Kentucky. He played his first AAA game in 1959 in Louisville as a member of the Omaha Cardinals playing against the Colonels.

He played there again in 1970 while playing with Rochester. He says that he enjoyed his visits to the bat company!

He also lived in Covington while playing for the Reds in 1968!

Jimmie managed in the Orioles minor league system, and got to know Blake Doyle who is from Cave City!

Mr. Schaffer says that he is a Phillies fan, as he played there a short time and he lives very close. He mentions that Allentown has their AAA team too!

Jimmie says that, these days, he spends a lot of time working in Limeport PA at the Limeport Stadium! He volunteers time there to help maintain the park! He sent a nice brochure on it too!

Wild Pitches

OK, so spring training is going on right now! I know, you are also excited about finally seeing some games again! It was a long winter.

For some reason, it seems that all of the sports radio and TV shows are still talking about football! ARGH!

I guess there is just more interest in that sport right now.

Still, lots going on. There is a new team in the Frontier League out of Illinois. That is exciting! I love that league.

One thing I miss about living in a major league city is the coverage of the team. I remember in Cleveland, one station had people at spring training covering the games, and interestingly, the atmosphere.

Still, I am glad that baseball is happening right now!

Ted Savage- 1962-1971 Major Leaguer

Ted Savage played for 7 different teams during an almost 10 year career in the majors. He sent me a very nice note recently.

Sometimes, short letters pack a big punch! This was one of those notes.

He talked about all of the greats he played with or against. He named Rose, Clemente, Mays, Gibson, Flood, Brock, and Mudcat Grant, "just to name a few."

Concerning Kentucky and playing in Louisville, he gives an honest story. He was playing for the Buffalo Bisons in 1961, and the team beat Louisville in the championship. He says the black players were not allowed to celebrate downtown.

Garry Roggenburk- Pilots and Twins

Garry Roggenburk played for the Twins at various points during the 60s, and he played with the Pilots during their year.

I asked him about playing in Kentucky. He said that he enjoyed playing for the AAA Louisville Colonels when they were the top Red Sox farm team.

He says that he also played college basketball for the University of Dayton from 1958-1962. At that time, he played against the Louisville Colonels basketball team.