If I could be serious for just a moment, I’d like to say that I have a new favorite minor league baseball park now. Bragan Field, at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville is my new favorite minor league ballpark, after spending an evening down there, initially spent to retrieve bobbleheads, but discovering that it’s actually a fantastic place to watch baseball too.
Sure, it was only ten outs worth of baseball that I actually watched, but it still counts! I was there for a little while well before the first pitch, so as far as I’m concerned, with a small minor league park like Hickory’s L.P. Frans Stadium, it was more than enough time to get to look around and see all of the place.
What I mean by “Ten outs in Hickory,” means that I literally only stayed at the game for ten outs being recorded. In other words, my brother and I stuck around the game for just a little bit over one inning of a nine inning game, before leaving. This was also after driving 2.5 hours from Raleigh to get to Hickory.
This is the kind of shit why I always “joke” about being the worst baseball fan in the world. I drove 2.5 hours to Hickory, because they were giving out a Chipper Jones bobblehead, that I really wanted. As for the game itself, I honestly didn’t really care about it, and after walking around the small minor league park, I felt that I had gotten enough feel for the place.
Continue reading “Photos: Ten outs in Hickory, North Carolina”
One of the best things about my baseball travels is that it gives me a legitimate excuse to visit places that I never really thought I’d ever visit. I mean seriously, I don’t know anyone in Detroit, there’s not really any particular motivation for me to go to Detroit, but because there’s a Major League Baseball park in Detroit, it gives me a reason. And that’s really all the little push I need, because sure I’m going to go see the ballpark, but obviously, I’m going to take in as much as I can otherwise, while I’m there.
As far as day trips go, this was the smoothest one I’ve had in ages, possibly ever, as I’ve already mentioned previously. Detroit itself is indeed the gritty, blue-collar, kind of rough-around-the-edges kind of city that people often use to describe it, usually in exaggerated jest though. It helped that it was a picture perfect day when I went, because seriously, I’d have second thoughts about wandering around the place at night. But for what it was worth, I had an enjoyable time wandering around the urban sprawl that was Detroit’s general Downtown and eventual Greektown areas. There really is that gritty blue-collar feel about the city, but as cliched as it sounds, in spite of how run down certain blocks looked, it legitimately feels like there’s still some fight left in the place.
My latest baseball journeys took me to Detroit, Michigan, where I was able to get in a game at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, and officially ballpark #23 out of the 30 Major League Baseball cities. Despite the fact that the Atlanta Braves are winless every time I go to see them play for the first time in other cities, the rareness of the Braves playing in Detroit compelled me to make the trip regardless, and if there’s one thing about baseball, it’s that salvation is always potentially the next game.
The following camera dump is the remainder of the photographs I took whilst out in Colorado. The second day of my trip, I ventured out to Colorado Springs with the main objective being the minor league park located there. But at the same time, it was a good excuse to see the world a little bit, and I wandered about Colorado Springs to see what this city had to offer.
Beautiful nature, that was for sure; I found a place called “The Garden of Gods,” and there was no way I couldn’t check it out. Although I probably only saw about a thirtieth of the place, I still spent some time walking and hiking some of their trails, and took in some of the mountainous sights. And before I headed back into suburbia to see the ballpark, I passed through Old Colorado City, an old town that I honestly do not know the historical significance of.
Yeah, I know, gushing about how awesome a day was, is so 2001 brogging. But it occurs to me just how rare it is that I find myself having what seems to be a genuinely good day; not to sound overly pessimistic, it just really does feel that way to me.
Anyway, I made a day trip up to Detroit, to catch a baseball game. And anyone who’s paying attention should know by now that “going to go see a baseball game” usually entails going to see the city. That being said, I had never been to Detroit, let alone Michigan in my entire life, and a baseball game was as good as excuse as any to tackle two goals at the same time.
Eventually, I’ll update my baseball parks page with the ballpark I went to watch the Braves lose in this time, but I just can’t really get over how smooth of a day everything went for me. I ain’t even mad that the Braves lost. I ain’t even mad that I had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. in order to make this day even happen. Everything else just went so well, that it’s put me in a fantastic mood.
