2021 California League Tour -- San Jose Giants

    On September 12, I was at Excite Ballpark in San Jose to see the Giants against the Stockton Ports.  Formerly named San Jose Municipal Stadium, the park was built in 1941 as a WPA project.  

    This is the outside of the ballpark as you approach the entrance -- it is a busy hodge-podge of pictures and signs everywhere.  And it is all just a glimpse of what awaits you inside.  Walk inside the park and it is part carnival, part museum, history, humor and outstanding baseball.  Not to take a thing away from the other California League teams -- I truly enjoyed all the stadiums and games -- but San Jose is on another level.  Excite Ballpark is, far and away, the best experience in the California League.  

    As you enter the stadium, you are greeted by a long concourse wall which, like about every wall in the stadium, is covered with signs, sayings, and hand -written notes. As with other stadiums, there are the line-ups for the night's game and league standings all hand-written.  The starting pitchers are listed under the title "On the Bump."   

    An opposing batter is chosen each game as the "Beer Batter" and his name is written on the concourse wall.  When the Beer Batter is up at bat, "Beer Barrel Polka" blares over the PA system and the crowd yells "Beer Batter."  If the Giants pitcher strikes out the Beer Batter, then for the next 15 minutes, Beer is half priced.  I did not see a Beer Batter strike out, but I did see one go to two strikes, which caused fans to get out of their seats and edge toward the aisles hoping to race to the beer line.

    I felt closer to the game than at other stadiums.  Maybe that is because it is an older stadium.  This is the view I had from my seats in the upper level behind home plate. Very pleasant place to see a game. And I do like the advertising on the outfield walls.  

    

    Gigante, the San Jose Giants was on hand to give us a fist bump.

    The BBQ at Turkey Mike's was outstanding for baseball park fare.  I don't know if it is world famous, but it is good.  I got some BBQ right off the grill and then enjoyed it in a seating area along the third base line.  Really good food has a way of elevating the whole experience.

    They don't let any walls go untouched.  Quotes from baseball greats and celebrities on most every otherwise empty wall. There's a Yogi Berra quote: "You better cut the pizza into four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."  There is a floor to ceiling poster with all the words from "Casey at the Bat, A Ballad of the Republic sung in the Year 1888" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. There's a Tallulah Bankhead quote comparing Willie Shakespeare to Willie Mays, and on and on. Like other minor league parks, there is a long list of former San Jose players who made it to the major leagues.  San Jose goes a bit extra with this in listing all former San Jose players who are World Series champions. Just walking the stadium concourse was fun in itself.  

    I am sure San Jose has plenty to see. But, I was coming up from LA for the game and driving through the Central Valley, which is John Steinbeck country. So, instead of seeing what San Jose had to offer, I stopped at Salinas to take in the National Steinbeck Center. Revisiting Steinbeck's writing and historic downtown Salinas was the perfect warm up for farm league baseball at a quirky San Jose ballpark built in 1941 as a public works project.  

 

2021 California League Tour - Inland Empire 66'ers

    On September 8 we travelled to San Bernardino to see the Inland Empire 66'ers play the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.  It was Angeles vs. Dodgers with the Dodgers' farm teamers winning 8-7.  My daughter joined me for a trip out to the IE to see the game.  I think we both had a great time.  

    The 66'ers play at San Manuel Stadium.  The stadium opened in 1996 and seats 8,000.  Unlike the Lake Elsinore and Rancho Cucamonga stadiums, San Manuel has a rather tired feel to it.  But it is number 4 of 31 things to do in San Bernardino.  

    Our seats were fantastic --right behind home plate.  This was our view.  A number of scouts sat in the vicinity following the game with their laptops open.  

    We were at the stadium on a Waggin Wednesday promotion and a surprising number of people had brought their dogs.  People and dogs hung out in a designated grassy area down the left field line.  This is the pup shack trailer, which bills itself as a food truck for dogs.  From their website: "We serve doggie style street food, handcrafted treats & made to order dog birthday cakes."  All that and baseball too!

 

    This is Bernie, the Hardest Working Mascot in the California League.  That's my opinion anyway. 

    Bernie has been part of the team since 2000 and appears at all 66'er's home games.  He also does community events throughout the year.   It was sweltering hot during the whole game. But, Bernie was nonstop, leading kids in on-field games between innings, dancing on the dugouts and working the stands.  I caught up with him in the concourse where, after grabbing some water, he was his energetic and engaging self.  
 

2021 California Leage Tour -- Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

    On August 17, I was in Rancho Cucamonga to see the Quakes play the visiting San Jose Giants.  The Quakes are the Dodgers' low A affiliate minor league team.  

    This was the view from my seat on the second level behind home plate.  The scene here is one that has been repeated millions of times across the country and never gets old. Players and fans facing the flag over the outfield fence while a local talent signs the National Anthem.  When she was younger, my favorite photographer was part of a kids' choir that sang the Anthem at Quakes game. In fact, yesterday, the Quakes held auditions for anyone interested in singing the National Anthem before a game.

    I will always think of the stadium as the Epicenter, but was renamed LoanMart Field.  The stadium opened in 1993 and is part of a recreation complex that includes softball diamonds and an enclosed soccer facility named Goals.  The Quakes team is owned by a group that includes Hall of Famer George Brett.  I have been to the stadium many times and it is always a great experience.  

    We got a fist bump from Tremor the Rallysaurus. Tremor and his sometime sidekick Aftershock always put on a good show.  

    The stadium concourse has areas where the team line-ups are posted along with the California league standings.  Here, you can see that the league is split into north and south divisions with the Quakes ahead in the south and the Grizzlies leading the Giants in the northern division.

    

    Hat Connections:  One thing I learned on tour was the power of the hat to engender conversation.  Invariably, if I wore my Durham Bulls hat, people would ask, "Hey is that a Durham Bulls hat?"  Of course, I would say yes, and then ensued a swapping of stories about going to Durham to see a game.  As it happened, while I was in line to get a beer, a guy behind me noticed my hat and then regaled me with his Durham Bulls story.  Seems in college, he and some classmates took a road trip to Durham to see the Bulls.  One of the guys knew the lady who operated the outfield scoreboard and the Bull. According to the guy in the beer line, he got to run the Bull -- to make its eyes light up and smoke come out of its nostrils. Don't know if any of that was true, but it was an interesting way to pass the time in line.

2021 California League Tour -- Lake Elsinore Storm

    My tour resumed on July 27, at Lake Elsinore Diamond for a game between the Lake Elsinore Storm and Fresno Grizzlies.  The Storm are a minor league affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Grizzles are affiliated with the Colorado Rockies.   

    The Diamond was built in 1994 and has a capacity of about 8,000 people.  I was there on a Tuesday evening and there wasn't much of a crowd.  So, I did not get a feel for the usual Storm experience -- some food vendors were closed and the mascots were off for the night.  The Storm mascot is named Thunder and, from the Storm website, it looks like he puts on a great show.  Sorry to miss him. 

    Still, I enjoyed a very comfortable laid back evening at the Diamond.  While I enjoyed each stop on my tour, Lake Elsinore is the one place I left saying to myself, "I have to come back here."  

    My evening started at the Diamond Taproom on the upper level along the left field line. The Taproom is a regular restaurant with inside and outside seating.  I was to the game early. So, I hit the Taproom for a beer and sandwich and found a seat overlooking the Storm bullpen. It had been a hot day presaging a warm night and the misters along the rail were a cool luxury.  The Taproom had a nice selection of beer and, for a ballpark, a good array of food.  In fact, it was so nice sitting on the rail outside the Taproom, that I stayed there for a couple of innings. 

    On my next visit to the stadium, not only will I make sure Thunder is scheduled, I'll get there early to enjoy the Taproom and rail seats.  

    When I finally went to my seat, this was the view. These were excellent seats, though the game seemed further away than the seats I had in Modesto. Still, just a great way to see the game.  

    

    This is a terrible picture, but you'll get the idea. The Diamond had great food with several local efforts given prominent space along the corridors.  On my next visit, I'll get the beer from the Taproom, but get dinner further in the stadium.

    Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Lake Elsinore Diamond.  I'd say it has an edge over the other southern Cal stadiums in Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino.  I will be back and, if Lake Elsinore were a little closer to Pasadena, I would be a regular.  
 

2021 California League Tour -- Modesto Nuts

    On June 15, I was in Modesto for an evening game between the Modesto Nuts and the San Jose Giants.  Since 2017, the Nuts have been affiliated with the Seattle Mariners.  The weather was about perfect for shorts and t-shirt.

     Wally Walnut was on hand to give me a fist bump as I headed to my seat behind home plate. The Nuts actually have three mascots, Wally Walnut, Al the Almond and Shelly Pistachio.  I only saw Wally. who wandered the stadium meeting and greeting fans. Kids love the mascots. But, even for adults, they lend a special fun and laughter to the minor league experience.  

    This was the view from my seat, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  The field box seats are so close that the sounds of the game are right in front of you -- the whirr of the ball, slam of the catcher's mitt and distinctive sounds of a wooden bat on a baseball.  

    Modesto's John Thurman Stadium seats 4,000 people.  Most of the seating was behind me in bleachers.  I don't know what the attendance was, but the stands seemed near full to me.  A lot of kids.  There were whole Little League or other youth league teams bunched together in their uniforms. And occasionally an organized cheer for the Nuts would well up.  I sensed a civic pride about the team and it all added to the fun of being at the game.  I have to say that the overall game experience inside the park was among the best of my tour.  It didn't hurt that they served my new favorite, the Hops of Wrath.   

    Built in 1955, John Thurman Stadium is planted in an expanse of grass at the intersection of Tuolomne Blvd. and Neece Drive.  On one side is a golf course.  On another side, across Neece Drive runs the Tuolomne River, which is pictured below.  

    The stadium's approach hardly speaks of anything professional. It is a baseball field in the middle of a town park surrounded by chain link. But, as I walked the grass leading to the gates, the humble setting was wonderfully familiar, reminiscent of warm summer nights playing this game a long time ago.  

    Some would appreciate John Thurman as "old school."  I'll go along with that. But, for me, I like the simplicity of the stadium -- the chain link surround instead of solid brick allowing passers-by to peak in to see a sliver of the game and ground level seats right up against the backstop.  At John Thurman I felt more connected to the game than at other stadiums on my tour.  An easy choice -- it was my second favorite league stadium.  

    But, John Thurman Stadium has a problem.  It does not meet Major League Baseball's minimum standards for a minor league stadium.  Not sure what those standards are, but it is not hard to imagine that the humble trappings of John Thurman don't measure up to MLB's refined expectations. 

    So, a movement is afoot to build a new stadium in downtown Modesto.  The plans are very cool, would bring baseball, soccer and concerts to downtown Modesto, and act as a catalyst for business and residential development.  Similar plans have worked in other cities.   

    One of Modesto's civic leaders has it exactly right.  Lynn Dickerson, retired leader of Modesto's Gallo Center for the Arts, attributed the move to build a downtown as a "quality of life issue."  In a December, 2021 article at balllparkdigest.com, Dickerson made an astute observation: "Those of us in the private sector working on this see it would be a game-changing event in our community, making Modesto and Stanislaus County a better place to live... We see the need to keep youth in town, settling down and raising families.  We also see it as a way to attract talent. That's one of the issues we struggle with, to attract people to live and move here."

    Seems Modesto and Baseball have a shared need to attract young people.

    I was not in Modesto long enough to get a feel for the town.  But, I liked a lot of what I saw.  I like the bold town motto "Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health," which is spelled out on a downtown arch built in 1912.  Driving around, I saw some restored old buildings and other signs of a potentially resurgent downtown.  Modesto after all was the film site for the cruise scenes in American Graffiti.  Without being too rash, it would seem Modesto would a have a good chance to restore an exciting downtown.

    So, how much money would it take to build the ballpark?  Estimates for the new downtown stadium range from $85 M to $124 M.   

    In other words, for less than the cost of Max Scherzer, you could build a new stadium in downtown Modesto, create a catalyst for positive change, spur jobs and economic development, and increase the quality of life for many of the 200,000 who call Modesto home.  And maybe, along the way, more young people would move to Modesto where they would enjoy an exciting downtown and become baseball fans.     

2021 California League Tour -- Stockton Ports

    On June 13, I was in Stockton to see the Stockton Ports play the San Jose Giants.  Stockton is an Oakland A's affiliate and San Jose Giants are affiliated with that San Francisco team.  The field is in downtown Stockton and is rather unassuming from the street, but beautiful inside.  Officially named Stockton Ballpark, the field is locally and more colorfully known as Banner Island Ballpark.  

It was a hot day and my seat, just behind the third base dugout, was in full sun.  So, I spent much of the game standing in the shade, which actually was a fine place to watch the game.  Turned out it was also a fine place to meet fellow travelers.  For a couple of innings I hung out with a North Dakota State professor who had driven out to visit his Northern Cal family and was taking in ballgames along the way.  

In the name of cooling off, and in honor of John Steinbeck, I enjoyed the Hops of Wrath, a great IPA from Dust Bowl Brewing in Turlock.      

I got a fist bump from Splash, the Ports' mascot.  During my tour, I gained great respect for team mascots.  Except Tipper, they always have a smile on their face. And they work like crazy wearing those big suits.  It was a blazing hot central valley day and Splash was out there nearly every inning walking the stadium, playing with kids or doing something silly. He did a hilarious dance routine at the start of the game.  In fact, I would say Splash is hands down the best dancing mascot in the California League.      

    One of the truly beautiful parts of Banner Island Stadium is the view from the berm behind the right field fence.  As you can see above, the field and stands are nicely laid out below the berm.  But, when you turn around....

you see the San Joaquin Delta and Stockton Marina.  There is a walkway along the water that you can follow for a time. Just a beautiful setting for a baseball field.

    Most stadiums have space along a main corridor where they hang grease boards listing the line ups for the day, league standings and sometimes league batting or pitching leaders.  Hitting second for the Ports was Tyler Soderstrom, who signed for a ton of money out of high school It was fun to watch him play. 

    Two more things that stood out:

    First, the stadium announcer really adds to the experience.  You get a ship horn for home runs. And, best of all, when the Ports are hitting, the announcer plays the batter's favorite "walk up music."  But, when the visitors are at bat, the announcer plays children's tunes as the visiting batters walk up to the plate. So, I heard a lot of Sponge Bob music when the visiting Giants were at bat.  Very funny.

    Second, I did not know this when I visited, but the current site of the stadium has a tie to important baseball history.  Back in the 1800's the area was known as "Mudville" and many Stocktonians hold that their local Mudville team inspired the famous poem, Casey at the Bat.  The poem's author, Ernest Thayer, was a sportswriter for the San Francisco Examiner and, in 1888, the poem first appeared in that paper.  An alternate claim, though, comes from Hollister, Mass., which has a neighborhood named Mudville and is nearby where Thayer grew up.   

        By the way, here are the Northern Division standings as of June 13.  It would appear that the Mighty Ports have struck out, or at least had a very tough season.  They are in last place in these standings, ten games out of first. They would go on to finish the season in last place, 33 games out of first. 

2021 California League Tour -- First Stop - Visalia

    My tour started June 12, 2021 at Visalia's Valley Strong Ballpark for a game between the Visalia Rawhide and Fresno Grizzlies.  The Rawhide is a minor league affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks; the Grizzlies are affiliated with the Rockies.  

    Though the team's name and major league affiliations have changed over the years, minor league baseball has been played here nearly every year since the ballpark was built in 1946.  

    

    With Covid social distancing in place, the regular seats were sold out.  My choices were the Hall of Fame Club, which is about $30, or the Toyota Terrace. With 7 more games to go, I couldn't see shelling out Hall of Fame money.  So, here's my view from the Terrace overlooking right field.  

    Turned out the Terrace is not a great place to see the game. But, my time there was made more pleasant by General Sherman IPA from Fresno's Tioga-Sequoia Brewing and the company of a good natured Giants fan who was visiting Visalia relatives and stopped in for the game.  

    

    

    Mascots are huge in minor league baseball.  This is the Rawhide mascot, Tipper.  I assume Tipper's name is related to the myth of cow tipping as a popular rural prank.  Tipper is a Holstein bull and "represents the tens of thousands of Holsteins in Tulare County, the top dairy-producing area in the country." In fact, California is the top dairy state in the country, producing 1/5 of the nation's milk.  Tulare County produces more than a quarter of the milk produced in the California.  

    Though the crowd was sparse due to social distancing, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the stadium.  The General Sherman beer reminded me that Sequoia National Park was just 60 miles to the east.  There is an overall Western feel about the stadium.  Certainly Tipper contributes to that. But so do the ads on the outfield fence, the red barn over the center field fence and giant cowbell along the right field line.  

    As a bonus, after a Rawhide win, while the players high five on the field, players and fans are treated to a rousing playing of Rawhide: 

            Keep Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

            Though the streams are swollen

            Keep them dawwgies rollin', Rawhide

            Move 'em on, head 'em up, head 'em up, move 'em on

            Ride 'em in, Rawhide!   

                 

2021 California League Tour

     If you want to head north out of LA (and who doesn't) you have the coastal route on 101 or the Grapevine up the 5.  Either way, you have lots of company.  

    One sunny Saturday last June, I got in my car and headed up the Grapevine.  It was the start of my 2021 California League Tour.  My tour goal, which I happily achieved, was to attend a home game for each team in the league. 

    For 2021 (and this year), the California League has 8 teams:

1. Fresno Grizzlies
2. Modesto Nuts
3. San Jose Giants
4. Stockton Ports
5. Visalia Rawhide
6. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
7. Inland Empire 66'ers
8. Lake Elsinore Storm  

     By summer's end, I had experienced all 8 stadiums, learned a bit about 8 very different cities, sampled some local beer, enjoyed great baseball, and had a lot of fun.  I will try to recreate some of that on the pages that follow.  

    Incidentally, for 2022, major league baseball's work stoppage does not affect the minor leagues.  Across the country, minor league baseball is set to start up April 5. One of those leagues is the Low-A West League, which was formerly named the California League.  Because the new "Low A West" name lacks any appeal, I continue to use the traditional California League name.    

  

Reflections on the Dodgers' 2021 Season - Lockout Edition

    While we wait for millionaires and billionaires to divvy up divvy up $11 Billion, here is a look back at the 2021 Dodger season. 

    By any measure, save one (the WS), the Dodgers had an amazing season.  Stellar regulars in Seager, Turner, Muncy, Betts, Bellinger, Kershaw and Buehler.  Urias and Smith emerged as stars.  CT3's post season was other-worldly.  We saw three future HoF'ers in Kershaw, Scherzer and Pujols.  And we had a good mix of characters in Graterol, Mad Max and mariachi Joe Kelly.  As a bonus, Trae Turner won the batting title and swiped more than a few bases.    

Some random bests of the past season:   

Personal Best Dodger Moment of the Season:  My lone trip to Dodger Stadium was a post season game against the Braves.  With the game ready to start, Vin Scully appeared on the outfield big screen, and we (the crowd) joined Vin in announcing that phrase we all know and love --  "It is time for Dodger baseball."  With one man, uttering one sentence, young and old shared 60+ years of LA Dodgers baseball.  Hands down, best moment of the season.

Season's Best Feel Good Moments:  There were a lot.  I think of Mookie Betts securing a Reds rookie's first home run ball, then giving the fan who caught the homer an autographed bat.  I also have to mention the Field of Dreams game in Iowa -- which was a masterpiece production and game.  Also anything involving Albert Pujols. 

Best Turn Around Stories:   Jansen and Bellinger.  Both those guys have had long periods where they were the league's best, but last year both had brutal slumps. In mid-season, Jansen blew several saves and many were calling for a new closer. Bellinger was so bad that pitchers were hitting better than he was. But they eventually turned things around.  I really like both those guys.  

Season's Funniest Moment:   Joe Kelly trading his Dodger jersey for a mariachi's jacket.  The mariachis then got a life size cardboard cut out of Kelly in his new jacket and included the cardboard Kelly in their stadium performances. The whole thing was hilarious. I could also add the time Dave Roberts came out to relieve Max Scherzer and Scherzer refused to give him the ball and shook Roberts' hand instead.  Bad form to show up Roberts, but still funny.   

Best Response to the Defensive Shift:  I wouldn't outlaw it, but I'm not a fan of the shift. I did enjoy seeing Justin Turner beat the shift by slapping singles to right field.    

Worst Proposed Rule Change: Looks like the National League is going to the DH.  But, Julio Urias made a great case last year for letting pitchers hit. 

Most Unifying Team:  It seemed to me that most everyone was rooting for the Atlanta Braves to win the WS. So, because vast swaths of the county joined together in their dislike of the Astros, the Astros are the most unifying team.    

Most Perplexing Story:  Dodgers uncharacteristically throwing down $100M on a three-year deal for Trevor Bauer, who then was suspended by MLB after allegations of sexual assault, which he denied.  Before he became a Dodger, I followed Bauer on his "Momentum" channel.  His videos were upbeat, good natured baseball fun.  The allegations are shocking and a huge contrast to his programming. Don't know how all this shakes out.

MLB Baseball Cancelled -- Joe Kelly for Baseball Commissioner

Spring training was cancelled.  Now Major League Baseball has cancelled opening day and the first week of the season.  

Stadiums that should be full are empty. I should be in Arizona watching the Dodgers' spring training.  Yet, we are all on the sidelines, waiting as the rich and powerful divvy up $11 Billion in annual baseball revenue. 

Just as we are wallowing in baseball misery, in rides Joe Kelly to remind us of all that is good and can be again.

The Dodger pitcher has written a wonderful piece in the LA Times, "First Person: Joe Kelly pleads with fans "not to forget about baseball" during MLB lockout."  

It is the best baseball article I have read in years.  And it is all the better coming from a character like Kelly, who has two world series rings, can throw triple digits, but is most famous around here for his mariachi jacket.  Kelly gets baseball.  More, he can lay it out in words.  Baseball, he says, is "a combination of chess, ballet, a classroom and cannon fire."  Yes, yes, yes and yes. 

I will be following Joe Kelly, not Rob Manfredi, at @BBisntBoring. 

On behalf of all good and fair-minded people everywhere, I nominate Joe Kelly as Baseball Commissioner.