Baseball Alive and Well in a Small Venue.

[Guest old original jb]

We just got back from a vacation to Newport, Rhode Island, where we saw the local Newport Gulls take a double header from the Torrington Twisters at Cardines Field. The league is a "collegiate league" in which active college players play during their break and are hosted by local families The team is a non-profit organization. Lot's of little community fund raising activities and good causes attached to the game. I didn't recognize any names of former Gulls listed on their website as playing in the pros--I suspect they are almost all still at various levels in the minor leagues.

While the games were not exactly the best baseball I have ever seen ( a lot of "unforced errors"), the overall atmosphere was fantastic. Local fans were as enamored of their Gulls as any fans could ever be, Mets fans included--and this was enhanced by the fact that among the fans were many who were hosting or had hosted players for the summer.

Rachel (my daughter, now 2) had a great time, enthusiastically shouting "Daddy, me see baseball mans!" and asking why the Mets weren't there. She sort of got the basics of the pitcher, the catcher, and the batter; she was a little confused by the umpire. She enjoyed meeting
"Gully", the team's highly affable giant seagull mascot, with whom she exchanged high fives, alternately chasing him and hiding from him.

Cardines is a full sized yet intimate field with a playground beyond the left field fence. The bleachers are right on the main street in downtown Newport, separated from the street by a fieldstone wall. The bulk of the seats are right around home plate or on the first or third base lines. Tickets were dirt dheap--the whole evening for under $25 including parking and a picnic dinner.

Best of all were the between innnings activities, reminiscent of some of the scenes in Bull Durham. My favorite was the fact that the co-announcer and MC for the festivities must have been about 12 and knew half the people in the ballpark by their first names. Among his best announcements: "If your teeth aren't becoming to you, you should be coming to Dr. Steven Frank", which was followed by a contest with the prize being a $1 coupon for toothpaste. Another gem was "Remember to eat at Fathom's--if the Lobsters were any fresher, you'd have to slap 'em!"
From an adult, in any other setting, I suppose these would seem really corny, but delivered in a great New England accent at a less than minor league ballpark by a 12 year old MC, they had me cracking up.

As an aside, much love and respect shown to the Mets by Red Sox fans throughout the entire trip. It's funny, with Red Sox fans, you don't really have to say much. There's just an understanding.

[Guest KC]

I've driven and walked past that field a hundred times and never saw any
baseball going on inside - the nice place kinda across from the bus station
and the big Marriott right?

[Guest old original jb]

Right. The schedule may be limited since all the players are college students on break. I think they play about 4-6 games a week during June and July. The games tend to be played in the early evening.

[seawolf17]

There's at least one of our Stony Brook Seawolves in that league this summer; Andres Perez will represent the Torrington Twisters in the All-Star Game tomorrow.

[MFS62]

Is it a wood bat league, like the Cape Cod collegiate Summer League?

Later

[Guest old original jb]

I couldn't find the rules for the league, but we only saw wooden bats at the game.

Other interesting points:

The league was founded in 1993.

One of the cofounders of the New England Collegiate Baseball league
was legendary Red and unpopular Met George Foster.

Although no Newport Gulls have made it to the majors, Jeff Keppinger played in this league with the Keene (NH) Swamp Bats.


http://www.necbl.com/about.htm

[Guest KC]

I'm diggin' the logo ...

[Guest Giant Squidlike Creature]

Bump.

[seawolf17]

Squid, is there any rhyme or reason to what gets bumped and what doesn't? This thread didn't seem to generate any discussion the first time around, so I wouldn't figure it would merit a bump. But I guess that's why you're the squid and I'm the wolf.

[Willets Point]

Actually I bumped this (while in my Squid outfit) because it seemed like a good thread for a post I want to make.

[seawolf17]

Groovy.

[MFS62]

Willets Point wrote: Actually I bumped this (while in my Squid outfit) because it seemed like a good thread for a post I want to make.

So..... make it.

EDIT: do you change outfits in the Squid Cave?

Later

[Willets Point]

So here's why I bumped this thread.

A week ago Thursday I attended the Old Time Baseball Game in Cambridge, MA (our fair city). This is an annual event (I went last year too) where two teams square off wearing classic baseball uniforms from throughout baseball history including some spiff minor league and Negro Leage uniforms. The Alaska Goldpanners uni circa 1950's was a lot of fun. A player in a 1969 Mets road uni #41 played third base and later pitched a couple of innings. I believe the uniforms are parceled out by size rather than position because last year the Seaver uniform was worn by a catcher.

The players are all New England college players with a few celebrities included. This year Doris Kearns Goodwin threw out the first pitch, Johnny Pesky managed one of the teams and celebrity ballplayers included Boston Bruin Tom Fitzgerald (who homered in his first at bat), Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer, SK's favorite columnist Jim Caple (in a Seattle Pilots uni) and Jeffrey Maier. Yes that Jeffrey Maier who is the career hits leader at Wesleyan University. Scarlett already posted Caple's column, but despite what he said Maier actually was not booed, but received polite applause. My wife, not knowing who he was, commented "That third baseman is a bit of a hot dog."

The game was a lot of fun with a relaxed atmosphere. The pitchers were on top of their game as both sides racked up the k's. The game ended 4-2, the winning team's runs scored by a pitcher who stole two bases and scored on an error. He ended up with the game MVP and was already one of our favorites because earlier in the game he was stationed on the third base foul territory to protect us fans, including some teen girls who complimented his posterior causing him to blush.

All in all it was a fun night, picking out the classic uniforms and watching some kids have fun playing baseball.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Here's That Caple Column

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Jim Bouton was recently named commish or something for an olde-time base ball association that seeks to have a real league-like structure.

I've often thought about trying out for one of these squads. I recently learned the Brooklyn Eckfords -- a true pioneer team, ca. 1855 -- played their home games in my 'hood -- at what is now McGolrick Park.

[Willets Point]

The Old Time Baseball game is not the only smalltime baseball I've witnessed recently. Last Saturday, I attended Futures at Fenway - a minor league doubleheader featuring a single A game between the Lowell Spinners and the Oneonta Tigers (my wife rooted for Oneonta the entire game) and the Pawtucket Red Sox vs. the Rochester Red Wings (no 33 inning game this time). It's the first minor league games in Fenway in almost 40 years. A good crowd turned out on a beautiful day for baseball. Much of the crowd consisted of children which really is how a Saturday day game at Fenway should be and its nice the most expensive tix for this game were $20 so that folks who don't usually get to Red Sox games could attend. And people were loud! You've got to think that the single A kids especially appreciated 30,000 people screaming for them for probably the first time in their lives. Like many minor league games, the teams mascots were out on the field and there were on-the-fied promotions/fan interaction between innings which added to the fun. The biggest cheers of the first game came for Spinners closer Joshua Papelbon who was appreciated both for the name recognition of his big brother and his crazy Bradforesque sidearm delivery. In the second game, Pawsox Carlos Pena made an appearance, coincidentally the only player of the Old Time Baseball Game who has gone on to play in the Major Leagues (and is back again with the Boston Red Sox this week).

This was another fun day and I hope they continue the tradition. Maybe get the Tides or Cyclones as visiting teams so I can root for the enemy.

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