Hoppin' in Greensboro

Hey everyone!

After another rough transcontinental red eye, I am now resting comfortably in outside of Greensboro, NC. Today was very long and tiring, but certainly well-worth it.

After landing in Charlotte, my bro and I drove up here to Greensboro. On the way, we made a pit stop at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis. I didn't catch a game, but by walking around, I got the general gist of what it was all about. It is a fairly small facility that reminded me a lot of Everett. It is without a roof, which could prove to be a hassle with the unpredictable weather here. The most interesting thing about the Kannapolis ballpark is that featured prominently in a display right behind homeplate is an up-to-date board of the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings. It seemed a little out of place at a ballpark.

Once we got into Greensboro, I showered up, took a power nap, and departed for Newbridge Bank Park in downtown Greensboro. This facility is incredibly nice and is very easy to find. It is a fairly new park that is about three or four blocks outside the main downtown business district. When I walked to the game after parking the car, I couldn't help but realize just how downtown ballparks draw attention to themselves. Be it the lights, presence of small sports bars and vendors, or just the simple anticipation, downtown ballparks just have that effect.

Newbridge Bank Park is a top-notch facility. It is incredibly affordable, clean, and the fan-friendly. However, I do have two pet peeves. First, why do all these new parks seem to have netting that extends all the way down the foul poles? PK Park had it and so did Newbridge Bank Park. I know that the organizations do it for safety, but in all of the games I have been to, I have never seen a fan or staff member injured by a foul ball that was sitting in that section. Instead of sacrificing people's views for perceived safety, just inform and preach to the fans to pay attention for foul balls and flying bats.

Aside from the netting, the ballpark, physically, is very nice. The atmosphere, however, is incredibly annoying. It seemed that after every pitch, both when the home team was on offense and defense, there was some sort of sound effect. After about the third repeat of the same effect, it got really annoying. Sure, it keeps fans into the game, but it just gets old after a while.

There was one really cute thing that I absolutely fell in love with at this park. The Grasshoppers have trained two black Labs to be Bat Boys. After every batter, they trot out onto the field, grab the bat in their mouth, and bring it back to the Grasshoppers dugout. They also deliver fresh baseballs to the Umpire after every inning in a little bucket that is strapped on to their sides. The funniest thing, however, was the one promotion they did. Their trainer, between one of the innings, walked out in front of the home dugout and launched a baseball into the deepest part of centerfield. The dog took off after it and the promotion was whoever the dog brought the ball back to won some type of prize. It was pretty much the funniest thing I've ever seen at a game.

The Greensboro Grasshoppers (how's that for a name?) opened up in the late innings, highlighted by a Langley grand slam in the 7th, to rout the visiting Savannah Sand Gnats (how's that for a name Part 2?) 13-2.

Tomorrow, my bro and I will wake up and drive to Greeneville, NC and take a tour of East Carolina University. Depending on time, I might make the drive a little further east to Kitty Hawk and visit Orville and Wilbur Wright's old stomping grounds. It is a ways off the beaten path, and we may not be game for more driving.

We will then drive back west to the small community of Burlington and catch the Appalachian League game there. As most of you know, my anticipation to see this park is really high. I've heard nothing but good things about this park and this league from many different sources. We'll find out tomorrow if they're all true.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)