Oh Canada!

Hello again from Victoria!

Boy, it has been a long day. I've kicked off my shoes, ordered a pizza, and turned on some Star Trek to try and unwind my mind after a fun-filled day. My previous update was about what happened before tonight's game, this one will be about the game.

After updating, I jumped on the Kona Smokewagon and rode to Royal Athletic Park. The home to the expansion Golden League Victoria Seals is actually a converted soccer-stadium. It is configured for soccer with the majority of the seating stretching down the first baseline all the way past the fence. However, the stadium has two separate covered areas for each of the two sports. One is right behind where home plate is that covers the nicer seats with backs. The second is way down the line which would, ideally, be at midfield. It is all concrete, even the two roofs. The majority of the seating is benches. It is a functional ballpark that is unique. I've never seen or heard of a park like it before.

When I got there, I was very surprised at how few people were there. What also surprised me were the ticket prices. $14 for general admission is way too expensive for minor league. That is one of the most I've paid for, especially for a glorified GA seat. The concessions were pretty cheap though, so I guess it kind of equaled itself out.

The park had to have been 3/4 full. Victoria may be a small city, but they are very passionate about baseball. For a Wednesday night, they were a ruckus crowd that was very in to the game. I sat next to a couple who live here and were attending their first game. I got into a very good conversation about baseball with them, and they said that this team has been embraced by the town and has been very successful.

There's been talk about maybe putting one of these Golden League teams into Eugene to fill the void at Civic left by the Em's. After my visit here, I don't think that would be a good idea. Why do I say this? First, I don't think Eugene could support two professional teams. Second, the independent leagues seem to function best in these small towns that have nothing else going on. In Newark, a city of 500,000, the attendance was horrible. Victoria is considerably smaller, but they seem more passionate and faithful to the team. Eugene has a lot of stuff going on during the baseball season, and the Em's complement that. Adding a Golden League team would strain the balance that is in Eugene right now.

As for the game, Golden League pitching is horrible. I noticed that the cumulative batting averages for Calgary and Victoria are over .300. The hitters must be tearing up the pitching in this league for averages to be that high. Tonight was no exception. The teams combined for four runs and nearly twenty hits as Calgary won 10-7.

Tomorrow, I head back home to Eugene. Before I sail, I will take some time to tour around Victoria and see the city. I only got a fleeting glance of the Harbor and the city since I arrived this afternoon. I should be back in Eugene at about 1130 tomorrow evening.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)