To see all my posts from my May 13 visit to the Carolina Mudcats, click HERE. To see all my posts from my May 2016 Carolinas Road Trip, click HERE. To see all my “On the Road” posts, click HERE. If interested in seeing posts covering a visit to a particular team, search for that team’s name in the blog search bar (it’s to your right).
You know how it goes, usually: My first post from a particular locale sets the scene, while the third focuses on my designated eater. The second is an overview of what occurred during the ballgame itself. That’s where where at now here in Zebulon, North Carolina, the home of the Carolina Mudcats.
Yep, the ballgame had just begun. The Mudcats — Class A Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves — were taking on the Lynchburg Hillcats.
The above “nothin’ but net” picture was taken from the lower reaches of the upper level.
It was “Scout Night,” and Muddy was prepared.
A lot of these scouts were planning to stay the night.
As mentioned in the previous post, the netting at Five County Stadium extends from foul pole to foul pole. It may look the netting runs across the front of the dugouts, but it does not. This was a Friday the 13th optical illusion.
The ballgame was a blur for me. I spent quite a bit of time talking to front office folks, and some of these conversations formed the basis for my article on the genesis and unlikely popularity of the Mudcats logo. I also spent a few innings with my designated eater, which, of course, will be covered in the next post.
After all that, evening sun had given way to a dark night sky. I ventured up to the farthest reaches of the ballpark and made an obvious, yet germane, observation.
Five County Stadium is the biggest and steepest ballpark I’ve been to on this Carolinas trip. pic.twitter.com/pT7b50fqQX
— Benjamin Hill (@bensbiz) May 14, 2016
My travels to the stratosphere were undertaken so that I could spend an inning on the air with Mudcats broadcaster Greg Young.
One distinct highlight of my time on the air with Greg was that I got to witness an at-bat by Lynchburg’s Sicnarf Loopstok, perhaps the best-named baseball player of all time (and winner of the 2013 Minor Moniker Madness contest).
Back on level ground, I took in a Mudcats’ walk-off.
This was followed by post-game launch-a-ball and of course, fireworks. I never take good photos of fireworks, but I think this turned out pretty well.
After the fireworks, kids ran the bases. (This was truly the night that would never end, as run the bases was followed by a movie shown on the videoboard for the scouts in attendance.)
As the youth ran in circles, I retreated to the concourse to write and disseminate a groundbreaking and subversive ballpark joke.
While on the concourse, I noticed that Muddy had indulged in an additional wardrobe change. He was no longer a scout; now he was Freddy Kreuger. This outfit was no doubt motivated by the fact that it was Friday the 13th, even though Freddy is from an entirely different horror franchise. Did it matter? No. Minor League Baseball.
Truly, there was nothing left for me to do, or see. With the audio of the Scouts Night’ post-game movie booming away in the background, I made my way to the parking lot.
Good night from Zebulon.
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