Pending the results of an MRI on my right knee, we’ll be skipping the more rugged trails for a little while. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be fun things on which to report. North Carolina is full of outdoorsy stuff. Not all of it requires walking in the footsteps of Pocahontas. Or her Carolina counterpart.
Who likes baseball? Or who doesn’t like baseball? It’s the great American pastime. This week’s “trail” led us to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
You’ve seen the movie. Who hasn’t? Recently my oldest was dredging up quotes for her six-year-old’s T-ball debut. We quoted just about the entire “Bull Durham” movie for her.
“You gotta take it one game at a time.”
“I’m the player to be named later.”
“Breathe through your eyelids.”
“Open your presents Christmas morning, NOT on Christmas Eve.”
Okay, that last one isn’t really about baseball, but Crash was on a roll there if you remember the scene.
Anyway, the park has a Blue Monster, similar to the monster of Fenway Park. And there is a replica bull in the outfield who blows smoke through his nostrils when the homeboys hit one out of the park.
The real bull that was used in the movie is hung on the concourse level of the park.
There’s an old-fashioned scoreboard with the runs, hits, etc. changed by hand. A real person hides back there only to pop up when a stat needs to change. What a job that must be! Where do I apply?
The Bulls are the AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Evan Longoria played here. And BJ Upton. Right now we have Dan Johnson who we all got to know well during the Rays’ run for the Series in 2008. So we’re right at home when we wear our Rays tee shirts to the games. We aren’t the only ones.
The ballpark is open. No dome, no cover, no controlled climate. Just good old-fashioned outdoor baseball in the summertime. Just like we grew up with. I’ve been to the Trop and seen the Rays. I’ve been to Camden Field to watch the Os. Give me this smaller, more casual venue any time.
It’s a family affair. Each game begins with a local Little League team taking the field with the players. Many games end with all kids invited to run the bases. Between each inning we’re entertained with such games as Who Has the Worst Hat Hair, Sumo Wrestling, and Finish the Lyric. There’s always some child aged five or so who runs the bases in a competition against Wool E. Bull. The child wins every time despite how far around that is for short little legs.
It’s a fun outing, and at $9 per ticket, it’s one of the more affordable things we can do. If you love the crack of the ball against the bat, the roar of the crowd, the group singing of “Take Me out to the Ball Game,” this is for you.
Just another reason to be delighted to be in North Carolina.
Happy Trails!
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