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Yesterday, I took my grandson to his first pro baseball game at Dunkin Donuts Stadium, the home of the Hartford Yard Goats of the AA Eastern League. A yard goat is when they call the engine that moves trains around in a depot.
Attendance yesterday was 6,850 which was their 21st full house of the season.
Parking was $5 and seats seven rows from the field next to the 3rd base dugout were $16.
And I saw why it was voted best minor league stadium for the second year in a row. Good sight lines, lots of concessions (no vendors in the stands), lots of very clean rest rooms, great big screen scoreboard. On the line score on the scoreboard, it had R H E and MVR. I case you don't know, it stands for Mound Visits Remaining. Never saw that before.
I had one quibble - the ball got by the catcher, which put a player in position to score (he later did). We were never told whether it was a wild pitch or passed ball. (A Later check of the box score says it was a wild pitch)
They use a 20 second pitch clock. But when the pitcher gets into the set position, the clock was turned off.
I didn't notice any abuses of this (pitchers coming to a set, then holding the ball for a long time waiting for a sign or looking back a runner).
Bottom line, it worked.
What made the game last a long time were the endless silly promotions every half inning Mascot races, product races, etc. I guess they think they need to entertain the kids, but the players and fans were getting itchy by the fifth inning.
But it worked, my grandson had so much fun that he is asking when we can go back.
I can't wait to take him.
Later
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