June Jaunt: Days 0-1
JAMESTOWN NY -- Given schedules and locations, I was able to cobble together a two-city, day-night doubleheader. But with the noon game being in Erie, I made the choice to spend the night before at our aunt's house in Morgantown before driving the remaining three hours north.
We had left the house without my hat, a necessity for a day game, so I dispatched Chad to the Seawolves' team shop for suitable covering. He came back, mentioning that he had two choices and got the one he figured I would want. And he was right -- a pirate's tri-corner hat. (FYI: Erie started off as a Pirate affiliate and later moved to Altoona, but when the Tigers moved in, the team kept the Seawolves name.) While it kept the sun off my head, the crown was quite rigid for my sized head. As for Erie, they lost to New Britain, 2-0.
Then it was a 50-minute drive to Jamestown, the birthplace of Lucille Ball. After checking in, Chad announced that he needed some aspirin, so I walked to a nearby CVS downtown and spotted an I Love Lucy mural -- specifically, the scene where the Ricardos and Mertzes were driving to California.
Game time soon rolled around, and soon we were in line for opening night for the Jamestown Jammers, their first as the Pirates' short-season affiliate. (Short-season teams are usually assigned players picked in the MLB draft earlier in the month.) And while I don't normally talk business, I should note that, with Morgantown joining this league in a couple years, a current team would have to relocate. Based on seasonal attendance figures, Jamestown is rumored to be on the move, as is Batavia (north of here).
Despite the whispers, the city turned out and the Jammers put on an offensive show, chasing the Williamsport pitcher out early and winning 12-6.
We had left the house without my hat, a necessity for a day game, so I dispatched Chad to the Seawolves' team shop for suitable covering. He came back, mentioning that he had two choices and got the one he figured I would want. And he was right -- a pirate's tri-corner hat. (FYI: Erie started off as a Pirate affiliate and later moved to Altoona, but when the Tigers moved in, the team kept the Seawolves name.) While it kept the sun off my head, the crown was quite rigid for my sized head. As for Erie, they lost to New Britain, 2-0.
Then it was a 50-minute drive to Jamestown, the birthplace of Lucille Ball. After checking in, Chad announced that he needed some aspirin, so I walked to a nearby CVS downtown and spotted an I Love Lucy mural -- specifically, the scene where the Ricardos and Mertzes were driving to California.
Game time soon rolled around, and soon we were in line for opening night for the Jamestown Jammers, their first as the Pirates' short-season affiliate. (Short-season teams are usually assigned players picked in the MLB draft earlier in the month.) And while I don't normally talk business, I should note that, with Morgantown joining this league in a couple years, a current team would have to relocate. Based on seasonal attendance figures, Jamestown is rumored to be on the move, as is Batavia (north of here).
Despite the whispers, the city turned out and the Jammers put on an offensive show, chasing the Williamsport pitcher out early and winning 12-6.