Getting My Bell Rung.

Cooper Stadium was built in 1934 and until 2008 was the minor league ballpark of the Columbus Clippers. At the time of its closing it was the oldest operating facility in the minor leagues. It was a lovely, intimate setting to see a baseball game.



We first saw a game there in April of 1990, it may have been Easter Sunday. We arrived early and I bought a program from a very friendly vendor. Turns out, she sold me a program with a winning number enclosed. We won a welcome wagon pack from a realtor. It was the only time I won any of their contests.

Over the years we saw a lot of good baseball there. We had a friend in the box office who always set us up for tickets. The Clippers were the AAA year of the Yankees. Many great players came through on their way to the majors. Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter to name three.

We also saw Deion Sanders, Hideki Irabu and Rey Ordonez, whose throw from short to first hit the first baseman's glove with the most explosive pop I've ever heard.

In the stands I saw Dick Williams and Graig Nettles scouting and one memorable time, Mr. George Steinbrenner himself, who was putting ketchup on his own burger. Really. I guess he trusted no one to do it for him!

Never had a bad time at a game. Saw them win two Governor's Cups. Went to many games in the 1990's then as depression and a new life came along, started going less. It's a shame I did.

In 2008, the last game was played there and a new downtown stadium was built. Hunington Park is perfectly fine. A great place to see a game, but I miss being just two miles down the road from baseball.

Went by there a couple of weeks ago and took these pictures. It's very sad to see how this proud facility has been neglected.







There's all kinds of talk going on about what to do with the site. A racetrack being the main topic. I'm not sure about that, having grown up next the noise of Islip Speedway as a child. But what can be done with a site that is bordered by a highway and two cemeteries? I'd rather see something in there and revenue generated that what is happening in the pictures above.

This is what neglect looks like

Did a lot of driving around this afternoon finding places to photograph for my April Infamy in Columbus project. At times I was amused, others a bit sad and shocked to see what happened to places from the past twenty two years.

My friend Gregg and I have a running joke about places closing down a few weeks after we go there. For awhile today it was like that.



Then there's this place a couple of miles from my home. Such a waste.

In other news we're traveling east in late August. Headed to the ancestral home.

Put Me in Coach, I'm Ready to Play

Had a dream that we were stuck in traffic headed north on 71, just south of the 70/71 split by the Greenlawn Avenue exit. The windows were open and we could hear Bill Campana reading poetry at the Berliner Park softball fields.

What was not a dream was going to the Clippers game last night. It was game two of the Governor's Cup playoffs and the hometown heroes had won Tuesday night 18-5. The Clippers had very solid starting pitching and timely home runs and shut out Durham 4-0.

Even with my dollar scorecard and lineup I had no idea who any of the players are. Usually there have been a couple of names I recognized from a roster. A player that's hanging on to his career by playing in the minors. I'm simply not following the game the way I used to.

We sat in the second row, third base side. The great thing about the minors is that the players will have some fan interaction. Major leaguers will simply ignore you while they collect a paycheck to hit .228. Here they'll nod their head at you, put a smirk on their face after a good heckle. Between innings, the left fielder overthrew a ball while having a bit of a tiff with the guy warming him up. The ball flew into the stands, nearly hitting a woman in the head. Both players came over to them and apologized.

I have a streak going that has reached 39 years now. At the first game I attended, on my seventh birthday, a foul ball came toward me, fast. The man in front of me stuck out his hand caught the ball on the fly. I can still hear the sizzle of the ball and the slap the ball made on his hand. It would have caused some damage to me if I'd made an attempt to catch the ball.

Years go by, lots of Clippers games go by until, at a game in Cleveland there's a pop foul into the stands, and it lands in the tote bag my wife was using as a glove.

Last night, a foul ball flies into the stands behind us. The ball bounces off the brick wall of the concourse and richocets towards the field. It goes over my head and slips over the rail in front of a man, sitting in front of my wife, in a Derek Jeter jersey and goes onto the field. Third base umpire gives him the ball.

Still counting.

Getting the Bell Rung

Saturday night we went to Huntington Park for the first time to check out the new ballpark.

I did not take any decent pictures, but it still looks like this when I walked around it back in March.

It's a lovely, intimate place to see a baseball game. You're very close to the action and the sight lines are excellent. I do not think there is a bad seat in the house.

The quality of baseball was poor. Both teams, the Clippers and the Bisons are suffering from being the AAA affiliate of a couple of bad major league teams this season in the Indians and the Mets. It was a lousy game, that the team from Buffalo won 2-1.

I do miss Cooper Stadium. I live two miles from there and see it, abandoned, every day. I know why there is a new stadium, but it hurts seeing a functional structure go to waste.

That said, it is a modern minor league ball park, with concessions that are approaching major league prices. The food was quite good, and there is a variety of dining options that Cooper Stadium simply did not provide. There is Tim Horton's, Roosters, City Barbecue and more.

The beer selection has improved considerably. Locally there's Elevator, there's also plenty of Leinenkugel. Imports are slim, but represented by Labatt's and the big boys are there if you want Miller or Budweiser.

I was also impressed that parking, when Nationwide Arena does not have an event, is only three bucks. This was a pleasant surprise.

What I did not like was the aggressive shouting of the vendors in the stand. Having a patter is important when you're selling cotton candy, but sounding like Sam Kinison is not going to get me to spend money with you.

The sound system is very lacking in power. I was not expecting it to sound like a rock concert in there (and was grateful it did not) but we were sitting directly under a speaker and were having problems hearing what the announcer was saying. It needs a lot of improvement.

Not sure if I'm going to be able to get there for any of the few home games left. The night we went was a sellout, it's good to know that people are going to the games. I hope they continue to support the team when the luster of the new stadium fades.