
### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 21](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

_\*For more on the Cape Cod Baseball League, I wrote about it [here](ccbl_overview), and I personally recommend you check it out._

Founded in 1947, the Cotuit Kettleers are, in essence, the CCBL’s version of the [Yankees](2026-06-04_nyyankees): they wear pinstripes and have won more championships than anyone else (17 of them, with their most recent one coming in 2019).

If I’m being honest, the Ketts have probably one of the better stadiums on Cape Cod in Lowell Park. While it doesn't offer much that "stands out" amongst Cape League fields IMO save for the fact that it's one of three stadiums without lights but also only one of two stadiums in the league with a video board (with the other being [Wareham](2025-08-20_wargatemen)), the stands are fairly modern and the entry plaza is super cool thanks to recent renovations.

However...parking is kinda sorta absolute hell. The stadium has a tiny lot next to it that can only fit like 50 cars for spectators (the rest is for players, staff, and umpires), and if you park too close to the field, you’re liable to have a foul ball break a window/windshield (something that ALMOST happened to me at [Red Wilson Field](2026-08-29_ydredsox) the first time I went there). There is a bigger “main lot” that they use, but it’s a short walk away (i.e. not fun when it’s 80+ and humid, which is bound to happen at some point given Lowell Park being one of three Cape League fields without lights). In addition, you’ll often find cars parked ON the sidewalks near the park (though I THINK the team is trying to discourage fans from doing this). It's due to the parking situation plus the lack of lights that I feel like this is the stadium I have visited the LEAST, which is a bit of a shame.

### MERCH

I mentioned this [some time ago](2025-12-26_merchstops), but Cotuit is one of few teams on Cape Cod that has online merchandise sales; while they’re not quite as "robust" as some other teams around New England, given that most teams barely sell ANYTHING, it's still nice. While most items the team offers do feel a bit "generic" (save for maybe a windbreaker I got back in 2022 plus the fact that I bought a game-worn jersey one time[^1]), the team did used to have a book written by the then-manager and his son (who was an MLB player probably best known for being a Baltimore Oriole).

Also, for as long as I’ve known about them, they’ve been stingy about player hats: they typically wait until mid-season to sell them, and it seems like they sell pretty quick. However, I recall purchasing a player hat in 2022 early in the season (though it may have been because it was a special 75th anniversary hat), and as mentioned last year, I was able to snag a 2025 player hat (which sold out shortly after I ordered it).

Since this is the final Cape League team I'm going to be talking about (at least for now), I feel like I should also mention that the league itself has its own line of merchandise and has had pop-up "merchandise sales" from time to time around Cape Cod[^2]. I went to one of these back during my time in Massachusetts, and while it was fairly small and only had "league" items, I did end up finding a jacket I liked (though I think I accidentally ruined it by leaving it in my car for too long[^3]).

---

_As a final, FINAL note on Cape Cod (partially with this post's title)...RIP the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory in Hyannis._

### ON DECK

The greatest view in New England baseball - and it's NOT in Vermont or New Hampshire.

---

[^1]: I distinctly recall visiting the team store out of sheer curiosity (something I did quite a bit with Cape League teams), seeing jerseys available, buying the jersey, and then IMMEDIATELY heading off to another game - sorry Cotuit. It should also be noted that some teams on Cape Cod run in-person merchandise sales outside of the season - Cotuit and [Falmouth](2026-08-27) being the most notable ones.

[^2]: The Futures League has it's own stuff as well, but those items are pretty much just "custom spiritwear" (and the only "Futures League" things I've seen in person are baseballs). I don't know if there's a "line" of NECBL merch, but I did see a NECBL logo hat at a few stadiums.

[^3]: It's supposed to be a darker color, but has som weird reddish tint on it - probably UV damage...

Cape Cod’s version of the New York Yankees

Cotuit Kettleers (Cape Cod Baseball League) @ Lowell Park (Cotuit, MA)


### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 19](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

_\*For more on the Cape Cod Baseball League, I wrote about it [here](ccbl_overview), and I personally recommend you check it out._

The Bourne Braves are Cape Cod’s “newest” team (along with Brewster). While other Cape League teams had called Bourne home, the current team was founded in 1988 as an expansion of the league. Pre-COVID, they had one title, but since the Cape League came back from a cancelled 2020 season, the Braves have been the league's dynasty - making the championship series in EVERY season since 2021 (including this past season) and winning three (2022, 2023, 2025).

For whatever reason, however, their Wikipedia page combines them with the previous teams in Bourne and gives them ten titles - the other six of which, obviously, predate the Braves (though for what it’s worth, the team’s media guide only goes back to 1988). Notably, the team kept the “Braves” name when the MLB trademark situation happened (and seems uninterested in changing anytime soon despite the controversy surrounding the name).

I couldn’t find any good information about their stadium history (one of them was apparently the Massachusetts Maritime Academy across the canal in Buzzard’s Bay), but in 2006, they moved from a small field (that seemingly doesn’t have lights) to their current home: Doran Park on the campus of Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School. Doran is unique amongst Cape League parks in that THERE ARE NO METAL OR WOOD BLEACHERS WHATSOEVER (even the more “lawn chair” heavy stadiums have a few); I think there used to be (based on a visit back in 2021), but recent renovations have removed them. Instead, there are terraces around the infield (which were recently renovated), with brick edges you can sit on if you don’t have a lawn chair.

One of Bourne’s biggest advantages if you want to see Cape League action but can’t justify traffic/driving is that it’s literally right between the two bridges! Sure, the traffic pattern getting to/from the stadium kinda sucks, but as long as someone hasn’t messed up in the rotary and shut it down, access is easy from "mainland" Massachusetts! This stadium also features one of the larger parking lots in the Cape (as it’s on the campus of a high school), and the team has contingency plans (read: a nearby ice arena + shuttles) when it gets full, so it’s highly accessible if you’re coming from Boston (like I typically did back in the day).

### MERCH

If you’re wondering where all those fans got those hats (or the short sleeve hoodie I got in 2023), the merch store WAS in the lower level of the press box for a while. The terraces made it kinda hard to get to, and there’s only like one sign pointing to its location as the merch store, but it was one of two stadiums with a “walk-in” merch store (the other one being [Falmouth](2026-08-27_falcommodores)). Thanks to the press box blocking home plate from the terraces, the little window to the field here was the only place where fans can get a view from behind home plate.

In 2025, however, the team store was moved to a shipping container at the edge of the parking lot. While I've never seen the team sell player jerseys (i.e. the button down ones) in my many visits, I saw a video on the internet that seemingly indicated that the team sold old jerseys in 2026 - alas, since I haven't been back since [a brief 2025 visit](2025-12-26_merchstops), I have no idea if they're still doing this or what they still have...

Cape League Baseball just over the bridges

Bourne Braves (Cape Cod Baseball League) @ Doran Park (Bourne, MA)


### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 18](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

_\*For more on the Cape Cod Baseball League, I wrote about it [here](ccbl_overview), and I personally recommend you check it out._

Formerly the Cardinals until the 2010 trademark situation, the Firebirds have been an Orleans staple since 1947.  In terms of "winning", they've won eleven league titles, but their last title came when they were still the Cardinals in 2005 (notably, I realized when writing this sentence that none of the teams who changed names in 2010 have won under the new names).

Eldredge Park opened in 1913, which makes it the oldest park on Cape Cod (at least according to Wikipedia). As the team furthest up (or down) Route 6 by exit numbers, this is probably the second furthest team from Boston (as Chatham involves a long drive down local roads; I'm not actually sure which team is a further drive). While I honestly can't say that Eldredge is super "special" as far as Cape League fields go (save for maybe the bandstand which functions as the Firebirds bullpen), there is one thing worth mentioning: if you are able to crush a home run to straightaway center, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE CAPE LEAGUE? At 434 feet from home and at an angle pointed outward, it’s by far one of the furthest distances (if not the singular furthest distance) from home plate in the entire sport! The last time I was here, concessions were similar to Brewster: a small local company (the same one in fact) running out of a tent (of course, given that this is the Cape League, you can DIY “concessions”).

A fair warning if you intend on coming here: if you don’t have a lawn chair but don’t want to sit on the grassy hill down the first base line, your options are a small set of bleachers (which, surprisingly, aren’t reserved for scouts) or the outfield. There are no other options but to stand.

It is due to this that I've heard about the practice of fans placing their chairs LONG before game time (for instance, the Firebirds made the championship series in 2023, but lost to Bourne), but I never brought a lawn chair to any of the Cape League games (as a reminder: I went to SEVERAL of these games on weekdays after work).

### MERCH

Merchandise is sold under tents here, making Orleans the only team without a “physical” merchandise building (the press box here is kinda smallish and a bit too close to the field but has indications that it did used to house merchandise). However, I feel like it’s one of the more extensive merch selections on Cape Cod, so that may explain the tents.

While Orleans, like most teams, does not really sell merchandise online (except at special times, and even then it's a bit limited), they USED to have a pretty robust online merchandise presence. In fact, the first jersey I got from the Cape League was a Firebirds jersey I ordered back in 2021; it was made by a manufacturer run by former Firebird and Major Leaguer Marcus Stroman, but was rather small despite being labeled as my size, so I ended up having to get a new one in the bigger size the following year at the park.

---

### ON DECK

The Cape League canceled its 2020 season because of you-know-what. Since it came back, one team has DOMINATED the landscape - and it's one I actually mentioned last year.


The Cape League's oldest field - emphasis on the "field"

Orleans Firebirds (Cape Cod Baseball League) @ Eldredge Park (Orleans, MA)


### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 17](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

_\*For more on the Cape Cod Baseball League, I wrote about it [here](ccbl_overview), and I personally recommend you check it out._

The unusually named Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (commonly known as Y-D) went through several names before settling on “Red Sox” in honor of team legend Red Wilson - the same guy who their stadium is named after (and just like the Bourne Braves, they kept the name in 2010; yes, this does mean that the two teams that kept their names were the “Boston” teams). I should note that the stadium is at a school that serves both Dennis and Yarmouth similar to how the team is named after both towns (in the opposite order FWIW), so that may be why they have the hyphenated location (the Cape League has had teams representing Dennis, but not since 1961). They’ve won ten league titles overall, with their most recent titles being a three-peat from 2014-2016.

I’m not really sure what to think of Red Wilson Field. This might be controversial, but I think it’s the “most generic” of the Cape League stadiums. Part of this is the super limited bleacher seating; there are only a few sets of bleachers around the infield, so a lawn chair is probably going to be necessary here. There’s also the fact that this is one of three stadiums without lights due to houses being just past the outfield fence, so games here start and end earlier than other places on the Cape (save for the other two lightless fields). Another part of that WAS the chain-link fence/backstop that created heavily obstructed views from the few bleacher areas, but I've heard that it's been replaced since my last visit, so I'll have to see in the future hopefully.

However, this place is probably most famous for a concession item that, while not wholly unique, is rather rare amongst baseball teams: the donut burger. It’s pretty much exactly what you think it is: a burger served with a donut as the bun. I don’t eat burgers, so I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard that it’s popular and tends to sell out during games.

One thing I learned the first time I came here, though: be super wary of parking near the field. Foul balls are liable to hit cars parked in these spaces, so you could end up going home with a broken windshield while some kid you’ll never see ever goes home with what they think is a cool souvenir...<br>(I didn’t, but the person who parked next to me did)

### MERCH

Despite my feelings about Red Wilson Field, I THINK that Y-D is the team I've bought the most things from. Yes, their "home" jerseys are literally the same Red Sox jerseys you'd find at your local sporting goods store with a few additions (and a different number font), but to 2023 me, that just meant that it'd be funny wearing those to a Red Sox game - make them think you've got some random knock-off of a Jason Varitek jersey, but it's technically NOT him[^1].

Of course, jerseys aren't the only thing you'd find. Yes, most of it is just shirts and a few novelty items, but I got a crewneck that looks nice (i.e. you can fit it over a short sleeve polo when it's colder), and I also got a travel mug one time (partially as they gave you a free drink if you bought it).

---

[^1]: I bring up Varitek because one of the Y-D Red Sox home jerseys I bought was #33. I also have one with #34 (even though I now have an ACTUAL Boston Red Sox jersey with #34) and an alternate with...#38 (don't look up who wore that in 2004).

A Mid-Cape Mashup

Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (Cape Cod Baseball League) @ Red Wilson Field (South Dennis, MA)


### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 15](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

The team now known as the Valley Blue Sox was founded in 2001 and originally based in Concord, NH. At first, the team was doing fairly well, but things began to change once the [New Hampshire Fisher Cats](2026-04-06_nhfishercats) arrived a few miles south of Concord in 2004. After a 2007 sale, the new owners decided to move the team to Holyoke, MA due to rising costs and "low attendance"[^1] (as well as the departure of the now-[North Shore Navigators](2026-08-22_nsnavigators)).

The big thing at Mackenzie (literally) is the large grandstand down the first base line which has most of the seats (and, as I recall, is in the side of a hill). Outside of it, there's only small bleacher areas around the rest of the infield, but also quite a bit of space to walk around. Also, the stadium is next to 

Other than that...I'm honestly not sure what to say about the Blue Sox (except for one thing I'll talk about below). I came here twice (once in both 2022 and 2023), and the thing I honestly remember the most is hiding a foul ball I scooped from some kids (does this make me a bad person?). However, there is one other thing: they made a MASSIVE logo change between the two years I visited, and I have to say that the new logo is borderline FRIGHTENING (it honestly feels AI generated, which it still could be, but it came out in 2023 when AI was somehow still only in its infancy[^2]). 

### MERCH

Despite there being several buildings down the third base side (which serve concessions), there's no "permanent" structure for merchandise sales. Instead, there's a table between some of the buildings with mostly standard items (including a jersey with "fake buttons" that I saw one time).

Also, during the 2023 visit, I got a polo with the old logo (on clearance IIRC).

---

[^1]: I put low attendance in quotes because according to Wikipedia, attendance was around 500 a game - a number five out of thirteen NECBL teams failed to reach in 2025 (the most recent year for which the league has attendance data). Ironically enough, one of those five teams was...the Blue Sox.

[^2]: Saying something was only in its infancy THREE YEARS AGO feels weird, but that's tech for you...

...I honestly have no idea what to put here...

Valley Blue Sox (New England Collegiate Baseball League) @ Mackenzie Stadium (Holyoke, MA)


### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 14](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

_\*For more on the Cape Cod Baseball League, I wrote about it [here](ccbl_overview), and I personally recommend you check it out._

Falmouth, along with Chatham, is one of the original Cape League towns from 1923. While the city has won a total of 14 league championships, the most recent was in 1980 - the longest drought in the Cape League (in fact, it’s getting long enough to the point where we can safely say that it’s older than the players’ _parents_).

The team's longtime home is a local field called Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field - or "The Guv" as it's more commonly known. Originally opened in the 1930s and given the Guv Fuller name in the 1950s, the local Cape League team actually didn't move in until the 1960s - and then in 2004, the Arnie Allen part was added on. It's right next to the heart of downtown Falmouth.

The main entrance is behind a municipal building, and it’s in right field alongside the concession stand (which features some unique items like fried Oreos). Bleachers down the right field foul line run all the way down to the field, meaning that you can kinda sorta put your feet on the field (but not in play). Be forewarned, however, that these bleachers are rather old and fairly decrepit. The main stands near the infield were given a facelift recently, so they’re pretty modern.

Outside of that, there are no seats behind home plate here, so this is one of the few stadiums on Cape Cod where you can watch the game directly behind home plate without being a scout (though you do have to stand if you don't bring a chair).

### MERCH

As of 2025, Falmouth is the only field on the Cape with an “indoor merchandise store” under the press box. While many of the things inside are "common" fare (i.e. shirts/hoodies, hats[^1], mini bats, and Cape League baseballs), I've gotten rocks with the team's logo painted on them in the store, and they usually has game worn jerseys outside - one of which I've gotten in the past (and several of which I've thought about getting before saying "nah"). 

---

[^1]: My efforts to find Commodores hats here has been...interesting: they did not have player hats when I first visited in 2021, then during my first visit in 2022 they had a hat that looked like the player hats but made by a different manufacturer, then I found "real" player hats later that year. In 2023, they had player hats with a special logo on them (for their 100th anniversary), then as mentioned [a while ago](2025-12-26_merchstops), my most recent visit saw me try to find their new WHITE hat that was out of stock.

Sportventures

The Bourne Dynasty

Old Orleans

Two towns, one team

Out of the Blue

The Dore