
_\*This trip occurred on April 12, 2025._

It’s kinda hard to discuss the BlueClaws without talking about Lakewood, NJ (their home town) and what’s been going on there over the past few decades: a ridiculously sharp increase in population launching it past traditionally larger towns and cities to become the fifth most populous municipality in New Jersey as of 2020 (though census estimates have it at fourth). A large portion of that can be attributed to the fact that Lakewood has become known for its large Orthodox Jewish population - a group which is, to say the least, controversial. I don’t want to get too deep into the varying views on this Orthodox population, but in short: they are becoming more influential in the township (and the state), and it’s yet to be seen what will happen as said influence increases (as the population boom isn’t showing any signs of slowing down). However, I don't think a ban on Friday and Saturday games is in the cards just yet - though if it does become a possibility, it would almost certainly raise eyebrows around the state (with the team apparently having already looked at moving to Asbury Park, NJ + Trenton eager to get an affiliated team back).

However, you probably wouldn’t know much about that if the only thing you did in Lakewood was a BlueClaws game - ShoreTown Ballpark is in a much more “industrial” area of town which seemingly has not seen any influence from the population boom (or at the very least, it seemed kinda normal arriving from the Garden State Parkway). Originally named after the township, they changed their location to Jersey Shore in 2021 in an attempt to tie themselves better to the more well known Jersey Shore (and possibly to distance themselves from certain connotations of Lakewood). As a heads up, this game was in April; I don't know if there's significant ticket prices, but their weekend schedule changes up a little bit somewhere around Memorial Day (though it really just means games start later Thursday-Saturday).

As they are a “Jersey Shore” team and are south of Interstate 195, I would classify them as being in South Jersey (i.e. the parts of Jersey that tend towards liking Philadelphia sports). This helps, as they’re a Phillies affiliate and have been since they arrived from somewhere in the Carolinas in 2001. This connection has been rather fruitful for the Phillies, as evidenced by the two players whose numbers the BlueClaws have retired: 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels and 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard (who, coincidentally, also spent a bit of time in Scranton but didn't work for Dunder Mifflin). You’ll probably find quite a few locals who support the Phillies during games, but thanks to the Jersey Shore being a popular weekend getaway for those from North Jersey and New York, you’ll also run into a lot of Yankee and Met fans as well.

![A gray, cloudy day on the Jersey Shore - Perfect Baseball Weather!](/images/perfectshoreweather.jpg)

<figcaption>Perfect Baseball Weather!</figcaption>

The day I went was...awful. A coastal storm made the whole day rainy and cold, and the fact that it took nearly three hours to play seven innings (of game 1 of a doubleheader) didn’t help things. The game was originally supposed to start at 4, but a rainout the day prior moved the start time to 1, and then later 1:30. VERY few people were in the stands, and the few that were seemingly arrived near the end of game 1 and then left after their children sang the national anthem before game 2.

Easily one of the most unique aspects of this park - a bar/lounge area which is entirely indoors on the suite level. Most minor league parks don’t allow non-suite-ticket-holding fans onto suite level, so having this is great for those times when the weather is too much like the day I went (I wonder if its air conditioned for those way-too-hot games). Said bar also includes a small standing room terrace with a view of the field, so you don’t have to completely miss out on watching the actual game when you’re there (it also provides a unique high level view rarely seen in the lower levels of MiLB).

Another cool thing: as a “Jersey Shore” team, one of the big things they try to promote is that image of the classic Jersey Shore boardwalk experience (but with fewer people in just swimsuits). As such, they have carnival games in the outfield, as well as a special concession stand that has pizza and ice cream (but no fried Oreos? WHAT?).

Their mascot - a yellow something-or-other named Buster - clearly studies his major league counterpart very closely, as he was goofing around the entire stadium. He tried to sell me on a hat that was too small for me in the team store, was seeking attention from the team store employees (who were treating him as if he were “real”, which was neat), and I even caught him trying to mess with the PA Announcer! He(?) was far and away the most interesting mascot I've seen in the minor leagues, which is why I'm noting him here (others just do the typical "walk around and high five/take photos with fans" thing).

### MERCH

Speaking of the mascot, they have mascot plushies for sale (like a lot of teams). However, the thing that piqued my interest (though I ultimately didn't go for it) was a plush of the crab logo featured on the team's hats.

The team store here is, in all honestly, kinda big for a team that's always been in A-level ball. That's not a bad thing mind you - in fact, I think it makes the place a lot more comfortable than other team stores coming up in this series (especially when it's as cold as it was on the day I went).

I ended up getting several hats here - the most interesting of them being a “beach ball colored” hat that the team has seemingly retired. I also ended up getting a jersey despite it having glued-on letters (something I’m not a big fan of) - part of that may have been to add a layer despite already having a jacket AND hoodie (it was THAT cold), but the selection on the day was super limited (if you wanted anything smaller than a large, you were out of luck). The team's online store seems to indicate that they've restocked SOME of the jerseys, but I'm curious as to what they look like...

Also, as a postscript to this, I found an old logo BlueClaws jersey a few months later at a thrift store with the script stitched on. The team was doing a “trade-in” promo where fans could trade in old logo merchandise, so there’s a non-zero possibility that someone traded this in, the team donated it to the local thrift organization, and it ended up in my possession (I should also note that I got a massive 75% discount on it). I also tried visiting the team store a second time (their website indicates that they have non-game day hours), but alas, it seems that it’s only open during games now (partially due to the stadium being kinda near nothing).


A trip down the shore BEFORE "Shore Season": good idea or bad idea?

Jersey Shore BlueClaws (South Atlantic League) @ ShoreTown Ballpark (Lakewood, NJ)


_\*This trip occurred on April 30, 2025._

![A beautiful day at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn](/images/brooklyn.jpeg)

<figcaption>A beautiful day at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn</figcaption>

If you're not familiar with the history of baseball in Brooklyn, here's an intensely abridged version:

Originally founded in 1883, the Brooklyn Base Ball Club (as they were officially known) went through a slew of (unofficial) nicknames over the course of many, many decades before one of them - "Trolley Dodgers" - stuck; this was then shortened to just "Dodgers". They weren't actually all that successful believe it or not (the Dodgers franchise has the most World Series losses all time), but they are known for two significant things:

1. Jackie Robinson becoming the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1945 (even if the U.S. government thinks that it's DEI and therefore insignificant)
2. Winning the 1955 World Series after losing seven other times (and then subsequently losing the next year's WS)

In the late 1950s, facing an aging stadium and difficulties trying to get a new one[^1], the Dodgers decided to move to Los Angeles, thus leaving Brooklyn without a baseball team. At the same time, the rival New York Giants were ALSO facing an aging stadium and ended up also moving west - to San Francisco.

In 2001, the New York-Penn League started up operations in Brooklyn with a team affiliated with the National League team formed in the void left by the Dodgers and Giants: the New York Mets (there’s actually a bit more to the story than this, but again: intensely abridged). The Brooklyn Cyclones played in the NYPL for two decades, winning a title in 2019 before Major League Baseball consolidated the minor leagues - a move which killed the NYPL (and also meant that the Cyclones were the NYPL's final champions). Since 2021, they've been in the High-A South Atlantic League[^2], which includes former NYPL rival Hudson Valley (and Aberdeen prior to them switching leagues in 2026).

They play in what is now known as Maimonides Park in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. For those who don’t know, Coney Island is best known as the place where the Hot Dog Eating Contest is held every July 4th, but it's also one of New York City's more well known summer attractions (the name "Cyclones" is based on a famous local rollercoaster). I didn't get to explore the area that much when I went due to a time crunch, but as someone who grew up in New Jersey, what I've seen of the boardwalk online feels like any other Jersey Shore town, and what I saw of Coney Island felt like the rest of New York City.

All of that to say...this place is definitely a little more generic-ish IMO, but it has its unique quirks. For starters, one of the main concession stands is based on Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, which meant that the fries I got were the crinkle cut fries they're known for as opposed to “regular fries”. Also, the backdrop of this stadium is quite unique with views of Coney Island’s famous rollercoasters and the Atlantic Ocean (how many other stadiums are this close to the ocean anyway?); I believe it’s because of these things that the concourse does NOT wrap around the outfield. However, the most unique thing about this park in terms of layout has to be the team store - which I'll talk about in a bit.

I feel like tickets here are a little more than some of the other teams in the area (and subsequently learned that certain games cost MUCH MORE than others), but the day I went they had a special where any ticket in the stadium cost five dollars! I ended up taking advantage of this to get a seat ten rows up and right behind home plate, which was a great view (though I'm personally not super big on being in the sun the whole game). That five bucks ended up being beyond worth it, as the Cyclones dominated their opponent both offensively (five home runs split between two guys) and defensively (1 run allowed on 3 hits in one inning, one baserunner allowed the other eight). It was one of those games designed for schools to take field trips to, so there were a lot of students, but I’d expect a decent mix of Yankee and Met fans during most games plus some random others (as, in case you forgot, you’re in a tourist hotspot).

Given that the Cyclones are technically in New York City, this is probably one of, if not the most transit accessible stadiums in the Minor Leagues, as no less than four of New York City's subway services stop a block or so away. However, it will take a lot of time to get here from most parts of NYC as it's at the end of the four lines that run nearby (as in it’s faster to get from here to Citi Field by car despite NYC traffic). Parking is ten dollars with a ticket if you choose to drive (which is pretty good by NYC standards), but be aware that depending on where you're coming from (i.e. New Jersey and/or Staten Island), you're looking at a hefty toll bill...

### MERCH

This is one of those parks where the concourse is above ground level, so once you go through the gates, you have to climb up some stairs to get to it. In most parks I've seen with this setup (i.e. places like Worcester, Manchester, and Brockton), the team store is at “ground level” for easy access on non-game days (this is kinda awkward in Brockton, but I’ll get to that later). However, in Brooklyn, the team store is two levels, with a street level entrance AND an entrance on the concourse (which is kinda wild when you consider this was a team at the lowest levels of baseball for a long time); this is probably due to the fact that both floors are smaller than your average retail space.

Some merchandise items were shared between the two levels, but there were more of certain things (i.e. jerseys) on the lower level, while the upper level had other items (including some items for the soccer team that plays in the stadium - will have to check them out soon).The selection here was actually kinda vast: they have a bunch of hats (though the only one I was interested in was the main "Bc" logo one), but sadly, the jerseys were all sublimated; there's indications that they used to have ones with "glued on letters" at worst, but I didn't see any when I went. I did, however, find an old jersey from the 2000s at a vintage store (with sewn-on lettering) months before I came here, so I ended up wearing that for the game. I will note that I was interested in getting a varsity jacket, but ultimately decided against it (mainly as I feel I have too many jackets already).

I also got an "OFFICIAL MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL" here with Rob Manfred's signature and the pre-2023 MiLB logo on it, though it was surprisingly expensive ($27 IIRC).

---

[^1]: One proposal for the new stadium called for the Dodgers to play in a dome. Had they actually gone through with this, it would have been the first domed stadium for traditionally outdoor sports in the United States (and also probably would have been vacated by the 1990s).
[^2]: Apparently the Mets wanted to move the Cyclones to the Double-A Eastern League in the realignment, but multiple parties nixed the idea (including the current Mets' current Double-A affiliate in Binghamton, NY).


Baseball in Brooklyn is BACK - Back in the New York Groove

Brooklyn Cyclones (South Atlantic League) @ Maimonides Park (Brooklyn, NY)


_\*This trip occurred on May 1, 2025._

![Heritage Financial Park](/images/hudsonvalley.jpeg)

<figcaption>Heritage Financial Park</figcaption>

Before Andrew Cuomo pissed off folks in Rockland and Westchester counties by slapping his father's name on the New Tappan Zee Bridge (and LONG before he tried to convince New York City he'd be a good mayor after the scandal that cost him the governor's seat), it was an old, rotting piece of junk that - despite being the fastest route from New Jersey to New England - was viewed by my parents as something to avoid due to how congested it typically was (mainly on the way up). Therefore, we'd often head up the Thruway to Newburgh and catch Interstate 84 up there rather than take the Saw Mill River Parkway (a winding, narrow road which is uncomfortable to drive on) or 684 (which involved the Cross Westchester Expressway, which was perpetually under construction at the time). Located in Wappingers Falls, NY, and nestled just across the Hudson from Newburgh, what is now Heritage Financial Park (then Dutchess Stadium) was clearly visible from 84 as well as the logos of its tenant (the Renegades) and their then-affiliate: the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays[^1].

Founded in 1994 after a move from Erie, PA, the Hudson Valley Renegades started life in the New York-Penn League as an affiliate of the Texas Rangers. In 1996, they became an affiliate of the aforementioned (Devil) Rays - a full two years before said team played their first game in 1998! They had a pretty decent run in the NYPL - winning three league titles and producing a pretty good crop of MLB talent (including players like Evan Longoria). However, when the great MiLB realignment of 2020 occurred, the Renegades jumped from the dying NYPL to the South Atlantic League (alongside the Brooklyn Cyclones, who I talked about [yesterday](2025-08-09_bkncyclones)). They also, in what can only be described as an attempt to connect themselves better to the local area, switched their affiliation from the Rays to...the Yankees. This move more or less killed the Yankees NYPL team on Staten Island, which given that the Mets decided to stay in Brooklyn, was kinda controversial (I'll get more into this in a later post).

I went back and forth on whether or not to actually catch a game here before a hockey jersey giveaway sealed the deal; before that game, I visited the team store while driving up to Massachusetts (more on that in the merch section). As for the rest of the stadium, it was built in the 90s, and it’s one of those stadiums where your seating areas are split into upper and lower tiers with the concourse/main walkway in the middle. The concession stands and team store are in an area of the concourse that’s blocked from the field by a grandstand area (i.e. where the suites and press box are), but there were TVs to watch the action (though it’s delayed). One end of this part of the “outer concourse” has a kids area, and there’s a bar area that’s open to all fans down the right field line (along with some luxury fire pit seating just below it). There’s another VIP area in left, but I didn’t bother trying to access it (one thing I noticed with specifically the New York minor league venues: ushers are very serious).

If it hadn’t been for the five dollar ticket I got from the Cyclones (though it was more like eight dollars due to fees), this would be the least expensive ticket I found: general admission bleacher seating is available for just five dollars(ish)! The mid-level concourse does make the view from the upper areas a bit awkward, but if you end up going to a game where the Renegades get walloped 9-2 (which, coincidentally, was the final score of the game I went to), then a “free upgrade” isn’t too hard to accomplish (assuming you don’t end up in the seat of someone actually at the game).

I guess I'll finish this by saying that there are two things to note before coming here if you’re thinking about it:

1. The team uses Ticketmaster, so be prepared for Ticketmaster shenanigans.
2. Parking is ten dollars if bought at game time (which is kinda high when you consider that this is the same price as Brooklyn), but seven dollars if pre-purchased (though, once again, Ticketmaster). I know there are local streets and a strip mall nearby, but I don’t know what their parking rules are, so be careful if you’re trying to avoid paying parking fees (as there’s no real transit option).

### MERCH

When I visited the team store the first time, I noticed that it was kinda small and very cramped due to the presence of merchandise racks that are usually on the concourse during games (as well as them preparing to ship online orders). I feel like it's probably the size you'd expect from this level of baseball (or at least the "old" level; other stadiums I've visited from the NYPL had similarly sized stores), and it DID have some VERY old hats from I don't even know when (they were all too small for me though), which was cool. Because Minor League Baseball teams LOVE playing dress up, the Renegades also have a TON of alternate identities (as well as throwback merch as they had recently celebrated their 30th anniversary), and each one had its own section of hats, shirts, and jerseys (contributing to the “crampedness”).

When I was at the game, I was surprised to find that instead of just being outside the team store, some of the extra racks were in a second merchandise area on the first base side of the concourse (the main store is closer to third); it had a more limited selection of things - many of which I’m pretty sure are available in the main store (though it may be there to allow shopping while watching the game/shorter lines). However, I gotta mention the "Hudson Line" hat the team came out with at some point: meant to resemble the Yankees' interlocking "NY" logo, it features an interlocking "HV", but the V looks kinda like a Y, which can basically make the hat seem like it's saying "YH" for "Yankee Hater" (something various Boston sports stores sold back in the day).

I got several hats and a REALLY nice jacket my first time here (it goes with the throwback hat and is a nice color), and for the game, I ended up getting a Hudson Valley Cider Donuts hat and also went against my better judgment and got a jersey with a Yankee logo on one of the sleeves (hey, it was half off!). Interestingly, it has a number that's stitched (24, as 2024 was their 30th anniversary), but the letters and sleeve patches aren't (it was also the only jersey that wasn't sublimated). Also, as I mentioned earlier, there was a hockey jersey giveaway; the jersey itself is more or less what you’d expect for something that, in essence, cost sixteen bucks (ticket + parking) to get, so it’s...not exactly the type of quality I usually try to go for.

On a final note, the team logo baseball I got here is a little strange in that it says “OFFICIAL MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL” on it (but still has the Renegades logo).

---

[^1]: For those who don't know, the now Tampa Bay Rays were founded in 1998 as the "Devil Rays", but dropped the "Devil" from their name in 2008. The change seems to have worked, as they made the World Series that same year after being perpetual cellar dwellers in the decade prior.


A trip nearly 20 years in the making...probably

Hudson Valley Renegades (South Atlantic League) @ Heritage Financial Park (Wappingers Falls, NY)


_\*This trip occurred on May 8, 2025._

![A view from the outfield at Coca-Cola Park](/images/lehighvalley.jpeg)

<figcaption>A view from the outfield at Coca-Cola Park</figcaption>

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have been in Allentown since moving down from Ottawa, Ontario in 2008 (and thus making the "International" in the International League's name a misnomer). Their move came with a $50 million dollar stadium named Coca-Cola Park, which doesn’t sound like a lot until you realize that it was apparently one of the most expensive minor league stadiums at the time it was built (other teams have since gone well past that cost). However, that $50 million investment seems to have worked very well: the IronPigs have been in the top 10 of attendance in all of Minor League Baseball every year since they debuted, and have even spent a few years as the overall leaders of MiLB in attendance (including the last two years). Part of that can likely be attributed to the fact that they’re the AAA affiliate of the nearby Philadelphia Phillies, so the fans are more invested in the team especially given that a number of the players are on the brink of playing for said Phillies (the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers also have their top minor league team in the area). Of course, there’s also the fact that the minor leagues are where a lot of MLB players do rehab assignments, so when a guy like Bryce Harper is in town for a few days (as he was in 2022), people tend to flock to you (even if it does remove the “less expensive, less of a hassle” factor that helps these teams draw).

My original plan was to go here for an 11 AM "education" game (i.e. a game designed for schools to make field trips to - like the game I went to in Brooklyn), but something came up and I had to switch gears[^1]; I ended up settling on a jersey giveaway night a few days later. I must say, though, that this place is VERY nice. It makes sense that it'd be better than most of the other parks I've been to recently (since it is the highest level of Minor League Baseball), but I honestly think I liked it better than Worcester's Polar Park (which I've been to a few times) despite being about 13 years older. A large part of that is the fact that Polar Park is crammed into an already existing city block, while Coca-Cola Park has tons of land around it, thus allowing more sprawl, so to speak.

Similar to ShoreTown Ballpark, the concourse wraps completely around the field, and there are a LOT of interesting things to see walking around, like the play area in the left field corner, a grassy hill in center, and the outfield bullpens underneath an LED ribbon used for the game's line score (as well as far too many bacon references and food items with bacon). The main gate area doubles as a plaza with tons of concession stands nearby (as well as the team store), so if you want to have a table while you eat, you (as well as a bunch of unique concession stands[^2]). Speaking of the concessions, I felt that while I wouldn't call them "cheap", they seemed noticeably less expensive than some of the other stadiums I've been to (looking at you Hudson Valley...). There was also PYROTECHNICS around the park: Flamethrowers on top of some of the scoreboard "towers" and steam jets behind the plate (and basically right above where I sat). I'm guessing these are nods to the "Iron" in IronPigs: the steel industry that used to dominate the area (see: Billy Joel).

There are upper level seats here, but I didn't go up to check them out since I had some not-so-fun encounters with ushers in other parks. These seats are, surprisingly, MORE expensive than seats in the lower bowl (case in point: 15 dollars got me behind home plate PLUS the ability to pivot for no additional cost).

### MERCH

This is where I tell you that the game was actually my second visit here; my first visit was just a “quick” stop at the team store to check a few things out. I couldn’t see much of the park from this quick visit, but the store is down the right field line right next to the main gate (as opposed to being behind home plate like a lot of other minor league team stores).

The team store here is rather large and has a VAST array of things - even if most of it is your standard fare. My first visit to this store is where I ended up at a "crossroads" moment for my hat collection when I had to decide between getting a flex fit hat like I'd been collecting since 2019 or going with a fitted hat (I collected fitted hats between 2005 and 2012, but then stopped once I realized that most of them didn't feel right). In terms of the jerseys, however, most of them were sublimated and the ones that had twill letters were glued on; throw in the fact that I found something less expensive on eBay and I wasn't super interested.

There was also a secondary merch area on the concourse that had shirts on which the team heat pressed the name and number of that night's starter due to him being one of MiLB's top pitching prospects (though strangely, it was basically near first base, making it less than 100 yards from the main store). However, the wildest thing I saw when I was at the team store: a rack of the opponent's shirts! I won't get into too much detail on the game since the visitors were the team I think I'm supposed to like, but I will say that based on the two prior nights, things may have been different had the rain that forced me to leave early not ended the game shortly after I left...

---

[^1]: Allentown is a touch over an hour from where I live, so I prefer earlier games to avoid having to drive home on dark roads.
[^2]: One of the concession stands in the entry plaza was for Hershey Ice Cream, but it was closed. I'm going to assume it's due to either an equipment or staffing issue and not because the Hershey Bears were playing the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the playoffs...


"Well we're living here in Allentown..."

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (International League) @ Coca-Cola Park (Allentown, PA)


_\*This trip occurred on May 18, 2025._

![A view of Hinchliffe Stadium from atop the parking garage. Despite the stadium not selling alcohol, a beer advertisement can be seen near the field.](/images/hinchliffe.jpeg)<br>

<figcaption>A view of Hinchliffe Stadium from atop the parking garage. Despite the stadium not selling alcohol, a beer advertisement can be seen near the field.</figcaption>

Paterson, New Jersey.

That’s it. That’s the post.

Okay, so that’s not exactly the full story...

Paterson is notoriously feared by locals for being a “rough” town - so much so that even the local state park is considered questionable by some. The third largest city in New Jersey (for now - see [the BlueClaws post](2025-08-08_jsblueclaws) for more on that), Paterson was a mill town back in the day before that industry died out and really hasn’t recovered. Dilapidated houses/buildings and roads in need of some work are abundant in Paterson, and this unfortunately includes the neighborhood Hinchliffe Stadium is located in. Heck, on a visit to downtown Paterson one time, I ended up in a parking garage that was dilapidated to the point where I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get out of there alive!

However, for whatever reason, Jackals ownership thought that it would be the perfect spot to move their team after deciding that they didn’t want to be at Yogi Berra Stadium in Montclair anymore (the team was founded in 1998 and played their first 25 years in Montclair). They made the move in 2023, and...it hasn’t really worked out. I have no clue what their attendance numbers were in Montclair, but from what I’ve heard, attendance in Paterson has NOT been good (partially because Paterson). They claim to get a few thousand a game, but it seems like they're counting sales and not spectators: the game I went to was starkly empty - you could sit basically anywhere you wanted without anyone batting an eye.

As for the stadium itself...it is actually a significant historical landmark: named after a former mayor of Paterson who helped in its construction, Hinchliffe Stadium is known as being one of the few surviving stadiums today that hosted Negro League baseball (no matter what the government tries to say about the importance of the Negro Leagues). However...there come some concessions (and not the food and drink type) when you try to preserve that history. Fenway and Wrigley are known for being historic, but some will argue that once you look past that history, they still have aspects that make for a VERY uncomfortable experience. Hinchliffe may not have giant poles obstructing some seats, but it does have its own issues; for example, there are no plastic back seats like modern stadiums - just bleacher seating (though the team does have seatbacks available). In addition, alcohol is not served (something you rarely see outside of summer collegiate leagues), there's only one single concession stand on the first base side, and its menu is quite limited (plus their oven broke the day I went apparently). Also, the section my ticket was in supposedly received a prize for one of the opponents striking out, but you were supposed to be physically sitting in that section to claim it (i.e. not just holding a ticket). I have no clue if anyone got that prize, as the sections are not labeled at all!

The playing field is quite odd: the infield is in one corner of a field designed for football, but unlike other football/baseball stadiums that high schools use, there's no extra "field" for the baseball diamond. Therefore, the right field line is BEYOND short - very tall netting prevents left handed hitters from pulling easy homers to right (though the game I went to featured three home runs to right center). There's also an athletics track around the field, and parts of it are covered with turf as it's "in play" (again, super shallow right field). There's also very little to do outside of watch the game, as there's no side activities around the concourse (though the view is kinda nice).

If you're worried about your car, there's a large parking garage down the third base line (near the main gate), It is a little pricier than you may think it should be at seven dollars, but it does help as it also has quick and easy access to the stadium (also, some have used it to their advantage...).

Additionally, there's SUPPOSED to be a Negro League history museum in the outfield, but it was closed when I went (and I've heard that it's closed for other games as well). There was an indication that the Jackals' relationship with Paterson/Hinchliffe has changed since they moved in, which is interesting, to say the least...

I don't really want to speculate too much on this, but I do truly wonder what the future is for the New Jersey Jackals. Playing in front of tiny crowds in an awful baseball setup is not a good look, and given that the team on the field hasn't been great for a bit, it's hard to imagine that a once proud organization (five league titles split between three leagues - the most recent one being 2019) has such a murky future...

And in case you were wondering about the game: Jackals won 7-1. As of this being posted (August 12, 2025), that win represents 4.5% of their win total for 2025 - they've won 22 games so far, putting them firmly in last place in the entire Frontier League (not to mention their most recent home series getting cancelled due to a water main break...).

As a final note, A soccer team is moving in for 2026: the latest installment of the New York Cosmos.

### MERCH

Before I continue, I HAVE to talk about the team’s “online store”, because it is WEIRD.

The Jackals’ “online store” is one of those custom spiritwear sites, so while there’s TECHNICALLY a much more extensive range of merch online...none of it is really as “official” (i.e. player hats, official team wear, etc.). This also means that novelty items such as baseballs and mini bats are only available at the game, as well as things such as game hats (plus New Era fitted hats, as the Jackals sell these as well at games).

Going back to the game, talking about merch leads to what is probably the weirdest thing about the Hinchliffe experience: their merchandise stand (an old converted carnival game) is outside of the gates. From what I've seen, there was something inside the stadium the first year, but it got moved out for some reason (I found what I think was the old space, and it was used for storage). There's not much to say about the stuff in the stand as it's mostly hats (some of which have weird alternate logos they never wear) and shirts; I was mildly interested in some old Negro League jerseys they had, but only one of them had a script stitched onto it and the ones they had in my size ALL had ink stains on them in DIFFERENT PLACES. I did, however, end up getting a hoodie because I liked the design of it.

In addition, this is the first time within these reports that I can say that I had seen the team BEFORE this year - I went to a game in 2022 when they were still at Montclair State University. I bought a few of their hats then, as well as a super old (and rather beat up) jersey (in addition to getting more hats when visiting the carnival stand in 2024 - I thought about watching the game, but the line for tickets was too long). Sadly, said 2022 visit somehow did NOT include me getting a replica championship ring from their 2019 championship, as I don’t recall seeing them being sold (this is something I've gotten from other independent teams, including one owned by the same group as the Jackals).


A historic stadium gets a new lease on life

New Jersey Jackals (Frontier League) @ Hinchliffe Stadium (Paterson, NJ)


_\*This trip occurred on May 25, 2025, and you'll note that it's NOT a baseball game. I was originally just chronicling baseball games with these 2025 writeups, and as such, I was debating whether or not to write about this as it’s a different sport (soccer), but eventually decided to include it - mostly as it’s still a baseball stadium._

The New York Feather Monkey Yankees.

As a Massachusetts native, I grew up not liking the Yankees all that much, so given that I'm currently living in New Jersey (and have been for a while), I’ve never truly known how to deal with them. On the one hand, you have to give them credit: that history is impressive (even if the Red Sox are, more often than not, on the wrong side of it). On the other hand...their magical ability to be slightly above mid at worst when literally EVERY OTHER TEAM IN NORTH AMERICA has had a bad season in the 21st century is downright MADDENING. Most of my friends are Yankee fans, and they’ve never had to suffer through a truly dismal season the way just about everyone else has (the last time the Yankees finished under .500 was the year I was born, so if you know or choose to look it up, you now know my age).

Here’s the thing, though: I’ve never been to the new stadium. I have been to the old stadium, but it was only once (2007) and I legitimately cannot tell you anything about that visit as I don’t remember much (outside of the Yankees losing one of the final games in Tampa Bay "Devil" Rays history). As much as I’d like to see the new stadium to cross it off my list, I’d rather not be forced to spend three hours with Yankee fans while hoping that the home team has a repeat of Game 5 in 2024.

However, there’s another team that plays in Yankee Stadium: New York City Football Club! Sure, they may be the lovechild of two different flavors of evil (the Yankees and English soccer/football supergiant Manchester City), and they’re part of Major League Soccer - one of the more notorious soccer leagues in the world (seriously, look it up), but a $20 ticket + a tour of the stadium costing NEARLY $40 meant that this was the least expensive way in. Outside of a somewhat random 2021 title, there’s not much to say about New York City FC[^1] - though having followed them back when they first started out in 2015, it’s kinda odd seeing them have a bunch of dudes who most soccer fans have never heard of when they started out as a “retirement home” for no less than two World Cup winning players.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Yankee Stadium 2009 is the “grand concourse” - a MASSIVE hallway-esque area with a bunch of small stands (i.e. merch, a 50/50 raffle, and a stand to get customized jerseys - I don't remember if there were any concessions). At the end of this hallway are stairs/escalators up to the upper levels, though I feel I should note that the third level was not open for this game. If I remember correctly, this design (as well as the exterior) was meant to resemble the original exterior of the old Yankee Stadium as it was built in 1923 - if you’re like me and remember something VERY different, that's because the original stadium was damaged and had to be rebuilt in the 70s (BTW, the old field is a public park now).

The main concourse of the stadium’s seating bowl (i.e. the first level) goes completely around the field, and there are views to the field from most of the infield sections (as well as the 4 trains passing by outside the stadium). I was also able to walk around the second level as well, and it was fairly similar - though there were less areas with field views (and it doesn’t completely wrap around as it ends in the outfield).

I will say, though, that the soccer atmosphere itself is strange. I’ve heard that the Yankees mandate that the soccer pitch not touch the pitcher’s mound (heh); therefore, it’s actually not wide enough to meet international soccer standards. Also, the field runs from left field towards first base, and the supporters section (i.e. the most passionate fans) is in the outfield bleachers. They were rather noisy throughout the match (as you’d expect soccer supporters to be), but outside of them, there was little noise outside of the moments when the home team threatened to score (and did - three times in fact en route to a somewhat controversial 3-1 win). In fact, I could hear the people behind me talking about...childbirth.

![A photo of a camera feed from behind home plate at Yankee Stadium. The purpose of this photo is to illustrate how unusual the soccer layout is.](/images/footballatthefootball.jpg)

<figcaption>A square peg in a round hole</figcaption>

Because the Yankees cannot resist flaunting their 27 championships (and the men who won them), there are reminders of them all around the concourse; my favorite part of this was reminiscing about the 2000-2009 gap (i.e. Luis Gonzalez in 2001, Josh Beckett in 2003, and most especially the emergence of David Ortiz in 2004). In addition, they’re known for Monument Park - a feature present since 1932 with physical monuments to former Yankees who have had their numbers retired - both great and average at best. Unfortunately, it (and its special store) was closed during the match (as well as a “Yankees museum”); I've heard it's only open pregame (when I was too busy checking out the team store), but there are also pitch side seats that are on the field itself which you go through Monument Park to get to. Yes, that’s right: for some undisclosed amount of money, you can sit near where Aaron Judge patrols center field (though I think the spot where he dropped that ball is well within the soccer pitch lines).

### MERCH

I don’t think I’ve seen as many merch stores/stands at ANY sporting event as I did at Yankee Stadium - save for another MLB park I visited later in the year (but more on that will have to wait for now.)

While the store with street access (i.e. the one that is open when nothing’s going on) seems small, there’s a bigger one further in (though it seems to only be for games). Half of the small stands sold the same exact things (i.e. jerseys, hats, and other fun things), but a store on the second level had something rather interesting: clearance merchandise! I was able to take advantage of this to get a few old jerseys (thanks to soccer teams and their propensity for changing their jerseys every year; it's also piqued my interest in returning next year if/when the current away jersey with the monogram rotates out).

For what it’s worth, I also got a special “NYC Parks Green” jersey and a hat with the current NYC monogram, but I didn’t get any logo balls - New York City FC or Yankees.

---

[^1]: For the longest time, the common name for the team was "NYCFC", but apparently the team isn't fond of that.


I enter what I consider "baseball hell" to watch...soccer?

New York City Football Club (Major League Soccer) @ Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)


_\*This trip occurred on May 29, 2025._

![An image of the New York City skyline as seen from SIUH Community Ballpark](/images/siuhskyline.jpeg)<br>

<figcaption>An image of the New York City skyline as seen from SIUH Community Ballpark</figcaption>

Staten Island: New York City’s redheaded stepchild.

A mostly residential part of New York City that wasn’t even accessible by car from the other boroughs until the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge opened in 1964, Staten Island is often forgotten about and even looked down upon by the rest of the city for several reasons. Not only is it still fairly isolated from the rest of the city’s boroughs (as outside of the bridge, the ferry is the only way there and the island’s lone rail line is technically not part of the New York City Subway), but it’s also much more politically conservative than the rest of the city, and probably the most famous part of the island (not counting the ferry) is Fresh Kills Landfill: a former dump that was once thought to be the largest in the world.

In 1999, the New York Yankees set up a New York Penn League team on Staten Island. Similar to Brooklyn, it was a relocated team from somewhere else that moved to New York when the city built a stadium for them on the island (it should be noted that this deal also included the Brooklyn Cyclones stadium). Much like their parent organization, the Staten Island Yankees won a bunch of league titles - six of them to be exact.

When Minor League Baseball realignment happened in 2020, Staten Island moving to the South Atlantic League seemed like a decent idea - especially when you consider that the Mets chose to put the Brooklyn Cyclones there (somewhat unwillingly though). However, the Yankees instead opted to affiliate with the Hudson Valley Renegades, thus leaving Staten Island’s baseball future in limbo. While we can’t pinpoint the exact reasons they did this, I have a feeling these factors were involved:

- Lingering bitterness over the whole Pizza Rats affair. I forget the year, but there was a clip of a rat on the New York City Subway carrying a slice of pizza that went viral. The Staten Island Yankees decided to have a little fun with it and became the "New York Pizza Rats" for a game; it was popular with fans but HATED by Yankees management to the point that they were looking to terminate their affiliation agreement with Staten Island BEFORE the realignment (at least that's what I remember hearing).
- Attendance had been declining for a decade plus; whether that be due to lost interest or, well, being on Staten Island is unknown (conversely, Verrazzano Bridge neighbor Brooklyn led the NYPL in attendance in the league's final year).
- Something I heard about between starting this write up and my actual visit: land. MLB created a list of new specifications for Minor League stadiums alongside the realignment which, for most teams, involved needing to perform intensive renovations. Given that the stadium is sandwiched between the Hudson River and a major roadway, there’s probably not enough room to meet the specs (not to mention trying to get the money to get anything done in New York...). Also, because of this proximity to the Hudson River, the concourse does not loop around the outfield (there’s a 9/11 memorial just past left that I have yet to visit BTW).
- Getting here by car...isn’t fun. It’s several miles from either of the highways on the Island (278 and 440), and a lot of the local roads you’re required to drive on getting here are...gritty, to say the least. In addition, their suggested parking garage (attached to an outdoor mall opened in 2019) had the wrong rates on the meter when I arrived, which ended up costing me an extra SIX DOLLARS for FIFTEEN MINUTES. It IS right next to the ferry terminal, however, so that’s a plus if you’re arriving by public transportation (though again, not much on Staten Island for tourists outside of the views - it really feels like the mall is an attempt to “change” that, but a ton of empty storefronts does not portend success).

Anyway, despite losing the Yankees, Staten Island got a second chance when the Atlantic League set up shop in the stadium in 2022. The new team, named the FerryHawks, play in the same stadium the Yankees played in: Staten Island University Hospital Community Park (formerly the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George - a name that’s still visible on the suite level). The FerryHawks haven’t really done much in their time in the Atlantic League, but they are notable for having the Atlantic League’s first female player in Kelsie Whitmore (which, given that one of the MiLB specifications involved women’s spaces, makes me wonder how they accommodated her). I don’t believe she is with the team currently (last I saw she had signed with the Savannah Bananas), but her jersey was still on sale in the team store (though based on what I’ve seen at other MiLB and indie stadiums, a lot of these smaller teams have trouble moving merch, so they’ve probably been there for a while).

I mentioned the park being squeezed due to the Hudson earlier, but said Hudson is a big contributor to the best feature of this park by a mile: the view of Manhattan you get looking towards the outfield! The day I went was cloudy, so I couldn’t see much of the city, but it must be cool if you’re batting to see that (if also a bit distracting). If you’re interested in these amazing views for the whole game, get tickets on the first base side if nothing behind home is available (I was on the third base side, but it was kinda hard to see); plus, if you look close enough, you can even see (what I’m pretty sure is) the Brooklyn Bridge!

The rest of the stadium is more or less what you’d expect from a lower league stadium, though interestingly, it’s built into the side of a hill. The concourse behind home plate and on the third base side are level, but the first base side is on a lower level - notably without handicap access to the rest of the stadium (despite having a handicap ramp to it). Most of the concession stands are on the “main” level, which it should be noted is a little lower than the main gate. However, the lower level had something marked as “Qdoba” though it was closed when I went - likely due to me going to a morning game.

Speaking of the game, it was another one of those “education” day games where they try and get a bunch of school field trips; I must say that I felt like the kids here were a lot livelier than the morning game I went to in Brooklyn. Also, it ended up being a doubleheader as the previous night’s game (i.e. my originally intended visit) got rained out, and the second game was MUCH lower key due to all of the schools having left by then (which also helped me scoop a foul ball in an empty section). Both games were won by the visiting Lancaster Stormers, though I feel like neither game featured anything notable except for **PABLO SANDOVAL**. Yes, that's right kids: the 2012 World Series MVP is still playing baseball!

Sadly, there are indications that the FerryHawks are facing the standard indie league struggles (though that's a bit difficult to determine based on a morning game/doubleheader), so who knows what their future holds...

But seriously, why did the Staten Island Yankees have to get terminated? Sure, the FerryHawks/Ducks rivalry is cool, but it’s no “Battle of the Verrazzano”...

### MERCH

The team store here is rather small-ish, but it's got your standard selection of hats (most of which I had ordered years ago outside of a Wu-Tang Clan themed one that I still didn’t get), shirts/sweatshirts, and jerseys (including the aforementioned Kelsie Whitmore jersey). As you may expect from a lower league team, most of the jerseys are sublimated (including the ones the players wear); however, they did have a version of their home jersey with stitched-on letters and sleeve logos, so that was a nice find (had they not, I would have potentially gotten a light blue sublimated jersey because I liked it that much). There was a game-used jersey on display behind the register, but I didn't ask if it was for sale (nor was I super interested given the jersey I got had stitched on letters and patches).

I also found something rather wild: Mets and Yankees hats! Why they’d have those (especially given their relationship to the Yankees) is a REALLY good question...

Finally, I feel like I should probably mention the Atlantic League’s official baseball: it’s not only unique in that the Atlantic League manufactures its own baseballs (their brand is called “Drake”), but it also features red and blue stitching as opposed to most leagues having only red stitches. I bought one from the team store and contemplated buying another before scooping the foul ball in game 2, which leads to another unique feature: the league added QR codes to each baseball in 2025! I’m not sure exactly what the QR code is supposed to do, but the one I got leads to the Atlantic League’s website.


A borough often scorned gets a second chance at baseball

Staten Island FerryHawks (Atlantic League) @ SIUH Community Ballpark (Staten Island, NY)


_\*This trip occurred on June 4th, 2025._

![The pregame anthem from a Trenton Thunder game](/images/trentonthunder.jpg)

<figcaption>The pregame anthem from a Trenton Thunder game</figcaption>

A long time Eastern League stalwart (if you consider 1994 to be “long time”) that found themselves on the outside looking in after 2020 when the Yankees (whom they had been affiliated with since 2003) pulled the rug from under them in favor of an affiliation with the Somerset Patriots (formerly of the Atlantic League), the Trenton Thunder found new life with the newly formed MLB Draft League - an unusual “hybrid” league designed for draft eligible players. In the first half of the season, the league is, in essence, a summer collegiate league featuring draft eligible prospects; after the MLB All Star break, the league “switches” to players who have exhausted their amateur eligibility and remain undrafted (I believe that other collegiate leagues require that players have NCAA eligibility remaining after the summer). Of the teams in the Draft League, Trenton was the highest leveled team at Double-A; one team was from what is essentially now High-A, while the others were all New York-Penn League refugees[^1].

The “demotion” hasn’t seemed to affect attendance - the team has led the MLB Draft League in attendance by a decent margin each of the last three years, and were second in 2021 (probably due to pandemic factors - one of which was, somewhat ironically, the stadium hosting a Triple-A team). This is interesting, as it really feels like going down levels and/or losing affiliation has a tendency to impact attendance numbers negatively (see: New Britain and Norwich in Connecticut). Case in point: the reported attendance for this game (7,022) was only 99 fans less than the other two games in the Draft League that night combined; and to give an idea of just how massive the crowd was, I got into the stadium around half an hour before the game and had already missed out on the giveaway for the first thousand fans! Sadly, however, the Thunder were blown out by the visiting Williamsport Crosscutters; I left when the game was 6-3 in the seventh, but it ended 13-4, so...

The team plays in what is now officially called Trenton Thunder Ballpark; however, the stadium’s former name Arm & Hammer Park is still visible above the main gates and atop the scoreboards: Arm & Hammer Park. The park is located on the shore of the Delaware River, but you can’t really see it from the field due to the tree line in right field (the park faces south). However, it (and Pennsylvania) are visible from the end of the first base side of the concourse - which is (for better or worse) probably one of the main reasons the Yankees left: distance (Somerset is closer to New York than Trenton). Speaking of the Yankees, the facade above the suites features images of former Thunder players who went on to the majors (all of them with the Yankees) - the good (a Derek Jeter rehab stint), the okay (Gary Sanchez), and the GOAT: Greg Bird. As an aside, one BIG thing to note if you’re driving here (which is likely as the nearest public transportation is several blocks away): parking is cash only.

There’s not much to say about the concourse IMO, as it’s fairly standard (and doesn’t wrap around the outfield), but it’s at the top of the seating bowl and has views to the field everywhere except right behind the press box (i.e. behind home plate). The seating bowl itself, however, is interesting: it’s split into upper and lower sections, with a walkway separating the two (it’s hard to call it a concourse as there’s nothing but trash/recycling bins on it). Coincidentally, Somerset (who replaced Trenton in the Eastern League as mentioned earlier) has the same setup; the main difference being that the gates are at concourse level at Somerset, whereas in Trenton the concourse is elevated above the gates (think places like Brooklyn or New Hampshire).

One of the team's most famous traditions is a little thing known as the bat dog. During the first inning, a golden retriever replaces the bat boy in retrieving players bats after they leave the batters box and bringing them to the dugout. I don't know if the Thunder were the first team to do this (as I’ve seen other teams do this), but it's something they seem to take a lot of pride in (to the point where they’ve added a “Trenton Goldens” alt identity).

In terms of concessions, HOW IN THE STARS DO YOU NOT HAVE TOMATO PIE? It’s (another) one of the team’s alt identities and easily Trenton’s most famous culinary item, yet it is nowhere to be found on any of the concession stand menus. Mind you, however, that the Lehigh Valley IronPigs also have a “Tomato Pies” alt identity, but I don’t recall seeing tomato pie there either[^2]. They do, however, have one of the more contentious food items famously from New Jersey (which is also one of their alt identities): what they call pork roll[^3]!

They also feature a somewhat “local-ish” item: Chickie's and Pete’s Crabfries! Yes, it’s more a Philly thing, and yes, the IronPigs have this too, but I finally tried it here after seeing it in a few places before, and it was actually quite interesting! I guess part of this is because Trenton is closer to Philadelphia than Allentown, though the Thunder have never had a Phillies connection due to Reading.

On a final note, Thunder ownership is hellbent on getting affiliated ball back in Trenton, so they've been working on the stadium to get it to MiLB specifications (the changes mainly deal with player facilities, so you may not notice them). How they're going to get that team without an MLB expansion I'm not sure (though I did see a strange claim that they "deserved" the Jersey Shore BlueClaws' spot in the SAL), but given that we've seen several shuffles since 2020 (plus 2025 is when MLB wanted Minor League teams to meet specifications or else), anything is possible (and there are constant rumors about what teams may end up "moving”).

### MERCH

I thought about coming to the team store here a few times before the game, but never did as it felt rather inconvenient; I thought about combining it with a return to ShoreTown Ballpark, but the two are close to an hour away from each other (also I later learned that the BlueClaws team store is apparently only open for games now). However, once I saw it, I was curious as to how it operates outside of games due to its somewhat unusual location: the store is fully on concourse level with its entrance inside the gates, meaning that if you're coming here outside of game time, you actually have to go into the stadium and climb up to the concourse to get to the store.

Inside, the most notable thing I found here (i.e. something outside of the standard merchandise items most teams sell) were dog toys (playing into the bat dog tradition). Sadly, not only were all the jerseys sublimated, but the home jersey (i.e. the one I would've been most interested in) was a shirsey with only the top two buttons...

One thing that may be important if you're thinking of collecting hats (like I've been doing for 20 years): MLB Draft League teams all wear flexfit hats made by a company called Outdoor Cap (because apparently New Era fitteds are only for affiliated teams). However, not only does the team still have some smaller 5950s from the old days, but the team recently struck a deal with a manufacturer for a line of fitted hats. I wasn't really that interested in them after trying them on, however, so I stuck with getting the on field flexfits. I will note that this ended up driving a decision I made later in the year - something I'll probably talk about in a few months...

---

[^1]: This is changing in 2026, as the Fredrick Keys (the other non-NYPL team in the MLB Draft League) is moving to the South Atlantic League, and the Aberdeen IronBirds (who were an NYPL team pre-2020 before joining the SAL) are joining the Draft League.
[^2]: Lord help us all if the Altoona Curve bring back their "Altoona Pizza" alt identity...
[^3]: This is basically a genericized trademark situation as a specific company (Taylor) has been the main manufacturer of the product for a long time. However, people in New Jersey go back and forth on whether the product is/should be called “Taylor Ham” or “Pork Roll”...


AKA "How to recover after a truly shocking breakup"

Trenton Thunder (MLB Draft League) @ Trenton Thunder Ballpark (Trenton, NJ)


_\*This trip occurred on June 28, 2025. I was initially on the fence about how to write about this, as it’s a return to a place I’d already been to this year for a separate event; ultimately, I decided to make it its own post. As [I’ve already been here for the FerryHawks](2025-08-14_siferryhawks), I won’t talk about the facilities (for the most part), as they obviously haven’t changed since my last visit a month prior, but I’ll instead focus on the event itself. Also, as the focus was on the event itself more than its teams (after all, neither team technically calls the stadium “home”), I’ve listed the event and then the matchup in the title._

Wiffle®[^1] Ball is a “variant” of baseball that’s been played in backyards and public parks since it was invented in 1953. Originally intended as a way to play baseball in smaller spaces, Wiffle Ball has seen a rise in popularity on social media recently. For example, several Wiffle Ball competitions have popped up on YouTube - many of which are more similar to baseball than the “official rules” of Wiffle Ball posted on the Wiffle Ball company’s website. While some of these online leagues do have more viewers than others, one of the biggest ones is also one of the oldest ones: MLW.

MLW Wiffle Ball (that's the name they use everywhere)[^2] was started by a group of (then) kids in their backyard somewhere in Michigan in 2010. It eventually grew into a social media phenomenon, being featured on ESPN with their YouTube channel sitting at half a million subscribers as of 2025. In case you’re looking for a more in-depth breakdown of the rules of MLW, I’d recommend checking out the league’s website, as they have a full set of rules there. Some of the rules are rather interesting, such as a speed limit for pitches (if the pitch clocks in over 72 MPH, it doesn’t count/is an automatic ball), rules for baserunning and plays at the plate, and how lineups work (the league’s eight teams don’t all have the same size rosters due to the fact that this is very much not a “professional” league).

However, while their videos do feature game action, said videos are NOT full games - instead, only the final pitch of each at-bat is shown. In addition, they don’t appear to have any type of live stream, so for most people, these videos are the only glimpses into the league itself (unless you live near/visit the public park they play at in Brighton, MI). The league has been branching out over the past few years by playing games in other stadiums (I’m not sure when they started doing this), and one of those games happened to be close to me on Staten Island (They had an event at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn last year, but I didn’t realize it until THIS year).

For the longest while, the thing that made me apprehensive about getting tickets for this was the $25 ticket price combined with their ticket site implying that the $65 meet and greet was the only opportunity to buy merch (a not-so-secret reason I’ve been going to these stadiums). However, when I went to buy tickets on the morning of the game, the price had dropped to $19 - still kinda high, but more in line with what you’d expect for a NYC minor league stadium (Brooklyn Cyclones games are usually around this price, but some games are notably higher). As for the merch, I’ll get to that at the end like I usually do with these posts.

Despite a bit of haze, clear skies made the view of NYC much clearer for this event - a three game series between the Pacific Predators and the Midwest Mallards. The field layout for MLW is interesting: it’s much, MUCH smaller than a baseball field, there are only two fielders (plus the pitcher), and there’s basically NO outfield (which ends up leading to a lot of WILD baserunning you'd NEVER see in baseball). To fit this into the baseball stadium, the “pitchers mound” was at the edge of the “dirt” portion of the home plate area (behind where the home plate umpire stands), and the batter hits towards home plate with the fans all in the “outfield” (essentially the reverse of the baseball layout). Also, some of the players gave signatures to fans alongside the field between games (and sometimes even innings), and perhaps most interestingly, one ball was used for the whole game (seemingly). My guess is that this is partially due to the nature of the league and its roots as a “backyard game”.

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of the series. Each game was three innings long, and for what it’s worth, the Mallards were the “home” team for games 1 and 3, with the Predators as the “home” team for game 2:

> **GAME 1**<br>
> After giving up a home run to the leadoff batter in the top of the first, the Mallards promptly took the lead in the bottom of the frame. In the second inning, the Mallards pitcher got out of a bases loaded jam and then promptly hit a 2-run home run to secure a 4-1 win.

> **GAME 2**<br>
> It’s appropriate that the Predators pitcher was wearing number 10 - as that’s how old he looked (though he’s actually 15 - still rather young compared to his teammates). He instantly became a fan favorite, but unfortunately, he was a bit erratic throughout his outing - missing a lot and throwing a few “too fast fastballs”. Despite that, he only gave up three runs; however, those three runs were more than enough for the Mallards as they secured the series with a 3-0 shutout (using the same pitcher from game 1).

> **GAME 3**<br>
> This game featured two controversial calls on the bases which required review (i.e. watching back the footage on the cameras and the guy running the show donning a striped referee shirt to announce the call). This was also the closest game, as a first inning run for the Predators ended being the only thing separating the two teams after both teams scored twice in the second (with a Predator baserunner being thrown out at home); the 3-2 win allowed the Predators to avoid being swept.

On a somewhat unrelated note, most of the concession stands and the FerryHawks team store were closed for this event (likely to cut down on the required number of staffers). They did sell alcohol, though, which was interesting - especially at an event geared toward young children (at least more so than your standard baseball game)...

If you want to watch (parts of) the action yourself, you can do so <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f88rpImGEik" target="blank">here</a>. I am in this video an uncomfortable (for me) number of times, so have fun if you’re trying to find me!<br>
(If you think about the stadium, though, you’ll realize just how easy finding me is...)

### MERCH

A video of MLW’s previous stadium visit (somewhere near St. Louis, MO) implied that, despite what the ticket site said, merchandise would be available outside of the meet and greet...and sure enough, that was true!

As you’d probably expect for something like this, merch was just sold at a table on the concourse (remember, the team store was closed). There was a very limited selection of items available: a MLW Stadium Tour shirt (from CustomInk), A rally towel for $10 (which was too much for a towel IMO), MLW trading cards, and most importantly (for me at least): the official hats for both teams (but strangely, no hats featuring the MLW logo on the front). Jerseys were not sold at the game, though I believe that’s due to how they’re actually sold (direct from the manufacturer); however, the MLW shop has player tees available, but none were at the game (possibly due to having to travel “light” - they are a small business after all).

Oddly, the merch table shut down (everything was packed up and moved out) when the actual series started, and while it did reopen after the series, I THINK they had run out of Mallards hats by that point (I didn’t hang around long enough to confirm, but they seemed to imply being low on those pregame and I didn’t see any afterwards). Thankfully, I had the foresight to get everything I was looking for when it was available pregame, so I was able to go home with the two team hats (plus a shirt).

---

[^1]: I feel like I should mention that the word “Wiffle” is TECHNICALLY a trademark of The Wiffle Ball, Inc.
[^2]: I originally wrote that I thought "MLW Wiffle Ball" was the league's legal name, but in finding the video of the game I went to, I found out that there's another "MLW" on YouTube: Major League Wrestling. Interestingly, however, the "MLW Wiffle Ball" name dates back to 2010 - though there are a couple of reasons that might be.


A return to Staten Island to watch backyard sports gone semi-pro

MLW Wiffle Ball (Pacific Predators vs. Midwest Mallards) @ SIUH Community Park (Staten Island, NY)


_\*This trip occurred on July 3, 2025. For more on the Cape Cod Baseball League, I wrote about it [here](ccbl_overview), and I personally recommend you check it out._

![Veterans Field in Chatham as viewed from the nearby street](/images/chatham.jpeg)<br>

<figcaption>Veterans Field in Chatham as viewed from the nearby street</figcaption>

Chatham, MA was one of the four founding members of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 1923. Four years later, needing a place to play, Veterans Field was built, and has hosted baseball ever since (though strangely, the team claimed to have played “100 Years of Baseball at Veterans Field” in 2023). They’ve won five league titles, but their last title is starting to collect a lot of dust as it came in 1998 - a team featuring players whose MLB careers ended in 2010.

The team went through several names before settling on “Athletics” in the 1970s. However, a trademark “dispute” with Major League Baseball in 2010 forced the team to choose a new name; they went with “Anglers” as a reference to fishing (a common hobby on Cape Cod) and Chatham’s location at the point where Cape Cod angles northward (as well as keeping the “A’s” nickname). I should note, however, that one of my visits here (in 2022) saw me purchasing an old “Chatham Athletics” jersey here (and then wearing it while sitting in the front row during a game a year later). As an aside, they were the first Cape League team to broadcast games; in fact, one of their original broadcasters is Vegas Golden Knights radio voice Dan D’Uva - who still works with the Anglers’ broadcasting department!

This is, far and away, my favorite Cape League stadium; in fact, I once visited this field in mid-August (i.e. the offseason) and took photos from the field and dugouts. It sucks, however, that it’s also the furthest from “mainland Massachusetts”, ‘cause it meant that I was only able to squeeze one visit a year in for the three years I went to Cape League games (save for me having two in-season visits in 2022 - though one only lasted ten minutes). Why do I like it so much? That’s easy: the grandstand. The bleachers here were renovated at some point during the 2010s, and are built into a hill with concrete sidewalks on top and at the bottom, so it really feels like the closest thing to a “mini minor league stadium” (not to mention the “private suite”[^1]). Another one of the more notable features of Veteran’s Field is that the press box is on the third base side of the grandstand as opposed to right behind home plate (as it is at the other nine parks); given that scouts are usually at the top of the bowl in Chatham, this means that pretty much all of the bleachers are available for fans (most league stadiums have smaller bleachers, and the sections behind home plate are reserved for MLB scouts).

The outfield isn’t bad either. Yes, there’s no actual seating and you’re on a steep hill, but you can stand on the sidewalk on top of the hill and get some neat views of the game. Additionally, since you can’t see the regular scoreboard well, there’s a secondary scoreboard on top of the press box that relays all the important numbers! Speaking of scoreboards, my memory is a little hazy on this, but Chatham was the first of the ten Cape League fields to install the large pitch clock when the league instituted it a few years ago.

I ended up pivoting away from plans to see the Indoor Football League up in Lowell, and instead sat in pre-July 4th Cape Cod traffic to make this visit. I ended up only staying for four innings, however, as it was PACKED - according to the box score, over 4,000 fans were in attendance (it should also be noted that Chatham typically leads the league in attendance each year). I didn’t end up staying for super long, however, due to the aforementioned distance from Boston (where I needed to head for the night). Chatham ended up losing the game, but similar to what happened in the Lehigh Valley, the game actually ended shortly after I left due to rain, which actually leads into...

### MERCH

I will admit that the other reason I chose to come here was because I was trying to get their new 2025 player hat (it’s different from the one I have), but when I got here, they only had small sizes available. I did end up going with their Fourth of July hat, however, plus a league ball with the new (as of 2024) commissioner’s signature as well as an old (potentially) game used jersey - something a fair number of teams in the summer collegiate leagues sell (but not all of them).

Chatham does have an online store, but I have no clue how up to date it is, so if you’re interested in shirts or hats, be forewarned of that. Also, if you’re busy buying merchandise (in the press box) or concessions (down the first base line) during the game and can’t see the field, you can still follow the action as the team plays their broadcast at these locations. I find this quite interesting - especially because it didn’t seem to have any delay (as opposed to the standard 30-second delay most internet broadcasts have).

I also tried to check out the Harwich Mariners merch selection after leaving Chatham (part of why I left early), but that game was ended by the rain before I could get there - I had barely left Chatham when the Harwich game was delayed, and by the time I got to their field, players were packed up and walking out.

---

[^1]: There’s a privately owned house that backs onto Veterans Field, and the owners built a little viewing area to watch Anglers games from the backyard - in fact, I’m pretty sure I saw people there during this game.


One of the crown jewels of pre-professional baseball IMO

Chatham Anglers (Cape Cod Baseball League) @ Veterans Field (Chatham, MA)


_\*This trip occurred on August 17, 2025. I decided to post about it here rather than waiting to catch up with the rest of my backlog - partially as a sort of "preview" of how rapidly I expect non-backlog posts to be posted._

_Also, I’m sure at least some of you out there understand what I’m referencing in the subtitle - I couldn’t stop thinking about it after hearing how the “Barre” in Wilkes-Barre is pronounced..._

![The hills beyond the outfield of PNC Field](/images/swb.jpeg)

<figcaption>The hills beyond the outfield of PNC Field</figcaption>

In 1989, Lackawanna County Stadium opened in Moosic, PA - a town just south of Scranton, and a bit north of Wilkes-Barre. The new stadium was built to accommodate the Phillies AAA team, who had just moved in from Old Orchard Beach, Maine (fun fact: they played at a stadium historically and currently known simply as “The Ballpark”). The new team was called the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons as a nod to two previous minor league teams from the area. Before you ask...Ryan Howard played here during parts of the 2004 and 2005 seasons; as mentioned previously, he did NOT spend a single day working for Dunder Mifflin (though the Office character was apparently named after him).

In 2007, the stadium’s name changed to its current name of PNC Field. The affiliation also changed, as the Phillies entered an agreement with the team that eventually became the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The Red Barons became the new AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees[^1]...sorta: because George Steinbrenner couldn’t resist going on an ego trip (or something like that), the team was renamed the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (or as I like to call them: the Scrankees). Why’d they change it I can’t say; maybe people just liked it better that way[^2], but it may also have to do with the fact that one of the teams the Red Barons were named after was a team called...the Red Sox[^3]. In 2012, massive renovations to PNC Field forced the team to spend the whole season as a traveling team (as the Mets nixed a temporary stay in Newark, NJ[^4]). When the team returned to their rebuilt stadium, they opted to rebrand again - this time becoming the RailRiders we know today.

I was never really sure if I wanted to come here as it’s kinda far; Google estimates it’s between 90 minutes and two hours away without traffic (plus the whole “being an affiliate of the Yankees” thing). However, while looking into them, I found out about a deal with the local trolley museum: for $25, you can get a ticket to a game (seating type not listed) AND a trolley ride to and from the local trolley museum (the only “catch” with this is that you have to do something known as “making a phone call” to book it). However, I realized that this would put me at the mercy not only of baseball’s lack of concrete timing, but whatever their schedule would entail, so that made me pause a bit (may do it next year though). In addition, I contemplated just visiting the team store and not seeing the rest of the ballpark by combining this visit with a Little League World Series trip (it’s more or less on the way to/from Williamsport though still about 90 minutes away), but once I decided the likely three+ hour drive one way wasn’t worth it (especially without any company)[^5], a game here ended up back on my radar. In the end, I was thankfully able to find a way to go to this game, and it’s a good thing I opted to skip the trolley - I ended up leaving WAY too late to have caught it thanks to a surprising amount of traffic.

As a Yankee affiliate, they’ve seen their fair share of prospects become Yankees (to varying degrees of success); however, they’ve never really been a “draw” in terms of fan attendance (even in the later Phillies days): a report on Minor League Baseball attendance in 2025 indicated that they had one of the largest year-over-year dropoffs in attendance this past season. While I don’t know how attendance has been since this report came out, I can tell you that attendance for this particular game was...light. I’m not sure if that was because of the drop-off or if it was because of the weather (it was rather cloudy and a rainstorm did pass near but not over the stadium), but there were large swaths of empty seats.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is rather hilly, and driving around nets you some very nice mountain views. However, the stadium is built INTO the side of a hill, so you don’t see a ton in and around it if you’re just looking at the game - but I think it’s still pretty cool. Seeing the cliffside in the outfield is kinda neat, and there’s a grassy area (sold as general admission) with trees INSIDE the stadium (the stadium has a concourse/walkway that completely circles the field, and there's a "kids area" in the outfield). High above the outfield, there’s a hotel which appears to have a view of the field; I obviously can’t confirm as I didn’t go to it, but given that I almost didn’t notice it until taking picture, I’d imagine it doesn’t have the same issues the SkyDome hotel does[^6].

One thing I think you should be aware of if you’re thinking of coming here: like the Yankees and Hudson Valley Renegades, the team uses TicketMaster for its ticketing (interestingly, however, the Somerset Patriots do NOT). It is possibly because of this that I ended up paying LESS for the ticket I got at the box office than I would have if I had bought it online (and I even bought it day of, which usually incurs a charge). I ended up going with a bleacher ticket, which entitles you to a section in right field of metal-back bleachers that go all the way down to field level. One seat in the front row of these bleachers can only be described as “the best seat in the house” - assuming you’re willing to try and spend a whole game trying to peek around a light pole.

The game was...mildly interesting: the #DamnScrankees won off the back of one singular huge inning, but I will note that their opponent for this game was the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates (they’re from Indianapolis, but their name is mildly controversial so I won’t say it here - it’s the name of their state with the last letter replaced with an "s"). I won’t go much further than that for now, but it’s something to keep in mind should I return to the area in the near future (though sadly, it’ll probably be after that Red Robin coupon they gave away expires).

### MERCH

There's...honestly not much to say about merch. The store is decently sized (though it feels like it's the smallest among the AAA stadiums I've been to), and doesn't really stray too far from what you'd expect a minor league baseball team to have (outside of them having a few adjustable hats for non-Yankee MLB teams hidden in a shelf - including the Cleveland [REDACTED IN 2022]).

Most of the jerseys were sublimated (and also featured velcro closures, which I don't like as it makes it hard to wear the jersey open without potentially damaging your shirt), and the ones that weren't were mainly fashion jerseys. There was one that I was at least mildly interested in, but I didn't like that it was kinda short and it had the number 99 on it (stupid sexy Aaron Judge...).

One thing that was kept in the Red Barons to Yankees transition, however, was the classic "SWB" cap logo. I got two versions of this cap (fitted and flexfit), plus a fitted version of their "home" cap (featuring the letter R) as well as a logo ball (with both cap logos) and a mini helmet (that came with ice cream of course; I also ended up getting Chickie's & Pete's Crabfries again).

Finally, I MUST show you one of the most horrifying caps I have ever seen a Minor League Baseball team (attempt to) sell:

![The horror that is the "Baby Bombers" logo](/images/babybomber.jpg)

<figcaption>The horror that is the "Baby Bombers" logo</figcaption>

---

[^1]: In the process, the Yankees moved their AAA operations out of Columbus, OH - a city they had been in since 1979.
[^2]: Shout out to all y’all out there who understand this reference.
[^3]: Well screw you too George!
[^4]: Despite my relative disdain for the Yankees, as someone who was going to college in Newark at the time, I can’t help but think that this would’ve been cool...
[^5]: There's also the factor of LLWS crowds/traffic being MUCH larger than I had anticipated based on a YouTube video I saw.
[^6]: MULTIPLE guests of the hotel at the SkyDome (screw Rogers) have been caught doing things you probably shouldn’t do in public because they didn’t realize people could see INTO their windows.


Old friends and new friends in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (International League) @ PNC Field (Moosic, PA)


_\*This trip occurred on the morning of July 4th, 2025._

![A photo I took ON THE FIELD at Holman Stadium back in 2022](/images/nashua.jpeg)

<figcaption>A photo I took ON THE FIELD at Holman Stadium back in 2022</figcaption>

Holman Stadium is quite historic: opened in 1937, it's seen a lot of teams and a lot of leagues come and go - from affiliated minor league teams to independent leagues. In 2011, the (then) newly created Futures Collegiate Baseball League became the newest tenant with the Nashua Silver Knights, and they've been there ever since. In fact, they're the most successful team in the Futures League, having won the most championships (six as of 2024) and being the only team from the original FCBL season to still be in the league.

The stadium is similar to the one in Hudson Valley - you enter under a grandstand that blocks the field from the entrance, but once you get inside, the concourse (or, to be more accurate, the main walkway) extends past the grandstand. The seating areas are split into upper and lower areas like Trenton and Somerset, but one thing that should be noted if you’re looking for the “best” views: there’s an aisle right behind home plate (at least in the upper seating bowl), so you can’t really get a "head-on" view of the pitcher without standing (unless you’re in the press box). Also, most of the lower bowl is in the sun during day games, so it can be pretty hot if you’re sitting there (even on a day when it was “cool” like this one). I honestly really wish I could say more about this place, but I really don’t know what else there is to say (remember, the stadium is approaching 90 years old).

If you’re looking for something to entertain kids outside of the game itself, there’s a family area down the left field line with a bunch of activities. In addition to a pair of concession stands under the grandstand, there's a second stand down the right field line that actually has a different selection from the main stand (for example: they had cheese curds). This is also where the Silver Knights bullpen is, and the players often end up talking to folks across the fence. This particular day also featured a video game truck in right (with someone in an Eevee costume) and a dunk tank in left with a few of the players who weren’t scheduled to appear. These areas are at field level, which is below the stadium's walkway, so you actually climb down the lower bowl to get to them from inside (though the outer concourse does slope down to them).

The nice thing about the summer leagues: tickets are usually very inexpensive (the Cape League being technically free and the Futures League usually not being more than ten dollars on average) and parking is free in most places (exceptions: ex-minor league teams). In fact, the ticket for this game was free, as it's an annual Fourth of July promo! The only “catch” is that it’s an 11 AM game that got moved to 10:30 AM, but that doesn’t really change much.

...or at least it wouldn’t if it hadn’t also shortened the game to seven innings. This was done to accommodate a Fourth of July “block party” that was being set up on the road the entrance to the stadium is on. I had seen this information before, but completely forgot about it until Nashua broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh and celebrated like they won (because they had). Also, said seventh inning also featured the visiting team’s only hit - but their run came in an earlier inning.

Crowds here are fairly decent by New England Summer Collegiate standards (especially with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats only 17 miles away - though that’s a bit of a different story). I've been here quite a few times, and the thing that always strikes me about this place is the fans - quite possibly the rowdiest fans in all of New England. The most notable of these fans is the “Mad Dog”: a dude who’s constantly yelling at the players (usually trying to induce bad play from the opponents) and beating a drum for big plays (and his birthday just so happens to be July 4th). I remember hearing about a “two outs” tradition the team had back in the day, but for whatever reason, they didn’t have it when I went this year (despite the fan who leads it being present I THINK); my guess is that the umpires’ association felt it constituted harassment of their umpires...

### MERCH

As a collegiate summer league team, merchandise isn't really one of their strong suits (this is the case for most summer league teams - especially the New England ones). They do have a stand with a few items, but most times I've tried to find a hat, I've found myself out of luck (the main exception being going to their second home game one year - but even then, they were MOSTLY out of hats). One thing that separates them from a lot of other teams in New England: they DO have online ordering available, though it’s a little weird and I’ve never ordered anything from them online.

Alas, my hat luck continues to be just a bit off, as they only had small and XL sized hats (one of which I ended up getting), but I did get a program for free - something I hadn’t seen before here. Also, I didn’t see ANY baseballs on sale, making this one of the few stops where I didn’t buy any baseballs (the second one was this same day BTW). They also had an homage to a previous independent baseball team (the Nashua Pride) that I was interested in, but they only had small hats available...


A historic stadium with a high-ish profile team

Nashua Silver Knights (Futures League) @ Holman Stadium (Nashua, NH)


_\*This trip occurred on the evening of July 4th, 2025. For more on the Cape Cod Baseball League, I wrote about it [here](ccbl_overview), and I personally recommend you check it out._

![A photo of Clem Spillane Field from 2022. Since then, massive renovations have taken place; notably, the bleachers on the third base (right) side of this photo have been removed.](/images/wareham2022.jpeg)

<figcaption>A photo of Clem Spillane Field from 2022. Since then, massive renovations have taken place; notably, the bleachers on the third base (right) side of this photo have been removed.</figcaption>

Baseball has been played on and off in Wareham since 1927, but the current team was formed in 1952. The town has a pretty good history with nine league championships (most recently in 2018); however, Wareham is notable amongst the Cape League towns for...not being on Cape Cod. It’s a few miles west of the Bourne Bridge on what I like to call “mainland Massachusetts” (the cape is separated by a canal) and, being located in Plymouth County, is also not part of Cape Cod’s county (Barnstable)[^1]. As such, it doesn’t really get the visiting fans/tourists many of the other teams enjoy, and Wareham consistently ranks at or near the bottom of attendance each year.

Honestly...it’s kind of a shame ‘cause I think Clem Spillane Field is pretty good. Not the best, mind you, but I think it’s better than others (though that also depends on your opinion on port-a-potties, as there seem to be no public bathrooms nearby). It’s a combination baseball/football configuration, but unlike Hinchliffe Stadium in New Jersey, the diamond is far enough away from the opposite sideline to have a normal distance down both lines (in this case it would be the left field line). Spillane also features the Cape League’s first ever video scoreboard; I don’t know when it was installed (it was there by 2021 though, as that was my first visit), but only one other team (the Cotuit Kettleers) have a video board (the rest use good ol’ electronic scoreboards). Notably, the field was upgraded in 2025; it previously (infamously) featured gray gravel base paths, but now has more traditional dirt.

Quite possibly my favorite seating section in the entire Cape League is here: thanks to the field’s status as a combination baseball/football stadium, the bleachers used for football line the outfield (as well as one of the bullpens - for a long time it was the visitor’s bullpen, but in 2023 it became the home bullpen). "Good" outfield views in the Cape are rare, as where you do get them they’re usually at field level (or the grassy berm in Chatham), so it’s a great way to get a unique view of the game (especially as you can get a rather elevated view in Wareham).

The story of this visit can be summarized in one sentence:

**The night after the lights went out in Wareham.**

My original plan was to stop here briefly to check out the "team store" before heading up to Brockton to see Rox 2.0, but after the Nashua game, I saw that this game had been moved from 6 PM to 7 PM. Thinking that It’d be REALLY awkward to try and get to the Rox game after it started, I figured I’d pivot to this game, as I really like the outfield seats (my second favorite seats in the Cape after Chatham’s grandstand). In doing so, I ended up deciding to go to Cape Cod itself (traffic was basically nonexistent thankfully), where I spent a little bit of time in Brewster and then Falmouth looking for various merchandise items before heading over to Wareham.

When I got to Wareham, I found out why the game was moved: an intense thunderstorm had knocked out power to the field the day before, and initial indications were that the power would be back between 6 and 7 (thus the pushback). However, that ended up NOT being the case, so the game started at 7 with no lights, but with a contingency plan should the power not return in time. Fortunately, those plans ended up being unnecessary, as the lights came on during the third inning. UNfortunately, the Gatemen ended up giving up a 1-0 lead in the sixth and went on to lose 5-2 (I left during this sixth inning with Bourne having loaded the bases with no outs in a then tied game).

### MERCH

Like a lot of other teams in the Cape League (seven before 2025, six this year), the Gatemen merchandise “store” is basically in/next to the press box. There’s also a small concession stand here that mainly serves drinks and light snacks, but the main concession stand at Wareham is behind the left field foul pole/home bullpen.

In the past, the team sold old hats that they were looking to “offload” (which is why I REALLY wanted to come here). This was no different for this trip, and I was able to get an old hat, a current hat, and the Fourth of July hat - but only after they got their credit card reader working (which thankfully happened before the lights came back). I didn’t get a baseball here, as the only baseballs they had were Cape League balls (this is sadly rather common on Cape Cod), and they had the former commissioner’s signature on them (I have WAY too many baseballs signed by him BTW).

Like Chatham, I went against my better judgment and bought a jersey as well; in fact, they actually let me into a section of the press box as that’s where they keep the jerseys. However, I should mention that the most interesting piece of Cape League merch I ever got was from here: A dugout jacket! Before you question the usefulness of a jacket during the summer, you have to understand that June nights in New England can be rather cold - especially on the Cape and South Coast (which is technically what Wareham is part of), where temperatures tend to be lower than the rest of Massachusetts.

Also, another thing that separates Wareham from the rest of the Cape League: Each team in the league publishes a yearbook/program...except Wareham. They stopped publishing their yearbook in 2022, but I will note here that I got a yearbook at every other Cape League stop I made this year (Chatham, Brewster, Falmouth, plus one other stop which I'll get into in a future post).

As for Brewster and Falmouth, I actually intend to talk a little bit more about them later in the year.

---

[^1]: This also means that, based on what I remember about Cape Cod’s laws, Wareham is the only team in the league that can sell bottled water...the other teams sell water in cans.


Cape League baseball - off Cape Cod

Wareham Gatemen (Cape Cod Baseball League) @ Clem Spillane Field (Wareham, MA)


_\*This is something I’ve had in my notes app for YEARS, but never did anything with (this trip occurred on June 24, 2023). With the NCAA soccer season starting the day this was published (which includes UVM Men's Soccer's home opener), the Green having just won the USL2 national championship, and in honor of the old Internet tradition of "Throwback Thursday", I figured this’d be something fun to read/post. A lot of it is LARGELY unedited from when I left it in 2023, but I did feel a few updates were needed (plus I added a merch section)._

There are many collegiate summer leagues for college baseball across America, but I tend to follow three in particular as they’re exclusively based in the six New England States: the Cape Cod Baseball League, the New England Collegiate Baseball League, and the Futures League.

In 2021, I visited all ten teams of the Cape League plus one other team in Worcester, MA over a two week vacation[^2]. The following year - now living in Massachusetts - I visited more teams from the other two leagues, but not all of them. After that summer, I decided that the next year (2023), I’d visit all the teams in the three leagues (mainly for merch, as many of these teams do not sell merch online)[^1].

I eagerly awaited the three leagues to release their schedules, and when they did, two things happened:

1. I found out one team from the NECBL folded (RIP Winnipesaukee Muskrats - fun fact: I was at their final game)
2. I began planning out travel schedules for the summer - trying to line up teams that were geographically close to each other so I could visit both on the same day

As part of that second point, I knew that planning out certain visits would definitely be interesting (case in point: booking a ferry ticket in JANUARY to get to Martha's Vineyard with my car in JULY), but one state would be the most daunting for me: Vermont.

Three teams call the state of Vermont home: one in White River Junction (the Upper Valley Nighthawks[^3]), and the other two in Montpelier (the Vermont Mountaineers) and Burlington (the Vermont Lake Monsters). The capital and largest city of Vermont (respectively) are about 30-40ish minutes from each other...but north of 3 hours from where I lived at the time[^4]. Plus, with games starting around 6 PM and the prospect of driving home on unlit, winding mountain roads while dead tired, a single day trip to and from is pretty much impossible to do; you really have to spend the night somewhere close.

Here’s the thing: hotels in Vermont ain’t cheap. I tried to look at hotels for the trip and found that most hotels were at least $200 a night. I brought up that I wanted to go to Vermont with my parents, and they mentioned that they wanted to go there too (they had planned a vacation with my mom’s cousin), but the weekends wouldn’t really line up plus, again, hotel prices. We ended up lucking out however: my dad found an inexpensive interval unit for a week in Waitsfield, VT. Originally, I planned on only being there for a few days; however, I decided that the time in Vermont was too good to pass up (save for leaving on Friday so I could do other things on Saturday), so I arranged to spend the entire week at the hotel/unit[^5].

As the trip approached, I noticed that a potential issue came up: the weather. I’m a bit of a weather geek, so I would check the forecasts to see what weather to expect...and the theme of the week was going to be rain literally the whole week (the summer of 2023 featured MANY rainy weekends). Baseball games cannot be played in the rain, so my goals of visiting the teams I wanted to see were in jeopardy.

The day I left for Vermont, guess what happened?

It rained!

I found out early in the morning that the Mountaineers had cancelled their game, so I figured I’d just go to Burlington to see the Lake Monsters - after all, they seemed like they wanted to soldier on with their game. I made my way to Burlington, trying to check for updates from the Lake Monsters regarding their game whilst driving (DON'T DO IT KIDS). Eventually, I found out that the game had been postponed...when I was almost to Burlington and well past where I was staying.

You might be expecting me to simply turn around, go check in at the unit, figure out a place to get dinner, and then discuss the next day when “better” weather plus a Lake Monsters doubleheader on Sunday allowed me to visit both the Lake Monsters and Mountaineers on the same day. Here’s the thing, though: this story is not about baseball.

It’s about association football (commonly referred to in the United States as soccer), because as it turns out, there’s a soccer team in Burlington: Vermont Green FC. They’re in what’s considered the fourth level of soccer in the US (USL League 2), and many of their players are collegiate athletes looking to keep their legs fresh for the upcoming fall NCAA season; in fact, the Green play at the same stadium as the University of Vermont (UVM) soccer teams. However, the team is probably more notable for the culture they’ve created: their main motto is “Climate Justice is Social Justice”, and they do what they can to truly involve themselves in the community. This is also reflected in their supporters group, who call themselves the "Green Mountain Bhoys" (a nod to a Revolutionary War-era militia and a famous soccer team from Scotland) and are known for their social outreach (and political banners at games for better or worse).

When I first heard about Vermont Green from an email from the Men in Blazers, I immediately checked if they’d be home when I was in Vermont, and lo and behold, they were! I had to rearrange the schedule I had made a bit, but committing to being in Vermont the whole week made it much easier. However, nervousness about the super rainy forecast made me question whether I still wanted to check out the Green, since I really wanted to prioritize the baseball teams. When both teams cancelled their games, however, I figured that since soccer games rarely get cancelled by rain, watching the Green would be a “safe bet”. However, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to spend two hours in the elements, so I remained indecisive before eventually deciding to see what a soccer game was like - after all, the last time I had attended a soccer game, I was seven years old and playing in it!

It was still pouring when I arrived and made the genius decision to park on the roof of the nearby parking garage (I was able to move my car, however, as I arrived well over an hour before game time). A game between (more) amateur teams from Vermont and New Hampshire was going on when I arrived, and I watched the end of that from a nearby sidewalk with a giant overhang protecting spectators from the rain. When the time for the “big game” came up, I ended up spending most of the hour between the gates opening and the match starting under the bleachers to get some cover from the rain before opening the umbrella I had brought and moving up to the stands to see the match.

The facilities here are rather basic: only one side of the field has bleachers, and there's a concourse behind them with another field opposite the soccer stadium (I believe for field hockey). For Vermont Green games, this concourse features local food trucks which serve as the main concessions for the event, plus a number of matches feature free ice cream from you-can-probably-guess-who. If you don't end up buying a ticket (which, given how popular the Green have gotten, is a highly distinct possibility nowadays), there's a hill behind one of the goals where you can still see the game[^6]; behind this hill is the overhang I mentioned earlier where I watched the "pre-match" game, and this appears to be part of the building which includes Gutterson Fieldhouse - the home of UVM's hockey team (whom I have yet to visit as of me writing this).

I spent most of the first half standing very close to the “hardcore” supporters’ section (thankfully, I bought a jersey and scarf before the game to “blend in”). They were what you’d expect from soccer fans: loud, rowdy, and having a great time (they were constantly trying to chat up one of the opposing players and even tricked him into “claiming” his teammate was bad). During the game, the PA announcer did more than just announce who scored goals and who was being subbed on/off: he occasionally did some play-by-play of the game action, and to be fair to just about everything else involved with the club...he’s the best part of the game BY FAR.

By about halftime, it stopped raining. I thought about putting my umbrella and jacket away but didn’t want to miss too much (though in retrospect I totally should have). The Green ended up winning the game in an absolute goal fest, and afterwards, fans were allowed onto the field to mingle with the team and get autographs (something which is really awesome IMO).

While Vermont Green was definitely a fun experience, I learned after my vacation that it’s probably the best experience in their division by many, MANY miles. I tried going to another game in the same division about a week later (the Boston Bolts, who were playing in Newton, MA at the time[^7]), and it was basically the complete opposite of what the experience was in Vermont. The best part about it was that I got in for free...because nothing was being sold: no tickets, no food, and no merchandise. Also, there were probably less than 50 spectators at the game, and I use the term “spectators” because I’m pretty sure most of them were there to support individual players as opposed to the team as a whole.

As an after script to my trip, I ended up seeing the Green again the following year - this time as visitors to a "smaller" team just north of Boston: Boston City FC. I legitimately cannot tell you much about them, as information about them on the internet is HARD to find. What I do know is that they seem to have two teams: the USL2 side in the States, plus some team in Brazil; somehow, the Brazilian team seems to get more attention online than the American team. The game itself was rather unremarkable: the Green won 3-0, and it really seemed like there were more Vermont Green fans there than home fans in the intensely sparse crowd. What was neat, however, was getting up close and personal with the Green's players once again; I was kinda nervous about trying to talk to any of them, but they seemed like a cool bunch.

In the first three years of the club’s existence, Vermont Green finished third each year. Two of those years saw the team make the playoffs, but both playoff runs ended in the round of 16. However, in 2025, they put it all together - winning the USL2 National Championship without losing a game in the process (something that hadn’t happened since 2010). The championship game was played at Virtue Field (less than three weeks ago as of this being posted), and is estimated to have drawn close to 5,000 fans - nearly double the number of official seats available. In addition, the success of the Green has spilled into the UVM men's soccer team - who won the NCAA championship nine months prior to the Green's triumph - as I saw a report that their ticket sales had picked up.

![A hat commemorating the "Undefeated National Champions" Vermont Green FC. Fun fact: I ordered this shortly after they won, and it actually arrived the day after this post was originally published!](/images/nationalchampshat.jpeg)

<figcaption>A hat commemorating the "Undefeated National Champions" Vermont Green FC. Fun fact: I ordered this shortly after they won, and it actually arrived the day after this post was originally published!</figcaption>

It's crazy to think that in three short years, Burlington, Vermont has become one of the de facto soccer capitals of the United States. What Vermont Green (and to a certain extent UVM) has done is incredible: by focusing on ingraining themselves into the community, they've built a fanbase that doesn't just support the club, but draws people in as well. Now that the "secret" is out with them winning a championship, it's going to be VERY interesting to see where they go from here (as debate about whether or not USL2 is "right" for them continues to rage on among other things).

### MERCH

One of the founders of Vermont Green is a well known graphic designer for his work with sport teams (his most notable work being the current look of the Minnesota Twins). Each year, he designs a new jersey for the team to wear for most of their matches (as few of their opponents wear green), and it's usually VERY good.

When I first thought about making this trip, I looked into buying a jersey online and was slightly saddened to find out that their 2023 jersey - widely regarded as one of the most unique jersey EVER in soccer - was sold out. I ended up getting a cream colored jersey with green sleeves and a collar (which I'm fairly sure the team no longer sells) plus a scarf (a common accessory worn at soccer matches). However...these weren't the jersey and scarf I mentioned wearing during the match.

At the match, I lucked out: the team had just restocked their primary jersey, and I ended up getting it plus one of their training shirts (as they feature Ben and Jerry's on the front), as well as a hat and a different scarf (which has become my go-to for the Green).

As an aside: If you're ever in Burlington and are looking to snag some Vermont Green merch, there's a store in the area run by someone who has played for the team in recent seasons (I visited once and got another scarf and training shirt, as the jerseys/shirts change each year). Just be forewarned, however: with the team SOARING in popularity (even BEFORE winning it all), he's had trouble keeping things on the shelves[^8]...

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[^1]: I did write a little bit about these trips, but when I say a little bit, I mean "some of these are literally two sentences long" little, so it's doubtful they'll get posted unless I go back.
[^2]: Said trip should have included a visit Brockton but didn't - something that ended up costing me a LOT of time in the coming years...
[^3]: I may have to post about my trip to see the Nighthawks sometime, as it ended up becoming a WEEK LONG ORDEAL.
[^4]: I was living near Boston at the time.
[^5]: Vermont has been my family's main vacation spot since I was born, but this trip was not at the place we usually stay at: we usually go to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. For some reason, I always get a kick out of explaining the existence of the lodge to people even though I haven't seen _The Sound of Music_ in its entirety in a LONG time...
[^6]: Controversially, UVM is building something in front of this hill; I believe it's a building for team facilities, but it does have the effect of blocking the view.
[^7]: They were at the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst, but have since moved to Brandeis University in Waltham.
[^8]: Case in point: I was looking for the team's 2024 jersey when I visited the store, but they didn't have it in my size.


A look back at the first soccer game I attended (without playing in it)

Vermont Green FC (USL League 2) @ Virtue Field (Burlington, VT)


_\*This trip occurred on July 5th, 2025._

_Also, I'd like to take this time to plug my <a href="https://overclocked-overthoughts.netlify.app" target="blank">main blog</a>. I decided to post a little update there today, and am thinking of other things to post on there._

![A photo from a Brockton Rox baseball game](/images/rox2025.jpg)

<figcaption>A photo from a Brockton Rox baseball game</figcaption>

The wild, wild history of the Brockton Rox finds them back in independent baseball - more than 10 years after they “took a brief absence” from it to focus on collegiate summer ball.

Originally founded in 2001 as an independent team in the Can-Am League, the Rox “relegated” to the Futures League in 2012 because of massive debts (this according to something I saw online from someone who has worked with the team). In terms of attendance, they were doing decently well (probably - they were in a summer collegiate league after all) until the pandemic, when their attendances - generally somewhere around 1,500 - dropped to 500 and never truly recovered.

I could talk about the summers of 2022 and 2023 for hours - I went to a bunch of games during those seasons and saw just how dire things were there. Among other things:

- It didn’t help that the team won exactly five playoff games during their decade plus in the Futures League, then fell to the bottom of the standings in 2022 and got stuck there for their last few years.
- Both years featured “gimmicks” with the roster that didn’t exactly pan out. The 2022 team featured no less than FIVE sons of former MLB players and finished in dead last (with most of those sons not even finishing the summer with the team), while the 2023 team tried introducing the Futures League’s first female player but finishing with just over half the wins of the seventh place team (and I’m not sure if SHE finished the season in Brockton).
- The team went through multiple ownership groups in their time in the Futures League - most of whom didn't really try with the team (this according to the same guy I mentioned earlier who worked with the team).
- The owner of the Rox in 2020 bought the Vermont Lake Monsters to “save” them from extinction after the MiLB saga (the Lake Monsters joined the Futures League). It’s my understanding that he sold the Rox at some point - not sure when, but by 2022 they had new ownership.
- Said new ownership supposedly included the owner of a comedy club in Boston who tried to do Savannah Bananas-esque gimmicks during games (if riding a motorcycle on the warning track counts). I saw him at the 2023 season opener, but then midway through the season...HE was gone.
- Brockton has recently become known for having a very...unfortunate reputation. I was living in Massachusetts during the Rox’ last few years in the Futures League and remember hearing stories on the news about how there were calls to bring in the National Guard because teachers at Brockton High School felt unsafe due to how rowdy students were. Coincidentally, Brockton High School’s parking lot happens to be the same parking lot the Rox typically use (which they used to charge for but don’t anymore), so there were probably a lot of worries about fan safety.
- The stadium was in rather rough shape due to a lack of upkeep. For example, the team store was under construction until 2024, so merchandise was simply a small table on the concourse...in 2023. 2022 saw ZERO merchandise sales at any of the games I went to (a period from May to July).

In 2024, ownership bought into a Frontier League slot (a league which featured a lot of the teams the Rox used to play against back in the day). However, for whatever reason, they decided to stay in the Futures League whilst simultaneously having a Frontier League team (this despite the Futures League losing a team due to stadium deficiencies). It was decided that the Rox brand would stay in the Futures League, while the newly formed New England Knockouts (named as such after a “name the team” contest went sideways[^1]) played in the Frontier League.

This arrangement...didn't work. Neither team was very successful either on or off the field, and from what I've heard, the ownership group ran into legal troubles (it also didn't help that they owned another Frontier League team...in Chicago - a several days' drive west on I-90).

The organization was sold (yet again) that offseason, and the team decided to “leave” the Futures League and reintroduce the Rox branding to the Frontier League in 2025.

So that's the history of the Rox in a nutshell - but what about the present?

My original plan was to visit on July 4th, but the aforementioned Wareham situation made me decide to pivot to their game on the 5th (which means that I also missed free hat day). The game had an emotional start, as the Rox and the visiting Windy City Thunderbolts (whose former ownership group owned the Knockouts) paid tribute to former Major Leaguer and Thunderbolts manager Bobby Jenks, who had passed the day before. I left the game when it was tied 3-3, but I checked later and the Thunderbolts eventually won (which, if we’re being honest, they deserved).

Having said that, let’s talk about Campanelli Stadium itself. There are two concession stands in the concourse - one on either side of the home plate gates. However, the concession stand on the first base side was closed (the third base side being the much larger “main” one), but there was a small taco stand in front of it that was open. While the Rox don’t have any “side games” anywhere in the stadium, they do have a mascot named K-O the Kangaroo roaming the stadium (they supposedly added another mascot this year, but I didn’t see them).

Notably...attendances are still somewhat down; according to the Frontier League’s statistics, they’re the only team in the league that averages less than 1,000 fans a game (or the most honest team about attendance[^2]). This can be attributed to a number of factors, but I feel one of the biggest ones is that locals, by and large, still view Brockton (as a whole) as “unsafe”. There was a pretty decent crowd the night I went, however, so maybe there’s some signs of hope. They were also getting more into the game than I’ve ever seen a Rox crowd do; the most notable example of this being hyping up the potential for free fries if a certain batter struck out (which he did).

So I guess that things in Brockton still aren’t that great right now, but given just how bad the post-pandemic years have been in Brockton, there’s really nowhere to go BUT up...right?

Also, as a final note...don’t get meat from McDonalds (or at least be careful if you’re getting their chicken). Stick to potatoes and maybe McFlurries when the machine is actually working...

### MERCH

I’ve mentioned that the Rox had no merch in 2022 and super limited stuff in 2023. Part of that was the fact that the team store area was either being renovated or used for storage both years (as I mentioned earlier). However, the team DID reopen the store in 2024 - however, they didn’t have fitted hats when I went (though I ended up ordering a couple online).

The team store is located OUTSIDE the main gates, so much like the Jackals’ carnival stand, you can actually get in without a ticket! I honestly contemplated trying this to get the Rox hat I’ve been looking for since 2022, but ultimately decided against it as I wanted to check out the “Rox experience”; this ultimately ended up making me cancel plans to visit Portland, ME to check out the Portland Sea Dogs and Portland Hearts of Pine stores (though there were other reasons for me doing that as well).

This year, indications were that for the first time since probably 2021, player hats were available. Unfortunately, while that turned out to be true, there were only small sizes available. Because I legitimately have no idea how long the Rox will last, I did something I rarely do: get a dad hat (as mentioned earlier, I missed a free hat giveaway due to moving this game to the 5th). I contemplated getting a hoodie but ultimately decided against it, though had it been cold inside the stadium (which it’s tended to be in my prior visits), I may have pulled the trigger...

Also, before coming to this game, I decided to make a WILD detour back to Cape Cod one last time to look into Bourne Braves merchandise - like Brewster and Falmouth, I'll talk about it later.

---

[^1]: The winning name from the contest was “ChowdaHeads”, but apparently local reception made them change. It also probably didn’t help that a box lacrosse team had the similar “ChowderHeads” name first - even if said box lacrosse team never played a game...but that’s a LONG story.
[^2]: Looking at you, New Jersey Jackals...


A team with a wild history finds itself back in independent league baseball

Brockton Rox (Frontier League) @ Campanelli Stadium (Brockton, MA)


_\*This trip occurred on July 6, 2025, and I had so many thoughts on what happened that I’ve had to structure this post a bit differently than my other posts (case in point: my draft for this was SEVENTEEN PAGES LONG). To save everyone's sanity from having to scroll for all of that, I've broken this post into multiple parts - this one obviously being the intro._

- [PART 2](bananaball2)
- [PART 3](bananaball3)
- [CONCLUSION](bananaball4)

### The Savannah Bananas (and friends)

If you've been following baseball as a sport, you probably know at least a little bit about the Savannah Bananas. For those who don't, here's a short-ish history:

Savannah, GA, was home to various minor league baseball teams throughout the 20th century and early 2000s. The most recent one - the Savannah Sand Gnats (who I used to have a t-shirt for) - left town in 2015 (they’re now in Columbia, SC as the Columbia Fireflies). The following year, a bold entrepreneur founded the Savannah Bananas, filling the void left by the Sand Gnats.

Originally a member of the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League, they became famous for their on the field antics during games - things like a dance troupe composed of older women, a player on stilts, and a guy who did his own PA intro. These antics turned the team into media darlings; home games were consistently sold out, and they were even (seemingly) pulling in fans on the road; I thought about going to a game in Wilmington, NC one year while on vacation, but it was sold out when I looked into getting tickets (and it also rained that day, which made things iffy).

Outside of their CPL team, the most notable thing they did was in 2018, when they debuted a new set of rules for their version of baseball which came to be known as “Banana Ball". As part of this, a second "house team" - the (Savannah) Party Animals - was added to serve as a "foil" to the Bananas (though they were nowhere near as bad as the Washington Generals). The Bananas and Party Animals played their first game of Banana Ball in 2020, and a year later, they played their first game outside of Savannah in Mobile, AL.

In 2022, after winning the Coastal Plain League for the second year in a row and the third time overall, they decided to leave the league and go "full Harlem Globetrotters" - focusing solely on Banana Ball[^1]. They embarked on their first “Banana Ball World Tour” in 2023 - consistently selling out stadiums and drawing massive media attention. In 2024, they added Major League Baseball stadiums into the mix, as well as a new team: the Firefighters, who were the other team I saw at this game (plus they booked a damn CRUISE SHIP vacation for the entire org + fans). In 2025, they added the Texas Tailgaters, and announced that at the end of the 2025 tour, a "Banana Ball Tour Championship Series" will be played to determine an overall "champion" of the tour.

Two more teams are being added in 2026, which will also see an organized “Banana Ball Championship League” start up with each team playing 60 games (which translates to a whopping 180 total Banana Ball games next year).

### ...So what the heck is Banana Ball?

Banana Ball is, in essence, a modified version of baseball. The team lists eleven rules that make it distinct (these are taken directly from <a href="https://bananaball.com/rules/" target="blank">the Banana Ball website</a>):

![The rules of Banana Ball condensed into an image. They are too long to include as alt text.](https://bananaball.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BananaBallRules.png)

<figcaption>The rules of Banana Ball condensed into an image</figcaption>

There’s also a few rule differences between Banana Ball and regular baseball that are not part of the official Banana Ball rules:

- Each team has TEN batters in their lineup (as opposed to the standard nine). This rule - referred to as the “Extra Hitter” - is rather rare amongst professional baseball competitions; it’s more common below high school varsity level (and don’t get me started on Little League).
- Each team also has a “Designated Runner” (alluded to in the Golden Batter rule) - I.e. a guy whose main job is to just be a pinch runner, but can be used multiple times per game (as opposed to being a full substitution like in baseball).

I’ll give my full thoughts on these rules later, but in short: this is basically “lightning baseball”, and could honestly stand on its own as a fun-to-watch baseball variant (even without the on-field antics).

---

### UP NEXT

Tickets and the "easiest" way to get them (aka the reason this post got SO LONG).

[PART 2](bananaball2)

---

[^1]: The Bananas don't like comparisons to the Globetrotters, however, as they believe the comparison implies that Banana Ball is "fixed" (the Party Animals kinda sorta prove it's not though).


A very, VERY deep dive into the "Greatest Show in Sports"

Banana Ball (Savannah Bananas vs. the Firefighters) @ Fenway Park (Boston, MA)


_\*This trip occurred on July 22, 2025._

![America's Classic Ballpark, Baseballtown](/images/baseballtown.jpeg)

<figcaption>America's Classic Ballpark, Baseballtown</figcaption>

Reading, PA is probably best known for these five things:

1. The Reading Railroad (which was actually based in Philadelphia)
2. Pretzels
3. The Pagoda
4. Taylor Swift
5. Baseballtown

Of course, since this is a series about SPORTS, we’re going to focus on that last one.

Minor League teams came and went in Reading for a while until 1967, when the Reading Phillies (or R-Phils as they’re sometimes called) played their first season in the Eastern League as an affiliate of, unsurprisingly, the Philadelphia Phillies. Since then, the only thing that's changed is the team's name (when they became the "Fightin Phils" in 2012); the nearly 60 year affiliation is tied for the longest in Minor League Baseball (alongside the Detroit Tigers and their Single-A affiliate in Florida). As a testament to this history, the team has retired five numbers; all five of those players are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and all but one made their MLB debut with the Phillies. The team has also consistently been among the leaders in attendance in the Eastern League for a long time. It’s hard to find numbers, but one thing I saw had them leading the Eastern League in total attendance eleven times between 2000 and 2019.

Normally, I wouldn't consider coming here: it's an almost two hour drive from where I live (which is pretty far by my standards), and game times are SUPER inconvenient (5 PM Sunday starts and 7 PM every other day). However, an opportunity to cut that drive time in half (one way) came up, so I figured I'd try and take advantage of that...until other plans made that trip less feasible. Thankfully, I found other games that were also earlier in the day, so I decided to go with one of those (in this case, this game started at noon). The super nice thing about Reading is that tickets can be had for as low as ten dollars; you end up getting a large seating area down the right field line (though views are somewhat obscured by netting and the awkward angle)[^1].

The stadium the R-Phils have called home for their entire history was opened in 1951, making it the oldest stadium in the Eastern League by over 30 years (it was the oldest stadium in Double-A until 2025 due to a relocation). Currently known as FIrstEnergy Stadium, it has a very different vibe from a different, former FirstEnergy Stadium in Ohio which is famously haunted by the sadness it has manufactured since 1999. Instead of being a place where fans question their morals while cheering for a potential serial sex offender, Reading is known for its atmosphere: a much more exuberant, carnival-like place known as “America’s Classic Ballpark”. This is strongly evident the minute you walk through the gates, where concession stands line the plaza and there are games as you approach the outfield (this is all on the first base side). These are the main concession stands for the whole stadium, as the grandstand and other areas of the stadium feature much smaller concession areas. Side note: while they do have crab fries, they’re not Chickie's and Pete’s - not sure exactly why that is.

When you’re walking around the stadium, you can kinda feel just how old it is. The grandstand isn’t the most comfortable place in baseball as it’s almost 75 years old (and is kinda cramped inside), but it does have the benefits of shaded seats and what appear to be concession stands on top of it (plus the obligatory team store - which also has a unique history). The concourse and field are not only level with each other, they’re pretty much at street level; as the ground you walk on outside of the grandstand is “road gravel”. There’s also many, MANY references to the history of baseball in Reading all over the park, including the teams that played prior to the arrival of the R-Phils[^2], a “Reading Baseball Hall of Fame”, and my personal favorite: a display commemorating which Reading Phillies alumni played for the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies (the year the team became “World Champions of Baseball”[^3]). Unfortunately, I could not find a corresponding display for 1980...

The concourse does NOT wrap around the field (it’s broken up by a large building in center field which was built in 2024 to help the team meet MLB specifications for Minor League stadiums), but it does have fan areas in the outfield (i.e. between the foul poles). In left field, you have a boardwalk-style area with a few concession stands and high tops (some of this area appeared to be reserved), and in right field...there’s a damn swimming pool. Google says there are three other MiLB stadiums with pools, but I can think of only ONE Major League stadium with a pool (Arizona), and I thought that was SUPER COOL as a kid. I couldn't figure out when the team added it, and I forgot to ask how many times it’s been hit by home runs (I’m sure SOMEONE has been keeping track), but the game’s lone home run did end up in this area.

The most notable thing about “Baseballtown” is something I learned when preparing for this trip: THERE’S (LEGITIMATELY) FREE PARKING! This is an ASTOUNDING rarity in Minor League Baseball, so that is a massive plus for me (and I’m sure a lot of fans). The lots are kinda compact (for lack of a better term) as they’re all fairly close to the stadium, so as you might expect, getting in and out is a bit awkward. I will note that there does exist a paid lot, but I’m not sure which one of the lots it is - I assume it’s right next to the stadium though (near their event center). Also, shout out to the dude who had a DALLAS COWBOYS front license plate (Pennsylvania cars do not typically have front plates as the state issues only one plate per car) - that’s a BOLD thing to have in Pennsylvania (especially eastern PA).

This was a “camp” game (i.e. the summer version of a school game), though the atmosphere felt more like Brooklyn than Staten Island (i.e. the two school games I went to). The R-Phils - or, rather, the “Reading Hot Dogs” (as that was the identity they used for this game) - ended up coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win 6-3 (scoring two runs each in the sixth through eighth innings). Fun fact: one player from each team had played in High-A earlier in the year, and I saw them both play at their High-A teams ([Jersey Shore](2025-08-08_jsblueclaws) and [Brooklyn](2025-08-09_bkncyclones)).

As an aside, it turns out that it’s only ~50 minutes to get from Reading to Allentown (in fact; both teams seem to share scoreboard graphics). While I feel like this COULD lead to someone wanting to try to see both in one day (which given Reading’s late Sunday games is somewhat feasible), I feel that the days when that is possible are rather rare (especially when both teams do “Camp Day” on the same day...).

And yes, this means that I’ve visited three of the Phillies' four MiLB affiliates. Don't expect the fourth one anytime soon however - it's in Florida, and I have no plans of traveling down there...

### MERCH

When looking into the R-Phils, I saw that their team store had undergone some form of renovation prior to the 2025 season. As it turns out, as part of the construction of the new center field building, the team’s clubhouse/locker room was moved from the grandstand to the new building, and the team store was expanded into the space once occupied by the clubhouse (they were adjacent to each other, though apparently the team store didn’t exist until 1992 according to Wikipedia). This means that not only is the team store rather large (especially by Minor League standards), it’s also historic, as part of the space was once occupied by players who went on to become Major Leaguers! To honor this, a few lockers used in the old clubhouse now serve as displays; I don’t remember how many lockers they had, but I did see two: one for Ryan Howard and one for...Darin Ruf.

I went a little crazy on hats here - ending up going home with SIX of them:

- Two versions (fitted and flexfit) of their home hat (A red hat with their “F” logo)
- A fitted navy hat with their “F” logo; while this hat usually has a diamond pattern (as it’s meant to be a batting practice hat), I found one that was the “normal” fabric
- A fitted red hat with a blue “R” (their road hat)
- A flexfit blue and red hat featuring an “R” topped by a train (throwback)
- A flexfit red hat with an “R” styled like the Phillies logo from the ‘70s and ‘80s

![The six hats I got in Reading. The front three are fitted hats, while the back three are flexfit hats.](/images/readinghats.jpeg)

<figcaption>The six hats I got in Reading. The front three are fitted hats, while the back three are flexfit hats.</figcaption>

I didn’t get a jersey as they’re sublimated (Go “Fightin in Phils”!), but the team did offer something that is VERY uncommon: free customization! Most teams charge for this, so that’s another thing that sets the R-Phils apart (even if the customization isn’t the highest quality).

In terms of other things, I got a BallQube to display the official MiLB baseball I got in Brooklyn a while ago, plus I also ended up getting a Phillies City Connect from a store near Allentown on my way home from the game. I did see a t-shirt with “Baseballtown” on it that I thought about, but I didn’t like it enough to justify getting it. There was also a hat with a Keystone logo on it I wanted, but it was not available in my size and there were no flexfits either...

---

[^1]: There's also indications of a general admission bleacher area down the left field like, but I didn't try these seats during the game.
[^2]: One of the teams in Reading pre-Phillies was the Red Sox - I only recognized one name from their time in Reading however: Rico Petrocelli.
[^3]: Crazy to think that this was one of Harry Kalas’ last calls ever...at least he got to call the moment live (unlike 1980) before he died.


When a place calls itself "Baseballtown", you have to check it out

Reading Fightin Phils (Eastern League) @ FirstEnergy Stadium (Reading, PA)


_\*This visit occurred on March 11, 2025._

In going over my calendar of sporting events, I had COMPLETELY forgotten that I came here once! Part of that is likely because this visit was before I started these reports; in fact, all but one of the rest of this month's posts are from games I attended before I started writing "2025 posts".

I will admit that a big reason I didn't write about them is the fact that all but one of these are at indoor arenas, which I find kinda difficult to write about as they're pretty much all the same IMO (the last one is an American football stadium, which in a way has the same issues but is bigger).

However, I decided to write a little bit about them AFTER I had started the baseball series. I felt it was the right thing to do for the sake of "completeness", and it helps this blog not be so narrow focused because, in case you haven't noticed, all these events are in the Northeastern United States - where baseball CANNOT be played in the winter.

Anyway, now that I've gotten all of THAT preamble out of the way, let's get into the actual game this post is intended to discuss:

Seton Hall University was the first Catholic University in the United States established by a diocese/archdiocese (in this case, the Archdiocese of Newark). In a way, it’s a special place for me and my friends, as my brother came here for a few years before transferring, and one of my closest friends spent six years here in an undergrad/grad program.

While the university is probably best known for their basketball program (being a member of the basketball powerhouse that is the Big East), their baseball program (i.e. the one I saw for this trip) has a pretty interesting history. They have a few “minor” titles to their name (i.e. conference championships and College World Series[^1] appearances), but more notably, Baseball Hall of Famer Craig Biggio played for the team in his college days (alongside guys such as former MVP Mo Vaughn).

There’s not much to say about the field - it’s part of a multisport field on campus that also hosts soccer (and also hosted American Football before that program got cut). However, the nice thing is that admission to most Seton Hall sports (i.e. NOT basketball) is free, and parking is too! There’s a dedicated seating area around the infield, which gives the game a much more intimate feel (similar to a Cape League game). Similar to Clem Spillane Field in Wareham, you can also get a good view of the game from the main bleachers for soccer, which essentially serve as outfield seats (I believe they are also a bit less crowded/more shaded as well). Finally, the parking garage is close enough to the field that you could feasibly watch the game from the upper levels of it (though I believe the university asks that fans not do this as it’s kinda unsafe).

I don’t remember much about the game except that I arrived late, had to leave early, and that Seton Hall lost to my old college’s neighbor - the New Jersey Institute of Technology. As a side note, I’m kinda sad I didn’t get to see them (or my school, which was D-III) when I was in college, as they played in a stadium shared with an independent league team that folded in 2015 (the stadium has since been demolished).

### MERCH

The one drawback of being a smaller program playing on a smaller, on campus field: there’s no dedicated merchandise or concessions sold at the game per se[^2]. However, the campus bookstore is close by and open to the public, so if you want to show your “Pirate Pride”, you still can! I'm not sure where you can get food however...

I ended up going to said bookstore after leaving the game, but didn’t find anything I was really interested in. It’s got your standard college bookstore fare, but again, basketball is their main sport, so most of their other sports don’t get the same level of attention (in terms of sport specific hats/jerseys). There are New Era 5950s available if that's your thing, however.

---

[^1]: The College World Series is the NCAA's baseball championship event, held every year in Omaha, NE.
[^2]: I actually went to a Northeastern Huskies baseball game once, and there was a small merch table there. A large part of that existing was the fact that the stadium was several miles from campus in a residential part of another city entirely, though.


I go back to school to watch baseball

Seton Hall Pirates Baseball (Big East) @ Owen T. Carroll Field (South Orange, NJ)


_\*This trip occurred on March 1, 2025._

While it's hard for me to pin down a succinct description of (field) lacrosse, the best way to describe it is that it's similar to soccer, but with players using specialized sticks instead of their feet. It's famous for being more or less fully developed in North America by Native Americans, and those Native American roots are always present: it's one of the few sports where Native American nations field teams instead of their players playing for the U.S. (which is a bit of an issue for the sport's upcoming Olympic debut). While the official rules have been a bit "unclear" recently (partially due to its current pro league tinkering with them), the main things you really need to know are that it's a 10 vs. 10 game played on a field that's about as long as an American football field (though a bit wider).

With that out away, let's talk about the place I went to (in more ways than one): Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is one of America’s oldest universities and the largest university in New Jersey (and technically my alma mater[^1]). Originally founded as Queen’s College in 1766, it was renamed Rutgers in 1825 after a wealthy benefactor. However, the school’s biggest claim to fame (especially in the sporting world) is being the host of the first ever college football game in 1869. This lends itself to the school’s nickname as “The Birthplace of College Football”, but outside of that...they haven’t really done that much in terms of athletics. They were a long time Big East member (during which they had the most success I’ve ever seen) until the Catholic schools kicked the non-Catholic schools out, and then they were only in the resultant American Athletic Conference for a year before joining the Big 10 - where they've largely been less relevant than they were in the Big East (somehow).

You may expect that a lacrosse team based in New Jersey - one of the top lacrosse states in the country (I THINK[^2]) - would have a long and storied history. They don’t. While they’ve (apparently) been around since 1887, they only have one Final Four appearance to their name, and it didn’t occur until 2022.

This game was played at the same stadium the football team plays in. Currently known as SHI Stadium, it opened in 1994 as a replacement for another stadium built on the same site. Given that Rutgers football has largely been an afterthought (especially since becoming cannon fodder for a bunch of “States” adjacent to the Great Lakes), it’s kinda hard to pinpoint the “high points” in the stadiums history (ironically, one of the former names of the stadium was High Point Stadium), but I can think of two:

1. The football team’s most famous win: an upset of Louisville back in 2006 (when I was in high school)
2. Barack Obama’s 2016 commencement speech. I remember there being a TON of controversy as Newark and Camden students wanted to attend, but students in New Brunswick felt they shouldn’t be allowed (though I believe Rutgers allowed students to attend whichever commencement they choose back then)

Only one side of the stadium was open for this game along one of the sidelines, but the entrance was near one of the end zones, so you ended up having to walk a bit from the entrance to the stands. While it was nice and sunny, strong winds made the stadium REALLY cold (again, this game was in March). It also didn’t help that Rutgers LOST this game to a team from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia (a school you probably didn’t know existed until just now); in fact, it felt like more people were there to cheer THEM on than the home team (especially in the late stages of the game).

### MERCH

Surprisingly, there was a small merch stand open for the game! While I don’t remember much of what they had, I ended up going home with was a couple of hats from the school’s baseball team.

If you’re looking for more Rutgers merch, however, the school’s bookstore and a spirit shop are close by in downtown New Brunswick, so I figure that if you’re REALLY interested in merch, that’s your best option (especially the spirit shop). Parking is a bit of a hassle however, so be prepared for that (or just use the garage - that’s what I used to do when I had things in New Brunswick).

---

[^1]: I went to Rutgers Newark - a satellite campus of Rutgers, though by and large this distinction is insignificant (there’s another satellite in Camden). We have our own athletics teams, but they’re in Division III.
[^2]: Fun fact: my high school’s lacrosse team has New Jersey’s longest winning streak - they lost the first game of my junior year, but then didn’t lose again until after the end of my first spring semester of college. I don’t know how it ranks nationally, but it’s up there.


I visit the so called "Birthplace of College Football" for a completely different sport

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Lacrosse (Big Ten) @ SHI Stadium (Piscataway, NJ)


_\*This post is somewhat unique in that it covers two trips - February 8, 2025 and March 15, 2025. Yes, the first trip occurred BEFORE the [Rutgers lacrosse game I talked about yesterday](2025-08-26_rulacrosse), but I ended up moving the order of these posts around to smooth out certain "narratives", so to speak. This is also our first venture into the "great indoors", but be forewarned that these indoor arena posts may be very different because I feel like I struggle to come up with things to say about indoor arenas as in my opinion, they all kinda feel the same - moreso than outdoor stadiums (maybe it's the lack of a backdrop)._

_Some of you astute readers may have also realized that I used an old name for the arena in the title - it was recently renamed to "Xfinity Mobile Arena", but was "Wells Fargo Center" for both of my visits, so I'm sticking with that name._

![The great indoors of whatever you want to call the arena in Philadelphia after a Wings game](/images/phiwings.jpg)

<figcaption>The great indoors</figcaption>

Let me start this post by discussing box lacrosse and the NLL, as it may be more unfamiliar to many people.

Box lacrosse can probably be best described as a hybrid of field lacrosse, hockey, and basketball. The game is, by name, a variation of lacrosse, but has a lot of similarities to hockey (as it is mainly a game to play in the summer when ice isn’t readily available). The field has the same dimensions as a hockey rink (200 x 85 feet), players typically have more padding like in hockey, and the game features a very similar penalty system (i.e. players who are penalized spend two minutes off the field instead of 30 seconds). In addition, the game has a more basketball-like cadence with its possessions and a much shorter shot clock than its outdoor counterpart (the field lacrosse shot clock is at least a minute). 

The National Lacrosse League is the highest tier of professional box lacrosse in the United States and Canada. I don't think that going into its history is necessary here (as it will probably take a while given how many teams have been created then subsequently folded over the course of nearly 40 years), but I will note two things:

1. Most box lacrosse leagues play 3 periods of 20 minutes each (much like hockey). The NLL, however, plays 4 quarters of 15 minutes (which is actually standard in field lacrosse outside of the PLL).
2. One of the most notable things you’ll notice if you ever watch a NLL game is the music: it plays non-stop throughout the game, which is probably one of the most polarizing things about the league (Banana Ball does the same thing, with the same debate). However, it does contribute to the league’s atmosphere, which IMO is honestly kinda fun (though certain things can mitigate that somewhat - you’ll see what I mean soon).

I've been following the league on and off for a while now, and that's for a very unfortunate reason: lack of a local team. The league was only in the New York metropolitan area (i.e. where I live) for a very short time (RIP New York Titans), and I was only a kid at that time, so I was never able to get to any of their games (they were at the Prudential Center). There was another attempt to breach the New York market a few years ago, but that team played on Long Island and has since moved out. Therefore, the closest team to me for most of my time in New Jersey has been the Philadelphia Wings...but even they weren't around for a little bit.

The Philadelphia Wings WERE one of the National Lacrosse League’s most famous teams. Established in 1987 as one of the founding members of what eventually became the National Lacrosse League, they were known for having several elite talents, and won six titles - a record that stood until the recent Buffalo Bandits dynasty (they’ve won three in a row as of me writing this, and their most recent title was their seventh). However, in 2014, the team moved to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, as they were sold amid falling attendances and financial problems (and that team has since moved - twice).

In 2018, the league expanded back into Philadelphia with the establishment of “Wings 2.0”. Unfortunately, this franchise hasn’t seen the same level of success as the original franchise did - evidenced by the fact that they only have one playoff appearance. With my interest in the NLL growing a bit last winter, I felt it was time to make the trip down to Philly to check the game out. As mentioned at the top, I came here twice in 2025; while I found that both games were kinda fun, unfortunately they were also part of the Wings’ long losing streak that torpedoed a strong start and ended up seeing the team finish third from last...

As for the arena, it’s part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex which includes Lincoln Financial Field (home of the Eagles) and Citizens Bank Park (home of the Phillies), but is probably more well known for being the home of the Philadelphia Flyers and the neverending process that is the Philadelphia 76ers (thanks for leaving us Brown and Tatum in those two drafts)[^1]. From what I’ve heard, the concourse area got a major renovation recently, and it shows - it felt much more modern than the Prudential Center, which hasn’t changed much since it opened in 2007[^2]. It’s hard for me to talk about indoor arenas as they all kinda feel the same inside (especially at the pro level), but two things that makes this place unique:

1. The main concourse is at ground level, and the arena floor is sunk into the ground (which I actually like a lot as there’s a lot of natural light on the concourse)[^3]; of the indoor arenas I’ve been to, I’m fairly sure it’s the only one built like this (though this will change once I finally make it to Seattle someday...)
2. The scoreboard has frickin’ FLAMETHROWERS.

### MERCH

There was a surprisingly wide selection of merch at the arena. All of it was located in one little corner space, but it was rather spacious (even with parts of the room blocked off), and there were a lot of fun novelty items such as foam hats and mini lacrosse sticks. I did see other merchandise areas in the concourse (mainly featuring Philadelphia Flyers items), but none of them were open.

Notably, if you’re like me and this one woman I met at the first game, the big draw here is the fact that you can get a jersey with a stitched-on front logo! Most NLL teams, sadly, have sublimated logos on basically all of their jerseys - even on the players themselves. There are a few that do stitched-on logos (Philly being one of them), but those typically aren’t easy to find online (and the team store had a ton of sublimated jerseys as well). In addition, the first game featured special Marvel jerseys that sold VERY well - I went back and forth on whether or not to get one as they were sublimated, but by the time I felt like going for one (around halftime), the adult sizes were basically gone.

Also, there is the unfortunate situation of jerseys being a bit tight around the stomach area; I did try sizing up to combat this, but the upper area didn’t look or feel right. The NLL is getting a new jersey manufacturer in 2025, so it’s yet to be seen how the new jerseys are going to fit (though given what’s known about the new manufacturer’s previous history in soccer, optimism is not high).

Between the two games, I ended up with two jerseys, two hats, and a windbreaker that was on clearance. To illustrate some of the subtle differences between stitched and sublimated, here's a photo of the jerseys:

![Two Philadelphia Wings jerseys](/images/wingsjerseys.jpeg)

The one on the left features a stitched on team logo (the winged "W"), while the one on the right has a sublimated team logo, but stitched on sponsor patch (yay...). Both feature stitched on names and numbers on the back (with the one on the right featuring a number on the front as well); however, they don't exactly fit the same: the sublimated jersey (on the right) is a bit tighter around the stomach...

\---

While I did enjoy the box lacrosse experience, there is the sad reality that these two Wings games may be the only NLL games I see live for a while: the Wings are rumored to be moving out soon (again), as there are questions involving ownership (who also own the Philadelphia Flyers and the arena they play in) and their desire to keep the team running. Unfortunately, what would have been the next "closest" team (in Albany, NY) just moved to Canada, so I'm pretty sure there's going to be nothing closer than Rochester, NY soon (without crossing the border)...

---

[^1]: There's an argument to be made that those "draft steals" are just as, if not more valuable than the Celtics getting those picks from the Nets in the first place...
[^2]: Which begs the question: why is there a new arena (that's not the Sixers attempt to move downtown) in the works ALREADY? The place isn't even 30 years old!
[^3]: I didn't get to see the upper concourse, as it was closed off during both games (Wings crowds are pretty decent, but not close enough to 19,000 to warrant opening the upper deck).


GET. IN. THE. BOX.

Philadelphia Wings (National Lacrosse League) @ Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA)


_\*This trip occurred on February 17, 2025 - after my first visit to the [Philadelphia Wings](2025-08-27_phiwings), but before the [Rutgers Lacrosse](2025-08-26_rulacrosse) game featured a few days ago. I originally had all of these set to go up chronologically, but decided to switch things up for narrative purposes._

Most of this blog has been about baseball/its stadiums so far, and while it is easily one of my favorite sports (mainly for the caps and jerseys - may write about that soon), there's one notorious "problem":

No one plays baseball around here in the winter.

I've lived in the Northeast my whole life, and winters here are known for being cold. No one wants to be outside for long periods of time when it's below freezing and/or there's a foot of snow on the ground (something that is becoming increasingly rare), and there's no real good options for "indoor baseball" (the nearest indoor baseball stadium to us is in CANADA[^1]). Therefore, I pivot to watching other things, but mainly hockey (with a bit of other things thrown in such as the NLL as mentioned in my last post[^2]). I feel like it's probably the most exciting sport to watch, as it's faster than things such as soccer and basketball without the weird dragginess of other sports (looking at you NBA and NFL).

Also, just like baseball jerseys, I have a fairly extensive collection of hockey jerseys (despite the fact that they're often PRICEY). I've found that they make very good sweaters to wear for things like running errands when it's cold out, and people tend to like them (there's also the added benefit of it not being as tight to the body as a hoodie). Of course, they only work in the fall, winter, and early spring (whereas you can wear other jerseys year round), so it's hard to find opportunities to wear them out often.

Anyway, this post is SUPPOSED to be about a specific hockey game I went to, so without further ado...

The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ (not the mall in Boston) is probably the NHL arena I’ve been inside the most for two simple reasons:

1. I live in New Jersey (and the Devils have been my “second team” since I moved here from Massachusetts in 2001)
2. My dad’s company is based a few blocks away and has a private suite in the arena as a major sponsor of the Devils; I’ve seen at least four Devils games from it (including Martin Brodeur’s jersey retirement game, as it was on my birthday)

I can’t tell you how many Devils games I’ve been to over the years, but it’s at least seven based on a rudimentary count. In addition to Devils hockey, I’ve attended quite a few concerts here, a Seton Hall Pirates basketball game (which I remember almost NOTHING about), and an open practice when the NCAA tournament was in town (where I met Senator Cory Booker when he was still just the mayor of Newark). However, I’m not here to talk about any of that: I’m here to discuss the New York Sirens. The Sirens are New York’s CURRENT women’s hockey team - but to explain why I make that very specific distinction, we’re going to have to go back a bit.

Women’s professional hockey in the U.S. has had a bit of a weird history, but to simplify things: in 2015, a league called the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) was formed. Unfortunately for the league, a major domino fell in 2019 when a women’s league in Canada folded due to financial issues. That caused the players to form a players’ union, and said union didn’t exactly have a good relationship with the league - which at this point had been renamed the Professional Hockey Federation (PHF). In 2022, the union partnered with some investors, who ended up buying out the PHF’s assets, shutting it down, and establishing a new league - the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).

New York, being North America’s largest media market, was awarded one of the NWHL’s original franchises. Named the Riveters (after the World War II era icon), the team was fairly good - making the playoffs in all but one year of their existence and winning a championship in 2018. When the PWHL was formed, New York was once again chosen as one of the league’s charter franchises. However, the league felt the team needed a better home than American Dream Meadowlands - a literal shopping mall the Riveters spent their last few years playing at (don't get me started on the place).

The team's first home was in Bridgeport, Connecticut (home of the New York Islanders’ AHL affiliate), with a few games at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York (home of the Islanders). Unfortunately, crowds were sparse at both arenas, so the team tried the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Despite the team finishing dead last in attendance for the whole season, I believe that attendance was slightly better in Jersey, so they played the entirety of their second season in Newark, and while attendance was a bit better in year 2, they were still last in the PWHL. Part of this is that it’s difficult to find the “center” of youth hockey in the NYC metro, as that’s one of the PWHL’s larger audience groups (families), so each location they’ve chosen is difficult for portions of the fanbase to reach (unless you’re in Westchester County, which has no suitable arena)[^3].

This was the first time EVER I had attended a women's sporting event of ANY kind. A lot of that is due to a relative lack of interest/coverage, but the other thing is that I'm not that into basketball (i.e. the "main" women's sport for a decent chunk of my life), and the closest team - the New York Liberty of the WNBA - have always had a "high profile" which made getting tickets hard (and it's only gotten HIGHER recently). I did once think about watching the Riveters at their mall arena (because I HAD to know what that was like), but it never happened.

As the game I went to was on Presidents Day (i.e. a federal holiday), they managed to draw one of their better crowds of the year (a lot of schools use Presidents Day weekend to start their winter break). However, it still wasn’t a large crowd by most standards; to hide just how light the crowd was, the team only sold tickets on the side of the arena that was visible on camera.

The Sirens are very much not in a good spot sadly: in addition to their attendance woes, they finished dead last in both PWHL seasons on the ice (this game saw them lose 4-1 despite outshooting their opponents), and had a WOEFUL 2025 offseason partially due to PWHL expansion stripping the roster of what few good players the team had, so their outlook is easily one of the most dire in the league...

![The Sirens give handshakes to their opponents after the game.](/images/sirenshandshakes.jpg)

<figcaption>The Sirens give handshakes to their opponents after the game.</figcaption>

### MERCH

Similar to the Banana Ball post, I’m going to focus on the Sirens (as opposed to the New Jersey Devils), as they were the team I ACTUALLY saw.

I realize that I haven’t spoken much about the actual arena itself, because I really don’t know what to say - it’s very much like every other indoor arena, though there’s a premium area in the main concourse that “blocks” the view of the arena bowl. The arena “floor” is at ground level, so to get to your seats, you go up an escalator/stairs after you scan your tickets and then wind up in this very wide open part of the concourse with large windows (plus displays of high school hockey jerseys from throughout the state). The Sirens had a merch table set up in this area, with your standard fare: hats, shirts, sweaters, jackets, jerseys, and hockey novelties (not just for the Sirens, but also the PWHL itself).

I was one of the first fans to go to the merch table when I went (as I beelined STRAIGHT for it after getting in), and I ended up getting a jersey and a game used puck. However, I didn't really wear the jersey I bought for this game, since the jersey I wore to the game ended up getting a lot of complements from people around me (you can never go wrong with the Phoenix Coyotes Kachina)[^4].

I will also note here, though, that I’ve rarely bought Devils merch here: I believe the only things I’ve gotten here are pucks, a special heritage jersey[^5], and a cool hat. I did “sneak out” of Martin Brodeur night with a special “Brodeur 30” hat and a commemorative book that were left in our suite that night - presumably for us to take.

---

[^1]: The nearest indoor baseball stadium is good ol' Stade Olympique in Montreal. If you're looking for something that's in active use, however, that's the good ol' SkyDome in Toronto. If neither of those sound interesting due to them being in Canada, then it's off to Milwaukee for "indoor baseball".
[^2]: Kinda ironic given that box lacrosse is intended as a summer replacement for ice hockey.
[^3]: Madison Square Garden is FAR too busy to even think about the PWHL, and no one wants to relive the Barclays Center hockey experience...
[^4]: We may debate whether hockey in Phoenix was a good idea or not for years to come, but there’s one thing we can all agree on: “Arizona Coyotes” doesn’t sound right. Also, shout out to the dude in the Atlanta Thrashers jersey at this game.
[^5]: I do have several other Devils jerseys, but they’re from different places - two are from local sports stores (one of which, sadly, is LONG gone), one I found at Marshalls, and the last one was on sale online.


Hockey makes its debut on this blog - and not at a shopping mall

New York Sirens (Professional Women's Hockey League) @ Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)


_\*The trip that this post is largely based on occurred on April 26, 2025 - after I started the baseball stadium reports (but I didn't end up writing about it until some time later). However, I ended up merging in some details from when I wrote about this arena after a UMass Lowell game I attended on November 10, 2023 - and I'll start with a little bit of information on them (as the university owns the arena)._

The University of Massachusetts Lowell (commonly known as UMass Lowell or UML) has a very interesting history. The "current" school was founded in the 1970s as the merger of two schools: Lowell State College and Lowell Technological Institute. Originally, the merged school was the University of Lowell, but merged with the University of Massachusetts system in 1991 (hence the quotes around "current" in the last sentence).

The athletic teams of the merged school were originally called the "Chiefs", but were pressured to change after joining the UMass system. A "name the team" contest was held, and the winning name was the school's current name: the River Hawks. As a school in a smaller conference without a football team, they're not really a major player in the college sports world, but their hockey team is a member of Hockey East - one of the premier conferences in college hockey.

Fun fact: the River Hawks hockey team actually has more national championships. (three) than some of their fellow Hockey East schools - even if they are D-II championships (from the late 70s/early 80s). For the most part, they've been kinda meh-to-okay in recent years despite having two of college hockey's "blue bloods" 20-ish miles to the south of them; their most notable alumnus in the NHL (at least currently) is Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebucyk, who was in goal when the team made the Frozen Four in 2013 (which also featured Yale, Quinnipiac, and St. Cloud State - raise your hand if you know where those last two are without looking it up).

However, this post isn't about UMass Lowell as their season had LONG ended by the time I made THIS visit. Now, let’s talk about the team I did see: the Boston Fleet - and their predecessors[^1].

![The Boston Fleet and their opponents warm up before their game](/images/fleetwarmups.jpg)

<figcaption>The Boston Fleet and their opponents warm up before their game</figcaption>

When the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) was founded in 2015, one of the four teams that was established was a team called the Boston Pride. The Pride were rather successful - making the playoffs every year and winning three championships in a seven-year span.

Given that history in the NWHL/PHF, it made sense that Boston was awarded one of the PWHL’s six charter franchises when it was established (and appropriately enough, they made the PWHL final in the league's first year). However, the PWHL wanted to convey a much higher image by having its teams play in “professional-looking” arenas. As such, the former home of the Pride - Warrior Ice Arena in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston - was deemed woefully inadequate for the league’s goals (it’s the practice facility for the Boston Bruins and has less than 1,000 seats). Needing to find a more “appropriate” home, the team/league found one in the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

Attendance at Fleet games is on the lower side compared to other teams in the league, and people on Reddit have labeled Boston a “struggling market” as they don’t understand why the Fleet seemingly can’t draw more fans. Here’s the thing, however: I’m willing to bet most of these people have never tried getting around Greater Boston on a weeknight.

Rush hour in Greater Boston SUCKS, and trying to get from anywhere near the city to Lowell on a weeknight is going to take AT LEAST an hour getting around 93/128/Route 3 (screw the cloverleaf). Heck, trying to get from the suburbs IN to Boston is awful during rush hour - something I had to do WAY TOO MANY TIMES when I was living there. The idea of moving the team closer to Boston/into Boston proper has been floated, but the lingering question of where they would play hasn't been answered yet.

Here is a list of their possible options:

1. TD Garden: 100% off the table. There’s not enough room between the Celtics (and their playoff games), Bruins (and their fewer playoff games), winter concerts, summer concerts, other random shows, the Beanpot (two Mondays in February), and the Hockey East championship (which got bumped by Disney on Ice in 2025)[^2].
2. Agganis Arena (Boston University): currently the most likely option (as well as one the team HAS used in the past - though they lost BOTH games there). The only team they have to share with, in a sense, is BU’s men’s hockey team - on the surface. The thing with Agganis, however, is that the basketball and women’s hockey arenas are very close to it, and I've heard the university prefers to avoid having events on top of one another as parking/access in and around the area isn’t that great (speaking from experience).
3. Conte Forum on the campus of Boston College. This is actually the largest of any potential Boston homes that aren't the Garden, but it’s also likely off the table as it hosts four teams (men’s and women’s basketball and hockey teams). Also, BC - a more "closed-off" campus notoriously disliked by a lot of Bostonians who went to other schools.
4. Other wildcards. Northeastern is slated to get a new building soon, but it would house two hockey teams (NU’s men’s and women's teams), plus potentially basketball. Given the size of the largest Fleet crowds being close to the Tsongas Center’s capacity (~6,000), it’s unlikely this new arena (planned capacity of ~4,000), Harvard’s Bright-Landry Hockey Center (~3,000), or the aptly named Bentley Arena on the campus of Bentley University (~2,000)[^3] would work...

There's also been talk about playing in Worcester, as they have a large arena (the DCU Center) that currently only hosts a hockey team (the Worcester Railers of the ECHL). However, it’s 40 miles or so to the west of Boston, so it doesn't really solve the "Boston" problem.

As an aside, I have been to all of these buildings for hockey - save for the one that hasn't been built yet.

Anyway, back to Lowell: The Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell (that's the full official name) is a “mid-sized” arena that used to host an AHL team (the second highest professional men's league below the NHL) before the university took over the arena and essentially kicked the AHL out, and sees a lot of use outside of hockey. Besides the two hockey teams that call this place home, a lot of events take place here (for people who don’t want to deal with Boston traffic), and there’s an indoor football team here (the Massachusetts Pirates, who I thought about watching in 2025 before eventually deciding against it)[^4]. This was my second visit to the arena, with the first being a UMass Lowell hockey game in 2023 (which they lost to Boston University despite trying to mount a late comeback).

The main concourse here is at the top of a single level seating bowl, meaning that everyone walks down to their seats from the concourse - which has an open view of the ice from much of the “south” and “west” sides (these are in reference to where the main TV cameras are for broadcasts). However, it should also be noted that part of the concourse here (the “east” side) is inaccessible due to a premium lounge; thus, you have to go down to the entrance lobby if you want to walk around the whole thing (translation: more exercise if you want to do laps around the arena).

Fair note for those who are afraid of loud noises: don’t sit behind the “west” goal in Lowell (i.e. the one UML defends twice). While it does give a nice view of the game (at least I think it does), you’re right underneath a scoreboard with a buzzer AND the goal horn (one of the few “real” ones I’ve seen in New England). It’s because of the goal horn that I chose to sit on the other side of the arena for the Fleet game; while I do think it was loud, it didn’t seem overbearingly loud IMO. Also, if you come for a UMass Lowell game, the school's pep band occupies a section of the seating bowl; when I was here for the UML game, it sounded like they were being piped into the arena's sound system (as they march around the arena before the game).

I found myself getting into this game WAY more than I thought I would have - though a large part of that is the Fleet goaltender getting a shutout. Inasmuch as I try to focus only on these games themselves and not the bigger picture, I must report that sadly, it turned out to be their final win of the 2024-25 season, as the team lost its last few games and missed the playoffs. Much like the Sirens, they had a rough offseason - losing their coach and several key players (with their most famous player leaving via an expansion draft), so between that and the perpetual issue of "where to play", their future is looking somewhat cloudy...

After the game ended, I found that the gates to another stadium were open while walking back to my car. [Thinking it strange, I looked inside the stadium, and...](lelacheurpark)

### MERCH

There is a souvenir area in the lobby; it’s outside of where tickets are scanned, so if you don’t go before you enter the game, you have to “check in” with security if you want to look for merchandise pregame (or at least that’s what I had to do for the UML game).

When I went to the UML game in 2023, there was a second merch table on the concourse where I got an authentic Hockey East puck and saw game-worn jerseys being sold (I own replica versions of UML’s home and away jerseys, but I bought them at the campus bookstore). This was the first time I saw game-worn jerseys being sold at the college level, but not the first time I’d seen it at a hockey game (I went to a Providence Bruins game where they did this). From what I've heard and seen, the Fleet sell merch in this same area as well, but they didn’t for this game due to staffing shortages.

Like the Sirens, the Fleet merch selection also includes PWHL items as well. I got a Fleet game puck (as I had bought a jersey a month or so before the game), plus a reversible PWHL jacket (i.e. a jacket that can be either outwardly fleece-y or shiny). I was interested in a corduroy hat I saw online, but sadly, they didn’t have it at the game (or online, as it sold out pretty quickly).

---

[^1]: I’m not going to repeat the history of women’s hockey here - if you want that, it’s in [the New York Sirens post](2025-08-28_nysirens), and it may help with some context for this history.
[^2]: The WNBA SHOULD be arriving in Boston soon (though it wouldn't have much impact on the Fleet as the seasons don't overlap), but for whatever reason the league doesn't seem to want to go there (I won't get too deep into it, but I will say that it is a very STUPID situation).
[^3]: Technically, the Bentley Arena is in Waltham, NOT Boston. I will say, however, that the Bentley Arena IS super nice, though also a logistical nightmare...
[^4]: There was also supposed to be a box lacrosse team apparently, but that league never really got off the ground - I believe they played one game or weeks’ worth of games in 2023 and then immediately canceled the season.


One venue: Two teams - two years apart (sorta)

Boston Fleet (Professional Women's Hockey League) @ Tsongas Center (Lowell, MA)


_\*This trip occurred on August 31, 2025._

In prior years of my sports adventures (i.e. when I was living in Massachusetts), there were often several teams that I’d go and see multiple times a year (y'know, like Cape League teams since they're pretty close to each other). However, since I came back to Jersey, I haven’t been able to do that as much. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure if this year wasn’t going to feature any repeat visits to see certain teams again (outside of my two visits to Staten Island for two different events); I thought about several teams I wanted to return to, but never made any of those trips. Part of it is that the (increased) distance from where I live to a lot of these stadiums makes these trips difficult, but another part of that is due to the costs of tickets being more expensive than they used to be. Case in point: there's a recent article about how <a href = "https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/milb-projected-to-draw-under-30-million-fans-for-first-time-in-decades/" target="blank">MiLB is expected to draw its lowest attendance in decades</a>, and a lot of fans are blaming rising costs for that. However, I was finally able to “follow through” with one of these "repeat visit plans" right at the end of the Minor League Baseball season.

I’ve already talked about the Brooklyn Cyclones and Maimonides Park, as [I went to a game back at the end of April](2025-08-09_bkncyclones). The story of THIS game starts that day at the team store: back then, I was only interested in one particular hat (the one with a white and red “Bc” logo that, for most of the Cyclones' history, was their “main” hat[^1]). I did see some other hats that I was mildly interested in, but wasn’t really sure if I wanted (they were variations of the “Bc” logo); over time, however, I realized that I wanted to take another look at said hats, so I began to think about making a New York City trip to visit the Maimonides Park team store again. Unfortunately, there were two major issues complicating things:

1. Coney Island is FAR from a lot of the rest of New York City. There is subway access, but it’s a LONG trip from Midtown Manhattan (which is where I’d likely be coming from).
2. As part of my “preparations” to see the Cyclones, I actually called the Cyclones team store because I thought about going to the store BEFORE the game[^2]. Said call left me under the impression that the team store was not intended to be open outside of events, and between me finding the BlueClaws team store closed on a random visit PLUS a banner on the Cyclones’ online store basically saying “if you want to do in-store pickup, you need to call us”, I wasn’t hopeful...

With those factors in mind, it became clear to me that the only way I’d be able to do this was to go to another game. There were two games I was interested in for their giveaways: A Brandon Nimmo “jersey hoodie” and a David Wright number retirement jersey; however, various circumstances prevented me from going to either game (one of them being the fact that one of the games was a “premium” game where tickets were substantially more expensive).

Throughout the season, I kept getting emails from the Cyclones, as I had somehow ended up on their promotional email list (something that I’m sure has happened to many of you). One of those emails mentioned a discount for tickets to Brooklyn FC’s 2025-26 home opener in August (Brooklyn FC being a soccer team that plays at Maimonides park). When I decided to look up the team, I found something even wilder: a ticket package for the game that included a jersey...and not just some cheap giveaway: the actual, authentic, jersey the players on the pitch wear. This is a CRAZY marketing tactic to try to bring fans in, and being a jersey collector, it sure as hell worked on me!

#### ...but then something came up and I couldn’t make the trip.

Part of that is related to travel (in case you forgot: getting to Coney Island from New Jersey ain’t easy/cheap, and I couldn’t tell if the parking deal the Cyclones had was available), but the bigger factor was the game being at 7 PM - a bit late to be traveling to/from Coney Island from New Jersey (not to mention traffic).

Still determined to make it back to the stadium, I selected a new date to see Brooklyn FC at the end of September (i.e. about four weeks from this being published) - but then I realized that I had something (or "have", since it hasn't happened yet) that weekend that would make getting to the stadium that day iffy. It was at this point that I realized I might not make it back for a Brooklyn FC match until mid-October at the earliest, and I felt that I didn’t want to wait until then to return to Maimonides Park, so I decided to check the Cyclones schedule again. Sure enough, I saw that they were going to be home on Labor Day weekend, and between the weather being really nice and the fact that it was the last home series of the year for the Cyclones, I decided to make this the time I returned to Maimonides Park (well, that and one more reason I'll get into later). This time, however, I decided to go by train, as it ends up "mathing" out to being less than paying tolls and I kinda like the trains. It was a fun way to get to explore parts of the city I had never seen before...though it would have been better if the train on the way to the game didn't suddenly kick everyone off and have us wait for the next one for no apparent reason...

The Cyclones had booked a postseason spot by virtue of having the best record in the first half of the season. Their opponents - the Hudson Valley Renegades (who [I also visited earlier in the season](2025-08-10_hvrenegades)) - were chasing the second half championship to clinch a postseason spot. Said "desperation"[^3] (plus MASSIVE roster turnover on the Cyclones end) ended up helping the Renegades, as they ended up riding a big first inning to victory (similar to how the [Scrankees won off the back of a big inning when I saw them](2025-08-18_swbrailriders)).

As the game was a Sunday game, kids were allowed to run the bases after the game (something rather common across all of baseball). However, since this was the final Sunday game (and final regular season home game) of the season, they expanded the "run the bases" opportunity to everyone, which was VERY cool.

![Fans running the bases after the game](/images/runthebases.jpg)

<figcaption>Hope that third base coach still has their shoulder intact...</figcaption>

### MERCH

I discussed the Maimonides Park team store back during my first visit, but in case anyone forgot: it’s a two-level store with various items on both levels - some the same, some different. What I realized in writing THIS post, however, is that I forgot to mention that there was a small selection of Brooklyn FC merch at that game exclusively on the upper level (it must have gotten deleted in one of my edits). I thought about getting a jersey then, but I didn’t find anything in an appropriate size (or style - I’m pretty sure what I found were children’s and women’s jerseys).

I will admit here that part of the reason I didn’t want to wait to return was due to Brooklyn FC merch, but alas, there was no Brooklyn FC merch available for this game. There may have been a good reason for that however: the Cyclones were having a “fan appreciation sale” and most items in the store were 25% off (i.e. the system was already set to take 25% off any items it doesn't have marked as "clearance", and Brooklyn FC merch wasn't supposed to be part of that). This ended up helping me quite a bit as I got one of the hats I alluded to earlier[^4]; however, the most interesting items to me were THESE hats:

<div id="hats"></div>

![Four hats - none of which are Brooklyn Cyclones hats. The hats are for the Columbia Fireflies (top left), St. Lucie Mets (top right), Binghamton Rumble Ponies (bottom left), and Kingsport Mets (bottom right)](/images/noncycloneshats.jpeg)

These four hats are for other teams that WERE affiliated with the Mets back in the day; two are still affiliated with the Mets today, one changed affiliation during the 2020 realignment, and the last team was axed in 2020. They are:

- Columbia Fireflies (top left): a Carolina League team and the current Low-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Fireflies were a Mets affiliate when they moved to South Carolina’s capital in 2016 and switched to KC during the 2020 realignment. As for the city they moved from, [well...](2025-08-23_bananaball1)
- St. Lucie Mets (top right): the team below the Cyclones in the Mets’ organizational ladder (in the Low-A Florida State League). They play at the Mets' Spring Training facility in Port St. Lucie, FL (about midway between Orlando and Miami).
- Binghamton Rumble Ponies (bottom left): The team above the Cyclones in the Mets’ organizational ladder (in the Double-A Eastern League). I read somewhere that the Cyclones were supposed to take their place in the Eastern League during the 2020 realignment, but multiple groups nixed that idea (one of them being New York State itself).
- Kingsport Mets (bottom right): There's a LOT I could say here, but the basic gist of it is that Kingsport was a former Mets affiliate (at a level that no longer exists) who became a summer collegiate league team and rebranded to the Axmen in the 2020 realignment (hence the earlier use of the term "axed"). While the Axmen have a championship in their current league/form (in 2022), the most notable thing that happened to them is when <a href="https://www.timesnews.net/news/game-over-usa-baseball-cancels-kingsport-axmens-current-season/article_7069404a-e5a0-11eb-9ad4-a726554e93d5.html" target="blank">they were forced to become a traveling team after one of the players made death threats after getting cut</a> (though thankfully, <a href="https://www.wjhl.com/sports/local-sports/appy-league/kingsport-road-warriors-return-to-hunter-wright-stadium-axmen-name/" target="blank">the situation was resolved before the end of the season</a>).

The Rumble Ponies and Fireflies hats were only available in very small sizes, but I lucked out as the two “Mets” hats were available in my size (and believe it or not, the St. Lucie Mets hat I got wasn't available in my size online). The Kingsport Mets hat was on clearance (because it's been SIX YEARS since the last Kingsport Mets game), so it wasn't included in the 25% discount.

I also made a quick stop at the Barclays Center (home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and WNBA's New York Liberty) to check out their store on the way to the game, but didn't find anything interesting there (mainly because the jerseys were all either sublimated or heat-pressed).

\---

As for Brooklyn FC, [I was finally able to make the trip a few months after this game](2025-11-09_bkfc_womens).

Also, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DOCtX1ujXMs/" target="blank">please check out this video I made from footage I recorded on the subway ride back to Penn Station I had to edit it FOUR times because it kept getting lost for some stupid reason</a> <sub>kthnxbai</sub>

---

[^1]: For some time, they’ve been using a Mets colored hat with the letters “BK” on it, and it seems to have become their main hat. If I am being honest, however...the “Bc” hat is WAY better.
[^2]: The hat I ended up getting at the game was not listed online in my size, so I was kinda scared that I wouldn’t be able to find it.
[^3]: The way minor league playoff qualification works is that the season is divided into two halves, and whichever team has the best record in each half wins a playoff spot. I’ve heard that being in the MiLB playoffs is actually a DETRIMENT to teams as players and interns are largely gone by then thanks to said playoffs being in September.
[^4]: Some items I had seen earlier in the year, however, were unavailable - such as the cap I got earlier in the year being out of stock in my size.


The first (and only) repeat trip of the 2025 baseball season is also its final trip

Brooklyn Cyclones 2: Return to Coney Island


_\*This game occurred on September 5, 2025, but I didn't attend it - and neither did most of the people who bought tickets! Keep reading on to find out why I'm writing about a game which would not have been on this blog otherwise._

The Winston-Salem Dash have operated under quite a few names and affiliates, but have been continuously in operation since 1946 - making them one of the oldest continuously operating teams in Minor League Baseball. Currently, they're the High-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox - an affiliation they've had since 1997.

Originally, I was going to try and write about the stadium like one of my normal posts, but then I realized that would probably not be a great idea - because WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS GAME.

The game on the field was actually kinda interesting - the Dash blew a four run lead in the ninth inning before going on to lose in extras to the Greenville Drive (the High-A affiliate of YOUR Boston Red Sox) - a team the Dash are trying to chase in "hopes" of winning a playoff spot[^1]. However, it's what happened in the stands that warrants discussion.

First, let's talk a LITTLE bit about Truist Stadium. It was opened in 2010 (around the time the team rebranded from the Warthogs to the Dash for some reason), and from what I've heard, was built using public money - remember this because it's VERY important (and also rather common practice across the U.S. for better or worse).

On September 3, the Dash <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DOGYRr0juSN/?img_index=1" target="blank">posted on Instagram about their upcoming weeklong series</a>. If you go to the post (i.e. by clicking the link in the previous sentence), you'll notice something rather strange: the dates listed are "September 2-4, 6-7". For some reason, the 5th is conspicuously absent - and there's no reason for it not to be (especially with the Dash playing a team they're chasing for a playoff spot).

At 12:45 PM on September 5, the Dash made what I can only assume is their standard "promotional" post about that day's game. However, it had a very unexpected message:

> _"Please note that today's game at Truist Stadium is a private event. If you have tickets for September 5 but are not part of the private event, please contact us to exchange your ticket for a different date."_

That's right - someone (or, to be more precise, some company) bought EVERY SEAT at the stadium - even ones that had already been sold[^2]! The Dash has (have?) not disclosed who's event it was anyway (emphasis on "the Dash"); in addition, they've gone FULL "North Korea" about attendance: the box score lists an attendance of 10,500 at a stadium that has an official capacity of 5,500 (the Savannah Bananas WISH they could oversell a venue like this). However, what little evidence we have (that doesn't involve paying to watch the VOD of this game) points to the crowd being much, MUCH smaller - I don't know how to get a good estimate, but it appears to be around 40% of the stadium's capacity at most. This isn't exactly something that is uncommon, mind you - it's just that they're claiming that they nearly doubled the stadium capacity.

![A screenshot of footage from the game. Despite the game having a listed attendance over 10,000, plenty of empty seats can be seen.](/images/wscapacitycrowd.png)

<figcaption>I'm guessing EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE who's ever worked for this company was at this game - hope those employees who got to see Boston Braves legend Babe Ruth in person are loving how baseball has evolved from its early days...</figcaption>

In case you were curious, here's the Facebook post announcing that the game is closed to the public. I chose this one to share as it's got more activity than their Twitter post (plus, well, Twitter - though Facebook isn't exactly better):

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWSDashBaseball%2Fposts%2Fpfbid022NutjxNa4htB5xs9WBeohvxTAtig7a7z6RkbmF4WE57Wc7QvSMvZKk8Hgar3cWF8l&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="673" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe>

Some highlights from the comments include:

- The team attempting to explain this as if it were just a regular suite rental when THEY JUST KICKED PAYING CUSTOMERS OUT OF THEIR SEATS - INCLUDING SEASON TICKET HOLDERS. This is probably where I should mention that since this is the third-to-last game of the season, going to another game (which the team was trying to offer) is not an option for a lot of folks...not to mention the season ticket holders losing a game.
- A fan asking if it would be streamed (it was, and that's how we know the actual attendance). Someone's reply: "count how many people you see in the stands!"
- People saying "it's one game". Under normal circumstances, I think this is somewhat valid, but I'll give my thoughts on this as it pertains to this situation later.
- Reminders that the stadium was PUBLICLY FUNDED (as I mentioned earlier) and that shutting it down for a private event is .
- Someone simping for...I'm not really sure. It's either the team's drone show (which one fan said was awful) or the company that bought out the seats, since they're claiming the stadium was packed (when, again, there's strong evidence it wasn't), and most importantly, POSTING A PHOTO OUTING THE COMPANY BEHIND THIS WHOLE THING - a local tobacco company (tobacco being a product MLB has a strange history with[^3]).

Honestly, I feel like this is a DANGEROUS precedent being set by the Dash. If they are willing to CANCEL fans' tickets just so a company can entertain themselves, who knows what other teams and/or companies might get ideas. It should also be noted that the Dash are owned by Diamond Baseball Holdings (i.e. the megacorp buying Minor League Baseball teams left and right), so knowing that they basically signed off on this by allowing it to happen only adds to the worry...

(Also, as a testament to how outrageous I think this whole thing is, I found out about it, wrote this entire post, and published it within a span of about four hours...)

---

[^1]: I discussed this in [my last trip to Brooklyn](2025-09-01_bkncyclones2), but the Minor League Baseball playoffs are kinda sorta not ideal for teams due to the logistical situations created.
[^2]: Their calendar schedule lists the game as "Private Event - Stadium Buyout", which is rather ominous. Sadly, there are no archives of their schedule on the Wayback Machine, so I don't know how long this has been there...
[^3]: Chewing tobacco has historically been a thing MLB players were known for using, but I think I heard that its usage has dropped in recent years - especially as many believe it's one of the big reasons why Tony Gwynn is no longer with us (RIP).


A team allegedly breaks fire code - like, REALLY breaks it

The Curious Case of the Winston-Salem Dash


_\*This trip occurred on September 7, 2025._

I’ve briefly talked about the [“weird” and “wild” history of women’s hockey in the United States](2025-08-28_nysirens) on this blog, but today we’re going to discuss women’s soccer - AKA the version of soccer this country ACTUALLY has a good history with (y’know, with the four World Cup wins and all that).

You may be surprised to learn that the United States was the first country IN THE WORLD to establish a fully professional women’s soccer/football league. It was established in 2000 in the wake of the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) famously winning the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It did not last very long, however - it folded in 2003, but a replacement league known as Women’s Professional Soccer (how descriptive) started in 2009. That league didn’t last long either - in part due to massive legal battles the league waged with one of its owners. In 2012, WPS folded and the National Women’s Soccer League was founded[^1]; they played their first season in 2013, and have been the top women’s soccer league in the U.S. ever since (which, at 12 seasons as of this writing, is double the other two leagues COMBINED)[^2]. One interesting note I found out in looking more into the league: the NWSL's regular season is essentially the same as most soccer leagues outside of America, where each team plays every other team once home and once away (which adds up to 26 games with the current 14-team league, but will move to 30 games when two new teams start up next year).

![A pin I received for attending my first Gotham FC Match](/images/myfirstgothammatch.jpeg)

<figcaption>A pin I received commemorating this being the first Gotham FC game I attended</figcaption>

Gotham FC’s story begins in that second league (Women’s Professional Soccer). Originally founded as a semi-pro team, Sky Blue FC (yes, that was their name at the time) joined WPS at its founding, and then “jumped” with several other teams to the NWSL when WPS went down. In 2021, they changed their name to “NJ/NY Gotham FC”, though they ultimately dropped the “NJ/NY” geographic locator in 2025[^3]. On the field, the team has historically been...okay: they've only made the playoffs five times, but two of those five playoff runs ended in a championship (2009 and 2023). In the stands, they're...also okay, as they're somewhere in the middle of the NWSL's attendance rankings (though a bit towards the lower half).

The team originally played at the soccer stadium of Rutgers University down in Piscataway, NJ, but around the time of the Gotham FC name change, they partnered with Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer and started playing games at what is now Sports Illustrated Stadium - a stadium that had been announced in 2000 when the local MLS team was still called the MetroStars, redesigned once Red Bull (yep, THAT Red Bull) bought and rebranded the team (RIP MetroStars), and (finally) opened in 2010 as Red Bull Arena (not to be confused with Red Bull Arena in Austria...or Germany).

I had made plans to watch the Red Bulls last year when I got a ticket deal from the New Jersey Devils, but was forced to abandon those plans when something came up. Truth be told, this game wasn’t even on my “radar” until one day, a bunch of “schedule shenanigans” made me think about going to a game that night; unfortunately, a 7:30 start time ended that idea. However, I looked at their schedule and saw some more reasonable start times, so I began to explore going to a different game - which ended up being this one. Before I get to the game itself, I'd like to talk about tickets, as I learned something VERY important in getting my seat for this game - which I'll use as an example of the basic stuff.

The least expensive "standard" seats for your typical Gotham FC match (as in NOT the resale market) are in what is marked as the “Supporters’ Section” behind one of the goals. Be forewarned however: it’s essentially standing only as the seats are locked in the upright position and away team gear is not allowed (though individual “seats” are sold). I considered going for this, but felt I wanted somewhere to actually sit (despite seeing people get creative in this section at other games), so I ended up going for an actual seat.

When I first looked into getting a ticket, seats were...not exactly "expensive", but a bit more than I was comfortable paying for. However, I ultimately ended up not buying my ticket until the day before the game, and at that point, there were many seats available on the resale market for much less than what I had initially seen. There are (likely) a few reasons for this, but one of them is that folks who are genuinely looking to recoup some money if they can't go are trying to get their tickets sold. I don't think this works for EVERYTHING, but it is something to keep in mind (especially considering ticket prices nowadays). In this case, fifteen bucks (plus) got me a FRONT ROW SEAT behind one of the goals less than 24 hours before the game. While I ended up sitting further up for part of the game (and kinda preferred it IMO), it's definitely fun to be so close to the action (plus if the game's not interesting, watching the subs warm up is kinda fun). One other thing I should mention: the stadium uses TicketMaster, but Sports Illustrated has its own ticketing platform; I don't know how said platform works (which is probably part of why the stadium isn't using it), but it was what I used to get into [the MLW series I saw](2025-08-16_mlwwiffleball) back in June 2025.

Anyway, back to our featured presentation...

![A photo taken from the front row of the stands during a Gotham FC match](/images/gothamfcfrontrow.jpeg)

<figcaption>So close you can almost hear the players yell obscenities at the referee!</figcaption>

This is, notably, the first time I've EVER been to a soccer-specific stadium. For anyone outside of the U.S. and Canada who doesn't understand that term, I won't get too deep into what that means (as it should be self evident), but essentially, it wasn't until the early 2000s that the U.S. started building smaller stadiums specifically for soccer teams. Prior to that, they were often set up in larger stadiums for American football, which while it did "work", meant that games often had their atmosphere muted by the scores of empty upper deck seats (though some teams still have this problem to some extent - including the MLS team closest to Boston which I can't tell if I like or not)[^4].

This stadium is...kinda interesting: fans enter at field level, where there's a few things once you get through the gates, but not much outside of storage areas and - for this game (and seemingly most Gotham FC games) - a merch table. The main concourse is at what's essentially the "second level", and encircles the field completely, with a ton of (pretty overpriced) concession stands and a few merch shops (more on them later). There's also a bunch of old Sports Illustrated cover images around the concourse - something I assume was added once SI bought the naming rights to the stadium.

The upper sections were closed off for this game, but indications are that there's an upper concourse. It does not completely encircle the field, however, as it's broken up along one of the sidelines by suites. I believe the building that houses these suites also prevents the ground level "concourse" from fully wrapping around the stadium as well (as I believe it houses the team facilities at ground level - or at least, the tunnel the players walk through at the start of the match).

Before the match, there was a fan fest just outside the stadium. I felt like there weren't a lot of SUPER interesting things here, but it is the only place I found entertainment that wasn't the game itself. As for the actual match itself, Gotham FC outplayed their opponents (Angel City FC from Los Angeles, CA), but went into halftime down a goal thanks to some weird fluke. They took the lead early in the second half, and cruised to a 3-1 victory. Given that this game also coincided with week 1 of the 2025 NFL season (which saw the Jets and Giants lose because of course they did), it was nice to see a football team based in New Jersey actually win a game...

(Also, as a software/web developer, why is the favicon for Gotham FC’s website the Vercel logo? The team store has their badge as its favicon, so what happened?)

### MERCH

I’ve seen Gotham FC jerseys at many a Dick’s Sporting Goods around this area, but never felt compelled to get one. When the idea of this trip started to brew in my mind, the idea of getting a Gotham FC jersey did as well, but a quick online check implied that supplies were a bit limited. However, I saw the price of a Gotham FC jersey on their online team store and immediately knew that if I wanted a jersey, it would 100% have to be from Dick’s (which was kinda nice as it meant I’d be able to wear it to the match)[^5].

A few weeks before this game, I got a jersey from a Dick's Sporting Goods: a black jersey with “Statue of Liberty teal” highlights on the front (my other option had a teal body, but was a much worse design IMO). I almost got a scarf then and there as well, but felt that I wasn’t that interested in its design (and a revisit to the online team store confirmed that they had better designs).

![A photo of Gotham FC jerseys (from left to right: away, home, practice)](/images/gothamshirts.jpeg)

<figcaption>Those shoulders on the teal (away) jersey do not work AT ALL. Also, not a fan of the "blackout badge"...</figcaption>

At the match, there were two merch areas: one just inside the stadium (which is accessible during the pregame fan fest) and one on the main concourse; I ended up getting a scarf and a replica NWSL soccer ball (with Gotham FC logo). While some of the jackets did look interesting, I didn't feel like I'd be using them enough to justify a purchase (that and the one I was most interested in looked like it may not have been unisex[^6]). In addition, I ended up going home with some freebies - a pin and certificate to celebrate my first Gotham FC match, plus a rally towel and photo strip as part of a special "New Fan Night" promotion (which also included FREE ALCOHOL).

I will briefly mention that the Red Bulls merchandise areas (a full store and a mini store on opposite ends of the main concourse) were closed. A Red Bulls match is not looking likely for 2025, but I'm thinking about going in 2026 since some of my friends are really into soccer (plus I'm curious to see if they do the same thing New York City FC did - though initial indications didn't look good...).

---

[^1]: Technically there was a “filler league” in 2012, but that’s relatively unimportant.
[^2]: Currently, there’s actually a second Tier I women’s soccer league alongside the NWSL: the (USL) Gainbridge Super League. I’ll get more into that league soon, as I’m planning on going to a match later this year.
[^3]: Fun fact: one of the co-founders and current owners of the team is current (as of this being published) New Jersey governor Phil Murphy. I believe this explains the whole “NJ” part of their name, as Murphy became governor in 2018.
[^4]: The closest I've come to a soccer-specific stadium is [Virtue Field](2025-08-21_vgfc) - though it also hosts lacrosse (and has those lines permanently on the field).
[^5]: For whatever reason, Gotham FC's jerseys cost more from the team - probably due to two additional sponsor patches that the "DSG version" doesn't have.
[^6]: I looked up the jacket online the day after the game, and while I'm still not sure if it's unisex or not, it cost **$300**...


My first look at a uniquely American idea: Soccer-Specific Stadiums

Gotham FC (National Women's Soccer League) @ Sports Illustrated Stadium (Harrison, NJ)


We interrupt my travels to bring you something that I REALLY need to get off my chest.

As you MAY have noticed, this blog has largely been minor league sports (plus independent baseball, which is essentially on par with the minor leagues). Yes, there have been a few "Major League" games, but two of those games were soccer and box lacrosse (which are not considered major sports in the U.S), and the others were all women's sports (which are still very much not as established as their mens' counterparts).

While major sports are kinda sorta on my radar, more often than not I feel like the investments I would need to make to go to these games (namely tickets) aren't entirely worth it[^1]. I realize that I'm fairly privileged to have seen as many [New Jersey Devils](2025-08-28_nysirens) games as I have, but I also don't know if I'd be able to do those without the help of my dad (as we got our tickets through the company he works for).

However, something happened recently that caught my attention (and happens to be relevant to this blog):

**The idea of the NBA as a "highlight sport".**

This comment came from Adam Silver (the league's commissioner), who was responding to a question about how the league being divided between several different se-I mean streaming partners is becoming cost prohibitive for fans (at least until cable/satellite TV makes its inevitable comeback). His response, in essence, was to showcase just how much content the NBA puts out on social media platforms as a way for fans to continue to consume NBA content. However, many fans took this as him basically telling fans who can't afford to watch full games to "just watch highlights", and it's sparked a large debate about the costs of watching sports nowadays (which, in case it wasn't obvious, is a major factor in this blog's continued existence).

I will NOT talk about what I think about NBA highlights (or, to be more accurate, the sport's "metagame") in this post, as that's kinda irrelevant (even if Silver basically disparaged HIS OWN LEAGUE by reducing it to highlights). Instead, let's talk about what the reality of trying to watch a sport live is - and I'll use the NBA itself for my example.

I'm going to spoil something: I looked at Brooklyn Nets tickets yesterday as I have plans to catch a Nets game next year. While most of the games I saw were what I kinda expected (i.e. a bit on the pricey side, but more affordable the worse the opponent was), two stood out to me: the Lakers and Warriors. For whatever reason, the lowest price for a non-resale ticket to either of these games was OVER $200. Whether that's purely due to Steph Curry (for the Warriors) or the LeBron/Luka combo (for the Lakers) I don't know, but that hefty price tag puts the cost of going to those games ahead of:

- The Boston Celtics (division rival and NBA elite - even if they're expected to have a "down year")
- The Indiana Pacers (defending Eastern Conference Champions - even if they're missing their best player)
- The Oklahoma City Thunder (the defending NBA champions)
- The Denver Nuggets (who feature Nikola Jokic - widely regarded as the best player in the NBA)
- The Milwaukee Bucks (who also feature one of the best players in the NBA in Giannis I'm-not-even-going-to-attempt-to-spell-his-last-name)
- The KNICKS (a team expected to be good and your freakin' IN-CITY RIVAL)

What's more surprising, however, is the team I found with the third-highest price was NONE OF THE ABOVE: it was the Houston Rockets (who feature former Net Kevin Durant), and those tickets were $90 - just under half of what it costs to see the two "super premium" games.

I realize that I've gotten a bit sidetracked, but $200 is INSANE for any game - and this just gets you into the "cheap seats", where you're basically staring at tiny men who resemble basketball players unless you watch the jumbotron; at that point, you're basically doing something you could've just done at home!

Not only that, but to GO to a game, you have to GO there - and more often than not, that involves taking trains (which the United States doesn't have a good track record with) or paying insane amounts for parking (usually >$40). Also, I haven't touched the merch aspects of this, but that will require its own post someday because THAT'S a massive situation too! Case in point: most arena stores upcharge HEAVILY for things that can be bought online/at Dicks Sporting Goods, but the feel of "being in the moment" drives so many people to buy things in-arena (and I haven't even talked about what the NBA does with its jerseys - someday, though).

The average fan probably isn't looking to drop a couple hundred for the chance to breathe the same air as Jordan Poole[^2] while simultaneously buying a jersey they're going to have to replace in eight months; for those who do have that desire, however, to go to one of these games for the average fan means to very likely accrue debt. In a world where most fans are struggling to pay their necessities, creating unnecessary debt is a starting point for even worse troubles, so sporting events - even the less expensive ones - are becoming more of a premium for them. To have their favorite sports reduced to highlight packages and being force-fed opinions on ESPN is more likely to make them lose interest (outside of, well...y'know[^3]).

So then who can go to sporting events then?

I think you know the answer[^4].

Going to sporting events is slowly turning from a form of entertainment to a status symbol (though other forms of entertainment are seemingly going the same way as well). If only those who are well off enough to afford them can attend, then that's almost certainly going to change the way being a fan of sports plays out in the United States. Instead of fans being people who actually care about the teams they support, it will be those who live in the area and have the money to support them (interest level be damned). By telling fans who can't afford to be fans to "just watch the highlights", you're essentially locking them out of the bigger picture, because like a lot of things in life, highlights do not tell the full story of a game - which is also important with the fantasy versions of sports that current fans enjoy (plus, again...y'know).

This has gotten REALLY long, so I think I will stop here. In writing this, I realized that this actually kinda connects to that [Winston-Salem Dash game I wrote about last week](2025-09-06_wsdash), and while the idea of a major league event being bought out by a singular corporation is probably (and hopefully) NOT the endgame of this, the idea of sporting events becoming corporate mixers where the sport just happens to be there is something that feels like it could happen in the future.

(And before you say "Youth Sports!" as a way of getting fans: THOSE are becoming expensive too - but that's another story for another post)

---

[^1]: Well, that and the closest MLB team is...the Yankees. Speaking of which, I heard that they recently did a thing that I don't know how to feel about - not saying any more than that.
[^2]: I'm not sure why THIS was the first name I thought of when coming up with "dudes who are probably Golden State Warriors benchwarmers", but in writing this, I found out he's not even with the Warriors anymore! I promise to find other names to throw around for things like this (and definitely not JaVale McGee)...
[^3]: I mean, it IS a way for "average" fans to accrue the funds necessary to attend Nets-Lakers, but I REALLY don't like how it's become so prevalent in (specifically North American) sports to the point where money lines are part of broadcast graphics.
[^4]: Your average Toronto Maple Leafs crowd since 2006 BOOM ROASTED #whenareyouguysgoingtodoanythingofvalue


What it means to be a fan in an increasingly fan unfriendly environment

On the Future of Watching Sports


_\*This trip occurred on September 13, 2025, which, if I'm being honest, is surprisingly early in the hockey calendar - especially as this seems to be a regular season game (the NHL preseason hasn't even started yet!)._

Before I continue on, I feel like I should explain what exactly “junior hockey” is, as this game falls under that rather large umbrella.

Officially (and by that I mean “according to Wikipedia”), junior hockey is a level of amateur hockey for 16-20 year old players. It is generally considered one of the more exciting forms of non-professional hockey to watch, as many of the players are trying to prove that they deserve to be in the NHL someday. Part of that is an unusual “problem” unique to minor league hockey, but I’ll get into that if/when I get to a non-junior (or collegiate) game (there are a few on my radar for the coming weeks/months).

The NAHL is officially the “Tier II” junior hockey league in the United States; unfortunately (for us on the coasts), if you’re looking to watch Tier I hockey, the United States Hockey League has no teams nearby (unless you’re willing to drive to Youngstown, OH). I don’t know where the league ranks vis-a-vis Canada’s junior system, though it’s largely viewed as well below the CHL (the highest level of junior hockey in North America), and there are VERY FEW players who were drafted straight out of the NAHL. Rather, a lot of the players end up in the NCAA ranks (case in point: one of the players on the each team's roster for this game was already committed to a D-I NCAA program).

![Middletown Ice World](/images/iceworld.jpeg)

<figcaption>Middletown Ice World</figcaption>

Originally, I THOUGHT the New Jersey Titans were named after a defunct ECHL team called the Trenton Titans, who existed from 1999 until 2013 (the ECHL being one of the NHL's "minor leagues" - I'll explain more at a later time)[^1]. However, in doing research for this post (aka reading Wikipedia), I found out that may not be the case!

As it turns out, a "New Jersey Titans" youth hockey organization was founded alongside the ECHL team in Trenton. I won't get too deep into the youth program, but what is important regarding THIS team is that, in essence, they were founded in 2012. They played in a different junior league (and apparently a different tier) for a while, then in 2015, ownership bought the rights to a NAHL team from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and "moved" them to Middletown, NJ[^2], where they play at the Middletown Sports Complex (or is it the Middletown Ice World?) just off of Route 35 (the main commercial highway through Middletown). I don't really know much else about the team, but they did win a league title in 2022.

The Middletown Sports Complex is not just for hockey and other forms of ice skating - there’s also an outdoor swimming pool. I’m nearly certain I’ve actually been here before (specifically the pool) for someone’s birthday party (my parents have a friend who lives in Middletown), but I don’t actually know (it’s been a while). Of course, I'm not here to talk about the outdoor swimming pool (especially as it's closed during the winter) - I want to talk about the hockey arena (and game).

For starters: It's a community rink (i.e. a place where kids learn to ice skate and play hockey), so it's kinda small-ish (compared to even NCAA hockey arenas). Essentially, it's a lobby where you buy/scan tickets, and then the arena itself[^3]. This particular arena features tiered seating along one of the long sides of the rink (which a lot of these smaller buildings do), but unlike other community rinks that I've been to in the past, this one features a "half seating bowl", where the seats wrap around one corner and behind the "far" goal (as you enter behind the other goal). This "near" goal does not have seats behind it, but it does feature areas where fans can stand right next to the rink (plus a few small wooden bleachers).

Tickets to games cost ten dollars, but here's the kicker: it's general admission throughout the entire building. That means that for a "measly" ten dollars, you can watch an entire hockey game from the front row if you so choose - something that typically costs WAY more at the pro levels (plus most D-I college hockey arenas). In addition, the benches and penalty boxes are both on the side of the rink with no seats and no entrances; this contrasts with most hockey arenas that have the benches on one side and the penalty boxes on the other (or the college setup of one bench + penalty box on either sideline). Thus, front row seats along the entire seating area go down to ice level (and are actually slightly above it) - including in the neutral zone (which doesn't typically happen). Therefore, you can get a much closer view of center ice than at any NHL/AHL/ECHL game. I honestly don't know if this is the best idea, however, as I find that it's harder to keep track of certain parts of the action from this close up (this "problem" holds even truer for the end seating, where half the game is 200 feet away from you). Despite my relative hesitations about this, I cannot argue with the fact that I think this is a REALLY good value for the truest of true hockey fans out there.

![A center ice faceoff from a view closer than you'll probably ever see](/images/centerice.jpeg)

<figcaption>The only way you can get this view in the NHL: spend time in the penalty box</figcaption>

One thing to keep in mind if going to sit in front: hockey games are noisy. It's one thing to see guys get throttled into the boards on television or from the upper decks; it's another thing entirely to have it happen RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. If you're behind the goal, you also get to watch pucks come straight towards your face at 80+ miles an hour; thankfully, there's glass to prevent anything from happening to you, and if it's rather hard to see through, that means that the glass has been doing its job well (though it also mitigates the "fun" of front row seats). In addition, this building features a real goal horn - though I found it was somehow louder in the upper areas of the rink (that may be due to its position somewhere within the ceiling).

If the noise (or the cold) in the arena is too much for you, there's an upper level bar area which is accessible from the lobby; in fact, this is probably where you're most likely to enter the seating areas if you arrive while the visiting team is waiting to get onto the ice. Parts of this area have windows into the arena as well, so you can still follow the game from here (though do be forewarned that the goal horn is still pretty loud here).

For about 3/4 of this game, it looked like the Titans were doomed to getting "goalie'd" - they outshot their opponents by a whopping 30 shots, but trailed 4-0 at one point. However, they scored all the goals after said point - but came up one goal short of completing the comeback (so they did, in fact, get goalie'd). However, the ten dollar ticket price plus ability to watch the game how you see fit , and I'm honestly strongly contemplating a return trip soon (though there's also another reason for that...).

(One final note that most of you probably don't care about: one of the referees was named Benedetto. I hope he remembered to pay his dues to the Homestarmy...)

### MERCH

You might be surprised to learn that the Titans sell merchandise. There's a stand in the lobby that had a few items, but nothing that I was super interested in (read: no jerseys, and nothing that had a sewn on Titans logo - not even the hats). Next to this merch stand is a concession stand, and while the menu was surprisingly extensive, I ended up not getting anything.

There was also a "pro shop" which sells hockey equipment, but it wasn't technically open for the game. I did see mannequins wearing Titans jerseys in here, however, so I wonder if it is, in fact, possible to buy a jersey (though no Titans clothing was available at this pro shop).

On a somewhat unrelated note, if you ever find yourself on Route 35 in Middletown, NJ, consider checking out Panko Pizza (about a mile from the Sports Complex). It's run by the same folks who opened Artichoke Basille's in NYC, has some INSANELY good deals on large pies, and features their take on a rather unusual "local" pizza: mustard pie (which, IMO, is very much worth trying).

---

[^1]: The ECHL is returning to Trenton next fall! I am already planning on heading down for a game - maybe even opening night (and maybe I'll try to find the original mustard pie).
[^2]: If you’re thinking about the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (who were Wayne Gretzky’s junior team), they’re across the border in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Also, I'm not sure exactly what tier the Titans were in prior to the NAHL, as Wikipedia's limited information is VERY confusing...
[^3]: There's also some strength and conditioning/physical therapy areas, but those were, for the most part, closed.


The first "live" hockey post on this blog!

New Jersey Titans (North American Hockey League) @ Middletown Sports Complex (Middletown, NJ)


_\*This trip occurred on September 21, 2025._

You may be surprised to learn that Montclair State University is the second largest public university in New Jersey behind Rutgers (and I believe that’s just New Brunswick). Located a short distance away from New York City (with direct train service from campus available on weekdays), MSU is probably best known for its unique architecture, having many of its buildings built in the style of old buildings you'd be WAY more likely to find in places like California. While on some level I couldn’t find any “true” notable alumni, the school is connected to someone who famously lived in Montclair (and isn’t Stephen Colbert): Yogi Berra.

Among the sporting facilities here is Yogi Berra Stadium - the baseball team’s home stadium as well as the former home of the [New Jersey Jackals](2025-08-12_njjackals). Adjacent to the stadium is the Yogi Berra Museum - a museum dedicated to deja vu, forks in the road, and words (un)spoken. What does any of this have to do with the soccer stadium? Not much, but there is the fact that both Yogi Berra Stadium and MSU Soccer Park were opened in the same year (1998), and the soccer stadium was built on top of the school’s old baseball stadium (Pittser Field).

![A view of MSU Soccer Park with some university buildings in the background](/images/msu.jpeg)

<figcaption>See that building just to the left of center? A lot of MSU's buildings are like that - it's actually really neat!</figcaption>

However, this stadium has hosted a LOT more than Montclair State soccer (though, obviously, that's the "main" team here): it was once the training home of the New York Red Bulls (the older of the NYC area’s two MLS teams and main rival of [New York City FC](2025-08-13_nycfc)) as well as hosting [Gotham FC](2025-09-08_gothamfc) for a few matches in 2020, and in researching the field for something I’m thinking about for next year, I found out about RBNY II: the New York Red Bulls reserve team.

Before I continue, however, I do want to get one thing out of the way: what the hell is the (parent) team actually called? Officially, the team is “Red Bull New York” - they are named after the energy drink, which has teams in various sports all over the world - most of which are called “Red Bull \_\_\_”[^1]. However, to fit the more common North American style of sports team naming (which most MLS teams were following when the team was purchased by Red Bull), the team is commonly known as the “New York Red Bulls” (and they even refer to THEMSELVES this way), but it seems that the team uses “RBNY” as its shorthand name and not "NYRB", so I will probably use that for the most part (it's not quite the same as their Hudson River rivals trying to get everyone to stop using "NYCFC"). Confusingly, however, the scoreboard at the game used "NYRB II", so (insert shrug emoji here)[^2] I guess...

Getting back to RBNY II: soccer reserve teams are where clubs take younger players and train them to become professionals (kinda like Minor League Baseball, but for soccer). Many countries have these reserve teams, but each country handles them differently; for our purposes, we’ll just focus on the United States via RBNY II.

The side was TECHNICALLY established in 2015 (though the Red Bulls had a reserves side for a while prior) and originally played in the USL Championship (i.e. the de facto second tier today). However, in 2021, MLS announced that it was creating its own reserve division known as MLS Next Pro, which RBNY II now plays in. I won’t get into “why” this division was created (as it delves into a bit of MLS conspiracy theory), but what you should know is that it’s technically at the third tier of U.S Soccer (i.e. on par with USL League One - a league I haven't visited yet but hope to eventually), operates as a “closed” league where teams do not move to other divisions (i.e. no promotion/relegation - which USL is looking to adopt), and currently, 27 of 30 MLS teams have a side in the division (which also has a few teams that are not affiliated with MLS clubs)[^3].

When I realized that Red Bulls II played here, I ended up looking at their schedule and found this game against Inter Miami II. Immediately, I figured that it was a good way to tell people I got to see THE Inter Miami live and in person (even if it technically isn’t the main team with...that one guy).

As far as soccer fields go, this one's...fairly standard. There are stands around "two and a half" sides of the field; one sideline and one end have "full length" stands, but the other end has its seating cut off about a third of the way by what I think is the locker rooms. The stands are separated from the field by a sidewalk/concourse; while this is something that almost NEVER happens in most stadiums in other sports here in the United States (at least that I've been to), it is somewhat more common in older stadiums in England (based on what I've seen of them).

One IMPORTANT thing to know before coming here (outside of the fact that you can get tickets for ten bucks at the gate and not have to pay fees): there's a parking deck right next to the field, which is more or less intended to be your parking (as information about other options is somewhat sparse). However, once you get past the two hour mark (aka the typical length of a soccer game), your price for parking jumps from four to eight dollars, so if you arrive right before the match starts and then leave right after it ends, you're probably paying four dollars for two hours and then another four dollars for two minutes.

It is because of this that I ended up having to leave at the 90 minute mark (i.e. when the game would normally "end" without stoppage time). As I understand it, the match ended as a 1-1 draw, but then I learned that apparently MLS Next Pro has shootouts and that Miami won this shootout for an extra standings point. If you find this whole idea of "end in a tie but still have a shootout for standings purposes" kinda confusing, I'll say this: MLS Next Pro isn't the only place where this happens. In fact, I've actually seen it happen before - TWICE! (I'll get to those stories soon enough...)

### MERCH

You probably weren't expecting me to actually talk about merchandise options available at this game, as you were expecting that they wouldn't be any, right?

Well...you're right: there was no merch sold at the match, but there was a small concession stand at one of the corners; I believe it's run by Montclair State's dining services, and I THINK I saw alcohol being sold. However, I did see some people in the stands with Red Bulls II shirts, so I wonder how those were acquired (though several of them had a USL Championship patch)...

This is also probably where I should mention that as much as I think the Inter Miami shirt is interesting, I'd be much more likely to buy one (read: I would ACTUALLY think about it) if any of the stores I've seen it in sold blanks - ~~something I have yet to see ANYONE do (INCLUDING the Adidas stores I've been to)~~ and guess what I found at a local store literal HOURS after I published this (40% off too)!

\---

With this trip, I have now seen the New York Red Bulls STADIUM and their RESERVE TEAM - but not the main team itself (or their merch stands as they were closed when I was at the stadium). That, however, will almost certainly have to wait until next year...

---

[^1]: The biggest exception: RasenBallsport Leipzig - named as such because Germany won’t allow them to use the Red Bull name. Also, I should probably let you know that they’re the most hated club in Germany because of the Red Bull thing (and it has NOTHING to do with Red Bull being an Austrian company)...
[^2]: I did try inserting the text shrug emoji here, but it didn't exactly work due to how Markdown (i.e. how I write these blog posts) treats the \\ character.
[^3]: Several of these unaffiliated teams are slated to begin play in the next few years, which will make MLS Next Pro LARGER than MLS in terms of the number of teams.


or "I GOT TO SEE INTER MIAMI LIVE AND IN PERSON"

New York Red Bulls II (MLS Next Pro) @ MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field (Montclair, NJ)


_\*This was written over the course of two visits to Boston College - the first one on November 17, 2023, and the second one on February 23, 2024[^1]. I will also mention that UMass Lowell's home opener is tonight as well, but [I've already talked about them](2025-08-29_bosfleet)._

Boston College is a historic school officially in Chestnut Hill, MA - a “village” that is partially in Boston, partially in Newton, and partially in Brookline. As I recall, much of BC’s campus is technically in the Newton section of Chestnut Hill, which leads to a common jeer towards BC from other Boston schools: “NOT FROM BOSTON”. Given that Newton, MA is my hometown...I will take the advice of my mother (a BC Law graduate) and plead the fifth as to how I feel about that.

As much as Boston College wants to be a “national player” in the college sports landscape as an ACC member (one of the so called "Power Four" conferences), the reality is that they kinda aren’t outside of Doug Flutie (who played for BC **40 YEARS AGO**) and the hockey team. Said hockey team has won five national championships - tied for the most among Hockey East teams with a nearby school that BC students love to hate (whilst most Bostonians who didn’t go to BC love to hate BC sports).

In 2023, an influx of players who were drafted in the first round of the NHL draft helped propel the Eagles to the top of the college hockey rankings...but not the world: they got shutout in the national championship game. Fast forward a year, and while some of the talent they had left for the NHL, they still had a very strong core; unfortunately, they STILL didn’t win - getting eliminated before the Frozen Four in their own backyard (technically it was in Manchester, NH, but it’s still pretty close). With the talent that propelled BC to the top now pretty much all gone for the NHL, expectations heading into 2025 are MUCH more muted than in recent years.

![An image of Kelley Rink/Conte Forum before a hockey game](/images/bc.jpeg)

<figcaption>Imagine, if you will, an eight-year-old me walking on the concrete underneath that ice...</figcaption>

Back to the arena, I actually grew up pretty much around the corner from it, and the first time I can remember walking into Conte Forum was sometime in the late 90s (it was opened in 1988). My brother had a karate thing in what essentially amounts to an auxiliary gym, and I remember wandering around the main arena’s seating bowl (I’m pretty sure I went all the way down to ice/court level, and even onto the floor itself). Fast forward 20-something years, and that gym is still there - and it looks like it got a renovation! What does that have to do with this place as a hockey (and basketball) arena? Not much - but it’s still a fun story.

Anyway, one of the biggest surprises about coming to a BC Hockey game: parking is free! Given that BC is, well, BC, and that the hockey program is one of the school's major programs, this is a very welcome "surprise". For some strange reason, however, the school's website does insinuate that for whatever reason, women's hockey games do NOT have free parking while other sports (such as both men's and women's basketball) do[^2].

The concourse here is very open at the ends of the ice (which have cool displays of BC sporting history), but the sides have largely limited views of the ice due to concession and merchandise stands being on the side closer to the ice. Part of this is due to the presence of many, MANY rows of upper seats on the sides of the arena (likely due to the D-1 basketball team in a premier conference); these seats make Conte the second largest arena in Hockey East (and if you sit way up at the top, you’ll feel like you’re in the upper decks at an NHL game with how far the ice is). Fair warning if you want to sit in these upper sections: the seats have no backs (though they’re not metal benches thankfully). In lieu of upper seats, the ends of the rink have large videoboards (plus suites); there’s no center hung scoreboard here (possibly due to a low ceiling plus a bunch of banners), so these are your main sources of game info.

Oddly amongst the Hockey East games I went to...there was no pep band (or at least there wasn’t one either game I went to; a different game I saw on TV had one); given that BC had one of the largest student turnouts I saw at any of these college hockey games, that seems rather odd to me. There was an organist, however, and they also had recordings of BC-related band songs (the fight song after the first and second periods, and BC’s Alma Mater after the game). The student sections behind both goals were pretty full (there was a decent line outside the arena pregame) for a good part of the first game (a 5-4 OT BC win, which was the first college hockey game I went to where the home team won).

However, A lot of people - students and others - left the second game rather early despite #1 BC DOMINATING (or because of that)[^3]. I also have to give them some credit: the second game featured a goalie change, and after waving the starter goodbye after he couldn’t prevent BC from kicking the extra point, they directed their traditional “GOAL SIEVE” chant at the bench and not the new goalie. Also, BC did what can only be described as a “homie goalie change”, and the crowd went wild whenever the replacement did literally anything (he rarely saw the ice because their starter at the time was widely considered one of the best goalies in the NCAA).

If you’re looking for food postgame, there are a few places near-ish campus, but they’re a bit of a ways from the arena itself and I’m not sure when they close on gamedays. However, if you need chips/candy/popcorn postgame, there’s a couple of grocery stores that are open rather late nearby; just be aware that the hot bar and service counters are going to be closed (RIP Omni Foods). There’s also Frank Pepe's (though it may be closed a bit early) and a The Cheesecake Factory at the good ol’ Mall at Chestnut Hill or whatever it's officially called now (RIP Atrium Mall and the store where I bought my first Pokémon cards back in 199-I-forget-when).

Because the first game I went to fell on one of our unfortunately increasing “randomly warm days in what’s supposed to be fall and winter”, there was a special “fan fest” going on before the game at BC's adjacent football stadium - it was kinda unimpressive IMO: one concession stand where the grill wasn’t working properly and a merchandise table with VERY limited merchandise. Seemingly, they also hold these in a different location for colder weather games, so maybe that’s better (I WAS thinking of checking out one of these, but decided not to).

### MERCH

Conte is somewhat unique amongst the college hockey arenas I’ve been to in that not only are there dedicated merchandise stands amongst the concession stands, there’s more than one of them. I actually don’t recall if I bought anything from these stands, however, as I got most things from other areas: the main campus bookstore and a secondary store on the way to the arena from the parking garage. This secondary store seems to specialize in BC athletics merch; it’s typically open before games, and MAYBE after (though I can’t be certain; I think it was open after one game but closed after the other).

The second game I went to also featured something I didn’t see anywhere else: customizable jerseys! I believe this is tied to the NCAA’s NIL movement or something, but you could have them heat press a name and number onto a jersey - so if you were, say, driving up for a game from Philadelphia, you could have not-so-wisely spent $215 on a Cutter Gauthier jersey to...do whatever you want to do with it (or heckle the crap out of him on the ice if security let you in)[^4].

One final note: BC is getting new jerseys this year, and while I am interested in their new maroon jersey, the combination of a $245 price tag plus the bookstore website saying the jersey is sublimated has me scared...

---

[^1]: I was supposed to return to BC for a game during Thanksgiving weekend in 2024, but the whole trip got cancelled - partially due to me having COVID.
[^2]: I should also mention that as of writing this, I have yet to visit a women's college hockey game.
[^3]: _I_ did not leave early, however, as I had missed most of the first period due to getting caught in bad traffic (plus I got a lower bowl seat).
[^4]: Cutter Gauthier was one of the “supertalents” who was drafted fifth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022, but allegedly refused to play for them and was traded away between the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. A group of angry Flyers fans made the trip up to BC for their first home game after the trade, and there was a security situation that I don’t fully remember the details of.


The hockey team closest to my childhood home

Boston College Eagles Hockey (Hockey East) @ (Kelley Rink at) Conte Forum (Chestnut Hill, MA)


_\*I’m about to mention two events in 2023 that I went to PRIOR to this event, but this was largely written after going to a BU game on December 2, 2023._

Boston University is a fairly well known school on the banks of the Charles River in Boston. Formerly a Methodist school, it’s become somewhat known for its influx of graduate and foreign students.

Their (men's) hockey team is their main team (as they're in one of those smaller conferences), and has won five national championships plus produced stars such as Jack Eichel and Macklin Celebrini (though like BC, they recently lost their shot at a sixth title to the NCHC), but on a more local level, BU leads the city with 32 Beanpot championships. For those who don’t know, the Beanpot is a local tournament between Boston’s four D-I hockey programs (BC, BU, Northeastern, and Harvard), and is one of the most prestigious in-season tournaments in all of college sports (in some respects, even more than conference tournaments).

![An image of Agganis Arena before a hockey game](/images/bu.jpeg)

<figcaption>Agganis Arena before a BU hockey game</figcaption>

Agganis Arena was opened in 2004 as BU’s original home had become far too small for the team (but it is still standing, as it hosts BU's women's hockey team); the building is named after a former BU athlete, and the rink was named after a legendary BU hockey head coach who was actually consulted during the building’s construction. A LOT of things go on here outside of Boston University hockey (though BU remains the main tenant); for example, the [Boston Fleet](2025-08-30_bosfleet) hosted two games here during the 2024-25 season, and are hosting (at least) four for the 2025-26 season. Personally, I went to two different events (both in July of 2023) that were held at Agganis before seeing BU:

1. A Rocket League (video game car soccer for those who don’t know) tournament _(July 8)_
2. 3ICE: A novelty hockey competition that was held on the hottest day of the summer and was so desperate for fans that they were giving away tickets for free _(July 26)_

You can basically copy/paste what I’ve said about the Tsongas Center in Lowell as they’re INCREDIBLY similar: lobby, stairs up to concourse, seats. The main difference between Agganis and Tsongas, in terms of architecture, is the fact that the ice is more blocked from the concourses at Agganis because I think there’s more “suites” (they’re rather unimpressive IMO) as well as press areas (in addition, the entrances to many of the sections have curtains which also block some of the view). Conversely, however, there’s no real “analog” to the luxury area at UML, so you have full “360 degree” access to the concourse without luxury seats blocking your walk.

Standing Room Only tickets are available here - if you purchase one, you can take any vacant seats once ten minutes have elapsed. Speaking of tickets, I feel like I should warn you that Agganis Arena is a TicketMaster venue (part of which can probably be attributed to how many non-BU events it hosts), so be prepared for that if you’re not a fan of TicketMaster.

The crowd was far and away the rowdiest I saw amongst the college hockey games. My favorite part was their variable goalie praise/haze system: one end had two banners with “GOALIE” for when BU defended that net and “SIEVE” for when the other team defended that net, and the other end had a two-sided sign that read “SEXY GOALIE” and “UGLY GOALIE” for the corresponding situations at that end. For some reason, I also heard a “BC SUCKS” chant after every goal...despite the opponent being relatively lowly Merrimack (whom the Terriers beat handily)[^1].

If you're thinking of coming here, be forewarned that street parking is at a premium in Boston, and you have to be weary of some areas being off limits to non-residents plus the fact that meters are typically in effect until 8 PM. There is a garage underneath the arena if you're willing to pay a bit more (and/or avoid parallel parking), but there's also a T stop right in front of the arena (though you're going to have to take the "B" train - the Green Line's slowest branch).

Also, I'm somewhat saddened to report that concessions are NOT cheap; if you’re worried about the combination of concession prices and concession quality (which, IMO, you should be), there are quite a few food options outside the arena you can go to pre or post game. For example, you can visit Massachusetts’ oldest Raising Cane’s a mere block away from the arena - but be aware that there may be a line out the door after games...

### MERCH

Merch (not just for BU, but for the other events I went to[^2]) is typically on a “wider” part of the concourse at Agganis near one of the concourse’s landings from the lobby (mainly because the lobby is quite small, which I assume is partly due to the arena’s location on a major street in Boston). However, the BU Bookstore is just across the street (though getting there is a bit more intricate than you'd likely expect since that street is Commonwealth Avenue) and usually has a lot of hockey stuff as hockey is BU’s main sport (though it used to be a few Green Line stops away at the same station for Fenway Park). I’ve bought hockey jerseys from here plus a few other things such as a wooden zamboni, but I should also mention that I got a special "100 Years of BU Hockey" hat during the game.

Something that made this game slightly different from ALL of the college hockey games I’ve been to: the team sheets cost money (though they're also available online, so...). However, there was also an almanac available (though both were cash only).

There’s also a table in the corner of the concourse opposite the merch area that has FREE JERSEYS!

...Provided you meet the following criteria:

1. You’re a BU student (which requires getting into an increasingly competitive school and an annual tuition somewhere north of I-don't-even-know-anymore-but-it's-not-a-small-number)
2. You obtain a sports pass (price unknown but honestly rather inconsequential)
3. You attend 8 home games (out of 17). Most of them are on Friday or Saturday nights, and the two “other dates” when I originally wrote this in 2023 were the day before Thanksgiving and a Tuesday during the between semester break, so you (probably) don’t have to worry about ~~ChatGPT-ing~~ crunching out that term paper before midnight. The 2025-26 season features only one non-Friday/Saturday game, but it's just an "exhibition game" and it's...the day after this was posted (even though it is approaching midterm season).

So if you’re willing to put yourself in crippling debt in order to get a degree that may or may not help you get a job once AI kills a bunch of entry level job markets and have a few free weekends, you can avoid paying {insert price of BU jersey here} for a jersey! If you’re a hockey (jersey) fanatic who wants BOTH jerseys (home and away), you have to do this whole thing twice (i.e. a second season) to avoid paying the other $130 (if I’m being honest, it’s actually a good deal if you go to BU and REALLY like hockey, as I think the sports pass works for other sports as well).

---

[^1]: The two teams played at Merrimack the night before, and that was a WILD game which included, of all things, a fire alarm situation. That same night also saw then-#1 BC LOSE to then-last place Northeastern...
[^2]: For the morbidly curious: I got a jersey and hat from the Rocket League event (and then went on to order the winning team's jersey online post-tournament), and then two jerseys, a puck, and a stick from the 3ICE event.


Boston's secondary home for...a lot of things

Boston University Terriers Hockey (Hockey East) @ (Jack Parker Rink at) Agganis Arena (Boston, MA)


_\*UMass had its home opener last night, but I decided to post this after BU to for "narrative purposes". I’ve only been to this building once, and that was on November 18, 2023 - yes, BEFORE the [BU game I discussed yesterday](2025-10-04_buhockey) (though technically I went to Agganis Arena first before coming here given the two events I went to in the summer)._

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system and the largest school in terms of undergraduates in Massachusetts (and also not to be confused with Amherst College - a MUCH SMALLER school not even a mile away). Officially, I believe the team is referred to as the “Massachusetts Minutemen” and the jerseys feature a “MASSACHUSETTS” script to reflect this, but just about everyone (including the school itself) calls them UMass - occasionally adding the “Amherst” to distinguish them from [UMass Lowell](2025-08-29_bosfleet) (who are also in Hockey East).

With Boston’s big two (BC and BU) coming up just short in 2024 and 2025 (respectively), UMass is somehow Hockey East’s most recent national champion thanks to their 2021 title (which they didn’t have Cale Makar for). Outside of that championship (and the Cale Makar era that preceded it), there’s not much to say about the place as a hockey school (especially given they didn’t start their current D-I hockey program until 1993); in terms of their other athletics, they’re known for having one of the worst football stadiums in the FBS (since they don’t play in Foxboro anymore), and their basketball team - whose most famous alumnus HAS to be Julius Erving - ~~made the Final Four in 1996~~ VACATED BY THE NCAA[^1].

![A photo of the Mullins Center during a hockey game](/images/umass.jpeg)

<figcaption>The Mullins Center during a hockey game</figcaption>

Similar to Conte Forum (as that was where I was the day before this trip), the Mullins Center is quite big - perhaps TOO big for its own good. It’s the largest arena in terms of seating capacity in Hockey East (and is also bigger than the arena in nearby Springfield that hosts an AHL team[^2]), and the ice is ten feet wider than NHL standard (which is why it was REALLY weird that there was only one Zamboni for the game I went to).

You’ve got a pretty big concourse here, and similar to BC it’s at “mid level” with upper seating along the sides of the rink and large videoboards at the ends (along with a two-sided center hung videoboard), but unlike other buildings, there is ZERO visibility to the ice - from anywhere in the concourse. There are a couple of reasons for this: one is the fact that the concourse has windows on all sides of the building, so all the concession stands are on the “arena” side of the concourse, and another is the fact that every entrance to the main arena has windowless doors, which combined with the style of the concourse gives me 90s movie theater vibes (well, that and/or 90s shopping mall). Also, the arena is built into the side of a hill, and the main entrances and concourse are actually at street level (at the top-ish of the hill).

One other thing here that’s rather uncommon (at least in Hockey East): General Admission Seating! Several sections on the “east” side of the ice are sold as General Admission, which is a nice, inexpensive way to get in. One of these sections has seats almost all the way down to ice level (the first few rows were listed as reserved), so you can get a close up look at the game if you really wanted to (though I think I kinda prefer the high-up view a bit more). On the same side as these General Admission sections is something akin to luxury seating: an ice-level “lounge” with bar tops (UConn has something similar, and BU has bar tops at ice level as well). This area - known as the Commonwealth Club - actually cuts off the endzone seating areas from reaching the ice (as you can see the bleachers for basketball right behind it).

As mentioned, this is the largest building in Hockey East; unfortunately, it also means that smaller attendances - such as the game I went to - have little atmosphere. There is a pep band, but they get lost in the massiveness of the building; perhaps they could borrow a page from their sibling school in Lowell (where it sounded like the band was mic’d into the sound system). It’s a bit of a shame, as this game was VERY interesting: the Minutemen got outplayed pretty much the entire game, but somehow only gave up one goal, tied it late, and then won in overtime. It also featured a lengthy delay between the second and third periods, as apparently one of the players had a medical situation that needed to be sorted out.

On campus food is a question mark, but I heard about a pizza place in downtown Amherst before I went, and it was pretty good, had a WIDE variety of slices, and is open until 3 AM because college students.

I wasn’t sure where to fit this in, but there’s another hockey rink with the same dimensions (I think) in a neighboring building (Mullins has the widest ice in Hockey East at 95 feet wide). I believe it’s mainly used as a community rink/practice facility (as well as hosting UMass Amherst’s club hockey team).

As a final note: I didn't talk about the parking situation (as it was free back then), but I learned a few days ago that UMass is now charging for the lot I parked in...

### MERCH

I’ll be honest: I think UMass has one of the better jerseys in Hockey East. I’m not sure if I can call it the best jersey in the conference (many will tell you that distinction belongs to Maine), but it’s one of my personal favorites.

Anyway, when I came to the game, I arrived very early to check out the bookstore at the campus center and ended up buying said jersey (as well as a 2021 hockey championship hat during a subsequent visit). As you’d expect, there’s a lot of “school spirit” items here that I wasn’t super into, but they did sell a Marcus Camby jersey when I was last there (despite the fact that Camby is a large part of why the school’s lone Final Four appearance was vacated).

If you’re in the Mullins Center, there’s a merch area right as you walk in (assuming you’re not walking in from the student entrance). A lot of the things you find there are the same as the bookstore, however, but if you’re arriving after it closes, then at least you can still get things if you’re looking.

One other thing to mention: UMass sells NIL jerseys for hockey (online), but also has one player jersey for sale that’s not NIL: Cale Makar. I realize that I namedropped him without explaining who he is: he’s widely considered one of the best young players in the NHL right now, and I actually bought THIS jersey online before visiting UMass (and buying a jersey then as well - I swear I don’t have a problem...).

---

[^1]: The Mullins Center still has a banner commemorating this however...
[^2]: Said arena also hosted American International College’s hockey team - a small school and even smaller hockey program that recently left D-I.


A visit to the biggest building in Hockey East

UMass (Amherst) Minutemen Hockey (Hockey East) @ Mullins Center (Amherst, MA)


_\*This trip occurred on October 5, 2025._

Since this is the first time we’re diving into affiliated "minor league hockey" on this blog, I figured I’d give a little rundown of how it's structured, because it’s (theoretically) a lot simpler than baseball’s structure.

Each team in the NHL has only two minor league affiliates (for the most part; the few that don't are getting their second affiliate soon-ish IIRC). The higher affiliate is in the American Hockey League (AHL), and the lower affiliate is in the ECHL (which is technically no longer an acronym); both leagues consist of teams across the United States and Canada unlike how baseball has much smaller, regional leagues like the International League (AAA), Eastern League (AA), or South Atlantic League (High-A). One thing that separates the two systems, however, is that while Minor League Baseball typically sees players rise through the levels to get to MLB, it’s rarer for players to rise through the ranks of the hockey leagues: many players who get drafted start in the NHL right away, and going to the AHL or ECHL pretty much means they’re not likely to become regular NHL players (let alone stars). Because of this, the quality of play in the AHL (and more so in the ECHL) is often viewed as being inferior to the NHL (as well as top level NCAA programs and the CHL’s three leagues, which typically produce a significant amount of the draft's talent). This problem can actually be seen in player contracts, where some players will have a two-way contract with the NHL team, but others will have a contract that’s (almost) purely with the AHL (or ECHL) team.

Anyhoo, let’s get into the actual game I attended. As mentioned WAY back when [I visited the IronPigs](2025-08-11_lhvironpigs), the Phantoms are the AHL affiliate (i.e. the higher affiliate) of the Philadelphia Flyers[^1]. However, the Phantoms' history is actually really interesting: the Flyers established the team in 1996, and they originally played IN PHILADELPHIA at the Spectrum (Center) - the Flyers’ (and Sixers’) former arena that they moved out of in favor of their current arena (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena). They were, as minor league teams go, fairly successful, but what I remember most is them winning the AHL’s championship the year of the year-long NHL lockout[^2]. In fact, the team played many of its playoff games that season at the Flyers’ arena, which helped them set the AHL record for single playoff game attendance during their 2005 championship run (and was the AHL single game attendance record at the time).

When the time came for the Spectrum to be demolished in 2009, the Phantoms were (obviously) forced to relocate; they ended up in Glens Falls, NY as the Adirondack Phantoms. However, this was temporary, as a move to Allentown was announced in 2011, but delays in construction of their new arena pushed the actual move to 2014. While the team never made the playoffs while in the Adirondacks, they did (re)set the AHL’s all time attendance record when they returned to Philadelphia to play one of their fiercest rivals - the Hershey Bears (AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals) - at Citizens Bank Park.

Since moving to Allentown, the team has been...fine. While they don’t seem to be as big a “draw” as the IronPigs (they’re middle-ish of the AHL attendance rankings), they still draw decent crowds. They’ve made the playoffs more times than missing them (not counting the two seasons with no playoffs whatsoever), but they’ve only been as far as the conference finals (3rd round), and they only got there once.

Planning this game was weirdly difficult because for whatever reason, AHL schedules are WEIRD. The Phantoms’ Sunday games are at 3, which is very nice (especially given that it’s winter, so it gets dark early), but when I first started looking into this, they only had two Sunday games in 2025: one on a date I wanted to keep open, and the other one on the last Sunday of 2025 when I’m usually not home. However, the team later announced their preseason schedule, and that included a Sunday game (with no conflicts), so I ended up going for that.

One of the advantages of this being a preseason game: "firsthand" tickets were ten dollars less than a regular season ticket! However, I ended up using SeatGeek to get an even better deal on this ticket (I guess the Phantoms don't use TicketMaster for their resale market). Strangely, however, a number of resale tickets I saw were MORE than what they'd be firsthand - though that may be due to the fact that the opponent for this game was the aforementioned Hershey Bears. I also booked parking at a garage attached to the arena, and that came out to a whopping SEVEN dollars - more than the IronPigs, but less than other MiLB teams I visited this past season (and very inexpensive for being in a PRIME location)!

![A photo from the back of the upper deck at PPL Center](/images/pplcenter.jpeg)

<figcaption>As a former Bruins announcer would say: "High above the ice"</figcaption>

As mentioned earlier, the arena (PPL Center) opened with the Phantoms moving in in 2014. I thought this would be a "standard" indoor arena with not much to talk about, but I was wrong! Let's talk about what I found interesting:

1. Most of the entrances are at the same level as the concourse. However, I couldn't tell from inside, but it seems that the arena is built into a hill, as one entrance (the one I came in from which is attached to the garage) is below concourse level (similar to the entrances at [Prudential Center in Newark](2025-08-28_nysirens)).
2. There's a TIM HORTONS. It's next to one of the main entrances, and seemingly was closed off to the non-ticketed public for the game (as I was able to walk into it after scanning my ticket).
3. Similar to the [Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA](2025-08-29_bosfleet), there's a premium area along one side of the concourse, but here, it's on one of the "long sides". I THOUGHT this would mean that the concourse was not fully accessible without a premium ticket, but it turns out that wasn't true! A passageway behind this premium area "completes" the full 360, and this part of the concourse has (the arena's obligatory) Chickie's and Pete's.
4. The seating bowl here is...not really that much of a bowl. There is a full ring of seats just off the concourse, but one end and one corner only go a few rows down before stopping. The Phantoms emerge onto the ice from the end area, and the corner is where the ice resurfacers come and go from.
5. There's a second deck along one side of the ice; I ended up watching most of the game from here, and it was actually a pretty good view because it lets you see more of what's going on without being too far away (as you can see in the photo above).
6. There's a real goal horn here (which, from the arenas I've been to, seems to be a 50/50 thing), and it's in the rafters near the upper deck. It's not SUPER loud and you'll pretty much know it's coming when the crowd starts cheering, but if you're close enough, you might be able to smell the gas used to power it...

This game was lightly attended, to say the least; you can see the swaths of empty seats in the photo above. However, the crowd seemed to get decently into the game, and there were indications that they act like a college crowd (which means I have to come back some time to see the building a bit fuller). Unfortunately for them, however, the Phantoms couldn't keep up after a hot start and ended up losing (but again, it's the preseason, so it technically doesn't matter THAT much).

In addition, the team was celebrating the recent release of Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl" - playing nothing but her music/remixes throughout the game (including the goal song). No word on which Phantoms player, if any, will have a song written about their stick however[^3]...

(And as a note to TSN’s BarDown crew: it’s “lee-HIGH”, NOT “LEE”. I’m not even from the area and I got mad at them butchering that!)

### MERCH

There are two merch areas on the concourse: A small one near the Tim Hortons, and the main one at the top of the stairs/escalator from the parking garage (I should note that this puts them at adjacent corners of the concourse). If you are thinking about getting merch, it's important to know that both areas closed BEFORE the game ended.

While most of what you'll find is standard sports team fare (jerseys, hats, other clothing, and hockey-related novelties), they did have a few pairs of "gloves" that were interesting (one pair was based on what the mascot typically wears). However, I only bought one thing: a jersey - and I need to talk about it.

The AHL currently has CCM as its jersey manufacturer - a company with a long history in hockey (as they had the NHL contract 20 years ago). Historically (or at least in recent history), I've found that CCM's replica jerseys are...not good: the logos on them are heat pressed (i.e not stitched on) and the shoulder patches are shockingly low quality (I’ve bought MANY replica and a few authentic CCM jerseys as they used to do CHL jerseys until 2025, and it is INSANE how much better the authentics are - especially on the shoulders)[^4]. HOWEVER...something must have changed between 2022-23 and now, because the jersey I got has MUCH BETTER shoulder patches, and not only that, they're stitched on! The front logo still isn't however...

Also, I should mention that the Phantoms had three different jerseys: I did something I usually don't do and went for their white jersey, as it had additional details that I like better than the other two (which are just copies of the Flyers' main jerseys).

I thought about getting a puck, but they didn't have any game pucks for sale (I specifically go for GAME PUCKS as each team has a unique one), and I didn't like any of the hats as I wanted one with just their logo and no text - the only version of this was a women's hat.

---

[^1]: Coincidentally, the Flyers' ECHL affiliate is in...Reading, PA! It is very interesting how the structure of the Flyers’ and Phillies' minor league teams is IDENTICAL: highest affiliate in Allentown, second highest affiliate in Reading, and then the Flyers stop there (though the Phillies continue on to the Jersey Shore and finally Florida).
[^2]: The fact that I have to clarify this is upsetting...
[^3]: I cannot believe a TWITTER MEME is how I found out one of the songs on the new album is about Travis Kelce's...wait, am I labeling this as a family blog?
[^4]: I also have a game-worn AHL jersey, which is even nicer quality than the authentics despite being MASSIVE on me even though it’s in the size I normally get (as retail jerseys aren’t made for hockey padding).


The life of a Phantom(s preseason game)

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (American Hockey League) @ PPL Center (Allentown, PA)


_\*This is another Hockey East arena that I’ve been to twice; however, the visits were in different seasons about a year apart: November 11, 2023 and October 26, 2024. I don't get into the results of either game in the post, but I’ll tell you upfront that Merrimack LOST both of them - the first game on a late goal (vs UConn), and the second game in a blowout against nearby rival UMass Lowell._

_Also, technically I BELIEVE the building is officially the Merrimack Athletics Complex, but the actual hockey arena is VERY commonly known as Lawler Rink (or Arena), so I’m sticking with that._

Let’s be honest: Assuming you didn’t go there or know someone who did[^1], you probably would have never heard of Merrimack College if you

1. Didn’t follow college hockey/Hockey East
2. Didn’t live in Massachusetts

though that is debatable - Sporcle’s horribly out of date Hockey East quiz has Merrimack as its least guessed answer. In case you were actually curious, Merrimack College is a small Catholic school about 25 or so miles north of Boston on the line between Andover and North Andover (though I believe the campus is considered entirely in North Andover). Fun fact: Merrimack is run by the Augustinian order, which has only one other university in the U.S.: basketball powerhouse Villanova down in Philly, which is the college Pope Leo XIV went to (the only “real” connection Merrimack has to Pope Leo besides him being Augustinian is that they conferred an honorary doctorate on him in 2005).

In terms of their athletics, they’re a small school in a very small conference which they only joined recently (the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) in a move up from Division II to Division I. However, said conference recently stopped sponsoring football, so the school’s football team is currently an independent in the Division I FCS (i.e the second tier of college football). Their hockey team, it should be noted, won a D-II national championship in 1978 and made the D-I tournament as recently as 2023.

![Hockey players warm up before a game at Lawler Rink](/images/merrimack.jpg)

<figcaption>Those yellow jerseys are SO GOOD - the fact that other schools can go color v. color makes them even better</figcaption>

That aside, Lawler Rink is what I like to call a “lobby style” arena, where instead of a concourse around the seating bowl with a bunch of stands, concessions (and merch) are sold in a singular lobby area. One thing that distinguishes Merrimack from other arenas like this, however, is the presence of a SECOND lobby. The secondary one is on the “west” side of the rink and is connected to Merrimack’s primary basketball court and has its own concession stand (which was closed both times I went), while the main one (on the “east” side) has access to a secondary hockey arena/community rink, a hockey shop, a Dunkin’ (Donuts), and the campus bookstore.

In terms of the arena itself, it’s definitely one of the more “interesting” ones. It’s the smallest arena in Hockey East (at 2,500 seats), and combined with the low ceiling feels kinda like one of those community rinks (which it kinda is - though I doubt most community rinks have 2,500 seats and a giant screen at one end). It’s also different from many other Hockey East arenas (save for Vermont[^2]) in that you enter at ice level and walk up towards the seats; thus, if you’re in the front row (like I was for my first game), you essentially have free reign to move whenever. Be aware that the Zamboni entrance/garage is in the “southeast” corner, so you do have to sorta time your intermission excursion for concessions/the bathroom if you sit on the south side (i.e. the side with the TV cameras and the “MERRIMACK” lettering on the wall).

The arena was pretty full when I went the first time (an attendance of 2,432 in a building that seats ~2,500). However, you didn’t get that overwhelming student presence like you do with other Hockey East arenas (save for the pep band). This may be in part due to the fact that the old student section (behind Merrimack’s current shoot twice end) was replaced with luxury seating in 2023, and I don’t know if a “replacement” was ever made (I should also note that this section prevents fans from walking around the entire rink, as it goes all the way down to the ice). Speaking of premium sections, every ticket that’s not Standing Room Only (yes, you can get SRO at Merrimack similar to BU, but there's no implication you can take unattended seats) has an option for access to an area known as the “Champions Club”; I didn’t get this the first time I went - but did the second time.

Having taken the plunge and experienced said Champions Club...it’s hard to say if it’s worth the extra ten bucks. The main draw is “premium concessions” which essentially equates to hot dogs and pizza - though IMO it's MUCH more filling than what the normal concession stand has. However, I’m more of a fan of higher level views (especially since the front row at Merrimack is not “on the ice” due to the walkways), and this is probably the highest you can get above the ice at Merrimack and still be on or near the red line (I checked out the view from the seat immediately below the club pregame, but the view was partially obscured due to luxury boxes). Also, student turnout felt incredibly weak the second time - it felt like the pep band WAS the student section (though part of that may have been the team getting blown out by their nearest rival).

Because of the super low ceiling, there’s a MASSIVE screen on the wall at the “west” end of the ice in lieu of a center hung jumbotron (as I mentioned earlier, [BC doesn’t have this either](2025-10-03_bchockey)). During games, it shows the ACTUAL ESPN+ BROADCAST, so when the cameras are pointing at it, it ends up recursing which is pretty funny (you can watch hockey while you watch hockey while you watch hockey).

One final note/"warning": this is a “closed” suburban campus with mostly residential things nearby, so postgame food is definitely a question mark if you need something. However, if you’re early enough, you could get food and/or drinks from Merrimack’s on campus Dunkin’ because MASSACHUSETTS!

### MERCH

Remember how I mentioned that the campus bookstore was attached to the lobby? Well, guess what: it serves as the sole merch store! This is a bit unusual amongst Hockey East arenas, but it also makes sense given that, well, it’s in the same building. As mentioned earlier, Merrimack’s obligatory Dunkin’ is next to the bookstore, but it closes sometime close to puck drop, so it’s not exactly an “option” if you need to get food during/after the game.

In my visits to Merrimack (which include a few visits JUST to the bookstore), I’ve never seen any jerseys being sold there. I know that the school did sell jerseys in the past, and I have seen recently that they started selling them again, so I’ll have to check that out soon - even if they are sublimated replicas (their yellow jersey is one of the best in Hockey East). I did get a Merrimack puck plus a “hockey hoodie” during the second trip however (but nothing the first time).

---

[^1]: Between me writing this back in 2023 and it getting posted, I found out that Charlie Day from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" went to Merrimack. Of the alumni their Wikipedia page lists, he's pretty much the only one most people will have heard of (outside of Carl Yastrzemski - who got a degree from the school five years into his MLB career, which I guess makes him an alum if not in the traditional sense).
[^2]: I have not watched Vermont's hockey team at home sadly, but I did take a quick peek inside their arena once, so that's how I know this.


The official college hockey team of Pope Leo XIV (probably)

Merrimack Warriors Hockey (Hockey East) @ J. Thom Lawler Rink (North Andover, MA)


*\*This trip occurred on October 18, 2025 - that's right, I posted this on the same day as the event. I had a few reasons for doing this, but those are honestly unimportant IMO.*

![A photo of Sports Illustrated Stadium from field level](/images/redbullarenafieldlevel.jpeg)
<figcaption>Proof that I am ready to be the next manager of Nottingham Forest - this photo was taken hours after they fired their manager <b>20 MINUTES</b> after a loss</figcaption>

I watch a lot of sporting channels on YouTube. One of them which I found relatively recently showcases VIP experiences for soccer/football matches across England (and also a few other countries as well) - from the high end teams known the world over (such as Liverpool or Arsenal) to the team that plays down the lane (such as Tooting & Mitcham United).

Of course, those experiences cost money...especially at the top levels. Even if I had the couple hundred to spend on one of these tickets, I don’t see it as good value, as the experience lasts only about four or so hours. Of course, I can't say that I've never done a VIP experience before, as I've seen a few New Jersey Devils games from a private suite (my dad works for one of the Devils' sponsors, so we've gotten in for free).

However, a few weeks ago, I received an email from [Gotham FC](2025-09-08_gothamfc). They held an open house to showcase parts of the stadium most fans don't get to see on matchday, plus try to sell them on becoming season ticket holders. I felt it was a good opportunity to learn more about Sports Illustrated Stadium, so I decided to attend.

I won't go into too much detail on the public parts of the stadium, as I've already done that. Instead, I'm going to talk about what was showcased at the open house - complete with photos of course!

First things first, they offered free parking for this event, which was really nice. However, I wasn't sure if the lot they designated was "actually" available (as most of its gates were closed), so I ended up in the lot of a nearby park. Second, the entry point for this event was the VIP entrance - which usually requires, well, VIP tickets to enter. There was also access to various VIP areas of the stadium, plus you got to see the view from one of the suites (which, from what I was told, are mostly controlled by the Red Bulls - even for Gotham matches). Third, while a good chunk of my time was spent in the "normal" seating bowl, I did get to sit in some of the premium seats which are prohibitively expensive. The padding on those seats was INSANE - if it wasn't for the fact that they're a couple hundred a match, I'd love to try one sometime.

However, the part I think was coolest was a look at some of the areas only accessible to players/staff on matchday. I was allowed into Gotham FC's dressing room (which seems to be the visitors dressing room for Red Bulls matches[^1]), plus take a walk through the tunnel the players walk through at the beginning of matches. The tunnel featured Gotham FC's most recent trophy - the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, which is the women's version of an international knockout tournament between clubs in various North American countries; if you're familiar with the UEFA Champions League (or, to be more accurate, the UEFA Women's Champions League), it's basically that for North America (I forgot to get a photo of said trophy however).

![A photo of a locker room with Gotham FC logos](/images/gothamchangeroom.jpeg)
<figcaption>The change room</figcaption>

As for me becoming a Gotham FC season ticket holder, it's...up in the air. I can't say that I'm not interested (for various reasons), but right now might not be the right time.

---

[^1]: Because of its status as the visitor's dressing room for men's games, the bathroom had urinals - which makes you wonder if/how using the toilets for Gotham FC (a **WOMEN'S** team) is a pain point for the them (or do the players get intensely creative?)

A taste of VIP-ness

Behind the scenes at Sports Illustrated Stadium (Harrison, NJ)


_\*This trip occurred on October 18, 2025._

Princeton University is one of America’s oldest colleges and a member of the famous Ivy League. I won’t get too deep into the school as they have a LONG alumni list (being the fourth oldest college in the United States will do that[^1]), but I will mention that their football team is technically tied with Rutgers for being the oldest football program in the United States - after all, SOMEONE had to be the opponent for the First Ever College Football Game™.

However, historical records indicate that said game was more akin to what is now association football (or soccer if you're in the United States) rather than gridiron football. Despite that, Wikipedia's page on Princeton's men's soccer team states that the program was started in 1906 - which actually makes them older than Football Club Internazionale Milano (or Inter Milan if you know them better by that name). Also, the only two American-born managers in the history of the Premier League both went to Princeton (Bob Bradley and Jesse Marsch)[^2].

Normally, I typically start working on these posts months in advance of the actual game, as I tend to come up with these trip ideas way in advance. However...this post is different for one major reason:

I ended up deciding to go to this game THE MORNING OF.

Part of that was due to something I saw online that had Princeton ranked as #1 in some NCAA ranking, but apparently said ranking isn't the main poll used to rank teams: that poll had Princeton at #5 (still good though!). However, the biggest reason I decided to go: both admission AND parking were free - something a bit surprising for the Ivy League IMO!

As for the stadium, it's got a somewhat interesting history: it's the SECOND Roberts Stadium Princeton has played soccer in. The original Roberts Stadium was in a different location, but was moved closer to Princeton's other athletic facilities (and its parking garage) in 2022. To help explain where various landmarks in this stadium are located, I'll use the cardinal directions each side of the stadium is on to demarcate things (as it was VERY easy to tell which side is which). The photo below was taken from the south stand, which is the most basic as it only features bleacher seating.

![A photo of Roberts Stadium from its south stand](/images/robertsstadium.jpeg)

<figcaption>From left to right: the west stand with the press box, merch, and player entrances, the north stand with the video board, and the east stand with concessions.</figcaption>

On the west end of the stadium is its "main" entrance and press box above. This area also features a merchandise area (more on that in a bit) and a ticket booth, as some games (i.e. playoff games) are ticketed events. Below this is the bench/tunnel area; there are no bleachers above the benches/tunnel, so if you want to watch the game here (at the midfield line), you do have to stand.

Opposite the press box on the east end is a concessions stand plus a smaller entrance. Concession prices here are fairly in line with what you'd expect from a sporting venue, but there's a bit of a loophole if you feel they're a bit steep (though remember: you're getting free admission AND parking for most games)[^3].

Finally, the north end of the stadium features a video scoreboard, a grassy hill, and some terraces intended for fans to stand on (though I saw most people sitting here). This also provides the closest access to the field itself, as the bleachers on the other three sides end a few feet above the field (similar to most American football stadiums).

There was a decent crowd on hand for this one; most of them were on the west side of the stadium as the sun was a bit strong (and made it EXTREMELY hard to watch from the east stand), but it also seemed like quite a few people left rather early. The team on the field felt like they were a bit flat at times, and came VERY CLOSE to giving up an equalizer to their opponents (the Columbia Lions), but seemed to snap to life in the second half once Columbia lost a player to a red card, and ended up walking out with a 2-0 win.

I'll end with a few notes on college soccer itself (as it's a little different from "regular" soccer):

- Like professional soccer, the game is played in two 45 minute halves. However, the clock typically counts DOWN from 45:00 to 0:00 and is somewhat continuous but can be stopped by the referee for various reasons. Once the clock hits 0:00, the half ends right then and there - marked by a horn attached to the scoreboard which is near impossible to hear unless you're right next to it.
- It felt like there were a CRAZY amount of substitutions during this game. Part of that may be due to NCAA rules on substitutions (each team can make as many substitutions as they please at one time, but are limited to doing this six times per match), but it may also be because I THINK the rosters were much larger than your standard soccer game.

### MERCH

There's a small merchandise area under the press box (on the west side of the stadium). It's got a bunch of your standard "school" stuff like shirts, hats, hoodies, and various novelty items, but did not feature jerseys.

I will also note, however, that Princeton has two stores which feature school merchandise: one in a building on campus and another a short walk away on Nassau Street (Princeton's "main street"). I visited both of them after the game, but didn't find much of interest at either store...at least on this trip.

---

[^1]: The school was originally the "College of New Jersey", but became "Princeton University" in 1896 (I think - Wikipedia is a little vague). Confusingly, there exists a "College of New Jersey" today about ten miles away...
[^2]: There exists a third Premier League manager (David Wagner) who is recognized by FIFA as American; however, he was born in Germany.
[^3]: Not saying in case they fix it because of me


A visit to a college football landmark - for association football

Princeton Tigers Soccer (Ivy League) @ Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium (Princeton, NJ)


_\*This trip occurred on November 21, 2023. However, I must admit that it is WEIRD having a college hockey team open their home schedule on a Tuesday (as they are doing this year)...and they're not the only ones in this "catch up"._

_Also, I don't have a (usable) photo of the arena for this post sadly._

Similar to [Merrimack](2025-10-10_merrimackhockey), I’m willing to bet that you’d never heard of the College of the Holy Cross unless you went there or knew someone who did. It’s a small Catholic school (run by the same Catholic order in charge of [Boston College](2025-10-03_bchockey)) in the southern parts of Worcester, MA, and I’ve been there many times since they host a summer collegiate baseball team from May to August that, IMO, is a fun watch (and less expensive/stressful than the WooSox - more on them in the future perhaps). While they're probably not the most well known school out there, they are the only school in Massachusetts with an NCAA Basketball championship, which they won back in 1947 with their most famous alum: Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy[^1].

Outside of their NCAA Basketball championship, there's not much to say about them sports wise - they do have a baseball championship however, and the hockey team (i.e. what this post is about) has a few conference titles, but is probably most famous for a 2006 NCAA Hockey tournament upset of the second ranked team in the country.

The program started as a D-II program, then dropped to D-III when D-II abandoned hockey. In 1999, the Crusaders became a D-I program with the founding of the MAAC Hockey conference - a conference which eventually disbanded due to several of its members discontinuing their hockey programs. The remaining teams created a new conference called Atlantic Hockey, which merged with a women's conference in 2024 to become Atlantic Hockey America (and thus killing off <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/Atlhocklogo.png" target="blank">the most Netscape Navigator-era-coded logo for ANYTHING you will ever see</a>).

The arena here is an athletic complex with both the hockey rink and a dedicated basketball arena right next to each other and sharing a lobby. However, unlike Merrimack where hockey is the “main” arena and basketball is the smaller arena, it’s flipped here: the basketball arena is bigger than the hockey arena (and even has upper entrances), while the hockey arena is much, MUCH smaller.

All the seats here are on the “north” side of the ice - and most are available as General Admission for not that much (assuming you buy before the day of the game). There’s a bit of a catch though: it’s metal bench seating, and you're a bit removed from the rink (if you like being on the ice, the area around the rink has standing spots). If you’re willing to spend a little bit more, however, you can get reserved seats near center ice which entitles you to a seat cushion. If you do plan on getting one of these reserved seats, be aware that the last row of one of these sections is a bit uncomfortable due to being backed up against a wall.

Unlike most Massachusetts college hockey rinks, the benches are both on the same side of the ice - the one with the seats (i.e. the “north” side). The benches seemed smaller than normal hockey benches, however, and if that is so (I don’t actually know) it’s for a good reason: the penalty boxes. Usually, when the benches are both on the same side, the penalty boxes are on the opposite side of the arena; here, they’re actually between the benches!

Also, I’m pretty sure the locker rooms are right underneath the seats, so be prepared to potentially smell hockey players...

Before I end this, I should probably mention that the school’s women’s hockey team (whom I haven't seen) is in Hockey East - supposedly, part of what’s holding the men back is the arena (it's only got 1,600 seats). While they could probably go the UConn route and play at the DCU Center[^2], losing to one-win teams (i.e. what happened when I went) does not seem like it would be conducive to jumping to a much more competitive conference...

### MERCH

It’s hard for me to discuss merchandise for Holy Cross, as I can’t rate the merch selection at the game I went to since there was literally NONE. The game I went to was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the staff seemingly didn’t know how to prepare: not only was there no merchandise (though they appeared to have a kiosk), but the concession stands had to close early because they ran out of food...

I ended up getting a puck from the bookstore some time later.

---

[^1]: Anything you have heard about Cousy being a Cincinnati Royal is totally and utterly fake. Y'know, just like if you ever saw Martin Brodeur in a St. Louis Blues uniform...
[^2]: Holy Cross was SUPPOSED to have a game at the DCU Center last season (against rising college hockey power Quinnipiac), but something happened and they had to move the game back to campus.


Or "What happens when you go to a college RIGHT BEFORE Thanksgiving"

Holy Cross Crusaders Hockey (Atlantic Hockey America) @ Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex (Worcester, MA)


_\*This GAME occurred on December 9, 2023. I did make a quick visit to the arena beforehand, but I don’t remember the date of that._

_Also, I don't have a (usable) photo of the arena for this post sadly._

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, NH is somewhere around an hour and a half north of Boston. It is the largest state university in New Hampshire, but is also apparently (according to Wikipedia) the most expensive state university for in-state students in the country (insert your own budget/sales tax joke here). While their hockey program is probably their most notable sport, they haven’t exactly won much: they only have three conference tournament wins but no national championships. Thus, most of their rivals (most notably their biggest rivals at the University of Maine) commonly refer to them as the “University of No Hardware”[^1]. It should be noted, however, that Wikipedia considers UNH one of Hockey East's "Big Four" (the other three being BC, BU, and Maine), which is somewhat interesting to me given that they haven't really been that good since I started following Hockey East (I'd argue that the fourth team right now is Providence, mainly because it feels like UMass is starting to fade)[^2].

In a conference filled with arenas that either utilize a large main lobby or a concourse for most things, UNH’s Whittemore Center (Arena) does...both?

There’s a very large lobby I checked out a month or so before attending a game here which has ticket booths and a merchandise stand, but the concession stands are along a concourse that forms the top of the seating bowl (one concession stand per wall). Also, it seems as if said lobby is fully outside of the ticketed area (again, it has ticket booths), though there’s little of interest in it outside of some history pieces.

Unlike other Hockey East arenas, the concourse is fully visible from the ice and vice versa (save for the press areas on the “south” side). This is partially due to the fact that the suites, unlike BU or UML, are not attached to the concourse at all (they’re high above the ice on the same side as the entrances). Be aware that if you want to sit on the ends of the rink (assuming they’re available; one of them is usually reserved as the student section and sometimes they’re both reserved), it’s bench seating. This gives the arena a sort of “warehouse” vibe, which I honestly think is kinda neat because the whole arena feels more open[^3].

The students were pretty good here especially considering I went to a non-conference game near the end of the semester (aka Finals crunch time) vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (a school I know of because I know someone who went there). Similar to [BU](2025-10-04_buhockey), they had “GOALIE” and “SIEVE” signs at the ends, but there was also a “BAD BOY” sign used for the TV broadcast when showing players who had just been sent to the penalty box (sadly, no COPS theme song). However, any discussion of UNH fans would be woefully incomplete without mentioning THE FISH.

Apparently, after UNH scores their first goal at all home games, someone throws a fish onto the ice. I’m not sure why they do it or if it was a student or someone else as it didn’t come from one of the student sections, but it seems to be fairly well known around the area. Also, I’ve heard that it’s only done after the first goal; since the first goal of the game I went to ended up being the only goal of the game, I’m not sure how true that is.

One other thing to note: my seat was in the first row I saw available, but ended up not being the first row in the arena. The ice here was shrunk down at some point (it was once 100 feet wide and is now 90 to be closer to NHL width), and vestiges of the wider ice are still visible (most notably behind the benches).

### MERCH

I mentioned that the arena has a small merch stand, but what I should mention is that said merch stand straddles the lobby and concourse (so that fans can access it once they’ve scanned into the building); this is part of why I feel like the arena does both a lobby set up and a concourse set up. However, aside from the campus bookstore, Durham (the town UNH is in) has TWO additional stores in its downtown that specialize in sporting gear, so there’s no shortage of UNH merch to be bought...for the most part.

Sadly, I must mention the jersey situation: while a lot of fans seemed to have player replica jerseys when I went to the game, only three were available in the merchandise booth - none of which would have fit me. In addition, a different lot of fans (myself included) had these “fashion” jerseys made by some other company that were wildly different in design from the player jerseys. I’ve heard various reasons as to why UNH jerseys are unavailable, but I’m not sure why exactly this situation exists (especially given that they introduced a new alt in 2025). In fact, it's because of this jersey situation that I made at least two prior visits: one where I didn't know about downtown Durham's sports stores, and one where I bought a fan jersey and a mini stick.

---

[^1]: Coincidentally, one of the reasons UNH has "no hardware" is because Maine beat them in the national championship game in 1999.
[^2]: My attempt to have Google back up this claim led to its AI model thinking UMass was the fourth member, which is patently weird as they didn't even have D-I hockey until 1993!
[^3]: Other arenas I went to have a similar “feel”, but UNH is different in that the entrances/lobby are at concourse level. There's another arena coming up that I feel is similar to UNH, but much, MUCH smaller.


One of the more open arenas in Hockey East

UNH Wildcats Hockey (Hockey East) @ Whittemore Center Arena (Durham, NH)


_\*This trip occurred on February 24, 2024._

_Once again, I have a situation where two teams had their home opener on the same day. This time, I’m doing Bentley second - mainly as this game happened after the [UNH game I talked about yesterday](2025-10-24_unhhockey). Also, yesterday was (technically) Bentley's SECOND home game; they had an exhibition game against a school from Canada back on October 4th, but I decided to wait for a non-exhibition game as I was WAY too backed up then._

Another university many readers may be unfamiliar with, Bentley University is located just west of Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts. It’s probably best known for its business school, but somehow, someway, it’s neither the only school that starts with a “B” in Waltham (Brandeis University), nor is it the only “B” school west of Boston known for its business school (Babson College in nearby Wellesley, which is PURELY a business school[^1]).

Their hockey team has formally been around since the 1970s, but only became a D-I program in 1998 (as a member of what is now Atlantic Hockey America). While they VERY MUCH don’t have the reputation/prestige of the Boston schools a few miles away (nor have they had any alumni play in the NHL), they did win their conference in 2025, thus making their first ever NCAA tournament appearance[^2]. Of note: Bentley does not have a women's hockey team; of the schools I've visited so far for hockey, they're one of three (the other two being the two Umass campuses with D-I hockey).

Tickets for Bentley are REALLY inexpensive if you’re looking for (college) hockey near Boston - every seat has the same (relatively) low cost, so not only can you get one of the more intimate atmospheres available in the area, you can get front row seats super cheap[^3]! However...parking is another story altogether. There’s VERY limited parking at the arena, and to guarantee a spot in the adjacent lot, it cost almost double the ticket price when I went; I could not find any information on how much it costs now. There are other options that are free, but it seems some of them are quite a ways away from the arena (as the campus offers shuttles for them). I ended up parking down the street from the arena, which was free (but also quite a walk - especially in Boston winter).

![Bentley players salute the crowd after quote on quote winning](/images/bentley.jpg)

<figcaption>Bentley salutes their crowd after winning (but not really)</figcaption>

The aptly named Bentley Arena itself is actually pretty nice. It was opened in 2018 to provide a modern home for the school’s hockey team (they were previously at a community rink in nearby Watertown, MA), and is LEED Platinum rated - the highest rating for sustainable construction in the United States. Similar to some other arenas, the entrance lobby is at "floor" level (as in it's the same level as the rink itself), and then there's a concourse a level above.

There weren’t a ton of students at the game, but there was a band (unlike some games I went to at the supposedly “bigger” schools); the student section is the only part of the arena with bench seating (if that’s a concern). In addition, I found out that apparently Bentley has a “senior trip” to some tropical location; I don’t remember many of the details about it or this game as it was almost two years ago (outside of Bentley “winning” a tied game via shootout), but I wish my university sponsored a trip...well either that or not make us go to class on federal holidays.

One other important note about the game: I mentioned in the prior paragraph that this game ended in a shootout. College hockey is WEIRD in that games tied after 60 minutes of regulation plus five minutes of overtime officially end in ties, but have shootouts to determine a "winner"; you may remember me mentioning that MLS Next Pro does this as well when I saw [New York Red Bulls II](2025-09-22_rbnyii). Like MLS Next Pro, in-conference games award an extra standings point to the team that wins the shootout, but non-conference games...just do it for funsies I guess? I'll stop here as I could go on, but I will end with the fact that this rule was put into effect for in-season tournaments recently (i.e. tournaments outside of the conference/national championships), and fans of one particular tournament weren't fond of that...

(P.S.: If you want to hear bits and pieces of the game’s audio broadcast, sit to the left of the goal Bentley defends twice - unless they moved it since my visit)

### MERCH

I was surprised to learn that not only was there merch at this game, but a pretty decent selection of it as well!

The merch area was neatly tucked away under the stairs leading to the main arena, and to my surprise, they had jerseys (one of which I got). However, it didn’t seem like they sold a bunch, as no one in the crowd was wearing them (they’re those “fan” replica jerseys, and they’re not exactly the best IMO).

Concessions, however, were extra limited. There’s a physical concession stand on the same side as the main entrance, but it was closed the night I went; fans had to settle for a snack shack in one corner and drinks in another near the entrance. There is also beer and wine in a different corner if you’re into that kinda stuff, as well as a premium club with catering (not sure what you need to do to get in though). Waltham has some interesting food options, but campus is a bit disconnected from them, so be aware of that (not to mention the fact that very few things are open late in Massachusetts - even the places close to colleges).

As an aside, this game is, as of now, my only visit to Bentley, so I haven’t seen any other parts of campus (including the bookstore).

---

[^1]: If that's not enough small schools west of Boston for you, I recently befriended a couple who met at Olin College of Engineering, which is right next to Babson (and they've told me about using some of Babson's facilities for various reasons).
[^2]: AHA has something of an interesting history; I wrote about it when I talked about [Holy Cross](2025-10-21_holycrosshockey). Also, obligatory link to <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/Atlhocklogo.png" target="blank">their former logo</a> - I seriously cannot get over the fact that this was in use until **2024**.
[^3]: I paid around $12 when I went in 2024, but a check on ticket prices the day before this was posted indicated that tickets are now up to $22 dollars depending on opponent - though that's the "premium opponent" price, so it's still pretty good value (especially for Boston).


A very hidden gem of the Boston hockey scene

Bentley Falcons Hockey (Atlantic Hockey America) @ Bentley Arena (Waltham, MA)


_\*That’s right - TODAY is Harvard’s home opener (and again, it's a Tuesday); I'll get into why it's so late in a little bit. As for this post, it covers two visits that both happened in November 2023: one on the 3rd and the other on the 26th._

I’m not going to get into any specifics regarding Harvard University here given its status as ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD. I also won’t talk about Harvard Square, as its rise as a tourist destination has changed the area in ways a lot of locals believe is for the worse (besides, the sports teams are in a different city altogether, and I don’t feel there’s much to say about them either). Instead, let’s focus on Harvard Crimson hockey: the crimson-headed stepchild of the Boston hockey scene.

Okay, so maybe that’s not completely true, but they don’t exactly have either the profile of BC/BU or a historic arena like Northeastern. They’re also not in Hockey East: they’re in a conference known as ECAC Hockey (from which Hockey East sprung from 40-ish years ago)[^1]. Unlike Northeastern, however, they have an honest-to-God D-I national championship, which they won in 1989; they’ve also won more Beanpot titles than Northeastern (11 vs. 9), and their most recent Beanpot championship is more recent than Boston College’s last title (2017 vs. 2016)[^2].

However...astute readers may have realized that I've yet to mention the Ivy League (the famous athletics conference associated with Harvard) in this post. That's because...the Ivy League does not TECHNICALLY have a hockey conference; instead, the Ivy League schools with D-I hockey teams (Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale) are members of the ECAC (also, ECAC is not currently an acronym[^3]). There does exist an unofficial “championship” for Ivy League Hockey: whichever team has the best record against the others is crowned the “Ivy League Champion”.

One other quirk about the Ivy League: due to its rules limiting how long athletic schedules can be, the six Ivy League teams have notably shorter schedules than most of the rest of college hockey (with the "cut" games usually being non-conference). Case in point: the fact this post is going up on the day of Harvard's 2025-26 home opener - nearly a full month into the season (and is only their third game overall - with one of those games being an exhibition game).

Anyhoo, back to the school at hand: Harvard University’s main campus is in Cambridge, MA (I was actually born about a mile away from it), but most of their sport programs are based in a complex across the Charles River in the Allston section of Boston. In terms of their hockey arena, the Bright-Landry Hockey Center has a somewhat interesting history: it originally opened with a different name in 1956 (thus putting it in line to be the oldest hockey arena in Boston fairly soon), but was substantially renovated in the late 1970s when it received its current name (so even if we considered this to be a wholly separate building, it’ll still be the oldest "college and higher" hockey arena in Boston).

![An image of warmups at Bright-Landry Hockey Center](/images/harvardhockey.jpg)

<figcaption>A real "hockey barn"</figcaption>

The arena feels like a giant “pit”, so to speak: I’d call it a “concourse style” building where you enter at concourse level and there's no real lobby, but with much, MUCH fewer amenities (as in just two small concession stands plus merchandise which I’ll get into a bit later). In fact, there’s an indoor track area adjacent to the hockey arena, with windows overlooking the track.

I came here twice in the fall of 2023; the first game (an "Ivy League" contest against Princeton) technically ended in a tie (though Harvard lost a shootout[^4]), and the other game saw Harvard get blown out against Boston College. There was no pep band OR student section for either game (despite a "Student Section" being labeled on one of the walls - it's in the photo for those who saw it), so the two games I went to kinda lacked the same energy you get from other college games. Also, as the arena’s in the middle of Harvard’s sports complex, it’s hard to give any good food recommendations (I used to do food recommendations with these posts), as they’re relatively far removed from the arena (though there’s some interesting things in Allston proper).

The seating bowl, compared to places like UNH’s Whittemore Center (which, IMO, is the best Hockey East analogue for Harvard), is also MUCH smaller, meaning that you can basically see the ice from just about anywhere on the concourse save for the areas which you can’t - a lounge for season ticket holders as well as the merch area (more on this space below).

One more thing I should mention: in looking back at the details of these visits (to confirm their dates mainly), I realized that the second game was part of one of hockey's most famous traditions: the Teddy Bear Toss. At some point during the game, fans throw stuffed animals onto the ice; I'm not sure when and where this started, but it's become a holiday tradition around the "lower leagues" of hockey[^5]. While a number of leagues (namely the Canadian Hockey League) do it after the home team scores their first goal, this one occurred during the first of two intermissions between periods (I realize I should have mentioned this a LONG TIME AGO, but hockey games are divided into 3-20 minute periods).

This was the first of three teddy bear tosses I attended in 2023 (the other two being [Boston University](2025-10-04_buhockey) and [UNH](2025-10-24_unhhockey)), and the fact that I completely forgot about this, in a sense, should tell you how it was. I will note that the BU and UNH ones were definitely MUCH better though - and I recall one (or both) of them selling teddy bears to be tossed.

### MERCH

Surprisingly, there’s a full fledged merchandise “store” here as opposed to a kiosk/some racks and a cash register along the concourse, which honestly feels a little crazy for a program as “small” as Harvard. Said store felt surprisingly large and had a decent selection of things; sadly, they didn’t have jerseys either time I went, and the pucks I saw were disappointing IMO so I didn’t get one, but I did get a wooden Zamboni as well as a “Hockey Hoodie” with Harvard’s logo on it.

I said I wasn’t going to talk about Harvard Square, but I do need to mention that Harvard’s bookstore (the Coop) is actually quite large and has a TON of things. Most of it is not sports related, mind you, but it’s there if you want to make people think you’re smart/wealthy/connected enough to go to Harvard.

---

[^1]: I don't feel the need to dive into the ECAC's history, but it's the oldest conference in college hockey - on the men's side. There is one conference that is TECHNICALLY older, but it's currently women's hockey only as its men's league disbanded in 2021 after a series of realignments stemming from the Big Ten stepping into the college hockey landscape.
[^2]: If you need a quick refresher: the Beanpot is Boston's annual college hockey tournament between four local schools, and is (probably) one of the most famous tournaments in the hockey world. Also, given how BC's been this year, it looks like this will still be valid for quite a bit longer...
[^3]: From what I could glean, Columbia has NEVER had D-I hockey, while Penn used to but disbanded the program a LONG time ago. Both schools do maintain club teams however.
[^4]: As mentioned in the [Bentley post](2025-10-25_bentleyhockey), college hockey games can end in ties if, after regulation and overtime, they're...well, tied. This game happened before that game, but since that post went up first, I did the explanation of the whole process then. Also, I assume since Princeton won that shooutout, the extra point counts towards the "Ivy League" standings.
[^5]: The NHL does not do this as its rules prohibit fans from throwing things onto the ice.


Hockey at one of America's most famous universities

Harvard Crimson Hockey (ECAC Hockey) @ Bright-Landry Hockey Center (Boston, MA)


_\*This trip occurred on November 8, 2025._

Brooklyn FC was established in 2023 by a group of investors. Originally, the plan was for a men’s team to be established in USL League One (the second tier of the USL, and the "third tier" of soccer in America) and a women’s team to be established in the newly formed USL Super League (a top level women’s league)[^1] in 2025. However, the women’s team had their debut moved up to 2024, while the men’s team got “promoted” to the USL Championship (the highest level of the USL and the second tier of US Soccer), but had their debut postponed to 2026.

Unfortunately, it seems as if people don’t know that the club exists or aren’t interested: they (the USL Super League team) finished dead last in attendance by a not-so-insignificant margin in their first season (2024-25), are currently (still) last in (average) attendance, and had one of their matches last season draw just over 200 spectators (good for the lowest single match attendance in the league). Part of that may be due to the much more established [Gotham FC](2025-09-08_gothamfc) two rivers away, but another part of the can likely be attributed to the team not playing in Brooklyn until near the end of their first season due to field issues (they were somewhere in Manhattan).

Speaking of Gotham, there's another factor that may be hindering Brooklyn FC: The USL Super League itself. The Super League was established by the United Soccer League in 2021 as a top level division for women’s soccer, and played its first season in 2024. I don't believe it's "competing" with the more established NWSL, however: the Super League features ZERO players who have played with the U.S. Women's National Team, and many of its teams have players on loan from the NWSL[^2] - but none going the other way. Also, unlike other professional soccer leagues in the United States, the Super League follows the “standard” football/soccer calendar of August-May; thanks to Northeastern winters and their tendency to be WAY TOO COLD, Brooklyn FC has ZERO home games from December-March while the league continues on (two other teams share this schedule quirk)[^3].

The backstory for this trip can be found [here](2025-09-01_bkncyclones2), but long story short: I wanted to come here back in August when a ticket plus jersey package was available, but was prevented from going to that game and ended up pivoting to a Cyclones game. I then looked at a date at the end of September, but prior plans made that date difficult, and then I felt November (i.e. now) would be the best time for this trip (largely due to a 3 PM start time; all of Brooklyn's October games started at 6 PM[^4]).

Much like the MLW post, I won’t get into details on Maimonides Park as anything I would’ve said here has been said [the first time I was here](2025-08-09_bkncyclones) (this game being my THIRD visit). However, I do have to mention that similar to [Yankee Stadium](2025-08-13_nycfc), the soccer layout here is kinda strange. Like Yankee Stadium, the soccer field here does not cross the pitcher’s mound (as confirmed by seeing traces of the soccer field’s lines during the second Cyclones game I went to). Here, however, the field is set with one goal line along the third base side, so given that there are zero outfield seats...no one has a good sideline view; home plate is kinda far from the field, and the first base side, while “better”, isn’t great as it’s not flush with the field (though it is kinda interesting).

![A photo of the field at Maimonides Park set up for soccer from behind home plate. It is meant to showcases how poor the view of the soccer is from these seats](/images/ueckerseats.jpeg)

<figcaption>A great view for baseball...but not for soccer</figcaption>

Field side seats are available, but these are not exactly "cheap", so be aware of that. I also found what I believe is a premium area for Cyclones games that I never bothered to try and explore during either game I went to near the entrance for the field side seats, but there was nothing going on here (only one concession stand was open for this game).

A few sections behind the goal on the third base side are marked as supporters' sections. Unlike Gotham FC, however, the seats are not locked upright, so you can actually sit here if you wanted to. Given how sparse crowds here are, you could feasibly sit just about anywhere, though from personal experience...it's probably a VERY BAD idea. These were also the least expensive seats I found for this game, so I ended up getting a ticket here (and it seemed like 90% of the crowd was back here too, as it's easily the best seats to actually see the game with how the field is set up).

The original match I wanted to go to saw Brooklyn defeat the league's defending champions. However, that was their only win of the season...until this game! Brooklyn ended up winning 1-0, with the lone goal being scored while I was in the bathroom.

### MERCH

I’ve already mentioned pretty much everything worth noting about the store here during the prior posts about this place, but in case anyone forgot: the Maimonides Park team store is a two-level store with various items on both levels. During my first visit, a small selection of Brooklyn FC merch was available, but nothing was available during the second visit.

At this game, merch was sold on the upper level of the store; a "mobile hat display" - which had a bunch of Cyclones and [some rather interesting non-Cyclones hats](2025-09-01_bkncyclones2#hats) - blocked access to the lower level. Despite there being a rather wide display of shirts and such available, there were only a few jerseys (leftovers from last season) - and all of them were quite small. I ended up only getting a scarf, and it seemed like they had very few of THOSE in stock. However, one other thing I thought about getting but ended up not: a shirt/hat commemorating the 2025 South Atlantic League champion Brooklyn Cyclones!

One other note: when my original plan to get the ticket/jersey deal fell through, I ended up just getting a jersey from their online store (as it was half off); I was only able to get an away jersey as they had run out of home jerseys in my size (again, they were selling only the OLD home and away jerseys at the match). It was later announced that several games over the course of 2025 would also receive ticket/jersey packages, and while several of the other packages featured interesting jerseys, this one came with a "replica home jersey" - another reason it became the date I chose to go see the team.

My original intention was to wear the away jersey to the game, and then MAYBE put the home jersey on over it. I did end up wearing another jersey over my Brooklyn FC away one, but <a href = "https://overclocked-overthoughts.netlify.app/blog/2025-11-09_shirts_and_the_city" target="blank">events both here and abroad made me choose a different team altogether</a>, and I ended up not taking the home jersey out of the plastic it came in until I got home...

---

One other note: Congratulations to [New York Red Bulls II](2025-09-22_rbnyii) for winning the MLS Next Pro championship! I thought about going to that game as they were hosting and tickets were pretty inexpensive, but the combination of the long journey to/from Brooklyn, a 7 PM start time, having to pay for parking in Harrison, and weekend PATH scheduling nixed that idea almost instantly - and then the game going to PKs confirmed that going would probably not have been a good idea.

---

[^1]: The league is known as the Gainbridge Super League because SPONSOR
[^2]: Soccer teams loan players to other teams in order for those players to get playing time and experience with a competitive first team. It's a system that is rather unique to soccer, as I don't know of ANY other sport that does this.
[^3]: Both teams are well ahead of Brooklyn attendance wise, so it's not likely that this is contributing to the attendance woes...
[^4]: Also, I must mention how wild it was to see Coney Island so empty as it was WELL outside of tourist season...


After a three month delay, I FINALLY get to see Brooklyn FC

Brooklyn FC (Gainbridge Super League) @ Maimonides Park (Brooklyn, NY)


_\*This trip occurred on November 15, 2025, and there was a [GOOD reason I had the time to post about it on the same day as the game](2025-11-16_princetonhockey). Also, if you haven't seen it yet, every post on this site now has tags! It's part of a bigger update I'm still working on, but I did get one BIG part of it working, so I felt it was good to have them now._

_However, I should also mention that this site now has a new URL! The old one still works (I'm FAIRLY sure), but this new one feels a lot more "official". Now, onto today's featured trip:_

I’ll be honest: I’m not really into gridiron football for a few reasons:

1. Football games tend to be prohibitively expensive to go to - tickets start quite high for the back of the upper deck, and get rather expensive quickly if you want to get closer to the action.
2. I’ve heard that the actual live viewing experience at a football game isn’t that great - it’s more about the pregame festivities than the actual sport. Part of that is probably the stop-start nature of the game, but also because of the social aspects of tailgating.
3. I didn’t exactly go to a “football school” for college. I went to one of the satellite campuses of Rutgers University, and even if I wanted to travel to Piscataway for football games (assuming they let satellite students in at student prices), I graduated around the time Rutgers decided that being Big Ten fodder was better than being competitive against the likes of the University of South Florida, so it would have been a much more somber atmosphere watching Rutgers get demolished by future mid-tier NFL quarterbacks.

However, in starting this site, I’ve decided to try branching out a bit. For example, I looked into going to Metlife Stadium for one of its (bad) football teams, and while that trip may or may not happen this year, it’s still on my radar (and may even be useful for a thing I want to do next year). However, this trip marks the debut of gridiron football on this blog - and my first “live” football game since my senior year of high school[^1]. I won’t go over Princeton University as a school again, as [I've already done so on this blog](2025-10-19_princetonsoccer). Instead, let’s focus on the football team today.

For starters: as I mentioned back when I visited for soccer, Princeton is one of the two oldest college football programs in the nation (the other one being [Rutgers](2025-08-26_rulacrosse)). They were the visitors for the first ever college football game (of any code), and hosted the second game in college football history one week later.

The school lays claim to a whopping 28 national football championships - the most in the United States. However, the NCAA only recognizes them as having 15 - ranking them second in the Ivy League (after Yale’s 18 recognized championships, which leads the country[^2]), and third overall (having recently been passed by Alabama winning their 16th “recognized” National Championship in 2020). The program also doesn’t exactly have the prestige it once did - a large part of that being due to the fact that Princeton is an Ivy League school, and while the Ivies are known for their academics…their athletics have fallen behind a bit (especially in football, where the league is not in the "top" college football division). However, one thing Princeton football is historically famous for: the design of their helmets, which has been copied by schools such as Michigan.

The main thing which made this trip possible: TICKETS ARE FIFTEEN DOLLARS! Sure…it’s technically $20 if purchased online due to fees (which I ended up doing to "control" my seat), but I couldn’t find anything close to that for Rutgers (again, mainly due to their ~~torturers~~ opponents). However, it must be noted that said price applies to every ticket in the stadium - from the back of the upper deck all the way down to the sidelines. Part of this is probably because Princeton isn’t exactly a football powerhouse (the Ivy League being part of the college football division below the big teams like Rutgers), plus attendances are a bit on the “lighter” side (the stadium has over 20,000 seats, but has averaged under 10,000 for a few years). In addition, it's all metal bench seating here, so be aware of that if you're thinking of coming to a game (though I feel like I've heard that metal benches are an improvement on other Ivy League stadiums).

![An image of a play during a football game taken from the first row of the stadium](/images/fieldside.jpeg)

![An image of a play during a football game taken from the last row of the stadium](/images/upperdeck.jpeg)

<figcaption>What $15 can get you at Princeton.<br>Which of these images? Yes.</figcaption>

Anyhoo, let's talk about the football stadium. It was built in 1998 on top of the stadium it replaced (which forced Princeton to play an entire season on the road), and is far and away the "newest" stadium in the Ivy League (with the second newest being 1984, and the rest being from before the Great Depression). I think the best way for me to talk about the stadium is from the "ground" (aka the field) up.

There's a full lower bowl surrounding the field, and a main concourse fully encircling it. Similar to the soccer stadium, the field is oriented more or less north-south; this is fairly important, as the south stands were covered and closed during the game. Also on the south side of the main concourse is access to the stands for an outdoor track and field stadium; in fact, the two stadiums share a tunnel (or two - I'm not fully sure), so there is kinda sorta the possibility of accessing the physical field from it when nothing's going on.

On the other three sides of the field (West, North, and East), there's a walkway that encircles the lower bowl; it does not have access to the south stands (which, again, were closed). The main "building" of the stadium rises from the main concourse on these sides as well - it's basically a horseshoe much like...Harvard.

Attached to the sides of the "horseshoe" (read: not the corners) are upper seating areas; however, the north section of upper seats was also closed. There are very small "upper concourses" for these seating areas which appeared to have concession stands, but none of them were open (I should also mention they only had three concession stands open, which I guess makes sense with the limited attendance).

Finally, while the stadium seems to lack any premium areas/suites, it looked like people were watching the game from inside various upper parts of the "horseshoe". I have NO idea how they got in there, as I didn't see any (or even an elevator); this may be because I didn't really try scoping out the building.

This game featured Princeton taking on one of their "main" Ivy League rivals: Yale. While it was a fairly close game (read: probably pretty bad all things considered), Yale ended up going home winners on a late field goal. I must say, however, that the game DID kinda prove the idea that while watching football plays happen in real time is kinda cool (case in point: Princeton got an endzone interception RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME), it's a bit boring to watch between plays, as nothing really goes on that's interesting, and the breaks kinda feel surprisingly long (I timed a media timeout at three minutes, and a between quarter break at five, plus halftime is 20 minutes).

There are two other things I wanna mention before I go (besides the ol' merch sitch):

1. The Princeton Band was small. I don't know if I SHOULD be surprised by that or not, but it was often hard to hear them during the game (and a little bit during their pregame and halftime presentations). However, one thing I will say about them: they are VERY well dressed with the orange (tartan?) blazers and MOST ESPECIALLY the straw boaters.
2. The Fifth Quarter. I couldn't find much information about its history online, but after the game, there's a fifteen minute period where fans are allowed onto the field to do literally whatever they feel like. The players (mainly the Princeton ones for this game) are also on the field during this time - mostly interacting with their families/friends.

![A photo of fans on the field at Princeton Stadium after a game](/images/fifthquarter.jpeg)

<figcaption>I made it onto an Ivy League field!<br>...Along with everyone else.</figcaption>

### MERCH

About a month before this game (in October 2025), I visited one of Princeton's campus stores and saw shirts for three of their biggest rivals: Penn, Harvard, and the aforementioned Yale (because apparently the other four Ivies are far less relevant to Princeton). In terms of other merch, the only thing that I was even remotely interested in for football was a soft foam/plastic mini football (which, in all honesty, I wasn't actually that interested in).

At the game, a merchandise tent greets fans who enter from the northeast gate; since this is the closet gate to the main parking garage, it's likely to be the first thing most fans see. While they had a lot of shirts and such I wasn't super interested in (and they didn't sell jerseys OR mini-helmets, which is a MASSIVE missed opportunity), they had a few more footballs, and I ended up getting one that was closest to the official NCAA size (and color). 

I almost bought a small plush tiger as well, but ended up not doing so. It wasn't something I was planning on going home with, but as it turns out, [I should have gotten it...](2025-11-16_princetonhockey#mens)

---

[^1]: I do, however, live within earshot of a high school football field, so I hear what goes on at their games when they’re at home.
[^2]: Yale claims 27 national championships.


A visit to a college football landmark - this time for ”the real thing”

Princeton Tigers Football (Ivy League) @ Powers Field at Princeton Stadium (Princeton, NJ)

Originally, I had a blurb here about the history of Princeton University, as this was going to be my first trip down. However, since I ended up going to a [soccer game](2025-10-19_princetonsoccer) a few weeks before this game, it got moved to there. I ALSO had a blurb about the ECAC here as this trip was originally going to occur prior to the [Harvard post](2025-11-04_harvardhockey), but in case you couldn't tell...it didn't.

With those notes out of the way, on to our feature presentation: **Princeton hockey**!

Long time readers will notice that this post is formatted _slightly_ differently than my usual "trip reports". That's because this post is covering two different games featuring two (kinda sorta technically) different teams that happened on different dates: one for the men's team, and one for the women's team!

I linked the Harvard post above, but as a quick refresher: Princeton is a member of the Ivy League, which does not officially sponsor hockey. Its hockey schools are members of the ECAC, but contest a "hockey championship" via head-to-head results (which the league tracks on its website FWIW), and typically start their seasons well after the rest of the country (including non-Ivy ECAC members - though I believe this is the case for all sports). What I probably should have mentioned back then is that this applies to both men's and women's hockey programs; in fact, I recall hearing about how Harvard's long time women's hockey coach got "taken down" by a BEVY of behind-the-scenes scandals around the time I visited back in 2023.

With that little note out of the way, I'd like to give SOME structure to this as it's going to get a little "buck wild", so I'm going to start by telling the story of

### SELECTING THE GAMES

My original plan was to go to the men's "official" home opener on Halloween (a Friday)[^1], but something came up and I didn't feel like trying to get out of it, so I pushed back a day to November 1 (a Saturday). In doing so, I decided to check the women's schedule and found out that they were home on both October 31 AND November 1st. However, while parking for hockey games (and other athletic events) is free (one of the big reasons I keep going to Princeton BTW), the lots around the arena are not open to the public until 4 PM on weekdays, which solidified the decision to go on the 1st (the women's games on both dates started at 3, so I'd have to get creative if I went on Halloween).

I bought a ticket a few weeks in advance for the men's game...but then something ELSE came up. Not wanting to miss out on that, I pushed this trip back again to the 15th, as both teams were once again home that day (the 8th COULD HAVE worked, but I REALLY wanted to see [Brooklyn FC](2025-11-09_bkfc_womens) that day for reasons mentioned in that post). However...I decided that I wanted to check out [Princeton Football](2025-11-15_princetonfootball) for several reasons, and the timing of their game clashed with the women's game (a 12 noon start for a 3 hour football game vs. a 2 PM start for the women's hockey game), so I ended up going to the women's game the night before (as they were home that night but the men weren't).

Now, let's talk about the historic home shared by the two teams:

### HOBEY BAKER RINK

Opened in 1923 and named after quite possibly the school's most famous hockey alum (for reasons I'll elaborate on in a sec), Hobey Baker Rink is set to become the oldest arena in college hockey (and, from what I can tell, the United States in general), as the only building older than it is slated to be closed and demolished (more on that story soon). Thanks to its age, it features a HIGHLY unusual design by modern standards - and to help explain all of this, you're about to see more photos than I usually put into these posts. 

First of all, while Princeton's football and soccer stadiums are part of a larger "sports complex", Baker is NOT. It's in a different part of campus (with its own parking garage), and is a short walk away from a commuter rail station. Parking at said station is NOT free (even on weekends I THINK), but since very few games clash with the "no parking before 4 PM on weekdays" situation (and sadly, they're usually women's games), it's not really that significant (plus it's further).

As you approach the building from the parking garage and/or train station, you're greeted by this:

![A photo of the box office/entrance area of Hobey Baker Rink](/images/hobeybaker/outside.jpeg)

<figcaption>The box office and entrances to the building</figcaption>

The box office/ticket windows require you to line up/stand outside the arena to "use" them. This is more akin to most outdoor stadiums today, but is rather strange for an indoor arena (and it's not even the only one in the Ivy League that has this). However, what's more unusual is how the building is laid out.

When you arrive at the ticket windows, there are two doors on either side. These serve as the entrances to the arena for (most) fans arriving at games (due to them being adjacent to the parking garage and box office), but these are CLEARLY "add-ons" from who knows when - the entrances to the seating sections appear to be entrances to the building, and feature images of famous Princeton alumni in their "windows". Based on what I've seen of the building historically, however, it is possible that these entrances used to be windows before being converted:

![One of the entrances to the seating bowl at Hobey Baker Rink](/images/hobeybaker/entrance.jpeg)

The areas outside these entrances are basically hallways with with greenhouse-style glass (according to <a href="https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2023/07/24_Baker-Rink-at-100.php" target="blank">this article I found</a>, the glass was added in the 1980s). There's no way through the seating bowl without either these or walking through seats, as supports for the roof are present between the entrances. One of these hallways (on what ends up being the "north" side of the ice if you're watching on TV) has physical doors in the entryways; they were closed for the women's game, but open for the men's game (possibly because they were trying to only use the other hallway). Here's the "north" hallway (i.e. the one with doors) during the women's game (thus the darkness outside the glass):

![One of the greenhouse glass enclosed hallways at Hobey Baker Rink. This one features doors blocking the view of the hallway from the seating bowl.](/images/hobeybaker/hallway.jpeg)

At the "far" end of the building (i.e. the one opposite of the entrances/box office) is an area with concessions and a few cool displays of Princeton's history (and a LOT of plaques). Above this concession area is upper deck seating (which is somewhat rare in college hockey arenas); I thought about getting a ticket here for the men's game, but ultimately opted to be (almost) rinkside (though the view was cool - if a bit obstructed). Speaking of seats...be forewarned that it's 100% bench seating here. The benches all have backs with individual "seats", however, so that is nice if you're concerned about the lack of support (though the upper deck lacks this; I should also note that it is NOT easy getting down to the seats up here).

![A view of Hobey Baker Rink from the upper deck](/images/hobeybaker/upperdeck.jpeg)

<figcaption>I should note that it is NOT easy getting down to the seats in the lower rows of the upper deck...</figcaption>

Also, as you may have noticed from the photo, there's no video screens ANYWHERE inside; while there might be other D-I hockey schools without video boards, this is the only one I know of (with conference rival Yale getting a new video board recently). I'm guessing that this is a "personal" decision by the university, as the building has been renovated MANY times over the years - most recently in the summer of 2025.

One last note about Princeton hockey overall before we dive into the games themselves: the awards for the best college hockey players are both named after Princeton alumni. The men's award is the Hobey Baker Award (another reason he's probably Princeton's most famous alum), while the women's is the Patty Kazmaier Award[^2]. Likely due to this, banners commemorating the two are inside the arena (on the wall with the box office), both featuring the message "MAKE _____ PROUD" with the name of the corresponding player in the blank. While I assume they're meant to honor the awards and inspire the players, I also feel like they give off "DO~~N~~IT FOR~~GET YOU'RE~~ HER~~E FOREVER~~" vibes...

![Banners that say "MAKE HOBEY PROUD" and "MAKE PATTY PROUD"](/images/hobeybaker/banners.jpeg)

<div id="womens" />

### THE WOMEN'S GAME

_\*This game occurred on November 14, 2025._

Under MOST circumstances, I'd cover the men's game first. However, I figured that the best thing for this post would be to cover the two games in chronological order, so I'm starting with the women's game.

There's honestly not much to say about the women's team; they've made a few NCAA tournament appearances but haven't done much in the tournament. However, one of their recent players was the first overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft (by the [New York Sirens](2025-08-28_nysirens)), another has won with the only team to have won the league's championship, and they hired the (former) head coach of the [Boston Fleet](2025-08-29_bosfleet) this past summer (who was wearing a jacket that looked "Fleet green" during the game).

Since this is the first women's college hockey game I've ever been to, one thing I think you should know about women's college hockey is that it's INCREDIBLY niche. Only a few teams in the country average over 1,000 fans a game, and those teams are mainly in the Midwest. Princeton's average last season was ~500 spectators a game - not that high, but Hobey Baker's small size helps it feel not so empty (though it still kinda did). (Partially) because of the small crowds, tickets are all general admission, and can be had for (as low as) ten dollars (though I'm not exactly sure how to get that price - it's $12 at the door and $15 online).

This game featured the Tigers taking on the Friars of Providence College - a school in Hockey East[^3]. Princeton was pretty dominant this night - vastly outplaying Providence for large swaths of the game en route to a 3-0 win that was somehow not as close as you'd expect a 3-0 game to be. One interesting quirk about it: the officials' locker room was on the concourse, and they had to walk through it after and before periods. Also, women's games typically use the term "linepersons" to describe the officials who monitor the blue lines and such to be gender neutral. This game, however, REALLY put the "men" in "linesmen": the referees (orange armband officials who make rules calls) were female, but the linepersons were male!

Also, shoutout to the dude who somehow made it to the upper deck in the first period; I tried going up there during the first intermission, but the doors were locked (as there's no real reason for anyone to be there with how small the crowd is).



<div id="mens" />

### THE MEN'S GAME

_\*This game occurred on November 15, 2025._

Truth be told, Princeton's men's hockey team is...also relatively unimpressive: they do have three conference tournament wins, but they’ve never won a game in the NCAA’s hockey tournament, and their list of NHL alums doesn't feature any names that "pop" IMO (unless you're a fan of NHL Department of Player Safety head <a href="https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/parroge01.html" target="blank">George Parros</a>). However, their helmets are quite interesting, since they're based on the famous design of Princeton's football helmets!

This game featured a visit from hockey independent Stonehill College - a small school south of Boston which only became D-I a few years ago and doesn't yet have a "permanent home" (when I was living in Boston, they were in a community rink; they're now at the Bruins practice facility, but an arena is in the works). In fact, this game marks the first time I saw them live and in person (they're the only current MA D-I college team I haven't seen[^4]). Sadly, Stonehill hockey has struggled since becoming D-I: they lost more games in their first year featuring a D-I heavy schedule (34 losses in 2023-24) than they've won since becoming a D-I program (32 games coming into this one), and despite playing fairly well, this game is another on their pile of losses, as they came up on the short end of a 3-2 contest (I must admit that it is a little strange to discuss the result as it pertains to the *visiting* team). Similar to the Harvard hockey games I saw (one of which, coincidentally, was against Princeton), there was no student section nor band - which meant no straw boaters...

Thanks to this game having a 7 PM start time and the football game I went to in the afternoon ending just before 3, I was able to finish AND publish that post BEFORE this game started (it was either that or aimlessly wander around for three hours). I ended up going to a Barnes and Noble at a nearby mall and working on that post (as well as this one) at their cafe. Also, as an aside, the games I thought about but didn't go to were against one of the most remote programs in college hockey: the Alaska Nanooks from Fairbanks, AK - some 3,300 miles away from Princeton (games which the Tigers won more comfortably).

### MERCH

Some time before this trip, I randomly perused Princeton's online store and found a hockey jersey there! I did have some thoughts about getting it, but wanted to wait until I could see it in person to figure out if I was interested (as it's basically a long sleeved version of a football jersey since the front only features the number).

The Sunday before the soccer game, I ended up making another short day trip to Princeton and got the jersey from a campus store downtown[^5]. Princeton is a Nike school, but the jersey I got is a replica by another company; I bring this up because the other college hockey jerseys I've gotten from Nike (for schools I have yet to see in their home arenas) have two weird features: shoulder yokes that drop down way below where they should, and arm stripes that don't go all the way around the arm. While this replica does a better job with the shoulder yoke, it keeps the "cut-off" arm stripes, which is VERY interesting. 

At the women's game, there was no merchandise - something I probably should have expected given the smaller crowd. A night later, at the men's game...there was STILL no merch. I'm guessing that Princeton doesn't sell merch at hockey games due to the limited space of the "concourse", but it was rather unfortunate for the men's game since it was also the team's 2025 Teddy Bear Toss! I mentioned it in the Harvard post, but the Teddy Bear Toss is a hockey tradition where fans throw teddy bears onto the ice at a certain point during the game; like other NCAA Teddy Bear Tosses I've been to, it happened after the first period (the women also had a Teddy Bear Toss, but it was during a different game).

However, I actually made a quick visit to the arena to scope things out the day I got the jersey, and saw a list of merchandise items for sale[^6]; said jersey was notably NOT on the merchandise list.

One final note about Hobey Baker as a whole: concessions at the games felt a bit limited (not to mention the concession stand being BUSY during intermissions of the men's game). Thankfully, if you need more food (and/or vegetarian/vegan options) before or after the game (as if you leave mid-game you can't get back in), one of the Mid-Atlantic's most famous staples is just on the other side of the parking garage (i.e. at the train station): Wawa! If you've never been to one, they're a convenience store chain known for their large menu of made-to-order items such as sandwiches, salads, and, for whatever reason, pizza (which I have tried - for better or worse). In addition, most Wawas are open 24 hours - this one included, which makes it perfect for getting a meal/snack/coffee pregame OR postgame (especially as the concession stand closes prior to the end of the game and a lot of things in downtown Princeton close around the end).

---

Something I've learned in going to all of these Princeton sporting events: it's probably one of the best ways to watch (decently) high-level sports in New Jersey given that it's the least expensive football/hockey/soccer tickets I've found in the state (not to mention the free parking). Because of this, at least one more trip may be in the cards soon...

### ON DECK

For now, however, I don't have any solid plans - Princeton or otherwise. There are a few dates and things on my radar (including, yes, more Princeton), but nothing is certain (though one thing that is certain: I'm thinking of going to a non-sporting event next Saturday).

---

[^1]: The men's team had an exhibition game against a school from Canada on October 25th.
[^2]: One of the arena's plaques indicated that Princeton's women's team had its own (internal) Patty Kazmaier award, which is given to a senior each year. Said plaque also had no winner since 2022, and Wikipedia's list ended at 2020, so...
[^3]: I've actually visited Providence's hockey arena before, but the only thing going on at the time was a youth game; it'll get a post if/when I visit for the Friars (men and/or women). Also, should the women's team be the "Sisters" or something like that since women can't be Friars?
[^4]:  I also never got to see AIC as a D-I program - which they are not anymore (I mentioned this briefly in my post about [UMass Amherst](2025-10-05_umasshockey))
[^5]: The only other jersey they had was for basketball, but I wasn't really interested in them partially since they were sublimated; had the hockey jersey been sublimated, I likely would've passed on it.
[^6]: There was an intrasquad scrimmage the night before which was open to the public, and social media indicated that merch would be available at it.

Back-to-back nights at a hockey landmark

Princeton Tigers Hockey (ECAC Hockey) @ Hobey Baker Rink (Princeton, NJ)


_This is part 2 of a multi-part post. You can easily access the other parts here:_

- [PART 1](2025-08-23_bananaball1)
- [PART 3](bananaball3)
- [CONCLUSION](bananaball4)

Last time, I introduced Banana Ball and spoke a little bit about its teams, and while watching them on YouTube is nice (they livestream pretty much all of their games), going to see them would be better (especially for the purposes of this blog).

However...

### A Whole Lotto Tickets

Demand for tickets has been high since the team’s inception, and despite the expansion of the brand into four (and soon to be six) teams, said demand has not cooled one bit. For example, I saw something online that said that over 182,000 people entered the ticket lottery for just over 80,000 tickets at Chicago’s Rate Field last weekend (insert your own White Sox joke here). However, given that the 182,000 entrants likely represents far more people than that (i.e. friends and families)[^1], and that the 80,000 tickets is likely lower due to presales (more on that in a sec), it’s more likely that almost a million people are competing for 40-50,000 seats.

While the method the Bananas have used to distribute tickets has changed a bit over the years, getting Banana Ball tickets, like it or not, is almost purely luck based. In addition, the Bananas are VERY anti-scalper (to the point where they developed their own ticketing platform), so there are a TON of measures they use to try and prevent ticket scalping (such as only sending tickets three days before events, requiring verification, etc.). Sadly, I have heard stories about the Bananas losing fans simply due to the fact that people get unlucky year after year thanks to how random getting tickets (seemingly) is and/or issues involving the secondary market.

To explain the lottery process, I’ll use the dates from the announcements for their current tour (2025). Some of this information is from secondhand sources (for reasons you’ll see soon), so bear with me if I get something wrong.

On October 4, 2024, the Bananas announced their dates for the 2025 Banana Ball World Tour[^2]. Immediately after the dates were announced, fans were invited to join a lottery list for tickets; signups for this list closed on November 1, 2024. There is something else called the “ticket interest” list (which is the list to sign up for after the ticket lottery closes), but it’s stated upfront that you won’t be able to get tickets for 2025.

Around two months before each individual game, every fan in the lottery finds out whether or not they’re going to be able to (have the chance to) purchase tickets. If you get drawn to get tickets, you are then asked to verify your account on their ticketing platform (as mentioned earlier, they made their own ticket platform to combat fees/scalpers), and then you are eventually given a date and specific time slot when you can get tickets - or the bad news that you will (almost certainly) not have a chance to get tickets (i.e. if you have a later time slot and/or are placed on “standby”).

I have heard that having season tickets for the team that normally plays at the stadium you want to go to can help you get in via a presale opportunity, but I have no clue if this is true (though I also heard that this practice is limited to MLB venues only). I do know that the Brockton Rox - [who I had visited the day before my game](2025-08-20_brorox) - used this tactic to try and sell season tickets in 2023 (during their tumultuous Futures League days) when their stadium hosted a Banana Ball game (no clue how that went).

If you’re not a fan of having your opportunity to see Banana Ball be fully up to chance nor can stomach paying for season tickets, there is another way to bypass this lottery system (sorta): the K Club.

### Going (K) Clubbin’

The K Club is the Bananas’ “superfan” group, which comes with a lot of perks, but the biggest perk is very easily the ability to buy tickets before the general public (i.e. the lotteries). However, the thing about the K Club is that it’s NOT easy to get into (apparently).

On the surface, the process seems decently simplistic. There’s a page on the Bananas’ website where you can join their “K Club Interest List”, and through most of the year, the Bananas accept signups for this list. At some point in September (I think), sign ups close - as indicated by this message[^3]:

![A screenshot from the K Club website indicating that K Club signups are closed. It reads "The K Club Interest List is now CLOSED for the 2025 season. Invitations have been sent to those on the 2025 interest list with information on how to join, check your email for info! Check back in October to join the 2026 interest list."](/images/kclubmessage.png)

<figcaption>A screenshot from the K Club website indicating that K Club signups are closed</figcaption>

Said invitation was a request from the team for you to verify some of your account details on their ticketing website. Once you do that, you are then given a window during which you pay a membership fee (all of this being similar to buying regular tickets), and then once you do that, you’re in! Once you’re in the K Club, you don’t need to join the interest list for the following years; the only thing you need to do is pay the membership fee each year. You are also allowed to leave the K Club if you sense you won’t be buying Banana Ball tickets, but I’m not sure what that process is; I did find a page for a “Do Not Renew” form, but there was no form when I checked it (there’s also the fact that I don’t expect too many people not renewing for reasons I'll get into soon).

There is one catch to ALL of this, however: in order to be able to purchase K Club membership...you have to win a (secret) lottery. Note that this K Club lottery is NOT disclosed on their website (and seemingly isn’t even insinuated either), so be forewarned that signing up for the interest list does NOT guarantee you K Club access. I have heard that you only need to sign up once for the interest list, and then you’re in the K Club lottery each year until you win/get in, but have no idea how true this is (and trying to test it is going to take a literal year, so...).

Word on the street is that demand to get into the K Club is getting REAL high (which makes sense given its status as a ticket presale). The official K Club group on Facebook has just over 21,000 members and you NEED to be a verified K Club member to have access, so given that the K Club has only been around since 2023, that means that they’ve been adding ~7,000 members a year (and likely getting WAY more requests than that). In my opinion, getting in will probably become harder and harder each coming year as more people realize it’s the best way to get the best seats (especially at venues where that is extremely important). It’s also unlikely that many people will (willingly) leave the K Club in the near future unless one or more of the following happens:

- The price of membership gets exorbitant
- They eliminate the presale aspect (which would TANK signups/memberships)
- Interest in Banana Ball wanes

A lot of the information comes from various sources on the internet (much like the ticket lottery), but if you were wondering how I know so much about how to get into the K Club, that’s because...

...I signed up for the 2025 interest list and GOT IN ON MY FIRST TRY. Thus, I never had to sign up for any ticket lotteries to get into any games (for 2025); in fact, Reddit posts about not getting K Club access are how I learned that it was a lottery in the first place! My memories of the process are kinda fuzzy and I don’t remember if there were any indications of any lotteries in the messages I received as I’ve deleted the emails (I don’t like having a bunch of old emails in my inbox), but for now, I am treating this thing just like Green Bay Packers season tickets (‘cause that’s pretty much what this is).

As a final note, there MAY have been a small change to the process in 2025. A few months after originally publishing this post, I received information that indicated that the process became "application based" for 2026, as I was informed that I might be contacted if any applicants put me in as a reference (someone on Reddit asked me if I would be willing to be their reference FWIW, but I didn't respond because I ain't using that kind of "power" for internet strangers).

### In Da (K) Club

With ALL OF THAT now in mind, I’d like to discuss life in the K Club.

First, let’s talk about the people. Members are separated into “classes” based on the year they joined; as of this being posted, there are classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025 (which I’m a member of), and ~~they’re currently accepting signups for the Class of 2026 interest list~~(see below for update). As mentioned earlier, there’s a Facebook group which is restricted to K Club members only; I’m not actually sure if I’m in it or not, though I’m also not active on Facebook (so in essence I’m saying it’s possible that there are more than 21,000 K Club members).

Besides the most obvious perk of an exclusive window to buy (nearly) guaranteed tickets[^5], other perks include access to exclusive merch (which I haven’t gone for - yet), fun insider knowledge (such as being the first to know about a surprise game the Bananas played against Clemson in November 2024), and something that came up while I was preparing for this to be posted to the blog - the opportunity to opt in to buy tickets to the Banana Ball Tour Championship Series in October! I ended up not opting in for a few reasons, but given that ticket purchasing is timeslot based (from the email I got), I'm willing to bet timeslots are going to be based on what year you joined (like a lot of other things).

There are also some perks when you’re at a Banana Ball game itself, but I’ll get to those later (they vary from stadium to stadium, so I’ll focus on the ones I got) - just know that you receive a badge in the mail that you’re SUPPOSED to bring to the game.

As for how getting tickets works, it’s similar to the regular system: you are given a specific window during which you can buy tickets, but unlike the regular system, you can buy tickets for ANY GAME OF THE YEAR - not just a specific selected city. Your window for buying tickets is based on what year you joined; this is important for two reasons:

1. The K Club is more or less the only way to get into Grayson Stadium in Savannah (Banana Ball’s traditional home); however, I don’t recall being offered any of these games when I went to buy tickets (though I do recall getting an email at some point indicating I could get Grayson Stadium tickets).
2. There are a limited number of “Very Important Banana” tickets for each event, and they sell FAST. For the game I went to, the VIB tickets for the game I went to had already sold out for the ENTIRE GAME before I had a chance to get tickets (i.e. there were no VIB tickets for the general lottery). Thus, I can’t tell you what the VIB ticket gets you, though indications are it’s just meet and greets which I’m not sure I’m interested in (though that also includes field access).

You only have this one opportunity to buy your special K Club tickets for the WHOLE YEAR, and you’re only allowed six tickets per game, so you do need to bear that in mind (i.e. if you plan on bringing people). This all happens BEFORE the regular ticket lotteries start, so if you really want to see the Bananas, it’s a good way of scheduling parts of your entire year (especially if you can snag Savannah tickets). Also, much like Las Vegas, K Club tickets stay in K Club as they can’t be transferred to non-K Club members (even your own friends and family if you can’t make it for whatever reason as the K Club member HAS to be in attendance at the game). These measures were, from what I can tell, added in 2025 as the previous years seemingly had enough people using the K Club to, well...y’know (though apparently that doesn’t stop people from trying!). I have heard that if the Bananas find out that you’ve done this, you WILL get expelled from the K Club, so be VERY CAREFUL about reselling tickets should a need to come up.

For me, I was allowed to buy my tickets about a week or so before Thanksgiving 2024. Inasmuch as I would have liked to go to multiple events, I decided to hone in on one specific stop: Fenway Park.

---

### UP NEXT:

I've done a bunch of build up, but now it's time to talk about the actual event itself.

[PART 3](bananaball3)

---

[^1]: Each person who buys tickets is allowed up to buy up to 5, and while not everyone looking for tickets is going to buy 5 tickets, a lot of people are likely trying to get more than 1.
[^2]: Though by “World Tour”, they’re conveniently ignoring the fact that they have yet to play a game outside of the United States - including Canada.
[^3]: This was taken from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240912053421/https://thesavannahbananas.com/kclub/" target="blank">an archive of the K Club page from September 2024</a>.
[^4]: The K Club website was seemingly updated to disclose that membership is NOT a guarantee to get tickets for every game (case in point: Grayson Stadium).


A discussion on the hardest to get tickets in sports and the "easiest" way to get them.

Banana Ball Part 2


_This is part 3 of a multi-part post. You can easily access the other parts here:_

- [PART 1](2025-08-23_bananaball1)
- [PART 2](bananaball2)
- [CONCLUSION](bananaball4)

Now that I've got a ticket to a Banana Ball game (plus some other things which will be VERY important - as you'll see soon), let's dive into the actual experience - starting with the "where" of this particular date:

### Boston you’re my home

_(or We Don’t Talk About the Dropkick Murphys Anymore)_

Fenway Park is famously the oldest park in Major League Baseball, having been opened in 1912. Nestled a mile or so from downtown Boston in the Fenway-Kenmore section, so many famous players and so many famous moments have occurred in the park’s over 100 year history[^1].

As someone who used to frequent the area, I must say...I don’t feel like it’s THAT special. Yes, you can "feel the history" when you're inside, but the "history" hides a lot of things that have very much evolved which simply can't be changed with Fenway. The main concourse lacks field views, the upper deck is still held up by poles obstructing some seats, and there are still a lot of super old wooden seats in the grandstand (which I’ve heard are rather uncomfortable). However, I feel like I should also note that Fenway is a bit of a “mishmash” of things that were built in very different decades - you have:

- The original seating bowl which runs from foul pole to foul pole, though parts of it have been rebuilt due to fires
- A second deck above the grandstand, which has seats, suites, and the press box (1946)
- The green outfield seats plus the famous “lone red seat” marking the longest home run hit within the park (1934 - after they burned down in a fire)
- (Formerly) Glass enclosed seats behind home plate - above the main bowl but below the press area (1988)
- A club area above the roof of the upper deck in right field (2004)
- The Green Monster (1933 - after a fire) and the seats above it (2003)
- Massive video boards (2011)
- Rooftop farms (not sure, but it’s definitely from the 2010s)

In addition, parking in the area is either incredibly difficult to find and/or WAY TOO EXPENSIVE (which I learned the hard way), so the T is typically the recommended way to get to/from Fenway - when it works (you can find MUCH CHEAPER parking near several T stations, and some stops even have abundant free parking on Sundays). I had a morning commitment in the Downtown Crossing neighborhood (i.e. downtown Boston), so I ended up parking there (I THOUGHT about trying to park on a local street, but opted against it for several reasons). Just be forewarned, however: speaking from experience (and not even a Red Sox game), expect postgame trains to be FRIGHTENINGLY packed.

Apparently, the Bananas’ Fenway Park stop in 2024 was one of the most sought after tickets last year, as it was apparently the second biggest of the Bananas’ ticket lotteries (behind only Houston - Banana Ball’s first ever MLB stadium). A large part of that can be attributed to the fact that Banana Ball creator Jesse Cole is originally from Scituate, MA (a town in the South Shore area of Greater Boston) and was formerly an honorary Red Sox bat boy, so this was expected to be a particularly special show.

Like many, I was one of the people who signed up for the ticket lottery for Fenway...sadly, I didn’t get lucky despite signing up within an hour of them announcing their 2024 Fenway date. It’s largely because of this “miss” and another one the year prior (in Brockton, MA) that I decided to try joining the K Club (which, as I mentioned, I got into without realizing it was a lottery). While the Bananas did have two games at Fenway this year, for whatever reason (I honestly couldn’t tell you why), I opted for just the second game.

K Club membership cost me $59, and the ticket itself was $60, so I paid $119 in total - a bit pricey, but I ended up sitting in the back row of one of the loge boxes on the first base side (which costs at least 2-3 times what I paid for a marquee Red Sox game). This was important not only because it provided a good view of the action, but more importantly: SHADE. Unfortunately, it was still quite hot though...

Speaking of the K Club, I’ve mentioned that there’s other perks to joining the K Club for the event itself, but I haven’t even begun to discuss THAT aspect, so without further ado...

### SHOWTAIMU

The game day experience started at 11 AM - FOUR AND A HALF HOURS before the game was scheduled to start at 3:30. The streets around Fenway Park were closed off to traffic, and fans got to walk around the streets near the stadium (this also happens during Sox games). Players for both teams also wandered around the area, signing autographs and taking photos with fans. However, the most unfortunately unfortunate thing was a special pre-show: meant to hype up the fans, it ended up causing a MASSIVE traffic jam which I needed to walk through. Part of that may be the fact that said pre-show is not streamed, so people who had seen games online but had never been probably wanted to check it out (it's also likely the closest many will get to their favorite players).

At 1:00, MOST fans were let into the stadium itself. The exception: if you had a K Club and/or VIB ticket, you got to use a special entrance to the event/stadium and access to an exclusive area when the gates opened. In this case, we were allowed into (part of) the main concourse of the stadium at the same time the gates opened (but the seats weren’t opened until a little before everyone else was let in), which gave us the opportunity to access at least some of the concession stands early (something that ended up being SUPER important as they were intensely busy the whole day). Yes, you end up missing out on a lot of the pregame festivities if you just go to the K Club area and stay there, but it is MUCH less crowded (and, more importantly on a day with a Heat Advisory, had shade and cooling fans). As I mentioned in the last section, you’re SUPPOSED to bring your badge to the game to get access, but I forgot to bring mine. However, my ticket on my account on the Bananas’ ticket website (but not in Apple Wallet) was marked as a K Club ticket, so I was able to show that to security and they let me in (though I did end up having to walk through the massive crowd at the pre-show).

Some time after fans start taking their seats, a pregame show occurs featuring a few of the players and a cavalcade of characters the organization has introduced over the years, such as the “Man-nana’s Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad” (not sure if endearing or offensive), “The Young Professor”, and “Princess Potassia”. During this pregame, the two teams are introduced and do a bunch of crazy antics as they’re being introduced. Then...the real fun begins.

![A photo of Banana Ball being played at Fenway Park](/images/bananaballfenway.jpg)

<figcaption>A photo of Banana Ball being played at Fenway Park</figcaption>

There’s loud music blaring, various players and characters dancing and singing, the fans dancing and singing, a Lion King reference, a Suite Life of Zack and Cody reference (fitting since that show was set in Boston), track one from the Kangaroo Jack soundtrack (don’t ask how I know that), various events going on involving fans, and other things I don’t completely remember because there was just so much going on!

Oh, right, and there’s a game being played.

As mentioned before, the game is no more than two hours long thanks to the clock; our game ended 12 minutes early thanks to several quick walk-offs by the Bananas (Mark Buehrle would be proud). I’d describe the game experience as “What would happen if you let baseball players be silly on the field...and also if they were all sleeper agents (several moments in the game felt like the players all heard a trigger to do something)”. Part of the game involves the players making “trick plays” such as doing a backflip while catching the ball or throwing/catching it behind their back. Honestly...this part is actually good IMO; it showcases the physical abilities of the players as well as their body coordination.

I must say, though, that the thing I found most interesting about the game was its speed: less so the two hour aspect (though that does help), but more the fact that every inning can end in a walk-off. It adds a lot of excitement to each inning and, alongside the points system, helps keep the game close (and the fans engaged). Sure, it creates the somewhat weird situation of the sudden rule change in the ninth/final inning, but that’s just a small concession to pay for having higher levels of engagement. The Golden Batter and designated runner also feed into this, as it adds a strategic element of trying to ensure that runs are scored (MLB actually considered implementing their own version of the Golden Batter, but fans vehemently rejected the idea).

I didn’t get to see it live, but the ball four sprint is another interesting rule. For the batter, it can become a press your luck gamble if you think you can get past first; for the fielding team, it adds an element of strategy/positioning once the batter gets to ball three (which is much more intense if there are runners on base and/or two outs).

The Bananas also try to make each stop unique by having a few special guests play for them (something I believe the Harlem Globetrotters also do from time to time). For our game, the guest Bananas were:

- Doug Flutie: a former American football quarterback best known for his Hail Mary pass in 1984 (which lends its name to a street in his hometown of Natick, MA). He was supposed to only throw the first pitch, but he insisted on staying in for a whole batter - and got the out!
- Bill “Spaceman” Lee: A Red Sox pitcher from the 70s who’s also been a frequent “guest Banana”. He once had a health scare DURING a Banana Ball game, but thankfully, he’s still here!
- Jackie Bradley Jr.: A former Red Sox outfielder who, in all honestly, wasn’t actually that good...he also served as the Bananas’ Golden Batter™.
- Johnny Damon: Boston’s greatest enigma as he helped break the Curse in 2004...but also won a World Series with the Yankees five years later...plus from what I’ve heard, he’s more politically aligned with Curt Schilling than most Red Sox fans (though at least Damon didn’t leak that a teammate was dying from cancer).

There were different guests for the other game played the day before ours: Brock Holt (the first MLB player to hit for the cycle in the postseason), Keith Foulke (who was pitching when the Red Sox recorded the final out of the 2004 World Series), Matt Barnes (can’t tell you much about him except he pitched for the Sox at one point), and the All-American Rejects (yes, the band - they did a few songs on the field).

In case you were wondering, the Bananas won. On some level, that’s not really that important as the main driver here was the entertainment, but given that there is a league on the horizon as well as a playoff/championship series later this year...

### That sweet sweet merch

Everyone knows that merchandising is one of the most important aspects for any sports team (especially one where tickets are at a premium), and the Bananas are no exception to that rule[^2].

One of the things that the Bananas have been known for over the years is having FREE SHIPPING on online merchandise purchases (if you’re in the U.S.), and when you get your stuff, it usually comes in a bright yellow box and with other free goodies (I’ve gotten stickers and drink koozies in the past). However, I’ll briefly mention the Red Sox, as they are the main tenant at Fenway Park.

The main Red Sox Team Store is not inside Fenway Park itself, but rather across the street. There are a ton of interesting things here, but if you’re looking for a hat or non-authentic jersey...I honestly don’t recommend buying them here as they’re pretty overpriced (case in point: an on-field hat here will set you back $55...and it’s not even made in the US as New Era ceased American production a while ago). There are other stands/stores both inside and outside of Fenway, though the main store still has the widest selection (and the prices aren’t better). Notably, the main store is not accessible without a ticket during events, as the section of street it’s on is closed to the public; there is a smaller store outside of the ticketed area that’s only open during games and not within the ticketed area, but I don’t know if it was open as I forgot to check (I’ve only been inside it once, and most times I’m in the area it’s closed).

I already had a few Bananas jerseys and hats from their time in the Coastal Plain League (read: they look pretty much like the current uniforms but with an additional CPL logo), so I didn’t really think I’d need anything from them (the hat and jersey I wore to the game both come from their CPL era). However, I was interested in FirefIghters hats (and MAYBE jerseys, but they’re sublimated, which I don’t like), but wasn’t sure if I wanted to lug them around Fenway (and then later the rest of Boston) for a whole day (which I ended up doing anyway - you’ll see why). Thankfully, the “main” merch stand had “early access” hours in the days before the game, and since I had time due to a bunch of schedule rearrangements, I decided to check it out the day before my game.

I ended up getting:

- Logo balls for both the Bananas and Firefighters (not available online); they also had their game ball at a bunch of the stands but I already have two I ordered online
- A special “Fourth of July” t-shirt (limited time item, though it was available online)
- A large novelty ball (which is surprisingly dangerous as it’s the size of a dodgeball and not soft, and also not available online)
- A Firefighters hat
- Fans First: a book written by Banana Ball creator Jesse Cole

However, the most expensive “item” I ended up getting was...30 minutes of parking: I should have believed the garage when I saw them post their event rate outside...even if there was a Target entrance inside the garage (I guess it’s to “balance out” getting nine and a half hours of $7 validated parking on game day).

That night, I found out that the Bananas had a special Fourth of July hat with a special “SB” logo that’s rarely seen anywhere. Since I had also decided to get a “Banana Ball World Tour” shirt, I decided to revisit the merch tents when I arrived for the game (I should also note that I didn’t recall seeing the Fourth of July hat the first time). The first thing I learned upon arrival, however, was that the merch tents were PACKED.

Well...the Bananas tents were packed (but the lines moved fast). The main Firefighters tent was rather empty, and they had a special Fourth of July hat too (which I DEFINITELY didn’t recall seeing the first time). I got both hats and the World Tour t-shirt, then found out something rather unfortunate: merch stands for the Sox and both Banana Ball teams were open inside the K Club area pregame as well, and the lines were MUCH SHORTER - something I wished I knew beforehand (though strangely, the venue specific info page actually implied merchandise would NOT be available here). Against my better judgment, I ended up getting another Bananas hat I didn’t yet have inside the park (a hat with a green brim, which is my only “Sunday” item that’s available online).

I also checked out some of the merch areas in the middle of the game, and there were NO LINES to be found (as everyone was busy watching the game and/or trying to get concessions). I ended up getting my final items: both teams’ mini bats, as they weren’t online when I checked. I don’t recall seeing any hoodies for sale, but it was 90 degrees that day, so...

I am NOT adding up how much I spent over the two days, but it’s not a small number (especially if you throw in the parking)...

---

### UP NEXT:

My verdict on Banana Ball.

[CONCLUSION](bananaball4)

---

[^1]: I’m not going to talk about the Red Sox here - this is not their game, and I feel like I’m going to drive myself insane by discussing them...long story short: they pulled me into following MLB in 2004 and then more or less drove me away from it in 2024.
[^2]: I’ve occasionally seen Savannah Bananas jerseys being sold at various Dick’s Sporting Goods locations, including the one nearest Fenway Park having A TON on the day of the game. I saw the price for a youth jersey, however, and it was WAY overpriced - especially once you throw in the free shipping...


A grand day out at the ol' ballpark

Banana Ball Part 3


_This is the final part of a multi-part post. You can easily access the other parts here:_

- [PART 1](2025-08-22_bananaball)
- [PART 2](bananaball2)
- [PART 3](bananaball3)

So now that I've spent SO MUCH TIME discussing Banana Ball, what do I think? Is it truly the next greatest thing in baseball, or a giant waste of time and energy?

Overall...

I did enjoy the Banana Ball experience.

However, I must say that the best way to describe the experience has to be...paradoxical.

On the one hand, it REALLY feels like the entertainment distracts from the sport being played. Outside of the foul ball thing, it really felt like the crowd wasn’t paying too much attention to the game outside of the times the players did things to get their attention (as well as the Red Sox guests - whose presence didn’t engage the entire audience as a lot of folks in the crowd don’t know them). Part of that was the fact that music was blaring the entire time - something you usually don’t see in pro sports (unless you’ve been to an NLL game).

It’s honestly kind of a shame, as I feel like there is actually an incredibly unique sport underneath all the antics. One of the biggest issues with baseball (at least for me) is the lack of definitive timing. This year alone, I went to a few games where nine innings were played in just over two hours (Brooklyn and Reading), and I’ve been to a game where it took almost three hours to play seven innings (Jersey Shore). Because of this, I think that baseball is the sport that fans feel LEAST guilty about leaving early, as they have no clue when the game is actually going to end (personally, it’s the ONLY sport that I ever leave early); having rules that emphasize speed of play help make going to a baseball game much more digestible (i.e. more “bang for your buck”). I also feel that there’s room to improve some of the rules, but I’m not so sure how to go about that as it involves some of MLB’s most infamous recent additions (such as the “ghost runner” for whichever team is trailing in the ninth or using the pitch clock so teams don’t just “time out” the game).

On the other hand, there are glaring issues with the presentation. The most common criticism I have heard is that the Banana Ball experience is, by and large, not well suited to larger stadiums with upper decks/outfield seats (keyword here being “heard”). The issue with sitting in these areas is that you’re removed from a lot of the more interactive parts of the game, as they all occur around the lower areas of the infield. Plus, when you can’t clearly see what’s happening on the field, you’re left having paid good money to just stare at the Jumbotron and watch what's essentially a TV broadcast. If you’re not there for the actual game of “baseball” (which, seemingly, a lot of the fans AREN’T), it’s very difficult to enjoy having a heavily muted experience (especially given how hard it is to get in).

Unfortunately, the demand means that if the Bananas can get a big stadium, it’s the right thing to do so that as many people can attend as possible (heck, they’ve managed to sell out FOOTBALL stadiums). This is why getting into the K Club is becoming increasingly important (and harder): most of the “good seats” don’t get past the K Club (remembering that VIB tickets didn’t even get to some members of the K Club), so if you want a good experience, it’s the only way to get it a lot of the time. The team does try to do certain things from these sections (like a “banana toss” event where players have to toss bananas from the upper deck to someone on the field), so it seems like they’re trying to address this issue.

Word on the street is that the upcoming league is going to focus on minor league stadiums, so that may also help - especially if it can get more fans into games. However, non-Bananas games are going to need to be watched CLOSELY to ensure that the league/sport isn’t being cannibalized by the runaway popularity of the Bananas (who have far more Instagram followers than the other three teams COMBINED). They’re likely stuck with the bigger venues due to this, so if demand for them is heavily outpacing demand for the sport as a whole, then that’s likely to be a problem.

In addition, some of the characters are VASTLY underutilized (looking at you Princess Potassia). I will note that there was a post game event that featured only the characters, but most fans were headed home by then (probably because it was specified that the players were NOT going to be present). I think they’d benefit from more time in the (literal) sun (and maybe the addition of a villain/heel that’s not just the Party Animals), but that may have to be a spin-off, and who knows how that would go...

One thing to keep in mind with all of this, however, is the mantra that drives everything the Bananas do:

Fans First.

Baseball is a sport that, like it or not, is becoming more driven by money and control. A lot of fans can’t go to MLB games anymore because the price for tickets is far too high to justify and/or the commitments aren’t worth it anymore (especially with teams raising prices every year and ticket scalpers prowling about). The minor leagues were changed drastically in 2020 in what was largely viewed as the beginnings of a hostile takeover by MLB (after all, many markets were left without affiliated teams, and the ones that stayed now have to upgrade their facilities or lose affiliation). There’s also an organization that has been buying up minor league teams left and right; as of this writing, they own at least one affiliate of 23 of MLB”s 30 teams. While their eventual goal for their operations is unknown, fears about their true intentions abound.

College baseball is not immune to the effects of this either, and that’s not just because NIL is changing the landscape. Coaches and players are dancing around injury concerns, and this combined with a power struggle between the summer leagues (where players typically use wooden bats for the first time) and the powers that be has affected that landscape significantly. I saw an article the day before this posted about how the summer leagues are facing declining participation, as college coaches are telling their players to stay home and condition over the summer - and the ones that aren't are going to the summer leagues looking to sign transfer portal players, and then have THOSE players go home to condition.

All of these issues, of course, are minor to the root issue facing baseball: its flagging popularity. Despite steps to improve the pace of play, it is still viewed as a slow game that, outside of small moments of excitement, is largely boring. The ends of many games are often marked by empty seats as fans have already left due to it being 10:00 PM on a work night (this is why I think the two hour clock is important). By trying to make the fan experience as amazing as possible within a reasonable time frame, the Bananas are hoping to make people realize that baseball can be an interesting and fun sport. Is Banana Ball perfect? No - just look at how ticket selling has been going (i.e. WAY TOO well). However, the Bananas are committed to getting fans in at the price they think is right, trying to avoid having scalpers ruin the market, and make sure that their dedicated fans can get to games (or “shows” as the team refers to them) and have a good time.

It’s crazy to think that the Savannah Bananas have grown so much in just three years of Banana Ball-ing, let alone the decade they’ve been around. The fact that the Bananas have kinda sorta accidentally created an indy league is honestly kinda amazing, and I’m interested to see how things play out down the line - especially as they try to continue balancing entertainment with an honest-to-God, neat-as-blank sport.

Also, shout out to the two other people I saw while I was leaving the game wearing the CPL-era “Tequila Sunrise” jersey with the Georgia outline on the back - I thought I was the only one for the longest time! I didn’t see any other CPL-era hats however...

P.S.: Apparently another CPL team has seen the Bananas success and tried branching out as well, as the Tri-City Chili Peppers (located just south of Richmond, VA) recently introduced something called “Cosmic Baseball”. While the game is more or less just traditional baseball, what’s unique is that it’s played under black lights once it gets dark out. I almost tried to watch this in Allentown, PA, but getting in involves...a lottery. That I never entered.

---

_If you've actually somehow made it all the way here, thank you. I realize that this was A TON to have to sit through (assuming you read it all and were not just jumping to my conclusions), but I honestly enjoyed doing this super deep dive into the Bananas and I'm hoping I can do something similar to this again (though given just how unique the ticket situation is, I don't know when that will be)._

_While this is the end of the Fenway chapter, it's not quite the end of the Banana Ball story for 2025. I happened to do something else a few weeks after this game related to the Bananas: [EPILOGUE](bananaball5)_


My personal thoughts on Banana Ball

Banana Ball Conclusions


Yep - there's actually a bit more to my Banana Ball story!

A few weeks after seeing Banana Ball at Fenway, the Bananas were at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. I won't really get into the Phillies and their haplessness here (though I did in a draft of this), I will mention that their current stadium opened in 2004, and that I know there’s a ton of things to do inside the park as I have rather vivid memories of wandering around during a visit back in 2005 (my second ever visit to an MLB stadium)[^1], but I wasn’t here for any of that - I was here for Banana Ball merch.

While the Bananas had a few “new” items I didn’t recall seeing at Fenway, I wasn’t really interested in any of it; however, they had a different opponent this time: the Texas Tailgaters (the team added in 2025), who had limited merch online (and no hats available that weren’t novelty cowboy hats). I decided to check out what they had for the Tailgaters once I saw that, once again, there was an early merchandise sale.

Originally, I wanted to go on a Friday so I could combine this with a visit to the Wilmington Blue Rocks stadium/team store 30 minutes away in Wilmington, DE (and thus not have to think about going to a game there), but I wasn’t able to leave on that day (and it rained HARD, so it ended up being a good decision to stay home).  I ended up getting a flexfit Tailgaters hat (i.e. the traditional baseball style), mini bat, and ball - three things unavailable online as of when I made my visit (I should also note that the 4th of July hats I got in Boston were listed on the online store a day or so before I came here). There was also a denim-ish hat that I was thinking about, but decided against as it was a snapback (a type of hat I don’t typically wear if I have other options).

I also decided to check out the Phillies team store as well and found it...surprisingly small. Like Brooklyn, it is two levels, but both levels were much larger; however, the total floor space felt like it didn’t compare to the main Yankee or Red Sox stores (though it did feel a bit bigger than the one Yankees store that’s open on non-game days). I forgot to check their hat prices, but authentic player jerseys were priced at $400, so I’m willing to bet that hats also cost a little more here than they do at Lids...

As the Phillies are hosting the 2026 MLB All Star Game (in conjunction with America 250 or whatever it’s called), they (already) had merch for the game on sale. I ended up getting a “replica” version of the “Official Ball” for the game; while I didn’t realize the ball was a “replica” until I got home, the “authentic” version was $40, which I felt was far too steep. I also got a Phillie Phanatic plush with a Citizens Bank Park logo on its foot having previously debated whether or not to get Phanatic plushies at three different stadiums (i.e. their three affiliates I visited: Jersey Shore, Lehigh Valley, and Reading).

There was SUPPOSED to be a parking lot available for free next to the stadium, but it was closed off the entire time I was there, so I ended up parking in a nearby residential neighborhood as there was nothing saying I couldn’t park there (I did have some reservations, but then I saw someone using deck chairs as spot savers, which made me think it was fair game). Also, in order to enter the Phillies store, I had to walk OUT the security gates and then back IN via the same gates as they forgot to set up a checkpoint where I had entered.

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[^1]: My first ever visit to an MLB stadium was, of course, Fenway Park. I can't remember the year, but it was either 1998 or 1999.

Epilogue: A Philly Special


_The Cape Cod Baseball League (also known as the Cape League or CCBL) is one of my favorite baseball leagues as all of its teams are so close to one another (plus a much BIGGER reason I'll get into in a sec), so I figured I should give you a big picture view of the league._

The Cape Cod Baseball League has been long regarded as the top summer league for college players looking to become pros - after all, its catchphrase is "Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight". It features an EXTENSIVE list of notable alumni, including current MLB stars such as Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, and Paul Skenes among others. In fact, from 2018-2024, the first overall pick in the MLB Draft for all but one year spent time playing on Cape Cod (the exception being Jackson Holiday being drafted out of high school in 2022 - though his grandfather was managing a Cape League team at the time).

Major League Baseball has long been a partner of the league; I'm not sure entirely what this partnership entails mind you, but there was one notable "brush-up": Prior to 2009, six of the league’s ten teams shared names with MLB teams. However, MLB opted to enforce its trademarks that year, thus forcing the teams to either comply with or change their names. Three of the teams - the Chatham Athletics, Hyannis Mets, and Orleans Cardinals - changed their names to the Anglers, Harbor Hawks, and Firebirds respectively. The Bourne Braves and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (who, coincidentally, share names with Boston’s two historical MLB teams) kept their names (I forget why they were allowed to do this), while the Harwich Mariners were “immune” to this dispute as they were founded LONG before the Seattle PILOTS, let alone the Mariners.

I've been to all ten Cape League fields at least three times each (a minimum of one visit each year between 2021 and 2023, though the baseline number is probably four or five), and they're largely community and/or school fields where a lot of the "bells and whistles" you find in the Minor Leagues are beyond nonexistent; in fact, three stadiums don't have lights and thus can see games end early due to darkness. However, the nature of being community fields does mean that a few of them do have nearby playgrounds, and a number of them allow you to walk completely around the field (and even get up close and personal with the players in the bullpens). However, the community aspect of the Cape League, plus its status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, leads to its most notable feature: with a singular exception (the annual All Star Game), admission to games is free! In fact, it’s because of this free admission that I spent two summers wandering around the Cape almost every day after work (it is a large time and gas investment after all).

The ten teams collect donations/do a 50/50 each game, and all sell concessions and merchandise. However, alcohol is not served at Cape League games, though given that there are no “gates” to be found at any of the stadiums, you could feasibly bring your own drinks into the stadiums (as well as your own food; check Reddit/Yelp for recommendations). I have no clue if the Cape League has policies on food or drinks (one team mentioned bringing your own picnic), though remember: this is technically an NCAA environment, so NCAA rules do apply. I don’t recall seeing a lot of fans bringing alcohol this year for what it’s worth.

One thing to keep in mind, however: parking situations generally range from okay-ish (i.e. Bourne and Harwich) to downright AWFUL (looking at you Cotuit). For the most part, it's fine if you're there early enough (though think CAREFULLY before parking next to the field), but if you're getting there close to game time (or after the game has started), be prepared to be searching for a LONG time (this is important to know if you intend on attending multiple games in a day, as they all start relatively close to each other). Of course, that entails you driving down to Cape Cod see games: if you're thinking of doing a day trip from Boston to check out the League on a weekend, don't forget to factor in 495 to 25 to the Bourne/Route 3 to the Sagamore to Route 6 traffic - most especially the latter as it's the main route to get to seven of the league's ten stadiums!

Also, most of these teams do not sell merchandise online. This is a common thing across New England’s summer collegiate leagues unfortunately, but it does mean that if you’re looking for things like hats, you’re almost certainly going to have to come down here to get them. Throw in that a lot of these teams have limited supplies of a lot of things due to their need to avoid cost overruns, and merch hunting is a rather difficult ordeal (and another reason I kept going to Cape League games in 2022 and 2023). 


An overview of the Cape Cod Baseball League


_\*This one’s a little strange in that I was only here for about five minutes after [seeing the Boston Fleet at the nearby Tsongas Center](2025-08-28_bosfleet). The UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball team (who currently play in the stadium) had a game that day; it was supposed to be DURING the hockey game (I think), but got postponed to the evening due to rain (I actually considered watching a bit of it as it was free, but ultimately decided not to). I’m throwing it into this blog as a sort of “unofficial visit” as I didn’t do much here THIS year, but I’m almost certain I’m going to make a return here next year for reasons I’ll get into after giving a little bit of background on the stadium’s history. However, I won’t go into UML’s baseball team as there’s really not that much to talk about with them IMO, plus I didn't actually get to see them play._

_Also, I've been debating whether or not to make this an official post since I started setting up this blog; ultimately, I've made it this somewhat hidden little "special feature". Anyhoo..._

In 1996, The New York-Penn League expanded to the Greater Boston area with the arrival of the Lowell Spinners. For their first two years, they played in a "temporary" field, but in 1998, they moved downtown with the opening of Edward A. LeLacheur Park on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. While the team's on field success is somewhat debatable (four division championships but no league titles), their success in the stands is hardly debatable. For years, they sold out game after game, and were usually among the league leaders in attendance (LeLacheur was on the "smaller" end, so they were never the top draw in the league). However, when researching their numbers for this post, I found that there had been a notable decline in their attendance toward the late 2010s - they were still drawing six figures a season, but nowhere near as well as they used to (they had fallen to somewhere around the middle of the pack in terms of NYPL attendance).

Fast forward to 2020, and as part of the Great MiLB Shuffle, the Spinners were one of the many teams cut from Minor League Baseball. Unable (or unwilling) to find a new league to play in, the Spinners folded. Over the ensuing years, the Boston Red Sox (whom the Spinners were under for their entire tenure) supposedly had interest in bringing affiliated ball back to Lowell, but nothing really seemed to have come of it. My guess is that this happened for several reasons:

1. MLB specifications for Minor League stadiums. LeLacheur Park would have needed very large scale renovations in order to meet MLB's required specifications for the Minor Leagues, and I'm guessing no one could figure out where/how to get the money.
2. The aforementioned UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball team. They play in LeLacheur Park too as it's on UML's campus, and issues around scheduling the MiLB team and River Hawk games in April and May (thanks to the now longer season) would have likely frustrated MiLB (plus the fact that UML bought the stadium from the city in 2022). There’s a similar situation near the other end of U.S. Route 20, where a team in Eugene, Oregon had issues due to sharing their stadium with a college team (which may actually result in the MiLB team leaving as it’s currently ongoing...).
3. The geographic makeup of the Minor Leagues. Lowell would almost certainly have been in one of the A leagues had they been affiliated; unfortunately, only one of those leagues even comes remotely close to Lowell (the South Atlantic League), and they’d still be a good four hours away from the nearest competition (the Hudson Valley Renegades). In addition, the likely team to land in Lowell was based in Salem, VA (the Salem Red Sox) - a team that plays in the Low-A Carolina League, though it’s more likely they would’ve been put in the SAL and the Greenville Drive (the Red Sox’ current High-A team in the SAL) would be sent to the Carolina League. Had that not happened, however, the team would be SEVEN hours by car from their NEAREST league competition (the Delmarva Shorebirds in Salisbury, MD on the Delmarva peninsula), and much, MUCH further from most of their league (thus making travel costs INSANELY expensive as MiLB rules require teams to fly if their opponent is over 500 miles away; Delmarva is JUST under this limit). Salem WAS owned by the Red Sox (which is what made them "likeliest" to move), but the Sox sold the team to the notorious Diamond Baseball Holdings in 2023, likely killing any potential for a move.

With the return of Minor League Baseball looking more and more unlikely, there were apparently discussions about tearing down the stadium (my guess is the university would've moved the baseball team to a multipurpose field and/or built a much smaller stadium in its place). However, in 2025, the city announced that the Futures League would be adding a team in Lowell in 2026 - the league fellow NYPL “brethren” Vermont and Norwich/Connecticut[^1] joined when the shuffle happened. The team’s name hasn’t been announced yet as of this being posted, but I’m kinda hoping they’re working with whoever owns the Spinners trademark to bring that name back (though I’m guessing they won’t be able to use the Spinners’ Red Sox inspired unis without paying royalties). No ownership group has been announced either, though I suspect that may be due to some unresolved situations heading into the fall of 2025 (i.e. some of the league's other teams may be facing stadium issues soon).

So that’s the future of LeLacheur Park - but now let’s talk about the present (or the past, really).

During my visit, I felt that the stadium was, more or less, decent, but you could see that a lot HADN’T been done since the Spinners’ demise. There were still Spinners items laid about the stadium, and large parts of the concourse were blocked off due to the River Hawks not drawing very large crowds. I didn’t see any of the concession stands being open either (a lot of them were in the blocked off parts of the stadium), but that may have been due to me being so early and not sticking around (as well as the rain).

There’s also space for a retail store at the stadium; similar to Brockton, it’s at “street” level outside of the gates (which, I should note, are also at street level unlike Brockton). Whether or not Futures League Lowell 2026 will use the store for anything remains to be seen, but considering that Brockton DIDN’T use their “team store” until they got the Frontier League team, who knows what they’ll do.

I have not heard of any other renovations being done for the park, but I’m excited to return next year to see how things are for the Lowell Whatchamacallits.

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[^1]: The team WAS the Connecticut Tigers until 2019 and rebranded as the Norwich Sea Unicorns in 2020 - just in time to get cut from Minor League Baseball...


Princeton Hockey

Princeton Football (11/15/25)

Brooklyn FC (11/8/25)

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: Harvard

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: Bentley

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: UNH

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: Holy Cross

Princeton Soccer (10/18/25)

Return to Gotham (10/18/25)

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: Merrimack

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (10/5/25)

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: UMass (Amherst)

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: Boston University

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: Boston College

New York Red Bulls II (9/21/25)

New Jersey Titans (9/13/25)

The Future of Watching

Gotham FC (9/7/25)

The Curious Case of the Winston-Salem Dash

Brooklyn Cyclones 2 (8/31/25)

Boston Fleet (4/26/25)

New York Sirens (2/17/25)

Philadelphia Wings (2/8/25 & 3/15/25)

Rutgers Lacrosse (3/1/25)

Seton Hall Baseball (3/11/25)

Reading Fightin Phils (7/22/25)

Banana Ball (7/6/25)

Brockton Rox (7/5/25)

Vermont Green FC (6/24/23)

Wareham Gatemen (7/4/25 PM)

Nashua Silver Knights (7/4/25 AM)

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (8/17/25)

Chatham Anglers (7/3/25)

MLW Wiffle Ball (6/28/25)

Trenton Thunder (6/4/25)

Staten Island FerryHawks (5/29/25)

New York City FC (5/25/25)

New Jersey Jackals (5/18/25)

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (5/8/25)

Hudson Valley Renegades (5/1/25)

Brooklyn Cyclones (4/30/25)

Jersey Shore BlueClaws (4/12/25)