Results tagged ‘ Elizabethton Twins ’

One More Time, with Feeling

As you probably have noticed, the vast majority of content here on the blog in recent weeks has been “On the Road”-related. And, well, there’s going to be plenty more where that came from. Local trips will continue to the extent that time allows, but, also, in addition to that, I’ve got one more blockbuster to share.

Pacific Northwest, here I come!

The Pacific Northwest from space, courtesy Wikipedia

The itinerary is as follows:

8/18: Eugene Emeralds

8/19: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes

8/20: Yakima Bears

8/21: Tacoma Rainiers

8/22: Everett AquaSox

And, the piece de resistance — Ben’s Biz is going international! I am happy to report that I will be observing Julio Franco’s 54th birthday in Canada!

8/23: Vancouver Canadians

I’m not exactly sure how this latest jaunt will play out, but one thing’s for sure. I’m gonna be spending some quality time with this guy:

Vancouver’s Chef Wasabi

Beyond that, you know the drill: should you have any recommendations regarding where to eat and what to visit while I’m in the area, then please get in touch via the comments, email, or Twitter. These recommendations have been absolutely crucial on past trips, and I’m sure that this time around will be no different.

Also, keep in mind that this will be the first larger-scale trip in which I am following a gluten-free diet. Therefore, “designated eaters” would be appreciated at each stop. If you think that this is a role (eating the ballpark delicacies that I cannot) that you can fulfill at any stop along the way then, please, get in touch.

Meanwhile, I have two months of backlogged blog material to get to. I no longer stress out about such backlogs (as part of my longer-term strategy to prioritize permanence over the ephemeral), but nonetheless I might as well get to some of it now. How about this awesome Lowell Spinners commercial, which immortalizes a Spinners-ValleyCats batboy battle that took place at a game I was in attendance for last month?

Let’s see, what else have I got here…

How about this? On July 13, the Lake Elsinore Storm had over 500 people “Tebow” in the outfield as part of a “Night of Fellowship” promotion. Here’s what that looked like:

And speaking of fellowship, Elizabethton Twins general manager Mike Mains recently sent out a mass email regarding a helpful groundskeeping trick that his team employs. I hope that he won’t mind me excerpting it here, as it could help teams as they deal with weather that, in recent weeks, has bordered on the apocalyptic:

We’ve had so much rain that we got a little creative this past week. The fans blowing air under the tarp keeps the air circulating which limits damage to the grass when the tarp is down for long periods of time. The most useful thing we found is when heavy amounts of water forms on the tarp the fans will literally pick up the tarp which will form a bubble and then will force the water to the edges of the tarp which makes it much easier and quicker to push the water off and then remove. I’ve heard of this before but it has really worked for us especially with limited manpower.

The best fans in baseball:

And that’ll be it from me, until it isn’t. Thanks for reading.

benjamin.hill@mlb.com

twitter.com/bensbiz

Cow's About That?

Many apologies for how quiet this blog has been over the past five days. I was in Pittsburgh for a long weekend in order to attend the World Pinball Championships. This event features over 400 machines in one location and is therefore not to be missed under any circumstances. I’ll post a few pictures from my time in the Steel City at some point, simply because I’ll use any opportunity to proselytize in the name of pinball. It is a recreational activity that rivals baseball in its sheer “American-ness”.

But now it’s back to the grind. I am waist-deep in other endeavors at the moment, but nonetheless wanted to get something up on this blog. Something…anything…but what?

How about this?

Elizabethton -- Cow Milk.JPG

The above shot is from the Elizabethton Twins’ annual cow-milking contest (this year’s event was held on August 8). From the press release:

The Elizabethton Twins defeated the Bluefield
Orioles in the 2009 Chick-Fil-A Cow Town Celebration Milk-Off recently held at
Joe O’Brien Field. The two teams battled each other and two very large Jersey
Cows prior to Saturday Night’s game. The Twins used a very solid milking attack
led by Reggie Williams of Bellflower, California and Roman Acosta of Villia
Vaquez, Dominican Republic to win this year’s title.

 

This was the eleventh season for this unique
promotional event. During that time there was just one occasion when the team
that won the milk-off did not win the ballgame to follow. The Twins kept the
streak going as they defeated Bluefield 7-3. 

I don’t know what else to add, except that I think this promotion is “udderly” fantastic. For more on the E-Twins, check out last week’s Farm’s Almanac feature story HERE.

And, please — If you have come up with a pun superior to “udderly” fantastic then do not hesitate to get in touch. I could use some assistance.

benjamin.hill@mlb.com  

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