On the Road: A Night in Baseballtown
Reading was the fifth stop of my July-August 2017 Northeast road trip. To see all posts from the trip, click HERE. To see all “On the Road” posts, click HERE.
The Reading Fightin Phils refer to the Reading, Pennsylvania area as “Baseballtown” in honor of the region’s robust baseball history. The epicenter of Baseballtown is FirstEnergy Stadium, the 67-year-old ballpark that has housed the franchise for the entirety of its existence.
The Fightin Phils offer one of the absolute best baseball environments in America. Nowhere else do the yin and yang of Minor League Baseball — the carnival-esque entertainment atmosphere and an actual attention to and appreciation of the game on the field — coexist so peacefully.
Welcome to Baseballtown. It says it right there on the sign.
I arrived at the ballpark approximately 90 minutes before the game began. Afternoon rains had given way to a sunny, pleasant early August evening.
Somewhere, beyond the sea, the party had already begun.
The clean, cramped concourse is crammed with team photos and information. Note the evolution of the Reading logo, as displayed on the bottom wall, and how wonderfully awkward some of those earlier iterations were.
Reading’s team in 1908 didn’t have much of a logo, but they did have a great name.
The Pretzels’ president was named Weitzel; the Baker in question was Hall of Famer Frank “Home Run” Baker. Frank made his Major League debut with the Philadelphia Athletics during that same 1908 season and went on to lead the American League in home runs for four consecutive seasons (1911–14, during which he hit 41 total).
RIP Darren Daulton, who died four days after I took this picture (of a picture). Dutch played for the Reading Phillies in 1983, the same season in which he made his Major League debut.
In this photo of the 1955 Reading Indians, try to find the player who wasn’t awarded a championship watch.
On the concourse I ran into Fightin Phils general manager Scott Hunsicker. Scott, who just completed his 26th season with the club, posed for a picture with his dad, Tom.
Tom, a retired bread delivery truck driver, plays a role with the Fightins organization as well. He’s a mascot, most often suiting up as Change-Up the turtle. You can read about Tom and his improbable ballpark gig HERE.
The Fightin Phils’ commitment to commemorating Reading’s baseball history extends outside the concourse. Matt Jackson, executive director of graphic arts and game entertainment/Crazy Hot Dog Vendor, recently took the lead in curating the Baseballtown Hall of Fame.
Max Patkin performed in Reading more than anywhere else, including his last-ever show.
On the third-base side of the stadium, notable team alumni of the 21st century are literally popping out of the wall.
Moving further up this pathway, one finds signs of all sorts. During previous visits to this ballpark, this area had seemed a bit dreary. Not anymore.
This young girl on a violin did a nice job with the National Anthem.
It was, indeed, time to play ball.
Shortly after the ballgame began, I entered the lair of a man who throws hot dogs into the crowd while riding an ostrich. As he does every game night, Matt Jackson had morphed into his Crazy Hot Dog Vendor alter-ego.
After emerging from his lair, the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor positioned himself next to the home dugout.
Another stellar performance, it was.
After spending time with the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor, I spent time with my Designated Eater. That, of course, will be documented in the next post.
I also found the time to say hi to my mom, Elaine Cooper, who was sitting behind home plate and sporting her Ben’s Biz t-shirt. This was the first time that my mom saw me operating in professional mode.
As I was sitting with my Mom and her crew (hi, Ann and Walt), Fightins broadcaster Michael Ventola sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” while being pedaled around the perimeter of the field by a man in an oversized hat.
And yet! There Michael was in the top of the eighth, ready to receive me as his guest on the Fightins’ radio broadcast.
The view from the press box is a good one.
The ballgame, eventually won by the visiting Harrisburg Senators, was now in its waning stages. It was approaching 10 o’clock, and the crowd had thinned out considerably.
In the top of the ninth inning, fans were treated to an ultra-rare Dakota Bacus plate appearance.
Why is this important? Because Dakota Bacus is also the Whitewall Ninja.
At FirstEnergy Stadium, the concourse is situated between the clubhouse and the playing field. This gives fans the opportunity for interaction and autographs, or at least the opportunity to be ignored by the Whitewall Ninja himself.
Thus concluded another night in Baseballtown, which offers a great mix of the strange and the traditional.
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