Last week, the Eugene Emeralds formally began their third season at PK Park with a five-game series against the Yakima Bears. While I had to work for most of the homestand, I was able to duck away for an evening last Monday to see the new team play. Inviting my father and best friends, seeing a game for the first time this season was a very interesting experience that crossed so many barriers of conventional Baseball Road Trips.
My mother still works for the organization, so she got us free tickets to the game. Using her parking pass exempted us from having to pay the $3 for parking. Had we not had these perks, I would've expected us to pay upwards of $13, that's including parking, to go to the game. Simply put, that is pretty expensive, even for MLB. The Minor League's pride themselves on affordability, and having to pay that much before a hot dog is just plain criminal, in my opinion.
I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but PK Park and the Emeralds have dropped a few notches in my book of ballparks and experiences. Loud music, excessive sound effects, stupid on-field promotions, and overpriced goods just doesn't feel like Minor League baseball. To be honest, I felt like I was watching a baseball game at a video arcade or county fair. I just felt frazzled from the moment I walked into the park.
PK Park hosted a regional and super-regional series for the Ducks this season, meaning that this opening series butted right up to the end of the Ducks season. As a result, Oregon logos and regalia were everywhere around the ballpark. No matter how much the Ems organization tried to hide the stuff, you knew that this was not the Ems ballpark and that they were guest for a much more prestigious and notable team. Playing "second-fiddle" is not a good situation to be in when you are a Minor League team.
Then something very interesting happened. While we were walking to our seats, I noticed a certain individual working the beer stand above our section. This certain individual was my ex-girlfriend, who I haven't talked to or seen in over two years. My first instinct was to try and not be noticed by burying my head into my ballcap, but as the game wore on, I told myself that I couldn't let this slide. At around the sixth inning, I walked up to the stand and bought a beer from my ex-girlfriend. We made some small-talk and exchanged pleasantries, but that was all. Yes, I did tip her a dollar for pouring me the brewskie, but our short thirty-second conversation reinforced my contentment of our split.
The Ems used strong relief pitching to win 3-0.
As I was walking out, another interesting event happened. I heard my name called by a gentleman behind me that turned out to be the GM of the Emeralds. He and I had quite the spat last year when I wasn't rehired, so seeing him face-to-face since then was a little awkward. We were both cordial to each other, shook each others hands, but for him to call me out in a big exiting crowd like that was just weird.
The bottom line is this: I have gone to almost as many Mariners games the last two years I have Emeralds games. Games at PK Park just have lost their luster with me, and compared with a lot of the other ballparks I have been to, it just doesn't stack up. My mom gets four free tickets every month of the season, so, I figured, once a month I'd get a bunch of people together and see a game. Outside of that, I probably won't go to any more games.
The NWL East isn't for another three weeks, so baseball is kind of slowing down a little. However, our softball team has is at .500 and playing some really good ball. We've got a couple more games before I leave for Boise, so if something noteworthy comes up, I'll be sure to let all of you know.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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