Still trying to get out of a foul mood after the Sabres blew yet another two goal lead last night and have started to see this series slip through their fingers. Anyway, it took a little while but I updated my stadium schedule for the summer. This is quite likely a rough draft, as I don’t have my work schedule yet and I’m sure other intangibles will come into play. I was looking into an extended Memorial Day Trip and after a lot of searching on my part, we’re probably going to spend some time in Colonial Williamsburg. Williamsburg is in the Southeast corner of Virginia, about halfway between Richmond and Norfolk. It’s also home to William & Mary, which have a couple facilities on The List, but are out of season…so I’ll likely just do a walking tour of the stadium and arena with some exterior picture taking. The location gives a decent amount of options for games. There was just about nothing going on in the Tidewater and Harbor Park (Norfolk Tides – IL) will be empty during the holiday weekend. Looking, the other way towards Richmond, there is a lot going on there and I think we’re going to try and hit up three new facilities. Saturday would be a rare indoor football doubleheader as the city is home to two minor league teams at two different venues. The early afternoon would find us at Arthur Ashe Athletic Center for the Revolution of the IFL. We would likely join that game in progress. Then at night, the downtown Richmond Coliseum hosts the Raiders of the AIFA. On Monday, it’s back to Richmond for some demoted baseball as “The Diamond” is now a Double-A facility and the new Flying Squirrels (really?) face Bowie. Finally, on our way home, I am hoping we can catch up with the BaySox again as they have a 7:05 home game at Prince Georges Stadium. This would likely put us back in North Jersey around 1 AM…so will see if that flows.
The rest of the Summer will be ballparks. I am heading to a trade show for work in Providence June 24-26. I was anxiously awaiting the International League schedule only to be disappointed and find out the PawSox are out of town. However, Brockton, MA is only about 40 minutes away and the Rox are at home, so I’m hoping to get to a game at Campanelli Stadium for one of the evenings. Also, the show is attached and right next to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center…maybe I’ll try to sneak in for some pictures. No chance of a game there as the Providence Bruins did not make the AHL playoffs.
I definitely plan on getting to one of the New York ballparks this summer and it’s likely going to be the Mets at Citi Field, so a tentative game date for that is July 17. The other stadium is going to be minor league and I still have a lot of short driving options with parks I haven’t seen yet in the region. I’m aiming for Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg as they have finished some major renovations there, plus it would be another Eastern League ballpark, getting me closer to my first completed league.
We’re saving our week vacation for the Fall and I’ll probably figure that one out in a few months…hopefully, I can get to at least three facilities on that trip. I’ll update any changes that may arise in the summer plan. Meanwhile, I’ll probably start working on the logistics of the Memorial Day weekend trek to Virginia.
Stadium and Arena Visits 