It was a beautiful Sunday night in Washington, Pennsylvania and the Wild Things welcomed the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti (take that Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) to CONSOL Energy Park for the first game of a three-game series. It was also the first night of my "seven games in seven parks in seven days" tour.I always enjoy games in Washington. It's a great stadium - you've seen it if you've traveled on I-70 between West Virginia and the Pennsylvania Turnpike - with a fun level of excitement. One thing I noticed tonight is that Wild Things' fans wear more logo garb than anywhere else in the League. Even saw a guy wearing a T-shirt commemorating the first home opener in team history (against the Canton Coyotes in 2002).
One of the people I look forward to seeing when I get to Washington is Chris Dugan, the award-winning sports editor of the Observer-Reporter. He's worked the Wild Thing beat since the beginning and always has great stories about the goings-on at CONSOL. Tonight, we talked about the strange plays and accompanying rules interpretations we've witnessed since last talking.In a recent Washington game against Gateway, Chris noted, with a runner on second base, the batter hit a ground ball toward the hole on the left side that would have resulted in an infield single. However, the runner at second had strayed off the bag and was ultimately put out in a rundown. How to score the play? After first described as a hit (seemed only fair to the batter), the Grizzlies' radio announcer, Joe Pott, pointed out the very specific rule that clearly states that such a situation is to be scored as a fielder's choice. Good thing Joe has time to read the Official Rulebook on those long bus trips out of Sauget.
In each stadium, there are phenomena that capture the spirit of the team. It wasn't hard to figure out what the unique event of the night would be in Washington. At about ten minutes before 8 o'clock, fans starting lining up along the concourse waiting for something to happen. That something, as it turns out, was the sale of milk and cookies by General Manager Ross Vecchio and his cheerful helpers. For one measly dollar, you get a cup of milk and two chocolate chip cookies - an incredible bargain. Ross donned his "Jim Brown" hat and yellow-tinted sunglasses to serve up the most popular combo of the evening.
The trip to Washington was a positive beginning to the 7-7-7 trek. Tomorrow, I point the rental car toward Traverse City, Michigan for the Beach Bums' game against the Florence Freedom. It's the longest single driving leg of the trip, but the destination is worth it. Wuerfel Park, with it summer cottage design, is one of the true jewels of the League. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post - you'll get to meet John and Leslye Wuerfel, the Beach Bums' owners, whose love of baseball and their hometown took the Frontier League to its northernmost point.
