I’m in charge of two theme nights coming up at McCormick Field: Christmas in July on Saturday, July 21 and Harry Potter Night on Monday, July 23.

They should be two great nights. I’m putting a ton of work into them and hope you all come out and support them.

I’m sick today, so I’m going to bed to sleep it off. Tomorrow, I’ll post pictures of Kannapolis.
And then, if you’re lucky, the next day, McCormick Field.

The "App" is situated east of downtown and is facing away from where any nightlife would be. When it becomes night in Charleston, the backdrop of the stadium, which consists of the Appalachian foothills and old warehouse, can barely be seen. So, to me, this is a daytime ballpark!!!

But anyway, I digress. rather than make a short story long, I’ll give you what you are really here to see: the pics.

1. 
Establishing shot of Appalachian Power Park. You can see the old warehouse buildings. This stadium is set in the furniture district.

2.  The entrance to the "App."

3.  This front-row seat has an electrical outlet next to it. This is significant because it was specifically put in by the team to accommodate the city’s assistant to the mayor, Rod Blackstone, who is commonly called "The Toast Man." Hot dogs? Hamburgers? Hot-roasted peanuts? Yeah, the scent from those still exist, like in a normal ballpark. But where else do you get the smell of toast? That’s what Blackstone tosses to the crowd after a batter strikes out, shouting that the batter is "Toast… T-O-A-S-T!"

4.  Here’s The Toast Man! Tossing toast into the crowd after a Tourists hitter struck out. The crazy thing is that after this toast goes flying, it’ll often hit the ground and people will still pick it up and eat it!

5.  Here’s the crowd on the Fourth of July. It was 6,000 strong and there probably to watch the fireworks more than Aneury Rodriguez pitch, but whatever…

6.  Kind of weird, but just beyond center field, there are two rows of gold seats. These
were removed from the team’s former home, Watt Powell Park, and placed
here as a way of remembering the facility that was the home of pro
baseball in Charleston dating back to 1949.

7.  To understand the ballpark, it’s necessary to understand the surrounding area, including the warehouses that play just a big roll in this section of town. Just barely off Highway 77, the ballpark has an industrial theme and it fits with the way the city was originally zoned.

8.  Now, not all buildings look old and dilapidated, though it certainly does account for a great number in the area. This is the Contemporary Galleries building, just to the left of the left-field foul pole. On the inside, it looks like a truly old warehouse, with modern furniture, art, etc.

9.  The view from the sixth floor of the Contemporary Galleries really is fantastic.

10.  Also, do you see in the outfield, that they made a flag design in the field? For stars, the groun
ds crew did 50, white, home plates. Nice.

11.  Nothing overdone with the asymmetrically right
-field wall. And I like the picture.

12.  Found the storage closet, which is underneath the second tier of the party deck. This place has no roof, so this is probably the coolest place on a hot summer afternoon.

13.  Sometimes, you just can’t escape the fact you’re in West Virginia!!!

13.  I’m still not really sure if anything adds to the stereotypical baseball ambiance like a guy selling programs. I love it.

I’m going to post for real a little later.

In the meantime, I’m just wondering, what’s the big deal with getting married on 07-07-07?

Seriously, I mean, is love stronger when the day is unique?

“No baby cakes, let’s not get married on July 6!!! Let’s wait one more day so our love will be stronger, our marriage will be stronger and our outlook will be stronger!”

Answer: “Well, honey, when you put it like that!”

Just thought I’d toss out that out there.

Here’s for hyperbole: Making a huge deal out of a hog-dog-eating competition.

Before the team left for Appalachian Power Park on Wednesday, just about everyone on the team watched this.

And everyone on the bus afterward lambasted what was said on the air by the broadcaster.

I was OK with it.

Usually I will defend a broadcaster, the same way a ball player will defend one of his own. It seems common people think it is easy to broadcast. They’ll toss in their two cents and often times, it’s just ludicrous.

But this time, I was fine. Bash away.

First and foremost, when stuffing their faces full of hot dogs, the announcer actually used the word “valor.”

Indeed, valor.

"Yes, Alex, I’ll take Pick That Word for 500."

"Fighting in Iraq, pulling people over in their vehicles on the highway for speeding when anyone of them could have a gun in the car, eating hot dogs until your insides want to explode."

"What is ‘valor’ Alex?"

**Ding** (Sound of correct answer given).

Another thing we heard:

“We’re about to witness the single greatest moment in American Sports history.”

Man, and all this time, we thought "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" would stand for ages.

“Here he is: Joey Chestnut… A real American Hero," they went on.

I thought it was just Budweiser who declared real American heroes.

Now that I think of it, Budweiser did comment on this.

“Today we salute you, Mr. Hot Dog Eating Contest Contestant.

“(CHORUS: Mr. Hot Dog Eating Contest Contestant).

“What does it take to eat two dozen hot dogs in 12 minutes?

“Determination. Fortitude. And a complete disregard for what they actually put in a hot dog.

“(Open wide).

“How many times have we said, ‘Sure, one hot dog is nice, but 47 more would really hit the spot.

“(Get me to a bathroom).

“What’s for dessert? Nine pounds of antacids, one bleeding ulcer, and seven hours of routine angioplasty.

“(My left arm feels tingly)."

It’s fine if ESPN wants to broadcast more than sports. ESPN is an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.

But they should label things as competition rather than sports.

Spelling bees are not a sport. They are competition.

Chess is not a sport. It is competition.

No, hot-dog eating (read: tossing 20,347 calories in yourself) is not a sport. It is a competition.

A competition that comes with nine pounds of antacids, one bleeding ulcer. And seven hours of routine angioplasty.

My left arm feels tingly just thinking about all this!

Now, I’m going to preface this blog by saying I am from Washington State. Have you ever seen the movie Sleepless in Seattle? It doesn’t stop raining in that movie and while that may be a bit of a gross exaggeration, it isn’t too far off.

So, I grew up in rain. I do have gills. There’s something soothing about the rain. I love it when it hits the roof and I’m trying to sleep. I love the smell.

So, for me, I actually don’t mind rain delays.

And when players, in the end, look back over their careers, they often remember, very fondly, rain delays. They go back to the clubhouse or hang out in the dugout. When in the clubhouse, they just watch TV, relax, sleep, and in general, have a good time. It can build a cohesive team.

It’s fun to see a Simon Ferrer playing his PSP, or aBret Berglund looking up and down his bat, examining the intricacies, whether it be the grain, the amount of pine tar. It’s fun to hear the stories, many of them looking back to old games, etc.

So I’m OK with rain. It kind of ***** to have it on a get-away day, like today, in Lexington, especially when the game didn’t even start until after 6. But oh well. When I look back in 20 years, I too will be able to say "remember that rain delay that kept us in Lexington until the city curfew cut us off?"

So here’s one of my favorite rain memories: I’m in Myrtle Beach last summer. I’m with the Potomac Nationals. It starts POURING… lightening and all. I mean, it was just dumping. We waited for quite awhile to see if the rain would pass. It didn’t. We got postponed. As soon as we all left the stadium, the rain stopped and we got to spend the whole evening at the boardwalk… great night life in Myrtle Beach.

Anyway, just thought I’d throw this out there for consumption!

The following pictures are from Applebee’s Park in Lexington, KY. Yes, I DO intend to put up pictures of McCormick Field one of these years.

Establishing shot of Applebee’s Park.

Yes, this is Lexington’s second base, where Joe dove, picked up the bag, took it to the umpire, showed it to him, threw it out toward the outfield and continued in his tirade.

Also part of the tirade… it’s easy to see how Joe barricaded the umpires’ locker room.

Ah yes, one of the best parts of every night: free food.

James Burok tossing the pill. In what other sport can you get a picture like this?

Spence Nagy stretching before the game.

The coral which overlooks the playing field.

One reason Michael McKenry is good at blocking wild pitches is from all the practice taking short-hops off Mik’s fungo.

Bret Berglund has such tremendous potential. He’s about to rip a Mik pitch here.

I love hand-operated scoreboards. They’re so turn-back-the-clock. This one was set up for a high school tournament but is usually the South Atlantic League.

A mentor watching his pupil. FYI: Simon Ferrer was throwing the best knuckleball on this day that I have ever seen him throw.

At the cages… one of the best spots to get information, shoot the breeze, see a players swing. In what other sport can a media member do all that right before the heated battle?

A few years back, I was doing a sports talk show every week
called TheSportsZone. It was edgy, fun, and insightful. Lots of fighting
between me and my co-host.

One week, while doing our American League Central preview,
we had the pleasure to have Tom Hamilton as a guest on the air (via telephone).

No, not THAT Tom Hamilton. The guy we’re talking about isn’t the bassist for Aerosmith, but is the Voice of the
Cleveland Indians.

He’s also one of the most excitable broadcaster’s in the
game. He gets excited when the Indians win. Some would call him a “homer.”

I asked him about his excitable nature. I was interested in
that because that’s my style, too. I’m not a real laid-back guy when the team I
announce for is hitting well, fielding well or pitching well. I can’t help it,
I grew up in Seattle listening to
Dave Niehaus. I’m as objective as my subjectivity allows.

The one thing that stuck is Tom mentioning that while he is
hired by the Indians, and he certainly hopes the Indians when each and every
game, he’s by no means hired to put on a cheerleading outfit. He has to tell
the truth, even when it’s tough to swallow.

“In the end, all you have is your credibility.”

A play-by-play announcer has to say what is going on.
Sometimes, like Tom says, it’s tough to hear the truth. The truth hurts.

If Geoff Strickland makes an error, I’m compelled to say he
made a bad play. If he makes a second error, I have to say it. I won’t say he’s
a bad fielder… I’m more sensitive than that. Not sugar coating isn’t the same
as “ragging” on a player.

Neither is re-visiting old mistakes. If four runs are
unearned, and I go back later in the game and say Anthony Jackson had a
throwing miscue, it’s not to rag on Jackson or beat a dead horse. For one, we have new listeners all the time. And if I
don’t mention the unearned runs, then, isn’t that unfair to the pitcher?

What I try and do is to tell the truth without being rude.
Doing this also enables everyone to better appreciate the good. If I’m overly
positive, even when the Tourists (or any other team I announce for) are messing
up, or if I sugarcoat mistakes too much, then the credibility is lost. What
will happen is when the team does do something really well, and I say
it, many out in Radio Land won’t really be sure if I’m just exaggerating. When
I let loose with an “Oh, mercy!” I don’t want anyone asking themselves, “what
that really that good?”

In the end, when a mistake is made, people will catch on if
everything is “a bad hop” and everything third strike is “a bad call” and every
pitch given up for a homer by the pitching staff was “a good pitch just hit out
by the opposition, wind aided.”

That serves nobody. The truth, without being rude, is what
brings credibility.

Sometimes by being a fan, we’re blinded by the fact that
there should be no shame is admitting “we’re” not hitting 1.000, “our” ERA
isn’t 0.00 (like Augusta’s , and
that “we” didn’t play as well down the stretch as the GreenJackets.

And sometimes, if we’re related to a player or are a friend to a player, we don’t like to hear the mistake, not so much because of the mistake, in and of itself, but because we don’t like other people hearing about the mistake.

I don’t mind the fans being fans. Or families being families. Or friends being friends. But I have to be a
broadcaster.

For most of America,
staying up-to-the-minute on baseball’s amateur draft is like going to a family
reunion to meet women – it’s just not something that is going to happen.

I laud ESPN for putting the first round of the draft on the
duce. It’s a great idea and can only gain some exposure to the sport.

The naysayers claim the risk involved includes draft picks
having enough added exposure that first-round picks will get even more money,
and the trickle-down effect will have high-schoolers self-promoting even more,
just to get their name out there.

OK, now let me school you, naysayers.

The minute college baseball grows to the popularity point of
college football and basketball, then you can say the draft on TV will have an
effect. Until then, just keep your video-game-playing, potato-chip-crumby,
video-game-playing hands covering your mouth.

Football and and basketball on the college level are huge.
That makes for big names. That makes for interest in the big names as they head
toward the draft.

Baseball doesn’t nearly have any of this. Need to find out
about college football? Several publications exist not to mention it’s own
navigation-bar link on most sports-related Web sites. People actually gamble on college
football and basketball.

I mean, seriously, when is the last time you heard someone
say, in early June, “hey what’s the line on tonight’s Western Carolina vs.
Wofford game?” Yeah, not so much.

For college baseball, you have Baseball America as, probably, the premier source. And they mix the major- and minor-league
updates with that.

I don’t think there’s much of a risk of the baseball draft
getting big. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love following the draft. Ever since a
guy from my high school was projected to go early in the first round of the
1999 draft (year after I graduated), it’s been sort of a fascination.

But just like the player (11^th pick overall)
never panned out I don’t think the draft on TV will pan out. But it’s a nice
addition to the hardcore baseball community.

At first I laughed.

Dial-up Internet is all they have in the Hickory pressbox, my friend and fellow broadcaster Landon Sears said about a week-and-a-half ago when the Tourists first started a four-game series at LP Frans Stadium.

It hit me: Landon wasn’t lying. My laptop wasn’t reading any wireless signal. I looked and there were no high-speed Internet ports.

And there it was, the extra phone line.

The laughs turned to tears.

I didn’t even have a way to get on-line. The visiting radio booth in Hickory doubles as a storage unit. So I moved boxes of Duke’s Mayonnaise, just to see if I could come up with a miracle. And I did. There it was, a lousy AOL disc to get on-line for a month free.

Of course, I had to give a credit card and then cancel before the month was up, just to get the money back that was taken as a deposit for the next month (just in case I didn’t cancel in time). I figured the canceling phone call would require at least a 20 minute call of my saying "no, just cancel my account" over and over again.

But, I loaded the disc, went through the process, and then heard… The Noise… that annoying squeal of dial-up, which in a very sick manner was comforting as it made me reminisce back to a simpler day when I was young.

Trying not to tax the system, I had no instant messaging, I could receive e-mails on our pressbox@theashevilletourists.com but I couldn’t send anything out. And it took about five minutes to load the "Super Supers Sally League Scoreboard Update."

The last thing I was going to try and do was use the Internet to do my blog.

So, that’s where I’ve been. When I’m at home, I don’t do the blog, usually, because I’m a full-time sales person, and want to spend time with my family. It doesn’t make sense to have my 3-year-old crying because he’s hungry while Daddy is telling him to hold on because he’s busy blogging. Yeah, just doesn’t make sense.

Anyway, fret not, because when the Tourists head to Augusta, we’ll have high-speed Internet again.

Hear that Hickory? Even Augusta has high-speed !!!

A picture is worth a 1,000 words I’m told, which is too bad for me because I’m a pretty garrulous individual. But whatever…

Without further ado, some pictures from Greensboro (including the Meet the Jetsons space-aged metal chairs they have in left field).