Days 7&8
Charlotte, NC --> Williamsburg, VA (335 miles)
Game: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (NYM AA) vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF AA)
We've come to Virginia many times. Kate's sister lives in Richmond, my cousin Eileen in DC and my Aunt Eileen lives in Williamsburg.
My mom was one of two daughters born to my grandparents. Coming from the same parish but living on opposite sides of the Shannon River, they did not know one another until they came to America. They had two daughters, Eileen and Maureen, who they raised in Queens. I never got to know my grandfather but Nana Rynagh was a big part of my life growing up, as was my Aunt Eileen and her family; my Uncle Henry and cousins Michael, Thomas and Hank (who we visited in Durham last week) Aunt Eileen moved down to Williamsburg about 15 years ago and on each trek south we try our best to visit. These visits have become increasingly more important, not only as my aunt advances in age (87 years and going strong!) but also since my mom passed back in 2012. My boys never got to know their Grandma Maureen and it is one of the holes in my life that will never be filled. With only one sister, Aunt Eileen is the closest thing that my boys can get to meeting their grandma. We arrived in Williamsburg on Thursday, had drinks at her house and then went out to dinner with her and my cousin Thomas. Kate pointed out the mannerisms, voice and looks that my mom and her sister share. It made me feel good to have that hole close over, even for just a few hours. We got back to the hotel and enjoyed a quiet night with no baseball; only the second one of those over the previous seven days.
Then of course the a new day dawned this morning and after some historical tourism around Yorktown, we went to a baseball game.
An hour drive back east on 64 lies The Diamond, home to the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Having come to visit Kate's sister many times, I have seen this stadium from I-95. To be honest I have never been too impressed by the sight of the stadium as it looks like someone took a slice out of a 1980's multipurpose stadium (think The Vet in Philadelphia or Three Rivers in Pittsburgh) and not a traditional minor league stadium. I'm happy to report...
The Good
-The stadium was pretty darn cool. Not many minor league stadiums have a second deck (Syracuse is the only one I can think of) but The Diamond's offered nice views of the field.
-Francis and I had an amazing night (it was just the two of us after a long day with Eoin that would be better suited for a parenting blog). On our way in a security guard called us over and gave Francis a ball then as we scanned our tickets a staff member asked Francis if he wanted to participate in a between inning race. He agreed and after the top of the first we were brought under the stadium, through the Binghamton bullpen and onto the third base foul line. The race was sponsored by a super market and pitted Francis (dressed as a banana) vs. three other boys. Two were smaller and offered little competition but an 11 year old in a pea costume looked to be a legit athlete. The race started and Francis took off, "running as fast as I ever have" and he won the race. As I sit here typing this, we've watched the video five times, each time garnering a response from Francis ranging from "That was the best minute of my life" to "I still can't believe that happened." Must watch video is up on my FB and IG. Permanent memory generated.
-$2 beers....enough said
The Bad
Still think Richmond deserves a better, modern minor league stadium.
The Ugly
Ugly play from Binghamton. Back to back inning ending double plays on fly balls where the runner lost track of the out and got picked off. This included the best prospect on Binghamton Ronny Mauricio who is super talented but very raw and in need of more minor league polishing.
Tomorrow: Surprise addition of Aberdeen, MD where our love of minor league baseball was born
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