Ben prepares for a Northwest Passage

Plus, a sobering obscure trivia question correction [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( April 27, 2023 U.S. Route 52 is over 2,000 miles long and, as such, cuts through a wide swath of the United States. It begins (or ends) in Portal, N.D., at the Canadian border and runs all the way to Charleston, S.C, hitting nine states in between. I’ll probably end up on that highway at some point this season, and maybe you will as well. Maybe you’re on it right now. Anything is possible, so let’s hit the road for this, the 52nd edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter.   GOING... GOING... OREGON! [The Northwest Passage]( I’ve been laying low here in the month of April, engaging in an ever-shifting and oft-overlapping combination of plotting, scheming and dreaming. This tranquil life of the mind will soon shift to a tumultuous life of action, as in early May I’ll be embarking on my first road trip of the 2023 campaign.  As you can see from the above graphic, I’m headed to the Pacific Northwest. Here’s a stop-by-stop breakdown, with each ballpark name linked to its corresponding [Minor League Ballpark Guide](. [Exploding Whales]( May 6: [PK Park, home of the Eugene Emeralds]( The Emeralds are hosting Spokane this evening, except, on this evening, they won’t be the Emeralds. May 6 is the second of four “Exploding Whales” games in Eugene this season, honoring that time in 1970 when the town of Florence, Ore., attempted to remove a beached sperm whale by blowing it up. I’m planning to visit Florence before attending that evening’s game; hopefully I’ll also have time to catch up with my friend Bag Man, who I met during [my last visit to Eugene]( in 2012. [The Bag Man of Oregon]( May 7: [Ron Tonkin Field, home of the Hillsboro Hops]( The Portland-area Hillsboro Hops gained sentience in 2013, upon relocating from Yakima, Wash. (which, ironically, is the No. 1 hops-producing region in the country). I visited Ron Tonkin Field [that inaugural season]( during which I had the pleasure of witnessing the first rain delay in franchise history. It’s hard to believe that 2023 marks the Hops’ penultimate season at Ron Tonkin Field, but it’s true. In 2025, they’ll [move across the street]( (more or less) to a larger, more amenity-laden facility. [Cheney's Cheney statue]( May 9: [Cheney Stadium, home of the Tacoma Rainiers]( Though not much remains of the original structure, 63-year-old Cheney Stadium is the oldest ballpark in all of Triple-A. The [last time I visited]( in 2012, I communed with a statuesque iteration of stadium namesake Ben Cheney and also sang “Billie Jean” atop the dugout. Who knows what’s in store this time around, when I absorb, to the fullest, a Tuesday evening contest featuring the Rainiers and the Reno Aces? [Nat Bailey Stadium]( May 10: [Nat Bailey Stadium, home of the Vancouver Canadians]( It will be an honor and a delight to finally return to Vancouver, home of the only Minor League team not located in the United States. That would be the aptly-named Canadians, of course, who operate out of fantastically charming Nat Bailey Stadium. When [I visited Vancouver in 2012]( it was an absolute whirlwind of a time. I ran in a sushi race, danced with the grounds crew, rode in a car around the perimeter of the warning track and documented the consumption of some truly formidable food items. Clearly, I’m gonna need a Designated Eater. [Vancouver Dog](   2023 ROAD TRIPS: YOUR INPUT APPRECIATED! Broadly speaking, my goal with 2023 ballpark road trip coverage is the same as it’s always been: To highlight what makes each team unique. But there is room for new ways of doing things within this vague mission statement, and that will be a priority for me this season. Your suggestions regarding people to talk to, things to pay attention to and places to see (in and outside the ballpark) are always welcome, for this and all my trips (much more coming soon).  Simply send me an email: benjamin.hill@mlb.com. [Meet Designated Eater Tom Lorenzo] Tom Lorenzo, satisfied St. Paul Saints Designated Eater Of course, Designated Eaters will once again be a part of my road trip coverage. For those unaware, the Designated Eater is an individual recruited to eat the ballpark food that my gluten-free diet prohibits. If you want to be a Designated Eater in Eugene, Hillsboro, Tacoma or Vancouver, then send me an email (by May 4) and tell me why you’re the best candidate for the “job.” (There’s no pay, but you do get free food, a T-shirt and a small but satisfactory portion of internet notoriety).  This season, I’d like to expand the Designated Eater concept to just about any element of the gameday experience. If you experience the game in unique and specific ways, I want to learn what it’s like from your perspective. Maybe you navigate the experience in a wheelchair, or have cultivated a friendship with a gameday employee, or have kept score at every game for decades or…? You tell me. I’m open to your ideas, as it’s all in the service of keeping it fresh, meeting new people and incorporating the viewpoints of as many people as possible. Once again: benjamin.hill@mlb.com.   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTION! In lieu of offering a new question this week, I must correct the answer to the question I provided last week.  The question: What was the last Minor League Baseball team that DIDN’T sell alcohol at the ballpark?  My incorrect answer: The Oneonta Tigers, at their home of Damaschke Field  The correct answer: The Buies Creek Astros, who played at Jim Perry Stadium (on the campus of Liberty University) [Buies Creek]( Thanks to newsletter reader Kevin McSwain, who reminded me, via Twitter, that the Buies Creek Astros ran a dry operation. The team only existed for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, while waiting for a new ballpark in nearby Fayetteville, N.C. to be completed.  I visited Buies Creek in 2017, at the tail end of the Astros’ inaugural -- and penultimate -- season. Read about this surreal baseball environment [HERE](.    RISE OF THE MACHINES: BLUE WAHOOS EMBRACE AI [Blue Wahoos' AI experiment]( The above tweet, an ostensible joke, seems to have no understanding of the basic principles of comedy. That’s because it was written by Open AI, during the unprecedented promotional endeavor that was the Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ “Artificial Unintelligence Night.” For more information on this voluntary non-sentient ballpark takeover, I spoke with team broadcaster Erik Bremer about how it all went down.  [READ ABOUT PENSACOLA’S ARTIFICIAL UNINTELLIGENCE NIGHT HERE](   DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY [Last week’s newsletter]( largely dedicated to ballpark food, resulted in a variety of responses from teams and fans. Among the respondents was Chris Beasley of Professional Sports Catering, who alerted me to the existence of this Kannapolis Cannon Ballers offering. This is the Baller Buster, which Beasley described as “a footlong brat stuffed inside of a footlong hotdogs topped with Philly meat, peppers, onions, cheese, jalapeños and spicy brown mustard.”  Enjoy! Or don’t! Either way, just know that it exists.   [IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER, TELL THEM TO SUBSCRIBE HERE](   Contact [Benjamin Hill](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com) [Twitter]( Online]( © 2023 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. [Visit MLB.com](. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Subscription required. Blackout and other restrictions may apply. Please review our [Privacy Policy](. You ({EMAIL}) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from [MiLB.com](. Please add info@mail.milblists.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from [MiLB.com]( please [unsubscribe]( or log in and [manage your email subscriptions](. Postal Address: [MiLB.com]( c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.