Ben blows up your inbox from Oregon

Plus, a sticky situation takes hold in Jacksonville [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( May 11, 2023 I’m back on the road, writing this newsletter introduction in my Hillsboro, Ore., hotel room after seeing the Hops the previous afternoon. Soon I will drive north to Tacoma to visit the Rainiers, followed by a border-crossing excursion into Vancouver to spend time with the Canadians. By the time this newsletter lands in your inbox, I will be somewhere in the sky, flying back home to New York City. This, the 54th edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter, will be largely dedicated to recapping my time with the Eugene Emeralds (May 5-6). There will be so much more to come from all the locations I have or will have visited during this trip; in the meantime, may I suggest following me on Twitter [(@bensbiz]( and Instagram [(@thebensbiz]( These social media feeds have featured, and will continue to feature, road trip content aplenty.   EMERALDS AND EXPLODING WHALES IN EUGENE [Meet the Exploding Whales] Photo: Jared Ravich I was in Eugene, Ore., for two nights, with the timing of the trip motivated by the Emeralds’ May 6 “Exploding Whales” game. This marked the second of what will now be at least seven such games. The Exploding Whales identity commemorates [that time in 1970]( when the city of Florence attempted to remove the body of a beached sperm whale via (way too much) dynamite. [Exploding Whales the T-shirts]( While time constraints resulted in me forgoing my planned visit to Florence, I was able to get a lot of Exploding Whales material, and it’ll be a blast to share it all with you in the near future. Among the many highlights was interviewing Paul Linnman, the reporter who originally covered the story in 1970. I also talked to the son of a man whose car was destroyed by falling chunks of blubber, and the grandson of the engineer who oversaw the ill-fated demolition.  Here's Linnman throwing out the first pitch, with the image courtesy of my friend/co-worker/Northwest League photo king Jared Ravich: [Paul Linnman] The Eugene Emeralds -- High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants -- share their home of PK Park with the University of Oregon Ducks baseball program. The facility, owned by the university, sits in the imposing shadow of Autzen Stadium (home of Oregon Ducks football). [PK Park]( When the Emeralds were a short-season team, through the 2019 season, they simply moved into the ballpark once the Ducks’ baseball season was complete. The Ems now begin their season in April, so the first two months of the season are filled with logistical hurdles. The clubhouses must be entirely vacated after each homestand, for example, and weekday Emeralds games don’t begin until 7:30 because the university has access to the field until 6 p.m.  The Emeralds are currently trying to build a new ballpark at the Eugene Fairgrounds. On Saturday morning I drove to the proposed location with Ems general manager Allan Benavides. In this photo, I am standing roughly where home plate would be located, facing toward the outfield. [View from Eugene's future home plate] From ballparks of the future, we move on to ballparks of the past. Civic Stadium, home of the Emeralds from 1969-2009, burned down in 2015. The location is now utilized as a soccer field -- where Lane United FC plays its games -- and an adjacent youth sports facility.  This picture of the soccer field, taken from inside the youth sports facility, has blue markings indicating the location of the pitcher’s mound, home plate and bases. Squint and maybe you can see them. Either way, imagine Mike Schmidt blasting dingers from this location while playing for the Emeralds in 1972. [A view of civic stadium] Prior to playing in Civic Stadium, the Emeralds played at Bethel Field. While Benavides and I did not make it to where that ballpark was once located, I would like to share the following email from reader Russ Aker: Bethel Field: Original home of the Eugene Larks of the Far West League 1950-51 and the Eugene Emeralds 1955-68 of the NW League. Now known as Lark Park at the corner of Duke Snider and Coraly Avenue. All that is left is a portion of the outfield.  But if you love baseball it is a “Field of Dreams”… Gaze upon it and then close your eyes, feel it, smell it and hear it. As noted by Aker, and also by me, in a newsletter trivia question a couple months back: Reggie Jackson hit his first professional home run at Bethel Field, while playing for the Lewiston Broncs. [Here's Ben at PK Park] Alright, back to PK Park. Friday’s game was cold and rainy throughout, so the vibes were a bit off. It was a great night for me, however, as I had the opportunity to talk to a variety of ballpark characters. Jill Cole and Phil Carrasco were splitting time in the PA booth. The former, the primary announcer, got her job after her G-Rated heckling during an Ems game caught the attention of Benavides. Carrasco handles portions of the announcing whenever the Emeralds play as their “[los Monarcas de Eugene]( Copa de la Diversión identity, as they did on Friday. [Cole and Carraco] And how’s this for an inspirational tale? After spending more than three decades as a middle school English teacher in San Bernardino, Joe McIntyre is now in his first season as the Emeralds’ promotions director. “It’s a labor of love,” he told me. [ Joe McIntyre, promotions director for the Emeralds] And if you’re a fan of the evergreen topic of baseball fathers and sons: When I first visited Eugene, in 2012, I took this pictures of Allan Benavides and his son, Christian, enjoying some Voodoo Donuts. [Voodoo Donut time] Fast-forward 11 years, and Christian is now 20 years old and working for the Emeralds. Where does the time go? [Benavides and son]   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson interrupts ]( This is Josh Jackson, taking the wind out of Ben's sails just for a moment to say hello to all of you out there in newsletter land. I host [The Show Before the Show]( podcast's Ghosts of the Minors segment, in which I challenge you to pick out a once-real Minor League team hiding among two never-weres.  In the last edition, we gave the royal treatment to the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings. This week, I ask you which of these internationally-inspired teams could really ball in the Minors of yesteryear? - The Moscow Timberwolves - The Monterey Bulls - The Paris Lakers Find out on the next [Ghosts of the Minors](   THE AFFIX IS IN: JUMBO SHRIMP SALUTE DUCT TAPE [Sticky in Jacksonville]( Just before I left on this trip, I filed a very important story about the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp’s “Salute to Duct Tape.” Promotions director David Ratz attempted to spend three innings duct taped to a concourse pole and, well, let’s say it didn’t go exactly as planned.  [READ ABOUT A STICKY SITUATION IN JACKSONVILLE HERE](   FURTHER READING [Meet Designated Eater Tom Lorenzo] Over the past week, MiLB.com’s Steph Sheehan has written a triumvirate of articles that are worthy of, and hence demand, your attention.  [Take “Meow’t” to the Ballgame]( The Omaha Storm Chasers once again staged a feline-centric version of “Bark in the Park.”  [Getty Piggy With It]( In Kannapolis, the Cannon Ballers debuted their slow and low “Q’s” identity.  [Grammatically Correct]( The Winston-Salem Dash finally gave in to persnickety punctuation critics and played a game as the Hyphens.   DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY [Brisket fries] On back-to-back nights at PK Park, I had Loaded Brisket Fries for dinner. They were absolutely delicious, with the brisket served as formidable chunks as opposed to thinly-sliced or shredded. [Philly cheesesteak] On Saturday, meanwhile, after my original Designated Eater cancelled, Kal “Son of Jared” Ravich stepped in and chowed down on a Philly Cheesesteak. [Designated eater] From a hotel room in Tacoma, I bid you adieu. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned next week for much more from the Pacific Northwest! As always, feel free to get in touch: benjamin.hill@mlb.com.   [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](. 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