Hop into it with 1500 miniature chickens

Plus, an unbelievably sweet world record attempt [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( June 15, 2023 Dearest subscriber -- I hope this message finds you well. By the time it reaches your inbox, hopefully unencumbered by spam filter misunderstandings, I will be in Birmingham, Ala. More information related to my current ballpark peregrinations in America’s southern region can -- and will -- be found deeper within this missive. I am sure to meet interesting people during my travels, as I did on my previous journey to the Pacific Northwest. I would like to introduce you to one of those interesting Pacific Northwesterners now. Welcome to the 59th edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter, let’s Hop to it.   FOWL TERRITORY: HIPPIDY HOPS GUY BRINGS THE NOISE IN HILLSBORO [Hippidy Hops Guy and Barley] HILLSBORO, Ore. -- It’s a beautiful afternoon at the ballpark, and the ambient acoustics are delightful. The soothing sounds of the game gently intermingle with the buzz of the crowd, the enthusiastic exhortations of the PA announcer and the atonal, overlapping bleats of dozens of miniature rubber chickens.  Wait, what?  This aural tableau is specific to at least one Minor League ballpark: Ron Tonkin Field, home of the Northwest League Hillsboro Hops. The high-pitched skronk of the rubber chickens, similar to an inept blues musician blowing mournfully on a rusted, out-of-tune harmonica, emanate from the first-base side of the ballpark. It is there, in Section 5 behind the far side of the home dugout, that the Hippidy Hops Guy resides.  Even if his rubber chickens have not yet been let out of their proverbial coop, it’s easy to find the Hippidy Hops Guy. He’s big, boisterous and bearded, decked out in a customized beer-themed Hops jersey and prone to leading chants, constructing talismanic dugout shrines and distributing trinkets -- such as beads, wristbands and, yes, rubber chickens -- to nearby fans. The Hippidy Hops Guy’s shrine to the Hops, with a voodoo doll designed to jinx the opposing Vancouver Canadians in the background “My favorite thing is to hear people getting involved instead of just hanging out,” said the Hippidy Hops Guy, whose government (as opposed to ballpark) name is Christian Trout. “When they have the chicken, they have to actively engage, because what the hell else are you going to do with a rubber chicken, sitting in the stadium?”  If it appears that the Hippidy Hops Guy is proselytizing with the fervor of a recent convert to the religion of baseball, well, that’s because he is. He and his wife, a travel nurse named Dana, moved to Hillsboro, Ore., in 2021. He hadn’t even heard of Hillsboro before the move, and hadn’t been much of a baseball fan, but he “found the Hops and fell in love immediately.”  “I used to watch football and rugby, especially -- that’s my main love,” said the Hippidy Hops Guy. “When I would watch it in our apartment, [Dana] would come home and go, ‘I can hear you from outside. You have to calm down, because our neighbors are going to complain.’ So, I wanted to go to live games to be able to get it all out.” [The one and only Hippidy Hops Guy] Hippidy Hops Guy received his first rubber chicken in 2021, as a birthday present from his younger sister.  “I hated to be by myself using it,” he said, which led to him purchasing 15 miniature chickens to hand out to fans. Fifteen became 150 became 1500, his current estimate of the number he has bestowed to his fellow Hops boosters. Those most enamored with the schtick decided to stick around, leading to a small group of Section 5 diehards who actively support the Hippidy Hops Guy in his gameday endeavors.  “I think people know, you come over this way, you already see us dressed like this and doing this, you know it’s going to get a little crazy,” he said. “Plus, I try not to do anything until about the fourth inning, when people have had a couple drinks, relaxed and settled in.” [Party down with Section 5] The Hippidy Hops guy brings his act on the road as well, usually attending one game of each Hops away series. When not at the ballpark he listens to the radio broadcasts, knits caps for Hops front office staffers and scours the internet (and Party City) for his idiosyncratic ballpark supplies. It’s a labor of love, in service to the community and catharsis that Ron Tonkin Field has provided him.  So how to sum it all up? To this query, the Hippidy Hops guy offered the following: “You can have a good time! You’ve just got to do it.”  Fifteen-hundred miniature chickens can’t be wrong.   THE ROAD: I’M ON IT! [Ben's Southern swing]( You either knew already, or you just learned now: I’m on the road, at the start of another Minor League ballpark road trip. It’s a huge deal. If hordes of my adoring fans haven’t descended upon Birmingham already, then they will soon.  From the Magic City I’ll move on to The Gump (Montgomery), The City of Five Flags (Pensacola) and The Playground of the South (Biloxi). If you happen to see me on the beach, please do not take my photo. I know the tabloids pay well for them, but my bathing suit is out of fashion and I don’t want to be mocked online (again) as a result of forgetting to buy a new one before I left (again).  All joking aside (even though I wasn’t joking), here’s the itinerary one more time. Click on the ballpark name to see its corresponding [Minor League Ballpark Guide](.  June 15: Birmingham Barons ([Regions Field]( June 16: Montgomery Biscuits ([Riverwalk Stadium]( June 17-18: Pensacola Blue Wahoos ([Blue Wahoos Stadium]( June 20: Biloxi Shuckers ([MGM Park](  In closing, the last time I went to a Biloxi Shuckers game I met Bello, the great daredevil. Will I meet Bello again this time around? I can, and will, dream. In the meantime, please email me with area suggestions, ballpark intel and last-minute requests to be a Designated Eater. I will respond. Benjamin.hill@mlb.com [Bello the daredevil]   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson Interrupts]( This is Josh Jackson, asking all of you out there in newsletter land to bear with me for a discussion of Ghosts of the Minors, the segment on [The Show Before The Show podcasts]( that asks you to identify a real historical Minor League team hiding amidst two phonies. In the last episode, we learned about how the Corning Independents stood alone. This week, we're getting serious about discovering which of these teams once tried to get some giggles in the Minors of yesteryear:  - The Hutchinson Larks - The Norman Gags - The Wigwam Jokers For the answer, tune in to the next Ghosts of the Minors!   MAKIN’ WHOOPIE WORLD RECORDS IN MAINE [The Maine Whoopie Pies]( Josh is done interrupting, but we’re not done with Josh. He’s MiLB.com’s main man in Maine, and as such he wrote a story on an epochal occurrence at Portland’s Hadlock Field. The hometown Sea Dogs played as the Whoopie Pies this past Friday, honoring a beloved dessert with (alleged) Maine origins. Prior to the ballgame, they attempted to set a new World Record in the admittedly uncontested category of “world’s largest line of whoopie pies.”  [READ ABOUT PORTLAND’S CAREFUL DOCUMENTATION OF A CONFECTIONARY CONGA LINE HERE](   HUDSON VALLEY CIDER DONUTS: THE HOLE STORY [Cider Donuts]( Last week’s newsletter was largely dedicated to an account of my evening with the Hudson Valley Renegades, during which they made their debut as the Cider Donuts. That account was casual and anecdotal, prone to abrupt segues and casual digressions. I took a different approach with my recent MiLB.com article, focusing on the evolution and execution of the Cider Donuts brand. I hope you find it both appetizing and edifying. [READ ABOUT HUDSON VALLEY’S APPROACH TO CIDER DONUTS HERE](   DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY Last month, on AAPI Night, the Albuquerque Isotopes unveiled their Sushi Hot Dog. It was received warmly, or at least at room temperature, and as a result they offered it again earlier this week. There may be more Sushi Hot Dog nights to come, but the Isotopes haven’t yet made that raw fish-al. [Ballpark Sushi Hot Dog](   [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](. 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