Ben's next trip is close to home (yours?)

Plus, meet a Minor League pitcher who's a *true* journeyman [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( July 20, 2023 The first edition of this newsletter, issued in April of 2022, got a great response. That was nice, but no guarantee of long-term success. “Will you still need me, will you still read me, when it’s newsletter 64?” I wondered aloud to myself. Well, if you’re reading this right now, then the answer to this totally plausible scenario is yes! Thank you. Let’s talk about Minor League Baseball.   I'M BACK! BACK IN THE ROAD TRIP GROOVE [Ben's New York Groove ] Over the years, as I have honed my content dispersal methods, I’ve become adept at creating the illusion that I am always on the road visiting Minor League ballparks. The reality, should you wish to pay attention to the man behind the curtain, is that I only travel, on average, one week per month. In fact, my entire month of July has been, and will remain, devoid of professional travel.  August will be a different story, however, and right from the jump. I’ll start the month by hopping in my 2008 Subaru Outback (L.L. Bean edition, mind you), loading up the six-disc changer with the heaviest riffs and sickest beats, stocking up on Red Bull and Andy Capp’s Hot Fries and setting my coordinates for the following quartet of Empire and Keystone State-based Minor League Baseball entities. It’s a healthy lifestyle! [Outside the ballpark in Syracuse] Aug. 1: NBT Bank Stadium (Syracuse Mets) I was last in Syracuse in 2018, a veritable blink of an eye ago. As you can discern from the above photograph, the Mets played as the Butter Sculptures on the evening in which I was in town. For those unfamiliar with the strange rituals and arcane customs of central New York, butter sculptures are a long-running tradition at the New York State Fair (which takes place a veritable hop, skip and a jump from NBT Bank Stadium).  This time around I’ll be in Syracuse for a comparatively sedate Taco Tuesday. Sculpting opportunities will be minimal, but I’ll do my best. [Better come to Binghamton -- Elvis is here.] Aug. 2: Mirabito Stadium (Binghamton Rumble Ponies) Traveling 73 miles to the south, and one rung down on the Mets’ Minor League ladder, will bring me to Binghamton. For many years Binghamton’s team was known as the Mets, but the Rumble Ponies era began in 2017. "Rumble Ponies" is a reference to Binghamton’s coterie of classic carousels, and I’m looking forward to another merry-go-round at Mirabito Stadium. Elvis was there the last time I visited, and I’m not sure if he’s since left the building. [The grass is greener at SWB] Aug. 3: PNC Field (Home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders) For the last couple of weeks I’ve asked you, the presumably loyal reader, to share memories of your first Minor League game. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons were mine, at some point during their inaugural season of 1989. I didn’t realize it was the inaugural season; it was all new to me. The impetus for my (and my family’s) attendance was that my grandparents had purchased a house in the Poconos and the Red Barons’ Lackawanna County Stadium was about a half hour away.  I don’t remember specifics regarding the first game I attended. We probably went to a dozen or so games over the course of 1989-’95, and while I have a lot of memories in the aggregate, curiously none of them have anything to do with what I went on to cover in my Minor League Baseball writing (food, mascots, promos, etc.).  For me, it was all about the baseball. The Red Barons were a Phillies affiliate and I was a Phillies fan. I thought it was so cool that the ballpark (since torn down, rebuilt and renamed) was a miniature version of Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium. I remember cheering on the likes of Jeff Grotewold and Steve Scarsone, being fascinated by players who had been in the Majors and were now back in the Minors (Rochester’s Steve Jeltz, SWB’s Rick Schu) and thrilling to MLB rehab appearances for both the home team (Darren Daulton) and visitors (Darryl Strawberry, with the Columbus Clippers).  Despite my emotional connection to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s International League team, I have only visited them once in a professional context, in 2014. I’m looking forward to returning for a rollicking Thirsty Thursday against the Rochester Red Wings. Hopefully Steve Jeltz will be there. [The Scrapple in Lehigh Valley] Aug. 4: Coca-Cola Park (Home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs) The Phillies had their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre from 1989-2006. In 2009, following a two-season pit stop in Ottawa (RIP Lynx), they settled into their current home of Lehigh Valley (Allentown, specifically). As illustrated with the above graphic, the IronPigs will be playing as the Scrapple during the evening I’m in town. There’s nothing quite like celebrating an indistinct fried meat mush on a hot summer night. I’m looking forward to it. The usual spiel: Would you like to be a Designated Eater at one of the stops on this trip, eating the ballpark cuisine that my gluten-free diet prohibits? If so, email me at benjamin.hill@mlb.com and tell me why you want to do it. And, as always, get in touch if you have any recommendations regarding things to do and see in the ballparks and the surrounding areas. See you out there, maybe!   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson Interrupts]( This is Josh Jackson, and I'm not going to lose my head about it, but the buck stops here for a moment while I say hey to all of you out there in newsletter land. I host Ghosts of the Minors, the segment on [The Show Before The Show podcast]( that challenges listeners to pick a real historical Minor League franchise disguised amongst a pair of fakes. In the last episode, we were climbing high with the Pittsfield Hillies. This week, we show our true colors by figuring out which of these teams dressed up and painted the town in the Minors of yesteryear: - The Bremerton Bluejackets - The Goldsby Yellow Sox - The Baton Rouge Red Tops For the answer, tune in to the next Ghosts of the Minors!   LISTEN UP: ROCHESTER’S DAN MASON RUNS THROUGH A PODCAST INTERVIEW [The Show Before the Show]( Last week’s episode of The Show Before the Show featured Draft analysis from the formidable combo of Spectacular Sam Dykstra and Terrific Tyler Maun (these are their full names, but they are too modest to use them on a day-to-day basis).  But I would like to draw your attention to Rochester, former home of Steve Jeltz, yet again. Red Wings general manager Dan Mason came on the show to talk about his team’s “Intentional Walk” fundraiser, which took place throughout the entirety of their July 4-9 homestand and featured a team employee or community member on a concourse treadmill throughout. Keeping with the theme, Mason did the entire interview while running on a treadmill. Now that’s commitment! [LISTEN TO ROCHESTER’S DAN MASON ON THE SHOW BEFORE THE SHOW PODCAST HERE](   READ IT! KALEB BOWMAN’S OVERSEAS ODYSSEY (EVENTUALLY) LEADS TO AFFILIATED DEBUT [Kaleb Bowman, a true journeyman]( [When I was in Biloxi]( I interviewed Shuckers right-hander Kaleb Bowman about his unorthodox path to affiliated ball. In a nutshell, Bowman went undrafted out of college and then took his baseball fate into his own hands by playing overseas. Stints in Canada, Australia and Germany led to getting signed with an independent Atlantic League team, which led to getting signed by the Milwaukee Brewers. I think you’ll enjoy Kaleb’s story. I enjoyed talking to him, as he’s a very personable dude with a luxurious head of hair. Someone to root for going forward, if you’re into that kind of thing. [READ ABOUT KALEB BOWMAN’S LONG AND WINDING PATH TO THE MINORS HERE](   PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS Before bidding you adieu (that’s French for adios), I would like to thank everyone who has sent in recollections of their first Minor League game. I will begin featuring responses next week. (I know I said that last week, but this time I really mean it.) In the meantime, keep those first game memories coming: 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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