Ben lights it up in the Electric City

Plus, the piratic pronunciation of a Pennsylvania town [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( August 24, 2023 Welcome to the 69th edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter. Let’s talk about Minor League Baseball.   AN ILLUMINATING EVENING IN THE ELECTRIC CITY [An exterior view of PNC Field] The drive from Binghamton, N.Y., to Scranton, Pa., takes not much more than an hour, an I-81 South-centric jaunt that transports a traveler from the realm of the Mets’ Double-A affiliate to the domain of the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.  I undertook this journey on Aug. 3. In the early afternoon, I enjoyed lunch at Binghamton’s Spiedie and Rib Pit. [A stop at the rib pit] In the early evening, I was once again at a Minor League ballpark: PNC Field, home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. As always, I feel obligated to point out that this is the longest team name in all of Minor League Baseball -- 31 characters -- but yet still does not include the town in which the ballpark is located (Moosic). The RailRiders name debuted in 2013, in conjunction with the opening of PNC Field. [A view of PNC Field's field] PNC Field was preceded by Lackawanna County Stadium, which opened in 1989 and existed in the exact same location. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but I went to the first Minor League games of my life at Lackawanna County Stadium. The team was named the Red Barons, they were a Phillies affiliate, and I was pretty much in love. I guess you just had to be chair. [Red Barons chair -- a Red Chairon?] Speaking of the Red Barons: John Davies, their original P.A. announcer, was in the press box (check out his vintage Red Barons staff shirt). [Here's John Davies] This game I was in attendance for, against the Red Wings of Rochester, N.Y., was aired on local television. John was on hand to do color commentary alongside the exemplary play-by-play work of RailRiders lead broadcaster Adam Marco.  The view from the press box -- the view from pretty much anywhere in the ballpark -- features rocks, trees, hills and mountains. This is probably the coolest feature of PNC Field, how it incorporates the natural topography into the ballpark experience. [SWB's rock face homer zone] If you’re on the outfield concourse, look in one direction and you’ll see rocks and trees. Look in the other and you might see a catcher doing pop-up drills in the bullpen. (I’m not sure if it’s called a pop-up drill; he was getting fed pitches via a machine and then immediately popping up into throwing position.) [The field view in Binghamton] While wandering, you can contemplate the beauty of nature … or you can choose to dwell on more earthly concerns. [Where is Cotton Eye Joe?] I suppose Champ is an earthly concern, though I’ve never known Earth natives to have ears that resemble elbow macaroni. [Meet Champ] It was good to see Champ. I hadn’t crossed paths with him since 2014, when he was kind enough to crash my brother’s wedding (true story). That wedding took place at the Lackawanna Station Hotel, long [rumored to be haunted](.  Champ was on foot when I saw him, though given the spaciousness of PNC Field he’d probably benefit from having a Segway.  Speaking of segues, the game had just begun. [Underway at PNC Field] My task at this juncture, as it so often is, was to meet with my Designated Eater. On this evening, that was Alex Pugh, who resides with his wife, Amanda, and baby son, Kai, in the Stroudsburg-adjacent town of Pen Argyl. (In talking to Alex and Amanda, I learned that the locals pronounce it Pen Arr-Jill. Real guttural. Almost piratic.)  Alex, Amanda and Kai are dedicated Minor League ballpark travelers, journeying to various local(ish) facilities throughout the summer. [Meet the Pughs] The Pughs and I did a lap around the PNC Field perimeter, in search of the most noteworthy and/or regionally specific concession items. We began at the Electric City Grill, which references Scranton’s longtime nickname. (Electric lights made their first appearance in the city in 1880, and in 1886 Scranton was home to the country’s first electric-powered streetcars. This, in part, inspired the RailRiders team name. Everything is connected.)  “Watt” did we get at the Electric Grill? It wasn’t exactly “light” fare. This is the Pierogi Burger, which, in addition to the titular Polish dumpling, was topped with Cooper cheese, caramelized onions, green peppers (or were they jalapeños?) and Thousand Island dressing. Alex was a fan, praising it for the way that “all the tastes and flavors mesh well together.” [Pierogi bonanza!] At the Boxcar Burger stand we got the -- wait for it -- Boxcar Burger. Seemed like the thing to do. It’s topped with pulled pork, pineapple, queso and “Asian-style” coleslaw. [Boxcar Burger is going places] Alex praised the Boxcar Burger as well but said that it ultimately was not as good as the Pierogi Burger because that was made fresh while the Boxcar Burger had been under a heat lamp.  Finally, we hit one of the ballpark’s two Dogout stands and got a Triple Play Dog. This one is a light snack, consisting of a bacon-wrapped hot dog topped with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, onion straws and chopped bacon. [Triple Play Dog] The Triple Play Dog was Alex’s favorite, earning an 8.2 on his precise 10-point scale. Amanda gave it a try and gave it a 7.8, saying that it could be improved with the addition of more barbecue sauce.  Bidding adieu to the Pughs, I made the short walk to the concourse-level press box and hopped in the TV booth with Adam Marco. [Ben and Marco] Speaking of Adam Marco, throughout his career he has always made a point of visiting restaurants and other points of interest within the cities he visits on road trips. For years, going back to his days with the West Virginia Power, he had a blog called “Minor League Kerouac” that documented these pursuits. These days, he shares what he finds mainly via X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter).  I interviewed Marco about these pursuits prior to the game, and that interview was featured in last week’s episode of “The Show Before the Show” podcast.  [LISTEN TO THE RAILRIDERS’ “MINOR LEAGUE KEROUAC” ON THE SHOW BEFORE THE SHOW PODCAST]( [Marco on the podcast]( Adam’s partner in the booth is Emily Messina, usually, but since this game was on TV in addition to radio they were working separately. I spent an inning on the air with Emily as well. She wasn’t necessarily expecting me but adjusted on the fly for a fun and free-wheeling conversation that included ceding play-by-play duties to me for one batter (it was a disaster). [Ben and Emily] The home team ultimately triumphed, with the RailRiders defeating the Red Wings by a score of 6-5. Before departing the bucolic environment of PNC Field, I returned to the press box to say hello to scorekeeper Dick Devans. [Meet Dick Devans]( You may remember Dick from this very newsletter, when he shared the touching story of learning to keep score (at home) with his grandfather and how that led to the work he does for the RailRiders today. Read it [HERE](.  Another ballpark visit was in the books, and I celebrated by buying snacks at a nearby establishment. Goodnight from Moosic, Pa. [Sheetz] [READ THE PNC FIELD BALLPARK GUIDE HERE](   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson Interrupts]( This is Josh Jackson, popping up when all of you out there in newsletter land least expected me. I host Ghosts of the Minors on [The Show Before the Show]( podcast, in which I ask you to pick out the real historical Minors team from a lineup of two fakes. Last time, we whiled away the hours with the Canton Watchmakers. This week, I ask you which of these teams had the energy to bear a heavy load in the Minors of yesteryear? - The Brewster Cinder Blocks - The Sugar City Anvils - The Coffeeville Bricks  For the answer, tune into the next Ghosts of the Minors on [The Show Before the Show](   PLEASE HOLD ON FOR JUST A MOMENT. I HAVE ONE MORE THING TO SHARE [Meet Richard Chamberlain]( Richard Chamberlain is the Montgomery Biscuits’ biggest fan, having attended every game of the franchise’s existence dating back to their inaugural season of 2004 (excepting two games missed due to a medical issue).  I spoke to Richard when I visited Montgomery this past June, during his 1,295th Biscuits game. While we were talking, he did not miss a single pitch. Richard is dedicated. [READ ABOUT MONTGOMERY BISCUITS SUPERFAN RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN HERE](   [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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