Keeping Baseball Fun and Affordable
J. C. Tilton
The Richmond Roosters are keeping baseball both fun and affordable for area families. We are past the midpoint of summer and youngsters are getting bored. And an evening at McBride Stadium in Richmond Indiana is just the ticket to break up the tedium of summer. For parents, the stadium is more relaxed, tickets are relatively modestly priced ($4 and up) and has ample free parking. For kids, the management has a variety of attractions to keep their interest. The attractions include the Richmond Rooster mascot and in between innings contests and hijinks. The team also offers a variety of packages for families and groups, all the way from special suites, to patio rentals, group rates for birthday parties and company outings. On Saturday night Andrew Schmidt of Camden celebrated his 13th birthday and got to throw out the first pitch. Reid Hospital had a company outing as well as several church groups. This lead to a season high crowd of 2742.
On the night that I was there the pregame included a 5 k run that had the finish on the infield of McBride stadium. Then the special guests included the Blues Brothers who circled the field in their Bluesmobile and entertained the crowd with their music in between innings. Jake and Elwood shook hands and joked with the crowd after performing. Visitors to the Rooster web site can find other special events such as this. Lucky guests also won some of the inbetween innings contests some of these were a tricycle race, a contest to see who could get a tshirt on first, a match game to win lottery tickets, and so forth.
Oh yeah, and there was a ball game. But first a little background about team for those who are unfamiliar. The Richmond Roosters are part of the Frontier League and are celebrating their 10th year in this league. They have had some success, winning league in 2001 and 2002. Many of the players in this organization are ex college players making a try at professional baseball, some enjoy the game and are back year after year. The league has placed several players into the major leagues over the years so it is a chance to see some young talent.
The Roosters played the Washington Wild Things. The Roosters were slow to generate any offense. But Washington jumped on starting pitcher Tyler Mott - getting a solo shot home run in the first inning. In the third inning a Washington batter was hit by a pitch, then the next batter got a single to put a second runner on base. A triple was hit in the outfield gap and this scored two more runs for Washington. Kevin White from South Carolina broke the ice for the Roosters in the 6th inning, hitting one out of the park to prevent a shutout. The Wild Things threatened again in the 7th inning, but stout defense by the Roosters left base runners stranded on base. The Roosters couldn't get a 9th inning rally started and fell short by a score of 3 to 1, leaving one runner on base.
Ticket information for the Roosters can be found by visiting www.richmondroosters.com <http://www.richmondroosters.com> or by calling: 765-935-7529. Lawn seating Prices start at $4 for kids and senior citizens. Box seats are $8 and $7. So if your youngsters are complaining that there is nothing to do - take them out to a Roosters game for a good time. Comments: email: Chris Tilton
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