At times it’s hard to explain the phenomenon that is the Lakewood BlueClaws. They are a low-level minor league baseball team with players who most people have never heard of. They don’t even have a big-name manager who was a major league player that fans are familiar with.
Their parent club is the Philadelphia Phillies who certainly rate below the Yankees and Mets when it comes to shore-area popularity.
So why is it that in their 8th season of existence more than 6,300 people could not wait to meet and greet the 2008 edition of the BlueClaws? The answer is simply the experience of spending a night at FirstEnergy Park…even if the night is more suited for watching a football game. Baby it was cold last night but when the gates opened at 5:30 people began pouring in…dressed in winter coats, hats and gloves and carrying blankets. But it didn’t seem to matter especially for those who are regulars as they searched for familiar faces, many of whom they were seeing for the first time since the final game of last season. Handshakes, hugs and high-fives were commonplace and I even watched one fan show an usher pictures of his new grandson.
The beauty of the BlueClaws is that for most it’s a short trip to the park and for the same as they pay for a movie they get to sit in a great seat and watch young kids play baseball. They may not be major leaguers yet but they’re playing to have a future and if you search the past you’ll find that every one of them was a great high school player, some even legendary in their home towns. By the way it wasn’t only chilly for the fans last night but for some players it was their first exposure to cold weather. 22-year old pitcher Chris
Kissock was one who did not have any problems….after all he grew up in British Columbia, Canada. While there are no players from New Jersey on the team there are two from Australia, five from Latin America and one from Taiwan…baseball is the ultimate melting pot.
Opening night was one for drinking coffee not cold beer and many left early, including yours truly who was not around when the game ended with the BlueClaws losing 4-0 to the Lake County Captains. But we’ll be back…some as early as tonight.
Their parent club is the Philadelphia Phillies who certainly rate below the Yankees and Mets when it comes to shore-area popularity.
So why is it that in their 8th season of existence more than 6,300 people could not wait to meet and greet the 2008 edition of the BlueClaws? The answer is simply the experience of spending a night at FirstEnergy Park…even if the night is more suited for watching a football game. Baby it was cold last night but when the gates opened at 5:30 people began pouring in…dressed in winter coats, hats and gloves and carrying blankets. But it didn’t seem to matter especially for those who are regulars as they searched for familiar faces, many of whom they were seeing for the first time since the final game of last season. Handshakes, hugs and high-fives were commonplace and I even watched one fan show an usher pictures of his new grandson.
The beauty of the BlueClaws is that for most it’s a short trip to the park and for the same as they pay for a movie they get to sit in a great seat and watch young kids play baseball. They may not be major leaguers yet but they’re playing to have a future and if you search the past you’ll find that every one of them was a great high school player, some even legendary in their home towns. By the way it wasn’t only chilly for the fans last night but for some players it was their first exposure to cold weather. 22-year old pitcher Chris
Kissock was one who did not have any problems….after all he grew up in British Columbia, Canada. While there are no players from New Jersey on the team there are two from Australia, five from Latin America and one from Taiwan…baseball is the ultimate melting pot.
Opening night was one for drinking coffee not cold beer and many left early, including yours truly who was not around when the game ended with the BlueClaws losing 4-0 to the Lake County Captains. But we’ll be back…some as early as tonight.
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