Month: April 2025

Princeton @ Yale

JP
“It’s a great day for baseball. Let’s play two.” — Ernie Banks

We made the quick 30 minute drive to Yale for the second time this year, to see the Princeton Tigers live for the first time in an Ivy League double header. We arrived for Game 1 at the start of the 6th inning, with Yale ahead 11-0. It was Senior Day, with a slightly larger crowd than I’ve seen previously – mainly parents and alumni. It was decently warm, around 70F, but the intense wind and intermittent cloud coverage made it slightly uncomfortable at times.

We sat front row, 3rd base side as we normally do at Yale Field, and Eli was chatting up players as they walked between the club house and dugout. After Game 1 ended, Eli talked to both head coaches and was able to get their dugout cards.

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Norfolk State @ CCSU

JP
“The game is a lot like life. You’re going to have your ups and downs.” — Phil Rizzuto

Norfolk State was in town so we took the opportunity on a Friday afternoon to head to CCSU for a double header to see a new team. They entered with a record of 1-29 overall and 1-17 in the NEC, with CCSU having the opposite conference record of 17-1.

I picked Eli up from school a few minutes early, and we headed to New Britain. The weather was warm-ish and sunny, with high wind gusts. We arrived early in Game 1, around 3:00, and spent time passing a ball to the right of the home plate netting – something Eli has wanted to do more and more as of late.

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WestConn @ Wesleyan

JPLeave a comment
“There are only two seasons – winter and baseball.” — Bill Veeck

Even though Wesleyan is a few minutes from the house, we hadn’t seen a game there so decided to go on a Wednesday after school before the season was over. The field leaves a bit to be desired, but the backdrop of buildings dating back to the 1800s creates a nice atmosphere. There is minimal actual seating, but most people – mainly students hanging out on a beautiful afternoon – sat on the hills behind home plate and on the third base side.

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UMass @ UConn

JP
“A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.” — Humphrey Bogart

We took the opportunity to see UConn host UMass at Dunkin’ Park while the Yard Goats were on the road, on what turned out to be a nice Tuesday night. This was our first time seeing UMass live, and third of the season seeing UConn.

There isn’t much more I can say about Dunkin’ Park than I have previously. It’s an amazing stadium to catch a game, with a beautiful field and extremely easy to get in and out. We arrived early to catch some BP, with Eli talking to players whenever he could. Before first pitch we headed to our seats, this time selecting the Home Plate Club which is a unique area, both for the proximity to the action as well as the slightly sunken seating.

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Cornell @ Harvard

JP
“Win the inning, we win the game.” — Bill Decker

Concluding Eli’s spring break trip was an Ivy League matchup, with the Crimson taking on the Big Red. This was our first trip to Harvard and first time seeing them play, while we saw Cornell @ Yale earlier in the season. The ride was short from our hotel by Fenway, but I didn’t anticipate the parking nightmare that would shortly unfold.

I didn’t realize it was the first annual “Cambridge Day” hosted at Harvard, with many local vendors, activities and sports. I counted 5 teams hosting matches, including baseball, softball, rugby, lacrosse and tennis, and believe there were even more. Parking was awful – single line of traffic from outside the gates, and by the time we arrived had to park past the rugby fields making for a long walk to the baseball field.

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White Sox @ Red Sox

JP
“Fenway is the essence of baseball.” — Tom Seaver

Made the trek back to Boston for more baseball, starting with the Red Sox hosting the White Sox. Game 4 of 5 for Eli’s spring break trip. It’s hard to not want to go to Fenway, and this game was at the top of Eli’s list, especially when I told him they were playing the White Sox – who we were supposed to see in Chicago.

We checked into our hotel – The Verb – and grabbed some quick lunch. Eli took a dip in the hotel pool, and we headed to Fenway to get in line at Gate C for early entrance with Red Sox Nation. It proved to be too much of a wait for Eli, but we managed and got in to catch the Red Sox batting practice from center field. A ball came dangerously close, hitting the rail in front of me and popping over my head, while I wasn’t paying attention. Eli was quick to grab the ball.

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Kansas State @ Northeastern

JP
“Foul balls have no mercy and no map.”

Day 2 in Boston before heading home briefly, and game 3 of the spring break trip. Today we took the short ride to Northeastern to see an early afternoon matchup against Kansas State. As we got close, it was apparent that the ballpark was in the middle of a residential neighborhood, which was interesting.

Parking options were either on the street or within the stadium in a small, single row down the left field line. I decided to take our chances and park there, ignoring the numerous “park at your own risk” signs.

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UConn @ Boston College

JP
“It was one of those games where the scoreboard needed a breather.”

We continued on for game 2 of Eli’s spring break trip, heading to Boston College for a game against UConn on a Tuesday afternoon. Before getting into Boston we stopped at Top Golf in Canton which was a blast for Eli. We stayed overnight nearby BC, so we checked into the hotel and then headed to the field.

I was impressed with the ballpark – it was in a nice complex with their softball field next door, and easy to get to with ample parking. It was a beautiful start to the day, sunny and almost 70. Eli had fun chasing foul balls in right field, and loved rolling down the small hill there. We were hoping BC was using balls with the “BC” logo on them, but no luck.

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Patriots @ Yard Goats

JP
“There’s nothing like Opening Day. It’s a new beginning, regardless of what happened last year.” – Joe Torre

Back to Dunkin’ Park with the family for Opening Day (night) of the 2025 season. While there is some player carryover from last season, a lot of the team was called up to Triple-A Albuquerque so we saw a lot of new faces. I was looking forward to seeing Cole Carrigg and Kyle Karros, as well as Benny Montgomery’s return after last season’s injury early in the year.

I didn’t notice many changes to the ballpark, other than the large Liberty Bank sign in centerfield. We kept our same seats as last season in the Stadium Club section. There’s nothing quite like Opening Day, at any level, and we were all glad to be back. We probably won’t get to as many games here as we did last year, as it was a lot, but we’ll see how it goes. Pre-game there was a cool C-130 flyover by the 103rd Airlift Wing, a unit of the Connecticut Air National Guard.

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