Friday night was my first Tri-City Valley Cats game. I personally am not a die-hard baseball fan, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a minor league game. I’ve been to local high-school games and Yankee Stadium a few times growing up. It’s fun and all, but in general I like faster games – hockey, lacrosse, and extreme sports.

A buddy of mine had an extra ticket and invited me to tag along. Not having to work and knowing many of the Valley Cat staff, I had to check it out – even if it turned out to be a one time thing.

It’s a quick drive to Joe Bruno Stadium. Having never been inside, I was impressed at how nice and new the facility still presents. (I know, it’s only been 8 years since it was opened.) There was plenty of parking and I was greeted by Vic Christopher, Assistant General Manager, on the way to my seat.

The tickets we had were a really cool package deal. It granted us access to to the right field pavilion where we got a free Valley Cats hat and dinner included. Dinner was a summertime bbq buffet which included: hotdogs, hamburgers, three-bean salad, chips, watermelon, and non-alcoholic drinks. A very good deal considering the $25.00 price tag. No complaints there.

Along the way we stopped by, I mean set up camp at, the Browns Brewery bar where they had a t-shirt, shooter glass, and beer special for $15.00. Nothing beats an Oatmeal stout at the ball game, especially considering it was a better view from the bar then our seats. We met two lovely bartenders by the name of Julie and Brittany.

While at the bar we were approached by a guy asking for beer recommendations. We mentioned the deal Browns had going and I guess he thought it was such a good idea, he bought (3) of the packages. A little later we found out it just so happened to be Peter King of ESPN. He was up checking out the Valley Cats with some of his family. I didn’t want to bug him or I would have asked him to pose for a photo. I just felt it wasn’t right to stop a man double-fisting beers and promo products.

Towards the end of the night the foul balls started getting closer and closer to us. Finally we chased one down…into the parking lot. Talk about a great first-game souvenir!

By the 9th inning the Valley Cats and the Yankees were tied 1-1. Then out of nowhere in the bottom of the 9th, Kiké Hernandez of the Valley Cats crushed a walk-off homerun to win the game! The entire stadium went up in cheer! The best part of it all: Hernandez’s family had traveled up from Puerto Rico for the first time ever to see their son play for the Valley Cats. It couldn’t have been a better night for them to be there!

All that being said: If you have not made it to a Valley Cats game this season, or ever, you should really check it out. Even if you don’t like baseball there is a lot of other fun stuff going on all the time. It’s not just a baseball game, it’s a night out at the park! It always felt like there was a contest going on, a mascot running by, or a t-shirt being thrown into the crowd. It’s totally kid and family friendly, it’s completely affordable, and there is plenty to do for us big kids too.

The remaining Valley Cats baseball scheduled games are:

• Friday August 20th, 2010 vs ABD – Beach Party with Fireworks
• Saturday August 21st, 2010 vs ABD – Baseball Purist Night
• Sunday August 22nd, 2001 vs ABD – Bracket Busters Bobblehead Giveaway
• Tuesday August 24th, 2010 vs CT – GE Kids in FREE!
• Saturday August 28th, 2010 vs HV – Girls Night Out with Fireworks
• Sunday August 29th, 2010 vs HV – College Night with Fireworks
• Monday August 30th, 2010 vs HV – Fans for Life with Fireworks

For more info from Friday’s game or other games, check out the Blog of Vic Christopher on the Times Union’s website.

Thanks for reading!

Ed
AlbanyAlive.com