Please Note: A Photo slideshow can be found on the main page and then ultimately in the baseball archives.
Throughout this season we've been slowly planning which games to attend by which teams and it's not really that easy to do. On some weekends it feels like there are no games or only one game of real interest and so it becomes easy to say "Yeah, we're going to that one", while at other times it can feel like pulling teeth trying to choose. Back in the beginning of June though my Dad wanted to know if we were planning on going to the Bees home game on the Saturday we went to see the Brakettes instead. Since this day was really only a matter of seeing the Bees or Brakettes for us, we decided to go with the Bees because last time we chose the Brakettes over them. Also, we're trying to see all eight teams in the Atlantic League and while this wasn't our last shot to see the Sugar Land Skeeters this season it just seemed like when they come back in August we'll be otherwise occupied.
One of the big things this season- because it is the first season and they didn't have a lot of time to plan- is that there aren't really a lot of giveaways or promotions right yet, but I'm fine with that because it means we don't have to rush to the game early to make sure we get whatever they're giving away. We'll save that rushing for next season. There was some kind of car show in the parking lot before the game and even though we got there at 5:30-ish we saw no sign of it. There was a table set up outside the gates though and TD Bank was letting you spin the wheel to win a prize. Quentin landed on the number 2 so he got two prizes. I told him to choose the water bottle and baseball, which he did, though he seemed more excited to pick up two lollipops, which were free and not part of the prizes.
The game itself was rather good and I'm never sure when teams stay tied for so long if they're equally good or equally bad. Early on, the umpire looked like he got hit in the groin by the ball and later on in the game the Bees catcher also went down in a similar manner. This game was not good for those standing behind the plate in terms of getting hurt. But, the Bees put up one run and then the Skeeters managed to come back and put up a run of their own. It is worth noting that Jonathan Griffin was responsible for the first run- a home run- as well as the second run, which was an RBI. So, pay attention, MLB.
It's actually a lot of fun to see games go into extra innings not just because you get more than the nine innings you paid for but because it's more of a mystery of who will win and every play seems so crucial because something like a wild pitch could lose you the game. I came up with the idea that when a game passes the standard nine innings it should go to sudden death so that if the away team scores first then they can have a walk off because really after twelve innings or so why give the home team another chance when they got their nine chances already. But who knows if anyone else would care about seeing that.
I ate ice cream for the first time at a Bees game during this game and it was in a Bees mini-helmet. Quentin and I also got matching Bees hats, even though he spent most of this game in the bounce house, which I feel is a great way to keep your kids entertained at the Bees games if they otherwise might not be that into the game. Kids can just tend to get restless, so I think it works out rather well.
It is also worth noting that the Sugar Land Skeeters are now the home of Jeremy Barfield, who last played at New Britain Stadium as part of the New Britain Rock Cats. He had a brief stint here before moving up to the Triple A and then being released by the Colorado organization. It was good to see him back even though he both hit a double and then later on struck out. If you have your Rock Cats program still with Trevor Story on the cover you'll find Jeremy Barfield in there. By the time that program came out though, Barfield was already off the team and moved up. I kind of wanted to ask him to sign it but I didn't really care that much and maybe one day will get him to sign something somehow. Who knows.
With all of the baseball left to come this summer it's not a matter of when but how much more we will see of the Bees. The Blue Crabs will return to New Britain in July, the Barnstormers in August and by the end of the season the Bees will host the Long Island Ducks so we will likely be at one more game per month- a total of three more Bees games- before the season is over. And then next season who knows, but we'll deal with that a little bit later on. I'm really enjoying this Bees team though, even if Josh Zeid isn't on it any more. I feel like Quentin and I will be wearing our Bees hats for years to come and we can look back and say we got them during the first season.
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