Saturday, July 23, 2005

The Brockton Rox ROCK!( and so does the Romm diamond guy)

Have you ever taken in a Brockton Rox game at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton? If not, then get thyself to a game, posthaste! If you are asking yourself just why you should go, here are a few good reasons.

The home of the Rox, Campanelli Stadium, is fairly small(capacity 4750), not only extremely kid friendly but everyone friendly, easy to navigate with comfortable seating, and it's size makes for a good view of the game from almost anywhere. Tickets are a veritable STEAL , ranging in price form 4-8 dollars; yes, that's right, 4-8 dollars! While the selection of food is typical for a ballpark(would you want it any other way anyways?), the prices are definitely not typical of Fenway. With food and drinks and a souvenir or two included, a family of five can have a great time at the ballpark for under $65.00, easy. Skip the souvenirs, and you can realistically do Campanelli Stadium for 40-45.00. Oh, and a unique and very cool feature that can be found only at Campanelli is the Rox A Bye Baby Suite, a place where parents can change and/or feed baby away from the noise and excitement of the game. Admission to the suite is free, and all it takes to partake of this parental godsend is pass; that simple. Not a bad idea, huh?

Independent league ball provides things that the majors just can't; baseball in a purer form. In this league( or the Can-Am league that the Rox belong to , to be exact), there are no humongous salaries,nor just as huge egos to match. When watching the Rox, like with any major league team,you can sense the players love of the game, and their desire to play; but knowing that that desire doesn't hinge on whether or not they make it to the show, or how many extras are in their contract seems to make the game that much more enjoyable for the fans. There are a few players who have had their day in the majors and minors,(Oil Can Boyd, for one) but most have had neither; for whatever reason, they couldn't make either league. But regardless of where they were or weren't before, they are there to make the fans happy, play ball, and have fun. And they sign ALOT of autographs, and never seem to mind doing so. Don't misunderstand; I LOVE the Sox, and am a huge baseball fan, in general. I truly love the game. But sometimes those aforementioned salaries and egos can get in the way of the game itself, and a trip to see some good independent ball seems to clear those jaded webs from the mind, and set one straight.

And lastly,Brockton Rox baseball is good ball, and fun. Whether the fans are being entertained by K-O, the goofy kangaroo Rox mascot, between- innings kid oriented fare,( the belly bucking Sumo wrestlers are a blast!) or simply the game itself, one would be hard pressed to be bored at a Rox game, even if they are losing. You can't! It really is too much fun! Go and see for yourself; I guarantee you WON'T be disappointed!

Oh, so why does the Romm diamond guy( aka Alexander Rysman) rock, too? Well, it seems he was spotted by my kids at the game against the Tornadoes on Thursday, and one kid said in a daring type fashion,"Hey, there's the Romm diamond guy! We should get his autograph." Whether he was serious or not, that fact was lost on my daughter, Christine, who proceeded to march right over to Mr. Rysman, introduce herself, and ask for his autograph! And an autograph, he gave! And I have to say that he was most gracious and nice about the whole thing; I mean, I think most of us are aware of how chatty a 10 year old girl can be! But he talked with her for a good 15 minutes or so, and never once seemd aggravated or annoyed; so I wish to personally thank Mr. Rysman, the Romm diamond guy, for being so patient and kind towards my daughter. It is most appreciated, and gave a good renewal in faith moment in humankind, as well.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chris, it's easy to see that you have a true love of the game itself. Minor league ballparks are where the game is still thriving, as more and more MLB is taken corporate by the chase for money. In these small parks, a family can truly enjoy the game itself, and watch the players doing the same. Thanks for the sweet memory.

8:07 AM  
Blogger Christine said...

Hey, thank-you, and you're welcome! And yep, minor/independent leagues are the way to go!

1:37 PM  

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