A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Ben Hill, official chronicler extraordinaire of Minor League Baseball, visited a few Tampa area Florida State League teams. As Ben is prone to do when his journeys are over, he began publishing posts about his visits.
Ben's first post-visit posts are about Bradenton. Post 1 is about Opening Day in Bradenton at McKechnie Field.
Amidst the great pictures is an interesting observation about Opening Day in the Florida State League.
In the Florida State League, Opening Day doesn’t feel quite as significant as it does in other leagues. Nearly all of the teams in the league had just hosted Major League Spring Training, so baseball isn’t so much “back” as it is “returned from a week-or-so hiatus.” But, nonetheless, Opening Day is Opening Day and Opening Day isn’t Opening Day without the requisite pomp.
Part 2 of Ben's Bradenton excursion focuses on McKechnie Field and the new Pirate City Complex, including some very cool pictures of the fields, facilities, and the Major and Minor League clubhouses (huge differences).
I don't think there is any doubt McKechnie Field is the most picturesque ballpark in the Tampa Bay area.
Ben closes his review of Bradenton in the third part of his trilogy. In Part 3, Ben recruits a designated eater to review the food fare at McKechnie Field. The eater reviews the pulled pork sandwich, a local beer, and an orange swirl ice cream. In the write-up, Ben makes another interesting and true observation.
The Marauders — and this is common throughout the FSL — generally stick to the basics when it comes to ballpark cuisine.
While this is true, local Minor League ballparks have been known to have food truck days, BBQ days, and other culinary promotions.
Overall, Ben did a great job capturing the essence of McKechnie Field. Having met with him on his visit, I know he also visited Steinbrenner Field and Auto Exchange Stadium, so I will be sure to post reviews of those reviews as they are posted.