In the final week of May, the end of school collided with the beginning of local baseball. The Johnstown Mill Rats, known to be persistent rodents, were back for a 4th season @ the Point Stadium. This was after a winter where there were whispers that the Rats would not be coming back. Have no fear, the Rats returneth. My family was 1st base side for the first two home contests of the year and here is the Top 10:
#10: The First Pitch
There is a nostalgia to baseball that resonates like no other sport. That nostalgia is amplified when the starting pitcher has the first name "George" and a locomotive rolls by on opening night. It looked and sounded like 1964 in that moment. First and foremost, thanks to all the parents who are still naming baby boys George. Hats off to you. Second, let's celebrate that we still have train conductors, or at least I think we do. Not a robot or a super computer, but a real-life human operating a rumbling machine on tracks. As train after train powered by The Point, I cheered for both baseball and train transport. Also, I am actually writing this blog and not having ChatBS write my words for me. Hooray humanity!
#9: The Concession Stand
If my wife and I turned our kitchen into a concession stand, would our children eat more regularly? Also, could this be lucrative? We could drain those piggy banks by the 7th inning stretch. The concession stand is the pearly gate of childhood fandom. Most kids are not what you call "baseball purists". Case in point, during the 7th inning of Game 2, one of my daughter's friends asked me, "What team are we cheering for?"
#8: "Sugary Nuts"
My 7-year-old announced her excitement for this treat for all of Johnstown to hear. The candied pecan is delicious, but as a father, you have to tone down your daughter's accurate yet somewhat controversial proclamation. You have not lived until you have heard the battle cry for "sugary nuts" from the bleachers.
#7: Rats Rain
If you thought it was going to be sunshine and rainbows for the Johnstown Mill Rats opening home stand, you are a fool. Johnstown and rats love rain. Our home team started the season 2-0 primarily because of thriving under rain clouds. While the Champion City Kings were warding off hypothermia, the Rats were smiling and blasting the ball into the atmosphere.
#6: Rats Rainbow!
It was a rainbow over the outfield wall in Game 2! A red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet spectacle for all to see.
Except for my kids, they were at the concession stand driving us into debt.
#5: "The Squeeze"
In baseball terms, "the squeeze" occurs when a baserunner takes off from third base while a batter bunts the ball. For whatever reason, this is one of the sport's most exhilarating stunts. On opening night, the Mill Rats pulled it off to purist perfection. Back in my Little League glory, I was an accomplished bunter. I never hit a home run because that is obnoxious. Anyone can blast a baseball over a fence. It takes guts and glory to stare a pitcher in the eyeballs, lift your bat horizontally, close your own eyes, pray the ball hits the bat, and then run like hell.
#4: Tossing
My daughters stepped on the field for both contests, playing in-between inning tossing games. My 7-year-old had to throw a baseball through a tire for one exhibition on opening night. Both girls invested in a water balloon tossing game in Game 2, which also sent shockwaves to the Champion City Kings. They saw two little girls tossing water balloons cheerfully as the rain fell to the Earth. The Mill Rats and their faithful are about to intimidate and then submerge you with water joy. Champion City Kings? More like Defeated Peasants. Dry up and go back to Ohio.
(I have nothing against Champion City. I'm sure it is lovely).
#3: Milton
The Mill Rats mascot is of course a rat and his name is Milton. By far, the best on-field antic was when a young boy doused Milton with a water gun to "spray him for ticks" on opening night. This was a hillarious sponsorship deal. Tick removal is no joke yet this got a standing ovation from me. It was Dad joke theatre on the field.
#2: Together
I am glad the Mill Rats are back. Gratitude to the families who rallied together to make this season possible. I am grateful to have a healthy family in attendance. The weather conditions might not have been ideal, but the company I kept was my favorite. That's my team no matter the forecast. My girls are growing up fast so some slow-it-down baseball puts a lot of things in perspective. You are going to make some errors. You will get some bad bounces. The rain will surely fall.
But, if you stick with it, and stick together, there is a rainbow coming.
#1: The Season Ahead
The Johnstown Mill Rats will play into late July. I encourage you to take the family and cheer on young kids playing baseball. Pack an umbrella just in case. Bring plenty of money for the concession stand.
And most importantly, be a positive contributor to community.
LET'S GO RATS!
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