{"id":9604,"date":"2015-12-14T22:15:35","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T03:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hoohaa.com\/?p=9604"},"modified":"2015-12-14T22:15:35","modified_gmt":"2015-12-15T03:15:35","slug":"summer-of-baseball-auburn-gives-you-the-small-town-feel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoohaa.com\/?p=9604","title":{"rendered":"Summer of Baseball: Auburn gives you the small-town feel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Auburn\u2019s Falcon Park is a place to go if you want to watch baseball.<\/p>\n

\"Always

Always have to stamp in!<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s one of the smaller places in the New York-Penn League and unless something massive happens to ownership, it\u2019s possible it will remain that way for a long time. The Doubledays are owned by the City of Auburn in a unique ownership setup. Still the attendance isn\u2019t the best for the games and with how professional baseball is going, there\u2019s no telling what will happen in the future.<\/p>\n

Still, this is small-town baseball at its finest.<\/p>\n

The New York-Penn League used to be dotted with places like this, but the trend in recent years is to almost eliminate these places. It\u2019s a shame, too, as short-season A ball is made for the smaller areas.<\/p>\n

As for Falcon Park, it\u2019s much like a lot of smaller minor league areas. The stadium is not bad and you are close to the action. The team store is a walk up couple of windows where you can see items. There\u2019s one main concession area that offers your normal game food at affordable prices. Tickets are priced well and getting them is no issue.<\/p>\n

They do offer nice selections of beer.<\/p>\n

Outside of that, there\u2019s not a lot of frills here. You\u2019ll have the giveaways and some between-inning things, but the game is what talks. The scoreboard is fine, but it\u2019s not the big \u201cjumbotrons\u201d you find in some minor league parks these days.<\/p>\n

Parking is free and right across the street from the park. That\u2019s a bonus, I\u2019ve always figured.<\/p>\n

\"Falcon

Falcon Park is a great spot to watch a game.<\/p><\/div>\n

We sat in a set of box seats down the right-field line and we had good sight lines. This was my second trip to Auburn and if I lived closer, I\u2019d definitely go a bit more often. This might not be the best stadium ever, but if you are there for baseball, it\u2019s nice.<\/p>\n

The field itself looks solid and well-maintained. Seats are comfortable and give you enough room.<\/p>\n

It seemed like there were a lot of interns working, which is a good thing. A couple of them weren\u2019t the most knowledgeable when being asked questions, though a couple others I talked to were very friendly and went out of their way to get an answer.<\/p>\n

In the end, it\u2019s small-area baseball. These players are within the first couple years of their professional life, so it\u2019s fun to watch them grow. I covered NY-Penn baseball for six years, so I saw Auburn a bunch of times. I hope they keep this level of baseball there for years to come.<\/p>\n

Park Notes: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Falcon Park<\/strong>
\nAuburn, New York<\/em>
\nHome of the Auburn Doubledays (Short-season A affiliate of the Washington Nationals)
\nVisited on: August 7, 2015
\nOpponent: Williamsport Crosscutters (Short-season A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies)<\/p>\n

Ratings (out of 10)<\/p>\n