{"id":7266,"date":"2014-06-16T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2014-06-16T13:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hoohaa.com\/?p=7266"},"modified":"2014-06-15T19:00:38","modified_gmt":"2014-06-15T23:00:38","slug":"summer-of-baseball-syracuse-a-solid-spot-to-watch-a-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoohaa.com\/?p=7266","title":{"rendered":"Summer of Baseball: Syracuse a solid spot to watch a game"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve always been a fan of the Syracuse ballpark. It\u2019s quaint, easy to get to and, usually, easy to get out of. But, despite a city of about 145,000 people, it doesn’t seem like the Chiefs draw on a nightly basis.<\/p>\n

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NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse.<\/p><\/div>\n

The day I was there was a cool spring afternoon with a 2:05 start and had an announced attendance of 2,559. With the seating capacity at NBT Bank Stadium at about 11,000, I am quite sure the stadium wasn’t a quarter filled, so it was easy to put the feet up, watch the game and enjoy. Parking had a fee of $5, but I can’t imagine that would necessarily scare people away.<\/p>\n

The layout of Syracuse is quite nice. I\u2019m not sure there\u2019s a bad seat in the house. However, one thing I learned from the year before \u2013 it\u2019s better to sit on the third-base side because of the sun. If you are on the first-base side and it\u2019s hot and sunny, you\u2019re in trouble. Therefore, it\u2019s the third-base side for me.<\/p>\n

I know there aren’t many people who do this anymore, but I am a baseball nerd in that I still keep a scorebook. Last year, I backed a Kickstarter campaign for a Halfliner (bia the Eephus League) and it goes with me to any professional game. So, when doing this, you need the lineups.<\/p>\n

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Everything needed for a game!<\/p><\/div>\n

Most professional stadiums (and many smaller college summer leagues) have a lineup posted. You\u2019ll often see people with scorebooks scribbling the lineup so they can keep track of what\u2019s going on. I noticed it last year \u2013 and again this year \u2013 that Syracuse doesn’t have one. That makes it a little difficult for those of us who keep score to do it.<\/p>\n

That means getting the names off as announced or when they come to bat. It takes away from the experience.<\/p>\n

At one point, the new general manager was walking around and chatting with people. He sat with us for a few minutes and I noted this one important piece missing from the baseball experience. He assured me it was in the works and hoped, by the next time we visited for a game, one would be in place. I do, too, as even for those who don\u2019t keep score, it\u2019s nice to be able to look at a lineup.<\/p>\n

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Warming up in the pen.<\/p><\/div>\n

Turns out, though, this is a whole new regime in Syracuse. The Chiefs lost upward of a million dollars last year, and this new GM is part of a new group hoping to turn things around. From our brief talk, he seems to have some good ideas and a vision, so hopefully he can make the franchise viable again and put some people in the stands.<\/p>\n

Overall, the stadium is a good place to watch a game. There are plenty of options in regard to concessions. The hot dogs were pretty solid, albeit a bit pricey for a Triple-A team that doesn’t seem to overflow the stands. I only had that and a small order of fries, so I can\u2019t comment on the quality of everything else. But if it\u2019s anything like the dog and fries, it should be good. There are a lot of choices, and that is always a good thing.<\/p>\n

Though I didn’t dabble, the beer selection was the normal items, though I did see a few local brews as well.<\/p>\n

In the end, Syracuse is a good stadium to visit. I\u2019ll likely do it at least one more time this summer, hopefully with a lineup card available.<\/p>\n

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

NBT\u00a0\u00a0Bank Stadium<\/strong>
\nSyracuse, New York<\/em>
\nHome of the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals)
\nVisited on: Sunday, May 18.
\nOpponent: Columbus Clippers (AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians)<\/p>\n

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