MYRTLE BEACH, SC – While in Myrtle Beach, I had the opportunity to take in a minor league baseball game. If you’ve read this column for any length of time, you know that when I travel, I always try to schedule a visit to a local sports venue and hope to watch a game if the team is in town.

At this point, I have lost track of how many minor league ballparks I have visited in my lifetime. Back when I was in my teens, I went to many of the baseball stadiums in the New York – Penn League, the league in which my Jamestown Expos competed. So, of course, I took the opportunity to travel around the league from time to time to see the Jamestown team play on the road.

I do remember going to Niagara Falls, Batavia, Oneonta, Little Falls, and Elmira in New York, and to Erie, Pennsylvania. There may have been others, but I can’t think of them at this time.

As an adult, I’ve visited many minor league ballparks, some more than once; St. Petersburg, FL, Surprise, AZ, Columbus, OH, Charlotte, NC, Kannapolis, NC, Nashville, TN, Shreveport, LA, Wichita, KS, Northwest Arkansas, Oklahoma City and of course, Tulsa. Again, there may be others.

All told, I’ve probably visited 20 minor league ballparks around the country. However, this was my first time attending a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game, and they really have an impressive ballpark. Especially for Single-A baseball in the Carolina League.

I was told the stadium had quite a bit of a remodel and update in the off season. There are new seats in the grandstand, and new picnic area on the third base side where the visitor’s bullpen used to be, both teams bullpens are now beyond the right field wall, and both clubhouses are in an expanded building beyond right field.

There is a brand new, large, easy to read video board/scoreboard that stands behind the right field fence. The old scoreboard was behind the left field wall in the past, but with the sun setting, it made it difficult to read, so the fans truly appreciate the fact that the scoreboard was moved to the right field side. The old scoreboard is now covered with black tarps with sponsor logos, a creative way to cover the old board and generate some revenue.

One thing at this ballpark that I have never seen before, but I suspect it’s at other parks and I just haven’t seen it yet, is a digital ribbon board that covers the outfield fences. This is a cool addition. Between innings, the team came display videos, logos, promo announcements, etc. on the outfield walls as well as the video board, and while the game is in play, static fence signs are displayed. What a great idea and concept.

There were four of us that attended the game together this evening and we really weren’t very hungry, so we didn’t get much from the concession stands. We purchased a bag of popcorn which was a bargain and large enough for all four of us to share. Plus, the popcorn was excellent and not overly salty. A couple of us got a hotdog, but unfortunately this may be the only negative of the evening. The bun was dry and hard, not what you expect from a ballpark hotdog when the buns are usually steamed and warm. I also got a cup of boiled peanuts. I can’t go to the Carolinas and not get boiled peanuts. For some reason, this northerner loves boiled peanuts, a favorite snack of the south. The only disappointment was they had the regular boiled peanuts, and I really like the spicey Cajun ones, but they were still good.

Finally, as we were leaving the ballpark we opted to get a ride on one of the six-person golf carts that shuttle fans to and from the parking lot. We walked when we arrived but accepted the ride when we left. It’s a nice detail of customer service, especially for older adults who can’t walk the distance.

The Pelicans didn’t know they had mascot royalty in attendance that evening. My wife and I attended the game with my long-time pal Kevin Koch, the original Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot, whom I wrote about last week, and his wife. I am, of course not royalty, but formerly “Yippee!” – a fairly popular minor league mascot for the Jamestown Expos back in the 1980s.

Needless to say, Koch and I have watched and have worked thousands of baseball games in our lives, and it was a pleasure to share this experience with him. Overall, we had a great time at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans game, and I look forward to someday returning for another visit.

TULSA BEACON RADIO

Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week, my guest will be Michael Bates, from Batesline.com, discussing upcoming local and state elections. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.