KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina – After several months of being at home and not being able to travel, we have finally ventured out beyond Tulsa County. For the third time in 12 months, we find ourselves at my mother-in-law’s house in Kannapolis, N.C.

The reason for this trip and its details would likely bore you, however, we did do one fun, sports related activity while here.

Kannapolis has a brand-new baseball stadium to house the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. I wrote last year about the construction of Atrium Health Ballpark, and about the name change for the team, from the Intimidators, to Cannon Ballers. That name change was met with mixed reviews by the locals. The previous name paid homage to Kannapolis’ native son, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. The new name ties together the industrial roots of Kannapolis as a textile town that was home to a large Fieldcrest Cannon linen factory for decades. Downtown Kannapolis is still called Cannon Village, and that is where the new ballpark is located.

The Cannon Ballers staff worked diligently during the winter to secure sponsorships and sell season tickets, and with a new ballpark, there was a lot of excitement about the 2020 season. Now, it appears, opening day at the new ballpark may have to wait another year. Due to the pandemic and shutdown of sports universally, it doesn’t look like there will be a minor league baseball season this year.

However, in order to connect with the local fans, and keep interest alive for the future of this organization, the Cannon Ballers are opening their ballpark every day. Fans can come into the ballpark and enjoy lunch or dinner from the concession stand, or take a tour of the new facility. The team’s souvenir shop, Cannon City Supply Co., is open each day, as well.

During the week days, the concession stand is open with your usual stadium food, and on the weekends, they open the outfield restaurant/bar with additional menu item. One recent weekend, featured a Mexican buffet, and according to season ticket holder, Mike Whitney, “it was really good for stadium food and not that expensive.”

We went to the ballpark for dinner one evening, and I was pleasantly surprised by the prices at the concession stand. For $7.50, you can get a Cannon Baller Basket which includes an entrée (cheeseburger, hotdog, chicken strips or pulled pork sandwich), French fries, a cookie and a drink. As stadium prices go, that’s a really good deal, and the food was really good. I had the cheeseburger, which was juicy and thick, and my wife had the pulled pork, which she said was certainly not out of a tub from the freezer. Even Mr. Whitney told me he thought the pulled pork was authentic and very good.

We sat in the box seats and enjoyed our meal, while looking at the well-manicured field, and envisioning the baseball game that was originally scheduled to be played this evening, against the Ashville Tourists.

TULSA DRILLERS

The Tulsa Drillers have been able to open ONEOK Field on occasion, with limited numbers of people in the ballpark for special events. I recently spoke with Drillers President and General Manager, Mike Melega.

“We hosted a high school baseball showcase, like a combine, with college recruiters that came out to watch the players and may be doing that again,” said Melega. “We’re looking at hosting youth tournaments at ONEOK Field, and we are planning on doing some movie nights. We are working on other events, as well.”

For the past two months, the team’s kitchen staff has kept busy preparing meals for a local feeding program.

“We have been participating in the Tulsa Kitchens Unite program under Hunger Free Oklahoma,” he said. “We’ve been preparing 1500 meals a week using our kitchen staff, and those meals have been delivered to schools and families in need. We prepare and box them up, then they get picked up and distributed to those in need.”

Whether minor league baseball games are played this year or not, minor league teams all across the country are coming up with unique ways to stay connected with their communities; the Cannon Ballers and Drillers are just two examples of this.