All-American Celebration

An all-American holiday deserves an all-American celebration. I can’t think of a better way to accomplish that than by taking in a baseball game on the Fourth of July, eating hot dogs and watching fireworks. Toledo provided us with an opportunity to do just that.

I’m not especially a huge sports enthusiast, but do I love baseball. It’s just so participatory. If the Wave, doing the chicken dance with boogying mascots, and the off-key singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch don’t unite a crowd of people, I don’t know what does. So it’s a given whenever I travel I try to experience the bat and ball action when I can.

In that regard, and in the words of SNL’s former New York All-Star second baseman Chico Escuela, “Beis-bol bin berra, berra good to me.” I was fortunate to have been in attendance at the Final Game at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, and have also taken in major league games at Jacob’s (now Progressive) Field in Cleveland, Miller Park in Milwaukee, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the Tiger’s new den at Comerica Park in Detroit, and Wrigley Field in the Windy City. I think it would be cool to see games at all the MLB parks, but that goal hasn’t yet been made official. I’ve got enough checklists going right now.

Grand Rapid, of course, is home to the West Michigan Whitecaps, which are not to be confused with the Toledo Mud Hens. Though both are minor league teams affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, the former play at Fifth Third Ballpark and the latter at Fifth Third Field. (You think there was a bit of corporate influence there?) When I discovered the Hens would be at home for the holiday weekend and tickets could be had for a mere $9, I knew our itinerary had to include America’s favorite pastime.

The name “Mud Hens” was first used in 1896. Bay View Park, one of the two parks where the team played that year, was adjacent to marshland inhabited by American Coots (also known as marsh hens or mud hens), from which the team adopted their name. Fifth Third Field is located smack dab in the middle of downtown Toledo. It opened in April 2002 to replace Ned Skeldon Stadium in Maumee where the Hens had played since 1965. This new 10,300-capacity stadium was named by Newsweek as one of the best minor league ballparks in America.

Unfortunately the Hens seem to be in a bit of a slump this year. They got their butts kicked 6-0 by the Columbus Clippers, which resulted in a ten-game losing streak. The only real highlight of the evening was when Toledo manager Larry Parrish was ejected in the top of the fifth inning after taking issue with a call of the home plate ump.

That and the fireworks, of course. We were not only treated to the ballpark’s pyrotechnic display, but also had front row seats to those shot across the Maumee River as part of Toledo’s Red, White & Kaboom celebration.

A colorful “double-header” and great way to end our Fourth of July celebration!