Are You Ready for Some Baseball?

A Howl of a Good Time

Erie is exceptionally lucky in that we have easy access to some excellent  baseball action. The Erie Seawolves, the AA farm team of the Detroit Tigers, play at Jerry Uht Park. Not only can you see some exciting games, but you can do it without taking out a second mortgage on your house.

General admission or upper deck seating is $6.00/person, with a $1.00 discount for children under 12, seniors, and military personnel. Box seats (lower deck and first row of the third base side upper deck) are $10.00 and Club Seats, which include a waiter/waitress and a private to semi-private “cubicle” from which to watch the game, are $12.00/person. I’ve parked my tokus in seats of all price levels and the only place I’m not crazy about sitting is in the general admission seating.  As a relatively short person, it’s difficult for me to see over the heads of other spectators without the benefit of the graduated incline of the regular seating area.

Do you have 19 friends? Luxury suites are available starting at $550/game. That includes 20 tickets, 20 hats and other swag, along with a selection of food and beverages. Do the math. That comes out to $27.50/person. Not a bad price for a special occasion shindig.

There are other packages available for parties, too, including all-you-can-eat picnics, special ticket prices for groups, season/half-season ticket options, and other ticket packages (tickets to all the games that feature end-of game fireworks, tickets for just Saturday games, packages that include all-you-can-eat dogs & burgers, etc.).

Got kids? For $5.00/child, you can have your little one take the field with the team prior to the game and receive special recognition. Or you can have your child’s birthday party at a game. And then, completely free of charge, there’s the Kids’ Stampede. Around about the sixth inning, kids start congregating behind the fence/gate out in center field. And then between the sixth and seventh innings, they open the flood gates and a sea of kids run across the outfield. The really little kids are usually helped/carried by a parent, most of whom exit the field back into the stands a wee bit out of breath.

It’s also kind of cool when the players from the Seawolves get called up to the majors and then sometimes traded…so you’ll be watching a game on TV and all of a sudden you hear a name that sounds terribly familiar.  And you realize the dude used to play for the Seawolves. 

From freezing my twinkies off at an opening season game to taking my dog with me on Take Your Pet to the Ballpark Day to getting completely drenched in a torrential downpour (on more than one occasion), I’ve never had a bad time at a baseball game.

Anyone Missing baseball at Ainsworth Field?

Does anyone remember when minor league ball was played at Ainsworth Field? Well, if you’re pining for the days of yore, you can still see some baseball at good ol’ Ainsworth. And guess what? It’s absolutely free. The Glenwood League, an amateur baseball league that’s been in existence since the 1920s is still alive and well and crackin’ the bat at Ainsworth Field (and the lesser well known Brabender Field). So, check out the schedule and take in a free baseball game at an historic place.

And Speaking of Ainsworth and Historic…

Are you aware that part of a movie was filmed right here in Erie at Ainsworth Field?  Signs of the Time, a documentary that traces the roots of baseball own sign language, filmed a segment of the movie at Ainsworth Field and used Erieites as extras. Additionally, the film is going to be screened here in Erie at the upcoming Spirit Quest Film Festival that runs September 4-6, 2009 at the Erie Playhouse. I’m pretty excited about it, especially since one of my favorite actors, Richard Dreyfuss, narrates it. Advance tickets to see Signs of the Time at the film festival are on sale now through the festival’s website at the reasonable price of $6.50.

Here’s a little taste to whet your whistle… the trailer for Signs of the Time:

Doesn’t that just make you want to go to a game?  See ya at the ballpark!