Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George, Aug. 4, 2014

We were pleased to see that The Staten Island Yankees had a game scheduled for 11 AM on Aug. 4, a scheduling time that I'm sure was for the benefit of the many campers who were there, though for us it was a convenient time that still allowed us time to pick up our daughter from daycare.  We took the Staten Island Ferry to the game, the stadium being just a short walk from the ferry terminal, and were able to get the seats in the shade that we requested.  Pros of the day included good seats for $15, comfortable weather, with a nice breeze coming off the bay, and a good game.  Cons of the day included the endless blaring rock music, even between batters, that made it difficult to discuss the game; the beauty of the game itself seems insufficient to attract enough fans.  There was even a regular "hoochie coochie" show on top of the dugouts between innings, courtesy of the Pinstripe Patrol dancers.  But this is common these days, even at major league parks, and a relatively small price to pay.  The food is even acceptable, reasonably priced with short lines, and the bathrooms are relatively clean and convenient.

The Staten Island Yankees played the Auburn Doubledays, a farm team of the Washington Nationals.  The league is the New York-Penn League, an A league that also includes the Brooklyn Cyclones (a Mets farm team), A being the lowest league (with the exception of the rookie leagues) and most of the players are right out of school.  These players lack polish, but what they lack in skill they make up for in enthusiasm.  The game was long, three hours and forty-five minutes; there were nine pitchers used (none went more than four innings) and there were several errors, with the Doubledays tying the game with two out in the ninth and winning in the tenth inning.  It is hard to judge at this level who might make the majors, since there is still so much to be learned:  the pitchers went deep into the count and the batters swung at bad pitches.  Even with a lower skill level, with some botched plays and errant throws, the game maintains its geometric beauty.  As for those who don't care so much about the beauty of the game, they can watch the antics of the mascot, Scooter the Holy Cow, or just watch the freighters and tugboats in the New York Bay, just beyond the outfield fences.