_This is the story of one of my old baseball trips. The trip occurred BEFORE I started truly writing stuff about stadiums in earnest, and I don’t remember every single detail about it, but a few stand out to me for reasons you’ll see soon enough._

July 30, 2022.

As July turns into August, summer collegiate baseball begins to wind down. Many of the players have colleges to get back to, but there are still playoffs to be played and champions to be determined (which, unfortunately, has contributed to a decline in summer league participation; more on that later). Finding myself with nothing to do, and wanting to find SOMETHING, I look around at the schedule of the New England Collegiate Baseball League and find one game that piques my interest:

"Keene Swamp Bats vs. Winnipesaukee Muskrats"

After a quick Google Maps search to see just how far they are, I decided to make the trip up to Laconia, NH to watch this game - a drive of about two hours.

Laconia is part of the Lakes Region of New Hampshire which, like many places in Northern New England, is somewhat reliant on tourism as its main money maker - after all, one of its big attractions is its local arcade believed to be the biggest in the world.

The Muskrats themselves were founded in 1999 in Manchester, CT (just east of Hartford). They spent a little over a decade there, and in 2010, the team was "sold" and moved to the Lakes Region. Originally, they used Laconia as their geographic identifier, but changed it to Winnipesaukee in 2015 to better connect to the region as a whole (as Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest of the lakes). While it is fairly difficult to gauge the success of summer collegiate teams by regular season/postseason records for MANY reasons, the Muskrats...weren’t exactly major players in that department. They made the playoffs a total of ten times between their stints in Manchester and the Lakes region, but only won two playoff rounds - both in 2011, where they lost the finals to their in-state rivals in Keene (i.e. the aforementioned Swamp Bats).

Their home base was Robbie Mills Field: a small community field in a rather sprawling part of Laconia. Named after a young child who was tragically killed in an apparent bikejacking, it features "dugouts" which are, in essence, small sheds next to the infield plus a high wall in left field. This wall was "under construction" at the time; I forget what the plan was, but I believe it involved putting seats on top of it (a la the Green Monster at Fenway Park). There’s also a small parking lot on the first base side, but the team did NOT recommend parking there due to the possibility of foul balls damaging cars (something that ALMOST happened to me on Cape Cod once); instead, the team directed fans to park across the street in a large field.

Probably the most important part of the field is the building behind home plate. Like a lot of these smaller summer league fields around New England (for example: most of the Cape Cod Baseball League), it serves as the "everything building". On the upper level is the press box; if you walked near it during the game, you could hear broadcasters for both teams call the action. On the lower level, the building houses the concession stand and team store, but in a somewhat unique way: concessions are sold on the "back" side of the building (i.e. away from the field), and merchandise can be purchased on the other side of the building facing the field.

Most summer collegiate teams in New England don’t sell merchandise online due to how small their operations are, so games are often the only way to get items from these teams. However, due to various difficulties involving costs and shipping, some teams don’t order that much merchandise for fans, and thus selections are still limited at games - especially as the season wears on. Thankfully, despite it being the last home date of the season, the Muskrats still had a decent number of merchandise items available. I end up buying their standard home hat (though, to be honest, it’s not exactly "fashionable" as it features the team’s FULL NAME on the front), a "fashion hat" featuring the team’s muskrat logo, and a game used jersey featuring a "LACONIA" wordmark (reflecting how they were once the "Laconia Muskrats"). In addition, they allowed me to take a lanyard for free.

I don’t remember too much about the game (outside of giving a foul ball to a young child), but as I was about to head out for the day (partially because I decided to check out another game closer to Boston), I ended up running into a British man. We had a fifteen minute conversation about life in Laconia and the NECBL, and it was very clear that he was heavily involved with the team, as he discussed stories about things such as the awkward logistics for the team’s lone representative at the league’s All Star Game that year (which was held on Martha's Vineyard - a HIKE from just about everywhere).

However, the story doesn’t QUITE end here. Despite the Swamp Bats and Muskrats splitting a double header, there’s still a little bit of an unsettled business; I have forgotten the EXACT details of it, but there was a chance for either the Muskrats or some other team to make the NECBL postseason - potentially requiring a "makeup" game to be played. I went to Sanford, ME the next day to see the end of a game between the Swamp Bats and the Sanford Mainers, and since the Mainers won that game, they clinched the playoff berth - thus rendering the makeup game between Winnipesaukee and the Upper Valley Nighthawks (from White River Junction, VT) irrelevant[^1].

Months later, when the NECBL releases its 2023 schedule, I look at it since I was planning to visit all 14 of its teams that summer (protip: don't - some of these teams are HIKES). However, when I count up the teams, I realize that one is missing. I go through the list of names, and I find that the Winnipesaukee Muskrats are no longer listed on the NECBL’s website.

The man I spent a good fifteen minutes talking to on that summer day was the husband of the team’s GM. After the 2022 season, she decided to step down from the role, and the team/league began the process of replacing her. However, in doing so, the league decided to conduct a review of the Muskrats organization (I believe this is standard protocol when a change like this happens); unfortunately, this review turned up something the league did not agree with: housing plans.

Most collegiate summer leagues require that the players live with families local to the team for the summer (the Cape Cod Baseball League and NECBL included). However, with the Lakes region being a popular tourist destination, many homeowners in the area seemingly prefer to use their space as vacation rentals (my guess is that the stipends provided by the NECBL don’t compare to what tourists are willing to pay). Thus, the Muskrats were forced to get creative with housing players - attempting a plan which I don’t remember the full details of. The plan was rejected by the NECBL, and without being able to come to any agreements...the Winnipesaukee Muskrats were no more.

As for a potential return of summer baseball to the Lakes...

There’s a report out that fewer players are joining these summer leagues as their college coaches don’t like sending them to the "uncontrolled environment" that is summer ball (read: more injury and/or transfer potential), so I do ponder what future these leagues have. In addition, most NECBL and Cape League teams are meant to be community assets, so their facilities are, for lack of a better term, not what most college players are used to (most especially the ones from high-end programs). The Cape League - which has long been touted as the best of the summer leagues - is struggling to deal with these issues; for example, it reduced its schedule to 40 games a few years ago, and seemingly has constant need for new host families (as teams put out calls for them EVERY year[^2]).

While the NECBL hasn’t gained or lost any teams since then, the Futures League has seen the [Brockton Rox](2025-08-20_brorox) "leave" and the Pittsfield Suns "go inactive" for SEVERAL years (due to their stadium needing wholescale redevelopment), but is also adding [Lowell](lelacheurpaprk) to its ranks. I doubt it’s likely, but if things continue to go south for summer ball, I can see a future where the NECBL and Futures League are forced to merge due to resources becoming incredibly sparse - likely costing several towns their teams.

As it turns out, my spontaneous decision was a "good" one: I was at the (second to) last Winnipesaukee Muskrats game ever. No one could have imagined that July 30, 2022 would be the last day of baseball in the Lakes region, but it was, and I fear that as the college baseball landscape shifts towards having players "stay safe" in the summer, more and more summer baseball teams will find survival incredibly challenging.

![A photo of a Winnipesaukee Muskrats game](/images/2026/robbiemillsfield.jpg)

<figcaption>I didn't think I had any photos for this post, but found this when I was going through my phone.</figcaption>

---

I hope that you enjoyed this piece. It's quite different from most of what I post here, but I felt it was good for me to try and branch out to other forms of writing/content.

I've had this post ready to go for a while, but my original intention was to post this in July to match the date this game took place. However, if you couldn't tell...I moved it up QUITE A BIT. You'll see why tomorrow.



---

[^1]: I did write a LITTLE bit about Sanford's stadium (as well as most other New England summer league stadiums); but long story short: it's actually kinda neat, and while it's not my FAVORITE NECBL venue, it's definitely one of the better ones IMO.

[^2]: An article I read said that the "revolving door" of players has scared host families away, as they don't enjoy having so many players come through their homes.

A story of a team lost to a cruel fate

Winnipesaukee Muskrats (New England Collegiate Baseball League) @ Robbie Mills Field (Laconia, NH)


_\*This trip occurred on April 7, 2026._

If you're a long time reader of this blog, you may remember that ShoreTown Ballpark was [the first stadium I ever posted about on this blog](2025-08-08_jsblueclaws) (and if you're not, you've just learned a small piece of "lore"). Thanks to that, I feel like there’s not much to say about the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (or the town they play in) that I haven’t already discussed when I came here last year (and given current events, I don't think a recap is a good idea).

However, that trip featured weather that was absolutely miserable for baseball and almost NO fans, so I figured I’d try to get out to the stadium on a day that wasn’t 40 degrees and damp. Of course, there’s no guarantee that another April game will actually feature better weather, so choosing to go to another game _in April_ is definitely a "choice" - especially since this day turned out to be cold as well (but at least it was dry).

This trip was also somewhat of a "last minute" decision, as in I decided that I would go to this game literally 24 hours before first pitch. A return to ShoreTown Ballpark was always on my radar, but the actual date was very much up in the air - my original thinking was that I would come here on a Saturday in April or May (i.e. before Saturday games move from 4 PM to 7 PM), but it turned out that none of those Saturdays worked with my schedule, so I ended up deciding to come to this game (despite being a weekday and a 6:30 start)[^1].

![An image of two baseball teams lined up prior to the start of a game](/images/2026/0407-openingday.jpeg)

Anyway, while this isn't the first time I've written about the same team/stadium combo more than once, it's the first time I'm doing a revisit in a different season. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle these "revisit posts" (as I'm sure this isn't the only time I'm going to revisit a place I've already discussed on this blog), but the most notable “new” thing for the BlueClaws this season is that they are celebrating 25 years of BlueClaws baseball! The combination of that plus the fact that I've never been to a Minor League Baseball home opener[^2] made me decide to come here on a somewhat surprisingly cold April night.

For those who forgot (and/or want a refresher), ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood, NJ opened with the team's debut in 2001. While it is very much "typical" for a Minor League Baseball stadium (especially as the BlueClaws have been A-level for their entire history), it leans into the "Jersey Shore" identity with a themed area in the outfield with special concession stands and carnival games. The park also features a concourse that wraps fully around the field (which not every minor league stadium has), and a full-service bar/restaurant area on the suite level which is open to all fans (which helps on cold days like today). I also mentioned last year that I couldn't find fried Oreos anywhere on the concourse. Well, that may have been either due to me being unobservant or the terrible weather, as there is in fact a stand that sells funnel cake and the aforementioned fried Oreos.

For the second time in four days, I watched a Minor League Baseball game where the visiting team was an affiliate of the New York Mets (I forgot to mention the opponent for the [Fisher Cats](2026-04-06_nhfishercats) game, but it was the Binghamton Rumble Ponies[^3]). While the result wasn't quite the same, it was very similar: the BlueClaws defeated the Brooklyn Cyclones 5-1, dropping the Cyclones (who, it should be noted, are the defending South Atlantic League champions) to 0-3 on the young season.

### MERCH

The other reason I chose to visit: the BlueClaws have a few new hats this season! Unfortunately, the ones I was interested in were sold out in my size when I checked online the night before this game, and were also not in stock at the game itself. While the aforementioned hats were available in flexfit versions, New Era made a pretty significant change to their flexfits this year, and I'm still trying to figure out if I like it or not, so I decided to pass on them (for now).

There were a few special items available for the team's 25th anniversary. One of them was a version of the team's home hat with a patch on the side, but between the fact that I already have a home hat (which I got last year) and the fact that the patch is simply glued on, I decided to pass on it - instead going for a lapel pin and a "mini 50Fifty" to use as a desk decoration. Sadly, the store didn't have any of the mascot or logo plush toys from last year (as I was interested in MAYBE getting one).

Also, I TECHNICALLY mentioned it in my original post, but last year, the BlueClaws ran a promotion where fans could trade in old logo merch for team store discounts. I don't know what the reason for this promo was, but it seems that not everyone feels the burning desire to throw out their old stuff for the present based on how many of the team's old jerseys I saw...

---

### ON DECK

I did say last time that I was planning on going to a game that should be VERY special next weekend, but I should note that this game ISN'T it.

That game is still yet to happen, but I have something a little different I want to post before it.

---

[^1]: I will say that ANOTHER return to ShoreTown is "scheduled" - but not to see the BlueClaws...(insert wink emoji here)

[^2]: I have been to a minor league hockey home opener before, as well as several home openers in summer baseball, but the summer ball home openers seem to be not as "pompous" from my experience.

[^3]: If you're a Rumble Ponies fan who enjoys affiliation, you may not like the rumors I learned about a few hours before this game...

Testing the idea of going down the shore in April...again

Jersey Shore BlueClaws 2026 Edition


### _[26 IN 26 STOP 10](/26in26list)_

_\*This trip occurred on April 4, 2026 - I chose to "delay" this post a day due to Easter._

_Before I continue, I feel like I should also note that TECHNICALLY, I've been here before - several times, in fact. However, since all of those visits were limited to just the team store, I think this should count towards the 26 new venues I'm hoping to visit this year. In addition, several venues I'm thinking about going to fall under the same criteria as well (including a few where I actually saw the "main arena"), so there's that I guess._

This story begins with the New Haven Ravens, who were founded in 1994 and based in New Haven, CT. The Ravens were actually somewhat successful - winning an Eastern League championship in 2000. However, they didn’t have their own stadium to call home; instead, they played at Yale’s baseball stadium.

A decade after their founding (in 2004), the team was sold and then subsequently moved to Manchester, NH, where they rebranded as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. They spent their first season at an old stadium in a fairly residential part of Manchester before moving downtown in 2005 to what is now (Northeast) Delta Dental Stadium - not to be confused with the recently (2024) renamed Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field in Portland, ME (the home of an Eastern League rival) or the even more recently (2025) renamed Delta Dental Diamond at Centennial Field in Burlington, VT (home of a former Minor League team who are now in a summer league).

The team has been fairly successful on the field - they won a title in that first year in Manchester (i.e. in the temporary stadium), and have added two more since then. Their most recent title - won in 2018 - featured the trio of of Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.; the latter two would go on to play for the Jays in the 2024 World Series. However, when researching their attendance numbers for this post, I found that they were...kinda okay at best. A large part of this can probably be attributed to the fact that ever since they moved to Manchester (which actually makes them the closest Eastern League team to Boston), they’ve been the Double-A affiliate of...the Toronto Blue Jays. Therefore, it is much harder for them to connect with local fans, as any prospects who end up making it to Toronto will be playing AGAINST the Boston Red Sox should they end up playing at Fenway Park (as opposed to what happens with Sea Dogs players)[^1].

Truth be told: I probably should have seen a Fisher Cats game already. It’s a SHADE over an hour from where I was living when I was in Massachusetts, and I’d driven MUCH FARTHER for baseball during that time (including to places like Sanford, ME, Keene, NH, and even a two-and-a-half hour trip to [Danbury](2026-02-15_dbyhattricks) one time). However...I never made the trip during my time in Boston. Can’t really tell you why I never did (outside of not wanting to pay for parking, which is a DUMB excuse), but with me trying to get to 26 stadiums I've never been to this year, it felt like it was FINALLY time for a game (even if I've _technically_ been here before).

![A photo of Delta Dental Stadium taken from the first row behind home plate](/images/2026/0404-deltadentalstadium.jpeg)

Similar to [Coca Cola Park](2025-08-11_lhvironpigs) in Allentown, the main gate is in the outfield (here it's in left)[^2], while most of the seats are around the infield. This may not seem like that big a detail, but I counted the stadiums I've been to on this blog, and this is only the second "not Cape League" stadium with its main entrance in the outfield (as opposed to home plate/infield). Also, much like the Fisher Cats' parent team, there's a hotel in the outfield - I couldn't find any information on any special rules/rates for the field-facing rooms, but I assume they have the same "please don't be horny on main" rules the Jays had to implement after MULTIPLE incidents. Said hotel also features a restaurant that faces the field, but again, I could not find information on how much it would cost to sit there during the game (also I wanted to see the actual stadium up close).

If you're inside the stadium, there's a bar and area shortly after you enter (in left field). Truth be told, however...it's really the only "unique" feature of the stadium: the rest is very much "standard" minor league fare (though one of the concession stands was closed for this game). However, if you're in the bar area (or the hotel) and can't really see the center field scoreboard, there are small scoreboards at either end of the suite level "deck" that display the pertinent information. (kinda similar to how the [Chatham Anglers](2025-08-17_chaanglers) have one on their press box for fans in the outfield).

One thing that made this game actually feasible despite being on the day before Easter: a 1 PM start time. Because we typically visit our Massachusetts relatives for Easter, I was in the area for this game, and thanks to the early start (1 PM - kinda unusual for a Saturday game), I was able to squeeze this game in before my typical "night before Easter" activities. Despite being a bit more expensive (the lowest ticket price is ~$15, but parking for most fans will add ten bucks), I decided to "treat myself" and bought a ticket RIGHT BEHIND home plate in the FIRST ROW (the photo above should give a someewhat decent idea of what the view was like - I made sure to get a clean shot through the foul ball netting).

There's also not that much to say about the game itself - the Fisher Cats won 2-1, and the game winning run was scored on a home run while I was in the bathroom (because of course).

### MERCH

The team store is right as you enter the main gates, with two entrances straddling the physical gates themselves. Therefore, it’s "off" the concourse and has no views to/from the field.

As mentioned in the header, I’ve been to the team store here SEVERAL times to scout the team’s merchandise. Part of that was the fact that the team’s online hat selection, for a long time, was largely just a bunch of 59Fiftys (59Fifties?) and no flexfit hats. However, I’ve also bought several jerseys from the team - including a few old game worn jerseys (something I’ve rarely found in affiliated Minor League Baseball), plus I ended up getting a novelty cowboy hat for an event a friend was running.

If you don't want to make the trek out/down to the team store during the game, there's a second merchandise stand on the concourse itself. While the selection of items here is pretty much the same as the main store, they did have one hat that the main store didn't have (a "hockey night" hat[^3]).

One other thing I should mention here: The Manchester Chicken Tenders! Minor League Baseball teams are known for their alternate identities, and while I tend to not go for those as I feel they're excessive, the Chicken Tenders are one of my more favorite identities - based on Manchester supposedly being the birthplace of the chicken tender back in 1973. I own a Manchester Chicken Tenders jersey, and it is one of FEW alt identity jerseys I have - partially as alt jerseys are usually sublimated (in fact, all but one of the jerseys in the store were sublimated).

---

[^1]: The Hartford Yard Goats, meanwhile, have been top three in Eastern League attendance since they opened their current stadium despite (or because) their MLB affiliate is...Colorado. BTW, I'm thinking about a trip to their stadium as I've never seen a game there, but there's a chance the Yard Goats won't be home for it...

[^2]: There is a second gate on the right field side, but given that most of the parking feeds into the main gate, I doubt many fans use it to enter.

[^3]: RIP Manchester Monarchs

A trip that should've happened at least four years ago

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Eastern League) @ Delta Dental Stadium (Manchester, NH)


_\*This trip occurred on March 28, 2026._

_I've also made a few visual updates to the blog, which were a bit of a struggle to implement in a way that's legible, but I do think it adds character._

I've gone over Rutgers and its various athletic programs MULTIPLE times in the past, but for those who don't know: Rutgers is...not exactly the "major sporting power" it seems to think it is (and I say this as an alumnus). We've got a football team that the rest of the Big Ten poaches easy wins from, a middling men's basketball team (even if they did [some cool stuff when I saw them](2025-12-21_rubasketball2#mens)), a women's basketball team that largely scrapes by against seemingly "[lesser](2025-11-25_rubasketball_womens) [competition](2025-12-21_rubasketball2#womens)" (then gets waxed by [an actually decent team](2025-12-11_princetonbasketball))[^1], and also other things like a [lacrosse team](2025-08-26_rulacrosse_mens) (which I THINK is supposed to be good but got blown out the day I saw them).

I'll be honest: this post was originally supposed to be about just baseball. I was originally considering going to something else today, but said trip is two an a half hours one way, and with gas prices where they are now (plus the game being in a place that is...not so great), I didn't think it was worth it (though I might try to go later this year). With nothing else going on today, I figured I'd take a look at the baseball team's schedule to see if they were home (as I had been thinking about a visit), and sure enough, they were!

However, when I got to the stadium, I found out that the softball team was also home, and had a game at the EXACT SAME TIME as the baseball team. Instead of deciding to go to one game or another, I thought

# WHY NOT BOTH?

And ended up "alternating" between baseball and softball (which necessitated a MASSIVE rewrite of this post BTW). Since the two stadiums are separate venues for different sports, BOTH are going onto my _26 in 26_ list as I've never been to either venue!

The two stadiums are basically right next to each other, and are VERY similar - both having received new renovations that just opened this year (though it seems like a lot of construction is still going on in the area). I'll go over the baseball team/stadium first, since that's the game that was intended for this post.

<div id="baseball" />

## Rutgers Scarlet Knights Baseball (Big Ten) @ Bainton Field (Piscataway, NJ)

### _[26 IN 26 STOP 8](26in26list)_

![An image of a pitch being thrown at a Rutgers baseball game](/images/2026/0328-rubaseball.jpeg)

Unlike the sports I mentioned at the beginning of this post, college baseball doesn't seem to be that big a thing in the Northeast (though you could argue football isn't either, and in some respects, just college sports in general outside of Hockey East[^2]). Yes, there are several relatively major schools that have baseball teams including Rutgers (in case you couldn't tell), but none of them really seem to pay that much attention to the sport, most of them have fairly small stadiums (save for perhaps [UMass Lowell](lelacheurpark) thanks to the Spinners), and admission to games is usually free (Rutgers included). Case in point: [the last college baseball game I went to](2025-08-25_setonhallbaseball) was on a multipurpose field shared with a soccer team.

I can't really say much about Rutgers baseball, but they went a while without a true head coach after being founded, they do have a College World Series appearance (WAY back in 1950[^3]), one of their alumni is Todd Frazier (who had a decent MLB career), and the first time I actually heard about the existence of the program was because several of their players were in the [Cape Cod Baseball League](ccbl_overview). However, one thing the baseball program here has that the aforementioned Seton Hall doesn't: a purpose built baseball stadium.

According to the university, Bainton Field was opened in 2007. I couldn't find any definitive answers on where the team played prior to Bainton being opened, but Wikipedia seems to indicate that they played on the same site (but with less amenities), and that "Bainton Field" was the result of a donation for the installation of a turf field (and, in typical college fashion, is named for the donor). What's more interesting for my visit, however, is an update that debuted _this year_, which includes new seats (i.e. chairback seats behind home plate) and press areas. Since this is my first visit, I can't exactly tell you what the place was like prior to this year, but I did find an image that indicated that the stands used to be simple metal bleachers, and a press area was at field level. In all honesty, though...there's really not much else to discuss about the place (save for the presence of a few outfield bleachers in left).

In some ways, this isn't the first time I've seen the stadium, as it's decently close to the basketball arena, but it's the first time I've actually seen it up close. It does TECHNICALLY have its own parking lot, but it's a gravel lot that's super small, so one of the major reasons this trip got delayed to now was due to me being unable to assess whether or not parking was free (for weekday games - it was free for today).

I should also mention that the school is working with Middlesex County on a more substantial stadium a few miles away in Edison, NJ on the campus of Middlesex (County) College; supposedly, the team will split games between the two stadia, but how that will play out is, obviously, yet to be seen (I'm also not fully sure of when it's going to open). Now, for the other stadium:

<div id="softball" />

## Rutgers Scarlet Knights Softball (Big Ten) @ Rutgers Softball Field (Piscataway, NJ)

### _[26 IN 26 STOP 9](26in26list)_

![An image of a pitch being thrown at a Rutgers softball game](/images/2026/0328-rusoftball.jpeg)

I feel like softball has a bit of a "rap" as "the women's equivalent to baseball" in the United States - though in fairness, this is the first time I've attended a softball game, and the only reason I did was because it was conveniently right next to the baseball game. While it is true that NCAA (and professional) softball is a women's sport, there's actually a bit more to softball than "baseball on a smaller field and with two less innings". 

First, the pitcher's mound is not raised in softball, making the field completely flat. In addition, pitches are exclusively thrown underhand (as opposed to overhand or sidearm in baseball). Finally, there seems to be MUCH DIFFERENT rules for substitution; for example, there's something called a "Flex" which is a player which is a purely defensive as well as a role known as the "Designated Player" acts very similar to the Designated Hitter in baseball (except they bat in place of the Flex and NOT necessarily the pitcher). One thing I do find somewhat strange: despite being largely a women's sport, the fielders named for the bases are still referred to as "basemen" (i.e. first baseman, second baseman, and third baseman) - as opposed to other sports such as hockey, where the "linesmen" become "linepersons" in women's hockey[^4].

Anyway, Rutgers started its softball team in 1975 (around the same time as the women's basketball program FWIW), and have been to (what I THINK is) the Women's College World Series (i.e. the softball version of college baseball's championship) twice[^5]. Also, Wikipedia indicates that they spent their first four years of existence without an official head coach (like the baseball team).

Unlike the baseball team, their field is still known as simply the "Rutgers Softball Field", but like Bainton, it just received pretty massive renovations this year. These renovations redid the grandstand (which, like Bainton, now features individual chairback seats and bleachers), but also added lights to the field (which means that this season is the first time the softball team is capable of hosting night games). This field also features a small set of outfield bleachers, but here, they're in right - and also hard to access as it seems the only way to get to them is from the main road (which divides the two fields from the basketball arena).

Due to the smaller stand, the proportion of chairback seats to bleacher spots here seems higher than Bainton - though that may just be due to size. Also, access to the dugouts is via the same walkways used to get to the stands - though security officers are positioned to avoid any unwelcome visitors to the dugout. Speaking of the dugouts, the visiting dugout felt like a Japanese ōendan (fan section) - they had these elaborate chants that they were doing at various points during the game.

## \-\-\-

Bat and ball sports are interesting in that they are meant to be played every day. During this visit, I reflected on this idea, and it made me wonder why I keep track of who wins and who loses in these posts, and whether or not I should really be focusing on that when there are so many other things I could/should be talking about on this blog...

(Translation: Rutgers lost both games. One was a blowout, and the other game ended with the winning run being a two-out, last inning home run - I'll let you figure out which team suffered which fate)

### MERCH

Earlier, I mentioned that the schools here in the Northeast don't seem too interested in baseball. However, a few of the "bigger" ones DO have baseball hats/jerseys in their campus stores (which I've gotten in the past) - Rutgers being one of them[^6].

Here, there was a merch trailer in the dirt lot near the entrance to the fields. It did not have fitted baseball hats (though part of that may be due to Rutgers switching from Adidas to Nike recently), but there was a Nike replica baseball jersey. Sadly, it featured heat-pressed twill letters - something I absolutely HATE about [modern jerseys](2026-02-22_jerseyrules) - so I didn't even think about getting it (I did get a baseball and a softball - both featuring the Rutgers logo).

I also want to mention one other thing I saw on sale: stadium blankets! I realize that this is a thing that I've seen quite a bit in the past but never discussed, but a lot of teams around here sell blankets for fans to keep themselves warm during games, as sometimes it does get cold at night (or on days like today - it was in the 40s and SUPER windy).

---

As a side note, Princeton (which has been featured SEVERAL times on this blog) has its baseball and softball fields adjacent to each other as well, but I don't think I'll be getting down there for either sport this year. Their baseball field is neat in that the stands are built into a hill, but outside of that it doesn't seem like there's that much going on (and based on the soccer and hockey games I went to, merch is a massive question mark).

Also, I realize I named this post "bat and ball sports", but I doubt we're getting NCAA sponsored cricket anytime soon...

---

[^1]: BTW, don't ask what happened with the women's basketball team after the Winter Village...

[^2]: My thinking is that we try to care about college football because the rest of the country does (and in some places, it's bigger than the NFL), but no one here knows how to truly build a good program. Basketball is slightly different in that there are well-run top tier programs around here (see: the Big East), but because of just how dominant football is nationally, basketball is fading into the background (though the modern obsession with threes doesn't help). Also, exactly NONE of Hockey East in the NCAA tournament are left...

[^3]: To give an idea of how long ago that was, MLB still had the **Boston** Braves, **Philadelphia** Athletics, and **St. Louis Browns**.

[^4]: Yes, the more common plural is "linespepole", but that is a TERRIBLE word...

[^5]: The Women's College World Series has existed since 1969, but was run by another organization until 1982, when the NCAA took over. Rutgers' two WCWS appearances were prior to this takeover, so that's why I'm not sure how those are counted in NCAA records.

[^6]: The other schools I've gotten baseball hats/jerseys from are Boston College and UConn (multiple hats and one jersey from each school). Coincidentally, my decision to come here was made the day before they met in the [Hockey East tournament](2026-03-21_hechampionship2024).


I attend TWO GAMES AT THE SAME TIME

Rutgers Bat and Ball Sports DOUBLE FEATURE


### _[26 IN 26 STOP 7](/26in26list)_

_\*This trip occurred on March 21, 2026._

Some readers may remember me visiting the [Danbury "Jr." Hat Tricks](2026-02-15_dbyhattricks) about a month or so ago. While I mentioned that the "senior" Hat Tricks were in a league called the Federal Prospects Hockey League, I also noted that an FPHL game in Danbury was a tough sell due to timing. However...

...they ended up coming to me!

First, an introduction to the league: the Federal Prospects Hockey League is...somewhat hard to explain. On the one hand, it’s the highest level of hockey in the United States that (technically) has no direct connection to the NHL or its affiliated leagues (so, in essence, it’s the hockey version of independent baseball); it refers to itself as "Single A Minor Professional Hockey". However, if you recall my discussion of the AHL (and ECHL), then you may remember me saying that it’s rare for players in the "affiliated" minor leagues of hockey to become stars in the NHL. Take out the affiliated part, and making the NHL (and sometimes the affiliated leagues) from here is a MASSIVE achievement in and of itself. My understanding is that many players who can't make it in even these minor leagues end up here - both young and old; in fact, one player on each team's roster for this game was born in the 1980s[^1]!

The league also has a surprisingly large geographic footprint for this level (where flying is usually difficult for teams): Danbury is the easternmost team in the league, but the westernmost team is in Topeka, Kansas, the southernmost team is on the Gulf Coast in Biloxi, Mississippi, and we'll get to the northernmost team in a sec.

The nice thing about the league, however, is that it has a platform where fans can stream every game for free (along with all but one of the teams streaming on YouTube)[^2]. Sure, the hockey is probably...not that great compared to watching the NHL, but it’s something to turn on if you’re sick and tired of watching your favorite NHL team lose night in and night out (unless you enjoy hatewatching the Toronto Maple Leafs to determine whether or not the next LFR is going to be worth watching[^3]).

I've already gone over most of what you probably need to kow about the Danbury Hat Tricks, but if you forgot: they were founded in 2019 after other Danbury teams in the same league folded, and they won a title in 2023 (though strangely, they also seem to claim a title won by one of the prior teams in Danbury). However, I do need to mention that they were the official "visiting" team for this game; with that in mind, I think we should also introduce the "operational home team" for this game: the Watertown Wolves (though being almost 300 miles from "home" feels like a bit of a stretch - especially when you consider that Danbury is closer).

Founded in 2010 as the 1000 Island Privateers and originally based a bit north of Watertown closer to the Thousand Islands (a group of islands in the St. Lawrence River which, yes, lends its name to the salad dressing), the team relocated down to Watertown in 2012 as the Watertown Privateers, and then became the Wolves in 2014 - the same season the team won its first championship (adding two more in 2018 and 2022). With the three titles, the Wolves are also the league’s most successful team in terms of championships, and have the distinction of being the only founding franchise of the FPHL to still be active (one thing the FPHL shares with independent baseball leagues: INSANE market volatility)[^4]. They are also the league's northernmost team for now: a new team is coming to Minnesota next year, and they will claim the title (with the apt name of "Northern Lights").

As a side note, I mentioned that all but one team in the FPHL stream on YouTube, and if you couldn't guess by me bringing it up here, said team is the Wolves - they do have a channel where they stream games (that isn't the FPHL's), but it's on a site I'd rather not talk about...no, not that one.

Moving on...

![A photo of the opening faceoff of a hockey game at Mennen Sports Arena](/images/2026/0321-mennenarena.jpeg)

Mennen Sports Arena (where this game took place) was opened in 1975, named after the president of a local company known for its deodorant sticks, and hosts a lot of local hockey teams - mostly youth and school teams. I also recall reading about an indoor football team that was set to play here one time, but have NO IDEA if they ever played a game or not (which is...par for the course for indoor football[^5]). Technically, it's just outside of Morristown, NJ (which is probably best known for Washington's Headquarters), but the area its in is often amalgamated into Morristown itself, so if you're a stickler for a specific location, it's kinda confusing (heck, Google got confused when I was trying to pin down where specifically the arena is).

In all honestly, the main arena is surprisingly "nice" for a community rink (especially as it was built in the 70s). There are large seating areas on both (long) sides of the rink, and there's actually a decent number of rows up both sections. In addition, it's all "bucket" seating here (as opposed to most places like this having benches), and several of the sections near center ice have armrests. Outside of the main arena, there's actually a fairly large lobby area as there are three rinks here, and for this game, I'm almost certain the PA announcer was actually the former PA announcer for the New Jersey Devils!

I said that the Wolves were the "operational home team" for this game (which, FWIW, may or may not be the FPHL doing a "market test"); this is important for on-ice purposes that I'm not completely clear on (I know it involves the "last change" after stoppages, but I don't exactly know how that works). However...they didn't FEEL like the home team: there were FAR more Danbury fans than Watertown fans (I think there was exactly ONE Wolves jersey in the crowd), I BELIEVE most operations were handled by the Hat Tricks, the Hat Tricks spent 40 minutes skating circles around the Wolves en route to a 3-1 win, and...

### MERCH

At this game, the Hat Tricks (who, let me remind you, are technically the "away" team) had a merch table rinkside which included "game used" jerseys  - and I use quotes there because some of the jerseys were probably NOT used in games as they were made for guys who I don't think ever played in a game (a few still had the manufacturer's retail tag). I didn't ask whose idea it was to bring the FPHL to New Jersey, but methinks Danbury was more involved with the planning of this game more than the supposed "home" team...

Also, because I cannot resist a deep dive into jerseys apparently, I went to the online store for EVERY team in the FPHL to see what types of jerseys they sell about a month before this game happened. While not every team sells jerseys online (or at least had jerseys available when I checked), the ones that did were quite "mixed": some teams sell only sublimated jerseys, some teams sell only jerseys with sewn logos, and a few teams sold both![^6] However, Danbury was the only team who sold "game used" jerseys online (see above for a caveat to that term); there's a distinct possibility that other teams also sell game used jerseys at games, but I have no way of confirming that right now (and given the locations of some of the teams, trips to see them are not super likely).

One final note on merch: Watertown is somewhat odd in that they have a "spirit wear" site as their online store, but they sell jerseys and pucks via a form on their website. I should note, however, that the price for the jersey suggests that it's sublimated.

---

P.S.: The Pope Leo effect is real - congrats to FREAKIN' FRACKIN' MERRIMACK on winning the 2026 Hockey East Men's Tournament!

---

[^1]: Another note on rosters: for whatever reason, it seems teams (typically) only dress 16 skaters as opposed to the "standard" 18 per game (this is solely based on me looking at the rosters for tonight's games - this one included).

[^2]: The [Cape Cod Baseball League](ccbl_overview) also has a free streaming site, though I'm a little annoyed by it as many of its teams moved off of YouTube when it debuted a few years ago and there's a fairly long unskippable "ad" whenever you click on a video.

[^3]: Steve Dangle mentioned in one of his videos that videos posted after losses do WAY BETTER than those posted after wins, and the numbers back him up on that.

[^4]: I mentioned this during my Danbury visit, but Danbury was another founding FPHL market; the original team folded a while ago and the Hat Tricks are not connected to them.

[^5]: More on this later this year.

[^6]: I will note that I'm only looking at each team's "main" home and away jerseys here; several teams did sell specialty night jerseys, but those are almost always sublimated. Speaking of specialty jerseys, the Hat Tricks had special jerseys for this game that were inspired by <a href="https://www.nhluniforms.com/Devils/DevilsSpecial03.html" target="blank">this popular Devils jersey from a few years ago</a>; they had a few for sale after the game, but they were fully sublimated.


A visit to/from "Independent Hockey"

FEDERAL PROSPECTS HOCKEY LEAGUE: Danbury Hat Tricks vs. Watertown Wolves @ William G. Mennen Sports Arena (Morris Township, NJ)


_\*Since the 2026 Hockey East men's championship game is tonight, I figured I’d go back a bit and talk about the time I went to the game back on March 23, 2024 - almost exactly two years ago. A decent chunk of this was written back then, but I did update this quite a bit (for example, it includes mentions of subsequent Hockey East tournaments which obviously hadn’t happened when I first wrote this). Also, with this, I've officially caught up with all of my old hockey writing - at least until I get to certain games/arenas (hopefully in the fall)._

A lot of sports leagues/events have their "signature venue" for their championship: England’s FA Cup has Wembley Stadium, the Australian Football League has the Melbourne Cricket Ground...and Hockey East has TD Garden.

I don’t feel there’s a need to dive too deep into Hockey East’s history outside of its establishment in 1984 (as a "spin off" from the ECAC), but I should at least explain the conference tournament/championship game a little bit. For those who don’t know, most college athletic conferences in the United States host end-of-season tournaments (or sometimes a single game like in football) to determine an official conference champion. Said champion receives an automatic bid to their sport’s national tournament (with football, once again, being a semi-exception), where the best teams in the country compete to determine a singular national champion for that sport[^1].

In Hockey East’s case, its first two championship games (along with the semifinals) were held in Providence, RI at what is now Amica Mutual Pavilion (home of the Providence Bruins of the AHL[^2]). In 1987, the championship moved to the original Boston Garden (the former home of the Bruins and Celtics), and has been held either there or at what is now TD Garden (i.e. the old Garden’s replacement built in 1995) most years - with three exceptions:

- In 1989 and 1990, the final game was played at [Conte Forum](2025-10-03_bchockey_mens) on the campus of Boston College. I’m not FULLY certain as to why this happened (though part of it may beu because Conte had just opened in 1988), but Boston College hosted Maine in both games (with the two teams splitting wins).
- In 2021, ongoing restrictions forced all tournament games to be played at campus sites (the women's tournament still operates this way FWIW). The final that year ended up being an all-UMass affair, as eventual national champion UMass (Amherst) beat UMass Lowell at the [Mullins Center](2025-10-05_umasshockey). This is probably where I should also mention that the 2020 tournament got cancelled before it even started because...I don’t need to explain why, right?

As an aside, the semifinals usually been played at the same venue as the final - with three exceptions (one of them being 2021). In those years, the semifinals were played at the venues of the higher seeded semifinalist.

Anyhoo, the building now known as TD Garden was opened in 1995 as a replacement for the old Boston Garden NINE INCHES AWAY. Originally the Shawmut Center, it became the FleetCenter after Shawmut Bank was acquired by Fleet BEFORE the arena opened, and then went through a series of one day names (not including the Derek Jeter Center) after Fleet was acquired in 2004 before TD Bank (then TD Banknorth) bought the naming rights.

I honestly can’t tell you when the first time I visited the arena was, as the only things I remember are that it was sometime in the 90s (as it was still the FleetCenter at the time) and I’m pretty sure it was for either Disney on Ice or the ol’ Ringling Brothers and REDACTED[^3] and Bailey Circus (back when people glossed over animal abuse for entertainment). I’ve been to one Bruins game at TD Garden, but that game was way back in November of 2006 - Zdeno Chara’s first year as Bruins captain and the last year of the infamous 90s uniform set (as well as being long before a series of extensive constructions/renovations in the area).

I can’t really say much about the arena itself as I feel like it’s more or less what you’d expect from an NHL/NBA arena: two concourses filled with fans and (frighteningly expensive) concessions, a few merch stands here and there which are also kinda pricey, and the occasional bar area for alcohol sales. I feel it should be noted that there as I remember it, the upper concourse didn’t have merch stands. One thing that does stand out to me, however, is the near complete lack of natural light inside the concourses. There are a couple of reasons for this, but it really does mute the atmosphere quite a bit (especially when you consider that [other](2025-08-27_phiwings) [NHL/NBA](2025-08-28_nysirens) [arenas](2026-02-08_bknets) I’ve been to do not feature this problem). One thing that was interesting, however, was a special exhibit I got to see pregame featuring a look at the history of the Bruins, as they were celebrating their 100th anniversary that season.

The thing with championship games is that inasmuch as it’s always expected to be an exciting experience since one team will be raising a trophy at the end of the day, some matchups will likely lead to different atmospheres. For example, last year (2025) featured Maine vs. UConn - maybe not the most exciting matchup on paper (especially for the locals), but would still draw quite a crowd given how popular Maine is. This year, UConn's back in the final, but their opponent should (theoretically) draw more local interest because it's...[MERRIMACK](2025-10-10_merrimackhockey_mens).

However, in 2024, the matchup was **#1 BC vs. #2 BU**...and boy did I learn something that night:

Students are something else.

For starters, it's BC/BU - one of college hockey's most famous rivalries. Case in point: I mentioned it way back when [I talked about BU's men's team](2025-10-04_buhockey_mens), but their fans love to chant "BC SUCKS" even when the game at hand has NOTHING to do with Boston College. Moreover, the two teams were widely considered the two best teams in the country that year (those numbers next to their names represent their NATIONAL RANKINGS): BC with their crop of FOUR first-round draft picks plus the country's best goaltender (all of whom are now in the NHL), and BU with then-top draft prospect Macklin Celebrini (who was, in fact, drafted first overall a few months after this game). However, the best thing about going to college hockey (and especially its most intense rivalry games): student cheers/jeers.

Let’s be honest: a crowd of 17,000 fans chanting "LET’S GO BRUINS" every ten minutes is...fine. In my opinion, however, it’s not nearly as good as 8,000 students telling the opposing goalie "YOU SUCK. AT LIFE. and goaltending." - which they did quite a bit. Boston College dominated this game on and off the ice: current San Jose Shark Will Smith (one of BC's first round picks) scored FOUR GOALS, and their student turnout VASTLY outnumbered BU’s[^4].

Also, one of the main reasons I haven’t seen the Bruins at home in 20 years: I managed to snag a seat ten rows from the ice for what ended up being ~$65[^5]. That doesn’t even get you in the building for a good number of Bruins games nowadays...even with the team kinda sorta rebuilding (and don't even think about trying to see the Celtics at that price point).

![A photo of the Boston College Eagles celebrating their championship](/images/2026/2024championship.jpg)

<figcaption>And to think that this was the only tournament of any kind that BC won in the "freshmen line + Cutter Gauthier" era...</figcaption>

Finally, as a protip if you ever consider visiting: you probably don’t NEED to park in the Garden garage - it’s EXPENSIVE and you’ll end up being stuck for a while postgame. Evening and weekend parking in many parts of Boston (and its suburbs) is WAY CHEAPER (and surprisingly inexpensive by city standards)...so long as you’re willing to either walk a bit and/or trust the T (though I can understand if you’d rather not do either/both).

### MERCH

I cannot tell you how many times I have been to the TD Garden ProShop. It was one of my "Sunday staples" when I lived in Massachusetts, and the number of things I have gotten from there is absolutely staggering. Part of that is thanks to a deal where if you have a TD Bank debit or credit card (which I’ve had since 2017), you can get a 15% discount on almost everything in the store - not a bad deal I must say (and it has come in VERY HANDY quite often[^6]). It’s also where I bought my first "authentic" hockey jersey - a 2023 NHL Winter Classic with Patrice Bergeron’s name, number, and captain’s patch (along with the actual NHL Winter Classic patch - something other places didn't have for some reason).

The main souvenir store, however, is technically outside of the arena (it’s part of a development next to the arena), so it’s inaccessible during games (which kinda sucks as the discount was apparently not available in the arena for this game)[^7]. While it does have a lot of the standard items PLUS things that are difficult to find elsewhere, a lot of things (most especially jerseys) are marked up a bit because that seems to be a standard arena store thing (though when you get a 15% discount on things, you end up doing a lot of math and somehow finding that certain items are still cheaper at the ProShop). There’s also the fact that it’s the only place I’ve been able to find Boston Celtics jerseys with stitched on letters and numbers (that I know are 100% genuine), so that’s something to keep in mind (the Bruins are a BIT different, but maybe I’ll discuss that in the future).

At the Hockey East championship, I got a Hockey East crewneck sweater and hat (plus a David Pastrnak Bruins Centennial third jersey). I was tempted to buy a novelty chain featuring the Hockey East logo, but decided against it.

---

_And yes, the display title of this page is the reference some of you think it is - if you don't get it, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNSs2GZOl1k" target="blank">go get cultured or summat</a>_

---

[^1]: Given Hockey East’s status as one of the top hockey conferences in the country, the conference champion is usually not the only team in the tournament (emphasis on the word "usually" - especially this year). Heck, Boston College didn’t make the Hockey East semis last year and was seeded 1st overall in the national tournament (though I am NOT getting into how THAT works because I don’t understand it either...).

[^2]: I went to a Providence Bruins (preseason) game around the same time as the other games I've written about, but didn't write about the arena then as I couldn't think of anything interesting to say about it.

[^3]: If we canceled people in the 1800s like we do nowadays, P.T. Barnum’s name would be NOWHERE near what it became. Look him up if you didn’t know.

[^4]: I've heard, sadly, that BU's student body has slowly but surely been shifting away from being interested in its athletics department as a whole. Also, I should've mentioned this a while ago, but I found out at the [BU Women's game](2026-01-18_buhockey_womens) that they've updated the ["free jersey" program](2025-10-04_buhockey_mens) - it's now sixteen total games between the men's and women's teams, which...kinda gives credence to the "waning interest" theory.

[^5]: I bought my ticket months before the tournament even started (heck, I'm pretty sure it was before the BEANPOT), and when I checked a few days/hours before the game, I distinctly remember seeing some WILD prices due to the BC-BU matchup.

[^6]: The most expensive thing I ever bought from the ProShop was a special jacket worn by Bruins coaches during the 2023 Winter Classic (I honestly really like it to be fair). I won't tell you how much it cost, but that 15% discount ended up being WELL OVER $100...

[^7]: As far as I can remember, the current location is (at least) the third different place the ProShop has been since the opening of TD Garden. The first location was also outside the arena, but the second one was somewhere inside - and I believe at least part of it became the exhibit I saw during the championship game.


Sportventures

Opening Day Down the Shore

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (4/4/26)

Bat and Ball at Rutgers (3/28/26)

Federal Prospects Hockey League (3/21/26)

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: The Champeenship