July 13, 2006

Shirley Povich Field, home of the Bethesda Big Train, is probably the most exciting place to be on a typical Wednesday night in July. Last night Bethesda hosted the Maryland Redbirds in a game that ended with an exciting walk-off fielder's choice to give the Big Train the win.

But the real entertainment last night was not on the field.

Every night the Big Train schedules promotions that involve the community and often celebrities. Last night’s game featured the quirky Lemonade Shaky Guy who sells lemonade at sporting events in the Washington D.C. area. His uniform included rainbow colored suspenders and enormous lens-less sunglasses. The Shaky Guy pleased fans with his eccentric lemonade dance before handing over the lemonade to the customer and “accessorizing” them with a long plastic straw in their ear. His skit was quite the spectacle.

I talked to Riley, a third grader from Howard County who mimicked the antics of the “Lemonade Shaky Guy” before enjoying his tasty beverage. The little leaguer, who wants to play for the Frederick Keys when he is older, described the lemonade man as kooky.

Fans also saw Homer, the Big Train Mascot, race a child around the bases and “Bruce the Raffle Guy” sell raffle tickets to raise money for little league fields.

David Kloser, author of Stepping Up: Inspiring Interviews with Major Leaguers, spent some time telling me major league players’ stories he collected for his book. Kloser saw ballplayers from a different perspective and shared his experiences with the Bethesda fans at the game. One inning later I saw the author hit a baseball off a tee over the right field fence. The promotional activities never end.

Some seemed shocked that over 400 fans would attend a game on a hot and muggy Wednesday night that was delayed because of rain, but with all the off-the-field activities it is obvious why the attendance was so high.

Andy Ireland is the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League's resident ''blog-man.'' This summer he is touring the ballparks of the CRSCBL and recording the coolest parts of the game, both on and off the field. Be sure to check back for the latest Base-Blog! E-mail Andy Ireland.