Greetings as summer - and the comforting routine of baseball at Dwyer Stadium - has returned to Batavia. The first few weeks have been marked by lots of sun, warm days and cool nights (for which I have often been unprepared), and fans once again showing up in strong numbers to support the Muckdogs.
Batavia has begun to feel like a home-away-from-home, and I’m grateful to have been extended such a warm welcome by the Muckdog faithful (or Muckdog Mafia, as some call it, in a nod to the Bills Mafia which rules the sports landscape of Western New York).
My routine while in town reporting has begun to take shape, with free breakfast at the comfortable La Quinta right off the New York State Thruway (or occasionally something at the Miss Batavia Diner which has been serving up tasty breakfasts since 1933), followed by typing up my notes from the previous night and interviewing people for the remainder of the morning at the Pub Coffee Hub. There I can enjoy good coffee accompanied by lovely views of the enormous trees casting shadows on the Batavia Cemetery across the street. Then I’ll usually grab a sandwhich at the Northside Deli a few blocks from the ballpark (which is also popular with Muckdog players seeking an upgrade from the meals they prepare for themselves in the dorms where they’re spending the summer) and head over to Dwyer around 2PM as the players begin to filter in to chat with some of them. I also usually check in on the owner Robbie Nichols, and his front office staff, who are already hard at work preparing for the evening’s game.
As gates open at 6PM, I’ll chat with fans as they filter in, and take in the pre-game pageantry, which is always anchored in the local community, often featuring local high school bands and cheer squads. The scene is very unique in the league. Opposing teams sometimes look a little shocked standing along the first base line during pregame introductions, struck by how much more fanfare there is than at some of their ballparks where they might be lucky to play in front of 100 fans. As the game begins I’ll alternate between watching it and enjoying the company of some regulars I have gotten to know, meeting newcomers, observing the in-game production interns as they hustle about making sure everything runs smoothly, visiting the press box to catch up with PA Announcer Paul Spiotta and listen in on the live broadcast over YouTube, and spending time in the dugout for a closer taste of the baseball action. I’ll usually also try to carve out an inning alone to sit back and enjoy with a beer from Eli Fish and bite to eat from the concession stand. It is often during these quiet, solitary moments that I’m able to more effectively soak in what it is about the games that make them so special.
While in the grandstands, I’m continually struck by the communal nature of the experience, with generations of fans chatting amiably with their neighbors, the kids often leaving their parents and grandparents to scamper around the concourse playing catch and chasing for foul balls. The entire vibe is different in almost every respect from an MLB game, with as much of what makes the experience meaningful taking place off the field as on it.
Guy Allegretto, USMC Vietnam combat veteran, delivers a fiery pep talk to the Muckdogs. He recounted his experiences at Khe Sahn and relayed other lessons from his time in the military. I had the misfortune of introducing myself and explaining my book project to the team after his impassioned talk, which I’m sure was rather anticlimactic.
Tonight’s game (on June 6th) showcased the nearby community of Elba, which purports to be the “Onion Capital of the World.” Every year an “Onion Queen” is crowned at the Annual Onion Festival in August. This year’s was Georgia Luft, a three-sport athlete and member of the National Honor Society, as well as member and past officer of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), a “youth organization preparing members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.”
Batavia native and author Bill Kauffman takes in the game from beyond the left field fence. He told me he was feeling fine, but regretfully elected to self-impose one more day of social distancing before emerging from his “Covid quarantine.”
The view from Bill’s “socially distanced” lawn chair. He said that more than anything he wanted to at least be able to hear the crack of the bat, cheers of the crowd, and the mellifluous cadences of public address announcer Paul Spiotta. He even managed to edit some of his writing while taking this in, work which didn’t diminish his spectating experience, since one can’t really see the field anymore from the hilltop perch after a second level of outfield fence was added a number of years ago.
Dewey the Muckdog takes a load off after several innings darting around the ballpark entertaining his young admirers.
Muckdog players greet fans and sign autographs before the game. As the father of a soon-to-be five-year-old, I can attest to that fact that most of the young kids were thrilled, as they don’t know the difference between Bryce Harper and these young college players.
The game’s “Honorary Bat Girl” trying to get her Mom’s attention during a break in the action.
Yet another gorgeous sunset that had me wondering if this was even the same place I’d visited during the gray pall of winter.
Famous Muckdogs from the days of being a Phillies affiliate from 1988-2006. Fans take pride in sharing memories of seeing these future MLB greats as they began their careers at Dwyer. This is something that 40 minor league communities across America lost in 2020 when MLB stripped them of their minor league teams. Thankfully for Batavia residents, an energetic and entrepreneurial owner stepped in and ensured that Dwyer wouldn’t sit empty all summer with this newest incarnation of Muckdogs who are college players, but the direct pipeline to the “bigs” has been ruptured.
During an off day I drove about 15 miles north to see the Erie Canal for the first time, and go for a run along its towpath, beginning in the town of Albion. Walking through it, I came upon this historical marker noting how Albion was the “the family home of Charles W. Howard, who was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa Claus from 1948 – 1965 and who founded the world famous Santa School… in direct response to his displeasure with seeing other Santas in frayed suits and cheap beards, and a shockingly inadequate knowledge of reindeer.” I love stumbling across local peculiarities like this that the Interstate Highway System has rendered more and more invisible to most travelers, as we can now bypass small towns and stop at the same five or ten chain stores and restaurants that dominate the landscape off interstate exits regardless of where in America one happens to be.
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