Greetings from Batavia, NY, the small town nestled between Buffalo and Rochester where I’ll be spending the summer trying to capture the magic of small-town baseball. I’ll be focusing on the Batavia Muckdogs, a summer league team comprised of college players from across America, some looking to improve before returning to school, and a few hoping to be drafted in July’s MLB Draft.
Batavia was stripped of its minor league team when Major League Baseball (MLB) eliminated 42 of the then-160 affiliated minor league teams in December of 2020. Like most of the communities whose affiliated teams were snuffed out, Batavia initially reeled from the news, only to find a measure of consolation when current owner Robbie Nichols formed the new Muckdogs and entered them in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.
I spent the weekend up there documenting the town’s Memorial Day celebration and the arrival of this summer’s Muckdogs. They kickoff practice this week in preparation for Friday night’s season road opener in Elmira, NY, followed by Saturday night’s home opener in Batavia. I hope to attend both.
The weekend was wonderfully uplifting, made even moreso after another week punctuated by a horrendous mass shooting. More than one fan observed that it sometimes seems like we can’t go a week - or even a few days - now without some disaster or crisis dominating the news, and how much the little moments of joy delivered by the local ballclub can help them to transcend - at least briefly - what can seem like a news cycle marked by relentless negativity.
My hope is to capture and relay some snapshots of this happiness in my dispatches, and ultimately, in a deeper way, in my book.
Dewey the Mascot waves to some Memorial Day Parade onlookers.
Infielder and hometown product Jerry Reinhart, who played college ball at the University of Akron.
Head Coach Joey Martinez waves to paradegoers.
Memorial Day ceremony
Grabbed lunch at this 67-year old Batavia institution
Lucky enough for some beautiful weather to take a run through lovely Centennial Park. I’ve discovered I REALLY need to find some time for workouts on the road to help compensate for too much fast food and time behind the wheel. It’s also the best way to explore new communities.
The Pub Coffee Hub, a nice little coffee shop in the historic Harvester Building. I spoke with the young owner and Batavia native who is proud to offer a locally-owned high-quality alternative to the two Dunkin Donuts, two Tim Hortons, and soon-to-be two Starbucks that can be tough to compete with.
The Harvester Building which houses the coffee shop, and has long-served as an “incubator” of local small businesses. They are housed in what had been the home of Massey-Ferguson, which was the largest industry in Batavia before closing down in 1956, leaving the 850,000 square foot complex vacant, and driving unemployment to more than 20 percent.
And no trip to Batavia is complete without a visit to the Adam Miller Toy Store, which has been delivering smiles to local kids for over 100 years. I’m now compelled to get a small “treat” for my soon-to-be 5-year-old son, Bates, on my trips if his mom gives him a “good grade” in my absence. Pleased to report this time he earned an A+, earning him a box of Legos. Speaking of which, special thanks as always to his mom, Marcy, his grandma, “Num,” and his grandpa, “Pap-Pap,” for taking such good care of him and 2-month old Shea while I’m on the road. I obviously couldn’t pursue this project without all of their help.
I’ll also sometimes include some further reading in these dispatches that would likely have otherwise escaped your eyes.
Here is a sobering piece by my Pittsburgh friend and fellow writer John Miller. The phenomenon he describes, coupled with an MLB Draft that has been cut to 20 rounds from 40, will make getting drafted far more difficult. It will also likely make it even more difficult for African American and foreign-born players to get drafted and have a chance to make it to the big leagues (since teams armed with fewer picks will be less likely to “take a chance” on a player with raw talent but lacking the polish, experience, and track record against top competition that comes from the overwhelmingly white pipeline from expensive travel ball to college baseball).
How America Sold Out Little League Baseball
The piece below was sent to me by a reader and I thought it really got at the essence of one of the things that makes sports so special… and did so in poetic and moving fashion. I encourage you all to follow his lead and don’t hesitate to share with me any articles you think may be of interest as we try to foster our own community here.
Baseball Is a Game You Play With Your Father
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Thank you for reading, and hope you continue to enjoy.