This past winter, Rachel and I visited an empty, locked up War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, VA. Why, you might ask, would I visit an empty, locked stadium on a random weekend afternoon in January? Well, I was trying to work through the cobwebs of my baseball past and figure out if in fact I had played at War Memorial some 25 years ago as a 20 something trying to work my way into professional baseball. I played in a competitive summer league, non-professional, and was trying to recall if I/my team had played at the historic field, once a minor league baseball affiliate site. After walking the grounds, around the back of the outfield fence, peering into the stadium, I was able to confirm (with about 90% certainty) that I did in fact play there. While I was at the stadium, I noticed signage for the Peninsula Pilots, a Coastal Plain League summer baseball team. I logged that to memory, followed the Pilots on social media, and waited for their summer schedule to coincide with mine. Fast forward to last night…

“Thirsty Thursday” was the official event theme for last night’s (Thursday, May 30th) game featuring the hometown Pilots vs. the Tri-City Chili Peppers. The weather all day yesterday was absolutely gorgeous – low humidity, sunny skies, few wispy clouds here and there, no wind to speak of. After work commitments, Rachel and I took the “scenic” route from Virginia Beach, up to Shore Drive, through the Ocean View sections of Norfolk, into Willoughby Spit, and then onto Route 64 over to Hampton, VA – home of War Memorial Stadium. Free parking, on the street adjacent to the ballpark, $8 bucks a ticket to get in, cheap date to say the least. Game time was 7pm, Rachel and I arrived just after that and found a section of the wooden bleachers to catch the game.

Wooden bleachers, the mark of a truly historic baseball field from another era still in existence. You don’t see wooden bleachers in many modern baseball parks. Most have stadium seats, which let’s face it are much more comfortable that wooden bleachers. The bleacher rules – Sit anywhere, be mindful of others and others’ drinks and snacks, and if you get up to go to the concession stand just know that your place is not set in stone. General admission bleacher seats are about a baseball traditional as the 7th inning stretch and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” When I see wooden bleachers at a baseball stadium, I know it has character and history and stories galore to tell.

Fans piled into War Memorial Stadium Thursday night. You had your loyal followers, you had your local teens (maybe on a first date?), you had your families with little kids, you had your local baseball teams honored before the game, you had the kind of crowd that cheers when the stadium scoreboard flashes “More Noise.” It was a lively crowd, cheering the hits, screaming for the Pilots circling the bases, and gasping at the home runs hit against the Pilot’s pitchers. What more can a local summer collegiate baseball league team ask for – nearly packed stands who stayed late into the night, busy crowd with a lot of energy, excitement for players many have never even heard of. As far as fans go, the Pilots faithful showed in big numbers and with a big attitude.

Rachel and I grabbed a drink, in honor of Thirsty Thursday, as well as a couple of hot dogs and fries. All very reasonably priced, all very tasty and yummy. Seating was awesome, we pretty much sat wherever we wanted to without disturbing others already seated. One small note about War Memorial Stadium, the large metal beams that hold up the upper levels and the press box area can be a field obstruction for your view depending on your seating. Make sure you check your view before committing to your seat on the bleachers, those beams block out a good section of your field view. Rachel and I moved to the lower levels of the bleachers to avoid being behind the beams, and that made a world of difference.

The first visit in January was just a perimeter walk around the stadium. Many of the signage I saw last night was not visible by where we walked back in January. So, it was cool to see posters like the one above, noting that the first game played at War Memorial Stadium was June 1, 1948. From a comparison standpoint to Major League Baseball Stadiums, only Boston’s Fenway Park (1912) and Chicago’s Wrigley Field (1914) would be older than War Memorial Stadium. The next oldest, the stadium’s founding organization, the Dodgers, then of Brooklyn and now of Los Angeles. The Dodgers had a storied history in Hampton and the Dodgers’ Branch Rickey was instrumental in the construction and development of minor league baseball in Hampton, VA.

It was an awesome Peninsula Pilots night of baseball in Hampton at War Memorial Stadium. The Pilots battled the Chili Peppers to the end, eventually losing 10-7. The weather held up beautifully for night baseball. The fans were loud and aplenty. The wooden bleachers provided that nostalgic place in my baseball soul that I just love. The Thirsty Thursday theme was a huge success, the place was packed with fans of all ages. Great baseball, affordable for families, safe and fun entertainment, easy to get to, easy to park – wow, how much time do you have? It was an incredible Peninsula Pilots experience in Hampton and I cannot wait to attend another game this summer.

For more information on the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plain League, visit their website at www.peninsulapilots.com.