Last week, I traveled north to New Jersey for ABF Freight to work in the Avenel, NJ terminal. After work on Tuesday afternoon, I researched the area (sound familiar) for any baseball teams, fields, leagues, etc. and found one particular team, field, league to be most interesting. The Somerset (NJ) Patriots, the New York Yankees AA Affiliate were playing a home game against…well what do you know – The Portland Sea Dogs, the Boston Red Sox AA Affiliate. Yankees minor leaguers vs Red Sox minor leaguers, this should be very interesting. And with the purchase of a single game ticket, I had my Tuesday night plans set. And a short trip to Somerset for the game’s ultimate rivalry baseball matchup, minor league style.

Now, you are probably thinking, how can I, a native New Englander now living in Virginia possibly root against a team called the Patriots. Very simply put, this ain’t the New England Patriots, it’s the Somerset Patriots, whose “Daddy” is the New York Yankees, my Boston Red Sox rival for over a century. So for this night, the Patriots were not going to be cheered, rather booed by yours truly. All joking aside, the stadium, TD Bank Park, was incredible. I loved the brick exterior and the beautiful American flags flying high everywhere. It was hard not to like this park, it was incredible inside and out.

Joe Torre, the very impressive Major League baseball player, coach, manager, and mentor was being honored before the game and I caught a little bit of his on-field interview. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for baseball – blue skies, puffy clouds, wind blowing out, humidity up a tick, but comfortable. I took a tour of the park pre-game and got some really great photos from a number of spots.

And was able to locate the seat of honor, which is always such a thrill of mine. And that beautiful American flag was just in every photo I took and this one with the POW/MIA seat in the forefront was special. And just to add a note, most if not all of the staff at these ballparks that I visit know where that seat is. It is important to them, and I love that!

I found my seat next to some local NJ guys and introduced myself as a Red Sox fan but happy to be in their home for the night. These NJ guys are the ones who would know where the best steakhouses were, probably how to install an engine in my Volvo, guys who would know the players on the field and over the past 15 years or so. Guys I like to mix it up with at games to let them know that the Yankees stink and the Red Sox rule – and they won’t kiss my a$$ in the process. It was a real education learning about the area and surrounding towns/cities, trips to NY to see the big club, the disappointments of the past few years, etc. Let’s be real here – Fans can get along with other fans of dissimilar likes and teams favorites. You just have to learn how far to push the issues, your opinions, and know when to say when on the opposing team bashing.

Yankees, Red Sox on any level is a great matchup. And it is especially true at the AA level, where I believe many talented organizational players reside for each MLB team. Spencer Jones, one of the top prospects for the Yankees, plays for Somerset. Kyle Teel, one of the top prospects for the Red Sox, plays for Portland. I could go on and on for each team. Each team was stacked with soon-to-be Major League caliber players. Maybe just a season or two more of games at this level, perhaps a stint in AAA, and they will printing trading cards with their names on the Major League level. It was exciting to see some names I recognized, and some I made notes of to check back in the BoSox lineup later this year or first of next year.

One familiar face in the Portland Sea Dogs dugout was North Kingstown High School (my alma mater) and Rhode Island native Chris Hess. Hess is the hitting coach of the Portland Sea Dogs. Interestingly enough, Hess was actually drafted by and played several minor league seasons for…The New York Yankees. I did a story on Chris a few years ago and I’m psyched to see him doing well in professional baseball. In a few of my photos, you can see Chris on the top steps with his tablet taking notes while the Sea Dogs are at bat. Very cool, that guy went to my high school!!!

As with all of my baseball adventures during work weeks, I have to keep an eye on the clock. So, after a few innings or so with the NJ dudes, I grabbed a hot dog and pretzel and watched one more inning from the left field concession area. I ran into the musician, Thomas Amoriello, who played the national anthem on his electric guitar to a T. Great rendition and it reminded me of when my son Spencer performed the national anthem on Opening Day way back in the day at Wickford Little League. Sounded good that day on guitar and sounded good on Tuesday when Tomas shredded it as well. Meeting Thomas and the spirit NJ Yankee fans and visiting Somerset made me a Patriots fan for sure, a Somerset Patriots fan. At least for the games when they don’t play the Sea Dogs/Red Sox players. Overall, it was an amazing Somerset baseball experience there in New Jersey and I would definitely check out another game if/when I was in the area. Plus, I know where all the great steakhouses are thanks to my Jersey buddies!!!