On the Road: Perfect Strikes and Sub-tacular Views in Connecticut
To see all posts from my August 29, 2015 visit to the Connecticut Tigers (this is Part Two) click HERE. To see all of the posts from my August/September 2015 trip through New England, click HERE. To see ALL of my “On the Road” posts (going back to 2010), click HERE.
2015 “On the Road” landing page HERE!
Part One of this Connecticut Tigers blog series left us in the home dugout, as a “Happy” dance party came to a premature conclusion. But there was no reason for disappointment, as the highlight of the evening was soon to come.
I am talking, of course, about me throwing out the game’s ceremonial first pitch. I displayed perfect form, as always, and threw a perfect strike.
As always.
The pregame festivities then continued apace, as my security detail rushed me out of the ballpark and into this “General Dynamics Electric Boat.”
General Dynamics is a massive global aerospace and defense company whose electric boat division (or sub division, if you will) is headquartered in nearby Groton. The United States Coast Guard Academy, meanwhile, is located in New London. This thriving sub culture motivated the names of the Tigers’ predecessors at Dodd Stadium: The Norwich Navigators (1995-2005) and Connecticut Defenders (2006-09).
The electric boat seen in the photo above is a Class A Short Season-sized approximation of the Major League aquatic war machines made by General Dynamics. The Tigers’ version is attached to a trailer, used on land and accommodates just one person. This person is tasked with throwing t-shirts to the crowd, and on this evening that person was me.
Getting into the electric boat is no easy task, as it involves crawling underneath it and then climbing up within. Once ensconced, I snapped this photo of my chauffeurs (one of whom was snapping a photo of me).
But it wasn’t yet t-shirt time. First, the electric boat was parked in the outfield during the singing of our National Anthem. This was the view.
While parked in the outfield, I had this unfortunate Tiger in my crosshairs.
And now, a sub tweet.
The situation right now in Norwich https://t.co/obrqfPOWDg
— Benjamin Hill (@bensbiz) August 29, 2015
Finally, it was time to display my sub dominance.
A Me-Boat, not a U-Boat.
Once the sub was off of the field, the game began. I spent the remainder of the evening’s daylight hours gallivanting about with my designated eater (you know, the individual who consumes the ballpark cuisine that my gluten-free diet prohibits). Following standard operating procedure, that will be documented in the next post.
I then spent a couple of innings with Glenn Carberry, the man for whom the concourse is named.
So why is the concourse named after Carberry? It’s an interesting story.
Finally, it was wanderin’ time. Berm to the left of me.
Bushes to the right.
Here I am, making my Groundbreaking and Subversive Ballpark Joke of the Day.
Your groundbreaking and subversive ballpark joke of the day, Connecticut Tigers https://t.co/HN6hgkMikf
— Benjamin Hill (@bensbiz) August 30, 2015
I then became enamored and maybe a little obsessed with the name of this business. Paquette Electric. It’s just fun to say. It rolls right off the tongue.
I took it upon myself to write Paquette Electric a slogan:
Translated:
My ode to a @thecttigers ballpark sponsor https://t.co/q2UYBA6GON
— Benjamin Hill (@bensbiz) August 30, 2015
Oh, right. There was a game going on. It was now in the 10th inning.
The Spinners had scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning to take a 4-1 lead, but the Tigers weren’t about to go gently into that Norwich night. They scored two runs in the bottom of the 10th, at which point they had runners at the corners and one out. You won’t believe what happened next:
6-4-3 double play. Game over. Lowell wins.
In what was certainly a rarity, especially on a Saturday night, there were no post-game activities. No fireworks. No launch-a-ball. No kids-run-the-bases. No scout campover. No live band on the party deck. No nothing. I found it kind of refreshing.
Therefore my evening at Dodd Stadium was complete. I had followed these simple rules, and everything worked out just fine.
Words to live by:
—
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
instagram.com/thebensbiz
Ben's Biz Blog 
Me-Boat. Cute.