So I went to a Trenton Thunder game last week, fully expecting to get a dose of New Yawk atty-tude. The Thunder, you see is a AA minor-league affiliate of the New York Yankees. So I figured, maybe I would see a little bit of the Bronx right here on the shores of the Delaware River (or as New Yorkers call it, 'out in the sticks').


Well, I was disappointed. The park was fairly small (smaller than Reading, which is in the same league), comfortable and friendly. The fans were polite and restrained. The players just played (and won - unlike their major-league counterparts, the Thunder is having a great season). The parking was $2, the food was good and minor-league priced, and they even had a kid's concession stand with $2 chicken nuggets and $1 peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches.
Try getting that in NYC.
No dirt-kicking scuffles with the upmires, no bench-clearing brawls. I saw fans wearing Red Sox gear, suffering not even a hint of hostility (I wasn't so bold as to try that).


Have the Yankees fans mellowed? Or maybe I was actually sitting among Phillies and Mets fans who just wanted to come out to see a good ball game. Whatever the reason, this is no Yankee Stadium of the Sticks. It's good minor league baseball played in a cozy riverside park.


I did see one 'fan' flipping the bird from a car outside the park after the game. All was not lost.
If you want to catch a game, better do it soon. Labor Day weekend is the season finale, then the playoffs start. By late September it's all over.

- Chris Stanley