Schaumburg Boomers
The Boomers are the closest and easiest drive for me. Ticket prices are comparable to the other nearby teams, but, because the stadium shares its parking with the commuter train station, parking is free. In addition to the economic benefit, avoiding the line to pay for parking is a timesaver.
The Boomers are also unaffiliated but play in a different league from the Dogs – the Frontier League. There are two other teams in the Chicago area, teams near St. Louis, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh as well as a couple of smaller cities in the eastern portions of the Midwest. A few years ago, the league merged with another league that has teams in the New York/New Jersey area and up into Canada.
The team has had a good amount of on-field success with four league championships and a couple other trips to the finals. And they have kept up the stadium nicely (Wintrust Field). The stadium is about 20 years old and hosted a prior minor league team, the Flyers, prior to the Boomers.
By the way, the Boomers name does not call out my generation, but rather is a type of chicken.
Given the short distance, I made a couple of trips here over the month, a weeknight game and a Day Camp Game, with a brunch starting time of 11 AM.
- While I loved the 11 AM starting time, TOO MANY campers. I needed to find a quiet spot to watch the game.
- Chicken Tenders is my usual go-to ballpark food. Good tasting here, and I appreciate mayo as a dipping option, but the french fries to chicken ratio was a bit high.
- A nice variety of beers, including several that are lighter in body and alcohol – good for hot summer days and nights.
The Boomers split the two games – a blow-out loss to the Lake Erie Crushers and a blow-out win over the Florence Y’alls (really, the Y’alls).
The College World Series
As much as I like Minor League Baseball, college sports are my first love. Despite the over commercialization, the traditions and pageantry get me every time.
Our first big excursion post-retirement was to be a couple of days of the College World Series in Omaha. While I have been to the Final Four a number of times, hockey’s Frozen Four double-digit times, and a College Football Playoff game, the CWS has been on my to-do list for years.
And an ill-timed mild case of Covid ensured that it remains on my to-do list. Grr.
On a positive note, I was able to resell my tickets to cut the financial loss. As my wife pointed out, given the highly active secondary ticket market, the potential to go in future years with less pre-planning is something to consider (but SO not in my DNA!)