"Vantage Points"

Hey everybody, sorry to have been so tardy in getting my latest entry in - but with the team firmly entrenched in the state of Oregon, I suddenly find myself with plenty of time to get caught up on the website. Right out of the gate, let's get the bad stuff out of the way. The boys are struggling through a losing streak that currently sits at six games. In five of those games, the Canadians have brought the tying run to the plate in the last inning and just can't seem to find that one big hit that gets them over the hump. In a 76-game season, every team goes through moments like this, where no matter what they do, they are always just a run or a hit short of finding their way back into the win column. I refuse to be the guy that kicks a horse when they are down, so I simply hope that by the next time I put together a blog entry that we have found our way and are back on track. When you are on the road as much as I am, you really do begin to notice some of the 'little' things that make up minor league baseball. For one, we in Vancouver are very fortunate to have such a beautiful park to play in. Nat Bailey Stadium is closing in on 60 years, but the way owners Jake, Jeff and Andy have worked and committed to re-vitalizing the ol' boy - it is something to truly be proud of. In Salem-Keizer for instance, the park I sit in as I write this I see some things that really hurt the over all fan experience. For instance, just beyond the right field fence here at Volcanoes Stadium, Interstate 5 has truck after truck speed by creating enough noise that you can hardly hear the ball come off of the bat! For a right fielder or center fielder, this has become a legitimate problem defensively as sometimes you use the sense of sound to dictate if the ball has been hit hard or if it is destined to become a bloop hit. It's a small thing that is really out of everyone's control here as the park isn't going anywhere nor is the interstate, but it makes me realize how wonderful Nat Bailey Stadium's backdrop is with lush Queen Elizabeth Park keeping the stadium tucked away from the realities of the city. The food has been decent on the road this season. I have loved Yakima's Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich with enough meat and gooey cheese to make Rocky Balboa and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air proud... The bun they throw that sandwich on is one of the best in the league as well. Boise had a really great pulled pork sandwich with was a nice break from an otherwise average menu. Salem-Keizer has a Volcano Burger which should come with a pocket defibrillator as it is a whopping double patty burger with a thick handful of pastrami to top it off. Its a pricy burger at 8.95, but at the end of it (yes, I ate the whole thing), you either need a nap or a ticket for the seat beside you as you feel like you are about to explode. Vancouver's food is very good, but what I think keeps us right at the top is the diversity that we offer at the ballpark. I can have sushi, bratwurst, a Nathan's hot dog or a number of other great items and this season, the Canadians in partnership with Aramark have done a very nice job. Every park I have been to this season has had a mascot. The Yakima Bears have Boomer the Bear which is another big, friendly Bear that does a pretty nice job of keeping the crowd entertained. The only negative to an otherwise cool mascot is that Boomer's eyes look like he's about 10 seconds from falling asleep and that lazy look is both humourous and somewhat odd. The Boise Hawk is almost exactly that as its basically a man with a bird head on. What more can I say. Salem-Keizer has a mascot that should come with a PG-13 rating as its a dragon / slash swamp creature that has a baseball head and fire red eyes. My high-light of the trip is sitting with my girlfriend Annie during the night of the power outage back in Vancouver which meant we couldn't broadcast the game... So I sat in the stands with her and watched as a father that looked right out of the "Wonder Years' came up with his son (about 5 years old) crying and yelling in absolute fear. The dad went up to 'Crater' the Volcanoes Mascot (great name) and asked if he could take his mask off and show his son that he was just a person and not 'a hellish mascot that has his kid scared to death'. Yeah, I laughed, moreso at the old school father trying to toughen up his kid. But afterwards, Crater's look made me really appreciate the lengths the Canadians went to find a loving, baseball friendly mascot in Bob Brown Bear. BBB has been a welcome addition to the ballpark out at Nat Bailey Stadium, and having sized up the competition so far, I don't think I am a homer in saying the C's hit a homer. I'll add pictures to this entry once I get back to Vancouver - in the meantime, let's all hope the C's return to Nat Bailey with a little more luck then what they are dealing with right now. It is six losses in a row, ten games below .500 and some pretty good teams on the horizon. Hang in there. Rob Fai