Now, before I get into the game, I have a correction. In my post about Phil Hughes last night I incorrectly identified the Syracuse affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays as the Sky Chiefs.  Though they were once known as that, they now go only by the moniker of Chief, that correction comes to me from Paul, a new reader and fan I met at the game yesterday!  Thanks Paul, never hesitate to call me on my errors.  I have to also say have been to games in Syracuse before, but it has been a couple of years, and then they were the Sky Chiefs, so I just plain didn’t notice the change.  the change I did notice is a big one.  This year the Syracuse franchise played on real grass, as opposed to the turf carpeting it had had for many years.  Since Toronto plays on turf, it made sense for their AAA team to get used to playing on it as well.  With so many teams though leaving that awful green carpet behind, and with the Blue Jays having installed “Field Turf” - which simulates grass more effectively- it makes sense that the Chiefs also did away with the old astroturf.  Here is a shot of the Chiefs stadium as you enter through the main gate.  I should say though, that entrance sends you up a steep set of steps, so I am doubtful how many actually come through that way.

Home of the Syracuse Chiefs

Now, its been a few months since I have done 3 games in 2 days, and I sort of dreaded the plan when I put it together, but on this beautiful day for a game, I was so happy to be in a ballpark.  You might have to love baseball as much as do to be that happy to be in Alliance Bank Stadium.  It is big, and overall quite comfortable, but really it lacks any warmth.  The food choices are pretty standard fare, though they do have an Angus steak concession, and Edy’s ice cream.  It is an affordable game, with tickets actually $1 cheaper than at Rochester, but the amenities inside are minimal.  That doesn’t mean that the fans don’t love their Chiefs though.  The Syracuse area encompasses fans of the Blue Jays, the Yankees and the Mets with a few Red Sox fans thrown in.  On this day, with the Chiefs hosting the Scranton Wilkes-Baree Yankees– the Bombers AAA affiliate, the Yankee fans were out in full force.  Both teams, in fact, had big leaguers making rehab starts going, and will so many players from both teams having recently been in the big leagues, this really was more of a bad Major League game then a good Minor League one.  Both teams had several members who signed autographs before the game, however, which may not be as big league as you would want.  Shaun Marcum started for the Chiefs and Phil Hughes for the Yankees  and all the fans were into the game.  As I mentioned in the write up about the RedWings, there are fans who are into a game that they detract from the experience.  Well, when the game got underway, I thought one of those was present.  He was a man, say late 30’s who started yelling at the opposing players and cheering for his guys so loud he could be heard in the furthest reaches of the park.  I was thankful that I wasn’t sitting anywhere nearby.  Some of his rants were funny, and I wondered many times if Phil Hughes could hear him, as he really was often the lone voice in the stands.  Apparently though, from talking to other fans in the stands, this character is truly a good guy, collecting balls before the game from players and distributing them to the kids.  He also keeps the K’s marked as he paces the front of his section 200 seats.  In such a peaceful setting, his fanaticism was remarkable, and beautiful.  The Chiefs players probably don’t experience that much passion from those in the stands too often.  Anyway, the game was great, with Phil Hughes pitching lights out.  The AAA Blue Jays looked very overmatched in their plate appearances.  Here is an early shot of Phil.

Phil Hughes

I heard one fan sitting behind me, when he heard who was pitching for the Yanks, say “No wonder we look a little overmatched.”  And though Shaun Marcum pitched quite well, a little sloppy defense put him down 2-1 in the early innings.  Once the starters both left, it became anyones game, and in the end the Chiefs came away with the win.

On an unrelated note, I am starting a pool on when Shelley Duncan’s affiliation with the Yankee organization will come to an end.  He looked overmatched at the plate and in the field, and he didn’t even seem to take it too seriously. Well, enough for today.  I’m off to Oneonta, so look for another minor league report tomorrow.  Hopefully, we can also take a little look around baseball and catch up after my weekend away from the all the news reports.