BASEBALL is coming soon!
Yesterday, Mike and I went to an event at McCoy Stadium, the PawSox ballpark down in Rhode Island. It was sort of a preview as to what to expect for the 2010 season…the new PawSox manager was there, as were several top prospects. And so were the team mascots, Paws and Sox, who were posing for pics with fans. It was a nice time, and we got to see parts of McCoy Stadium that we’d normally not get to see. We saw the player clubhouses…the picture here was taken in the visiting team clubhouse. And now, if he wants to, Mike can say that he got to pee in a urinal that was also peed in by many players who have since gone on to the big time! We also got to see what it looks like to watch a game from one of the luxury suites…not that we’ll ever do this on our own. But I did come away wishing, for the umptillionth time, that Mike’s employer, which is based in Rhode Island, would hold the summer company party at McCoy, rather than some hoity-toity restaurant. Then, maybe we’d actually go to it!
If I had a job as a business plan writer, I’d want to suggest that ALL businesses take their employees to the ballpark for a summer party outing, rather than some fancy restaurant. It’s MUCH less expensive, and more people would probably enjoy it. At least I think so!
Although they had some free food at the event, it was just hot dogs, chips, and soda. It was still early, and a beautiful day, so we decided to drive to Middletown, which is near Newport, RI, and go to the Coddington Brewing Company for a full meal and a couple of pints.
I find it kind of cool that the place was named after this dude, William Coddington, who was the first governor of Rhode Island. He was a Quaker and did not approve of drinking alcohol. I wonder if the owner of the place knew this when he founded the company and named it. If he did, he certainly has a good sense of humor!
In any case, they have good beer and good food. Mike and I both went for the chicken pot pie lunch special. It was HUGE, but yummie; I wonder how big it would be if it were a dinner-sized portion.
There’s a Navy base across the road from the brewpub. It is famous for being a place where Mike was stationed years ago, long before I met him. During his time there, he got drunk, so drunk that he wandered the streets of Middletown, and got arrested for knocking on some stranger’s door in the middle of the night. The cops threw him in the drunk tank for the night, and released him to the custody of his commanding officer in the morning. Said commanding officer then restricted Mike to the ship for the rest of his stay in the Ocean State.
No, he did NOT get drunk at the Coddington Brewery; it wasn’t there back then. It was at some bowling alley on the Navy base.
It was a nice day, and so nice to be in a ballpark again, even if there wasn’t a game going on!
