You might have thought last Saturday was just another ordinary night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
If you did, you'd be wrong.
That night had many memorable moments--and many more forgettable ones. It was all you would ever want to witness at a minor league ballpark and probably more than you bargained for.
Since the previous night's game had been postponed by rain, there were five and a half more innings to be played in that game against the Frederick Keys before Saturday's planned festivities could begin. And I do mean festivities.
During the break between games, Bulls pitcher Micah Bowie was wed in front of 7,854 fans. All those fans could hear during most of the ceremony, however, were the vendors' cries of "Cotton candy!"
The rehearsal of the wedding had been completed without a hitch, but the actual ceremony left a little to be desired. Apparently all of the television cameras filming the wedding fiasco interfered with the reception of the microphone used by the minister.
And another feature of minor league ballparks--a little tackiness--was all too present at this wedding. The wedding rings could not just be carried out onto the field. No, they had to be dropped in by no fewer than four skydivers, complete with fluorescent parachutes.
The microphone finally started working at the end of the ceremony, just in time to hear the booming voice of the minister pronounce the couple husband and wife, much to the applause and amusement of the crowd.
When the couple proceeded from the mound, they passed under the crossed bats of Bowie's teammates to the waiting limousine on the left field track. After the limo carried the couple across to the right field exit, the fun was not yet over. There was still more baseball to be played.
The second game was jam packed with lots of excitement in a shortened seven-inning game. Bulls manager Matt West was ejected in the bottom of the third, after a controversial call at first base. I suppose if you're going to get thrown out of a game, you might as well give the ump an earful before you do. Well, West certainly did just that.
Then, to celebrate two back-to-back homers in the bottom of the fourth, the entire wedding party--except for the groom, who was still in the dugout--got on top of the dugouts to lead the crowd in a dance to that never-ending 70s song, "YMCA." The bride and her attendants were dancing on top of the visitors' dugout, while the groomsmen, complete with tuxedos and Bulls baseball caps, danced on top of the Bulls' dugout.
Yet what would have been even worse than having to hear "YMCA" one more time was the thought of extra innings. After the two homers in the fourth, the Bulls and the Keys were knotted at six.
Thankfully, as the night progressed, the unsung hero entered. Durham's Sean Smith came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the sixth for the Bulls with the bases loaded. Smith had not been a part of the recent franchise-record losing streak, due to a pulled hamstring. What was even stranger for Smith was that he hardly ever pinch hits.
Frederick had walked Randall Simon to load the bases. Smith came into bat and sent the ball to the center-field wall to clear the bases, giving the Bulls a 10-7 lead. Although the Keys had a single-shot homer in the top of the seventh, Durham walked away with a rare win.
I will not soon forget that night at the Bulls game. It was a classic case of minor league baseball at its best, and perhaps, also at its worst. But at least Durham won.
Allison Creekmore is a Trinity senior and sports editor of The Chronicle.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.