| 10 August 2011
Over the last few weeks, Red Sox minor league pitcher has been keeping a diary for Aaron Torres Sports about life in the minor leagues. He has discussed getting drafted, moving from starter to the bullpen and life on the road as a professional baseball player.
Being from California, this is Mike's first extended time in the Northeast. And today, he discusses his favorite cities and experiences so far.
Location, Location, Location...
There are an extremely diverse number of cities and venues within the New York Penn League. From Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY to Burlington, VT there are a large diversity of baseball communities we travel to and play in front of.
The Spinners are in an old mill town about 30 miles north of Boston. It has a lot of history in the textile business, hence the name the "Spinners" and a very interesting background. It is a very blue collar community and has fallen on some tough economic times in the years since World War II. Lowell is a wondeful town, full of history dating back to before the American Revolution but really coming to life at the start of the 19th century with the harvesting of cotton and production into textiles in cities like Lowell. The use of the Merrimack River through canals allowed for hydroelectric power to help power large factories and generate a major textile industry in Lowell. This creates a very down to earth and blue collar city as well as fan base.
In high population areas like Brooklyn, the fan base and city are far different. There is a wide combination of fans, everything from vacationers and tourists to regulars and Mets fans that don't want to head to Queens. It is amazing to see the vast range of people who came to the three games there. While it is still baseball, we heard a rap concert performance before our game, the ballparks music during warm ups and thousands of people screaming at Coney Island. It was quite the site to see and helped us realize why New York is the city that never sleeps.
The opposite is cities like Burlington. A much smaller population in a far more rural area of the United States. The folks who live there see snow six months out of the year and clear blue skies for only about four. I really enjoyed the slower pace of life, yet the people had an energy about them that was fun to watch. I saw many people out and active due to the improved weather, enjoying the sunshine.
All in all, my experience throughout the New York- Penn League and in the Northeast has been amazing. The quick paced lifestyle of New York to the casual slower lifestyle fo Burlington, both have wonderful attributes and an unforgettable two months. I'm looking forward to the rest of the cities I get to visit and finishing the rest of the season strong.
Michael
For updates on all Mike's journal entries, be sure to follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres or Facebook.com/AaronTorresSports
