Old scoreboard, Porterfield Park. Orange, Virginia.
On second thought, maybe I owe the Florida Georgia Line a thank you.
(Florida Georgia Line is a country duo. And, I’ll admit I haven’t heard a single thing they’ve ever done. You might think less of me for it, but that’s where we are.)
Last night, the duo I don’t know, the Florida Alabama Line, played in Charlottesville. I’m sure they sold out the place, because apparently I’m the only one who doesn’t know a thing about them.
This would be meaningless except for this …
When bands like the Tennessee Kentucky Line play in Charlottesville, all the accessible parking for University of Virginia baseball games is taken away.
This would be meaningless except for this …
Editor/Husband (he of the broken hip/leg) is still healing and accessible parking must be, well, accessible.
When bands like the Arkansas Mississippi Line take the accessible parking away, there is no baseball for The Baseball Bloggess.
Or, is there?
Well, that’s what we missed.
While Duke was cleaning the University of Virginia’s clock 19-3 without us, we had to find some other baseball.
After all, it’s Baseball O’Clock somewhere.
Madison Mountaineers at Orange Hornets
This is Friday night high school stuff in Virginia. It’s nothing fancy. But, it’s great.
I have a massage office in Madison, my Yoga studio’s in Orange. We live in Madison County, but our mailing address is Orange.
It was my own personal grudge match.
Baseball is baseball. (Except in this high school game, players had to run out of the dugout to retrieve the foul balls, including the one that hit the car in the parking lot.)
Madison Mountaineers dugout.
This slather-your-face-in-eye-black, it’s a thing now, isn’t it?
Canon Davies pitching for Orange.
The old Orange scoreboard has given way to the new-fangled electronic one … which would occasionally confuse balls with strikes and at one point changed the 5th inning back to the 2nd.
The bullpen and fans all share the hillside.
The fella behind us told his young son this story. “I used to play here and I was here the night Rasheed Cooper hit one off the light and into the street. It rolled right into the apartment parking lot.”
There was a pause. Orange has an enormous outfield. Home runs here don’t happen often. One off the lights and into the streets? That’s one for the ages. That’s Ruthian. His son had to appreciate that his father was here. Playing. Playing the night when Rasheed Cooper clouted one clear across the street.
There was a pause. Sort of a long one. And, then his son said, “Did they keep it?”
“What?”
“Did those people get to keep the ball?”
“I don’t know.”
It was chilly last night.
And, Orange beat Madison 5-2.
The Missouri Arkansas Line could take away our parking, but they couldn’t take away our baseball.
(And, whaddaya know, UVA plays The Montana Dakota Line at games all the time. So, I’ve heard this song – known to me as that “roll the windows down” song – a zillion times. They probably played it last night … right over our empty seats.)
Photos: Madison Mountaineers at Orange Hornets, Orange, Virginia. March 24, 2017 © The Baseball Bloggess
The Baseball Bloggess 
We have a decent high school stadium for baseball here. It even has ivy (or something like ivy) growing on the outfield walls. It’s pretty dreary this time of year, but by late April adds a touch of class to the field. There are 2 dugouts, but only one clubhouse, so the visitors dress at home (or on the bus maybe). I presume the bus smells bad on the way home. Of course it smells a little bit better if they won. There are 2 coaches, one at third base and one in the dugout to keep the batting order in line and to keep the kids also in line. A player coaches first base and as a rule has no idea how. The concession stand is overpriced and the soda is warm (no beer on school property). The fans root for their own kids and few of them know how the game is played at the “inside baseball” level (Hey, this is football country). But they’re enjoying the game.
God, I love high school baseball.
Thanks for this.
v
I forgot to post one photo … there is no clubhouse for either team, so the Orange team just spreads their game jerseys on the hillside in a long, long row for the team to tug on after BP. Not sure about the price of concessions in Orange, although I did hear some complaints about the Skittles being kept in the freezer. :)
Loved this – you took me back to little league days when I did the scorecard for my dad ( the coach). I was the only one around who knew how to do it – thus drafted! Which meant I had zero time for boy watching for me – and instead had to watch the 5 years younger boys on the field. sigh But it was wonderful daughter and dad time and his birthday is this month! He has been gone 5 years plus but it is still a great memory! and since I have young 20 somethings, I know all about those border states that play in a band! Glad you made lemonade out of lemons for parking!
Thanks, Sharon … we had a good time. And, as you can see, I knew a song by the Kansas Nebraska Line all along! :)
Love that ball field in Orange. Can always tell when they’re playing a night game as the glow of the field lights is visible from my living room window a good 2 or 3 miles away from there.
But, far enough away so a foul ball doesn’t break a window! :)
There’s nothing wrong with some high school ball! I keep heckling my daughter to pick up a schedule, but she’s afraid I might be seen at the games, and it’s not cool for high school kids to have parents, ya know.
Just don’t miss next weekend when the Cards are in town. We’re a solid team, but really haven’t been tested yet. Should be a good one!
-Mike
My dad and I had a deal in high school … he would take me to all the home games (I lived on a farm, 15 miles from town, so I needed the lift from him!) and then he would sit on the other side of the court and I would sit with my friends. It worked great!
Parking is all-clear for next weekend! I was very disappointed to miss Friday’s game vs Duke … until I saw the score.
Still too cold up here on the tundra for high school baseball so this post is my vicarious thrill. But not knowing who the Utah Idaho Line are doesn’t diminish you in my eyes. Then again, my personal motto is this quote from Bob Newhart: I don’t like country music, but I don’t mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means ‘put down.’
I believe you just classed up my post with a line from Bob Newhart. Plus, you made me laugh. Excellent!
(They didn’t even have a baseball team when I was in high school in Devils Lake … I think the summer American Legion league was all that was available back then.)
Good to see you in section 106 Saturday. A Hoos sweep was great!
We love Section 106 … You have some of the sweetest seats in Davenport! Hopefully, if the Upgrade Gods are feeling generous, they’ll upgrade us back into your neighborhood again someday (we were on first-base side for Sunday’s game … which gave us a nice view of the happy Hoo’s dugout after Caleb Knight’s homer).
I got some great photos on Saturday, but not the elusive ones I sought (almost — almost — got the perfect shot of Noah Murdoch’s “spaghetti legs” when he pitches). I’m due for a Hoo’s photo post on here, but haven’t found the words to wrap around the photos. Yet. :)