Well, with all of the hustle and bustle of travelling in and out of Nashville to continue my first year in the Pacific Coast League, I’ve had the marvelous opportunity of continuing to vault into new cities and see new ballparks.
The first leg of this road trip was my first ever visit to Reno, Nevada. It was two thumbs up…and more! I continue to be impressed with the West Coast ambience of seeing wonderful mountains and experiencing comfortable weather. The Sounds stayed at the Silver Legacy Hotel in downtown Reno. There are a lot going on in town while we were there from August 4th through the 7th. The city itself had what was known as “Hot August Nights”. In other words, there was a large display of vintage cars dating back to the 40′s, 50s, and 60s. I couldn’t believe how these cars were in such tip top shape. They were lined up for about four blocks around the hotel and a lot of them were for sale. Some were being sold for the same amount of a van at 2010 prices. Of course, I am not in the market for a new car, but I couldn’t help but enjoy the enormous site of these cars. I had no idea how many of these cars still existed. However, they were there and lined up. There was also a band playing and singing songs from the 1960s. I felt like I was in a time warp. People were everywhere and it was a carnival-like atmosphere.
As for the hotel itself, the rooms were nice and there were plenty of restaurants and needless to say…casinos! I am not the gambling type and didn’t bother to participate. Still, it was nice to see the hotel flooded with people who are willing to risk their money, but at least they were having a nice time.
I had a chance to walk through downtown and couldn’t get over how laid back and friendly that people really are. As far as Reno is concerned, it is not a bad place to retire and/or raise a family. I also had the pleasure of having former Sounds Radio Announcer Duncan Stewart join me in the visiting radio booth at Aces Park for one game. He had been in Nashville for many years, but decided to take the plunge and move to Reno. He and his wife, Cheryl, really have enjoyed their time in the “Biggest Little City” in the country. The day after I had Duncan in the booth, he was kind enough to invite me to lunch and he showed me around the town. There was also a running stream of water where people were swimming and rafting and he showed me the scenery. It was certainly breath-taking and I couldn’t get enough of Reno. Although I still consider my an East Coast Kid (having grown up in New York City), I couldn’t help but really enjoy Reno. I’m not sure if I will ever retire to the West Coast or what have you, but it’s nice to come back and visit once in a while. I recommend the city.
As for the four-game set against the Aces, the Sounds had no chance. They ran into a buzz-saw as the Aces swept the Sounds in four games. They just came out with guns blazing, bats swinging and swept the Sounds four straight. As for my broadcast facility, I was right below the skyboxes and just about at field level. Fans were sitting in front of me and at first, I wasn’t sure how they would react listening to me. The Aces’ booth was right next to mine. The booth was rather small and I had to leave a kickstand next to the door because if the door was shut, it would lock and the only way I can get it to open again is to have an Aces’ staff member to unlock the door or otherwise, I had to go into the stands and climb through the window into the booth (which I was able to do at one point). The Press Box was in the upper deck and down the right field line. The broadcasters were isolated away from the press box, but at least we had a speaker system where we can hear of any scoring decisions, pitching changes, etc.
Aces Park kind of reminded me of Fenway Park and they have a high wall from the left field foul pole to the batter’s eye in straightaway center. A much smaller wall was in right field with both bullpens behind a plexy glass in right field. Well, not quite completely Fenway Park, but close. Still, the view behind the netting and home plate was clear and great, although I prefer to be elevated.
Another feature at the ballpark is the “Triple Play Barbecue Sandwich”. I was determined to give it a shot. It is a humongous sandwich and it has three pieces of bread and in between, was cole slaw, barbecued brisket and pork and on top of both halves of the sandwich were meatballs held together by a skew. Somehow, I managed to eat half of the sandwich, but didn’t have time to eat most of the other half since I had to get “on the air” for the broadcast. I ate part of it afterwards, but didn’t have time since it was our last night at the ballpark. I did manage to take a picture of half the sandwich for the world to see what it looks like. If you ever go to Aces Park, I highly recommend the sandwich. You better have a big appetite and NOT eat anything else before or after the sandwich. Otherwise, you will dearly pay for it.
It’s a shame that this was our only series against the Aces and our only trip to Reno this year. It was a great one, but I wish the Sounds could have had better luck against the Aces. Oh well. Better Luck next time. I will talk about my first experience at Cashman Field coming up. Again, I hope you get to visit Reno, Nevada one of these days. The trip will be worth it!
- Posted on August 10, 2010 at 2:16 pm
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