Greensboro Grasshoppers – May 10, 2023
I ended my first day in Greensboro by enjoying my view of First National Bank Field from the balcony of my room at the Hyatt Place Greensboro / Downtown.
And I’ll give you one guess about how I began my second day in town.
If you answered, “Got up at 5 a.m. and hurried to the balcony to check out the ballpark before dawn and record a time-lapse sequence,” you’d be correct.
Good news: The ballpark was still there.
Even better news: I’d be enjoying it again in just a few hours.
One of the things that I often do when planning my baseball trips is look for matinee games. A matinee game after a game the night before is a bonus, and I can then hop in the car and head to my next city — perhaps even in time for a game that same night. Make sense?
The knock on matinee games for some fans is that they’re often Education Days or Camp Days, which means that thousands of children descend on the stadium. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, though, as you’ll hopefully understand as you read this post.
I spent a bit of time sitting in the darkness of the balcony and enjoying watching the sky get bright above the ballpark. By shortly after 6 a.m., the scene looked like this:
When I’d taken an evening swim the night before, I noticed a fitness center adjacent to the pool deck, and it offered a good view of the park. Its presence prompted me to head down and start a workout at about 6:30 a.m., which was all worth it for the view I had:
After working out, I returned to the balcony to keep an eye on the field. One thing I noticed was the steady arrival of players after 8 a.m. The players’ parking lot is behind the center field fence, which means that after parking, the Greensboro players walk from center field to their dugout on the third base side. Here’s a few of them making this journey at exactly 8:17 a.m.:
Less than an hour later, the field was much livelier, as players from both teams took part in drills and meetings:
This was the type of hotel room I’d have loved to hang out in until checkout time, but with the Grasshoppers game set to begin just after 11 a.m., I also wanted to get down to the ballpark before long. So, at about 9:30 a.m., I checked out and made the short walk over to First National Bank Field. Before entering, I took a look at the four plaques that honor various parts of baseball history in the area:
The plaque on the left recognizes Joe Siddle, a native of Guilford County who played for the Negro Leagues’ Kansas City Monarchs in 1946.
The first place I visited when I entered the ballpark was the right field corner, where I spent a few quiet minutes watching the visiting Jersey Shore BlueClaws perform various drills and play catch. There’s something so peaceful about the steady popping sound of baseballs hitting gloves, which is a soundtrack I always make a point of enjoying when I’m at a ballpark:
I then followed the concourse to behind home plate, where I stood and watched the grounds crew put the finishing touches on the infield:
As I mentioned earlier, it was Education Day, and it wasn’t long before the concourse started to fill with school kids. I later learned that there were more than 5,500 second graders in attendance! Although I was eager to continue wandering around, I decided that it’d be wise to grab my meal right away. Before long, kids and teachers would be lining up at concession stands around the concourse, and I knew I wanted to avoid the crowds. My plan to eat early was both good and bad. I got my order into the queue before the concessions got too busy, but I was so early that some of the food wasn’t yet ready. I ordered a Carolina Dog — a beef hot dog topped with chili, coleslaw and onions. The concession worker said it’d be about 10 minutes, which gave me some time to continue wandering, and when I returned he handed me two of these hot dogs to compensate for the delay. This was something I hadn’t remotely anticipated, and appreciate the outstanding customer service. I ate my meal in the outfield:
The hot dogs themselves — which served as my breakfast, technically — fit into the same category as my hot dog from the night before. Fine, but not particularly memorable.
After eating, I took a spot above the home bullpen. It provides a really good view of the pitcher warming up, and I stood to watch the entirety of the bullpen session:
From this vantage point, you also have an interesting overhead view of the other pitchers as they sit in the shade and watch the action:
After the anthem, I took a spot in an empty section of the private grandstand box seating section. I wanted to stay away from the main seating bowl, as it was absolutely brimming with kids, and the box seating area still provided a good view of the action:
(Take a look at just how packed the stands are in the photo above!)
That brings me to some thoughts about Education Day promotions. It’s easy for adult baseball fans to gripe about these dates on the calendar. They’re crowded. They’re loud. The concession line-ups tend to be long. Did I mention they’re loud? I can’t deny having all of these thoughts in the past. But it’s worth thinking about what these outings mean to the students. Lots of children who attend Education Days come from families that simply don’t have the resources to attend baseball games on their own. Visiting a ballpark with a class — on top of being a way better school outing than going to a museum or art gallery — might be a child’s only chance to see live baseball. If you scan the ballpark and look at the kids, they’ve having an absolute blast eating popcorn, laughing with classmates and, yes, screaming at the tops of their lungs when the PA announcer says, “We can’t heaaaar you!” From now on, I’m going to focus on Education Days being a special memory for the kids who are involved, rather than considering my own inconveniences about crowds and line-ups.
Since my various seating options were fairly limited because of the packed house, I ended up sitting in this spot for the first few innings. Greensboro assistant GM Tim Vangel joined me at one point, and we talked baseball and I shared my many positive impressions about the ballpark.
After he headed on his way, I went up to the party deck to check out the view. I’d learned from Tim that season ticket holders give up their seats on Education Days and get to use the party deck, which I think is a cool idea. Plus, on this sunny day, the shade of the deck was probably welcome for most of the fans. Here’s the view I had from this area for half an inning:
I then took a lap of the concourse, navigating my way around the school kids but appreciating how excited most of them seemed to be about this outing. I ended up on the concourse on the first base side, where I had this view for a few minutes:
Eventually, I made my way back to the seat that I’d taken at the start of the game, where I continued watching until the sixth inning:
Although I have mixed feelings about leaving ballgames early, that’s what I did midway through the sixth — after all, another city and another ballpark were calling my name in my first one-day, two-city doubleheader since last November’s Arizona Fall League adventure.
I was sad to leave the ballpark, as well as my hotel. Both had played a huge role in my enjoyment of the first part of this baseball trip. If you’re planning to visit Greensboro for baseball, I can’t recommend the Hyatt Place Greensboro / Downtown enough. The hotel’s proximity to the ballpark and its field-facing rooms make this upscale hotel a no-brainer choice for baseball travel fans, but I discovered plenty of other reasons to visit during my stay. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast, a 24-hour gym and an outdoor pool — with a view of the ballpark, of course. I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Greensboro, but I know I’ll be staying in this hotel whenever I return.
If you’re planning a visit to Greensboro, be sure to check out the Greensboro CVB to learn everything you need to know about this city. Thanks to the Greensboro CVB for their help with my visit.
The Ballpark Guide 