BALLPARK ADVENTURES
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OUR ADVENTURES

8/16/2020 0 Comments

Our Fantastic Face

Once baseball was finally approved to begin the 2020 season, the Chicago White Sox (along with several other MLB teams) offered a chance for fans to purchase a cardboard cutout of themselves to be placed in the stands for the team's home games. 

We decided to buy one! At first, it was only going to be for the team's opening homestand, but the cutouts have been such a hit that they'll remain up all season!

Our "fantastic face" is located above the visitors dugout. We caught a glimpse of Matt sporting his Kannapolis Cannon Ballers T-Shirt and his Charlotte Knights cap (both MiLB White Sox affiliates) in the screenshot below after Eloy Jimenez hit a homer during the opening series! 

He's the guy screaming/cheering under the "Sports Chicago" logo in the upper right corner...
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You can also see him in this video posted by the White Sox
​(he's visible around the 30 second mark). 
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Here's the photo we submitted so you know what you're looking for...
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5/24/2020 1 Comment

Back to the Park

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

With government restrictions easing, more places to “hang out” are reopening. This includes Atrium Heath Ballpark, the shiny, brand new stadium in Kannapolis, NC. When minor league baseball resumes (probably in 2021) this will be home to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
Cannon Ballers
While 75% of our Ballpark Adventures crew is still not ready to immerse into this new world, I HAD TO GO. Leaving the family behind I went to investigate the finished product of what was to be our home away from home. We were going to be less adventurous this year and base our summer plans around what was supposed to be a special time in a special place. We had decided to purchase season tickets and be a part of the Cannon Ballers and Atrium Health Ballpark from day one.

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Plans certainly change. Baseball is still nowhere to be found. However, more and more franchises have found ways to attempt to be profitable while not actually hosting a sporting event. The city of Kannapolis is no different with their new park.
Kannapolis NC
Atrium Health Ballpark was set to host its first game on April 16. The park is ready to go and is sure to be a showplace. With the city of Kannapolis using this as the cornerstone for downtown revitalization, the park is a major source of pride. Considered a public park, the gates are open and anyone can walk the concourse just as you could any city walkway.
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​Now to the business. The team store is open and full of great choices. The team’s new color scheme speaks loudly to anybody proud to be American. Red, white, and blue make for great looking T-shirts, caps, and other souvenirs. Make sure to stop in the Cannon City Supply Co. to pick up some of the best looking gear in minor league baseball. 

​As for the main attraction: come enjoy a meal of your favorite ballpark food. Basket choices offer hamburger, hot dog, or chicken tenders with fries, cookie and a drink. I chose to eat a chicken tender basket while sitting in my season ticket seats. I looked out at the beautiful field and dreamed of better days ahead of enjoying a game with my wonderful family. 
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Even since my visit early Friday afternoon (2 days ago), more government restrictions have eased and more and more options are available at the park. While not yet pouring draft, several canned beers are available, including Baller Beer made by local Cabbarus Brewing Co. The team also opened a Nacho/Taco Bar that sells a range from taco salad bowls down to your basic chili/cheese nachos. This will surely ruin my good diet in the coming weeks.
If you’re anywhere near the area make time to visit the Cannon Ballers. Buy some merchandise and have a meal outdoors. Enjoy the beauty of the stadium and take the opportunity to reflect on all in which you are blessed. Also, a special thank you to Kannapolis for allowing me to have a small piece of my normal life. It is very appreciated. 

Enjoy more of my day with the Cannon Ballers.
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12/1/2019 0 Comments

2019 Year In Review

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR
Attending over 20 ballgames and visiting 16 ballparks in 2019... we had quite an ADVENTURE this season. Take a moment to read our 2019 Year in Review!

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10/22/2019 0 Comments

Intimidators Last Day

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

Kannapolis Intimidators
For one more day, there is a minor league team that goes by the name of the Kannapolis Intimidators. For one more day, the team bought by the late Dale Earnhardt will sport his nickname as their own. (Interesting Fact: Dale died at Daytona about six weeks before a game was played as the KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS). For one more day, those two words synonymous with one another actually go together.

Tomorrow starts a new day and a new era. Change is inevitable and it’s time for a fresh start. On my grandmother’s 91st birthday, the Kannapolis minor league baseball team rebrands with a new name they will adopt in conjunction with opening a new stadium for the 2020 season. As always, we are curious to see the logos, uniforms, and even the mascot. We are very hopeful that all these factors could make this our new home ballpark. We love the small town atmosphere Kannapolis has always offered and are optimistic the infrastructure will be in place to make the new ballpark a wonderful BALLPARK ADVENTURE.


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8/26/2019 0 Comments

Bulls and Hoppers Weekend

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

— DURHAM BULLS --

Although major division rivals of our Charlotte Knights, we like to make a yearly check in at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP). This visit we scheduled as an overnight so we had time allowed to check out the town around the ballpark.
DBAP
​First off, I want to point you to Tobacco Road Sports Cafe. Tobacco Road is a pregame destination for many Bulls fans and you can actually enter the stadium for the game from the patio of the restaurant. We visited Tobacco Road three times during our short time in Durham. Tobacco Road appeared to be the only LATE NIGHT eatery open after the game in the immediate area around the park. The premium sandwiches offered at GREAT prices made this a great value well beyond expected for this upscale casual sports bar.

During our extra time in Durham, we explored the former industrial area. The AREA is dubbed Tobacco Road for a reason. Several brands of tobacco had factories just past the park into the downtown. You can essentially turn and look and see buildings for several different tobacco companies, including “Bull” Durham.

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8/2/2019 1 Comment

Chicago Cross Town Series

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

The time had finally come for the main event of Ballpark Adventures’ big summer trip. The South Siders were coming across town to Wrigley as the Cubs were hosting the White Sox; our two favorite organizations going to battle for city supremacy. Our anticipation was at record high.
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While we considered visiting other attractions in the morning, we decided to rest up during the early portion of the day to make sure we were at our best for the evening. Game time was 7:05 with gates at 5:00; however by 4:00 we returned to an already busy Gallagher Way! We didn’t want to miss any of the experience. The party had started more than three hours before first pitch. 

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7/26/2019 0 Comments

Wrigley Field Tour

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

Chicago got really real on the early morning of June 17. This was the main “site seeing” day of our time in the Windy City. We had plans later that day to see the Art Institute and take a Chicago River/Lake Michigan architectural boat tour. The morning, however, started with a tour of “The Friendly Confines” of Wrigley Field.
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Gallagher Way entrance
Gallagher Way entrance

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7/12/2019 0 Comments

THEIR FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE GAME

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

The point of our big summer trip was to treat my baseball fan babies to their first major league game. It’s a long story that started with Katelyn telling someone who offered to take her to an Atlanta Braves game last summer, “I think Matt would rather take us.” We decided to make it a double and visit Chicago.

A treat for them and a treat for me as a step dad was to spend Father’s Day afternoon at a Major League Park: Guaranteed Rate Field as the White Sox hosted the New York Yankees. One big reason to get to Chicago was to see the players we had seen as White Sox minor leaguers passing through North Carolina (Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Kannapolis).
White Sox Stadium
Guaranteed Rate Field
White Sox Game

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6/9/2019 0 Comments

2019 BIG ADVENTURE

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

We finally made it. For us, the school year ended last Friday, June 7. Colin had his fifth grade promotion ceremony which was the official culmination of the year. Now we can start packing for OUR BIG TRIP. 

This trip is so awesome that I’ve been afraid to publicly mention it. Any baseball person is superstitious by nature. Like a pitcher throwing a no hitter, never mention the no hitter in the dugout. It’s bad luck. But here we are, it's close enough.

The ultimate goal is to get to CHICAGO. Very close to home, we have three White Sox affiliates (Knights, Dash, Intimidators). Within four hours of home we have two Cubs affiliates (Smokies, Pelicans). We love them all. As much as North Carolina is billed as part of “Braves Country”, maybe we are really an extension of Chicagoland. Anybody in the area with knowledge of minor league baseball will understand what I mean.

The easy route would be to fly to Chicago, but we would rather get in the car and see what else we can along the way. My wife, Rebecca, who SHOULD BE a travel agent, and I sat down and looked at the Chicago MLB schedules and lucked into a dream scenario. The rest of the adventure is just icing on the cake. 

Here’s a schedule of Ballpark Adventures in the ten days ahead...
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5/31/2019 0 Comments

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2019

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

A weekend with no baseball to umpire at home, so what do you we do? We see what makes the best quick baseball road trip, of course! We looked for a multiple site stop within comfortable driving distance. This is harder than it seems as minor league schedules rarely have “next door neighbors” playing at home at the same time. 

​Surprisingly we ended up with three options from which to choose. With the quality of baseball on similar par, we had to look for other factors in making our decision. The single greatest aspect that clinched the decision was a very affordable hotel within walking distance of the stadium. This would allow us to base there for two nights and really relax at the game. By happenstance, this team was also hosting a single ticket double header on Saturday. The winner was a return trip to SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina. 

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