McCoy Stadium is home of the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston’s AAA affiliate. The cozy stadium seats over ten-thousand fans, and the game I went to held about that many. There is no clear line where the New York sports alliance ends, and the Red Sox Nation begins. Inching their way towards that line come the PawSox. Like the Fenway Faithful, fans flock to see their minor league team.

The Stadium: McCoy Stadium itself is a homely little ballpark, a green-grassed oasis in the middle of a city-meets-suburbia landscape. Free parking and a ton of signs make the stadium easy to get to, and easy to get out of. The seats were stacked on top of each other, and if you bring anything into the stadium, prepare to have even less room. Since the games are basically to a packed house, you can’t downgrade to get away from hearing other fan’s comments (like how little Jimmy is doing in school or what whacky shenanigans Bruno’s neighbors are up to). In rightfield, there was a small bleacher section. In leftfield, there was a small hill where fans set up blankets and enjoyed the game while dining on the finest of picnic cuisine.

Outside of the stadium was a really great display of all the AAA team jerseys within Pawtucket’s division (which include the Norfolk Tides and the Columbus Clippers, the two New York AAA affiliates). Each team had its own showcase, displaying the team’s jersey, hat, and different views of the stadium. The displays also had some general information about the stadium’s history and the team itself. It was a great entranceway to the stadium.

The gift shop was bigger than expected, and had everything PawSox, ranging from teddy bears, to hats and jerseys, to game used bats. Stuffed on the top shelf, I even spotted a Brooklyn Cyclones hat. All items were reasonably priced, though it was hard to find "just a little something" if you didn’t want to spend the extra cash.

The Stadium Grade: B

Atmosphere: The ballpark environment was great, a small sampling of what we’d experience at Fenway the very next night. The fans were knowledgeable, recognizing key players such as former Red Sox first baseman Brian Daubach, and future catching star Kelly Shoppach. Continuing the grieving process that all Red Sox fans experience every year, almost every jersey worn had "Garciaparra", "Nomah", or number "5" on the back. Throughout the rumblings, I heard that it was some sort of bizarre protest of their resentment towards Red Sox management.

The Atmosphere Grade: A

Freebies: The first four thousand children in attendance received mini PawSox bats. Not a bad promotion, though some greedy parents promptly put them up for sale on eBay within twenty-four hours. There were no t-shirts thrown into the stands, though Paws, Pawtucket’s mascot, did toss five or six plush baseballs during the Seventh Inning Stretch. Since the PawSox pitchers struck out more than ten batters, everyone in the stadium received a coupon good for complimentary fries at any Rhode Island McDonald’s.

Throughout the season, there are several promotions per week, ranging from running the bases to pre-game autograph sessions. These promos help get even more fans into the seats.

The Freebies Grade: B+

The Scoreboard: The scoreboard and diamond-vision were located in left and rightfield, respectively. They were matching in size, which was a nice touch (though the diamond-vision was engulfed in advertisements). Both were exactly what you wanted to see; an easy scoreboard to follow, and a crisp, clear screen to follow the game on.

Between innings, the scoreboard flashed the Red Sox score. After the crowd realized that Boston was winning, they erupted in the stands, even though the game was only in the fourth inning. During a break in the action, they showed the live Red Sox/Blue Jays game on the big screen. Done for the night, Tim Wakefield was shown leaving the mound during a pitching change. The fans at McCoy Stadium stood up, giving him an ovation as if they, too, were in Toronto, right there with him.

Also between innings, they flashed the final Yankee game score. The Bronx Bombers lost, which led fans to celebrate as if they were declared Division Champions. This prompted a unison chant of "Yankees Suck!" throughout the stadium.

The Scoreboard Grade: B+

Fan Interaction: Disappointingly so, there wasn’t much fan interaction; they just supplied all the energy themselves. The organist rarely played, besides scores of games that had no effect on the PawSox, the scoreboard didn’t try to rile up the crowd, nor did any of the stadium personnel.

Fan Interaction Grade: D

Overall Experience: The overall experience of the game was a pleasant one. I expected the Red Sox crowd to be a little more rowdy, but they were classy all the way. Everyone was rooting for the good guys to win. The only problem you’ll have trying to find McCoy Stadium is trying to get your paws on tickets. Bring the whole family; you’ll have a grand ‘ole time that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. You might just see the next Nomah.

Overall Experience Grade: B

Photo by Melissa Lye.