Fielder’s Choice
We got to see Chuckie and Buc-ee’s on a short trip last week.
Pam had arranged the brief road trip in celebration of my milestone birthday. It took us to Chattanooga, Tenn., Wednesday and Birmingham, Ala., Thursday and included trips to two minor league ball parks.
The Chattanooga Lookouts hosted the Tennessee Smokies. I actually visited the Smokies’ home ball park in Sevierville, Tenn., several years back when vacationing in the Smokies.
The crowd was small at AT&T Field in downtown Chattanooga. Pam and I had seats on the first row, near first base and the Smokies’ dugout.
As the game moved along, I suddenly noticed the name of one of the players for the Lookouts — Chuckie Robinson.
“Hey, he played at Southern Miss,” I told Pam.
I often accompanied my son Andy, a 2016 graduate of USM, to some games. Chuckie, a catcher, was one of our all-time favorite Golden Eagles.
When he got a hit and was standing on first base, I shouted “Southern Miss. Southern Miss.” He turned and game me a thumps-up.
The next couple of times he stepped up to bat, I hollered, “Let’s go Chuckie.” The Lookouts had a big night, defeating the Smokies by a 13-7 final.
Chuckie had a big night, too. He had three hits and crossed home plate four times.
As typical, the first few pitchers for both teams were throwing in the 90s. Then the Smokies were trailing by so much in the bottom of the eighth that they put a position player on the mound. He was throwing in the low 60s basically lobbing it to the plate.
There were five home runs in the game, three of those by Chattanooga.
After the game, I hung around, hoping to get to talk with Chuckie. I waited and waited. The catcher is always the last player out of the dugout.
I was about the only fan left in the stadium.
As he left the dugout and walked toward the right field area, I shouted, “Hey, Chuckie.” He walked over, and we had a good conversation about how much my son Andy and I enjoyed watching him at Southern Miss. He shook my hand and thanked me for coming. Then he was nice enough to pose with me for a “selfie.” Thursday, Pam got to make her first stop at a Buc-ee’s, located in Leeds, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham.
The enormous convenience store has a lot to take in, that’s for sure.
According to various news reports, an 80,000 square foot Buc-ee’s is being planned for Harrison County. It will be the first in Mississippi.
Thursday night, we saw the Birmingham Barons host the Montgomery Biscuits at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. This was a different type game — not as much offense — with the Barons winning 3-0.
I got a regular hot dog, and then had to have a Magic City dog, too. Baseball and hot dogs, you know, they just go together. It’s the American way.
It was certainly a 60th birthday trip I will remember and actually the first of two. Just “take me out to a ball game,” and I’m happy.