There Is Jumbo- Sized Baseball Fun In Jacksonville

The AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Serve Up A Delicious Mix Of Family Frolic At The Ol' Ballpark

Friday night lights in the Deep South? Sure- but not just for football. Late September is still baseball season in the realm of the AAA Minor Leagues where member teams play 150 games per year.

The RamblinSports Caravan paused in Jacksonville Florida last weekend where we found the time to visit 121 Financial Ball Park to take in a game between the Jumbo Shrimp– affiliates of the Miami Marlins– and the Gwinnett Stripers, AAA club of the Atlanta Braves. Coincidentally, the parent clubs were also facing off this night, about 350 miles south at loanDepot Park in Miami. (On this occasion , both Florida clubs got the win over the Georgia -based teams)

Early Friday morning, I established email contact with Mr Noel Blaha, Jacksonville's Vice President of Marketing and Media.. He promptly referred me to Scott Kornberg, the team's Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. From the outset, Mr. Kornberg could not have been more accommodating. He answered myriad questions about the ballpark and the team and also offered to meet with me later that day prior to game-time. He also left a credential for me to access the press box- a nice touch indeed.

But he was possibly outdone by the club's clerk at the ticket window. Unrelated to any of my conversations with Scott, the ticket clerk asked if I was a military veteran. When I affirmed same, he produced two complimentary tickets for my wife and me, courtesy of the USO on this night, Military Appreciation Night at the Park.

It was just one example among many of the courteous and welcoming approach put forth by all of the staff we encountered that night. Impressive.

And now, for some particulars.

1) The Building

121 Financial Ballpark, built in 2003, is a handsome reddish brick facade building on a busy corner of what Jacksonvillians call the sports complex area of downtown. The stadium is convenient to the highway and there is abundant parking close by for $10 ( It's a level two- block walk to the Home Plate Gate) .

Once inside, you quickly notice the favorable sight lines . The main concourse offers an easy view of the playing field. That's no longer a rarity in sports parks, though there are still some that don't have that easy accommodation to allow the you, the fan, to keep an eye on the game as you seek merchandise or concessions. Most of the merchandise plays off of the logo– and I salute the artistry team that was somehow able to make a shrimp look snarly and menacing .

It works!

And what about those concessions?

2) The Food and Drink.

Everyone we talked to recommended one of the shrimp options on the menu. Though it felt odd to be eating a dish of the same creature as the home team's mascot, I opted for the Boom Boom Shrimp, a generous portion of fried shrimp covered with a slightly spicy peppercorn sauce. Quite tasty. The requisite standard Miller Lite made a nice pairing. The fries were decent- plus.

The prices reminded us that AAA baseball is just one rung below the Major Leagues. Domestic beer is a little pricey at $8. Local craft beers are $11. Ginny found a $2 hotdog option , which is a noteworthy bargain in today's economy.

Popcorn is five bucks and cotton candy will set you back six. And it's picky, I know– but I do have to take off a couple style points for the ballpark's menu spelling of Cracker Jack's ( the product is actually named Cracker Jack, as in the rhyme in the lyrics of baseball's most famous song, "I don't care if I never get back!")

The busy queues at the various kiosks suggested that these fans did not have a problem with the prices.

3) The Promo's--

As mentioned, this night was Military Appreciation Night. Club management chose a distinguished local family to honor. They were family members of a man who is still listed as MIA from the Vietnam War. A brief live interview was carried out with a mobile cameraman and reporter. It was well done, with appropriate detail and dignity, much to the appreciation of an attentive and grateful crowd.

On a more lighthearted note, the between- innings competitions involved two kids running a "french fry relay" for a local What-a-burger, and a couple of kids attempting to lasso a "polyp"– to play up the role of colonoscopy against colorectal cancer.

Remember these moments have to happen quickly, but not hurriedly. All things considered, these endeavors were very well done.

3) The History

Jacksonville has a long and prominent history with high profile minor league baseball. Technically, pro baseball first arrived here in 1888 when several teams began having a now- common exhibition season in the spring . In 1904 the Jacksonville Jays joined the South Atlantic League, at that time the level of Class C. Over the decades, team names have included, among others, the Jays, Tarpons, Tars , Scouts, Expos, Suns and as of 2017, the Jumbo Shrimp .

On an individual level, the local history is embraced in a more obvious way. The large support posts on the concourse level are home to poster -sized photos and details of various well-known alums of Jackonsville baseball.

Hank Aaron played here in 1953. Tom Seaver came through in 1966.

Others of more recent note include Clayton Kershaw , Randy Johnson and Larry Walker. All told, there are hundreds who have made it to The Show, and Jacksonville's proximity to the big club in Miami now makes it easy to make multiple roster moves over a short period of time.

4) The Outlook

Based on our experience on a busy Friday night, this franchise feels vibrant and robust. It is well-positioned – both physically and culturally --within a metro region that is big and growing. (The Jacksonville area has enjoyed 1.2 – 1.9 % annual growth over the past 20 years). This past February, club ownership announced the launch of a publicly funded renovation and improvement plan to the facility ( estimated at $31 million) . It will upgrade the scoreboards, add seating capacity and place storefronts at street level in right field. Without knowing all the specifics, it looks like a strong marriage of baseball club and metropolis– the kind of relationship many baseball teams would covet at any level.

5) The Ballgame

Jacksonville won on this night. They beat the visiting Gwinnett Stripers ( a type of bass found in North Georgia) by a 3-2 score in a game that was well-played. Austin Roberts got the win , with Alvarado picking up the save. The Shrimp scored twice in the bottom of the 8th to turn around a one -run deficit. The fans down close seemed familiar with the players and nuances of the contest. Many others just wanted to see the home team win.

And that was a winning plan on this Friday night in Jacksonville, especially when you consider the post-game fireworks show, a happy standard feature after Friday home games.

6) The Staff

I already mentioned the generous gentleman at the ticket office. Once I got onto the concourse, I headed upstairs per Scott's earlier instructions. A staffer named Brenda politely asked my name and my purpose. She seemed a little properly suspicious until I showed her one of my emails from Scott, at which she allowed my passage. She told me, with evident pride, that she had worked at this ballpark for nearly 20 years. She said she loved her job, working at a baseball park, though she was ready for some time away in the off-season.

I ran into Brenda again about an hour later when I stopped in at the Guest Relations office to charge my phone. The man working in that office was likewise enjoying his job, though he joked that his office location in the corner kept him from seeing the playing field. The common theme at this ballpark was straightforward– friendly people who were good at their task of helping fans enjoy the experiences they have at a Jumbo Shrimp game. Sounds simple, but that's not the case at every park you visit.

I left 121 Financial Ballpark that night thinking that I would be a frequent visitor if I lived in the area. Plenty of locals obviously feel the same way– average attendance is 4900 plus per game, for a total of over 350,000 this year.

Team owner Mr Ken Babby can be rightfully proud of his product . His stated goal from the time of his purchase of the club back in 2015 was to provide affordable family fun.

Based on our visit, I'd say Ken Babby has hit a towering home run.

Patrick Conarro

RamblinSports.com

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