Hitting the road to Lakewood

The road to Lakewood N.J. from Hagerstown is a long one.
As in four plus hours long,but as always with Derreck and Tyler Chupak getting there is often much of the fun and the trip to the SAL All-Star game was just that-Fun.

The trip there had its travails-overpriced tolls combined with traffic backups that threatened to overheat the "Graph Mobile" as Derreck calls it added some stress,but overall,it was another great time on the road as we took our longest trip of the year.

As we traveled through Baltimore (Ugh) and saw such sights as salt piles and derelicts,we paid far more than was needed to drive on roads in three states that were not even close to being worth the coin that was paid.
I rail against the PA Turnpike often that if I have to pay to use the road then at least the road should be worth paying for and some of these roads didn't bring the "Value" that the PA Turnpike offers.

Entering Lakewood,I was surprised by one thing.
I should not have been in hindsight,yet I was.Tyler commented on the large amount of Amish walking around and upon seeing people,there was a resemblance,but it was not Amish-it was orthodox Jewish and more than I had ever seen in one place.
This makes sense as it was just the third time I had been in New Jersey and the Jewish population is quite large as you enter the New Jersey/New York area,but it was quite surprising when you aren't expecting it.

One things about Lakewood-they did a great job with their stadium,one that Hagerstown or Fredericksburg would be smart to take a look at.
Super sightlines,outfield seating and concourse,this stadium could easily be a AA ballpark with an addition of seating makes Lakewood the best low A park that I have been to personally.

The Blue Claws decided to have the SAL All-Stars sign in a signing session outside the stadium in a free session.
Derreck said had we known that,we could have saved the price of the ticket and considering the eventual result of the celebrity session that would have been a good result.
The players were sorted by team and there was no lines,a come as you know need process.
Sometimes that can be a bit sloppy,but this time it worked very well and I didn't see many problems.
There were one or two (none involving me) small encounters,but on the overall,not bad.

The biggest problem was this-the team sets were not ready to go.
We tried to purchase them and were told that they weren't ready to be sold and the team set would open later-as in 15 minutes into the players signing!
Combine that with the line of fans buying sets and it is not hyperbole to say half the session would be over before we would be able to start.
Things would work out though as we stood in front of the team shop and began to get dirty looks.
Eventually,a loud woman strutted over and proclaimed that the dirty looks were because we were "butting in front" of season ticket holders that get in early through the team shop.
We attempted to explain that we could care less about any of that and we just wanted to buy the team sets as quickly as possible,but this lady certainly was full of herself and walked us over to a team employee and smugly asked questions that were answered wrong (she insisted that the signing was inside,despite the tables and labels clearly being outside).
She walked away and I responded that's all well and good,but you didn't ask the one question that we needed answered-Why can't we buy the team sets before the signing?
She then sent us inside and said "make sure you tell them Aunt Joyce or maybe it was Ann Joy sent you".
Well,once inside no one seemed to know who either of those people were,but after a bit of questioning from Derreck and I,we were walked into the team store,where we were allowed to buy our sets.
In the meantime,those same season ticket holders are going nuts outside as they see us buying the sets and are losing their minds!
So,of course as we leave with the sets,we make sure to thank (and high five) Aunt Joyce or Ann Joy or whatever the hell her name was and then watch as the ticket holders start giving her hell as we walk away.

The session started with one problem-the Yankees and Mets players had yet to arrive and a chunk of the fans were waiting for them.
I was pretty happy as I began just picking up players because there was little to no line for many players.
To shorten the story,I got everyone that was available until the Yankees and Mets showed up on their bus.
I figured that was unlikely,but then I saw one person being quietly stopped and then standing alone.
It was Frank Viola,former Cy Young winner and Savannah/Southern Division pitching coach.
Frank was super nice,knocked out every thing that I had and even chatted a bit.
Very nice to add Viola to the collection.

What was surprising is that some of the Yankees and Mets stuck around and signed for a while anyway,which is not what I expected.
Especially nice was former Mets first rounder Brandon Nimmo,who signed for everyone that waited through two long lines and then thanked US for waiting.
Super guy and one I'll be rooting for.

Derreck and Tyler were already in the stadium as they looked at the celebrities hitting contest and they reported the mass of graphers/fans for the celebs and it didn't look too promising to get anyone.
I had cards for some of them,but considering the likelihood,time it would take and the return time on the trip home,I leaped when Derreck said about leaving then and there.
Sounded very good to me and after another trip through Lakewood,I thought of one thing-I wish some of the anti-stadium people could take a look at what a terrific stadium can do for a less than shiny town...

Editor's Note-This was a late revision upon Tyler reminding me about a funny part.
When we stopped to leave Lakewood,we needed to stop for gas and there was a person to pump.
Derreck had never had full service before and I found out later from Ryan that New Jersey has a state law against self service at a gas station,so we were treated to "Peter" and his helper,who came complete with turban,which made me wonder about some uneasy stops at this gas station for some in Lakewood.
As Tyler looked for a rest room,Derreck and I were treated to some of Peter's ramblings which included John Cena's friendship with Ryback and his views on the attributes of women's sports,which mainly revolved around Peter's enjoyment of the movement of female breasts as they played said sport.
Frankly,Peter gave me the creeps and we could not get out of there and away from Peter fast enough before he gave us more of his thoughts and credos for my taste!

After a Delaware stop at a service plaza that was as clean and crisp as I have ever seen for a bite to eat (I demurred after an attempt for a chicken sandwich was denied because Popeye's was "out of bread"),we were traveling by Aberdeen and saw a sign that read "Game in progress".
Derreck quickly got off the exit and we raced into the stadium to see the centerfielder for Hudson Valley catch a fly ball for the final out.
Derreck jumped up and down,hollering "It Counts! It Counts"!
Yes, it does as Aberdeen now gets added to the list of stadiums I've seen.
Aberdeen will be a future stop because it just looks so easy to graph there with a hotel literally across one road from the ballpark.

Two hours to go and other than a stop at High's (what a comeback that chain is suddenly making) where I found more sunflower seeds from the BIGS brand that can only be found at one place in Hagerstown featured lots of chatter.
Chatter mostly from my end as Derreck was wearing down from a long day of work,graphing and driving,but the things we do on the road....

Another great day and lots of fun,but I was a little sad when I hit the home base.
Will Hagerstown ever host such an event with the Suns? Not without a new stadium or a team and I wonder if I will ever get that chance....

Sorry this took so long,but I had so much to get down. Another post or two of shorter length is coming soon,....