Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
My season of ballpark travel began on the morning of April 19, when I hopped in my rather intimidating 2008 Subaru Outback and made the two-and-a-half-hour drive from Brooklyn to Reading. This Berks County locale, the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania, is home to the Reading Fightin Phils.
My first stop was actually the nearby unincorporated community of Temple, for Dream League Opening Day. This league, run by the Fightin Phils’ Baseballtown Charities, was established in 2018 "and allows those with physical and intellectual challenges the same chance to enjoy the game of baseball like so many able-bodied players do." There are approximately 170 current participants, who "play on a turf field that can accommodate wheelchairs and other assistive devices."
Opening Day, in this case, was simply a chance for everyone to gather. To have a catch, take some swings, see old friends and make new ones. Fightin Phils players were in attendance for the first hour, hobnobbing with their Dream League compatriots.
Collin Deckman, seen in the above photo, is one of many Dream League players who also work as gameday employees at the Fightin Phils' home of FirstEnergy Stadium.
Laura Boyer and Jack Callender, veteran Dream Leaguers, are in a longterm relationship. When I asked Jack how long they had been dating he pulled out an app on his phone and showed me: 18 years, six months and 30 days!
25-year-old Jonny “Home Run King” Ortiz is shown here mingling with Reading’s wildly popular Crazy Hot Dog Vendor who, as always, was riding his ostrich Rodrigo.
For more on the Dream League, check out the below. It was produced by your friend and mine Josh Jackson.
The Reading Fightin Phils reside at FirstEnergy Stadium, constructed in 1950 and now one of the oldest ballparks in the Minor Leagues. Following lunch at the Reading Farmer’s Market -- a highly recommended destination if you’re in the area -- it was time for an afternoon and evening at this historic, lively, deeply-endearing facility. (One of my all-time favorites.)
In the past, one of the more endearing aspects of FirstEnergy Stadium was hearing the click-clack of cleats on concrete as players crossed the concourse from clubhouse to dugout. This charming albeit dated pathway is no longer, as the clubhouses (and weight rooms, training rooms and hitting cages) are all encased within a massive new outfield structure.
The upper level of this gargantuan addition houses the Redner’s Event Center, open year-round. For example, earlier this month the Redner’s Event Center served as a prom venue. And like the prom held at Winston-Salem’s Truist Stadium last month, this one was purposefully scheduled during a home game.
The relocation of the clubhouses allowed the Fightin Phils to massively expand their team store to three times its previous size. Greeting fans at one of the entrances is, yes, the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor.
Despite the recent renovations, FirstEnergy Stadium retains its classic charm and then some. Even the cramped covered concourse running under the grandstand is worth celebrating, as it’s chock-a-block with photos and memorabilia from the ballpark’s long history.
It’s also where you can find Manny’s Fries, the best fries in Minor League Baseball.
Like so many ballparks from the pre-corporate naming rights era, Reading's was originally known as Municipal Stadium. It has hosted a Double-A Eastern League team for nearly every season of its existence: The Indians (1952-61), Red Sox (1963-64) and, since 1967, the Phillies (who changed their name to the Fightin Phils in 2013).
The Philadelphia-Reading affiliation is tied with Detroit-Lakeland for the longest in Minor League Baseball. The most notable Reading player to go on to Philadelphia stardom is Mike Schmidt, who started his pro career here in 1971.
Today's future Phillies heroes can be found luxuriating within the dugout's recently expanded seating area.
FirstEnergy Stadium’s biggest hero, now and possibly forever, is, you guessed it: The Crazy Hot Dog Vendor (the alter ego of former front office employee Matt Jackson). The schtick is simple and he’s been doing it for over 20 years: running onto the field following the top of the second inning, throwing hot dogs to the fans, screaming maniacally all the while. I first met him in 2010 -- on Salute to the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor Night, no less -- and got the opportunity to suit up as his assistant.
This moment, like all great moments, was later immortalized on a baseball card.
And now here I was 15 years later, ready to do it again. Ladies and gentlemen, the Crazy Hot Dog Ben-dor.
I’ll have more to share on that between-inning adventure and the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor in general. Let’s keep the focus on hot dogs.
The Fightin Phils have their share of notable concession items -- the chicken and burger combination that is the Churger comes to mind -- but they are steadfast champions of baseball’s quintessential foodstuff. They even have a Hot Dogs alternate identity; the hot dog they're specifically celebrating is a local Berks Packing dog cooked on a flattop grill.
Matt Zarzecki, my Designated Eater, was ready for some hot dogs. He, his wife, Lindsay and their 3-year-old son, Jacob, drove from Trenton, N.J. to sample the ballpark cuisine my gluten-free diet prohibits.
"It's got a nice char on it, and snaps pretty good," said Matt. "I typically wouldn’t order it with so many other options, but it’s a good dog."
Here’s another option, and a weird one.
Yes, the Roller Dog. Nothing is as it seems.
"Not bad," said Matt. "It tastes like a cheeseburger. Y'know, my brain doesn’t want to think it’s a cheeseburger. It’s a weird contradiction."
As I mentioned before, the Fightin Phils have the best fries in the Minors. Get those fries. And wash them down with a Big Straw Slushy, which 3-year-old Jacob described as "sweet" and "cold." What more could you want?
After that things get a little hazy. At one point I morphed into an inflatable German man and threw bags of pretzels to the crowd (Reading is a big pretzel town).
The Crazy Hot Dog Vendor sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" while being chauffeured.
The game ended and the front office staff had to stall for time until it got dark enough for fireworks.
Finally, it was time to say good night from Reading, Penn., a.k.a. Baseballtown.
Check out the FirstEnergy Stadium Ballpark Guide, as well as Ballpark Guides for every Minor League park, presented by Wyndham.
Thank you for reading and hope to see you at the ballpark. Get in touch anytime.