To go back to a few things I wrote about yesterday, it was a transformer in Houston and not a server in Omaha that started on fire on Saturday. Regardless, each is crucial to our ability to webcast games. That’s why everyone was knocked off on Saturday, all teams had to re-route to a backup server yesterday, and today everything is back to normal.

As some of the teams continue to boost up their internet speed in the press boxes, it’s also suggested that fans do the same for the best viewing experience possible. I tried to tune into a couple games yesterday while at my sister’s place and I realized that her internet speed wasn’t strong enough to handle an uninterrupted broadcast. Some of you may be experiencing the same issue.

I was in Brainerd last night for their game against Madison. It was a 1-0 game for the majority until Madison put eight runs on the board in the 8th inning on their way to a 9-1 win.

I wrote yesterday how Saturday’s game between those two teams was called in the 7th inning due to fog. That was true, but there was a lot more to the story. Apparently there were tornado warnings in the area around gametime in addition to some rain. Fast forward to the seventh inning where the fog set in and brought visibility down near zero. Needless to say, they couldn’t play baseball in those conditions.

I was very pleasantly surprised with some of the improvements made to Stewart C. Mills Field in Brainerd since last season. Both the parking lot and the stadium concourse now have blacktop. In the past it was dirt and gravel. Both of the party decks have been upgraded. Two tiers of seating were added to the deck down the 3rd base line, which is a tremendous upgrade. That deck is open to the public and for $20 a ticket is about as good of deal as you’re going to find in baseball. It’s all you can eat and drink light and dark beer, soda, bratwursts, hot dogs, burgers with a variety of fixings, potato salad and chips. You really can’t go wrong with that deal and a truly great spot to view the game. On the 1st base line they’ve added on to the deck to provide a better viewing perspective for the fans seated in that private area. Again, great improvements, and the group rate is very competively priced.

I was in Alexandria Saturday and should’ve mentioned some of the improvements there. I spent 2002-06 with the Beetles as their radio broadcaster and Director of Media Relations so I’m very familair with Knute Nelson Memorial Park. I walked up to the gate and quickly noticed the added landscaping right in front of the park. I’m not a big landscaping guy and don’t usually get excited about these types of things, but having been to that park so many times, I really thought this was a great addition. It instantly seems more inviting and Colorful Seasons Nursery and Floral in Alexandria did a great job. The water tower that was just outside the fence in the right field corner is gone! That’s a big change and in its place is now a play area for kids. Cullen’s Home Center brought in a big activity center that should keep the restless youngsters busy for awhile. I watched a part of the game from that area and really liked the vantage point. So for a parent to hang out there for a few innings with the kids would not take away from watching the game at all. The Beetles definitely have some options with the new found space. I’ll be interested to see what else they expand to in that spot because extra space at Knute Nelson Memorial Park is hard to come by.

Curt Carstensen
Director of Operations
Northwoods League