I started by reaching out to Alex Cohen, the team's broadcasting and media relations manager, about securing a pair of tickets to the Club Level. I also got assistance from Telia Butler with the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, who helped me find a great hotel in town. I ended up staying at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, where Katie and I were upgraded to a king suite. The hotel is only a year old and featured newer design elements, and has all the amenities people expect from the Fairfield Inn brand: a great breakfast, indoor swimming pool, and gym. The next time I stay overnight in Bowling Green, I will definitely stay at this hotel.
After a trip to the Historic Railpark & Train Museum (photos can be seen on my Instagram account), Katie and I ended up exploring some of the local beer and liquor stores in town. We ultimately ate dinner at El Mazatlan, which was good, but nothing spectacular.
The following day Katie and I went to Mammoth Cave National Park, ate lunch at a Bosnian café/grocery store, and had some beers at White Squirrel Brewery. Then finally we got to the primary reason we made the trip from Nashville to Bowling Green: to watch the Hot Rods play ball.
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| Approaching the main entrance of Bowling Green Ballpark. |
I previously attended a game a Hot Rods game in 2014, and blogged about that experience (read it here). So this time I wanted to do something different, and thanks to a pair of tickets to the Club Level at Bowling Green Ballpark Katie and I got to do just that.
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| Main gate of the ballpark. |
There's a lot to explore at any ballpark, but my focus on this visit was on new additions to the stadium and specifically the Club Level. The first difference between my visits that I noticed was the starting lineups and Midwest League standings alternating on a flatscreen TV.
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| Starting lineups for the West Michigan Whitecaps and Bowling Green Hot Rods. |
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| Midwest League standings entering play on Saturday, Aug. 6. |
After taking the elevator up to the Club Level, Katie and I got to enter the Stadium Club.
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| Entrance to the Club Level. |
Upon entering the club there is a collection of home plates along the wall, which isn't unusual considering it's a baseball stadium.
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| Home plates in the Stadium Club. |
However, upon further inspection it becomes apparent that the home plates are autographed. Most of the home plates are not autographed by former players, but my notable guests or music performers who have been to the stadium. My favorite home plate was the one autographed by former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods, who was best known for his touchdown celebration: The Ickey Shuffle (see video here).
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| Home plate autographed by former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods. |
Past the home plates on the wall is the bar that serves the Stadium Club. It looks like this...
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| Main bar at the Stadium Club. |
As the photo illustrates, there is a full bar with a few beers on draft. As the craft beer scene has grown in Kentucky, I hoped you find a few on draft, but that was not the case. Instead the beers I found on tap were Michelob Ultra, Blue Moon, Bud Light, and other domestic macro beers.
While we mulled our beverage options, Katie and I went out to our seats and saw something you don't see at many Minor League stadiums: both teams in uniform in the stands. As MiLB.com's Ben Hill previously detailed (read his story here), Bowling Green sits on limestone, which makes the area susceptible to sinkholes. So when it rains the dugouts are prone to flooding, which was the case before tonight's game.
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| Bowling Green Hot Rods hanging out in the stands while water drains out of their dugout. |
While the Hot Rods hung out in the stands, the umpires had declared that the game must go on. So while sitting high above home plate I was able to capture my usual first pitch photograph.
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| Bowling Green Hot Rods starting pitcher Jose Mujica delivering the first pitch to West Michigan Whitecaps center fielder Derek Hill. |
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| View down the first base line. |
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| View down the third base line. |
There are two menus in the Stadium Club. The Club Grill Menu is what I would call the usual ballpark items with chicken tenders, a jumbo hot dog, the wings basket, and other items you'd expect to find at a baseball stadium. The Past Specials Menu is what it sounds like it would be. It is a menu featuring a variety of specials that have been available at the club such as a Meatball Sub, a Taco Bowl, and a BLT Chicken Wrap among other items.
As Katie and I wanted to eat something unique we wouldn't traditionally find at a baseball stadium, we ordered from the Past Specials Menu. We decided to split the bacon mac-n-cheese bites and the BBQ shrimp burger.
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| The BBQ shrimp burger (left) and bacon mac-n-cheese bites (right). |
Both items were undoubtedly unique, as I've never seen a BBQ shrimp burger at any baseball stadium. The bacon mac-n-cheese bites are a food item that has gained notoriety recently as people experiment with ways to macaroni and cheese, but there was a unique twist with diced jalapenos mixed in with the mac-n-cheese. Katie and I agree that we'd get both items again.
After letting our meal settle, we decided we needed something to "close our stomaches." We didn't need to explore or debate any choices, as the Hot Rods had been promoting their funnel cake fries during the MiLB Food Fight.
After finishing up the funnel cake fries, we decided to watch the remainder of the game from the field level. As we walked around the stadium, I felt obliged to take a photo of the grandstand from the outfield to provide an overall view of the ballpark.
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| A view of the grandstand from right field. |
Final Score: West Michigan 3, Bowling Green 7
Box Score
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