Others are memorable because they're complete train wrecks.
Friday night at ONT Field was definitely the latter.
It was my third visit to the new ballpark in Ontario and, by coincidence, my second straight Friday watching the Fresno Grizzlies. Exactly one week earlier, I'd watched them in Fresno against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. This week, they came south and absolutely dismantled the hometown Ontario Tower Buzzers, 17-2.
The game was effectively over before many fans had finished their first hot dog.
Ontario's starter couldn't locate the strike zone. Walks piled up. Runs piled up even faster. Before long the Grizzlies had turned the first inning into batting practice, and the Buzzers spent the rest of the evening trying to survive.
Fortunately, there was plenty happening besides baseball.
Disney Princess Night
The evening was Disney Princess Night.
A couple dozen little girls wandered the concourse dressed as Cinderella, Belle, Elsa, Ariel, and a handful of other Disney princesses. Between innings the stadium speakers were filled with familiar Disney songs, giving the ballpark a lighthearted atmosphere that contrasted sharply with what was happening on the field.
The organist, however, stole the show.
As the Grizzlies casually marched across Ontario's pitching staff, the familiar notes of The Bare Necessities from The Jungle Book floated through the stadium.
Immediately my mind pictured Baloo, the easygoing bear wandering through the jungle with Mowgli, singing about life's simple pleasures while effortlessly brushing aside every obstacle in his path.
That was Fresno.
They weren't grinding out runs.
They weren't struggling.
They simply wandered through the Buzzers' pitching staff as casually as Baloo wandered through the jungle.
Whether the organist intended the joke or not, the music became the soundtrack to the game. Every base hit seemed to fit the rhythm. Every run seemed to arrive with the same relaxed confidence as the bear strolling through the jungle.
I found myself laughing.
Later, Chim Chim Cher-ee began playing. Just as the song reached the lyric about "a kiss for luck," Fresno launched a three-run home run.
Again, perfect timing.
One selection, though, left me completely puzzled. During a matchup between two players with Hispanic surnames, the organ suddenly launched into The Ballad of Davy Crockett.
My immediate thought was, "Wasn't Davy Crockett killed at the Alamo?"
Sometimes baseball produces comedy completely by accident.
"We Want Fireworks!"
By the ninth inning, everyone knew the outcome.
Normally, late in a close game, the crowd begins chanting, "Let's go Buzzers!"
Not this night.
Instead, one section started chanting,
"We want fireworks!"
They weren't asking for a comeback.
They simply wanted the game to end.
The chant became loud enough that the Buzzers' mascot eventually wandered over carrying a whiteboard, apparently trying to distract the crowd before the chant spread any farther.
It was wonderfully minor league.
No television broadcast could ever capture that moment.
Flight Club
For this game I decided to splurge on the Flight Club Lounge.
At roughly $130 after fees, it isn't inexpensive. It's about what I'd spend for a lower-end Dodger ticket.
The difference?
Instead of fighting Los Angeles traffic for ninety minutes, Ontario is only thirty minutes from home.
Parking is easy.
Getting into the stadium is easy.
Everything is easy.
The seat itself may have been the best baseball seat I've ever had.
Positioned almost directly behind home plate and elevated just enough, I could see every inch of the field. Every defensive alignment. Every cutoff man. Every shift. Both dugouts were in plain view, and nothing obstructed the sightlines.
It felt like watching baseball from the command post.
Being that close also meant hearing the game.
At one point the Ontario manager came out arguing because his batter wasn't looking at the pitcher before stepping into the box. From my seat, every word was perfectly audible.
That's something television simply cannot duplicate.
The lounge itself is modern, spacious, and air-conditioned.
Compared with Fresno's Kodiak Club, I'd give the edge to Ontario.
The buffet was better.
The desserts were noticeably better.
The lounge was less crowded.
Soft drinks and bottled water were included, although alcohol still required purchasing separately.
One unexpected surprise was running into the assistant city manager from San Dimas, who happened to be there with his wife.
It's always funny discovering how small Southern California really is.
Was It Worth It?
Yes.
Would I do it again?
Probably not.
Not because it wasn't enjoyable.
It was.
The game started in nearly 100-degree weather, but those seats remained shaded throughout the evening, and by the final out the temperature had dropped into the low 80s.
Still, I found myself thinking I'd rather buy a good $45 seat and spend another $40 or $50 on food.
The Flight Club is excellent.
I'm simply not convinced it's eighty dollars better.
Faith Night
The evening also happened to be the Tower Buzzers' first annual Faith Night.
Beyond center field sits the airport-themed Baggage Claim entertainment area, where live bands perform before and during games.
Last time I visited, it featured an outstanding 1980s cover band.
This time, two different church worship groups played Christian rock throughout the evening.
On the video board, several Los Angeles Dodgers players shared how faith had influenced both their careers and their lives.
The commemorative jersey reflected the evening's theme as well, incorporating a cross draped with a red cloth into the familiar ONT logo.
No commentary necessary.
It simply reflected the organization's chosen theme for the night.
Saving the Best for Last
If the baseball was forgettable, the fireworks certainly weren't.
The moment the final out mercifully arrived, the lights dimmed and the sky beyond left field exploded into one of the finest fireworks displays I've seen in years.
The show was synchronized to Disney music, including Friend Like Me from Aladdin.
It was colorful.
It was loud.
It was beautifully choreographed.
And after nearly three hours of watching the Grizzlies dismantle the Buzzers, it was exactly the ending everyone had been chanting for.
Why I Keep Going
Ontario committed three errors.
Honestly, generous scorekeeping probably prevented a couple more.
They couldn't pitch.
They couldn't hit.
They couldn't stop Fresno's offense.
Yet none of that is why I'll remember the evening.
I'll remember the Disney songs that accidentally narrated a blowout.
I'll remember an entire section chanting for fireworks instead of runs.
I'll remember hearing managers argue with umpires from behind home plate.
I'll remember the little girls dressed as princesses, the Christian rock drifting in from beyond center field, and a ballpark comfortable enough to make you forget the thermometer still read one hundred degrees.
Minor league baseball isn't polished.
It's authentic.
It's close enough to hear the game, smell the grass, and become part of the evening instead of simply watching it.
Even after a 17-2 beating, I drove home smiling.
Sometimes the score isn't the story.
Sometimes the experience is.
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