Friday, August 21

Welcome to the Baseball Traveler newsletter and Happy Senior Citizen Day to all who observe. From gameday employees to diehard season ticket holders, those in their golden years are a big presence at Minor League ballparks. A hearty shoutout to you all.

The Richmond Flying Squirrels are in their inaugural season at CarMax Park, located in the shadow of their former home, The Diamond. They didn’t move far, but it sure took a long time to get there. 

Travel back in time, if you will, to Sept. 23, 2009, when it was announced that the Connecticut Defenders, the Double-A San Francisco affiliate now known as the Flying Squirrels, would relocate to Richmond and play at The Diamond. The deficiencies of this aging concrete and steel behemoth had motivated its previous Minor League Baseball tenant, the Triple-A Richmond Braves, to relocate to Atlanta-area Gwinnett County the year prior. 

The Diamond stands across from CarMax Park’s outfield entrance gate.

When the relocation to Richmond was announced, Chuck Domino, then the team's chief executive officer, said, "I look forward to giving the Diamond a facelift as we re-energize fans in the short run while efforts begin to give a city with the status of Richmond what it deserves, which is the best new Minor League ballpark in America."

That predicted "short run" turned out to be anything but, an example of just how hard it can be to secure the land and funding needed to build a new ballpark while navigating bureaucratic hurdles and public input. The twists and turns involved in the process could fill a book, and maybe one day they will, but now is the time for the Flying Squirrels and their fans to celebrate. 

CarMax Park is the centerpiece of a mixed-use development project set to transform what is now known as the Diamond District, located on the edge of the city's Scott's Addition Historic District. The ballpark has the bells and whistles, proverbial and sometimes literal, that one would expect from a new Minor League facility: Top-notch player amenities, a wide 360-degree concourse, ample and often creatively designed group areas and vivid LED video boards, to name a few. 

"I think the Squirrels, above having fun every day, being different every day, we've been impactful," said Todd "Parney" Parnell, who has been with the Flying Squirrels since Day 1 and now works for the team as a "semi-retired" senior advisor. "And that ultimately was the way we could fight through 15 years of trying to get a ballpark."

The Flying Squirrels' wholesale commitment to those two adjectives, fun and impactful, is what elevates the ballpark atmosphere to elite status.

This writer was in attendance for a military appreciation promo, in which every on-field jersey featured the name of a servicemember who lost their life in the line of duty. After the game, these jerseys were presented, on the field, to the family members of these fallen heroes.

"It definitely was a labor of love leading up to it, a few late nights this week to make sure we had all the details right," said Megan Angstadt, VP of community and fan engagement. "But absolutely worth it to be a small part of those families' lives."

Director of field operations James Petrella and his team decorated the mound and batter's box accordingly.

"It goes back to when I was a kid when I loved Minor League Baseball," he said. "So if even we can make one kid notice, 'Oh, they added something cool to help tie it in.' Whether it's military night, Harry Potter night, something to add a little bit of pizazz to the field."

CarMax Park is filled with artwork dedicated to Richmond landmarks and history, baseball and otherwise. A monument in right field, for example, honors the Richmond 34.

"We started the Richmond 34 legacy campaign to honor the 34 Virginia Union students who were arrested as part of a non-violent protest at Thalhimers department store in downtown Richmond on Feb. 22, 1960," said general manager Anthony Opperman. "We retired the number 34, no Flying Squirrels player will wear it again. … This is the largest installation in Richmond that has all of the names of the 34 listed on it."

And then there's the fun. Or, as the Flying Squirrels have long spelled it in their marketing materials, FUNN (there's too much fun for one 'n' to contain, apparently). The Batter Up Brass Band provides an upbeat atmosphere, playing from a stage near the left-field foul pole. Mascots Nutzy and Nutasha make their nightly entrance in a souped-up four-wheeler. A man riding Flingo the flamingo throws hot dogs into the crowd. T-shirts are delivered via the Acornator, a tricked-out vehicle mounted with cannons.

"We were just trying to figure out how we can get everybody involved with a 360-degree concourse," said chief operating officer Ben Rothrock, Acornator mastermind. "We didn’t want to leave people high and dry with a normal T-shirt toss."

Richmond fans, meanwhile, are among the most engaged and enthusiastic in all of Minor League Baseball. They arrive in large numbers, pay attention to the game and sing along to the seventh-inning stretch with a fervor rarely seen at Minor League games.

"CarMax Park is now going to be the place where people spend time together," said Trey Wilson, director of communications and broadcasting. "There are kids who aren't born yet who are going to grow up in this ballpark. There are people who are going to tell the story, 'I remember when I was at that first game at CarMax Park in April of 2026 and watched Jonah Cox rob that home run and the Squirrels win.' We're writing these stories every day that people are going to be telling forever."

When you're talking about forever, what's a 15-year effort to build a ballpark in the scheme of things?

"At the end of the day," said Parnell, "we had so many deposits of goodwill in the bank that this had to happen."

CarMax Park was the 192nd Minor League ballpark I've visited in my career, dating back to 2010. Whenever I visit a new ballpark I make sure to stand awkwardly in front of it and have someone take a picture of me, so here you go.

One of the concession highlights was the pork belly corn dog, a succulent treat. Unlike most corn dogs, I could eat this one. It's battered in chickpea flour and, therefore, gluten-free. 

Brandon Crawford, a member of the inaugural 2010 Flying Squirrels, is immortalized on the concourse with a quirky piece of art. He kinda looks like Butthead, of, you know, Beavis and Butthead fame. Please know that I mean this as a compliment. 

But first, check out last week’s episode of The Show Before the Show. I was on vacation, but Tyler and Sam spoke with Worcester Red Sox director of ballpark entertainment Brendan Black about the team's upcoming promotion dedicated to the sketch comedy show "I Think You Should Leave."

OK, I will leave. Thank you for being here. Get in touch anytime via email at benjamin.hill@mlb.com and please follow me on Instagram (@thebensbiz), X (@bensbiz) and Bluesky (@bensbiz.bsky.social). I enjoy hearing from you.

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