Friday, December 05

Happy World Quality Day, dedicated to "encouraging top-notch standards in business and organizations." I'll do my part by delivering yet another exemplary edition of the Baseball Traveler newsletter to your inbox. Let's talk about Minor League Baseball.

Akron, Ohio, observed its bicentennial in 2025, and the local Minor League Baseball team joined the celebration by staging promotions related to the city and its people. These promotions included tributes to Akron’s role in producing and disseminating lollipops, oatmeal, marbles, PVC piping and much more.

The rubber industry is what Akron is best known for, however, as B.F. Goodrich, Goodyear, Firestone and General Tire were all once headquartered in the city. It is for this reason that Akron's Minor League team is named the RubberDucks. 

The RubberDucks were established in 1989 as the Canton-Akron Indians, and they've served as Cleveland's Double-A affiliate ever since. The Eastern League franchise changed its name to the Aeros in 1997, in conjunction with the move to Canal Park in downtown Akron (Jaret Wright threw the first pitch at Canal Park; later that season he started Game 7 of the World Series for the Indians). The "RubberDucks" name was adopted in 2014, following current owner Ken Babby's purchase of the team.

Canal Park is named after the Ohio & Erie Canal, which flows just beyond the outfield fence. However, following the conclusion of the 2025 season, a new corporate naming rights deal went into effect and the facility is now called 7 17 Credit Union Park.

Whatever you want to call Akron's ballpark, there's no denying that it looks great for its age. The spacious concourse allows access to a variety of downtown vantage points, and the RubberDucks' commitment to celebrating their area's history, culture, food and sports gives it an immediate sense of place. It is, in short, very much worth visiting.

This photo was taken from the Homerville seats in right field, located in front of the Tiki Terrace.

The clubhouses and player facilities have been renovated and expanded upon in recent years, and the tunnels are now decorated with murals honoring team history and notable alumni.

Colorful Akron-centric artwork enlivens the ballpark throughout, from the main lobby to the suite level to the right field Duck Club group area. 

The below mural includes three Akron-area music legends, all of whom were included in the RubberDucks’ 2014 "Rock 'n Bobble" series.

The murals are painted by artist Mike Ayers, a RubberDucks season ticket holder. In the below photo, he's on the right, alongside team president (and native Akronite) Jim Pfander. 

On this late August evening, the RubberDucks suited up as the Akron Black Tyrites, paying tribute to a Negro League team that played its only season in 1933.

The visiting New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Blue Jays' Double-A club, wore the uniforms of the Jacksonville Red Caps, a Negro League team that existed from 1938-42. (The RubberDucks' ownership group also owns the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, who originally wore those Red Caps uniforms.)

The first 1,000 fans in attendance received a Rita Dove bobblehead. The Akron native, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate, was delighted by the honor. She's won some very impressive awards, but there's nothing quite like being honored in bobblehead form by your hometown team.

While on the ballpark's second level, I spent an inning on the air with broadcasters Marco LaNave (left) and Jim Clark. LaNave came to Akron in 2018, following three seasons with the Jumbo Shrimp. Clark, a member of the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame, has been with the team since 1990! 

Back on the concourse, there were bubbles everywhere. This is a regular occurrence thanks to the RubberDucks' "world famous" bubble blaster toys.

Those bubble blasters sell like hotcakes. Or, perhaps more accurately, donuts. This recent addition to Akron's concession scene is perhaps the best-named kiosk in Minor League Baseball. 

The RubberDucks have long been one of Minor League Baseball's most creative teams when it comes to their food and beverage offerings. Their Extreme Foods Menu is revamped annually, combining old favorites with new additions.

RubberDucks chef Amy Rose, in tandem with food and beverage assistant director Joe Klein, were waiting for me at the Duck Club. 

To tackle this ballpark feast, I recruited two Designated Eaters -- a pair of hearty individuals tasked with consuming the ballpark cuisine my gluten-free diet prohibits. Jordan Edelman, who works at nearby Kent State, is on the left. Noah Gill, who grew up in nearby South Canton, is on the right.

Jordan started things off with the Base on (Meat)Balls, which is "hollowed out French Bread layered three times with spicy giardiniera marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and four meatballs topped with parmesan cheese."

A meatball sandwich in a vertical bread cone, essentially.

"I was expecting it to be a bit spicier," Jordan reported. "Very, very cheesy. Messy. Overall, very good."

Noah then picked the Pineapple TeriyAKRON Bowl, first introduced in 2014. This is described as "a half pineapple hollowed out and filled with a mixture of white rice, grilled chicken, diced pineapple and Thai chili garlic sauce topped with a teriyaki glaze."

"A little spicy, but the pineapple balances it out. It's the sweet to the savory rice and chicken," said Noah. "I've had my eyes on this for a long time and it did not disappoint."

Jordan, who apparently prefers his concessions to be vertically aligned, then picked up the Chicken and Waffles Sandwich. This thing is a mouthful, figuratively and literally: "A double-decker chicken and waffle sandwich with chicken tenders, bacon, onion rings, pimento cheese spread and a bacon habanero jam served on freshly toasted waffles with powdered sugar and maple syrup."

Jordan sensibly pulled this apart before eating, turning it into something more manageable (albeit less photogenic). He praised the sandwich's overall sweetness before emphatically adding that "the waffles are really, really good. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. That’s a winner. That’s a home run right there."

Finally, Noah tried Emmett Golden's Bicentennial Bacon Burger, named after an ESPN Cleveland radio host (all of the RubberDucks' Extreme Food items are partnerships with local media).

This is a "double cheeseburger with smoked jalapeño gouda, Canadian bacon, onion rings, mayo barbecue sauce and bacon cheeseburger dip served on a Hawaiian bun crisped with green chili aioli."

"A bunch of flavors thrown at you, but it's very good," said Noah. "Highly recommend."

I, meanwhile, highly recommend seeing the RubberDucks play in the evening, as the sunsets are spectacular. Akron's Children Hospital, with whom the team regularly partners, looms beyond left field.

Goodnight from Canal Park, which shall henceforth be known as 7 17 Credit Union Park. If you see something coming at you in the dugout, duck.

Thanks to Grace Hoppel, a Cleveland-based MLB Live Content Creator, who took many of the photos in this article. The better the photo, the more likely it is that Grace took it.

The Carolina League team formerly known as the Salem Red Sox has become the Salem RidgeYaks. They remain a Boston affiliate, and in my opinion the mascot should have been named Carl Yakstrzemski. READ ABOUT IT HERE

And yet I must go. Please tell friends and strangers alike to please subscribe to this newsletter. Also, please follow me on Instagram (@thebensbiz), X (@bensbiz) and Bluesky (@bensbiz.bsky.social). I appreciate your continued support.

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