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Luxury sky boxes in Zebulon? Luxury sky boxes in Zebulon North Carolina? There are 11 if them, in fact! I went south on 95 this weekend for my first look at a Southern League game. It was also my first look at Five County Stadium, located in Zebulon, N.C.! Some would say this is the middle of nowhere, which it is. The stadium is the attraction. There is nothing else around it. Located 3.5 miles from Rte. 64, Five County stadium is sight worth taking in. After a pleasant drive through the North Carolina country side, you are on the stadium in a flash. You know you are there when you see the water tower painted like a baseball sitting on top of a tee. In 1991, the stadium was nothing more than aluminum bleachers and some trailers situated around a tobacco field. The Carolina Mudcats had just relocated from Columbus, Ga. In 1999, a massive renovation took place which created a huge, towering stadium around the original playing field. So that games would not be interrupted, construction began the day after Labor Day 1998, stopping in April 1999, and then resuming again after Labor Day 1999. The new Five County Stadium opened in April 2000. Driving into the stadium area, the first thing which stands out is the immense field of red seats coming into view. he stadium is tall --- very tall, in fact. It is described as a double decker, but the very top level where the boxes are located seems like a three story building. The lower deck sits almost on top of the field and is only a few rows deep. Behind those seats is a wide concourse with room for plenty of fans. The stadium itself seats 6,000 fans, but attendance has been lacking. Today, for instance, only about 1,100 fans showed up for the game. I sat in a chair back on the concourse right behind home plate. The seats are all plastic, roomy and very comfortable --- not an aluminum bench in the place. From my vantage point, I was able to watch the pitchers from both teams and see what they had. There are two scoreboards; the one in left field has a video screen which features instant replays and views of the game from several angles --- all good! It is famous because it survived Hurricane Fran in 1996. The right field scoreboard is a behemoth, topped by a picture of Muddy, the mascot. This scoreboard also shows the speed of the pitch thrown. Both pitchers worked with low 90s fastballs today. Young James Russ made his AA debut for the Mudcats and featured a slow breaking curve and change up as well. I did not see a bad seat in the place. Before the game, I walked around and checked all the seating angles. I couldn’t get into a sky box though, but I am guessing the view was fine --- plenty of amenities, and the stadium also has a full service restaurant, Cattails. You don’t buy a ticket --- you buy a “Fishing License.” Muddy the Mudcat rides a four wheeler around the stadium between innings. The four wheeler is a custom job which is loud and fast and enables Muddy to pop a wheelie and go airborne when he hits the bullpen pitchers mounds. He goes so fast and so close to the players in the bull pen, I wonder if any of them have been run over by Muddy. The pre-game show is a video tape of highlights and draws the attention of fans and players alike. Notable players who have come through the stadium include Juan Pierre, Dontrelle Willis, Estebian Loizia, Elmer Dessens, Kris Benson, Jason Kendall, Ken Griffey, Jr., Michael Jordan and Tony Womack. Today's closest player to celebrity status was Jeremy Hermida, who was not in the lineup for the Mudcats. Young Jeremy has developed some pop in his bat this year and is knocking on the door of the Major Leagues. Hermida was the Florida Marlins top prospect this season and is currently hitting .293 with 18 homeruns and 63 RBIs. The game was the next to last regular season home game for the Mudcats. They hosted the Mobile Baybears. After tomorrow, they go on the road for seven straight games with the talent loaded Jacksonville Suns and recently relocated Mississippi Braves. Russ started for the Mudcats and was opposed by Jared Wells. Russ went five innings in his AA debut. He struck out five Baybears, walked none and gave up four hits. He currently sports a 0.00 ERA in the Southern League. I bet that feels good! Wells did not fare as well. He lasted seven innings and gave up eight hits and four earned runs. He walked two and struck out one Mudcat. The big hit came in the bottom of the second inning when third baseman, Michael Tucker, doubled into right, scoring Angel Molina and Chris Bass. Two batters later, Robert Andino drove Tucker home on a single. The score remained 3-0 until the bottom of the fifth when Jason Hill doubled into center, scoring Juan Muniz for the final run of the day. Baltimore fans will recognize the Carolina manager, Gary Allenson, who managed the Orioles AAA Ottawa team two years ago. Allenson left the organization in a huff when he was not offered an interview for the Orioles managerial job which eventually went to Lee Mazzilli. Allenson had done a nice job with the Lynx that season and felt slighted he was not even considered to be a candidate for the Birds job. I wonder how he likes managing in AA now. --- John
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