Best local baseball/softball for spectators

Hello! My son is recently obsessed with baseball and really wants to watch games to learn more about how to play. I'm wondering about the best places to do this, where he can really see the players.

I'd love to cheer on the CHS Cougars but it seems most of the games are at 4pm weekdays and we're not home by then. I did note one softball game next Thursday at 7pm so we'll definitely be there!

But what other options are there, ideally on weekends? Seton Hall? Somerset Patriots is a little bigger than I'm thinking but we'll check that out this summer too.

I don't know how old your son is, or if youth baseball would fit the bill, but Babe Ruth (13-16 y.o.) rules are pretty close to major leagues and they play at Cameron Field, so you can even touch on the fact that Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played there. Here's the schedule, just don't go when "practice" is listed, because that's a placeholder due to an odd number of teams.

http://somaplebaseball.demosphere.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2.65588:gp:120253.6636:73642+Elements/Display+E+46241++82375591

Awesome, thanks! He's t-ball age so it doesn't really matter what level we watch, as long as it's above that and a "real" game  

Another option might be one level younger than Babe Ruth, the games played on "M3" in Meadowland Park on the other side of the Baird Center. M3 has cool dugouts and a home run fence, but it's a smaller field than Cameron so maybe more relatable/watchable for your son.

If you are seeking spectating of professional ball, Somerset Patriots are probably the closest minor league team. Its a really nice park with easy parking and they are starting their season tomorrow evening: www.somersetpatriots.com

There used to be a team at the park in Newark across from the Broad St station but they left about two years back.

I think a Somerset Patriots game would be a nice experience for all concerned. Pleasant drive out there, too.

Thanks for these great ideas!

Somerset Patriots is a lot of fun. We went to one game last year and definitely want to go back. That's fun for giving him the ballpark experience, but I think a smaller local experience will help him really watch the game. We happened to be at the park in Chatham yesterday when the softball team had a game and he LOVED it. He got to be up close and really watch. 

Seton Hall plays Division 1 college baseball right here in SO.  Take your son to the campus to watch a game.  Here is the remaining schedule, with upcoming home games vs. LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, Villanova, St. Peter's, Xavier, Rider, and St. John's:

04/15/16
vs. LIU Brooklyn 
South Orange, N.J.
6:00 p.m. ET
04/16/16
vs. LIU Brooklyn 
South Orange, N.J.
1:00 p.m. ET
04/17/16
vs. LIU Brooklyn 
South Orange, N.J.
12:00 p.m. ET
04/19/16
vs. Monmouth N.J. 
South Orange, N.J.
4:00 p.m. ET
04/22/16
vs. Villanova  
South Orange, N.J.
6:00 p.m. ET
04/23/16
vs. Villanova  
South Orange, N.J.
1:00 p.m. ET
04/24/16
vs. Villanova  
South Orange, N.J.
12:00 p.m. ET
04/27/16
vs. Saint Peter's 
South Orange, N.J.
4:00 p.m. ET
04/29/16
at Georgetown 
Rockville, Md.
7:00 p.m. ET
04/30/16
at Georgetown 
Rockville, Md.
7:00 p.m. ET
05/01/16
at Georgetown 
Rockville, Md.
1:00 p.m. ET
05/06/16
vs. Xavier  
South Orange, N.J.
6:00 p.m. ET
05/07/16
vs. Xavier  
South Orange, N.J.
12:00 p.m. ET
 
vs. Xavier  
South Orange, N.J.
3:00 p.m. ET
05/11/16
vs. Rider 
South Orange, N.J.
4:00 p.m. ET
05/13/16
vs. St. John's  
South Orange, N.J.
6:00 p.m. ET
05/14/16
vs. St. John's  
South Orange, N.J.
1:00 p.m. ET
05/15/16
vs. St. John's  
South Orange, N.J.
12:00 p.m. ET
05/17/16
at NJIT
Newark, N.J.
6:00 p.m. ET
05/19/16
at Butler  
Indianapolis, Ind.
3:00 p.m. ET
05/20/16
at Butler  
Indianapolis, Ind.
1:00 p.m. ET
05/21/16
at Butler 
Indianapolis, In

bettyd said:

Seton Hall plays Division 1 college baseball right here in SO.  Take your son to the campus to watch a game.  Here is the remaining schedule, with upcoming home games vs. LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, Villanova, St. Peter's, Xavier, Rider, and St. John's:

Great call. D-1 ball up close. Field is beautiful. Always great to cultivate young local Pirate fans!

First, TarheelsInNJ, I applaud your son's choice in athletic obsessions. Second, the Cougars varsity and JV baseball teams do have a few Saturday home games on the schedule (the teams play concurrently, and conveniently on adjacent fields at Underhill, with a notable exception I'll mention below). The next one is this Saturday at 11 a.m.:

Columbia High Baseball Schedule

A highlight of the season is the annual JV/varsity doubleheader at Cameron Field, set for Saturday, April 30, against Montclair. The JV game starts at 5, with the varsity to follow at 8 under the lights. It's a festive occasion, with a game announcer and concessions including burgers and franks. If you go, say hey to the guy at the grill in the Phillies or Carolina cap.

Train_of_Thought said:

bettyd said:

Seton Hall plays Division 1 college baseball right here in SO.  Take your son to the campus to watch a game.  Here is the remaining schedule, with upcoming home games vs. LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, Villanova, St. Peter's, Xavier, Rider, and St. John's:

Great call. D-1 ball up close. Field is beautiful. Always great to cultivate young local Pirate fans!

A personal anecdote that the OP might appreciate: When I was a freshman at UNC and saw how beautiful Boshamer Stadium was, with its red brick and emerald grass, all mere spittin' distance from my dorm, I couldn't wait for baseball season to arrive. Then I went to my first game:

Clink!

Clink!

Clink!

I was used to the crack of major-league bats, and the sound of aluminum contact drove me crazy. (The frequency with which future pro stars like B.J. Surhoff and Walt Weiss hit the ball only made it worse.) I never went back.

My loss. By the time my son was playing Little League, I got over it, and now regret the purist impulses of my youth.

DaveSchmidt said:

A personal anecdote that the OP might appreciate: When I was a freshman at UNC and saw how beautiful Boshamer Stadium was, with its red brick and emerald grass, all mere spittin' distance from my dorm, I couldn't wait for baseball season to arrive. Then I went to my first game:

Clink!

Clink!

Clink!

I was used to the crack of major-league bats, and the sound of aluminum contact drove me crazy. (The frequency with which future pro stars like B.J. Surhoff and Walt Weiss hit the ball only made it worse.) I never went back.

My loss. By time my son was playing Little League, I got over it, and now regret the purist impulses of my youth.

Sidebar: I saw Walt Weiss play in high school. He played one town over, and when he played at our place senior year, 13 MLB scouts came to see him and my school's star, David Jacas (pronounced jay-kiss), face off. I remember Weiss outplayed him that day, and when Weiss eventually surfaced with the A's, I was so excited remembering him as the talk of our county. Been a fan and appreciator of his success all these years. (I did cartwheels when Jacas was drafted by my Mets, but he played college ball instead and ultimately never really ascended in the minors.)  

Train_of_Thought said:

Sidebar: I saw Walt Weiss play in high school. He played one town over, and when he played at our place senior year, 13 MLB scouts came to see him and my school's star, David Jacas (pronounced jay-kiss), face off. I remember Weiss outplayed him that day, and when Weiss eventually surfaced with the A's, I was so excited remembering him as the talk of our county. Been a fan and appreciator of his success all these years. (I did cartwheels when Jacas was drafted by my Mets, but he played college ball instead and ultimately never really ascended in the minors.)  

Thanks for that. Nothing beats baseball thread drift.

ETA: Went to look up where Weiss went to high school and was reminded that we were born on the same day. I'm starting to feel like a footnote in a Jayson Stark column.

DaveSchmidt said:

First, TarheelsInNJ, I applaud your son's choice in athletic obsessions. Second, the Cougars varsity and JV baseball teams do have a few Saturday home games on the schedule (the teams play concurrently, and conveniently on adjacent fields at Underhill, with a notable exception I'll mention below). The next one is this Saturday at 11 a.m.:

Columbia High Baseball Schedule

A highlight of the season is the annual JV/varsity doubleheader at Cameron Field, set for Saturday, April 30, against Montclair. The JV game starts at 5, with the varsity to follow at 8 under the lights. It's a festive occasion, with a game announcer and concessions including burgers and franks. If you go, say hey to the guy at the grill in the Phillies or Carolina cap.

Thanks so much. I have the April 30 game in our calendar, that sounds great!

And I love the Boshamer Stadium story It is indeed beautiful, though I admit I didn't get to as many games as I should have. I was in Carolina Fever so I made the rounds to most other sports at least once!

Train_of_Thought said:

bettyd said:

Seton Hall plays Division 1 college baseball right here in SO.  Take your son to the campus to watch a game.  Here is the remaining schedule, with upcoming home games vs. LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, Villanova, St. Peter's, Xavier, Rider, and St. John's:

Great call. D-1 ball up close. Field is beautiful. Always great to cultivate young local Pirate fans!

Thanks so much for this info too! We'll definitely check it out.

Somerset Patriots.

http://www.somersetpatriots.com/

Don't forget the New Jersey Jackals in Montclair.  

Nice ballpark and closer to home than Somerset.

http://njjackals.pointstreaksites.com/view/njjackals

jimmurphy said:

Don't forget the New Jersey Jackals in Montclair.  

Nice ballpark and closer to home than Somerset.

http://njjackals.pointstreaksites.com/view/njjackals

I had no idea, thanks!

Yeah, not sure why they really are not on the radar.

Note that the season doesn't start for a few weeks.

Excellent name for a team too.  Jackals.  not as good as Yard Goats, but still good.

I know it's not local, but if you are planning a vacation to Cape Cod in the summer, the best college players in the country play in the Cape Cod League at locations all over the Cape.  Very family friendly and free.

Any chance you took your son to Seton Hall today? First perfect game in SHU history!!

Not only that, it was a complete-game shutout.

Well done, Shane McCarthy.

Train_of_Thought said:

Any chance you took your son to Seton Hall today? First perfect game in SHU history!!

Shoot, no! We are hoping to catch some of tomorrow's game. Congrats, Pirates!!

Not all that local, but there are two minor league affiliates of the New York Yankees that might be worth a visit--both parks have lots of children's and family oriented activities.  Another draw is this--unlike the Independent League teams (Patriots, Jackals), which tend to attract either older players still trying to break into the Majors or players who used to be in the Major Leagues but are no longer, the minor league affiliates feature up and coming talent who potentially may move through the organization and join the New York Yankees at some point in the future.  Also, if you time it right, you'll have a player from the New York Yankees doing a "rehab" stint (more likely with the Trenton Thunder, the double-A affiliate), and you get to see a major league talent in a more intimate setting.  The Staten Island park has a beautiful view of the New York skyline and New York harbor; the Trenton Thunder (whose ball park used to host affiliates of the Boston Red Sox before the Red Sox left the location) features a bat dog.  Links:

http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t567

http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t586

In the interest of New York baseball balance, the Brooklyn Cyclones (the Mets' single-A minor league affiliate) play in a park with a beautiful view, too.

http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/home/

If he's only t-ball age, take him over to the Waterlands Fields on 3rd Street behind the Gaslight Commons apartments on Sundays from 4-10pm to watch the recreational modified fast-pitch softball league play. There are three games going on every hour and a half

Were you able to make it to Cameron last night with your son, TarheelsInNj? (I regret that my own plans changed, allowing me to catch only the last few innings of the JV game and preventing me from filling a shift at the grill.)

DaveSchmidt said:

Were you able to make it to Cameron last night with your son, TarheelsInNj? (I regret that my own plans changed, allowing me to catch only the last few innings of the JV game and preventing me from filling a shift at the grill.)

Sadly not. We ended up having last-minute company from out of town. We did go to the CHS softball game a week or so ago, which was great fun!

TarheelsInNj said:

We did go to the CHS softball game a week or so ago, which was great fun!

Nice.

Breaking news: The CHS varsity baseball team will return to Cameron Field this Saturday at 2:30 for its Greater Newark Tournament game against Montclair Kimberley Academy. Word is the grill (plus beverages and snacks for sale) will return, too.