Altoona Curve & Trenton Thunder

A = Altoona. Binghamton is to the Northeast.

In the beginning, there were two others like me here in Binghamton; one's husband was promoted to Las Vegas AAA and the other's fiance was transferred to Florida for rehab. For the past two weeks I have been the ONLY wife/fiance/girlfriend in Binghamton. Luckily, since their departure I haven't had to stay in good ol' Bingo alone. 

Last week, our roommate's girlfriend came to visit! Although she was here to see him, I think I was the most excited upon her arrival. She flew into Binghamton then the next day we left for  

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Altoona, Pennsylvania

Roller coaster in right-field at Altoona

Logan pitched on Friday night. What was special about this particular outing is that he got to hit, too! In the American League {Texas Rangers, NY Yankees, LA Angels...} teams assign a designated hitter (DH) to take the pitcher's spot in the line-up. In the National League {NY Mets, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals...} the pitcher is required to bat. 

In the MLB system, National League teams only play other NL teams and 
American League teams only play other AL teams until the play-offs. 

In the MiLB system, the teams are intermixed. So, unless a NL team faces another NL team, they play by the AL team rules, where a DH is in the line-up & pitcher's only pitch. 

But only once a player reaches the AA level do they start to allow the pitchers to hit 
(these rules don't apply at rookie, low-A and high-A levels. There's always a DH). 

Not only was this Logan's first time to face another NL team all season, this was his first time to bat since 2008!!
{Which means this was my first time to ever see him at the plate!}

His first at-bat was a successful sacrifice bunt.

View of the Capitol Building from our hotel room.

After a short 3-day trip to Altoona, we returned to Binghamton. As one girlfriend left, another arrived. So after one day of rest at home, we left for yet another road trip. This time to the state capitol,

Trenton, NJ.

Surprisingly, this city was less "Jersey Shore" and gave off more of a NOLA vibe than I had expected. The city block next to our hotel had some impressive restaurants and the friendliest people (with a lot of questionables roaming around in the mix). 

After brunch one morning, Logan was in dire need of a haircut. So we strolled next door to State Barber Shop. 

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It was there that we met Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe has been a barber for over 50 years. He is called "The Mayor of Warren Street" because of his wisdom, wit and love of life. At the bar later that night {Social}, we found out from our bartender that Joe was a multimillionaire. So while the haircut ended up being a little too 'New Jersey' for Logan's taste {short and angled-up sideburns}, the experience of hanging out with Uncle Joe was worth it. 

Side note: Every team has something they're known for. The Trenton Thunder are known for their Crabfries. 
Seasoned fries with white queso dipping sauce. Yum! 

Before the game Wednesday night, my new friend & fellow baseball fiance and I found a restaurant bar with awesome food & drinks and a great, low-key atmosphere. 
One of the many challenges of the MiLB life is finding a place that serves food after 11pm on a weeknight. 
We were so happy to find out that SOCIAL served food until midnight. 

One of the main reasons we came back later that night... :)

Logan ended up being the entertainment for the evening.

-E