Another ballpark visit

On my way back from Charleston to the Upstate on Wednesday, I timed my trip so that I could stop by Orangeburg and take in part of Claflin's home game against Brewton-Parker at Mirmow Field.

It was overcast and sprinkling a little when I got in the area, and the stadium lights being on helped me hone in on its location. Like so many baseball parks, there were train tracks nearby.

I pulled into a parking space directly outside one of the entrances. A sign in the parking lot indicated the stadium was built in 1948.

There was no admission fee. Another plus.

Most of the stadium wood and trim was painted the same green color that seemed to be standard for minor-league stadiums built during and after the depression. I wonder if maybe that shade of green was Army surplus, or if there was another reason.

In the corridor, there was a plaque in memory of Mike Sharperson, an Orangeburg native who played eight major league seasons before he was killed in a traffic accident in Las Vegas in 1996.

While I had to Google directions to the stadiums, the birds have had no trouble finding it, so you had to be careful where you sat.

The stadium could use some repairs. When I went up on the roof of the the grandstand to go to the press box and ask them to e-mail in their scores to be posted on this blog, the two wooden steps into the press box were broken. I got into the press box OK, but it was quite the adventure getting down.

While sitting in the grandstands, I remembered that Greenville's Minor League franchise had moved to Orangeburg after the 1972 Western Carolinas League season because Meadowbrook Park had burned down. I'm sure this was the transferred franchise's home field.

On Wednesday, Brewton-Parker fans seemed to outnumber Claflin fans. The visitors even had an announcer doing an Internet broadcast from the back portion of the grandstands. Between one inning, he had to dash to the only working rest room, located down the first base line. He got back in time to detail the fourth pitch to the first batter of the next inning. The first thing I heard him say something along the lines of "Sorry about that."

The stadium has the old-style free-standing dugouts, although there also was an out-of-play area in front of each dugout where the players stayed.

Something else I noticed was the fence separating the playing field from the rest of the field. It couldn't have been more than about two feet high. I wonder how many players over the years have flipped over that fence while going all-out for a foul ball.

I did almost get to witness a fight. I started up a conversation with a fan who sat down a few feet away from me. He had tried out for the baseball team at S.C. State before a family illness ended his hopes of that. I discovered he knew Bill Hamilton, longtime Sports Information Director at South Carolina State, and former Bulldogs football coach Willie Jeffries.

Anyway, the fan was not bashful about stating his opinion when he felt a poor play was made. In one instance, Claflin's first baseman was off-target with a throw to second on a rundown after a pickoff and the runner was safe. A good thrown would have resulted in an out. The fan criticized the bad throw, which was followed by a hit and a couple of more runs. The fan's comment was heard by the first baseman's dad across the grandstand, who came over and said his son was playing with a torn rotator cuff. After a few awkward moments of comments back and forth, the fan sitting near me left.

(I have no idea what circumstances led to the injured player to be in the lineup, I admire the player for trying to help his team. I also understand the father being sensitive to criticism of his son, especially with the injury. But if you can't play your position as it needs to be played, perhaps someone else needs to be in the lineup.)

I give no names because I have no idea of any of the player names. Claflin doesn't have a roster posted on its Web site, there were no rosters available for fans and players weren't introduced over the PA system.

After about two hours, and with Brewton-Parker well on its way to its 18-4 victory, I headed on toward Columbia.

But, it was a treat to see another stadium which has meant so much to so many people in its town.