Syracuse Chiefs

I finally get to see the Buffalo Bisons….in Syracuse. I was supposed to see them on Thursday, in Buffalo. I ended up changing my itinerary slightly and by my calculations would have arrived about 30 minutes before game time. I never like cutting it that close because, you know, things happen…..like accidents on the freeway. So, I was about an hour away when….an accident happened on the freeway. Traffic was STOPPED for 2 hours, then made to get off the freeway and reroute. Not a whole lot of routes in upstate New York. I only really needed to catch about 3 innings to get my data for my dog blog. Nothing doing. By the time I fought my way there the game was long over. I took the Greyhound bus to Toronto the next day and Coca Cola Field, a really nice ballpark from the looks of it, was right next to the bus station, taunting me.

I did make it to a Syracuse Chiefs game. A great way to spend a Saturday night. The Chiefs play in NBT Bank Stadium which is a nice semi-circular park with a red brick turret at the main entrance. It is flanked by two smaller red brick towers and has an old-style double decker grandstand that is partially roofed. It is located in what is sort of a shopping center area in a large adjacent field next to a railroad track. The park itself is a real beauty...but the dog? I was really hankering for a Hebrew National dog after experiencing so many others in the past week. That frank really sets the standard. Here is what I got instead.

Dog:

Bun-it has the Fenway style bun that looks like the frank is wrapped in a slice of bread.

Taste-the pale Hoffman’s frank was a bit tasteless and what taste I did get was not that spectacular.

Toppings-well, there was mustard. I had to ask for relish and they gave me packets of relish. You know how I love packet condiments.

Price-$3.50 for a dog is nothing to complain about.

Portability-a cardboard boat. It can actually suffice because there really aren’t any toppings to fall off.

It Factor-regular dog, big dog. That’s it.

Ballpark:

Location-not by any means downtown and sort of tucked away near some freeways in commercial area.

Access-mostly a drive-to park but there was some sort of train platform nearby.

GA Ticket Price-this is where Syracuse excels. $5 for a great for a Triple A GA seat. And military get in free ALL the time. Thanks you Chiefs.

Cleanliness-A good, clean ballpark.

Fans-it was me and 10 other people. Actually it was about 15% full….on a Saturday night.

Ambiance-despite the other detractors the ballpark has what it takes for top score. It looks and feels like a ballpark and offers a good baseball experience.

Dog		Ballpark		Total Dog/Game
Bun	3	Location	3
Taste	3	Access	3
Toppings	2	Cleanliness	5
Price	5	Ambiance	5
Portability	3	GA Ticket Price	5
It Factor	2.5	Fans	2.5
	18.5		23.5	42

Given the choice I would have rather seen a game in Buffalo. That ballpark is downtown and looks fabulous...from the outside. I wouldn’t discount a Chiefs game if I were in Syracuse for other reasons, but I would not make a special trip just to see a game there. And as far as eating at the park, that about what you would say to your pooch after it bit the mailman….bad dog! bad dog!