Thoughts on the Indians Leaving Kinston

Since the minor league season will be starting soon, I thought I'd finally post something about the unfortunate news I learned over the winter. I saw on the news in December or so that the Kinston Indians were moving to Zebulon and the Carolina Mudcats would be moving to Florida. I started going to Indians games in 2009 when I first moved out here to Greenville. I love Grainger Stadium and how accessible it is to fans. I also like that the Indians are a Single A team and part of the same league as the Orioles Single A team the Frederick Keys. I have been able to get several autographs of O's prospects, as well as some other prospects like Royals Pitcher Mike Montgomery and Nats catcher Derek Norris. I was able to get Alex Gordon at a game as well. You can see the above jersey that I picked up at the July 4, 2010 game.

Check out the crowd at the July 4 game. This and opening day are about the only times that the park is filled to capacity, but it is still a great place to catch a game. The Indians will vacate Grainger Stadium at the conclusion of the 2011 season. Take a look at the bottom right of the picture and you can see Christopher watching me take the picture.

It is really easy to get autographs while at Indians games. Here are my son and I getting an autograph from Frederick's Jacob Julius (I think). Chris got a lot of compliments on his awesome sunglasses. I'm hoping that Kinston finds another team to occupy Grainger Stadium, but as of today, I haven't heard anything. Kinston isn't exactly a thriving metropolis, so it may be difficult for another team to come. It is really sad because my oldest brother tells me stories about how he would ride to Kinston to catch games way back when he was in the Air Force and was stationed at nearby Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in the mid to late 1990's. Come on Kinston, get on the ball and secure another team! The park is only 30 minutes from me and I'd really miss the summer nights there with my son.