Municipal Stadium is the home of the Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League. The Suns are the Class A affiliate of the New York Mets.
I drove to Hagerstown from New York on the first leg of a baseball road trip. I had exchanged e-mails with the Suns front office about my visit. Everything was in place for a lovely visit.
On the drive to Hagerstown I passed through a serious thunderstorm. When I arrived at the ballpark, the skies were clear, but I was informed that the field had been rendered unplayable by the deluge. Ah well, no matter. I could still get my pictures, right? Not so fast.
Despite the unlocked gates and plenty of folks milling about inside the stadium, the usher at the gate would not let me in. (You can see him sitting on the edge of the potted tree in the first photo.) I told him I had driven all the way from New York and just wanted five minutes for some pictures. No. I told him I'd arranged this with the front office. No. I asked to speak to the very fellow who had assured me I could take all the pictures I wanted from anywhere in the ballpark (presumably his boss). He knew the man, but refused to go inside and ask him.
Basically, he told me that he didn't care that I'd driven four hours to get there and only wanted to walk 15 steps inside the gate and snap a picture. I would have to turn around and go home. Nice.
Oh, the photos on this page? Well, someone forgot to close the door to the clubhouse after the teams left. I picked my way through the debris left by the quickly departing players and found myself inside the ballpark. After taking my photos, I walked out past the uncooperative fellow who'd denied access and tipped my cap to him.
