Deep in the Heart of Texas

"The prairie sky is wide and high (clap, clap, clap, clap) deep in the heart of Texas."

All I know about Midland, Texas, is that George W. Bush said it was what set him apart from his father, the other President Bush. “The biggest difference between me and my father is that he went to Greenwich Country Day and I went to San Jacinto Junior High.” 

W moved to Houston with the family after 7th grade, whereupon his education took a path more like his father’s. That doesn’t take away from the fact that where the father grew up in New England, and where the son was raised, deep in the heart of Texas, gave them different perspectives on the state of things in our vast and diverse country. 

As the sun set slowly in the west, the moon rose slowly in the east.
The wind blew. The flags waved.

Now, here I am in the unlikely destination of Midland at the start of western road trip that will take me to El Paso, Albuquerque, southern Colorado, and Amarillo, and then back to Midland for my flight home. Thank you, Minor League Baseball.

The four minor league teams I’ll be seeing — the Midland Rockhounds, the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Albuquerque Isotopes and the Amarillo sod Poodles — form a near perfect square in an area of the country where the teams are few and far between.

This trip is not just about baseball. I want to check on wildfire damage from 2018 where I own land in Colorado. I also want to visit family in New Mexico and friends I worked with when I lived there years ago. I also have to catch up with some college friends who are now in the southwest.

Baseball, however, is definitely behind the wheel on this itinerary. And what a wheel it is! I booked a full-size rental car and wait 'til you see what Midland, Texas threw back at me. I have to start in Midland because the Rockhounds are playing at home this week, then they go on the road. At the other end of the circuit, the Amarillo Sod Poodles are away now, and they won’t be playing at home until I swing through there next week. Lucky me, the Chihuahuas and the Isotopes are playing at home at the right time. I’m even going to see a baseball game in Colorado Springs, where the Rocky Mountain Vibes are playing in the Frontier League.

A Chevy Colorado for me to make my baseball rounds. Me in full regalia.

The Midland Rockhounds are the AA affiliate of the Oakland A’s and part of baseball’s new AA Central alignment. This week they are playing the new kid on the block, the Wichita Wind Surge, a team I’ll get to see again when I get to Amarillo. It’ll give me a chance finally to wear my Wind Surge t-shirt and New Orleans Baby Cakes cap that I acquired when the team was affiliated with my team, the Miami Marlins.

Wichita used to be the Baby Cakes, but the team moved after the 2019 season. They were supposed to be the AAA team of the Marlins, but the 2020 season was cancelled because of the pandemic, and baseball’s realignment of the minor leagues assigned the Wind Surge as the AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

It's hot. When I picked up the truck at the airport, the dashboard thermometer said 100°. But, as the flags in the outfield will attest, there is a very friendly breeze. The grandstand at Momentum Bank Ballpark has its back to the afternoon sun, so most of the seats are in the shade before the end of the second inning with a 6:30 first pitch. Too bad it's not Thirsty Thursday when drinks are half price. Imagine a typical souvenir cup of soda for $2.75. You'll have to check with the Rockhounds yourself to see about beer and other beverages. 

Wednesday is Half-price Hot Dog Day, perfect timing for me after a long day of flying from Newark to Midland with a change in Houston. I had two dogs with a medium Diet Dr. Pepper. Next time I'll try some of the BBQ and taco offerings at the concessions, but I'll probably pass on the Peanut Butter and Jelly Bacon Dog.

A baseball-themed splash pad behind the batter's eye kept the kids cool.
A nifty train made the rounds beyond the outfield.

Momentum Bank Ballpark is a fantastic stadium with amazing views from the concourse around the outfield. There's a big playground between the scoreboard and the batter's eye, and a big splash pad hidden from view that was giving a bunch of kids relief from the heat. There's also a basketball court off of right field. From my seat by the visitors' dugout and third base, I kept noticing a little train that would work its way from left field to right and then back. I think rides were free and not just for kids.

View from the visitors' bullpen half in left field, half in foul territory.

One of the strangest things is the outfield itself. First of all, the two bullpens jut into fair territory in left and right field, and they are separated from the playing field by short fencing. In left field, the arrangement adds a few extra feet to the left field wall in a cowlick-shaped curve. It made me think of Fenway's unusual shape.

The seventh inning stretch included a nice local touch. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," was followed by a round of "Deep in the Heart of Texas." I couldn't make out if the recording was Perry Como, Gene Autry or Tex Ritter.

The game started with a few quick 1-2-3 innings, but Wichita surged in the middle innings and was ahead 8 to 1 after 7. Midland's Rockhounds had a rally going in the bottom of the ninth, but could only get halfway there. Final Wichita Wind Surge 8, Midland Rockhounds 4.