Storyline: Managed by former MLB star, Sparky Lyle, the Somerset Patriots delight fans and give players another chance to make “The Bigs.”
The day was cloudy and cool for a late April morning game, but the crowd was eager to see their Somerset Patriots take the field for a day/night doubleheader. It was a smattering of school kids, police athletic groups, seniors, and yours truly taking in a baseball game–a game that continues to show the promise of young men trying to live their dream on a field.
Manager Sparky Lyle (photo, Pete Lillo)
In this case it was in the middle of rural New Jersey. The home team didn’t disappoint, a 5-0 victory over the York Revolution, for a 6-0 start to the new campaign.
The 2016 Somerset Patriots kicked off their 19th season at TD Bank Ballpark last week, raising the flag as last year’s Atlantic League Champions – its sixth since joining the league. Led by former New York Yankee star closer, Sparky Lyle, the Patriots continued their dominance of the league.
The Patriots are the winningest franchise of the Atlantic League, capturing Championship Series titles in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2015. For all you history buffs, the “Patriots” name refers to the area where the first official flag of the United States was unfurled. It was after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777, during the Revolutionary War.
The Somerset Patriots were one of the founding members of the Atlantic League. The year was 1998. The Atlantic League is not affiliated with any major league team, but many players are members of big league clubs or were in the minor leagues at one point during their tenure. The league includes seven teams and is a hodge-podge of former baseball ‘who’s who.’ Many players are looking to resurrect a career with a teams that drafted them originally.
Photo courtesy Pete Lillo
For all the pomp and circumstance of the major leagues–especially in the metropolitan area with the Yankees, Mets and Phillies–attending a Patriots game is truly a family affair. There’s free parking, $5 dollar tickets, and a constant theater of games and contests that leaves old and young wanting more. Players and coaches–especially ‘Manager Emeritus’ Lyle–make themselves available for autographs and pictures to kids who act like they’ve seen the next Mickey Mantle or Bryce Harper.
There are many small ballparks like this all over the country, where families spend time watching America’s pastime and budding baseball stars. It’s a place where folks can get up close and personal, spend time with their friends, and reminisce about the ‘good old days’ when kids played hooky and spent a dollar getting into the bleachers to watch the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs, or Giants. It brings folks back to when times were simple, to a place where issues of the day are blurred or forgotten … at least for three hours.
There’s a time when all professional athletes come to grips with the fact that they won’t be stars. But as long as there’s a team, a stadium, and fans to watch, players will continue to entertain fans from coast to coast.
In this small section of the world – New Jersey – the 2016 Somerset Patriots brings smiles and cheers to children who missed school and homework, people who have serious illnesses and disabilities, and vets and retirees.
Photo courtesy Pete Lillo
Baseball, above all other sports, is the true spirit of this country. It brings folks from all walks of life to a place where they can all come to a commonality. That’s what makes America such a great and unique country.
Sparky Lyle, a true superstar in his day and now former manager of the Patriots, could have walked into the sunset as an announcer or as a major league coach or scout. But he continues to spend his days teaching how to appreciate a game.
Somerset is where you can be a star on the smallest of stages – even in New Jersey on a Wednesday morning.
