Some baseball fans take their business elsewhere

Most fans attended Kinston Indians games at Grainger Stadium to soak in the old ballpark?s bucolic charm.

Built in 1949 with a roof-covered, horseshoe grandstand, the stadium lent itself to the old-fashioned joys of socializing with neighbors.

All that was fine with Lori Cahoon, an outgoing Kinston banker who did plenty of mingling with her fellow fans at K-Tribe games for more than 20 years.

But when it came right down to it, she was mostly there for the baseball.

Cahoon is one of a handful of diehard fans who, instead of simply missing the professional game in Kinston, are following it west.

For about four of every five of the Carolina Mudcats? home games, Cahoon fuels up her red Chevy Silverado pickup truck, picks up a friend or two and hits the road bound for Zebulon, just east of Raleigh. The drive takes her more than an hour one-way and usually follows and precedes eight-hour shifts at Bank of America, where she works as a manager.

But Cahoon, who served as personal banker, advisor and all-around big sister to many of Kinston?s Latin American players over its 25 years as a Cleveland Indians affiliate, doesn?t mind having her days stretched into night.

?I guess my loyalty to Cleveland is still there,? Cahoon said. ?And since we have nothing to do here in Kinston, why not go? I miss baseball, so it?s worth the drive to me.?

The Mudcats, who are playing what would have been Kinston?s 2012 Carolina League schedule had the K-Tribe not been sold and relocated, are drawing frustrated and dedicated Eastern North Carolina fans like Cahoon.

Mudcats general manager Joe Kremer has targeted the Indians? former market in some of the club?s advertising, including newspaper and radio spots. Though he doesn?t have firm numbers to confirm the strategy?s success, he believes it?s helping.

?We?ve noticed just a lot of new people here and a lot of people asking questions,? Kremer said, adding that the club did not advertise within the K-Tribe?s footprint in years past.

?We feel like we?re drawing fairly decent from down there, so we?re excited about that.?

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Hitting the road

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On a recent afternoon following a rare vacation day from work, Cahoon drove to Cara Hartwell?s house off Paul?s Path Road, pulled into the driveway at 5:25 p.m. and sent her friend a text.

Hartwell, an accountant from upstate New York who?s between jobs, emerged and climbed into the cab, and the two diehard fans rolled up N.C. 258 through Snow Hill, across N.C. 58 to U.S. Highway 264.

During the 75-minute drive, they laughed and chatted about a wide variety of subjects, pausing only when Cahoon ran over a paint bucket at 75 mph on 264 and had to pull over and remove it from the truck?s undercarriage.

They arrived at Zebulon?s Five County Stadium, stopped to chat with a parking attendant they?ve gotten to know and began the gravelly walk toward the will call window, where a Mudcats player had left them a pair of tickets.

After buying some refreshments and catching up with a former K-Tribe intern who now works for the Mudcats, they settled into their seats behind the home bullpen, along the third base line.

As Carolina players strolled from the clubhouse in the left field corner to the dugout, many of them threw up friendly waves at the women, who cheered when their favorites were introduced.

Cahoon, 47, and Hartwell, 49, became fast friends last baseball season. Hartwell, who moved to Kinston to live with her mother after her father died in 2010, began attending K-Tribe games by herself because, she said, ?there?s nothing else to do.?

Hartwell?s time at Grainger Stadium spoiled her; while 6,500-seat Five County Stadium is fine, she said, it lacks the small-town charm of Kinston?s 4,100-seat venue.

?The people (in Zebulon) are very, very nice. The staff is very nice. But there?s something to be said about the historical Kinston stadium,? said Hartwell, who grew up attending New York Yankees and Mets game and has been to minor league ballparks around North Carolina and Ohio. ?It is the best stadium I think I?ve ever seen, honestly. It?s just beautiful.?

Cahoon and Hartwell mix up their Mudcats experience by moving around ??especially Cahoon, who often repairs to a section in the upper deck on the third base side for its space and panoramic view.

On this sparsely populated night, they alternate between the third base side, Cahoon?s usual upper deck perch and field-level seats near the first base dugout, where they have a nice view of a vicious on-field brawl in the second inning between the Mudcats and the Winston-Salem Dash.

Alas, Hartwell was visiting with a friendly concessions worker and missed the rare melee altogether.

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A long day

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Ann Minkler, a former Grainger Stadium regular, sometimes carpools to Zebulon with Cahoon, Hartwell and others. Minkler estimates that she has attended at least 15 games this season, some of them on the weekends when her husband, Rocky, a truck driver, can tag along.

Even on nights when Ann Minkler can?t go, she?s there in spirit. She listens to the radio broadcast online while monitoring a live box score.

She also frequently listens to broadcasts of Triple-A Columbus and Cleveland Indians games, keeping up with Kinston players who have moved up the ranks.

It?s the next best thing to being there.

?I just want to go and support them as much as I can, even though they?re not the Indians anymore,? Ann Minkler said. ?I enjoy baseball. That?s the thing: I love baseball. I really love baseball.?

Cahoon and Hartwell showed their love by sitting through a light drizzle, yelling, ?Happy birthday, Delvi!? as Mudcats outfielder Delvi Cid, who turned 23 that night, walked to the plate.

The women will gladly wait out a rain delay and never leave before the final out is made. They happily endured the entirety of a 7-0 Mudcats loss that contained few highlights after the early brawl before making for the gate and waiting their turn to escape the congestion of the parking lot.

Cahoon, who helped the Latin players pay bills and transfer money when they were in Kinston, holds forth on social issues as the Silverado darts through the night on U.S. 70, a return route designed to minimize the possibility of hitting a deer.

The conversation shifts back to baseball and the Indians? abandonment of Grainger Stadium.

?I hate to drive by it, I swear,? Hartwell lamented as the pair neared Kinston. ?It?s just, like, heartbreaking.?

At 11:25 p.m., the truck pulls back into Hartwell?s driveway. The two say good night and Cahoon heads home. The bank opens at 9 a.m.

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David Hall can be reached at 252-559-1086 or at dhall@freedomenc.com.

Source: http://www.enctoday.com/news/fans-83751-kfpress-business-kinston.html

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