No Minor Accomplishment: The Revival of New Jersey Professional Baseball

Chapter 4: The Trenton Thunder: The Capital of New Jersey Baseball

T he meeting room in the executive offices of the Trenton Thunder , below the stands at Waterfront Park, is relatively small. Early on this Labor Day morning, twenty-five Thunder staff members—both male and female, full-time and intern, some standing, some leaning against the wall—pack every corner of the room, awaiting the day’s marching orders. The banter is friendly and casual. These people, 55 4 The Trenton Thunder The Capital of New Jersey Baseball Mercer County Waterfront Park, Trenton, New Jersey, home of the Trenton Thunder. Photograph by Bob Golon, 2007. after an entire season, seem to still genuinely like each other, no small accomplishment in such a high-pressured environment. As I kneel in the corner to take notes of the proceedings, general manager Brad Taylor opens the meeting by announcing, “We have finally reached the end of the regular season after starting out 0-10. Today should be, relatively speaking, a piece of cake. Wednesday, however, will be quite different.” Taylor is referring to the fact that the Trenton Thunder began the season by losing their first ten games but recovered to win the 2006 Eastern League Northern Division. The veiled reference to Wednesday is in anticipation of game one of the best-three-out-of-five Eastern League semifinal playoffs, and the appearance of New York Yankees star Hideki Matsui in a Trenton Thunder uniform for an injury rehabilitation assignment . Labor Day afternoon games are normally fairly laid-back events, but that will all change by Wednesday night, when the playoffs begin. The staff needs to be ready for the media circus and large crowds that will accompany the appearance of yet another Yankees star in the Trenton Thunder pinstripes. A high-profile rehabilitation assignment is a mixed blessing for the Thunder, as are many issues that arise out of being the Double-A affiliate of the most visible team in major-league baseball. The constant balance between the business needs of the Trenton Thunder and the baseball needs of the New York Yankees is something that the management and employees of the Thunder deal with on a daily basis. But for now, there’s the matter of the final regular-season game of the season, a Labor Day afternoon game against the Reading Phillies.1 Labor Day signifies the unofficial ending of the summer season. It is also the day designated to honor the working people of America. It’s a holiday of parades, barbecues, political speeches, and of course that American staple, baseball. Labor Day marks the beginning of the stretch drive for the postseason playoffs in the major leagues, and it also signals the imminent ending of the regular season in the minors and the independent leagues. For many years, Labor Day for New Jersey baseball fans meant watching the Yankees, Mets, or Phillies play holiday doubleheaders either in person or on television. The days of single-admission Labor Day doubleheaders are long gone, and New Jersey fans now have the option of attending minor-league and independent professional Labor Day baseball games at their local parks, in an atmosphere that’s as American as apple pie. Labor Day might have been intended as a day of rest for the working class of America, but it is just another long day at the office for Brad Taylor and his young staff. 56 No Minor Accomplishment After a tumultuous weekend of rain and wind leftover from Tropical Storm Ernesto, this Labor Day Monday at Waterfront Park in Trenton dawns sunny with temperatures in the sixties. There’s a hint of autumn in the air. Pulling into the parking area at 9:30 , I notice numerous Thunder front-office staffers carrying large containers of coffee and other beverages from their cars to the Thunder office. There’s a spring in their step, and they don’t look tired. Not only is it the end of a long season , it also has already been a very long weekend that, for the staff, began at the same time as the aforementioned Ernesto. Friday night’s game against Reading was postponed due to the rain. A twi-night doubleheader was scheduled for the following evening at 5:05, with a promise from the local weatherman that Ernesto would leave the area by early evening. The weatherman had it...