A Unique Baseball Experience

The Rockland Boulders won both on and off the field Thursday night.

At least, this was the prevailing opinion among the 6,137 fans who gathered to Provident Bank Park for the first-ever home game for the Rockland Boulders in Pomona. The game followed a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the stadium and an opening ceremony on the field itself.

The Boulders won the game 3-1 to move their record to 6-11 on the season.

Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence helped cut the ribbon and threw out the ceremonial first pitch along with Pearl River resident and former New York Yankees catcher John Flaherty, a part-owner of the Boulders. During the ceremony St. Lawrence pointed out that the stadium is an example of the “enduring American spirit, as it was built during an economic recession. He added that other great American landmarks, like the Empire State Building, were similarly built during the Great Depression.

“This edifice will stand and represent our time, that the American spirit is strong and alive and well,” St. Lawrence said ruing the opening ceremony. “This beautiful Provident Bank Park will be a catalyst for the economic development of the Hudson Valley and the state of New York.  And for generations our residents […] will be able to enjoy this wonderful, wonderful stadium. “

Rockland County Legislator Ed Day, R-New CIty, agreed with this last sentiment. The stadium is now part of Day’s district thanks to the county’s recent redistricting.

“I think this is something that’s exciting,” he said. “I think it’s vibrant. I think the best part of this is going to be a very-soon-to-be memory with my grandson, similar to what I had with my dad. My dad took me to Ebbets Field when I was 5 years of age, my first ball game. The nice thing about this particular stadium is that it’s something that families can go to, it’s affordable.”

The stadium features a high-definition scoreboard with replays,  a team store where fans can buy the latest Boulders gear, and various food courts — all located on the main concourse of the field so fans can always have a view of the game.

“Compared to other minor league parks it’s probably the best one I’ve ever been in,” Scott Gruber from New City said. “They have the amenities for a major league park, and all the different food courts. […] It’s like major league at a minor league level, and that’s what you need.”

But Boulder fans  who attend games at Provident Bank Park will also be able to have experiences they likely would not get in any other stadium. For starters there is the Boulder Berg, a children’s playground located behind the right field concourse. The playground includes jungle gyms and slides and allows kids to run around and get exercise during the game.

“I remember huge playgrounds when I was a kid and how much fun they were, and it’s nice to bring it into the stadium so it’s something more that the child can do,” Christina Lifshey of Thiells said. Lifshey brought her 2-year-old son Jake to the playground during the game.

Another fan-friendly feature is the Dugout of Dreams. Fans can watch the game from the best seats in the house, located only a glass wall away from the actual dugout.  Before the game the Boulders players signed numerous hats, baseballs, and gloves for the children both inside and outside the Dugout of Dreams.

“It’s really amazing and a lot of fun,” 9-year-old Michael Buonanno said of his experience in the fan dugout. “You get a lot of autographs.”

Buonanno was part of a group of families from the Montvale Education Foundation and the Montvale Athletic League who had tickets in the Dugout of Dreams for opening day. The Foundation’s vice president, Lisa Adler, pointed out that the Boulders had come to various events to support Montvale in the past, so attending the game was a way to repay them.

Specifically she stated that Boulders representatives attended a street fair run by the Montvale Chamber of Commerce and a picnic for the Athletic League. Adler also hopes the Boulders will help with fundraisers in the future for both the Foundation and the Athletic League

Adler’s 9-year-old son Mikey was one of the children in the Dugout of Dreams. He already had a practice ball one of the players had thrown to him and another ball signed by several of the players. He said he will be back on Saturday and hopes then to catch a ball during the actual game.

Fans can get up close and personal with their favorite players in other ways too. The players, for instance, must walk past the fans in order to get to and from the locker rooms. Thus fans can cheer on the players as they enter and exit the field before and after each game.

Another factor that appealed to fans was the proximity of the stadium, located just off the Exit 12 interchange of the Palisades Interstate Parkway — about 10 minutes by car from the Tappan Zee Bridge.

“You can be sitting on the porch and say, ‘You know what, they’re playing tonight, lets’ go check out the game,”’ Chris Treacy of New City said.

Some of the fans Thursday night were current or former baseball players themselves, like 17-year-old Corey Lerche of West Nyack, who plays on the varsity team for St. Joseph in Bergen County. He has been playing since he was five years old and hit a walk-off home run in his freshman year to win the county championships for his team. He wants to play professionally in the future, hopefully at a level higher than the independent Can-Am League that the Boulders are a part of.

“Hopefully I can go farther but if can play here [at Provident Bank Park] that would be awesome.” Lerche said.

Even older fans like Taffy Walsh of New City could appreciate the impact the stadium will have on the youth of the community.

“St. Lawrence had the foresight to have this stadium here in Rockland County,” she said. “And I also think that it’s wonderful for the future athletes here in Rockland County. […] I think it’s a marvelous idea, it’s great for the county, and I think that it will bring in a lot of revenue that we need very badly.”

And fans like Jennifer McCormick of New City feel that the home stadium will have a positive impact on the team as well.

“Their standing isn’t so great right now, but they’re going to come back,” she said. “Now that there’s home games they’re going to show us their stuff.”

For more information on the Rockland Boulders, go to www.rocklandboulders.com.