It's Bulls night at the historic DAP -- just maybe for the last time ever?
May 10, 2010
We here at BCR tend to be more weekend evening fans of the Bulls than weekday game aficionados, given all the hullabaloo that happens in a typical week at the office.
But there's no way we were going to miss tonight's very special one-night-only return engagement to the historic Durham Athletic Park of everyone's favorite local AAA minor league baseball team.
Yes, tonight will see the Durham Bulls march back up Blackwell/Corcoran/Foster St. (three names in eight blocks? gotta love it) to their one-time home for a match against the Toledo Mud Hens.
We'd suspect it'll be the largest crowd in the DAP since it re-opened last summer after a $5 million-plus renovation paid for by the City.
Not that a stadium that hosts only a couple of thousand people is all that big. And we're sure the choice of a Monday night engagement -- surely an off-night for attendance for many fans as it has been me -- isn't accidental.
Hey, you think the Bulls want to give up their sweet DBAP revenue they can get out of selling 10,000 or so seats on a beautiful spring Saturday night?
So a Monday it is. But hey, let's make the most of it. We really don't know when the next time we'll see this will be.
Not that the celebration hasn't happened a couple of times before. The Bulls played a ceremonial final game at the DAP... only to have to reboot the next year given delays in building the new stadium, leading to the "Second Annual Final Game" in the early 1990s
Of course, the Bulls were a lowly single-A team there, not staffed with players one injury or batting slump away from The Show.
And the Bulls are telling fans it might not happen again. One piece of advice sent to ticketholders before the game: bring a camera, since it might be "the Bulls final game at the DAP," according to the release.
In other suggestions:
- Bring cash -- there's no ATMs at the park (of course)
- Bring a blanket if you have lawn passes
- Fans are cautioned about the limited parking slots available, mostly in Measurement Inc. lots along Morris St., $3 a shot. (Or, just be creative and park a couple of blocks to the east. No big deal.)
- Both the Bulls and the Toledo Mud Hens will wear commemorative throwback jerseys -- up for bid, natch, with proceeds to charity.
- Don't miss the pre-game flyover, featuring World War II-era planes.
Oh, and it pains me to say this, dear Durhamites -- but there are still tickets remaining. We're not sure how this oversight has happened, but don't miss out. Get your seats and show up, will ya?
And wave hi if you see me around the park tomorrow night. I'll certainly be soaking it in, especially seeing as how it's this Durhamite's first time having the chance to enter the original Durham Athletic Park for any reason.
(See the Herald-Sun's story this morning on the shindig, too.)
According to the Bulls, the only tickets remaining are "standing room" and lawn. The "seats" (such as those aluminum benches are) were spoken for long ago.
Great venue, great memories to be had and if they don't do this once every year, they're nuts. "Last Time" my Aunt Fanny!
Posted by: Doug Roach | May 10, 2010 at 09:50 AM
There's also parking for 20+ bicycles right in front of the main entrance to the DAP!
Posted by: Dale McKeel | May 10, 2010 at 10:10 AM
A little love for the event from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=5174332
Posted by: Bob | May 10, 2010 at 03:39 PM
Nice article (altho both accompanying pics are actually of DBAP)
Posted by: georg | May 10, 2010 at 03:56 PM
I wish we could lose the ungainly name DAP (which, what with the DBAP and the DPAC is a bit confusing) and go back to calling the old stadium El Toro, which is what it was called at least back in the '30s. Sounds cooler, and we could get rid of one of our many ugly acronyms.
Posted by: jacob | May 11, 2010 at 02:48 PM