The Vermont Lake Monsters are celebrating their 20th season, and the time to join in the celebration is now as the regular season will be coming to a close on Sept. 4. The Lake Monsters have delighted fans young and old ever since they started playing at the historic Centennial Field in 1994. The team is currently affiliated with the Oakland Athletics after spending its first 17 years with the Montreal Expos franchise that became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
Many of those who have attended a game here over the past 20 years have revisited those memories this summer. Some were taken to a game as a child and are now bringing their own children to hear the crack of the bat and enjoy their first sight of the beautiful grass. Some have attended games in the past and moved away from Burlington and want to once again enjoy a game here on a warm summer evening.
Those who do take in a game at Centennial Field will be heading to one of the most historic baseball stadiums in the country. The first game played here was on April 17, 1906. On that day, the University of Vermont defeated the University of Maine, 10-4. At that time, baseball was the most popular sport on the UVM campus. The stadium has been steadily modernized throughout its history. Most recently, the Lake Monsters installed a beautiful video board and scoreboard in 2012.
Fans who attended games in 1989, 1991, 1995, 1996 or 2011 enjoyed watching a championship team as those clubs won division and/or league titles in each of those seasons. The last day of the 2011 regular season was especially exciting as the Lake Monsters defeated the Tri-City ValleyCats, 11-7, and then waited more than an hour for further good news, a 6-5 loss by Connecticut in a 16-inning thriller with Lowell. That result allowed Vermont to win the division on a tiebreaker after the clubs finished tied for first.
Those heading to Centennial Field for the first time will be pleased to learn that free parking is readily available. Parking right at the stadium is also available for $3. The facility is located just to the east of the University of Vermont. Those driving from downtown should head east on Pearl Street and then continue on it when it turns into Colchester Avenue. The stadium is located less than a mile from where the name change takes place at the intersection with North Prospect Street. Fans who want to embark on a beautiful walk from downtown should expect the journey to take about 30 minutes.
via http://michaelblanchard.benchmark.us/2013/08/09/join-the-vermont-lake-monsters-as-they-celebrate-their-20th-season-at-the-historic-centennial-field/
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