Brooks family: Happy Birthday USA!

Happy Independence Day from Albuquerque, NM!

I've been in NM since coming back from the reunion. The original plan was to catch a ride to Farmington and meet Bill & Jamie there for a volleyball tournament on the 3rd. We couldn't get enough people to commit to a team so we made other plans, which included Bill & Jamie coming to Albuquerque for the 4th and to pick me up. It just happened that the Isotopes were also in town so we decided a night at the ballpark was in order. I have many fond memories of going to this ballpark, back in the day, when the Albuquerque Dukes were here. The Dukes were my first baseball experience and why I fell in love with the game. They were the AAA team for the LA Dodgers and I've always been a Dodger fan because of this. (It's really hard to be a Rockies fan and a Dodger fan at the same time, especially when they are both in the NL West.) My brother also worked for the Dukes in the late 1990's so I've always felt a connection to the Dukes. The owners sold the Dukes in 2000 amid controversy over stadium renovations and such and Albuquerque was without baseball for 2 years. A new AAA franchise, affiliated with the Florida Marlins, moved into Albuquerque in 2003 and the city was going to build them a brand new stadium. Long story, short...they ended up renovating the Dukes stadium, which is what the former owners wanted to keep the Dukes in town. Boo! Anyway, the team name came from an episode of the Simpsons (of all things!) and in 2009, they became affiliated with the Dodger's organization. So, basically, after all of the hassle...it's the Dukes with a new name and a renovated stadium. This was the first time I'd been back to the stadium since before the Dukes left. I miss being able to drive into the outfield area and setting up a grill for a cook-out while watching the game, that was such a unique experience. That area now has berm (grass) seating and a pretty elaborate kid's play area. It's a nice stadium, comparable to the newer spring training parks in the Phoenix area, but I just can't wrap my head around the "Isoptopes"! We had a fun time at the game, though, and the fireworks afterward were awesome. After the fireworks, they let the kids run the bases. Jamie had a blast with that!