ValleyCats Game Makes for Great Family Outing

There is no better feeling than taking your son to a baseball game. I got that experience on Sunday night as the ValleyCats played host to the Aberdeen IronBirds at Joe Bruno Stadium.

It was my 3-year old son Zachary's first-ever professional baseball game. And it was a moment neither of us will ever forget.

I'll go on record as saying that a ValleyCats game at Joe Bruno Stadium is one of the best sporting events you can attend in the Capital Region.

They have it all at "The Joe." From all the usual ballpark fare to the Kids Play Area to the speed pitch - there's plenty to do. Oh yeah, there's even a baseball game going on!

We first got to the stadium and Zachary wanted a pretzel. No problem. He then wanted another pretzel and cotton candy and well, let's just say Zach liked eating!

After 3 innings of watching the game, it was off to the Kids Play Area. The attention span of a 3-year old doesn't last long. But that's where the ValleyCats do it right. There's just so much to do for the kids. And that's what keeps people coming back night after night. The Nemo bouncey-bounce was Zachary's favorite. He also liked the bouncey-bounce obstacle course. After about 30 minutes, I actually forgot we were at a baseball game.

I managed to pull Zachary away to head back to our seats to watch another inning or so of action. We met all of the mascots - including SouthPaw and his grandfather, Pappy SouthPaw. Pictures with the mascots were a must. We wrapped up the night with Zach getting his very own baseball card - another great touch by the ValleyCats.

My son was among the 3,878 fans that enjoyed the ValleyCats 5-1 win over Aberdeen. As we were leaving, a member of the ValleyCats staff handed Zachary a balloon. It put a huge smile on his face. His final memory of the night was a free balloon and a "thank you" for coming to the game.

The 'Cats might be a minor league baseball team, but they are true professionals when it comes to a quality evening of entertainment for the entire family.

Check out the ValleyCats website for schedule and ticket information.