The old manufacturing city of Bristol, Connecticut is known around the planet as the home of worldwide
sports network ESPN. Little seen beyond municipal boundaries is a proud tradition of local sports from high school football to professional baseball. That long-time sporting spirit is best embodied by Muzzy Field, one of the oldest ballparks in the nation.
For the first time since the Boston Red Sox had a minor league affiliate in Bristol over thirty years ago, I found myself on a recent warm evening with a hotdog and a program watching America’s pastime from a worn wooden bench in the Muzzy grandstand. The Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club 
was battling the Keene, New Hampshire Swamp Bats in the home club’s inaugural season in the New England Collegiate Baseball League where gifted college athletes “play for nothing more than their love of the game and the opportunity to ‘Follow their Dream.’”
It’s a small, but devoted crowd of 325. Many in the stands seem to know the players by name, shouting words of encouragement. Among them was Kevin Kelleher, the non-profit team’s president. An athletic man, he looked relaxed and tan as he rooted for his son on the field. Most of the players
stay with host families, some of whom were watching the game. One woman remarked on how polite and quiet her guest player was, though her refrigerator was quickly emptied by his appetite and her teenage daughter was heartbroken on finding he had a girlfriend.
Though play was sloppy at points with misjudged grounders and some rusty-gate swings, plenty of drama unfolded to keep fans entranced. There were solid base hits, diving catches, a close double 
play and accurate cannon-like throws from the outfield. Bristol pitchers had trouble with bases on balls, but Keene did not get a second hit until two out in the ninth. Play ultimately went into extra innings with the home nine winning the contest with a two out bases loaded walk-off walk in the bottom of the eleventh.
For the hard core baseball fan, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s where you play the game. From its curved granite entry to its redbrick façade and green outfield wall embraced by tall pines and oaks, Muzzy is a cozy place where fans can relax and have their hearts sweetly broken by recalling the easy simplicity of the summer game before the flash and fancy of big time money and media. Arched portals in the walls lead through a narrow passage upward to a view of thick grass and blue sky as you enter the stands. There’s lots of foul territory down the lines, leaving the impression of a spacious park despite its small size.
Since it opened in 1912, almost thirty players 
enshrined in Cooperstown have taken the field at Muzzy including greats as diverse as Casey Stengel and Satchel Paige. Babe Ruth is said to have hit the first over-the-wall homerun here in 1919 during his waning days with the Red Sox. Professional in every way except for a paycheck, today’s players are here to hone their skills and showcase their talent. They combine the bodies of men with the dreams of children. Fans pick up on that magic, sitting back to enjoy a bag of peanuts while the evening’s drama and hopes unfold.
