On the Road: Boys of Summer - The Cape Cod Baseball League

In a place full of tourist traps waiting for the summer crowd, the Cape Cod Baseball League stands out as the best entertainment bargain to be found on Cape Cod every summer.

The premier amateur baseball league in the country, the Cape Cod League has been in existence since 1885. It features some of the top college players nationwide, and it has a great history as a steppingstone to Major League Baseball. In fact, the league's statistics speak volumes.

One in out of every seven MLB players is an alumnus of the Cape Cod League. In 2005, over 1000 Cape Cod League alumni were listed on Major League rosters, and the 2006 first-year players draft saw 194 Cape Cod League alumni drafted. MLB stars who played in the Cape Cod League include Carlton Fisk, Thurman Munson, Mike Flanagan, Jeff Reardon, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Nomar Garciaparra, Frank Thomas, Jason Varitek and Barry Zito.

There are 10 teams in the league, divided into west (Upper Cape) and east (Lower Cape) divisions. Our local team is the Cotuit Kettleers, who play at Lowell Park in Cotuit.

This is baseball the way it was meant to be played. Wooden bats, and none of the big-money excess that you have in the big leagues. In fact, admission is free. There are raffles and donations collected to meet the leagues's expenses, and additional money is raised through concessions and souveniers. You can get a hot dog on a buttered toasted bun, or a cup of clam chowder.

The games are kid-friendly and even dog-friendly. One woman was had her three black labs with her watching from behind home plate. The park is smoke-free, and there are trivia contests and other events to keep things entertaining.

We've been to two games at Lowell Park, and we're looking forward to seeing more of the "Players of Tomorrow" in action at Cotuit and at some of the other parks around the Cape.

Here are a few more shots of the action: