SERIES FINALE: Biscuits celebrate Independence a day earlier
Morgan Ensberg and the Montgomery Biscuits will celebrate Independence Day a little earlier on Monday in the final game of a six-game series against Pensacola at Riverwalk Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. (File Photo)
By GRAHAM DUNN
The tradition of baseball and its link to the Fourth of July is a time-honored tradition, possibly the strongest among sports tethered with a holiday.
Sure, New Year’s Day has college football bowl games. Thanksgiving has Detroit Lions football (and the Cowboys). The NBA is trying to muscle in on Christmas.
But nothing tops an Independence Day evening at the ballpark, hundreds of them - Minor and Major Leagues - across the nation, with most games followed by the biggest fireworks display of the season.
“I just enjoy the fireworks and the love of country,” Montgomery manager Morgan Ensberg said. “It’s a great reminder that we live in a country to allow us to celebrate this. When I see people and see them at the ballpark and I get to coach the best players in the world on that day, I am grateful to do this for a living.”
The day has different meanings and traditions for Biscuits players. Many grew up playing on the holiday, either in Little League or travel ball games. It wasn’t unusual for the players to spend the day on the road with their families.
“Growing up you have tournaments and you get to drive to different places and see the fireworks,” Biscuits infielder Austin Shenton said. “It’s hot so after a game you sometimes can jump in the river or pool and have some fun.
“It’s another reason why we get to play this game. We play in front of a pack house usually so you forget about the season and the grind of it and go out and have fun. It’s nice to bring back those childhood memories.”
Pitcher John Doxakis got a rare treat in 2018 as a member of Team USA, getting to wear the red, white and blue facing Japan. The game was played in Durham, home of the Rays Triple A team.
“A lot of excitement that day,” Doxakis said. “There were a lot of ‘USA’ chants in the stands… Very patriotic. First time I’ve ever had a chance to do that on the Fourth of July.”
Ensberg has been at several venues as both a player and coach. He has memories that go beyond fireworks and hotdogs.
“You will see a little bit of everything,” he said. “(There is a) good chance there will be jean shorts, shirts with flags and/or without sleeves. Probably a lot of headbands and there’s an outside chance there will be work boots during BP. I enjoy celebrating the Fourth of July. It’s sort of like our Christmas.”
The Biscuits are actually on the road for the Fourth this season, heading to Pearl, Miss. to take on the Braves beginning tomorrow. But the current homestead against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos culminates tonight with the annual Independence Day fireworks. It’s a day earlier but the precedent still lives.
Game time is set for 6:05 p.m. with gates opening at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at www.biscuitsbaseball.com.
Notable highlights from Independence Day, Biscuits’ style
2004: The first-ever July 4 contest for the franchise has an unwanted visitor during the sixth inning against Huntsville. A two-foot garter snake crawled on the field and had to be removed by groundskeepers. The snake was relocated beyond the train tracks behind the left-field wall. It was the sixth snake to be caught at the stadium that season. No word if it was the same snake attempting to sneak in. The Biscuits won that first Independence Day game, 4-1.
2005: A record crowd (at the time) of more than 7,400 fans came to Riverwalk to see a vast array of fireworks after the Biscuits beat the Mississippi Braves, 5-2. The attendance record would stand until Independence Day, 2009 when 7,560 attended the game. That record was broken again in 2010 when 7,591 fans were in attendance on Independence Day.
2010: The largest crowd ever to watch a Biscuits home game didn’t get the outcome it hoped for as Birmingham set a team record for doubles in a game with 10, on the way to an 11-5 victory. But fans got fireworks and were regaled with a marriage proposal, the 10th in the franchise history. She said “yes.”
2015: Jake Faria tied a team strikeout record (14) and took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in what turned into a Biscuits’ 7-2 win over Biloxi. The Shuckers got their first hit in the eighth. The win also featured a bench-clearing incident when Montgomery batter Tommy Coyle had a fast ball zip over his head thrown by Shucker pitcher Brooks Hall. Biscuits manager Brady Williams was thrown out of the game for arguing.
2021: The 2020 season was lost to COVID-19 the year before and the new season started in '21 albeit a month later than expected. By the time the Fourth of July arrived, fans were ready to celebrate with the Biscuits. The outcome wasn’t what fans wanted, a 6-2 loss to the M-Braves, but a magnificent fireworks show more than made up for it. The night almost made coming to the ballpark normal again.