Photos & Video: B&B Visits Williamsport, Andy Tracy

Andy Tracy (#22) coaching third base as the manager of the Crosscutters in August 2012

Straight from my "Save this post for the offseason" folder, here are some pictures, a video, and a small review of my trip to Williamsport back in August...

On August 18 Bacon and Biscuits headed out to Williamsport to see IronPigs legend Andy Tracy and his Crosscutters take on Jamestown in a game they won 7-3. Bowman Field is as old as its 1926 opening date would suggest. Unlike some other aging Minor League ballparks, it clearly has not been upgraded in any significant way for quite some time. The Cutters bullpen is outside a giant shed down the right field line which contains a batting cage. The outfield fence is literally a green wooden fence that looks like it may be the original one from '26.

The Crosscutters bullpen

Jammers pitcher Ramon Del Orbe with the wooden fence in the background

Once you enter the stadium there's a tiny plaza with a nice team store (that clearly has been re-done or constructed recently and is full of official Nike team gear (Hint, hint Pigs)) and food stands. In true, middle-of-nowhere-Pennsylvania fashion the concession stand actually sold whoopie pies, a first for me at any stadium. Multiple flavors in fact. If you choose to sit in one of the actual seats (more than half of the stadium is made up of bleachers) you are extremely close to the field - closer than a picture can capture. You'll also get in-seat wait service a la the Diamond Club at Citizens Bank Park.

Bowman Field

The fans are sort of into the game. You can tell a lot of them - especially in the seats - come to most if not every game. They've got the usual between inning entertainment. There's a game where they roll two big dice off the roof. They have kids walk around with inning cards like a boxing match. As they do every Saturday, there was a post-game firework show.

Since it was mid-August, the Little League World Series was going on that night just down the street from The Bow. We had to drive past the stadium on the way in and there were tons of people outside trying to get in. It's right alongside the road. At one point during the Cutters game you could see the fireworks from the LLWS.

Fireworks from the Little League World Series over the first base stands

In the bottom of the 7th there was a close call at third base - that the ump honestly did get wrong - as one of the Cutters tried to extend a double to a triple and Andy was not pleased. You get a better sense of how close the seats are in the video.


As I said the Crosscutters won the game 7-3, but they would finish the season with a 30-46 record, the second worst in the New York-Penn League. Andy Tracy will not manage them in 2013 as he was named the new Phillies "roving" Minor League hitting coordinator back in November.

Check out all of the pictures from the game below!