Alright, so let me tell you about this whole “New Balance Baseball League” thing I got myself into a while back. I saw a flyer, you know, “New Balance” splashed all over it, and I thought, “Hey, this could be pretty decent!” Figured with a big name like that, it’d be organized, maybe some good quality stuff involved. I’ve been wanting to swing a bat again, get out there, so I figured, why not?
Signing up was the first sign, maybe. The website looked like my kid designed it for a school project. Seriously. Kept crashing. I spent a good hour, maybe more, just trying to get my name on the list. Had to fill out these forms, then email them, then call a number that just rang and rang. Finally got a hold of someone who sounded like they were doing me a huge favor by taking my money.
So, opening day comes. I get to the field. It’s… a field. Not bad, not great. But the “New Balance” presence? A bit of a letdown, to be honest. There was this one faded banner, looked like it had seen better days, probably better leagues too. And the “sponsored gear” we heard whispers about? Yeah, well, we all got a water bottle. A New Balance water bottle, sure, but still. I was kinda hoping for at least a decent cap or something, you know?
Then came the actual playing part. Oh boy. It was, let’s say, an adventure in itself. Teams were a mix-match. Some guys were super serious, others looked like they’d never held a bat before. The coaching, if you could call it that, was mostly just one fella yelling “swing harder!” from the sidelines. He was wearing New Balance sneakers though, so I guess that counted for something.
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Games often started late. Like, really late.
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The umpires? Pretty sure one of them was just a dad they roped in last minute. Made some… interesting calls, let’s put it that way.
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And the equipment provided by the league, besides my trusty old glove, was pretty beat up. The bats felt ancient, and the balls had seen too many games.
We were promised jerseys at some point. “Official New Balance League Jerseys,” they said. They finally arrived, like, halfway through the season. And guess what? Mine was two sizes too big. I looked like a kid wearing his dad’s shirt. And the material? Felt kinda cheap, if I’m being honest. Not what I expected from something with “New Balance” attached to it.
So yeah, that was my New Balance Baseball League experience. Got me out of the house, I guess. But if you’re thinking it’s some top-tier, professionally run thing because of the name? Think again. Felt more like they slapped a brand on a rickety cart and called it a race car. Makes you wonder where the actual ‘sponsorship’ went, you know? Probably not into the league itself, that’s for sure. Just another lesson learned, I suppose.
