jjohnson@heraldsun.com; 419-6667
With two of their crowd favorites signing autographs, the championship trophies on display and free hot dogs for fans, the Durham Bulls opened up the ballpark and celebrated the end to a very successful season on Wednesday.
The line to get into Durham Bulls Athletic Park formed early and reached quite a ways up Blackwell Street before the gates were opened at 6 p.m. Once fans started filing in and having Elliot Johnson and Chris Richard sign team photos and various other Bulls memorabilia, the celebration only had just begun.
Fans also got a chance to see the Governors' Cup trophy the Bulls earned for winning the International League championship and the National Championship trophy they won by beating Memphis, the champion of the Pacific Coast League.
But the biggest treat seemed to be the chance to get out on the field and play catch on the Bulls' home field.
Chris Johnson of Durham brought his small son to the park because he's been a fan of the team and wanted the chance to get out on the field with his boy.
"It's wonderful that they did this," said Johnson, who's been going to Bulls games for about the past 10 years. "I've never had the opportunity to do this and I'm thankful to get this chance with my son."
Brothers also came together to relive some childhood fun. Rick and Carl Clayton played catch in center field. Carl, who lives in Goldsboro, called up his younger brother Rick, who lives here in town, and they decided going to the celebration would be fun. Both played baseball growing up and said their father actually played some semi-pro games at the Bulls' old home, historic Durham Athletic Park.
"I think I saw my first ballgame at the El Toro Park," Rick Clayton said. "But I've come to many games here. It was a pretty special season the team had, and we just thought we'd come out and enjoy the scenery."
Besides playing catch, one of the fascinating activities for some of the younger kids was throwing their baseball against the Blue Monster to hear the booming echo that emanated from 32-foot tall wall.
The crowd of nearly 700 exceeded team officials' expectations for the celebration, according to Bulls spokesman Matt DeMargel.
"We were ready for a great crowd and we got it," DeMargel said. "For this to happen on a Wednesday in the middle of October, we couldn't be happier."
Johnson, the Bulls' utility infielder, said he was blown away again by the amount of community support the team has.
"A lot of people showed up early and waited in a long line. It means a lot," Johnson said. "There is just a lot of pride the town has in the Bulls, and I'm glad to be part of the team. We'd been close to winning it the last couple of years, and this year we got over the hump."
