Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- If you ever get the feeling that nothing matters, embrace it. Nothing does matter. It matters a whole lot. Just look at what transpired -- or, more accurately, what didn’t transpire -- at Louisville Slugger Field on Tuesday.
The Louisville Bats, Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, staged their fourth annual Nothing Night. "That means no ad reads, videos or on-field promotions," the International League team explained in its social media posts. "Just baseball in its purest form."
If you missed Louisville's Nothing Night, take heart; there'll be more nothing when the team stages the promo again on July 8. For both occasions, Bats director of marketing Vince Zielen is the man responsible for making something out of nothing.
“You're throwing it back to old school baseball,” he said. “Nowadays everyone's going the Savannah Bananas route and trying to do as much as possible. So why not go to the opposite end? And that's what our thought process was with bringing this here: 'We're Minor League Baseball. We can do both ends of the spectrum. So, let's do it. Let's have fun.’"
Zielen first learned about Nothing Night via the Lake Elsinore Storm (Single-A SD), who originated the concept in 2009 and have since reimagined their version as Sensory Friendly Night. The Storm traditionally took an ultra-minimalistic approach to Nothing Night, especially in its early days. No tickets were sold, the national anthem was sung by the fans, the mascot was nowhere to be found, the videoboard and PA were turned off and fans brought their own food and drinks because the concession stands were closed.
"When it first started, my understanding is that the staff put couches on the concourse, sat down and enjoyed themselves. They didn't even open the bathrooms, they brought in porta-potties," former Storm general manager Raj Narayanman told me in 2017.
Fans of running water can take solace in the fact that the Bats didn't go to any of the extreme lengths detailed above. Their most prominent "something" on Nothing Night came courtesy of Louisville Slugger Field organist Al Greener, who was the sole source of ballpark entertainment save for the game itself.
"Anything that I play, I like to try to make the people who are listening [ask], 'Why did he play that?' said Greener, who spent 15 seasons playing the organ at University of Louisville baseball games. "Meaning, for instance, if it's a fly ball, [I play the song] 'What Goes Up (Must Come Down).' That kind of stuff. … This is one of the best days of the year for me."
It was also one of the best days of the year for a diehard Bats fan who prefers to be identified only as Steve-O, who could be found keeping score from his usual perch in section 216.
"I watched from a distance as Nothing Night swept the Minor Leagues and thought, 'What if it could be me? When will it be my turn? When will I get to be able to sit here in this fantastic place, best place in town, and enjoy nothing?'" said Steve-O. "It's something to enjoy nothing. Even if you've enjoyed nothing, you've enjoyed something."
Pitcher Sam Benschoter, a Louisville Bats Nothing Night veteran, wasn't quite as enthused.
"It's interesting compared to some of the other nights we have. We'll have, like, [inflatable mascot act] The Zooperstars! and you've got everything going on. And then today it's just baseball," he said. "I definitely like something going on, but on the other side of the coin it's easier to hear your thoughts. Sometimes I don't want to hear my thoughts.”
Benschoter didn’t appear in the game, which was probably for the best as it was a tough night for pitchers across the board. The Bats and Indianapolis Indians (PIT) combined to hit 10 home runs, and the crack of the bat resonated more powerfully than usual. Three of the long balls came courtesy of the Pirates' No. 4 prospect, Jhostynxon "The Password" Garcia, who powered the visiting team to a 10-8 win.
That was a disappointing result for the home team, but then again, on this night nothing was the matter.
"Every team should try to do this and have fun and just let baseball be the seller," said Zielen.
Steve-O, of course, agreed.
"The grass is green, the onions smell fantastic, and there's nothing else going on except for a baseball game," he said, while meticulously keeping track of the action in his scorebook. "It's a wonderful thing."
