Traffic issues notwithstanding (it took at good hour to get from the freeway exit into the stadium parking lot), the Lake Erie Crushers’
home opener on Tuesday night at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon was a huge success, attended by a sold-out crowd and the local politicians who made it all happen. The unaffiliated, amateur team beat the Windy City Thunderbolts thanks to a fine pitching performance by Paul Fagan, who was hurling 95 mph fastballs (if the radar gun can be believed) into the eighth inning. The stadium, which holds about 5,000, provides an intimate setting since all the reserved seats are on the field level. There’s also a grassy general admission area in left field, though as a whole, the place isn’t exactly bucolic (it looks out on Interstate 90). A few pet peeves: programs are $1; parking is $3; some vendor was calling Labatt an “import” and selling it for a buck more than the price at the concession stands. But overall, it was good, low-budget fun. — Jeff Niesel
