Saturday morning, through the GameChanger app on my phone, I spotted a Saturday morning game that peaked my interest. The 14U RI Rays were set to play the 14U New England Scorpions at Cranston’s Calise Field at 10am, so I decided to take the drive from my home in North Kingstown. It was a seasonably warm Saturday morning in April, very little wind, and just a spattering of clouds in the sky when I arrived at the field off Dyer Ave. I have been to Calise several times over the years and one of the things I love are all the elevated views. For example, the back parking lot gives the fan, the parent, the incoming player a fantastic first view of the field. Like this photo I took yesterday:

From the parking lot, you can see all of the game action. In fact, there were a number of fans/parents in the parking lot watching the game in their cars or in their foldable chairs. As I walked down the cement path towards the third base dugout, I stopped and found another great spot to watch the game. There is a cement landing that I traversed up a small hill to get to. From there, I could see the entire baseball field and game action, sort of like a camera operator at a professional ball game. Here are some of the photos I snagged from atop this perch in medium left field:

And I captured this video of the entirety of Calise Field from atop this awesome fan spot:

As I walked by fans and family members cheering on their player, I did happen to notice that most were socially distant apart. As I stated earlier, there were fans in the parking lot, some were set up on the grass, others along the bleachers on both sides, and some set up behind the home plate area behind the backstop. Behind home plate, there were two parents videotaping the game, perhaps for the GameChanger Live Stream feature, which allows fans not at the game to actually watch live game action on their phones or computers. I made way up another hill and sat on the stone wall that forms the perimeter of the playground, which sits street level way up and above the field. I got some great shots from this vantage point:

After an inning or two behind home plate, I ventured out to the fencing in short right field to grab some additional photos. Typically, early April baseball games require at least a few layers, possibly a winter ensemble of hats, gloves, scarf, and down jacket. But Saturday was a low to mid 60 degree sunny day, so there was no cause for bundling up. From the left field area, I got some more game photos:

At Calise Field, there is no press box, no concession stand, in fact there isn’t even a scoreboard. Each team sits in uncovered dugouts and shares a single bench. In a lot of ways, Calise is a classic throwback, neighborhood baseball field. It may have had the same look and feel 10, 20, 30, maybe 40 years ago. What I love about Calise is this. There is no pomp and circumstance, no frills. It is just a safe place for players to play, coaches to coach, and fans to cheer at. Calise has some of the best perches and vantage points to watch a baseball game. The fact the field is sunk below street level and there are so many hilly spots throughout the park means you can easily find a great spot throughout the park to watch a game. My personal favorite is the stone wall up the hill behind the backstop.

The RI Rays and the New England Scorpions played in front of their family and friends Saturday morning. That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it??? Two talented Rhode Island baseball clubs getting ready for their 2021 AAU Spring season as fans and family cheered them on. It was great to catch the game and take a walking tour of Calise Field and all its great vantage points. A fantastic Rhode Island Baseball Experience at Calise Field in Cranston.

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