The only team not to play in the East Tenn—Southern VA—West VA region are the Burlington Royals (formerly the Burlington Indians), who play their games in Burlington, NC. This is the first year for the Royals affiliation, having been affiliated with the Indians for some 20+ years. The crowd was pretty sparse, and was probably one of the lightest attended games on the Tour to date. The team plays at Burlington Athletic Stadium, which has an interesting history itself. Originally the ballpark was built in Danville, VA—but was sold in 1959 for $5,000, dismantled, transported down to Burlington, and then reassembled in time for the start of the 1960 season. The ballpark has undergone some renovations since then, but the original structure is still in place today. The best place to watch the game is the press box, which is actually located on the roof of the ballpark, giving you a crow’s nest type of view. Thanks to Steve tonight for helping us out. Steve happens to be the youngest GM I have come across yet, so for all those kids who want to be a general manager of a baseball team by the time you are in your mid-twenties, it seems like the best place to become one is in the Appalachian League.

Also according to Wikipedia: “The park was also the site of the eight-hour and 15-minute, 27-inning marathon between the Burlington Indians and Bluefield Orioles on June 24-25, 1988. The WBBB-AM radio play-by-play call of that game by Indians’ announcer Richard Musterer stands as the longest continuous single-game solo broadcast in baseball history.” Impressive.