“Let’s go, RailCats! Let’s go, RailCats!” Two boisterous fans, both middle-aged men, sat behind home plate and yelled this to their team, the Gary SouthShore RailCats in the first inning of a game last Saturday. A few other fans joined their cheers but not enough of them to create serious noise. That singular scene may illustrate how our Region falls short to embrace RailCats baseball games played at The Steel Yard in downtown Gary.
Not enough Northwest Indiana residents are making noise about a professional baseball team that plays in our proverbial backyard. The team has been playing at this location, just south of Indiana Toll Road and the South Shore rail line, for 20 years. The ballpark is easy to access, with plenty of seating and incredibly affordable ticket prices, costing me only $10 for a general admission ticket.
Parking is free and concession stand prices for a variety of foods and drinks are very reasonable. After wandering around the ballpark to check out its offerings, I gravitated to an empty seat near the third base line. I sat next to a seat decorated as a memorial to a longtime RailCats fan, Henry Cockrell Jr.
, who died in May. “He was a lifetime season ticket holder,” said Renee Connelly, a marketing consultant for the team. “He was our biggest fan and loved the RailCats.
We all miss him dearly.” Last month, the ballpark hosted a celebration of life for his family. The stadium not only hosts baseball games but also events of every kind, fro.