"Vanilla" is often an adjective to describe something that is good, but nothing genuinely spectacular. It gets the job done, and can be the foundation for greater things. But even still, vanilla is still tasty in its own right, but is simply isn't breathtaking. But hey, it's still not bad, per say.

That's what my impression of Knights Stadium was. It was vanilla. Which does not mean in the least bit that it was a bad experience, and that it was a bad ballpark. Quite the contrary, I found myself very endeared to the park from many aspects, but the overall truth of the situation is that absolutely nothing was really spectacular about the park in the first place.

Firstly, it is not the least bit lost on me that despite being the Charlotte Knights, as in Charlotte, North Carolina, Knights Stadium is actually situated in Fort Mill, South Carolina. 4-5 miles into South Carolina on Interstate 77, and you will find the home of the the AAA-Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. This isn't a new concept, and it's something I'm familiar with Atlanta, since the NASCAR track known as Atlanta Motor Speedway is actually located in Hampton, Georgia, which is almost 60 miles south of the city of Atlanta itself.

I give Knights Stadium a lot of credit for being one of the easiest ballparks to get to. It's right off of I-77, and just enough off the highway to where there is no potential for any genuine traffic before or after any games. The gigantic baseball... I'm guessing a water tower or something, but the giant baseball is more than enough symbolism to know that a baseball venue is here.

On the outside, the building has a vanilla exterior, but at least you know you're arriving at a baseball park. There is generous amounts of parking, and it's easy to get in and out of. Entering the ballpark, I couldn't help but notice the wide and generous amounts of space for patrons to move about. There were many food vendors, some generic, a few interesting items of note. Staff was all friendly and polite, even if I were coming in to vehimently root for the away team. Plenty of corporate sponsor stuff, like the big picnic area decks for some laminate company, as well as the local pizza chains, etc.

When I made my way to my seats, it all sunk in that despite the vanilla-ness of the park as a whole, it was still a very nice park.My tickets weren't expensive, and I was right up in the front row of the visitor's dugout area, to cheer for my Braves affiliate. The greenery of all the trees surrounding the park as well as the view beyond the outfield is pleasant, the bern areas are kept well, and the structure of the seats have a solid look and feel to them. It's about as AAA-appropriately felt as it could possibly be.

If I had any objective remarks as a whole, it would simply be what the team cannot control; the attendance, or lack of. I'll defer to the fact that the day I happened to travel up to Fort Mill was Easter Sunday, in the South, so there is that for reason for a dismal showing. But the weather was absolutely perfect on this particular day, and the start-time to the game was oddly placed in order to accomodate for most typical Easter services or brunches. For such a a nice park, it's almost insulting that only about 300 people show up to watch, and from what rumblings I heard from some of the locals, it seems to be the norm, which is a crying shame. One argument I've heard is just the simplest resentment that a team boasting Charlotte, North Carolina is playing in the state of South Carolina. I guess so.

But anyway, in conclusion, Knights Stadium is an excellent ballpark. There is something to said about its vanilla-ness that makes it such a nice place to have watched a baseball game, and I would gladly go again if the opportunity presented itself. There's nothing wrong with vanilla, as long as it's not bad. And that being said, Knights Stadium can take loads of solace in knowing that the AAA squad's ballpark is sure as hell better than the parent club's.

Noteable performance(s):   In regards to the Braves, who wasn't impressive on this day? Jose Constanza may not have had a hit, but had an amazing shoe-string catch in the field. Shawn Bowman's homer was an impressive no-doubter, but I guess it was catcher Wilkin Castillo's day as the man. His three-run homer broke the game, and he went 4/5 with 6 RBI overall. MLB journeyman Rodrigo Lopez threw six solid innings of 1-run ball, and Johan Flande earned the old school save, pitching the last three innings of the game.

Game Result:   After a rash of seeing Braves affiliates lose, things are beginning to even out. Gwinnett Braves dominate, winning by a score of 12-1, which doesn't tell the whole story. Six of those runs were scored in the top of the 9th inning, to the point where the Braves kept batting, and preventing the game from ending. With a flight to catch, I had no choice but to start walking, lest I miss my flight back to Atlanta.

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