Ben's Biz: An evening with the Trash Pandas
This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. The following ballpark road trip recap is presented by Wyndham, proud sponsor of Minor League
This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE.
The following ballpark road trip recap is presented by Wyndham, proud sponsor of Minor League Ballpark Guides. Plan your road trip today, and check out the Rocket City Trash Pandas Ballpark Guide HERE.
The Rocket City Trash Pandas, based in Madison, Ala., and representing the greater Huntsville area, were a late addition to my June road trip itinerary. It had only been three years since my first visit to their home of Toyota Field, during the Angels' Double-A affiliate’s inaugural season in 2021, and three years in Ben’s Biz road trip time is a veritable blink of an eye.
But when in Rome (I had been there the night before, visiting the Emperors) you may as well go to Rocket City.
Rocket City is not, technically, a real place. It’s an honorific of sorts, paying tribute to the region’s deep ties to NASA and the aerospace industry. This is why Huntsville’s previous Minor League team, the Stars, also had a space-themed moniker. The Stars, who relocated to Biloxi following the 2014 season and became the Shuckers, played at Joe Davis Stadium. That formerly decrepit ballpark has since been renovated into a professional soccer facility, and now serves as the home of Huntsville City FC.
Prior to arriving at Toyota Field, I stopped at Joe Davis Stadium to see what it now looks like.
I didn’t see anyone inside who might allow entry to a disheveled but kind-eyed Minor League Baseball writer, so like any good journalist I just took photos through holes in the fencing. A raccoon, who are also known as trash pandas, would have been able to shimmy right in.
Fortunately, I didn’t have any issues gaining entry to Toyota Field, located right off I-565 within a rapidly developing area of the Huntsville suburb of Madison. The main entrance, adjacent to The Junkyard team store, is located down the right-field line.
For those of you who, like me, pay close attention to the front office rosters of Minor League teams, the Trash Pandas are an interesting case. Their “Executive Leadership” team -- GM/EVP Garrett Fahrmann, EVP Lindsey Knupp and VP of production and entertainment Rob Sternberg -- all previously worked for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. After saying hello to this Alabama-by-way-of-Pennsylvania trio, I proceeded to field level for an interview with Trash Pandas pitcher/team barber Victor Mederos.
Taking on the role of team barber is just a small part of Mederos’ story. He’s a native of Cuba and spoke at length about the (literally) long and winding journey that he and his family took to get to America. An open and friendly guy, easy to root for. Story coming soon.
Speaking of Trash Panda hairstylists, when I visited Toyota Field in 2021, a guy named “Kevin Da Barber” gave haircuts out of his “mobile barber unit” located in the outfield concourse. He’s not there anymore, sadly, but that area is now home to Slim Chickens Bullpen Bar and Grill.
Another new addition to the ballpark is Cosmo the Space Chimp, an inflatable mascot who impassively stared at fans as they entered the ballpark, unable or perhaps just unwilling to tell them about the wondrous horrors he witnessed in his former life as a cosmic explorer.
From Cosmo to the Gravity Grille concession stand to a nightly between-inning astronaut race, outer space is Toyota Field’s most dominant motif. The upper-level SportsMed Stadium Club is currently home to an actual astronaut suit on loan from NASA. It was hard for me to get a good photo of that, given the glare, but I did capture this nearby portion of team-name signage.
Within the Stadium Club I spoke to Donald Rizzardi, Madison County District Court judge and one of two official scorers for the Trash Pandas. Issuing rulings by day and by night, in other words.
On the concourse, I met ballpark regular and longtime Huntsville-area baseball supporter Don Gardner Jr., who contacted me before the game saying to keep an eye out for the guy on the mobility scooter.
I also spent some time with dedicated fan John Tatum, who keeps score at every game and has a prodigious collection of Huntsville Stars memorabilia.
It was a beautiful evening for baseball, with the Trash Pandas hosting the Biloxi Shuckers. Yes, those same Biloxi Shuckers who, in their previous incarnation, played in Huntsville as the Stars. It’s kind of like when the Cleveland Browns play the Baltimore Ravens.
I don’t plan on withdrawing from the race, but nonetheless here’s a concession speech: When it comes to food offerings, the Trash Pandas are in the upper echelon of Minor League Baseball teams. There are new specials every homestand, some inspired by the location of the opposing team and others because, hey, why not? It was time to give them a try; assisting me in this endeavor was my Designated Eater for the evening, Sofie Ballgame.
Sofie, native of the Pacific Northwest and a fixture of what is still known as “Baseball Twitter,” once famously had a pizza delivered to then-Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker after he was ejected from a ballgame. But her claims to fame are many. For instance: This was her first Trash Pandas game and yet, she already had a Trash Pandas tattoo!
Sofie said, “Minor League Baseball is my passion and I love space, and this place embodies it.” But that’s not quite the reason why she had the tattoo. Specifically, it was because Trash Pandas fan Virgil Brooks dared her to get one, via Twitter. (Or X, if you must). “And me being completely unserious with what I put on my body, I just went up and got it,” she explained.
First up for Sofie was the Rocket City Hot Chicken Fries, a Garbage Plate-like amalgam of spicy breaded tenders, fried pickles, french fries and macaroni and cheese.
Sofie, not one for spicy foods or pickles, was diplomatic about this concoction overall and most enthusiastic about the mac and cheese. She then moved on to … well, try to guess what this is:
If you guessed S’mores Fries, then congratulations, you are a ballpark food savant. This dessert concoction consists of, per the signage, “Sweet potato fries topped with toasted marshmallows, creamy fudge sauce and finished with maple graham cracker crumble.”
Sofie, remarking that the portion could have stood to be a bit larger, astutely observed that the sweet potato fries were akin to the role the tortilla plays in the taco: “The fries help keep it together, but you’re really there for the filling.”
Finally, we headed to Sprockets Grill in left field, named for the Trash Pandas' racoon mascot. There, a friendly and loquacious grill master named Jesse led us through the creation of that homestand’s “Eat Your Opponent Dog,” the Unkle Reuben. This was, and is, a grilled Polish sausage on a honey wheat roll topped with thousand island dressing, caramelized onion kraut, Swiss cheese and crispy pickles.
After some initial challenges attempting to wrangle these various flavors into one bite, Sofie declared this to be a “balance of tangy and sweet.”
This was a solid description of the remainder of my evening, as I wandered around Toyota Field underneath a slowly darkening sky.
The Shuckers won the game, 5-0, but it was still a great night to be at the ballpark. When things weren’t going well on the field, there was always a nice Waxing Gibbous to contemplate. Space is the place.
And, as always, thank you for reading. Get in touch anytime. My upcoming road trip itineraries can be found HERE.
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter @bensbiz.
Dodgers greats Newcombe and Campanella made history as Minors teammates
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
15 prospects primed for a bounceback season from injury
A lot of players will be getting a fresh start heading into the 2025 season. Prospects who missed significant time due to injury have had upwards of six months between regular-season games to return to health. Now they'll be looking to re-establish their value and maybe even reach new heights.
Check out the newest Minor League team logos for 2025
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Here are 18 prospects who also starred on the gridiron
The two-time defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs are set to meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and plenty of baseball prospects will be keeping a close eye. After all, many current Minor Leaguers played football at a high level before committing fully to the diamond. No, there aren't any
Did you know the Superdome was once home to a Minor League team?
On Sunday, one of the world’s most-watched sporting events will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Believe it or not, decades before Super Bowl LIX came to town, the same building was home to a Minor League Baseball team for one season. The 1977 Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
How a Black pitcher's brief PCL stint in 1916 generated a historic card
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2010. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
The Show Before the Show: Episode 489
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minors legend Jones still holds batting record
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2008. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers. Grover "Deacon" Jones spent more than a half-century in baseball, serving the game at almost every level and in
Hooks have a new look -- and more -- on the line for 20th season
In advance of a milestone season at Whataburger Field, the Corpus Christi Hooks are making a change. The Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate unveiled new logos and uniforms on Friday evening, marking the first time they have significantly altered their look since debuting in 2005. According to Hooks general manager Brady
Here's how Jackie Robinson fueled Montreal to a Minor League title in 1946
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
They're due! MiLB's longest active title droughts
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
These players could earn teams extra Draft picks in 2025
Since the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) was implemented under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, four players have earned their clubs extra Draft picks. The PPI rewards teams for promoting their best prospects to the big leagues at the start of the season, enabling them to earn a Draft pick if
Each team's best non-Top 100 prospect
There just isn't enough room to fit all the worthy talents on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. We unveiled our latest rankings last Friday, and now we're going to spotlight the best prospect in each farm system who couldn't quite make the cut. We undertook the same exercise last
MiLB collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer
Minor League Baseball announced a new collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C), an organization that funds the development of new and promising cancer treatments to help patients today. Founded in 2008, SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients.
These are the best tools on the new Top 100 Prospects list
Players featured on last year’s edition of the best tools among Top 100 prospects should look familiar to even casual baseball fans at this point. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (best fastball, slider) took the Major Leagues by storm as the NL Rookie of the Year, thanks to his hard-throwing ways
Answering your Top 100 Prospects list questions
MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, and it was met with a bevy of questions and comments about fans' favorite prospects. To help make sense of all the inquiries, Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo took to Reddit and responded to fan questions in a Top 100 Prospect-focused
Here are every organization's Top 100 prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list went live on Friday night, led by the newest Dodger, right-hander Roki Sasaki, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins. There’s a lot of offensive firepower throughout the list, beyond those two outfielders at the top, but while the bats
Check out MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects list
He was one of the most sought-after talents this offseason, and he hadn’t even played stateside ball yet. Now, he can add another bullet point to his already lengthy baseball resume. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki tops MLB Pipeline’s 2025 preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects, followed by Red Sox
The Show Before the Show: Episode 488
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Get ready to cheer for ... the Bathtub Donkeys?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to The Baseball Traveler newsletter here.
These are MLB’s No. 1 prospects at each position
MLB Pipeline's 2025 rankings of the Top 10 prospects at each position are official and the 2025 Top 100 Prospects list will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Friday on MLB Network and MLB.com.