NOTEBOOK | From Eastwood Field

Peter Piper’s pickled promotion: The Scrappers held a “Salute to the Pickle” promotion, handing out a dill pickle in a pouch to the first 1,000 fans for Tuesday’s game. The idea originated from a brainstorming session back in January when the team tried to think of 38 promotions for the Scrappers’ 38 home games. Onion night was also considered, but the pickle won out because it’s a more edible giveaway and because it better fit the sports theme. (Runners who are caught in rundowns are said to be “caught in a pickle.”) Other unusual promotions this season include Redneck Night, Country Fair Night (with a cow milking contest) and Bald is Beautiful Night. There’s also a “Hairiest Back” promotion all season long, with the winner receiving a certificate for laser hair removal. Promotional nights that were considered, but did not make the cut included Polka Night, Sportsmen Night (where outdoorsmen could wear camouflage), Airport Security Night (i.e. fans would have to take off their shoes and enter metal detectors), YouTube Night (where fans would compete in a YouTube contest) and Sports Criminal Night, which would “honor” criminals such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Mike Tyson and, yes, Maurice Clarett. “Ultimately, we decided we couldn’t pull off a whole night without a number of the stuff being in poor taste,” said Scrappers GM Dave Smith.
Fan frenzy: The Scrappers drew 16,192 fans for their first three home games, an average of 5,397 per game. The home opener crowd of 6,487 was the eighth-largest crowd in Eastwood Field history. The Scrappers drew 12,869 fans through their first three games last year, an average of 4,289 per contest.
Hit the road: Tonight’s game will end a six-game home stand. The Scrappers will play three games in Batavia and three in Auburn over the next week.

Joe Scalzo