005: Somerset Patriots - Bridgewater/Somerset County, New Jersey Minor League Fan Club

In this week's episode we travel to Bridgewater, NJ/Somerset County to visit the Somerset Patriots of the Eastern League. The Patriots are the AA affiliates of the New York Yankees.
Ballpark Guide
This week's Ballpark Guide is Dave Marek, VP of Marketing, for the Somerset Patriots. He has been with the team for 24 years working with the team when they were in the independent Atlantic League and now as a Minor League affiliate.
During the interview, Dave and I discuss his reignited passion of collecting baseball cards and building his baseball card collection room.
Then he discusses how it has been working for the Patriots and the great owners for the last two decades and how working for the team differentiates between being independent versus affiliated.
He then walks us around the ballpark and talks about the upgrades that have been made, what it's like traveling to the ballpark, weather in the area during the season, and the great amenities throughout the ballpark.
We of course talk about the food offerings and different promotions that occur during the season.
Fan Guide
Our Fan Guide this week is Matt Slattery who is a season ticket holder of the Patriots. Matt attends almost every single home game with his daughter.
Matt and I begin the interview discussing the team being Yankees affiliates which prompt him to become a season ticket holder.
Then we begin discussing who his daughters' favorite players are which leads us into talking about how great the players are with interacting with the kids.
Matt then takes us through the ballpark describing the amenities from a fan perspective and where there are good places to sit during the game. He shares about how just outside the stadium there is a ton of shopping, restaurants, and hotels that you can basically have all the conveniences right next to the ballpark if you were visiting.
When we begin talking about the town itself, Matt recommends visiting the website visitsomersetnj.org for all the things to do in town. But he does highly recommend going to Somerville where there is an area with everything you could want to do from shopping to eating to entertainment.
Business, Organization, or Event
The business that is on this week is a small business called Lulu's Nutrition. Lulu's Nutrition is located in Somerset and serves up health food, snacks, teas, and shakes.
Follow Somerset Patriots:
Instagram: @somersetpatriots
X: @SOMPatriots
Website: https://www.milb.com/somerset
Follow Dave:
X: @davemarek94
Follow Matt:
Instagram: @mattnj
Follow Lulu's Nutrition:
Facebook: Lulu's Nutrition
Instagram: @lulus.nutrition
More on Somerset, New Jersey
visitsomesetnj.com
Follow Minor League Fan Club:
Instagram: @milbfanclub
TikTok: @minorleaguefanclub
Threads: @milbfanclub
X: @milbfanclub
YouTube: Minor League Fan Club
Website: www.minorleaguefanclub.com

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Baseball Card Collection
07:56 Transition from Independent to Affiliated Baseball
16:19 Location and Parking
19:08 Ticket Prices and Weather
21:20 TD Bank Ballpark Features and Amenities
25:42 Food Offerings and Promotions
31:08 Activities for Kids
34:05 Social Media and Conclusion
35:17 Intermission MLFC.mp3
35:30 Introduction and Experience as a Season Ticket Holder
37:32 Unique Experience for Youth at TD Bank Ballpark
43:43 Favorite Features and Amenities at the Ballpark
46:24 Ballpark Food and Dining Options
49:14 Transportation to the Ballpark
50:41 Promotions and Events at the Ballpark
52:33 Exploring Bridgewater and Somerset County
54:55 Unique Landmarks and Photo Ops
58:39 Local Food Recommendations
59:19 Conclusion and Contact Information
59:58 Intermission MLFC.mp3
01:00:11 Introduction and Background
01:04:46 Customer Experience at Lulu's Nutrition
01:06:29 Introduction to the Somerset Patriots and TD Bank Ballpark
01:06:58 Call to Action: Leave Ratings, Subscribe, and Share on Social Media