Tag Archives: Sydney Cricket Ground

Stranger Things Than Baseball Have Happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Part 3

Posted by on 22 March 2014 Comments Off on Stranger Things Than Baseball Have Happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Part 3

An international cast of characters

We’re only hours away from the start of the 2014 baseball season (and another week or so away from the first game stateside…).  I’ve done my best to give you some context for the event by taking a look around with the cricket configuration in place and showing you some Americans on and around the field.  That just leaves the entire rest of the world to cover, with the part of “entire rest of the world” to be played by Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Scotland.

The Band of the Moscow Military Conservatoire

Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra

It is inevitable I suppose that whenever you put people from different countries together, fighting will be the result.  Luckily, with musicians this takes the form of a battle of the bands.  After a week and a half of camaraderie and shared hardships (one rehearsal featured a massive deluge of rain that couldn’t dampen anyone’s spirits, as you can see here), the mood was relaxed and friendly as the final show approached.  The Sydney Cricket Ground then became the site of an epic battle of bands from opposite hemispheres, the band of the Moscow Military Conservatoire and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra.

Back and forth the performances went with no judges, nobody keeping score, and no end in sight.  Cast members from around the globe gathered to take in the scene, knowing that they were witnessing something special and unique.  Eventually though, it was time to get ready for one last performance before everyone would go their separate ways.

The mood was much darker the day before.  Rain had been falling all day and showed no signs of letting up.  If the rain held, it was almost certain that the night’s performance would be cancelled.  On top of that, this was also the night that the show would be broadcast live on television.  The previous night’s performance had been recorded as a precaution, but it wouldn’t be the same.  Cast members anxiously awaited the final decision as showtime drew near.

Warning: clicking on the above photo may be NSFW

And then this happened.  Leave it to the Scots to figure out how to lift everyone’s spirits and make the most of the dismal scene on the field below.  Down to just sporrans and footwear, two Scots stormed the field intent upon using the tarp at the center as a slip ‘n slide.  That didn’t work out as well as they had hoped, but they returned triumphant to great applause.  Miraculously, the rain slowed and the show went off without a hitch, television broadcast and all.

Four years later, baseball games at the Sydney Cricket Ground seem almost ordinary by comparison.  Still, it is great to see the reach of the sport spreading, even if it is happening at 5am EDT.

Stranger Things Than Baseball Have Happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Part 2

Posted by on 20 March 2014 Comments Off on Stranger Things Than Baseball Have Happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Part 2

A different American tradition takes the field down under

Americans watching cricket: a visual approximation of Australians watching baseball

The outfield wall is up, the infield is set down, and the Sydney Cricket Ground has seen its first game of baseball as MLB builds up to Saturday’s start of the 2014 season.  Four years ago though, a different group of Americans brought a slightly different American tradition to this field, though few were there to witness it.

Like baseball, fife and drum music traces its origins back to Europe.  Initially developed in Switzerland as a means of communicating through the Alps, fifes and drums became key elements of military forces throughout Europe and, through colonization of the new world, the Americas.  Military use of fifes and drums was at its height during the American Revolution and the American Civil War, firmly connecting this style of music with the times that defined this nation.

Advances in communications technology relegated martial music to a ceremonial role in the 20th century.  As the times changed, fife and drum music largely fell out of style except in certain areas where it continued with community groups.  Fife and drum saw a resurgence as a traditional martial music style in preparation for the American Revolution Bicentennial celebration.  Many of these groups and others they inspired remain to this day.  In fact, American fife and drum would go on to inspire the creation of American-style fife and drum corps throughout the world and even in Switzerland where the art form originated.

And that brings us to Australia by way of Scotland.  In 2007, the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums became the first American-style fife and drum ensemble to perform at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the world’s premier martial music event.  In 2010, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo took the show (and a convincing mock-up of Edinburgh Castle) on the road to Sydney, Australia.  MCV was among the groups that came from around the world to give Australia a taste of one of Scotland’s biggest events (next to the World Pipe Band Championship, of course).  Next door to the Sydney Cricket Ground in the more modern and spacious Sydney Football Stadium.  You can watch the show here on YouTube.

Beer, beer, everywhere, but not a drop to drink

Where does the Sydney Cricket Ground fit in with all of this?  Well, since it wasn’t being used to host any ticketed events at the time, the Sydney Cricket Ground was used as the backstage area for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, providing space to get changed, warm up, rehearse, and relax between sets.  And on February 4, 2010, just before opening night, the Americans took to the field for one last rehearsal.

There was no audience.  No modifications needed to be made to the field.  And they weren’t even wearing full uniforms.  But if you thought this weekend’s baseball games were the first time the Sydney Cricket Ground hosted a group of Americans doing distinctly American things with origins in Europe, you would be slightly incorrect.  And if you thought any of this is as strange as it gets here, you would be way off the mark.  Because we have yet to see the Scots take the field.

Part 3: An international cast of characters

Stranger Things Than Baseball Have Happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Part 1

Posted by on 19 March 2014 Comments Off on Stranger Things Than Baseball Have Happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Part 1

A slow and sober look around the field

Some sort of cricket-type activity

This weekend, Major League Baseball opens the 2014 season half a world away in Sydney, Australia.  The venue will be the Sydney Cricket Ground, a place that, as the name implies, is commonly used to host cricket matches.  If you thought this was the first time an American tradition made an appearance here though, you would be wrong.  In fact, nothing that could happen this weekend would have a chance of being the strangest thing a foreigner had done on this field.  But before we get to that, let’s take a look around.

The Sydney Cricket Ground has been around in one form or another since the late 19th century.  Instead of a single stadium structure around the field, the Sydney Cricket Ground has a set of separate stands.  The oldest of these stands date to the late 19th century.  The Members’ Pavilion, shown above, was originally built in 1878 and then rebuilt in 1886.  The Ladies’ Stand (not shown), is located just to the left of the Members’ Pavilion and opened in 1896.

The rest of the stands, despite being separate structures, essentially form a modern stadium.  Continuing around counterclockwise are, from right to left above, Brewongle Stand (1980), Clive Churchill Stand (1986), and Victor Trumper Stand (2008).

Next up is the Bill O’Reilly Stand (1984), which, despite having the Fox Studios Australia tower looming overhead, is not named for that Bill O’Reilly.

And that brings us around to the M.A. Noble, Bradman, and Messenger stands, which are behind what is now home plate and have just been rebuilt.  And since my photos are from 2010, this will be the end of the structural tour.

Of course, you’ll see most of this during the games anyway.  What you won’t see are the Aussie-flavour ads that have been removed from the stands.  Back in 2010, these were largely encouraging people to drive slower by equating fast driving with diminished manhood.  Meanwhile, the bathrooms were encouraging responsible drinking via the threat of violence delivered by a bouncer who your drinking causes you to pick a fight with while the buddy who was kind enough to walk you home just stands there and watches you get your face smashed in instead of dragging your sorry ass out of harm’s way.  Or maybe just getting you into a car and driving away really fast.

Luckily, the ads also propose a solution to both of these problems.  Put a pub in your backyard!  You won’t need to drive anywhere or get into drunken arguments with bouncers when you do your binge drinking at home.  That’s Aussie ingenuity for you, second only to Scottish ingenuity as we’ll see later.

Part 2: A different American tradition takes the field down under