Bats, Centerplate as oblivious as ever, but Browning's ale is on tap inside Louisville Slugger Field.

Yes, there is Browning's beer inside Louisville Slugger Field. Last night, ESB was on the main concourse by the sports card shop.


It's identified as "import"beer, which is highly suspect grammar, and costs $4.75. When I observed to the worker that it isn't an import, she responded that she isn't supposed to know were it comes from. When I asked her if she knew it was made less than one hundred yards away, she expressed cluelessness.

The other worker acknowledged that yes, it's a "microbrew," but could not explain why it's identified as an "import" beer.

It is served in a white Budweiser/Bud Light cup. It tasted damned good in the heat, but I was afraid to be seen drinking it from such a receptacle.

Does the Louisville Bats management mandate persistent shoddiness like this from Centerplate, the supposedly "professional" caterer it provides a monopoly on subpar food and drink offerings? And while I'm at it, why should there be such a monopoly in a publicly-owned facility? All of you slamming your long-necks of vapid swill on the counter might want to think about that as you expedite your money to corporate headquarters in foreign countries.

Judging from the "Rally" mascot that performed profoundly unfunny routines throughout the evening, to the bored sighs of even the children present, I'm thinking the answer is "yes." Years pass, and the Bats just plain don't get it, do they?