After the first visit to a new ballpark I am always left with a least one vivid reminder of the place, whether a unique feature of the stadium, something that happened during the game, or in the case of Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, Georgia, the image of sub sandwiches flying through the air. Yes, it was a sight to behold and most definitely something I had never seen before. Having seen T-shirts, tightly wound into white balls, heaved into the crowd earlier in the game, I assumed that this was more of the same. But this was Class A baseball and when the stadiums look about the same and the play is far from polished, it's often the promotions that set them apart.

If you're traveling at the speed of a Tim Wakefield fastball, Augusta is about a 2½ hour drive from Atlanta via I-20. Located just off the banks of the serene Lake Olmstead, Lake Olmstead Stadium has been the home of the Boston Red Sox Class A farm club, the Augusta Greenjackets, since the 1999 season, although Augusta has fielded a team in the South Atlantic League since 1989.

With a seating capacity of 4,322, Lake Olmstead Stadium is the third smallest ballpark in the 16-team league. During the 2000 season the Greenjackets attracted 136,060 fans for their 70 home games, fifth best in the league, and an average of 1,944 fans per game.

The Red Sox replaced the Pirates in Augusta and that's evident by the architecture of Lake Olmstead Stadium, which closely resembles the appearance of McKechnie Field in Bradenton, where the Pirates have held spring training for over 50 years. Like McKechnie, Lake Olmstead's signature look is the gaps between the home plate grandstand and the first and third base grandstands, with the gaps serving as aisles to the concessions and bathrooms. McKechnie Field is one of the nicer places to watch a spring training game in Florida, so I definitely approved of the refreshing design at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

One thing that Augusta lacks is a sense of history or connection to the parent club that all the other Red Sox farm clubs have. As the team with the briefest affiliation, the Greenjackets have yet to see one of their prospects make the Red Sox roster, although Wakefield pitched here in 1989 with the Pirates organization. A trip into the gift shop reveals only two items that suggest the team is under the Red Sox' umbrella. One of those items, a toddler bat and ball set, is next to the same item with a Yankees logo on it. As for the fans, being in Braves country most root for Atlanta, and I only saw one Red Sox cap in the crowd besides mine, a stark contrast from my experience in Pawtucket.

While I didn't find any fellow Red Sox fans to chat with, I did sit next to two guys from New Jersey. Big Yankee fans, of course, although it was nice to see them supporting a Red Sox franchise. In addition to being big baseball fans, we had one thing in common: our disdain of Roger Clemens, whom Yankee fans aren't too fond of either.

While the other Red Sox teams all receive their share of major league players on rehab assignments, Augusta is the least likely of the four places that you'd catch a glimpse of somebody you've heard of. With a roster made up of mostly high-round draft picks only a year or two out of high school and other non-drafted free agents, a game in Augusta gives you the chance to appreciate baseball in its truest form, since most of these guys are near the end of a professional baseball career that has only just begun. The only names recognizable are usually those of the coaches, and the only one on the Augusta staff I recognized was former left-handed pitcher Bob Kipper, the team's pitching coach.

The Greenjackets, named after the famed jacket of prestige worn by the winner of The Masters, won the game I attended by a 6-1 score. Augusta got a strong pitching performance from Luis Perez, who was scheduled to start, but made it to the ballpark only 15 minutes before game time after his ride to the ballpark was a no-show. Too late to make the start, Lopez was there in time to pitch the final six innings to earn the win over the Hickory Crawdads (Pirates).

The one Red Sox prospect that has a good chance of making an impact in the majors in a few years had a big game, as 3B Tony Blanco ripped a double off the wall while going 2-for-4 with an RBI. The 19-year-old Dominican-born Blanco, who owns one of the best infield arms in the minors, also played flawless defense in a game marked by defensive miscues.

Augusta's 2B Raul Nieves committed 3 errors, included two on consecutive plays in the second inning. Frequently the game resembled a high school contest, and many of the players looked so young that they seemed to be out of place in pro ball. It wasn't too surprising that there were as many walks (7) as there were strikeouts in the game.

The game was played before a lively crowd of 2,729 on an odd combination of $2 beer night and 4-H night at the ballpark. But that's what baseball at this level is all about, where a trip to the ballpark mirrors a night out at the movies in terms of entertainment and dollars. Although I bought one of the $8 box seats, most fans opt for the $5 general admission tickets and then move freely about the ballpark. Players sign autographs before and after the game, and you notice quite a few fans with a souvenir baseball in their hands throughout the stadium. There's no souvenir programs to go with the baseball, since there really isn't enough information on the players to fill up the space, but $2 gets you a program-like scorecard that gives you enough info mixed in with the advertisements to help you navigate through the team roster. And forget about media guides, let alone much media coverage.

Fun and affordability in a relaxing atmosphere, Augusta's got that. Plus it's a lot easier to get an autograph here than in Boston or Pawtucket. This isn't the majors, but it isn't a bad alternative either, unless you're a player trying to move up a ladder. The Red Sox' relationship with Augusta met with immediate success when the Greenjackets won the South Atlantic League championship in their first year in the Red Sox organization. Let's hope that experience works its way up the chain.