The evenings are long, the sunlight still filters down well towards bedtime
On evenings like this, Butte used to have some evening entertainment. Until 2001 Butte had a minor league baseball team, the Copper Kings, of the Pioneer League. The Kings played their home games at Montana Tech's baseball field, just up the hill from me.
Seating for perhaps 200 people, there was no such thing as a bad seat. The players were all from 17 to 21, from all over, including Latin America. Sometimes, the weather early in the season was a bit startling to them.
A few went on to have a cup of coffee in 'the show', most are doing something other than baseball now. But watching these enthusiastic, talented kids play ball was fun, baseball as it should be.
Then there was the principal owner of the Copper Kings......
Yep, the guy from "Stripes", "Lost in Translation", Bill Murray. He was often in the stands, rousing the crowd. Although I never took part, I'm told he'd take fans after the game and end up closing a local bar with them.
I once went to a game with a buddy and his family. His wife saw Murray near us, took a program to him for a signature. She came back grinning and showed us his autograph, along with the phone number of his room at a local hotel.
Small town entertainment at it's finest.
