Dutchess Stadium a Hudson Valley jewel

FISHKILL, N.Y. -- If asked to name a city or town between New York City and Albany, most people outside the Empire State would struggle.

But just beyond the reach of the sprawling New York City metropolitan area, in the heart of Hudson Valley, is a town called Fishkill, home of Dutchess Stadium and the New York-Penn League's Hudson Valley Renegades.

To appreciate Dutchess Stadium, knowing the picturesque beauty of the Hudson Valley region is essential. The area comprises the towns adjacent to the rocky palisades carved out by the Hudson River. Much of it remains farmland or forests sloped on rolling hillsides.

Though colonized by the Dutch and later the English, the historically rich region also acquired the complimentary designation, "The American Rhine," an apt comparison to a famous 40-mile stretch of Germany's Rhine River Valley.

Right at the edge of Fishkill, just a short trek from the interstate, sits Dutchess Stadium. In fact, beyond its right field wall, a stand of trees leaves just enough space for a glimpse of cars zooming by on the highway -- a feature that promoted Sean Ford, the voice of the Renegades, to coin his signature call, "thrown for a strike right down I-84."

But even though the ballpark is adjacent to the highway, that fact is quickly forgotten once inside. The majority of scenery looking out from the stands is lush green foliage, at least during baseball season. And the traffic sounds disappear among a blend of crack-of-the-bat, piped-in music and peals of fan laughter during the between-inning promotions.

Dutchess Stadium definitely has that small-town feel.

"I like the rural [nature of the area]," said Ford. "I like the fact that I can do anything I want to do at a certain time."

That bucolic quality also permeates the crowd at Renegades games. People tend to know each other and can often be seen chatting during the action. At the 2007 New York-Penn League All-Star Game, held at Dutchess Stadium on Tuesday, folks came into the press box to say hello to the local journalists. Fans waved to each other as they entered the stadium. When the AL scored a run, everyone jumped up in unison to dance to the hip-hop fave "Heeeeey, Hoooooo."

"It's home," said Ford. "It's where your friends are. Every night people come up and say hello. They want to know how the trips were."

And at the 2007 All-Star Game, sold-out Dutchess Stadium certainly did impress.

"The stadium is nice," said Vermont pitcher and New York native Glenn Gibson before the All-Star Game. "A lot of people are here."

As for architecture, Dutchess Stadium is pretty standard among the Minor League parks built in the mid '90s. It has box seating with fold-down chairs, reserved "bucket" seats and aluminum benches. The stands can only be accessed by walking down from the concourse.

One thing that games at Dutchess Stadium aren't short on is entertainment. Every inning has a promotion, from races to trivia contests, and music blares between nearly every pitch. Rick Zolzer, the Renegades PA announcer, will often shout impromptu witticisms from the booth and rev the fans up to dance or cheer in the middle of an inning.

There are some, though, who feel the in-your-face entertainment is too much of a distraction and takes away from the actual game. They would prefer to focus on baseball.

"A lot of attention is paid to shtick," said Ford. "It takes away from the game for me. I would like to see a ballgame where the fans get into it and get excited about their team."

But even Ford admits that pure baseball is hard to do in the Minor Leagues, when your team's roster changes every year, sometimes every day. What matters most is that fans are happy and enjoying themselves.

"If you want entertainment, come on out here," added Ford. "There's a lot of stuff that goes on here."

Couple that with the gorgeous and historically rich Hudson Valley Region, and Dutchess Stadium is a place you'll want to see.