Where else could you find such a mix? Brown students, high-schoolers, thirtysomethings, neighborhood kids, and people like me, who’ve never even liked baseball, all enthusiastically jumping up to sing and mime the YMCA song? At any Pawtucket Red Sox home game in the newly renovated McCoy Stadium, there’s something for everyone: those corny songs; the easy-in, easy-out free-parking; Rhode Island’s home-grown fast foods (fried doughboys, Newport Creamery’s Awful Awfuls, and Del’s Lemonade); give-away nights, with everything from bats and balls to Beanie Babies and backpacks; and post-game fireworks four nights this season. The PawSox, the only AAA affiliate in New England and a farm team for the Boston Red Sox, have scored big in the community with their warmth and friendliness: for me and my nephews, the best part of the game was lowering a ball in a bucket (plastic milk cartons are the local kids’ tradition) for the players to sign. How cool is that?

From the north: I-95 South; take Exit 2A in Massachusetts, follow Newport Avenue for two miles; make a right on Columbus Avenue. McCoy Stadium is a mile down on the right.

From the south: I-95 North; take Exit 27 or Exit 29 in Rhode Island (Exit 28 is closed for construction) and follow the signs to McCoy Stadium. Tickets are $8 for box seats (reserved); $5 general admission. Children and senior citizens are $4. Call (401) 724-7300 or visit www.pawsox.com for more information.