New Orleans Zephyrs. 6000 Airline Drive. 504.734.5155. (More information here. Taxis are the only transportation option.) You didn't come to New Orleans to see minor league baseball, and neither did we. But sometimes -- when nothing is happening, and the light is just right and it isn't too humid -- a trip out to the suburbs via Airline Hwy (the strip where evangelist Jimmy Swaggart viewed the wonders of God in motel rooms*) can make for a night of clean, family fun. The team is the New Orleans Zephyrs and their most ardent supporters come out for "Thirsty Thursday" and "Fireworks Friday." They play ball in the same district that elected David Duke, and so cheap beer and explosions bring 'em in. On other days, the crowd is somewhat small. As a friend remarked, "This is not the kind of minor league ball played in Durham where the stadium is always packed." Sure, there are sparse crowds. Rarely do the Zephyrs and their mascot (a giant-sized swamp rat) produce a sell out. But there's fierce competition for the family dollar in New Orleans, right?
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*"Cover that bosom, girl
The flesh is weak and unclean thoughts
Are difficult to control
Such sights as that can undermine the soul."
--Tartuffe, translated by Richard Wilbur
