More Than a Game: A night at the ballpark offers America in microcosm

Director Jim Jarmusch reportedly once extolled the virtues of baseball by calling it “one of the most beautiful games. It’s a very Zen-like game.”

No doubt many baseball fans would agree. When you see professional players displaying their athleticism and skill on a vibrant green diamond under blue skies, it’s a visual pleasure. And the leisurely pace that shifts game to game, even pitcher to pitcher, requires accepting a certain amount of unpredictability when you go through the gates and take a seat. You have to get Zen.

A night at Avista Stadium watching the Spokane Indians play offers a sensory experience unmatched by any other entertainment in town. From the smells wafting from the concession stands to the sounds emanating from the press box to the sights of the action both on the field among the players and off the field among the fans — combine it all and it’s one of the best places to be on a given night in the Inland Northwest. We sent photographer Erick Doxey to capture it on Friday, June 24, as the Indians took on the Everett Aquasox. The team will be back in action at Avista on Monday, July 4.

— DAN NAILEN, editor

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Erick Doxey photo
Tools of the trade: Players' gear sitting in the dugout before the game.