Good Sports - Visalia Rawhide loyal

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Sometimes a good home field advantage can help a team rally or win a game, and that's exactly the case for the Visalia Rawhide.

"What do you do in the winter months?" an Action News reporter asked. "How bad is the winter?"

"It's terrible," a fan replied.

Spoken like a true baseball fan.

"Oh, I just come and yell and scream, yell at the umpires," fan Irene Burtlow said laughingly.

"I think fan support is important at any level," Rawhide manager J.R. House said. "We love to be able to play in an environment where they are rocking, supportive and know the game of baseball."

Not all fans are created equal, though.

Burtlow has been going to Recreation Park since 1999 and has only missed 2 games.

"I missed once because I went to a graduation and I missed that one time because I went to the hospital and when I went to the hospital and I asked do you have a radio in here, the nurse says why do you want a radio, and I said I have to hear the rest of the game," Burtlow said.

The Rawhide fans are arguably the best in the entire California League and you know you are at Recreation Park hen you hear the bells.

"The cowbells are definitely unique to this stadium," pitcher Bud Jeter said. "They travel well too and we have a few people show up at the other stadiums with the cowbells as well."

"It's usually when we are rallying and scoring some runs so when they do come out it's usually a good thing," House said.

It's more than just support, over time it becomes family.

"I call them all my boys, I just adopt them you know, every time they come back from out of town, I made them brownies for years and I think if you ask any of them up there in the majors, they will say, 'Oh yeah, we've had brownies in Visalia,'" Burtlow said.

Add one more order of brownies to the list.