FRESNO, CA — The Fresno Grizzlies and Visalia Rawhide met at Chukchansi Park Tuesday in the latest installment of the Central Valley’s traditional method for determining which community may claim sovereignty over the Highway 99 corridor.
The teams opened their Fresno series at 6:50 p.m., drawing baseball fans from throughout the region.
Under the fictional terms of the ancient Highway 99 Compact, Fresno controls all northbound traffic from Kingsburg to Madera following a victory, while Visalia receives temporary jurisdiction over southbound lanes and one strategically significant rest stop near Selma.
Neither Major League Baseball nor Caltrans recognizes the treaty.
“We settle our differences peacefully here in the Valley,” said one regional sports historian. “Nine innings at a time, with only occasional discussions about whether Visalia counts as Southern California.”
Fans said the matchup offered an opportunity to support professional baseball while resolving longstanding disputes involving agriculture, county fairs, superior Mexican restaurants, and which city possesses the more depressing July electric bill.
Officials emphasized that the outcome would have no actual effect on municipal boundaries.
This reportedly came as a disappointment to several Fresno fans who had arrived hoping a series sweep would annex Tulare County.
At press time, Caltrans reminded both cities that Highway 99 remains under state control and that neither mascot possesses eminent-domain authority.