Anyone go to minor league baseball games?
Michigan
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in Sports Talk
Went to the Class A game last night between the Lansing (Mich.) Lugnuts and the Peoria Chiefs. It is of course much different than going
to a Detroit Tigers game but to me just as enjoyable at a much cheaper price (except for refreshments, we all know how that goes these
days)
being only 4 miles from where I live really cut down on the travel time as well. It is nice being much closer to the field of play than in the major league parks. The Lugnuts stadium is a nice modern park with a state of the art scoreboard flashing all kinds of stats, images and messages. The weather was near perfect around 80 degrees at gametime. There were I estimate around 7,000 fans last night with
a fireworks show after the game. The Lugnuts won 1-0 on a homerun. Interesting sidenote, the Peoria Chiefs manager is Hall of Fame
second baseman Ryne Sandberg who played for the Chicago Cubs most of his career.
to a Detroit Tigers game but to me just as enjoyable at a much cheaper price (except for refreshments, we all know how that goes these
days)
being only 4 miles from where I live really cut down on the travel time as well. It is nice being much closer to the field of play than in the major league parks. The Lugnuts stadium is a nice modern park with a state of the art scoreboard flashing all kinds of stats, images and messages. The weather was near perfect around 80 degrees at gametime. There were I estimate around 7,000 fans last night witha fireworks show after the game. The Lugnuts won 1-0 on a homerun. Interesting sidenote, the Peoria Chiefs manager is Hall of Fame
second baseman Ryne Sandberg who played for the Chicago Cubs most of his career.
0
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It's a georgous facility and family oriented. In fact, it's owned and operated by Nolan Ryan and his family.
Good times
<< <i>Last year I went to a Portland Sea Dogs game ( Red Sox affiliate in Maine ) and what a good take it was! Tickets were like $5, and they had a few giveaways in between a few innings. I give it a thumbs up. >>
I occasiaonally take the kids to see the New Britain Rock Cats (AA Twins Affiliate). Cheap seats ($5), nice new stadium (not a bad seat with only 6000), great food, and sometimes you get to see future all-stars (Torii Hunter, David Ortiz, Santanna, etc.). Pretty good value when you can take 4 to a game, with food, for about the price of one Red Sox ticket.
The minor league games are great. Get in for 4-5 bucks, sit just about anywhere, then wait for the concession stands to put on specials to dump the nights extra inventory.
Our games average less than 1,000 people. We have a special for less than $40 - get a ticket for every Monday game with free parking. There's usually 12-15 Monday games. Can't beat the price and you see some stars in the making or current guys on rehab stints.
In this area we have a rookie league also that's free. Those games are usually held on weekdays at noon.
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Usually more family oriented than the big league park, since it costs so much less to go. Most of the time if you're standing in line for tickets somebody will just hand you a pair of tix. Last game I went to I got free 2nd level exactly behind home plate.
It's fun to see the players before they're big stars and usually before the accompanying ego kicks in.
A few years ago we were minor leagues to the Angels, they had a big league vs minor leagues exhibition game. Mo Vaughn struck out on 3 pitches, went to the locker room and changed clothes, and quit the game for the day. Kind of disappointing for the fans who came to see him play.
AAA team for the Nationals.
They're moving to a new (but as yet unbuilt) stadium downtown to get out of a "seedy" area of town.
They want to attract a better clientele too. Like the homos in German Village are going to flock to "Dime-A-Dog Night"
because it's now in the Short North / Arena District area.
My wife and I go to see the Somerset Patriots in Bridgewater, NJ of the Independent League (they say equivalent to Double AA, but I just don't think the players are all that good to begin with). Her old boss gets her tickets to sit in the boxes above the lower level, but every seat in the house is a good one!
Collecting:
- Post War baseball HOF RC's
- 1980's unopened baseball
- All Mutoscope and American Beauties
A few years ago, the band my brother and I were in got picked to play before a Sunday home game. It was cool to play before about 8000 people.
<< <i>My home is 3 miles from the Twins spring training facility and their A ball affiliate Ft. Myers Miracle.
The minor league games are great. Get in for 4-5 bucks, sit just about anywhere, then wait for the concession stands to put on specials to dump the nights extra inventory.
Our games average less than 1,000 people. We have a special for less than $40 - get a ticket for every Monday game with free parking. There's usually 12-15 Monday games. Can't beat the price and you see some stars in the making or current guys on rehab stints.
In this area we have a rookie league also that's free. Those games are usually held on weekdays at noon. >>
I live about 20 minutes from the Nationals facility and it is the host of the Brewers A club. The manatees. Last year the team had Yovani Gollardo and Ryan Braun on the squad so that was awesome to see. I normally go to about 10 games a year and they're fun. $6 and you can sit wherever you want. Crowds of 1,500 or less normally so low key. I have been to one rookie game and that was when the Braves were over here and I went to go see Cody Johnson play. There were about 10 people there.