Minor League Baseball

[CatnipOligarchy]

Just wondering if any of you guys follow a Minor League baseball team. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays AA affiliate moved here this season and became the Montgomery Biscuits. terrible name i know. i had been to a couple of minor league games before in Greenville SC, Richmond, and Augusta ME.. but ive been going on a regular basis here.. you can get lawn seats for $6 - same price as a movie, and then we go stand out in left field by the train tracks. Its a brand new ballpark too.

anyways my favorite thing is how easy the access to the players is.. we've sorta started a fan club for the left fielder Dan DeMent. We've got a "Dement's dwellers" poster that he and about 6 others have signed. If we get there early enough we'll go down and talk to the players sitting in the bullpen. I've got 6 home run balls so far - one of them hit by BJ Upton, considered the top prospect in Minor League Baseball. Went and got it after he hit it and then they let me into the dugout after the game to get him to sign it. also me and one of my friends got to go participate in a little on field game one night where we put on knight costumes and beat the hell out of the other person.

Attached is a picture of our ballpark, Riverwalk Stadium (ive got tons more if interested)

Here are some panoramas my friend did

panorama 1

panorama 2

anyways.. minor league baseball is awesome.. i'd like to hear about some of your local teams and stories.. get to see any future major leaguers play when they were still learning the ropes?

[....]

Peoria Chiefs, Baby! St. Louis Cardinal Affiliate in Peoria, IL

[Steffan]

I dont follow baseball that much now-a-days, but we have the Mets Triple-A affiliates, the Norfolk Tides. They have suck the last couple of years...just like the Mets...

pic of Harbor Park:

[BroChaos Veteran]

who would name a team the biscuits.....LMFAO....i'm seriously laughing at loud in the middle of work...:p

[ChicoCahill]

i watched mogan ensberg, adam everett, lance berkman, and richard hildalgo play a couple of seasons with the New Orleans Zephyrs

[CatnipOligarchy]

who would name a team the biscuits.....LMFAO....i'm seriously laughing at loud in the middle of work...:p

yeah its awful.. they said it was supposed to emphasize southern heritage or some BS.. got the team a lot of attention though, national and local.. the name didnt really matter to me i was just thrilled to have an affiliated team around here (we've had independent league for the last few years - awful)

oh, and they actually sell biscuits at the ballpark

[Galley]

I just happen to be from Greenville, SC, home of the AA Greenville Braves. As you may know our idiot city council sat on their asses for three years and could not come up with a new stadium proposal to replace our 20-year old stadium which is longer a class AA level facility. It's been great watching baseball here since so many of the Atlanta Braves greats have played here at one time in their career. I'm hoping we won't be without a baseball team for very long.

As far as ticket prices go, out tickets range from $6.50-$8.50 for adults, or $3.50 for G.A. child. They do have a package where you can get 14 general admission tickets to any game for $50.

I attended an exhibition game in Fargo, ND a few years ago vs. the Russian national team. Parking was free, and food prices were $0.75 - $3.00, which are everyday prices. The stadium is packed all summer long. I went to see the Expos play the Braves at Turner Field, and the tickets were $30 dollars for mid-level seats. :(

[CatnipOligarchy]

I just happen to be from Greenville, SC, home of the AA Greenville Braves.  As you may know our idiot city council sat on their asses for three years and could not come up with a new stadium proposal to replace our 20-year old stadium which is longer a class AA level facility.

yeah that sucks.. kind frustrates me too. If we had been one year later we could have been in the running for Greenville's team. Right now fan support is great for the Biscuits, but in a few years, its gonna fall off like everything does around here. This is Braves territory though, and if we had a Braves AA team the support would be much more likely to last than what we have now, a Devil Rays affiliate. The G-Braves were in town Sunday, went and saw them get beat, the only team with a worse record than Montgomery.

[baseballpro9]

i follow the Cubs minor league teams.

Lansing Lugnuts+ Daytona Cubs(A)

West Tennesee Diamond Jaxx (AA)

Iowa Cubs(AAA)

Posted on Jun 1 2004, 18:47

Peoria Chiefs is where its at, we got the whole Illinois thing going on here.

[imtoomuch]

I used to follow the Reading Phillies (Minor Leage for Philadelphia Phillies). I attented a ton of games in my late teens. Haven't been there since, though. Minor League players do put on a good show.

[IlliniPi]

I try to follow the Chicago White Sox AAA and AA teams but I just find it depressing some times. Some of the pitchers that are brought up with the Sox management thinking they are good, its just :s

[baseballpro9]

Good statement Illinipi, sometimes you need to sit back and watch the MLB teams, at least you can have the confidence your pitcher can throw a 95 mph fastball. Some farm team pitching is pathetic. The games are still a thrill if you are an avid baseball fan.

[EmuZombie Veteran]

Going to a Minor League game tomorrow night, Beloit Snappers. The Brewer's farm team.

And they have fireworks after :p

[baseballpro9]

I cant stand independent minor league systems, thats all I have around me. I wish thier can be a team that is an actual affiliate with a MLB team.

The game is just better.

[EmuZombie Veteran]

Going to a Minor League game tomorrow night, Beloit Snappers. The Brewer's farm team.

And they have fireworks after :p

Just got back from it... It had to be one of the better baseball games I've ever been to. They won 4-3, very exciting game. Fireworks were ok, nothing special, lol.

[....]

I cant stand independent minor league systems, thats all I have around me. I wish thier can be a team that is an actual affiliate with a MLB team.

The game is just better.

Where in Illinois are you, baseball?

[IlliniPi]

Where in Illinois are you, baseball?

He lives in the same area as me. Tinley Park/Orland Park area.

[....]

You know...the great thing about minor league baseball is the home-town feel. Almost like a High school football game. You seem have ownership of sorts in the team. It's great!

[CatnipOligarchy]

You know...the great thing about minor league baseball is the home-town feel. Almost like a High school football game. You seem have ownership of sorts in the team. It's great!

yeah.. i love that the players arent stuck up yet.. only a select few of them are prodigies who are only in the minors as a formality. most of them are actualyl having to work their way to the majors and are still down to earth and still seem like regular people and will talk to the fans.. our leftfielder greets us before every game and will talk to us between innings or during pitching changes sometimes.. its pretty cool