MLB/MiLB

by tyr on Mar 10, 2009 10:19 AM CDT Comment 23 comments

I was listening to the radio this morning, and they were talking about baseball. They were saying that most people will proably opt to see a minor league game over a MLB game. My wife and i will be going down to Appleton this year to watch the Rattlers. We will not be spending a ton of money this year with the economic problems and all. I have attached a poll and was wondering who everyone will be going out and seeing this season.

Poll

Who will you see this season for baseball?

MLB

47 votes

Minor League Club

8 votes

No Baseball Game for me this year

2 votes

57 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 23 comments

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Comments

For me

MLB games are an EVENT. Part of that is because I live in NYC, so it’s expensive and it’s something of a trek to get to one of the parks. For a relaxed Sunday afternoon, it’s way too much of a hassle. Doesn’t mean I don’t go. I go, I’ll keep going, and when I travel around the country, I’ll go to other parks, too.

But the overall MiLB experience is way more fun for me, especially at the more out-of-the-way parks (like Beloit, one of my faves), where you can almost always walk up and buy a great seat. Doesn’t have to be a nice park, doesn’t have to be a great team packed with prospects. Pro quality baseball in a low-key environment, esp. if you can sit close, is awesome.

Oh, and those of you who live near colleges other than UW-Madison, I strongly recommend checking out a college game or two. The talent level is much higher at D1, but good D2 and D3 programs play an enjoyable level of baseball. I’ll probably be headed back to Appleton in May for the D3 world series and strongly recommend everyone else does too :).

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 10, 2009 10:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That's what I was thinking...

Where’s the spot for college? Living in Nebraska, that’s about all I’ve got. (The Omaha Royals are about 2 1/2 hours away from me, and, well, I just don’t care about them.)

Strange things happen with sports fandom when you have no major professional team in your state and the closest outside it is five hours away. I have a good friend here who’s a baseball nut, but his favorite team by far is Nebraska. He’s a Rockies fan, too, but he’s far more into Big 12 baseball than the majors. And that’s not terribly uncommon out here.

by Cheeseandcorn on Mar 10, 2009 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree that MiLB is so much fun

My dad and I were in Florida and went over to the Braves minor league park, which is very very nice. We got there late and the guy let us in for free and we sat right by field. Tons of entertainment and it was a real thrill.

I untuck my shirt!

by Michael M on Mar 10, 2009 3:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I still can't believe that we got rid of our bsaeball program.

---
Juuuust a bit outside!!
http://www.rightfieldbleachers.com

by Jack Moore on Mar 11, 2009 6:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

100% concur

Although I think the latter half of my spring semesters would’ve been completely shot if we still had a team.

BCB, the preferred above replacement level sarcasm supplier.

by MadJimiBrewha on Mar 11, 2009 6:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Problem with poll.

For me, the answer isn’t one or the other, it’s yes. I attend big league games when I can, but several minor league parks are closer so I go to those when I can’t. The economy isn’t really a factor in that decision for me, there are lots of things I’ll cut before baseball.

"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."

by KLSnow on Mar 10, 2009 10:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Furthermore

Sorry to post twice, but I don’t think minor league baseball is really the replacement for major league baseball to most fans. With a few exceptions, the experience really isn’t all that comparable.

If fans stay home this season and look to replace the game experience, they’ll likely replace it by watching games on TV, not by going to minor league games.

"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."

by KLSnow on Mar 10, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

right

for “baseball fans” one is not a replacement for the other.

that said, MLB is probably most concerned about losing the casual fan, the folks who get attendance from 30k a night to 40k a night. For those people, baseball is one thing to do on a saturday afternoon. For them, mlb competes with milb, and they both compete with every form of family entertainment there is.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 10, 2009 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

they're only truly replaceable if both options are available

All Minnesota has in the way of minor league ball is an indy team. Either I haul out all the way to Appleton to see Brewers prospects (or Cedar Rapids if the anime convention and the ballgame intersect, which hasn’t been the case) or to Des Moines to keep an eye on what the Cubs are doing.

My family used the St. Paul Saints as replacement baseball in 1994. It didn’t really work out that well. Midway Stadium is not the greatest place to see baseball in the world and I haven’t heard of any significant improvements in that regard. I’m assuming Saints fans go there for something else entirely. On the other hand, if the facilities were as nice as, let’s say, Principal Park in Des Moines, I’d be inclined to go in the first place.

(and then there was the time we were in the bleachers at Midway and Mom got hit with a foul ball and some kid stole it from her. Is 16 too old to keep a foul ball?)

by morineko on Mar 10, 2009 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

IIRC the Saints have been angling for a new ballpark for a while.

Though with the way the decisions for the new Twins ballpark came about, not to mention the economic crisis, that might be on the backburner a bit. It was envisioned for some point in the next 3-4 years, but who knows now.

Sorry for the off-topic interlude, just a Pavlovian reaction to a mention of indyball.

by Zeyes on Mar 10, 2009 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's not off-topic

As we’ve seen with the whole Nashville mess, proper facilities are vital to the viability of minor league baseball in a town.

St. Paul isn’t going to be doing any improvements on anything any time soon. The city, like so many, is running an epic budget shortfall and we’d rather have snow removal, pothole repair, police, fire, etc.

by morineko on Mar 11, 2009 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’ll probably catch three or four Brewers games, maybe one Giants game the next time I’m in SF, and a couple of Mallards games.

The Mallards games are really only for the Duck Blind, though. :)

by warwick5s on Mar 10, 2009 1:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

What about both?

by bklanecky on Mar 10, 2009 3:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'll be honest here

My local MLB team’s stadium isn’t as nice as the minor league team’s about an hour away. It’s a better experience up there

I just sit back and root for the taser

by Hyatt on Mar 10, 2009 4:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Go Roughriders!

One place you’re guaranteed to have Dr Pepper on tap.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 10, 2009 4:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

damn skippy

but that’s not a rarity in the home of Dr. Pepper. I just can’t find a sprecher to save my life.

I just sit back and root for the taser

by Hyatt on Mar 10, 2009 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, the prevalence of dr pepper freaked me out a bit

I got to sit in the astros press box for a game, and the cooler in there had nothing but DP.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 11, 2009 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I will..

probably make the trip to Milwaukee at least once this year, but since I live in a town where we have a summer league team (Wisconsin Woodchucks) I usually go there twice a week and enjoy watching Gumby get tossed a few times a year. Hope they bring him back for a third season…

by Prentice on Mar 11, 2009 10:34 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I just don't plan on buying super expensive seats this year

That cool behind-home-plate date I was thinking about will turn into Uecker seats :-p

"If loving CC is wrong I do not want to be right"
"If lovin’ Braun is wrong, I want to be a repeat offender"

by kirbir on Mar 11, 2009 11:19 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Fortunately, I hate my local MLB club

The Schaumburg Flyers at Alexian Field is far preferable to a game at Wrigley. That said, I got stuck buying tickets to the July 4th Brewers v Cubs game as a favor to my girlfriend (a Cubs fan…). I hate watching games at Wrigley.

by ecocd on Mar 11, 2009 2:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Have you been to a Kane County game?

I haven’t, but I’m curious what it’s like.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 11, 2009 3:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't say I knew they existed

I used to live one town over from Alexian Field so that’s how I found the Schaumburg Flyers. It looks like it’s only an hour or so to the Kane County Elfstrom Stadium. I might have to check it out this summer. The Timber Rattlers are in town June 18-21.

by ecocd on Mar 12, 2009 11:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've been to both.

I’ve been to the Kane County Cougars and the Schaumburg Flyers. The Cougars stadium is actually fairly impressive for a minor league team. It’s kind of old and they only have a few actual seats, but the bleachers looked like they were well kept up. The seat was like $10 or $12 and it was really close to the field.

The most impressive minor league park I’ve been to was when I was out in Baltimore and went to the Aberdeen Ironbirds stadium. You could really tell that Cal Ripken kind of built the thing to show off, but the facilities were gorgeous. They had a whole bunch of just tables you could sit at, then a big open area where you could eat crabs and sort of watch the game. The actual product was lousy because it was short season Single-A Ball but the stadium was great.

I’m actually going to be stuck in Sarasota, Florida at the end of May so I’m planning to sneak off to see what Cincinatti has going on down there. And they’re playing the Cubs single-A team so at least it won’t be hard to pick who to cheer against.

by MrPilkington on Mar 14, 2009 3:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

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