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Published May/Jun 2007 |
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Minor league baseball teams gear up for a summer of family fun.
By Deborah Reinhardt Palmer |
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| I can count the number of times I sat behind home plate at a baseball game on one hand. But on a July evening in Springfield, Mo., there we were–so close, we heard the ball pop in the catcher’s glove. The smell of freshly mowed grass mingled with the aroma of hot dogs on the grill. The Springfield Cardinals faced the Wichita Wranglers, and we had the intimate feeling of watching our kid brother play ball. This kind of close-up intimacy with America’s greatest game is what minor league baseball offers to its 41 million fans. And across the Midwest, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy baseball in perhaps its purest form. So prop your feet up, grab a hot dog and a scorecard as we go around the horn to these Midwest minor league parks. Seeing red in Springfield Fans of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals will feel right at home in Springfield, Mo., home of the Double-A team, Springfield Cardinals, part of the Texas League. On our visit to beautiful Hammons Field, the “sea of red” that’s so familiar at Busch Stadium was in place in Springfield. It felt like home. Fans still were buzzing about young reliever Josh Kinney who was called up to St. Louis just days before our visit. Kinney, who will be recovering this year from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, came to the Cardinals organization from the River City Rascals in 2001. He pitched in Springfield in 2005 and was promoted to Memphis in 2006 before getting the call to the big leagues. Success stories like this help make minor league ball so much fun. These players are hungry, young and ready to give the game their best. Ridiculous contracts, media frenzies and self-importance haven’t yet come into play for these young men. Minor league ball–though a business–is about baseball, not big bucks. New manager Ron “Pop” Warner will work with the team to improve its 66–72 record from last year. Warner, with 16 years in the Cardinals’ system, comes to Springfield from the Cards’ Class A Advanced Palm Beach affiliate. He replaces Chris Maloney who moved to manage the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinal’s Triple-A team. “We’re excited to have him on board,” said Mike Lindskog, broadcaster and manager of public relations for the Springfield Cards. “He has a good baseball mind. After our season, Tony La Russa had Pop on the field during the World Series. He spent some time in the dugout.” Players to watch this season include 20-year-old outfielder Colby Rasmus, the No. 1 position prospect in the Cardinals’ system. At the end of Jim Edmonds’ contract in 2008, there’s a good chance Rasmus will be his replacement. Rasmus played his first full season in Class A ball with the Cardinals, knocking in 85 RBIs, the leading total throughout the Cards’ farm system. The best pitching prospect is right-hand closer Mike Sillman, 25, who last year collected 35 saves, maintaining an impressive 1.10 ERA. Like Rasmus, Sillman will see a lot of work in Springfield this year. Chosen as the Texas League organization of the year in 2006, the Cards opened the season away from home on April 5 at Midland, Texas against the RockHounds, facing the same team for the home opener on April 12. The Cardinals averaged 7,348 per game at Hammons Field in 2006, the second-highest total in Double-A. There’s convenient parking across from the park for $3–$5. Arrive early and get a free spot on the streets surrounding the field. Concessions–in addition to the traditional hot dogs, brats, cold beer and soda–include fried Asiago olives (about $4) and frozen margaritas (about $7). A busy promotional calendar includes June 18, when the first 2,500 fans receive a Josh Kinney bobblehead. The first 2,500 fans will receive a figurine of Cardinal Hall of Fame player and manager, Red Schoendienst, on Aug. 21. Springfield makes a great destination for a long weekend or week. Last year, our family spent five days camping at the Springfield/Route 66 KOA and visited attractions such as Wilson Creek National Battlefield, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World and Wonders of Wildlife museum and aquarium. Hammons Field, which accommodates 8,000 fans, is located at 955 E. Trafficway St. For tickets, call (417) 863-2143 or visit www.springfieldcardinals.com. Just across the river In 2006, the sound of fans getting shut out of the packed, new Busch Stadium was music to Jeff O’Neill’s ears. “For the final season at Busch (2005), we had trouble filling the seats,” said O’Neill, director of media relations for the Gateway Grizzlies, the Frontier League team just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis in Sauget, Ill. “We’re marketing ourselves if you can’t get in to see the Cards, come over here.” On a warm August evening, Grizzlies fans were filling up GCS Ballpark to see their team battle the rival River City Rascals. Across the river, the Cards were an hour away from meeting their archrivals, the Chicago Cubs. This welcoming park, selected as one of the top 10 best parks in the country by minorleaguenews.com, can accommodate 6,000 fans. A woman seeking eight tickets stood in line at the Grizzlies box office. Her group was part of the 182,124 fans in attendance last year, an average of 4,235 per game, giving the Grizzlies the honor of being named Organization of the Year in the Frontier League West Division. They received the same award in 2003. “This is affordable family fun,” O’Neill said. “We want you to come in and enjoy yourself without spending $20 to park.” In fact, parking is free at GCS Ballpark, which opened in 2002. Concessions also are a pretty good deal, in comparison to big league prices. If you want a 16-ounce Michelob, it’ll cost you $4.50; a hotdog, $2. Or try the GCS Ballpark delicacy “Baseball’s Best Burger,” a bacon cheeseburger served between a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut. Baseball is all about numbers, and this burger tops the scales at 1,000 calories. Price: $4.50. The look on my husband’s face after biting into this creation: priceless. The Grizzlies, under new manager Phil Warren, will work to improve the 31–50 record from last year. Warren, a St. Louis native, was director of player personnel last year. He played three seasons for the Grizzlies, six seasons in the Frontier League before retiring in 2005. It will be interesting to watch his first managerial season unfold. Players to watch include fan favorite outfielder Dustin Roberts, who is coming off a great rookie season in 2006, batting .275 in 61 games. Another outfielder fans will be watching is Chris Gibson, son of Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. Drafted out of high school by the Cardinals, the young Gibson, a left-handed hitter, opted to go to college at Southeast Missouri State University. Not many visitor services can be found in Sauget, but nearby Fairview Heights and Caseyville have several hotels and motels. Southwest Illinois attractions include the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, Eckert’s Country Store and Farm and Cakokia Mounds State Historic Site. For more information, contact the Tourism Bureau of Southwestern Illinois, (800) 442-1488 or click on www.thetourismbureau.org. The Grizzlies’ home opener will be May 23 against the Southern Illinois Miners out of Marion, Ill. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The first 1,000 fans receive a magnet schedule, and fireworks follow the game. For tickets, call (618) 337-3000 or click on www.gatewaygrizzlies .com. This summer, visit a minor league baseball park and rediscover what’s good about America’s game. Deborah Reinhardt Palmer is managing editor of AAA Midwest Traveler. |
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| Minor leagues in the Midwest | |||||||
| Finding a minor league team to root for in the Midwest takes a bit of scouting, but the good times are worth the effort. Minor league teams in the Midwest affiliated with Major League Baseball start with Class A and move to Class A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A, the latter being the final step before reaching the major leagues. There’s also Class A short season, rookie and VSL (Venezuelan Summer League) designations. Several Class A teams are in the Midwest League, including the:
Class Double-A ball in the Midwest, in addition to the Springfield Cardinals, includes the Wichita Wranglers (Texas League), who play at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita. Ticket information (316) 267-3372, www.wichitawranglers.com. Next year, the team will move to Springdale, Ark., and play in another new park currently being built at the corner of Watkins Avenue and 56th Street. |
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