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Opinion: There's nothing better than minor league ball By
Sam Springer Minor league baseball is one thing that is still right in the era of sports that we are seeing today. In my opinion, there is nothing better than going to see a minor league baseball game. It's 5:30 and the gates have just opened. Vendors and stadium employees stroll about the concourse. Each and every one of them appears to be having a good time, even though they are working, not to mention it is nearly 100 degrees. The visiting team is just finishing up batting practice. Some of the home team players have begun to come out of the clubhouse, with autograph seekers young and old quick to notice. A mix of Spanish and English comes from the dugout area. This is one example of what is great about minor league baseball: to get to and from most of the fields, the players have to go directly through the fans. Fans actually get to be right next to players who will someday grace the big leagues with their talents. After both teams take infield practice, a local third grade girl sings the national anthem. She does an excellent job and gets a rousing ovation, even drawing a couple high fives from the home team as she walks back by the dugout. Finally, it's game time. The players in the game are mostly around 21 years old, with some just out of college and others a few years out of being drafted from high school. Many have received huge signing bonuses, and are already millionaires by the time they ever step on a major league field. Some of the players, however, will never get to see one single inning in the major leagues. They simply love the game. Vendors come around selling beer, hotdogs, sodas and cotton candy; just like the major leagues. But the prices don't reflect that of the majors, and most minor league teams offer deals on tickets. All programs are only a dollar. Time flies when you are having fun. Before we know it, the final out is made and the home team has gone down in defeat, 3-1. A quality experience has been attained for less money than you pay for a movie. You may ask yourself, why do these players do this to themselves with the knowledge of the slim chances they have to actually make it to the majors? Skeeter Ellison played minor league ball for the Atlanta Braves. He played catch with some of the players that we now see in the majors, and knows the caliber of play that a ball player must possess to make it to the show (major league). "I love to play and be on the field around my teammates, playing in front of an excited crowd of fans," Ellison says. Skeeter never made it to the big league but remembers vividly the time he spent in the minors, he says. As I explained to him a fans perspective on the game, he said ballplayers feel much the same way on the field, as the fans do in the stands. "Everything from the smell of popcorn at the ballpark to the excitement of a great diving catch in centerfield sparks the same great feeling in us as it does fans," Ellison says, "The biggest difference in us and the fans would be that most of them are paid more than we are; but that just goes to show that we love doing it." Another twist to the perception that a ballplayer has on his job would be good if heard by a player who actually got the opportunity to play major league baseball. That is why I interviewed David West, former big league pitcher. West started his career right out of high school in the minors. He played with the New York Mets farm system for three years before getting the call to the bigs. "It is the biggest rush ever to get the call that they need you to meet up with the team in whatever city it might be the next night," West says. West said that the three years prior to being called up were long hard ones, which were only overcome by his sheer love for pitching in a baseball game. Most players, regardless of talent, usually get the opportunity to play farm league ball before the big step into the majors. For players, it allows them to develop, and fans get the opportunity to gain stories about the players before they are stars that they pass on to their children and grandchildren. Minor league baseball allows for great experiences on both sides of the ball. If you haven't already, go see a game or follow the games occasionally. You might spot a star in the making.
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