It’s cold outside, which I’ll counteract by ruminating on the most uncomfortably hot I’ve ever been: Aug. 1, 2016, at Sacramento’s Raley Field, suiting up as Ronald Reagan in the River Cats’ between-innings Governors Race. The oversized presidential noggin I was wearing made me light-headed, and shortly after the race ended I was on the verge of passing out. I don’t remember who won the race, only that it was very humid and that my opponents were Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold was the 38th Governor of California, and this is the 38th edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter. How’s that for a segue? Let’s talk about Minor League Baseball.
|
THE VIEW: FAVORITE MINOR LEAGUE VANTAGE POINTS |
What’s your favorite seat or view that you’ve had at a Minor League park? In last week’s newsletter I posited that query, which led me to remember that in 2018 I wrote an article highlighting my favorite views around the Minor Leagues. (The makeup of Minor League Baseball has changed since then, but my top choices remain largely the same.)
My favorite ballpark view, highlighted in the above photo, can be found at Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City. The Wasatch Mountains loom beyond the outfield, bringing a feeling of natural grandeur to an urban ballpark. (On Monday, it was announced that the Salt Lake Bees, who call Smith’s Stadium home, plan to move to a new ballpark in 2025. More on that in a future newsletter.)
As for my favorite view from a particular seat or seating area, I’ll go with the right-field Wooftop Deck at Southwest University Field (home of the El Paso Chihuahuas). The below photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but it’s a spectacular spot from which to view a game (and an example of unique and creative ballpark architecture).
|
I now open the floor to my favorite group of people: email respondents. What are your favorite ballpark seats and/or views?
"Dugout suites at the Fightin Phils' FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading, Penn. They are below ground level, so you are actually looking at the ground where the feet and ankles of the players are. You are actually sitting in a dugout!!" -- Barb Cieri
I briefly spent some time in these seats in 2017, as my Designated Eater Michael Aulenbach enjoyed a Grand Slammer.
|
"My seat at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., on May 30, 2018 [during the Birmingham Barons’ Rickwood Classic]. The batter, Birmingham shortstop Danny Mendick, is about to hit a double into the left-field corner. The seat location is nothing special, so why is this my favorite view? Look closely; there is no obscuring netting and no distracting electronic scoreboard, just old-school time-machine baseball." -- Mikel Petty |
"The view from the Home Run Porch section at Las Vegas Ballpark. This area is good for a potential home run ball! Also, a good view of the desert sky as the sun sets. Go Aviators!" -- William Tousius |
"Staten Island’s Richmond County Bank Ballpark (when the Staten Island Yankees were still a team). From my seat I could look out and see the ferry coming in and going out, with the Statue of Liberty in the background. [This ballpark is now home to the Atlantic League FerryHawks.]" -- Mark Jensen |
"Third-base line, Ponce de Leon Park, 1958 Atlanta Crackers of the AA Southern League. My first professional game at age 9." -- Tommy Cobb
"Before Polar Park opened, my favorite view was on the ramp from the grandstand to the berm at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium. The ramp (which included a drink rail) overlooked the PawSox bullpen, and my spot was right next to the left-field foul pole. There was something very cool about watching from straight down the line, while right below me I could hear the relievers playing their bullpen games, or the 'pop' of the catcher's mitt as one of them warmed up. It was my happy place." -- Brian Alexander
This isn’t exactly where Brian’s talking about, but it’s the closest approximation I could pull from my archives:
|
"The outfield at Prince George's Stadium in Bowie after the game, running the bases, and the fireworks, where my son, I, and two other fathers and sons pitched our tents for a sleepover. Until they shut off the lights, we had a catch between the tents, a picture of which appeared on the Sports Illustrated website to accompany a story on Minor League promotions." -- Jonathan Salant |
This is a fun topic, and I’ll have more to share next week. If you would like to add your proverbial two cents regarding the best Minor League seats and views, then get in touch: benjamin.hill@mlb.com. |
HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TRIVIA! |
The 1977 Fort Lauderdale Yankees featured 10 future Major Leaguers and one future soap opera star. Can you name this Minor Leaguer turned daytime television thespian?
The answer can be found at the bottom of this email. To submit your own trivia question email me: benjamin.hill@mlb.com.
|
NATIONAL HAT DAY: A RE-"CAP" |
Sunday, Jan. 15, was National Hat Day, during which we as a nation reflect on our favorite MiLB hats and logos while taking advantage of sweet discounts in the MiLB.com store. My colleague Kelsie Heneghan celebrated by writing a roundup of some of Minor League Baseball’s most popular lids.
Meanwhile, in episode #390 of the “Show Before the Show” podcast, Tyler Maun, Sam Dykstra and I put our heads together in order to design a logo for the fictional Austin Nights baseball club. We’re now working on making that logo a reality.
The biggest star of National Hat Day turned out to be Erik “The Peanut Guy” Mertens, beloved Tri-City Dust Devils ambassador and bigtime Minor League Baseball hat aficionado. Erik posted his “Hat Wall” on Twitter, which caused many otherwise stoic and reserved individuals to swoon with inspiration and envy. Check it out:
|
This is Josh Jackson, imploring all of you in newsletter land to put Ben on ice and chill with me for a minute. I host "The Show Before the Show" podcast’s Ghosts of the Minors segment, in which I challenge you to identify a historical Minor League club hidden amidst two red herrings.
In the last episode, we went Dutch with the Oswego Netherlands. This week, I ask you which of these teams provided local color for a working town in the Minors of yesteryear:
The Grays Harbor Loggers The Vermillion Miners The Orange Grovemen
For the answer, tune in next time, won’t you?
|
|
|
I’ve had the Salt Lake Bees on my mind while writing this newsletter, remembering the amazing views at Smith’s Ballpark while wondering what their new ballpark (coming in 2025) might be like. But what about the food?
When I visited Salt Lake City in 2017, my Designated Eater Garrett McClintock enjoyed a Southwest Dog: a foot-long sausage topped with peppers, onions and southwest sauce (a mixture of buffalo sauce and ranch). Garrett washed it down with a dirty soda, a customizable non-alcoholic concoction particularly popular among the city’s large Mormon population.
|
HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE TRIVIA ANSWER! |
After playing his second and final Minor League season as a member of the 1977 Fort Lauderdale Yankees, Don Hogestyn pursued an acting career (while going by his middle name of Drake). Hogestyn is best known for playing John Black on Days of Our Lives, a role that originated in 1986 and continues to this day.
|
|
|
|
