AAA Ball

[DeadAye]

Some 30 years ago my wife and I went on our first date to a Memphis Chicks (AA Baseball) game and have been together pretty much ever since. We lived several blocks down Southern Ave from the ball park and went to most of the home games for 10 years or so.
20 years ago we moved 50 miles from the ball park and haven't been to a minor league game since. (Some White Sox, Phillies, and Cubs games throughout the years though).

Tonight we're going to travel All The Way To Memphis and watch the Memphis Redbirds (St.L Cardinals) take on the Round Rock (Rangers).
There's also going to be fireworks after the game.

I almost can't wait
Nothing like being a 61 year old kid

 

[jeffsmith]

I have Season Tickets to our local Single "A" Team; the Marauders

I Love "Little" Baseball, as opposed to the big parks

 

[doublesharp]

Louisville used to have St Louis triple A team, aka Louisville Redbirds, back in the early 1980s-90s. An oilman named A Ray Smith brought minor league ball back to town after a 20 year absence and the RBs were a huge success, drawing over a million fans in 1982. We're now the Louisville Bats, AAA club of the Reds. They play in a near new stadium and still draw pretty good crowds. When I'm buying tickets, I try and get front row left field and usually am able to get them. We also score freebies several times a year, especially corporate tickets for day games.
Cards are my favorite team, except when they play the Reds.

 

[hsguy]

Have a great time, excellent ball park. As I recall the Redbirds are the only non-profit minor league team with proceeds donated to charity. When the game is over walk west a block and go to the Rendevous for some BBQ.

A link to the team's charitable work. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/...t_id=35902&vkey=team4_t235&fext=.jsp&sid=t235

 

[Class III]

I'll see you at the game. GF and I try to go about once a month. Try to get seats down the third base line, that way you won't be in the sun when the game starts. If you go to the 'Vous after the game ask to be seated at one of Geno's tables. Tell him the Hundred Dollar Brothers sent you.

Class III

 

[mtgianni]

We used to live across the field 1/2 mile from the Missoula Osprey stadium. They moved down town and we didn't go nearly as often. Now we are 66 miles from a team. All short season A ball. I have never lived near a single A team but been to a few AAA and Major League games. Great times.

 

[Marshwheeling]

I used to go down to Iowa a lot to watch Midwest League A ball. This was after the Twins started playing under the dome. Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Quad Cities, some great old ball parks, plus John O'Donnell in Davenport, a beautiful new park with a picturesque setting on the Mississippi. Every once in a while we would go to Des Moines to watch the I-Cubs in Heck Taylor (I hear that park has since been renamed).

I would make these trips with a law school buddy. Sometimes my stepfather would accompany us. He was a great traveling companion. His family had been grain traders with roots in Winona. He had been an FBI agent during the war, then spent years in the real estate business. As a result, he had a story about somebody in nearly every little town we passed through.

Once we caught a day game in Des Moines, then drove over to Cedar Rapids to watch the Kernels that evening. Sitting up in the first base pavilion at heck Taylor, a foul ball found me with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other. I had to let the ball whiz past me and into the vendor area.

I found redemption that evening, sitting under the overhang, behind home plate, just enough to the first base side to be out from behind the screen. It was a wet, blustery night, and there might have been eighty fans in the stadium. A ball came screaming back, hit an overhead girder, ricocheted dow to hit a seat back a couple rows in front of me. By the time it arced back toward me, it had lost most of its energy. I half rose out of my seat to make an easy one-handed grab. From way back up behind us, somebody yelled "Nice hustle".

In '93, Mike Veeck brought unaffiliated minor league ball to Saint Paul. I had saints season tickets for ten years, and took up smoking cigars because at the ball park I could. It was a sad day several years later when they designated a No Smoking section adjacent to ours. The nature of the experience changed. One night, a kid sitting behind me asked if I could put out my cigar, it was bothering him. I told him no, but he was bothering me and could take his mother and father and brother and move across the aisle to Non-Smoking if he wanted to. I let my season tickets go after that year.

 

[DeadAye]

I'll see you at the game. GF and I try to go about once a month. Try to get seats down the third base line, that way you won't be in the sun when the game starts. If you go to the 'Vous after the game ask to be seated at one of Geno's tables. Tell him the Hundred Dollar Brothers sent you.

Class III

Gee - Don't know how I missed you - we were down the 3rd base line too ----
Actually, Section 118 - Right in front of the two little teenage girls that NEVER shut up until the fireworks started.

We're going to check out the Diamond Jaxx next time. WAY less traffic coming home and, from what I understand, junk food snacks for 2 won't cost $50.

The Birds played a good game against an extremely good team.

The fireworks were AWESOME though

 

[John Eilertson]

When I lived in Portland, I used to go to Civic Stadium to watch the AAA Portland Beavers. Saw loads of big league stars play in exhibition games. Stars like Mike Schmidt, Willie Stargell, Clemente and others. This year the Beavs were forced to leave Portland, so their park could be rebuilt for pro soccer. They can keep THAT. I grew up with baseball, and even played a few games in that park. I'm not from Europe, so soccer means little to me. (In HS soccer was for the guys who couldn't make the football team.)

 

[Jswiney9]

I love minor league ball, used to live in Johnson City TN. (cards) Caught quite a few. Also been to a few others close to here. Good to support the up and comers!

 

[bummer]

My son is crazy about baseball(cards ,balls,figurines,etc etc). We have attended Altoona Curve,Erie Seawolves, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Washington Wildthings,Slippery Rock Sliders ,Butler Blue Sox and of course the PITTSBURGH PIRATES. It is in my opinion America's past time. We try to go as often as work allows and it gives us some family time.