This is an upcoming Give a Hoot piece for Hooters magazine. No pictures included. Sorry.
Beer for a buck, hamburgers with doughnuts for buns, and sleepover at the stadium night. Heaven? Nope just promotions at minor league baseball games. No idea is too stupid, out of line or off the wall when it comes to getting people through the turnstiles at minor league baseball games, and between having the time of your life participating in the silly promotion and watching future all-stars mature into major leaguers, you should give a HOOT about Minor League Baseball.
Major League Baseball has so many advantages over minor league baseball in that it is televised, and you get to see the stars at every position whose jerseys and cards you collect. The MLB teams are all in major cities (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.)while the minor league teams are mostly in smaller cities whose grassroots run deep (Rochester, Buffalo, Chattanooga) but perhaps without the disposable income that MLB cities have. Minor league rosters are also made to be raided by the parent club. Either the team is made up of young future stars that are just marinating until ready for the call-up or filled with older players that are has-beens or never-was guys. Basically as soon as you start doing well, odds are you are moving on up.
Over the years, minor league baseball owners and leagues have looked at their product and realized that it needed a little something extra to get people to come out to the ballpark. Therefore the franchises started coming up with these “hooks” to get folks to come. These owners and GMs brought in marketing folks and PR honchos to brainstorm for ways to get fans to turn down a chance to watch the game on television or go to another sport and instead come out to their park. In most cases, the zanier the idea the better.
How else can you explain “Beer for a Buck!” night? Some Major League teams have started doing this but minor league baseball first started the tradition of selling beer for just one dollar on various nights and most franchises have this promotion at least once a month to get folks through the gates. One franchise, the Lake County Captains even did Nickel Beer Night once, honoring the history of the Cleveland Indians franchise, who used to only charge one nickel for a beer many years ago. True there are limits to how many cups you can get for $1 and the size of the cups is much smaller compared to the normal cups, but when you consider it is nearly $9 in some Major League parks for a serving of suds, you come to appreciate the beer for one dollar.
Ever go to buy a hot dog at a Major League park and come to find that you have to take out a second mortgage just to feed yourself and your two kids? Sorry to say that minor league parks aren’t exactly giving food away, but most are getting creative and giving you your money’s worth. The Gateway Grizzlies, just outside of St. Louis may have set the lowest low (or created the greatest thing EVER) when, in 2006, it debuted the Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger. The bacon cheeseburger was sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts and served for $4.50, packing up to 1,000 calories. Since the introduction at the Grizzlies game, state fairs have picked up on the “delicacy” but you can rest assured that minor league baseball gave birth to that momma and you should GIVE A HOOT that minor league baseball is always looking to take food to the next level.
Fan interaction is also welcomed far more at minor league parks than at the stuffy Major League stadiums. Think about it: do MLB teams regularly have Jersey Shore Night, where fans are encouraged to dress up like DJ Pauly D or JWoww? The Omaha Royals did just that last May. Do MLB stadiums ask for all of the fat people in the crowd to come down onto the field in between innings for free liposuction? Hello Mahoning Valley Scrappers game. When was the last time you recall being able to sleep on the field after the game at a Major League stadium? The Lancaster (PA) Barnstormers have a night where fans are allowed to stick around after the ninth inning and roll out sleeping bags right on the outfield grass. And while Bark in the Park may be popular enough for Atlanta’s Turner Field to have two every season, the Colorado Springs SkySox started the tradition known as Puppypalooza in 1996.
And perhaps the most infamous promotion was Popsicle Night on June 3, 2003, a night invented by the Bisbee Copper Kings to honor the memory of the cryogenically frozen Ted Williams. When everyone heard about the promotion, usually it was met with a guilty laugh and a laughing “that’s terrible,” followed by more laughter.
Promotions are the only reason to give a HOOT about minor league baseball though. The last few seasons have been particularly fantastic for Gwinnett Braves fans as they have been treated to watching Tommy Hanson, now dominating for the Atlanta Braves after finishing just short of a Rookie of the Year award in 2009 and then Jason Heyward, the runner up for Rookie of the Year honors in 2010. Last year, the team was able to watch Mike Minor and Freddie Freeman, both sure to be with the parent club in 2011 and this year, Gwinnett fans will likely get a glimpse at MLB.com’s No.10 prospect Julio Teheran before he too is called up to be with the big boys.
And that is what is so cool about attending a minor league game: you get to see the future before it becomes the present. You get to see the cream of the crop before it rises to the Major League level. On a personal level, I got to see Steve Avery, David Justice, and Mark Lemke in Richmond before they went on to the World Series with Atlanta. Then a new batch of future all-stars came through Richmond in Javy Lopez, Chipper Jones, Mark Wohlers, Ryan Klesko, Andruw Jones, Jermaine Dye, Jason Schmidt and Kevin Millwood. All of these people were on the minor league field at the same time or within two years of each other; all of these people would go on to be on a MLB all-star team at some point in their career. Along with many other minor league fans, I got to seem them grow into their all-star bodies by going to a minor league baseball game.
Minor league baseball is relaxed and fun and honestly pleased to get your business. The owners and executives know that you have options so they want to make you WANT to come out, be it to see the future or to enjoy a crazy promotion. Give a HOOT about minor league baseball and go to a game. Fun is guaranteed or you’ll get your money back...wait that sounds like a great promotion!
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