Last night I accompanied a group from our church that attended the first home game of the season of The Augusta Green Jackets, the low Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Minor league baseball is a real treat for a baseball fan. While I still watch major league baseball and anticipate being a diehard Atlanta Braves fan until the day I die, I do get a little irritated sometimes at the economic aspects of the major league game. The minor leaguers, though, are playing under difficult conditions for not a lot of money. They have a lot to prove and they’re trying to prove it.
The fan experience at a minor league game is positive. Concessions are not terribly expensive (I bought a cheeseburger and fries combo for $4.50), they involve fans in various games (the dizzy bat game is a fan favorite) between innings, and there’s not a bad seat in the house. It was cold last night; the temperature was in the forties and it was breezy. Maybe we’ll look back on that fondly when the temperature hovers near 100 degrees in August.
The Green Jackets play in the South Atlantic League. The Sally League is one of the old and traditional minor leagues. I love the team names. Who could not like nicknames like these?
Charleston RiverDogs
Columbus Catfish
Delmarva Shorebirds
Greensboro Grasshoppers
Hickory Crawdads
Kannapolis Intimidators
Lakewood BlueClaws
Savannah Sand Gnats
It was those Sand Gnats who fell victim to the GreenJackets last night by a score of 10-0. Our team is now 5-0. The pitching staff has given up a total of four runs in five games.
This year could be fun. But then again, minor league baseball always is.
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