Latest on Jack’s Article

Jack is off from school this week so I took a day of Thursday to work on Jack’s minor league baseball article. You may recall that our first work session was at a bar. This time we chose Starbucks.

Let the record show that a bar is a far better place to work than a Starbucks. At Starbucks, both boys got a big strawberry smoothie drink, which cost $6 each and got them both all sugared up. Then we had to sit at a crowded table. There were moms with loud kids, people on the phone – it sucked.

A bar costs the same. They eat wings instead of sugar. More room. Quieter.

But all that said…the article is in damn good shape. Still needs a title and needs to be checked for errors. But, here it is:

NEED A TITLE

By Jack Nuckols

I love the Majors, but ever think what happens behind the scenes? And where players like Robinson Cano or Miguel Cabrera developed? The Minor Leagues of course! But since everyone is going to the Major League, this league is overlooked. It’s the same game. There are still home runs and RBIs. Great plays and 7^th Inning Stretches. But in some ways the Minors are better.

1. Getting Autographs

Ever think about getting autographs? Well you are probably out of luck at Major League Parks. But in the Minors it’s different. The players are a lot nicer and there is not a lot of people trying to push each other over to get autographs. I got at least 60 signatures including a baseball signed by all the Wilmington Blue Rocks players.

2. Fun Events

Of course you know about Mascots, but in the Minors it’s not just Mascots. I’ve seen people try and land foam airplanes on a target and people dress up as giant eyeballs and race! Fans get to do weird and cool events between innings.

3. Fun Team Names

I could write a 20 page list of the funniest sports team names and all of it would minor league teams! Here’s some names: Montgomery Bicuits, Fort Wayne Tin Caps, Savannah Sand Gnats, and the New Orleans Zypers! Why root for these teams? Well, isn’t fun to say Go Biscuit or Way to go Sand Gnats!

4. Cheaper Seats

Here’s a big reason, say your mom wont let you go to a Majors game. Why not ask you mom to let you go to a Minor league game. Put it this way: great seats at a Major League game are 200$ a ticket. In the Minors great seats are 12$ a ticket. MLB average ticket costs $27.00. The MiLB average ticket costs $7.00. What is the chance your mom will let you go to a Minor league game? Pretty good.

5. Future Stars

You can see future stars play in the minor leagues before anybody else does. Two years later you can say to your friends, “I saw him play before any of you.” To write this article, I interviewed 4 players. I hope they make it to the majors.

6. Closer to Home

Say you live in Alabama or Mississippi, you are miles from an MLB park. There are MiLB teams everywhere! In Alabama, there are 4 teams. And if you live in a big city the minors could be a backup for the majors (which you might need). There are 240 minor league teams and only 30 MLB teams. That’s a huge difference!

7. Better Seats

The Majors have 3 decks. On the 3^rd deck, people sometimes bring binoculars to see. In the Minors, there is only 1 deck. That means you have a front row seat to everything. I could tell if it was a curveball, breaking ball or fastball!

8. Easier to get baseballs

The seats are empty so you can roam around chasing baseballs. Here is an example: At one game I was standing in the aisle with my glove. A ball went sailing over my head to some rows of empty seats and I ended up getting the ball. See, it’s easier to get baseballs in the minors. And it’s fun too.

Now you know about this “secret” league. It’s the same thing as the majors, sometimes it’s better! So take yourself out to the ball game and see some minor league games!