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Baseball is a joy to watch, but a squeeze play on the wallet if you take the family to watch the big-league teams in Chicago or Detroit. So why not head out for a day of fun at the old ballpark without leaving the area?
There are several minor-league baseball teams playing in cozy stadiums just a fast-pitch away from the beaches. A jaunt to the ballparks in your backyard won’t involve $100 tickets, $8 beers, $20 parking, long lines for the bathrooms, or getting stuck in construction traffic on the Dan Ryan.
Minor-league baseball has something for everyone. Die-hard fans can see young players making a name for themselves before being snapped up by the big leagues. Kids enjoy the goofy mascots, between-inning contests, and a chance to run the bases after the game. And anyone who simply wants a relaxing open-air midsummer’s day or evening in front of a ballgame will love it, too. Most ballparks will even let you rent out a section for a private party of your own.
Minor-league baseball has been around since 1901 and peaked as a spectator event in the years right after World War II. Baseball legends like Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays all got their start in the minors. Today, minor league baseball is making a comeback, exceeding even its late-1940s popularity levels. Attendance in recent years for the 15 leagues that charge admission has averaged just less than 39 million fans per year. And it’s no wonder — with box seats at a South Bend Silver Hawks game going for $7 a pop ($400 a year for season tickets), minor-league baseball is a fun alternative to its pricier big-league brother.
“The very best thing about minor-league ball is the fun, affordable entertainment we provide for families,” says Roger Wexelberg, VP and general manager of the Gary Southshore RailCats, a five-year-old team and the reigning champions of the Midwest League’s northern division. “We have an awesomely beautiful stadium, and we always feature contests and giveaways between innings.”
Who comes out to cheer the RailCats? “We’re a microcosm of northwest Indiana,” Wexelberg says. Fans pour in from towns in northwest Indiana, with an average per-game attendance of more than 3,000. The RailCats’ home is the U.S. Steel Yard in downtown Gary, a contemporary park complete with 18 luxury suites, picnic areas and party decks, and seating capacity for more than 5,700.
In South Bend, the Silver Hawks play at Coveleski Regional Stadium. “We call ourselves ‘Michiana’s Team,’ and that’s just what we are,” says Mike Lockert, director of media relations for the team. “Our fans come from as far north as St. Joseph, east to Goshen, south to Warsaw, west to Michigan City.”
Farther up the Lake Michigan coastline, the Michigan Whitecaps play in Fifth Third Ballpark, a 10,000-capacity stadium just north of downtown Grand Rapids. Western Michigan’s favorite team draws fans from all over western and central Michigan, says Brian Oropallo, media relations coordinator.
Whitecaps fans have had a good run of excitement in recent years. The team, which has been around since 1994, took the Midwest League championship in 2004, and most recently helped nurture Cameron Maybin, a center fielder who was the Detroit Tigers’ No. 1 pick from last year’s draft.
Other recent big-league names with their roots in the Midwest minor leagues include Arizona Diamondbacks third-baseman Chad Tracy, pitcher Brian Bruney, and second baseman Scott Hairston. That last is a third-generation baseball player whose brother, Jerry Hairston, Jr., is an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs and whose father played with the White Sox. (Grandfather Sam started in the Negro Leagues, making Scott and Jerry the first third-generation black players in the majors.)
Meanwhile, in South Bend, the Silver Hawks are still basking in the glow of last year’s Midwest League championship. This year, they’re banking on a younger team (the youngest player, at 18, is fresh out of high school), with some of the rookies having to get adjusted to a 140-game schedule, Lockert says.
But no matter how the team performs, they still pull in an average attendance of 213,000 fans per year with attractions like “Downtown South Bend Days” (August 3), and “Jimmy Buffet Night,” where a Buffet tribute band plays after the game until 11 p.m.
Recognizing that baseball is about more than just the game, the Silver Hawks last year added a party deck that can accommodate up to 250 people for private events. You can book a birthday party for your kid for $150, with reserved seat tickets, pizza or hot dogs, an autographed team ball and personalized birthday cake — even a visit from Swoop, the team’s mascot.
Special events are also big for the Whitecaps, which recently added an indoor stadium club with a view of the field and a group area for picnic crowds. New this year is a rooftop deck that accommodates 350.
Aside from the usual fireworks dates (Aug. 5, 19, 26 and 31), the Whitecaps also host a “Shirt Off Our Backs” game, where players raffle off their game jerseys to fans, and a “Walbeck Bobblehead Day” (August 25) where fans receive a bobble-head likeness of the team’s manager.
But rather than taking away from the importance of the game, these events are what keep minor league baseball fun. “My favorite part of the job is the different things you get to do in minor league baseball every day,” says Oropallo of the Whitecaps. For him, this can mean anything from getting involved in team draft picks (most teams get their players from high schools and colleges) to escorting an elephant down the baseline for a promotional event where the pachyderm was pitching. “We do everything to keep it exciting for the fans,” he says.
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