"...and I've got tickets"
Today is National Babe Ruth Day! Of course, my girls and I are spending it in a very fitting way-- at a baseball game. Okay, the title is a favorite line of mine from "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," when Andie Anderson (played by Kate Hudson) is excited that she scored tickets to the NBA playoff game. What can I say? ...girls like sports, too. As for this particular girl, while I may look like a girly girl, I did a stint supervising security for the Seattle Mariners. While major league baseball games excite me (okay- in full disclosure, I am definitely more of a football fan), there is something that I love about minor league baseball games.
When my teen was two years old, I took Kristin to her first major league baseball game. As much as she was excited to see the game, she was two. It was a picturesque first visit: seats that any adult would envy, a visit to the clubhouse to see where the players hang out, and one on one time meeting the moose. However, any visit with a toddler to a baseball game is never truly ideal. We spent more time heading to the play area and walking laps on the concourse than actually sitting in those premium seats. Later, I discovered minor league is a much better speed for families.
Starting with the most obvious, minor league games are definitely more cost effective for a family on a budget. True- you can sometimes get cheap seat tickets at the major league games for the same price as a minor league ticket. However, I am kind of an all or nothing type of girl. When I do something, I like to do it right and don't really care to have nose bleed seats when I go to a game. At a minor league game, almost all of the seats are decent seats. For the price, it also doesn't matter if you end up not spending your whole time in the seats. While we have always done regular seats as a family, when I was in the Air Force, I attended a game that had the option for sitting on a hillside.
The second reason that I love minor league games is that it is a more casual intimate setting. Beyond the fact that you are decently close to the field anywhere you sit, the actual atmosphere is more relaxed. Kids have a better chance of players interacting with them before the game. We've even had players "hang out" chatting with us throughout the game whenever they weren't playing. Since they haven't fully made it big, the players are still down to earth and enjoy the kids that look up to them. The same personal interaction goes for the mascot, too. We've also been to several Tacoma Rainiers games where they have additional kids activities like a chance to run around the bases. Some games even offer extra entertainment, like fireworks after the game.
My final reason for loving minor league baseball has nothing to do with actually attending the game. Minor League baseball teams tend to make an active presence within their communities, including programs with schools and the military. Some teams even have fundraising opportunities.
As for tonight, "I've got tickets!!!" to watch the Tacoma Rainiers take on the minor league team from my home of Northern California, the Sacramento River Cats.
