Chicago Cubs: Minor League games offer a special kind of fun

Minor League Baseball is one of the last remaining shrines to the “good old pastime” of American culture. That warm slice of Americana that makes the oldest of fans think back fondly to their childhood.

Aside from the stars of tomorrow on the field, attending a game at your local team’s stadium can provide some of the most bizarre, yet entertaining, experiences.

While sports fans come to grip with the rising prices for tickets and concessions, many families are returning to the minor ranks for the kind of entertainment that can serve a family of four. I have become well aware of the various promotions that my local MLB affiliate has to offer including “$1 Weiner Wednesday” and “$1 Thirsty Thursday”, which allows fans to get merry for basically nothing.

The prices that bring people to the gates are as attractive as the themes that some teams promote. Major league teams will occasionally get in the act. I’m going to assume that any person choosing to read this piece has either been to a baseball game on 70’s night or can imagine what it looks like.

Where the minors really hit a home run, is when they can take news-worthy events and use it to their advantage. Take former White Sox first baseman and avid beard lover Adam LaRoche.

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LaRoche, 36, recently announced his retirement after Sox front office brass informed him that his son Drake would no longer be welcome in the clubhouse or have access to the team. As the social media world and the media blew up over the news, LaRoche was soon trending under the umbrella of #familycomesfirst.

At this point, I bet you’re wondering where the Chicago Cubs come in. It doesn’t take long for things to develop, especially if you can rip it out the headlines.

Shortly after the news broke, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Class-A Advanced affiliate for the Chicago Cubs, announced on twitter that they would be hosting a Family Night in August. The original intent was to invite LaRoche and his son to be special guests as the Pelicans took on the Class-A affiliate for the White Sox.

Considered a pretty good shot at the time, Pelicans General Manager Andy Milovich has since cancelled the event in an official statement on the team’s website admitting that poor judgement and some insensitivity to the situation was to blame.

While this promotion can only be played out in our dreams, minor league teams have managed to get their fun in the past. Most notably would be the Fullerton Flyers, who successfully held a “Juice Box Night”, handing out juice boxes to the first 500 fans to come watch the Flyers take on Jose Conseco and the Long Beach Armada.

Next: Who will get the final roster spot?

We may not know some the players on the field, or where the team stands in the playoff race, but all of us can agree that minor league baseball is all about fun and the fan experience. As long as the cheap beer continues to flow and the promotions add a flair that you can’t get anywhere else, minor league baseball will have a repeat fan in me.