When it comes to places I'd like to visit within the world of Minor League Baseball, I have a list that's two feet wide and a mile long. It's a most unwieldy list, and upon consulting it I can not help but feel there should be a more economical way for me to write out my desires.

But at the top of this list, towering 5,280 feet above the ground, is this item:

Attend the Rickwood Classic.

For those who may not yet be "in the know" --  Each season the Birmingham Barons play one game at Rickwood Field, which served as their home from 1910 through 1987 and is now recognized as the oldest functioning professional stadium in the country. The club pulls out all the stops for the Rickwood Classic, honoring a different period of Birmingham baseball history each year by suiting up in that era's uniforms.

I bring this up because yesterday the Barons announced the details of the 2010 Classic. Here's a relevant excerpt:

The Birmingham Barons will do their part to celebrate the 100th anniversary of historic Rickwood Field when the team returns to their old stomping grounds for the 15th Annual Rickwood Classic on June 2. The 12:30 p.m. contest will pit the Barons opposite the Tennessee Smokies...The two franchises will use the occasion to pay homage to the early years of Rickwood Field. The $75,000, 7,000-seat facility opened on Aug. 18, 1910, when the Barons took on the Montgomery Climbers in a game witnessed by an estimated 10,000 fans....The Barons will wear replicas of uniforms from the 1910 season while the Smokies will wear uniforms from the 1914 season, when they were known as the Appalachian Smokies.

I wrote a feature about the Rickwood Field earlier this year, which can be viewed HERE. And since I'm on the topic, I'd like to point out that in both 2006 and 2007, the Barons won the Classic, 3-2, on the strength of a late-inning tie-breaking sacrifice fly by Thomas Collaro. Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up.

At any rate, June 2 is now marked on my 2010 calendar with an Alabama state flag puffy sticker. Maybe this year I'll be able to traverse the Mason-Dixon line in order to see Rickwood Field in all it's glory.

-- On Tuesday I wrote about the Lakewood BlueClaws' bowling league, and even attempted to brainstorm some potential team names. Well, the BlueClaws held a "best bowling team name" contest via Twitter, ultimately selecting these entries: Pinchy's Pin Busters, BlueClaws Pin Setters, and Alley Claws.

I'm surprised no one suggested "Pinchsetters."

-- Finally, a new edition of "Promo Preview Offseason Edition" can be found HERE. At the very least, read the column in order to discover my three favorite songs on "Appetite for Destruction." I'd be interested to hear yours.

benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz

Nine days ago, when the Earth was young and men were men, I wrote on the topic of the Lowell Spinners' "Search for the Missing Canaligator." I wrote about it RIGHT HERE, in fact. 

The premise was simple: the team hid a special Canaligator bobblehead somewhere within Lowell city limits. Then, a series of clues was incrementally released. Said clues revealed the wayward bobblehead to have remarkably little ambition, as most were focused on how Canaligator likes to stay indoors and hang out near the ballpark.

And, lo and behold, he was hiding at the team gift shop. A fan with a most detective-like name, Matt Savage, was the first to roust the Canaligator bobblehead from its hiding spot. In exchange for these Herculean efforts, he will be rewarded with four tickets to the team's upcoming alumni dinner, every bobblehead the team gives away in 2010, and the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a game next season. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

In other news, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs recently announced that they have formed a "club" for the team's more aged supporters -- The Silver Pigs. I almost wish I was 29 years older, just so I could call myself a "Silver Pig".

There are 160 teams in the world of affiliated Minor League Baseball, and I do my best to cover them in as fair and equitable a manner as possible. But, inevitably, some teams receive more coverage than others.

I'll let others be the judge of why this may be so (east coast bias? bribery? laziness? the randomness inherent in all aspects of existence?). My reason for bringing this topic up in the first place is simply because, yet again, I am going to devote a blog post to the Lakewood BlueClaws and Trenton Thunder. Regular readers are aware, of course, that these two teams have recently gotten more than their share of coveted Ben's Biz Blog publicity.

Well, here's some more.

Let's start with the BlueClaws, who announced today that they will be sponsoring a bowling league. I am a huge proponent of the sport (which, nouveau Brooklynites take note, should be enjoyed unironically), and therefore eager to see this idea catch on throughout the Minors.

As befits such an occasion, the BlueClaws launched into a series of bowling-related puns as a way to promote this endeavor. From a post today on the BlueClaws blog:

"Have some spare time? Want a great way to split up the work week? Then don't strike out. Join the new BlueClaws Bowling League!"

The blog also provides a link to "funny team bowling names", which is something I can definitely get behind. Here's a my own list of baseball-inspired bowling league names:

The Hook-y Leagues
The Liberal Strike Zones
Hall of Framers
Bowl Durham
Slow Rollers
The Split-chell Report

Man, that was harder than I thought it would be. I didn't do a very good job at all. All that I can do is offer my customary "kudos" to the team in question and move on....

To the Trenton Thunder, who are staging a unique and very worthwhile memorabilia auction. Throughout the season, clubby Tom "Tonto" Cackley collected memorabilia from a wide array of Thunder players (including rehabbing big leaguers) as well as special ballpark guests. Now, he's auctioning all of these items on eBay, with proceeds benefiting the Domestic Violence Project. 

There are 87 (!) items available. Listing them would be rather redundant; simply click HERE and see for yourself.

Finally, I'll be writing up a new offseason edition of "Promotion Preview" tomorrow, covering the next two weeks. Please get in touch with information on any and all Minor League events that are taking place during this time.

Thank you in advance for getting in touch. And thank you retroactively for reading. 

benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz

Greetings from the barren, windswept prairie that is mid-November in Minor League Baseball. It's not that bad out here, in all honesty. There's an invigorating chill in the air, plenty of room to roam, and all it takes to ward off predatory mammals is a well-aimed hatchet toss. 

Therefore, all that's left for me to do is to collect and then disseminate the few scraps of information that are blowing about. I shall commence with this immediately:

-- I've never seen the reality show "Jon and Kate Plus 8", but am nonetheless aware that it is a pop-cultural phenomenon for some reason. In tonight's episode, which airs at 9 on TLC, Jon takes the kids to a Reading Phillies game. This marks the second time this year that a reality show dealing with oversized broods has filmed on location at a Double-A baseball game. Do I spot a trend?

-- And speaking of television...Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians, was featured on Sunday Night Football yesterday evening. Kudos to the Indy grounds crew for some thoughtful outfield logo placement:

     

Finally, my plea on Twitter and Facebook this morning for last-minute blog material came up empty...except for this: Reader Lee McEacharn was kind enough to send me a picture of San Jose Giants mascot Gigante throwing out the first pitch at a game in August in honor of his birthday. What I like about this photo is that it is mysterious and timeless, imbuing the normally straightforward subject of mascot birthdays with an air of shadowy intrigue.

Did this actually take place, or was it all a dream?

 

Happy Friday the 13th -- a day in which misfortune is the norm and calamity lurks behind every corner.

This is the third and final Friday the 13th of 2009, and as (bad) luck would have it none fell during the baseball season. This deprived teams of the chance to stage superstition-themed promos, with ladders on the concourse, broken mirrors in the bathrooms, and black cats darting across the outfield. Or something like that. All of this is to say that the next in-season Friday the 13th will be 8/13/2010, and I fully expect for there to be an abundance of interesting promotions on this day. If YOU, whoever YOU may be, have any Friday the 13th Minor League promo suggestions then please get in touch (email, Facebook, Twitter, etc., all listed below).

Moving on...The Fresno Grizzlies released a "very special" episode of their "I Hate the Offseason" video series today. The episode is entitled "The Swedelot", so named because it is a "Swede" -- a summarized re-creation of a favorite movie (in this case, "The Sandlot"). The Grizzlies entered "The Swedelot" into the "Fresno Swede Fest", winning awards for both "Best Actor" (thanks to Parker the mascot's powerhouse performance) and "Best Original Screenplay".

I know that was a lot to digest, but do your best. Also, watch the episode HERE.

Meanwhile, the upstart O-Royals continue to move in the opposite direction with their "My Offseason Life Is Average" series. The latest episode, minus the opening and closing credits, is about five seconds long.

If I may make an analogy -- if these two video series were 1970s English rock bands, "I Hate the Offseason" would be Queen and "My Offseason Life is Average" would be the Sex Pistols. Discuss.

Finally, the blog "A Penny's Worth" recently featured an interview with Lakeland Flying Tigers general manager Zach Burek. Check it out HERE.   

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Readers of this blog may recall that, prior to the World Series, the Yankee-affiliated Trenton Thunder and Phillie-affiliated Lakewood BlueClaws staged a "Choose Your Champ" contest. The premise was simple: fans had to submit their World Series predictions, including winner, number of games, and eventual MVP. The fan with the winning entry was to receive an all-expenses paid trip to Opening Day 2010, at the expense of the team affiliated with the World Series loser.

Okay, that didn't sound so simple when I was just typing it all out. But, trust me, it was. If more information is needed, click HERE and HERE to peruse my prior coverage of this bombshell story.

For those of you may be unaware (newborns and the Amish, essentially), the Yankees won the World Series in six games and Hideki Matsui was MVP. But despite the fact that over a thousand people entered the 'Choose Your Champ' contest, no one picked all three of these occurrences. So, the Trenton Thunder resorted to Plan B: a mascot-abetted random drawing. Just try to contain your excitement while watching this Hitchcockian masterpiece of sustained suspense:



Congratulations to Princeton paralegal Marc Rosenthal, whose ability to have his name drawn out of a batting helmet remains unparalleled. The BlueClaws blog caught up with Rosenthal this morning, as befits a journalistic entity of uncommon tenacity. Click HERE to read Rosenthal's thoughts on emerging victorious in this hotly-contested duel of World Series prognosticators.

And click HERE to become my follower on Twitter.
benjamin.hill@mlb.com

It's a relatively slow time of year, and therefore my supply of blog-worthy material is at preternaturally low levels. But even in these times of famine I can still piece together a post, in much the same way my forefathers were able to piece together artisanal barrels out of tree bark, dried lily pads, and sap.

First and foremost, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that today is Veteran's Day. Many teams have made a note of this fact via Twitter, Facebook, and website acknowledgments, but in particular I would like to highlight THIS COLUMN written by Wisconsin Timber Rattlers broadcaster Chris Mehring. Using Gary Bedingfield's 'Baseball in Wartime' website as a guide, Chris provides a interesting primer on the those who have suited up within both professional baseball and the armed forces. The column also includes a mention of Moe Berg, whose story is fascinating and always worth re-visiting.

-- Moving on to the world of logos, the Midland RockHounds unveiled their 2010 Texas League All-Star Game insignia. Behold this most quintessentially American piece of pop art:


And, please, keep any "crude" comments you may have to yourself.

-- Moving on, I would like to point out that the Buffalo Bisons are prominently featured in a new AT&T commercial. I am unable to embed this masterwork of persuasion into this blog, but check it out HERE on the team's Facebook page.

-- Finally, a news story I wrote on the third annual Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Golf Tournament can be found HERE. Check it out, and make plans to attend 2010.  

benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz

As part of my ongoing effort to "go with the flow" in all aspects of existence, I will now attempt to combine a triumvirate of seemingly disparate topics into a cohesive whole. Wish me luck.

-- The Lakewood BlueClaws announced yesterday that they will be hosting three "Nine Innings of Networking" events in 2009. Geared toward those in the local business community, these promotional nights feature a pre-game buffet, business card raffles, guest speakers, and, of course, the opportunity for some schmoozing. The BlueClaws commitment to the idea is evident, as the team has already set up a separate "Nine Innings of Networking" web page and Twittter account. 

-- And speaking of committing to an idea...Last season, the Bowie Baysox generated publicity for themselves by staging the "Search for the Golden Wieters". What happened was this: the team hid a special edition bobblehead of super-prospect Matt Wieters somewhere in the community, and challenged fans to find it through a series of website clues (spoiler alert: it was in the library).

The "Search for the Golden Wieters" was, quite obviously, a good idea. A good idea that was destined to be utililzed by another club. And the club that is utilizing the ideas, as of right now, is the Lowell Spinners. On Monday, the Lo-Spins (only I call them that) announced their "Find the Canaligator" contest. Clues will be left on the website every Monday and Thursday, and the sleuth who locates the hidden Canaligator bobblehead recieves a massive 2010 Spinners prize pack.

-- And speaking of Boston Red Sox affiliates...Yesterday the Portland Sea Dogs announced that they are selling what they proclaim to be "The Ultimate Baseball Gift". What could such a gift be? Click HERE to find out. Hah, no, just kidding. Click HERE.     

benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz

My recent headfirst dive into the treacherous waters of social networking has yielded a virtual treasure trove of blog-worthy material. Specifically, I am now privy to a seemingly endless cavalcade of team-produced videos.

What follows are two videos that I would like to share with loyal readers of this sputtering, but never completely stalled, blog. Like the Fresno Grizzlies' "I Hate the Offseason" and the Omaha Royals' "My Offseason Life is Average", these videos portray the pervasive sense of boredom and unease that accompanies the cessation of on-field play.

First up: The West Virginia Power front office does their best to re-create the game-day experience, with less-than-optimal results.



Also suffering from a mild-to-moderate case of mental illness is Grover, on-field MC for the Lake County Captains:



The above two videos make it abundantly clear that times are tough right now for those who make their livings in baseball. Thankfully, I have just come across an image that is sure to provide at least a momentary uplift to the mentally downtrodden. Boomer! Arrested for some reason!


Obviously, this picture results in more questions than it does answers. I'll go check the Williamsport police blotter in order to see what Boomer's offense was, and report back in the near future with my findings.

In the meantime, if you have stories pertaining to offseason existentalist angst and/or mascot run-ins with the law, then please get in touch immediately:

benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
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If there is one constant in my life, it is that I am forever stumbling. And one thing that I've been stumbling upon with great regularity as of late are new Minor League logos.

Let's take a look:

The Ghosts of Casper, WY recently announced that Mr. Boyd Erickson of Bozeman, MT has been named the winner of the team's "10th Anniversary Logo Contest". Mr. Erickson has recently launched Tumbleweed Graphics, a design company, so perhaps this win will net him some business.
 
The entire concept of a Ghost anniversary seems odd to me, as ghosts exist for eternity. There is no past or future, only an unending present of spiritual uncertainty within a hazily-defined netherworld.

The sun, meanwhile, is not eternal. Nonetheless, it possess a staying power that is largely unfathomable to those of us eking out fleeting human existences. Jacksonville's Minor League team, which is named after this pulsating orb of life-giving warmth, recently unveiled a new color scheme. Let's take a look at the old:

 

And the new:



If I had listed the Suns a bit later in this post I could have entitled their segment "Burn After Reading". But that opportunity has been lost, so let me cut to the chase and list the four new items that Reading Phillies players will be wearing in 2010:

Classic Ballpark Game Cap:

 
America's Classic Ballpark Batting Practice Cap:

 
Road Game Cap: