I get out to Worcester a couple of times a year to see the WooSox play. It's far cheaper than going to see their Boston big brothers; Polar Park is a lot more comfortable than Fenway; and the calibre of play is pretty good. Since the Red Sox have been so terrible the last few years, there's not much difference between watching minor league baseball in the minors than not-much-above-minor-league baseball played by the Red Sox at America's Most Beloved Ballpark.
And, since the WooSox are the Red Sox Triple A affiliate, you get to see official big leaguers rehab there. In fact, in the last couple of seasons, I saw Chris Sale, the former Red Sox high-priced, perpetually-injured $uper$tar, pitch more innings at Polar Park than at Fenway.
Anyway, minor league baseball, at the Triple A level, can be a lot of fun. And, having been to a few games at the lower minor league levels (like the late, lamented Lowell Spinners) over the years, double-A and single-A - and even minor leagues not affiliated with The Bigs - can be fun, too.
One of the best things about minor league baseball is the team names, which tend to be a lot more interesting and colorful than the team names in the big leagues.
Most team names in the bigs are often just plain boring. There are a few that have some meaning that's particular to place - Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles. And some of them are in cute little parings with the local football team - Cubs/Bears, Tigers/Lions. But most of the names are just plain dull. Red Sox? White Sox? Athletics? Braves? Boring, boring, boring.
Not that there's anything so novel and great about the name WooSox. For some reason, The Woo is a nickname for Worcester. (Don't know why. The city's name is pronounced Wuh-sta, not Woo-ster. But whatever.) And, given that the smiley face was created in The Woo, the smiley-face mascot makes sense. As does the little heart in the middle of the W in Woo, given that Worcester is the Heart of the Commonwealth. So the logos are great. But the name? Meh. A prior unaffiliated minor league team was called the Tornadoes. This was kind of weird, given that Worcester is not exactly tornado alley, but did suffer a tremendously destructive tornado in the early 1950's during which 94 folks were killed. So kind of a grim name, but still colorful.
But there are lots of minor league names that are great, and the teams seem to have a lot of fun with them.
Given Michigan's industrial, automotive history, why not the Lansing Lugnuts? And let's give it up for the Louisville Bats. Bet they have some pretty good sluggers. The Durham Bulls need no introduction, other than a reminder that Bull Durham was a brand of chewing tobacco, and North Carolina is known for its tobacco. Modesto is nut-growing territory, so Modesto Nuts fits. Ditto for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. (Lots of corn grown in Iowa.)
Until I looked up the Amarillo (Texas) Sod Poodles, I didn't know that a sod poodle was another name for a prairie dog. Good one!
Admittedly, some of the minor league team names are even more boring than what you find in the big leagues.
The Oklahoma City Baseball Club? Big yawn!
But I like the Rome (Georgia) Emperors. Props that their mascot is a toga-wearing penguin.
And the Albuquerque Isotopes? Shades of Oppenheimer!
Sure, it can be tough to root for a minor league team. (Not that it's not tough rooting for a team in the majors...) You get attached to a player, only to have them called up to the next level (or, alas, sent down). But you do get to see stars of the future. When he was with the Trenton Thunder, I saw future Red Sox Nomar Garciaparra play against the Portland Sea Dogs.
Sadness of losing your stars aside, mostly the minors have a lot going for them.
Woo, woo, woo for the Woo Sox. If they don't win it's a shame.
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Here's a link to the full list of minor league teams affiliated with the majors. Enjoy! (I did.)
1 comment:
Don’t forget the Savannah Bananas!
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