Why Minor League Baseball Hits Different

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Why Minor League Baseball Hits Different" All Of It with Kate Hines (In Place of Alison Stewart) Release Date: July 23, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Why Minor League Baseball Hits Different," host Kate Hines delves into the vibrant world of minor league baseball, exploring its unique culture, community engagement, and the distinct experiences it offers compared to major league games. Joined by Rex Doane, a WNYC senior producer and avid minor league enthusiast, and Ben Hill, a reporter for MLB.com specializing in minor leagues, the discussion uncovers the multifaceted appeal of these local teams.

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Understanding Minor League Baseball

Rex Doane kickstarts the conversation by sharing his passion for minor league baseball, highlighting the extensive network of teams affiliated with major leagues. He explains the structure, noting that there are 120 affiliated minor league teams across the country, each serving as a developmental stage for future major league stars.

Ben Hill elaborates on the primary purpose of the minor leagues, emphasizing player development and entertainment. He states, “...from a playing perspective, it's for player development... but from a fan perspective, [it's] entertainment for all” (03:37).

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The Fan Experience

Attending a minor league game offers an intimate and immersive experience. Rex Doane reminisces about his early exposure to minor league games in the 1970s, sharing a personal anecdote: “...on the first night of our honeymoon, we went to a Stockton Ports game and we're still married” (05:45). This personal touch underscores the deep connections fans form with these teams.

Ben Hill adds that minor league games are designed to be fun for everyone, regardless of their familiarity with baseball. The atmosphere is casual, fostering a sense of community and accessibility that is often less prevalent in major league settings.

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Regional Idiosyncrasies and Mascots

A standout feature of minor league baseball is the celebration of regional culture through unique team mascots and alternate identities. Teams often embody local traditions and humor, enhancing the game-day experience.

Rex Doane shares examples like the Somerset Patriots' alternate identity, the New Jersey Diners, complete with a mascot shaped like a hunk of meat representing New Jersey’s love for diners (03:16). These creative mascots not only entertain but also reflect the local flavor, such as the Hartford Yard Goats, whose name itself evokes a sense of place.

Ben Hill highlights the proliferation of food-themed mascots, mentioning that nearly every minor league team now has alternate identities based on local cuisine. For instance, the Fresno Grizzlies once rebranded as the Fresno Tacos, a trend that has inspired numerous other teams to adopt similar strategies for merchandising and fan engagement (07:51).

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Theme Nights and Interactive Experiences

Minor league teams are renowned for their innovative theme nights, designed to engage fans with diverse and often whimsical activities. Examples include:

• Bring Your Cat to the Ballpark Night: Although unconventional and seemingly chaotic, these events aim to create a memorable experience for pet owners and animal lovers (23:36).
• Farming Holidays: Teams like the Charleston River Dogs have hosted unique events such as "nobody night," attempting to set attendance records by allowing minimal fan presence while maintaining full operational staffing (24:50).

Rex Doane recounts the Charleston River Dogs' Nobody Night, where despite strict attendance limits, creative solutions like fans bringing ladders to view the game over fences emerged, showcasing the ingenuity and dedication of minor league supporters (24:50).

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Culinary Delights at the Ballpark

Food plays a pivotal role in the minor league experience, often featuring regional specialties that enhance the local flavor of each game.

Ben Hill discusses how minor league ballparks serve up unique culinary offerings that reflect their locale. He shares his personal challenge with celiac disease, leading him to appoint "designated eaters" at each ballpark to sample and report on the diverse food options unavailable in his diet (25:44).

Examples highlighted include:

• Spartanburg’s 102 Topping Burger Bar: An impressive array of burger toppings that cater to varied tastes (26:25).
• Memphis’ Barbecue Nachos: A local favorite renowned for its rich flavors (26:36).

Rex Doane adds, “...there's a lot of novelty stuff like hamburgers with donut buns... but there's some food that's actually good” (26:36), emphasizing that while some offerings are whimsical, many are genuinely delicious.

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Player Development and Salaries

The discussion touches upon the economics of minor league baseball, particularly player salaries and living arrangements. Ben Hill explains that since Major League Baseball took over the operations in 2021, there have been improvements in player salaries and housing stipulations. Players now receive better support, addressing the historical challenges of instability and financial strain associated with minor league careers (12:00).

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Personal Stories and Listener Engagement

Listeners contribute their experiences, enriching the conversation with diverse perspectives:

• Josh from Brooklyn praises the Hartford Yard Goats for their family-friendly atmosphere and engaging mascot, Sparky (11:26).
• Adam from Schenectady highlights the Asheville Tourists' ability to captivate the entire town during games, creating a communal celebration (13:10).

These stories illustrate the profound impact minor league teams have on their local communities, fostering a sense of pride and belonging.

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Unexpected Highlights of Minor League Games

Rex and Ben emphasize surprising elements that listeners might not anticipate:

• High Quality of Play: Fans often witness future major league stars in action. Rex Doane notes, “...you’re going to see potentially some big stars tomorrow” (27:18).
• Intimacy and Accessibility: Minor league games offer closer interactions with players and a more personalized experience. Ben Hill mentions opportunities to participate in post-game activities like running the bases (28:07).
• Frequent Foul Balls: The likelihood of catching foul balls is significantly higher, adding an element of excitement and unpredictability to each game (28:25).

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Conclusion

The episode concludes by celebrating the unique charm of minor league baseball, underscoring its role as a cultural tapestry that weaves together community, tradition, and entertainment. Rex Doane and Ben Hill reinforce the idea that minor league games offer a refreshing alternative to major leagues, providing rich, localized experiences that resonate deeply with fans.

Host Kate Hines wraps up the discussion by expressing gratitude to Rex and Ben, encouraging listeners to explore the diverse and dynamic world of minor league baseball.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ben Hill (03:37): “From a playing perspective, it's for player development... but from a fan perspective, [it's] entertainment for all.”
• Rex Doane (05:45): “On the first night of our honeymoon, we went to a Stockton Ports game and we're still married.”
• Ben Hill (07:51): “Almost every minor league team, in addition to their primary identity, has at least one, sometimes four, five, six alternate identities.”
• Rex Doane (27:18): “If you've been going to Brooklyn Cyclones games, you've had a chance to see Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez over these past few years.”
• Ben Hill (28:07): “You are just much closer to the action and everyone is so much more accessible.”

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This episode of "All Of It" offers a comprehensive exploration of why minor league baseball holds a special place in the hearts of fans, blending sports with cultural and community elements that make each game a unique celebration.

Transcript

[Kate Hines]

This is All OF it. I'm Kate Hines in for Alison Stewart today. Just a quick reminder, WNYC is airing a Public Song Project special this Saturday. We will reveal the songs that won this year's contest and the people who submitted them, plus play some selections from the 130 or so songs that have been submitted. My all of it teammates are behind it. Simon Close is hosting. Luke Green is producing. It is Appointment Radio. It is happening this Saturday night at 7pm and if you miss that, which you shouldn't, we will also have a recap of it on All OF it on Monday, July 28. And another PSA for the moment that we're in. As you've probably heard, Congress has voted to end federal funding for public broadcasting. That means WNYC and WQXR will lose nearly $6 million over the next two years. We need listeners like you to help fill this funding gap. As always, you have as much a part as we do in keeping public radio strong. So please step up to the plate today to be the public in public radio. Start or increase your monthly [e-mail] donate and thank you from everyone here at New York Public Radio for being there when we need you. All right, let's play ball. There's hardly a better way to spend a summer evening than catching a minor league baseball game. And there are plenty of great options in the New York metro area. The Cyclones in Brooklyn, the Ferry Hawks on Staten island, the Jackals in Patterson. Almost every city or region in America has some version of minor league baseball. And chances are the team has a beloved wacky mascot. My personal favorite from our area, the Hartford Yard Goats. I just like the name. Joining me now to talk about this are two guests. Rex Doane is a WNYC senior producer who's responsible for the promos you hear on air. Take your complaints up with him directly. But more importantly, for the purposes today, he is also a minor league baseball fanatic who probably owns more minor league merch than anyone else in New York City. Also joining us is Ben Hill, a reporter for MLB.com who travels the country covering the minor leagues. Rex and Ben are with me now to talk about the culture and tradition of minor league baseball. And take your calls. Hi to you both.

[Rex Doane]

Hey. Hey.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, thanks for having me.

[Kate Hines]

And, Rex, I'm gonna start off by just asking you to describe your hat.

[Rex Doane]

Well, today I'm wearing a Somerset Patriots cap, but they have an alternate identity, which is the New Jersey Diners. And as you see, there's a hunk of meat fashioned in the shape of New Jersey. So you can sort of, if New Jersey was meat, this is what it would look like. And Somerset does a great job with stuff like this. They'll have a couple of diner booths at their diner games, and when there's a significant play in the field, you'll hear the orders at Bill and they'll play diner oldies. Great place to see a ball game. And they've got a couple diner games left this year, so get on out there.

[Kate Hines]

New Jersey, for people that don't know, is actually the home of the American diner. We've had a conversation about this on all of it. A very important piece of history, but let's get some nuts and bolts taken care of right away. Ben, for someone that really doesn't understand minor league baseball, can you explain the basic purpose of the minor leagues and how it relates to major league baseball?

[Ben Hill]

Well, yeah, at its core, minor league baseball is, you know, from a playing perspective, it's for player development. So there's 30 major league teams and they currently each have four minor league affiliates at single A, high A, double A and AAA. So there's 120 affiliated minor league teams all over country. You know, Rex is representing the Somerset Patriots or the Jersey Diners. Alter Ego State and Eggs is the name of that logo.

[Kate Hines]

Taylor Ham and Eggs or.

[Rex Doane]

Oh, you don't want to get into the Taylor and pork Roll debate.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, we have pork roll alternate identities in minor league baseball as well. So, yeah, we can go down a million rabbit holes, but yeah, there's 120 teams, four affiliates in each system. And so from a playing perspective, it's for prospects to work their way up to the major leagues. But from a fan perspective, a place that is fun for everyone. Of course you're going to get baseball fans at the games, but the operating principle of the industry is more just entertainment for all. And if you work for a minor league team, you're essentially in the entertainment business because the major league clubs make all the player personnel decisions. So if you're the general manager of a minor league team, it's just the proverbial butts and seats.

[Kate Hines]

Not all minor league teams are affiliated with major League baseball. Right.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, it gets complicated. There's like Capital M. Minor league baseball is that network of affiliated teams. But you can just call minor league in a general sense to also mean independent teams, meaning they don't have an affiliation. The Staten Island Fairy Hawks here in.

[Kate Hines]

New York City, which I think of as Rex's personal team.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, he's There every night, right?

[Rex Doane]

Pretty much. Great place. Great views, folks. See you out there.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah. And you have summer collegiate teams as well. So those are, you know, for college players, you know, who are still in college usually, or maybe about to get drafted. So that is referred to all broadly as minor league baseball as well.

[Kate Hines]

I want to talk about the experience of going to a minor league game because it is in many ways so different from going to a major league baseball game. Rex, when did you become a fan of minor league ball?

[Rex Doane]

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and actually. And I'm old, so I actually went to minor league games in the Dark ages in the 70s.

[Kate Hines]

Did they have electricity?

[Rex Doane]

Yes, they did. And as I got a little older, all I have to say is I was married in 1990 and on the first night of our honeymoon, we went to a Stockton Ports game and we're still married.

[Kate Hines]

So she knew what she was getting into.

[Rex Doane]

Since then, I've seen over 200 different minor league teams. And it's a great way to see America on kind of a locals only basis. If you go into a little town, you get a real feel of that community. And it's great too when these teams celebrate their regional idiosyncrasies. So, you know, you're in an actual place. It's sort of an escape from monoculture that you might get from TV because you can go upstate to Binghamton and see a speedy chicken game or a Southern Tier meatball game. There are alternate identities. Syracuse is the Salt Potatoes. And just again, a celebration of those regional idiosyncrasies. And a big obsession with food, too.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, that's been a big one. I mean, the salt Potatoes play against the Rochester plates, meaning garbage plates. So that's a regional battle every year. I think they call it the battle for the Golden Fork there. For those New York teams, it's like the World Series. Yeah, it pretty much is. That started, that's been going for about a decade now. I mean, alternate identities are huge. Almost every minor league team, in addition to their primary identity, has at least one, sometimes four, five, six alternate identities. So if you go see a team, if you go see the Brooklyn Cyclones or the Somerset Patriots, you're seeing that team no matter what. But they might be playing as someone else. And the food really kicked off about a decade ago. First the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs had bacon uniforms. And then that inspired the Fresno Grizzlies to then say, we're not just going to have like a food uniform, we're going to rebrand the whole team on certain nights. And that was the Fresno Tacos that really took off. And now 10 years later, it's basically name a minor league team and we could probably come up with at least one food related alternate identity.

[Kate Hines]

And the merchandising opportunities are endless.

[Ben Hill]

That's a big part of it. I mean, you want to sell as much merch as you can and just create that sense of fun. I mean that's so much of my job is learning these regional idiosyncrasies and a lot of that is the food. And I've learned so much of that just through this job. I mean, Rex went to that Stockton Ports game. They say they're the asparagus capital of the world and they have asparagus.

[Rex Doane]

Asparagus is their mascot too. So yeah, you get to see a lot of anthropomorphized food.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, yeah. I use that word constantly in my writing.

[Rex Doane]

Anthropomorphic. And often it's, you know, a smiling pig with a fork full of pork. And that's just cruel. It's pretty, it's. Yeah, it's inspiring for some.

[Kate Hines]

We got a text that says I'm from Hartford and have been to some yard goat games and it's a lot of fun. Mitre leagues go out of their way to make these fun family events. I've had fun conversations on the subway when someone notices my yard goat's hat or I see someone with another great minor league hat. Listeners, we want to hear from you. You like going to minor league baseball games? Call us up and tell us why. 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. What's your favorite place to see a minor league game? What's your favorite mascot? What's the the wackiest thing you've seen at a minor league baseball game? Let us know. 212-433-9692. Oh, I especially want to know who is the best player you've seen in the minor leagues before they were called up to the majors? 212-433-9692. So Ben, you travel the country checking out minor league baseball games, am I correct?

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, I mean it's a job that started 20 years ago. I'll spare you the long evolution story, but started writing game recaps and then started to learn more about the minor leagues and eventually got a full time job covering how the teams operate. And once it became full time, I said I really need to learn about. At that point it was 160 teams. I want to learn about all these teams all over the country and started road trips in 2010. And so I've been doing that throughout the summer every year since 2010. I mean, this Saturday, I'm going to leave for Salt Lake, see the new ballpark for the Salt Lake City Bees, then go over to Washington State, the Tri City Dust Devils and Pasco, Washington. They declared the game. I'm going to be at Ben Hill Night. So it's a real low bar to be honored at a minority.

[Kate Hines]

I kind of have to show up now.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, I know. I was like, what a coincidence. And then Spokane Indians, I'll be checking them out as well. But, yeah, I've spent at this point over a year of my life traveling to minor league ballparks and been to a. Well, Salt Lake. The new ballpark in Salt Lake will be my 190th, and that's going back to 2010.

[Kate Hines]

Wow.

[Rex Doane]

And I've been a big fan of Ben's riding for years, and I've run into him on the road, like, Winston Salem years ago. So we've crossed paths at minor league ballparks.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah. You end up seeing the Die Hards no matter where you go. It's a huge world and a small world at the same time.

[Kate Hines]

There are people. I mean, I have read the minor league baseball road trip where you just drive cross country and try to hit as many minor league stadiums as you can. And honestly, it sounds kind of like a dream.

[Ben Hill]

It's a great thing to do. And, yeah, that's kind of what I'm promoting all the time in my writing. And minor league baseball gives you the context to go to places in America that you might not think otherwise to go, but once you're there, you get to learn about the place. And I think in a lot of ways it's more fun than a more typical tourist destination.

[Rex Doane]

And there's a lot of corn dog consumption along the way.

[Kate Hines]

Oh, I want to talk about food, but I also want to hear from Josh in Brooklyn. Hi, Josh, you're on the air.

[Caller]

Hi. Just a couple of things. First, I'm a big fan of the Brooklyn Cyclones. One reason, besides just one of going to the game and the fact that they have fireworks afterwards is that I can afford to take my son there and it doesn't cost a fortune like going to a Yankees game. The other question I had, though, is I was curious about what salaries are like for, like, say, single A players, but also where do they afford to live when they're at, you know, at home, like in Brooklyn, which is quite expensive. Where can Cyclone players live? That's my question.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, I don't know the specifics where they live and you can go into the weeds with these kind of questions. But big picture, Minor League Baseball used to be a separate entity with a working relationship with Major League Baseball. And then Major League Baseball has essentially runs it now. And once Minor League Baseball or Major League Baseball started running the minors, which started in 2021, there was an increase in salaries. So it varies by level, but it's quite a bit more than it had been. And there's also player housing stipulations and requirements. So the era, which was easy to romanticize but often not ideal of like host host families. I mean, a lot of great stories came out of host families, but now, you know, the teams are the players are more provided for with their housing because it's very tough to live as a minor league baseball player because you don't know how long you're going to be in any given location in terms of being promoted or demoted or whatever might happen to you in your career. And no matter where you are, you're on the road half the time anyway. So that is more taken care of than it used to be in the older days.

[Kate Hines]

Let's take another call. Adam from Schenectady. Hi, Adam. You are on all of it.

[Caller]

Awesome. Yeah. So I live in Asheville, North Carolina, where the Asheville Tourists are the only game in town and it packed, it sold off the town every night. The streets were closed. Everybody walked. It was amazing.

[Kate Hines]

Adam, what do you enjoy about going to an Asheville Tourists game?

[Caller]

So it's small and intimate and you know everybody there.

[Kate Hines]

Sounds like a good reason to go. Listeners, we are taking your calls and experiences about minor league baseball. 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. I want to hear about a lot of things. I want to hear about your favorite mascot, your favorite alternate team name, the favorite thing you've eaten at a minor league baseball game, your favorite players. 212-433-9692 we got a text that says what about the Long Island Ducks? You mentioned many other teams, but not Aloka Long Island Ducks.

[Rex Doane]

Oh, we're getting to it.

[Kate Hines]

Should we just shout out some of the teams in our area, the Tri State area?

[Rex Doane]

Yeah, there are plenty of opportunities. I mean, we mentioned the Ferry Hawks and the great views from the ballpark there, certainly the Long Island Ducks. And then you could probably go up to the Hudson Valley Renegades and all the way down to the Jersey Shore.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah. Jersey Shore Blue Claws.

[Rex Doane]

Yeah.

[Ben Hill]

And Somerset Patriots. Trent and Thunder.

[Rex Doane]

Trent and Thunder. Yeah. And you can get into Connecticut too. We mentioned the yard goats.

[Ben Hill]

If you're a Yankees fan. You know, they're AAAs. And Scranton, Pennsylvania. Scranton Wilkes Barre. They're double A's in Binghamton, New York can head over to Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Redding Fight and Phil's. There's a lot in the Tri State area for sure.

[Rex Doane]

Beautiful old ballpark too, in Reading. I love the older ballparks. You have the call from Asheville and McCormick park there. Just turned 100.

[Ben Hill]

One of the best.

[Rex Doane]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And there's a really cool book I wanted to mention by Ryan McGee called welcome to the Circus of Baseball and it's about his year interning for the Asheville Tourist. And there's some really great stories, especially a story involving a soft ice cream cone mishap. Well, we'll have soft serve ice cream cone.

[Kate Hines]

Yeah, that sounds terrifying.

[Rex Doane]

No one will be seated during the soft serve ice cream cone scene.

[Kate Hines]

We'll hear about. I want to hear about this, but we have to take a quick break. I am speaking with Rex Doan and Ben Hill about minor league baseball. We'll have more with them right after this. This is all of it on wnyc. I am Kate Hines in for Alison Stewart and we are talking minor league baseball with WNYC senior producer Rex Stone and Ben Hill, a Minor League Baseball BAMLB.com reporter who covers minor league baseball. And we are taking your calls. I want to hear now from Penny in Princeton. Hi, Penny. You're on all of it.

[Caller]

Wow, how exciting. I am going to my first ever baseball game, minor league between the Hartford Yard Goats. They are the visiting team. And the Somerset Patriots. I'm going on Friday. I need advice on how to have a good time, but also, what can I say that makes me sound semi intelligent?

[Kate Hines]

Rex, take it away.

[Rex Doane]

Advice. Go early, soak in all the ambiance. Make sure you have a chance to pick up a diner's cap while you're there. And they have some pretty good food samplings, which is a big part of the minor league experience.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, they have a Jersey Diner burger, which I believe is topped with pork roll. So if you want to pork roll on a burger, you can get that there. Somerset Patriots are a great time. The Patriots name comes from the Revolutionary War history. Around the area there's some old houses just like across the street from the ballpark that housed soldiers during the Revolutionary War. So there's a lot of those backstories as well. But yeah, diners in American history.

[Rex Doane]

And as a baseball purist, I love the fact that they have scorecards for those nerds who actually keep score during the game like I do.

[Kate Hines]

I was going to say, not that you would be one of them. Are there any players Penny should be watching out for on either the Patriots or the Yard Goats?

[Ben Hill]

Oh, boy. My. This I like, basically cover the players are kind of incidental for everything I cover. My. My colleagues at MLB Pipeline could. Could I'm sure, name a few. I was just there last month and we talked to guys and I'm blanking.

[Rex Doane]

But Double A has become more significant in terms of moving up to the majors. So, you know, in the past. Past couple years, they had Volpe, Anthony Volpe and, you know, guys who were up on the Yankees.

[Ben Hill]

Oh, yeah. You're likely to see in aa, that's often where the top prospects are even opposed to aaa, which is one level up, which might be more veteran guys.

[Kate Hines]

That's really interesting. Let's hear from Stephanie in North Plainfield. Hi, Stephanie. You are on all of it.

[Caller]

Hi there. Hello. I just wanted to call and share my experience at Somerset Patriots Stadium. It is a fantastic experience. Experience for people of all ages and abilities. And their mascot, Sparky, is amazing. They do lots of different activities and you will be in a gorgeous stadium with gorgeous. It's just amazing. Everybody's listening to Make a Day to go there.

[Kate Hines]

I'm really desperate to go to the stadium now.

[Rex Doane]

I have to say, they do everything right. They are the model minor league franchise, I think. And by the way, Sparky, the mascot is named after Sparky Lyle, who is the former Yankee pitcher. Sort of an ambassador there at the games. And you can often see him with his handlebar mustache.

[Kate Hines]

I was just going to say his mustache. That is awesome. I want to talk about another stadium in New Jersey that has a lot of history. Tell me about Hinchcliffe Stadium.

[Rex Doane]

It was recently restored. It is an art deco masterpiece. They actually had Anequili games there, meaning that Rickwood Field in Birmingham and now Hinchliff Stadium in Patterson are the only places that you can go to where they had Negro league games. They had concerts there and midget car races and everything else. And it is a fun. It's a unique place to see a ball game. And the New Jersey Jackals, they're playing the Frontier League, which is an independent league. They're not affiliated, but I know that the tickets for people over 55 are $5, so you can't beat that.

[Kate Hines]

That's cheaper than the New Jersey transit fare to get you out there.

[Rex Doane]

And you save enough money to go over to the Belmont Tavern afterwards and get Chicken Savoy.

[Kate Hines]

How do, Ben, I'm not sure if you know this, but how do they honor that history at Hinchcliffe Stadium?

[Ben Hill]

You know, that's one I haven't been to because it's not affiliate. It's like, keep meaning to beat him.

[Rex Doane]

I've been there.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah. So that's one. Rex got me on that one. I need to make it out. There's no excuse for me not to.

[Rex Doane]

There is also a Negro League museum that's part of the ballpark there. So, yeah, absolutely. Great place to go.

[Kate Hines]

I want to talk a little bit more about mascots. We've mentioned some of them. You just saw a game, the Ghost Peppers.

[Rex Doane]

Yes. Pepe. Pepe was there. And it was nice to see. My personal favorite mascot maybe is Mr. Celery. He's down in Wilmington. And there's a lot of theories about Mr. Seller's backstory. The one that I invest in Witness protection program. Yes. That they bought some used equipment, like a used popcorn popper or cotton candy machine, and they found this costume stuffed in there. So, I mean, Celery has no relation to the Blue Rocks, which is the team. It's just. And he comes out when they score a run.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah. And only then. I mean, the Blue Rocks have a different mascot who's a moose. Mr. Sellary is a mysterious character who only emerges to the tune of Blurs song number two, like woohoo. And only when the team scores, around runs around goes back in. But he is essentially like the face of the Wilmington Blue Rocks, Mr. Sellary. Yeah, yeah, of course.

[Kate Hines]

Ben, any other mascots stand out for you?

[Ben Hill]

I mean, so many these questions always blur together for me. But, you know, I was just in. One of the new teams this year is the Hub City Spartan Burgers. So of course they.

[Kate Hines]

Spartan Burgers.

[Rex Doane]

Yeah.

[Ben Hill]

So they play in Spartanburg. Hub City's a nickname for Spartanburg. Spartanburg. So they kind of switched up the team name, Hub City Spartan Burger. So of course they have a lot of burger related branding. So they have a burger mascot characters named Flip and Chip, who are a spatula and a pickle, and they have a 102 topping burger bar as well.

[Rex Doane]

Years ago, Ben had a photo essay of forlorn mascots.

[Kate Hines]

Forlorn.

[Ben Hill]

Wow. You remember that? Yeah, that was a Long time ago.

[Kate Hines]

What made them forlorn?

[Rex Doane]

Well, you, like, capture the mascot in a down moment, like sweating in the costume.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, you see them? Yeah, you see them. They're always happy, but every once in a while you see them a little down, a little introspective.

[Kate Hines]

I'm not gonna ask a follow up question to that. I'm just gonna let it wash over me and talk about a text we got that says, my friend from Huntsville, Alabama, told me a funny story about their team. It's a NASA center, so everything is rocket themed. The city also has a lot of raccoons, so they pulled together, and now the team is the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, that was a new team. I think they played their first season after the pandemic in 2021. I think they technically play Madison, Alabama, but they represent the greater Huntsville region. And that term trash panda, I guess, had been popularized to some extent in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. So they just were like, all right, space raccoons.

[Rex Doane]

Bring them all together.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah. So it's like the story behind it is like a very. A raccoon with a lot of ingenuity who cobbled together his own trash can spaceship and took off.

[Kate Hines]

It was perfect. Just absolutely perfect. I also want to think a little bit about theme nights because I was looking up tickets at a Brooklyn Cyclones game, and I saw that they're doing a bring your cat to the ballpark night, which, as a cat owner, seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

[Ben Hill]

I went to a. In Omaha this year. I went to take me out to the ball game.

[Rex Doane]

Get it? Yeah, me out.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, yeah. Sometimes they're called purr in the park. You know, you can. You can switch it up. You know, Bark in the park is huge in minor league baseball. Often a weekly thing or in some cases daily. So I think this became like, hey, well, why not bring cats to the game usually?

[Kate Hines]

What could go wrong?

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, I mean, so, you know, they come in carriers or on leashes as opposed to dogs, or a lot come out. There's usually depending on the team, maybe between like 6 and 25, depending on the team, you know, the teams, you know, they'll play, I guess. Cat related music what's new Pussycat is all I can think of. But, you know, they try to theme it out with that sort of stuff, partner with a local animal shelter and people like when cats are at the ballpark. Even though I don't believe that cats like it when they're at the ballpark.

[Kate Hines]

I feel quite certain that they don't.

[Rex Doane]

One of my favorite theme nights of all time. The Charleston River Dogs had nobody night in which no fans were admitted to the ballpark to break a world record for fewest fans. So some fans brought ladders to look over the fence to watch the game, but. And it was fully staffed, too. So every vendor was there, every usher, but no fans.

[Ben Hill]

They let them in after the game became official, I believe, but in order to set the attendance record, they didn't allow anyone in there up to the.

[Rex Doane]

Fifth inning or so.

[Ben Hill]

Charleston's one of those teams that does that kind of stuff. I was at their TP night earlier this year, and the premise was that at the end of the game, every fan got a roll of toilet paper and they just threw it around the ballpark.

[Kate Hines]

Was the toilet paper themed with anything or was it just plain white toilet paper?

[Ben Hill]

It was just plain white. Yeah.

[Rex Doane]

It would have been double ply.

[Kate Hines]

Yeah, it would have been awesome if it had, like, the images of their rivals on it or something.

[Ben Hill]

Right. I remember years ago, teams did do that. I remember. I think it was The Inland Empire 66ers gave away some Rancho Cucamonga Quakes toilet paper, or maybe vice versa.

[Rex Doane]

Oh, and a shout out to the Staten Island Fairy Hawks, who play an Italian Heritage Night game as the GABA Ghouls. And believe me, fans love yelling GABA Ghoul.

[Kate Hines]

I don't doubt it. Let's talk food, because part of your job is Ben is checking out some of the food as you travel around the country going to games, what stands out for you?

[Ben Hill]

Well, always highlighting the regional specialties. I have my own kind of unique story with all that. And I got diagnosed with celiac disease many years ago. And so then I came up with the concept of having a designated eater at every ballpark I go to. So I recruit a fan at every ballpark I go to to consume the ballpark cuisine that my gluten free diet prohibits. So I've been able to meet hundreds of people over the last decade plus who just this special fraternity of designated eaters. But often it is. It's like, what's the local thing? You know, you're going to get hot dogs and pretzels and nachos, whatever, at any part. So what can you get here that you might not maybe get elsewhere? I was in Peoria earlier this year and, you know, you can get a big pork tenderloin sandwich, you know, with the meat.

[Rex Doane]

Check the size of home plate.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, yeah. And so there's those stories all over the country. So it's highlighting that kind of thing. Or 102 topping burger bar in Spartanburg.

[Rex Doane]

A lot of novelty stuff like hamburgers with donut buns. But there's some food that's actually good. And I actually like the barbecue nachos in Memphis.

[Ben Hill]

Oh, those are legendary.

[Rex Doane]

Yeah, yeah. Rendezvous with a dry rub.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah. The Rendezvous bbq.

[Rex Doane]

Charlie Virgo, magical dust on there.

[Kate Hines]

If you're a vegetarian, what ballpark would you suggest visiting?

[Rex Doane]

Yeah, no, bring your own food.

[Kate Hines]

Dead silence.

[Ben Hill]

Go hang out with Mr. Celery.

[Kate Hines]

Eat. Mr. Celery, come here. Mr. Celery, we just have a couple minutes left, so I'm going to throw you a final question. What is one thing someone might not expect or might underestimate about going to a minor league baseball game?

[Rex Doane]

Rex, you start, I guess the quality of play. You're going to see potentially some big stars tomorrow. Major league stars, man. If you've been going to Brooklyn Cyclones games, you've had a chance to see Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez over these past few years. So there's a high level, you know, these are professional athletes. So there's some really great baseball. And I've seen so many amazing plays over the years. And what's so gratifying too is if you see a great catch from the opposing team, the hometown fans often clap for it, which is heartening.

[Kate Hines]

I love that. What do you think people should be looking out for at a game?

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, I mean, I think Rex made a great point with that and kind of tied in with that is just the two words I always use are intimacy and access. You are just much closer to the action and everyone is so much more accessible. So it's baseball where you just feel more connected, not just to the action on the field, but the fans around you and all the things going on at a ballpark. You're much more likely to, you know, participate in a between inning contest or get to run the bases after the game. You know, Cyclones seem to do that almost after every game.

[Rex Doane]

Everyone leaves with a foul ball, practically.

[Ben Hill]

Yeah, there's a lot of foul ball. So just think of all the things that might happen at a major league game and then you can just by a factor of many more have it more likely to happen at a minor league game. So it's just that diversity of experience and a lot of fans don't necessarily know what the promo is going to be and they're like, wow, I ran the bases or there was fireworks. We did post game launchable or my kid got their face painted. It's just kind of all things for all people all the time.

[Kate Hines]

That's awesome. I have been speaking with Rex Doane, WNYC Senior producer, and Ben Hill, an MLB.com reporter who covers the business and culture of Minor League Baseball. Thanks so much for both of you. To both of you for coming in today.

[Rex Doane]

See you at the Ballpark.

[Caller]

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