Baseball was one of my childhood delights, along with map collecting, bossing my brothers, scouts, and visiting grandparents.  Now, however, I’ve become a grandparent, scouting is a distant memory, and my brothers all grew up and try to boss me around. But there is still baseball.  

And the heart of baseball, for me, is my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs.  I began watching them at the same time I rebelled against taking afternoon naps--when I was about four.  Since I wouldn’t fall asleep, my mom decided to let the TV babysit me while my younger brothers snoozed away.  We could only get three channels in the TV, and she didn’t want me watching the two that had soap operas.  That only left WGN, with its afternoon Cub games broadcast from Wrigley Field.  I watched every home game, every summer.  In my imagination, I joined Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Ron Santo in the batting order.  I imitated announcer Jack Brickhouse when I thought no one was watching or listening, raving about what a great player Mike Smith was, and how much he was responsible for getting the Cubs into the World Series.  

My dad took my brother Jim and me to our first baseball game, when I was eight and Jim was six.  The hated Cards beat the Cubs that day, 3-1.  I was enough of a grizzled Cub fan by that time that the loss didn’t faze me.  Jim, on the other hand, sold his soul to the Cardinals, and it appears that his sins are now visiting his children and his children’s children.  

Decades later, I still finagle my way into watching Cub's games. I stayed up late watching the Cubs last night as they were trying to beat the Dodgers in Los Angeles.  And even though I know better than to lose sleep over the Cubs, they were winning 1-0 in the 7^th inning, and once again they snookered me into staying up just so I could hear the announcer proclaim, "Cubs Win!"  It seemed worth the loss of sleep when the Cubs were still up 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth with only one out to go.  But then the Dodgers suddenly scored two runs to win the game.  I should have gone to bed in the sixth inning like I’d planned.

Jie is leaving for China the 3^rd day of May, and I’m already checking schedules of different baseball clubs to see where I want to go while she’s away.  Mostly I focus on minor league baseball. Jie's not a baseball fan at all.  So I have to wait for her to leave the country before I’m free to wander around and sample the hundreds of minor league teams that are scattered throughout the country.  Since I’m preaching for her each Sunday she’s away, I’ll be staying close to home and visiting Midwest teams.  

There are different levels of baseball in the America.  The top level consists of the 30 major league teams, located throughout the U.S., with one team in Canada.  These teams feature players from all over the Americas, as well as players from Japan and Korea.  They play 162 games each, from April through September.  And then in October they have a tournament, and in the end, one teams emerges as the “World Series Champion.”  

Once in a while a Major League Team is for sale, and you can buy it if you want.  Of course, if you have less than a billion dollars, the only team you can afford is the Miami Marlins, which Forbes magazine says is worth $ 0.99 billion.  The New York Yankees will cost you the most, $6 billion.  And if I ever have a chance to buy my beloved Cubs, I’m going to have to rustle up $3.6 billion, which is going to mean a heck of a lot more wedding and funeral honorariums coming my way.  My many St. Louis Cardinal fan/frenemies are lucky, as they will only need $2.45 billion to buy that franchise.  My friend Dave Smith is even luckier, as he can get his Phillies for $2.3 billion, and maybe a little less if they’re willing to give him a military discount.  Of all my friends, John Davis is the luckiest, as the owners of his favorite team can’t get a penny over $1.32 billion for the Pirates. Frankly, I don't know a single person who is a Marlins fan.

Most of my readers probably can’t afford to actually buy a Major League baseball team however. The next best thing is to settle for attending a game now and then.  Depending on where you go, and where you sit, tickets to a Major League game can cost as little as $3.  Of course, we’re talking Chicago White Sox, the favorite team of my life-long friend, Jeff Koch.  The White Sox, better known as “The-Other-Chicago-Team,” have been lowering their prices for years, trying to get anyone to attend their games.  They have $3 tickets now and then, but you’re probably going to get stuck sitting on one of the three flag poles that boast their World Series wins, and only on nights when the Miami Marlins are in town during a snowstorm. Other than that, you’ll have to pay more.  

The most expensive team to watch in person?  The Chicago Cubs.  For a family of 4 to get average-priced tickets, four soft drinks, four hot dogs, two beers, two souvenir baseball hats, and a parking spot, it will cost you $378.  Honestly? not worth it.

This leads me to the “minor leagues,” the best way to save money if you want to see a professional baseball game.  For example, I could go this coming Tuesday and watch the Akron Rubber Ducks and it would only cost me $5 for a seat in right field.  

There are several reasons the Rubber Ducks are so affordable for me.  First, it’s the minor leagues and they barely play their players.  Second, nobody in my family wants to drive all the way to Akron with me to see the Rubber Ducks pay baseball, so I don’t have to pay for anyone but myself.  

Of course, it will cost me $501 to drive to Akron and back, what with gasoline and wear and tear on the car.  But hey: the ticket's a great bargain.  And if I only think about the ticket price (and not the price of getting there and back) I will have enough money left over for snacks.  The Rubber Ducks (an affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians) play in Canal Park.  I haven't been to Canal Park before, but I checked their concession stand menu online. I can order an extreme hot dog and a screamer ice cream sundae.  The extreme hot dog costs $22 and is topped with mac and cheese, buffalo chicken dip, onion, and ranch dressing.  The screamer sundae has 21 scoops of ice cream on a one-pound chunk of brownie, slathered in chocolate syrup, bananas, whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and sprinkles.  It costs $25.  Or, I could just stick to my diet and spend $2 on a regular hot dog, which is usually what I do when I go to the ballpark.

(Reader alert: the remaining paragraphs in this post get quite nerdish, and you may opt out any time you get bored.)

 There are two types of minor league teams:  affiliated and non-affiliated.  An affiliated teams is linked with one of the 30 Major League Teams.  Each major league team has 4 affiliated teams, known as their “farm system,” where future players are observed, trained, and developed.  The most raw, undeveloped players start out on an “A” team.  Those most ready to play in the major leagues play on a AAA team.  The Cubs, for example, have a Triple-A team in Des Moines, Iowa. Their Double-A team is in Kodak, Tennessee, their High-A team is in South Bend, Indiana, and their Low-A team is in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  There are 119 affiliated minor league teams throughout the United States, and one in Canada (Vancouver.)  

Some of the affiliated teams I’ve watched play over the years are the Buffalo Bisons, Columbus Clippers, Dayton Dragons, Harrisburg Senators, Indianapolis Indians, Louisville Bats, Nashville Sounds, Omaha Storm Chasers, Peoria Chiefs, Quad City River Bandits, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Round Rock Express, and Syracuse Mets.

The other type of minor league team is an “unaffiliated” team.  There are 69 of these teams, all of them independent of any Major League team, but all of them closely watched to see if any good players come along.  Among the unaffiliated teams I’ve seen in person are the Long Island Ducks, Sioux Falls Canaries, Evansville Otters, and Billings Mustangs.

There is one other type of team you can see, a hybrid of minor-league and college baseball:  the collegiate summer baseball team.  These consist of college players who wish to perfect their skills and play with the same equipment as the major and minor leagues.  (In college baseball, aluminum bats are allowed.  In the summer collegiate league, only wooden bats are allowed.)  

If you live near me, you have a choice of ballparks and teams within a one-day drive (one way.)  

For Triple-A affiliated teams, check out the Iowa Cubs (Des Moines, IA,) Columbus Clippers (Guardians,) Indianapolis Indians (Pirates,) Louisville Bats (Reds,) Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals,) Nashville Sounds (Brewers,) Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals,) St. Paul Saints (Twins,) or the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers.)

For Double-A affiliated teams, try the Akron Rubber Ducks (Guardians,) Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds,) or Tennessee Smokies (Cubs.)

Nearby High-A baseball includes the Beloit Sky-Carp (Marlins,) Cedar Rapids Kernals (Twins,) Dayton Dragons (Reds,) Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres,) Great Lakes Michigan Loons (Dodgers,) Lake County Ohio Captains (Guardians,) Lansing Michigan Lugnuts (Athletics,) Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals,) Quad City River Bandits (Royals,) South Bend Indiana (Cubs,) West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers,) and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers.)

Non-affiliated teams within driving distance include the Chicago Dogs in Rosemont, Illinois; the Gary SouthShore RailCats in Indiana; Kane County Cougars in Geneva, Illinois; the Kansas City Monarchs in Kansas City, Kansas; the Lake Country DockHounds in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, the Lincoln Saltdogs in Nebraska; the Milwaukee Milkmen in Franklin, Wisconsin; the Sioux City Explorers in Iowa; the Sioux Falls Canaries in South Dakota; the Lexington Counter Clocks in Kentucky; the Evansville Otters in Indiana; the Florence Y’Alls in Kentucky; the Gateway Grizzlies in Sauget, Illinois; the Joliet Slammers in Illinois; the Lake Erie Crushers in Avon, Ohio; the Schaumburg Boomers in Illinois; and the Windy City Thunderbolts in Crestwood, Illinois.  

For local collegiate baseball, the season is shorter, but also a great way to enjoy an evening of baseball.  Try the Battle Creek (Michigan) Battle Jacks, the Danville (Illinois) Dans, the Normal (Illinois) Cornbelters, the Springfield (Illinois) Lucky Horseshoes, the Terre Haute (Indiana) Rex, the Burlington (Iowa) Bees, the Clinton (Iowa) LumberKings, the Illinois Valley Shrimp (Peru, Illinois), the Quincy (Illinois) Gems, the Alton (Illinois) River Dragons, the O’Fallon (Missouri) Hoots, or the Thrillville Thrillbillies (in Marion, Illinois.)  You can also visit the Madison (Wisconsin) Mallards, Kalamazoo (Michigan) Growlers, Kenosha (Wisconsin) Kingfish, Kokomo (Indiana) Jackrabbits, Rockford (Loves Park, Illinois) Rivets, Traverse City (Michigan) Pit Spitters, Fond du Lac (Wisconsin) Spiders, Green Bay (Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin) Rockers, Lakeshore (Mequon, Wisconsin) Chinooks, Wausau (Wisconsin) Woodchucks, Eau Claire (Wisconsin) Express, La Crosse (Wisconsin) Loggers, Waterloo (Iowa) Bucks, and Wisconsin Rapids (Wisconsin) Rafters and catch collegiate baseball.  If you’re going to catch one of the collegiate games, however, remember that their season is short, and you’ll likely have to catch them in July and August. Some collegiate teams even have to end their season before the schedule is up, particularly when the pitching staff all has to return early to start the fall semester of college.

The average major leaguer makes $4.1 million dollars every year.  The average minor leaguer makes $40 K, with many minor leaguers making only $19,000 annually.  But major league baseball is NOT 100 times better than minor league baseball.  The major league teams are better, but nowhere near as proportionally better as the salaries would suggest.  Collegiate players, on the lowest end of compensation, are housed with host families and get free transportation to and from away games.  I'm not sure, but I think someone feeds them once in a while.

And there’s one final compelling reason to watch more minor league baseball.  In the time that it has taken me to write this post today, the Cubs were again been playing the Dodgers.  They were ahead, once again, by one run late in the ballgame.  Today they raised my spirits, because they held on. But it was intense. When I take my seat in a minor league or collegiate game, however, the only thing to do is sit back, relax, take in the ambiance... and lay off the extreme hot dogs and screamer ice cream sundaes, no matter how good their pitch looks.