I had never been to Greenville, South Carolina, before last Thursday, when I rolled into town in a van with eight longtime friends to kick off a four-day minor league baseball road trip we call “Baseballpalooza.” Greenville pops up a lot on those annual lists of “Coolest Towns for Young People”
Tag: milb
Great Orange Heron: The Story Behind the Delmarva Shorebirds
The Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds play in Salisbury, Maryland, a town of roughly 30,000 residents that bills itself as the crossroads of the Delmarva Peninsula. This raises the important question, what in the world is the Delmarva Peninsula? While most sports teams identify their geographic location by a city or state,
A Brand with Some Bite: The Story Behind the Jupiter Hammerheads
Let’s be honest, of all the sharks out there in the world, hammerheads are one of the few that can be described as goofy looking. They have tiny mouths under their big, crazy noggins (technically called cephalofoils), which they use to stun and pin prey like stingrays, octopus, and shellfish
Minor league teams to adopt Spanish-language identities
Minor League Baseball unveiled a program that targets Hispanic and Latino fans of the sport in the United States. “Es Divertido Ser un Fan” is the Spanish-language version of Minor League Baseball’s “It’s Fun to Be a Fan” campaign, which was launched earlier this year. The program, which will see
A Puerto Rican Amphibian in Kissimmee: The Story Behind the Florida Fire Frogs
The Florida Fire Frogs have ambition. First, they’re one of only a handful of minor league baseball teams named for an entire state. A few others spring to mind, like the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Arkansas Travelers, and Connecticut Tigers—and hey, the Carolina Mud Cats are named for two states—but
Gwinnett Braves announce finalists in name-the-team contest
The Triple-A Gwinnett Braves, who will rebrand for the 2018 season, announced the six finalists in their name-the-team this morning. The names listed below and the rationale behind them come from the G-Braves website, where the vote is taking place as you read. I have broken them down into four
In the Hunt: The Story Behind the Down East Wood Ducks
The story behind the brand-new Down East Wood Ducks, a brand-new Single-A team in the Carolina League, needs to be addressed in two parts: 1. Where exactly is Down East? and 2. What is a Wood Duck? First, as a geographic signifier for a sports team, “Down East” is probably as
Rochester Red Wings pay tribute to Garbage Plates
Our continuing coverage of baseball players dressing up like food items continues with the cryptically named Rochester Plates. The Rochester Red Wings, Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, will take to the field for one game later this season in uniforms that pay homage to the 100th anniversary of a
Northwestern Exposure: The Northwest League’s New Logo
If you’ve been to the Pacific Northwest, you will immediately recognize the color palette featured in the new logo for Minor League Baseball’s Northwest League. Placid blues and greens (and if we’re being honest, grays) surround you at every turn. Countless waterways and sprawling forests and (when the skies clear
Say hello to the Syracuse Salt Potatoes
If the term “salt potatoes” sounds to you like a magical combination of two of the most delicious food things you could ever combine, then you are spot on. It turns out that during the steamy summer days in Syracuse, New York, barbecues and picnics and fairs feature tiny potatoes
Uh Oh, It’s Magic: The 2017 Baseball Winter Meetings Logo
Every December since 1901, executives, owners, general managers, scouts, hot dog vendors, and job seekers from Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball’s collective 190 teams convene for four days for the sport’s Winter Meetings. The event has become a media extravaganza, culminating with the Rule 5 Draft, when the
Glow in the Park: The Story Behind the Columbia Fireflies
From mid-May to mid-June, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is home to a rare natural display that can only be seen in a few places around the world. The mating rituals of Photinus carolinus—also known as synchronous fireflies—create a hot, steamy, Christmas-in-Springtime wonderland of lightning bugs blinking in unison. The