Our family in Wrigley Field’s 242, summer of 2000. Mom and Dad with caps, sons Dave (L) and Doug behind them with caps. (Mark Ibach photo.)
After 33 years I have dropped my Chicago Cubs season tickets.
Success became too much to handle.
Our first year as season ticket holders was in 1985 when Wrigley Field was more middle class friendly. Compared to today, I recall more families and more wayward old guys. By chance, in 1985 we landed in the shade of the dark green grandstands behind home plate. Newspaper columnist Mike Royko sat in front of us and adult movie star Seka was down the row. She’s a baseball [...]
MINNEAPOLIS—One of the greatest baseball promotions in recent years was “Prince Night” at Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. The event was on June 8, a day after the fallen rock star’s 60th birthday. The first 10,000 fans received inflatable purple guitars that replicated the custom made Prince symbol guitar he played at the rainy Bears-Colts Super Bowl in Miami.
A special ticket package included commemorative purple baseball caps with the Prince symbol. A post-game fireworks show was themed with Prince hits like “Raspberry Beret.” The Twins struck up an exclusive merchandising deal with the Prince estate, so yes there were commemorative baseballs with the Prince [...]
Minor league baseball, Clinton , Ia., June 13, 2017 (D. Hoekstra photo)
CLINTON, IA.—America was a different place when I began writing the Glove Compartment 25 years ago. Life is now framed by more jagged edges. People continue to leave big cities for the small and mid-sized cities that define the Midwest League. Where you unlock the doors, you unlock your heart.
When I began traveling in and out of Illinois to explore baseball’s backroads for the Kane County Cougars and the Midwest League, at least the state had a working budget. Just after this Fourth of July, Illinois passed a budget after a two year [...]
Mark Hamburger (Courtesy of the St. Paul Saints)
ST. PAUL, MN.—It was opening night of another renegade season for the St. Paul Saints. The Saints were celebrating their 25th anniversary as a franchise in baseball’s independent leagues, a place where there is still a flicker of light between nearly closed doors.
On May 18 a sell out crowd of 8,294 filled CHS Field in downtown St.Paul in 52- degree weather. Fans were motivated in part by a Mary Tyler Moore tam giveaway. Moore, who died in January, played a Twin Cities based television news reporter the hit television series “Mary Tyler Moore.” The show’s theme [...]
