With apologies to Mastercard . . .

Five tickets to the Lowell Spinners on the first base line . . . $32.50
Parking . . . $5.00
Program . . . $1.00
Cotton Candy . . . $8.00
Ice Cream . . . $15.00
Nine innings with the girls . . . Priceless.

Living in a city with the most expensive ticket prices in the major leagues and where every game is sold out well before the start of the season, it’s very difficult to plan a baseball outing for the whole family. That is, unless one targets a different venue. Twenty miles up the road from Fenway is LeLacheur Park, home to the Lowell Spinners, a Class A affiliate of the Red Sox. If you live far from a major league park or are just looking for a great baseball bargain for your family, I a trip to the closest minor league park. Minor league baseball can provide you with a full spectrum of baseball experience.

The Spinners play in the lowest rung of the farm system for the Boston Red Sox. They are a short season Single A affiliate. Their league, the NY-Penn league, limits them to no more than 3 players with three or more years pro experience and no more than four players who are over 23 years old. This makes for an interesting brand of baseball. The players are young and aggressive. While they may commit more errors, they also steal bases with reckless abandon and stretch doubles into triples whenever they can.

The quality of play in Triple A is worthy of any fan. The teams tend to be comprised of “veterans” with 5-10 years of professional experience. Some have played in the majors and are looking for another r shot. Others are on their way up and have a good shot at major league careers. There is also the opportunity to see major leaguers returning from the disabled list getting in their rehabilitation play.

Double A is, as you might have guessed, the way station between Single and Triple A. Here again, the quality of play is very high. In fact, it’s not unusual for players, particularly pitchers, to be promoted directly from Double A to the majors.

Even if you live near a major league city, I recommend you take a family trip to see a nearby minor league team play. The teams work extra hard to entertain you by providing promotions like dance contests and amenities like moon jumps. Even better, it won’t put such a big dent in your wallet.