Town Ball

[Winnipegopher]

Reusse on Twitter (yeah, I follow him- I like his Twitter personality when he is not being a jerk) talks about Town Ball.

Anyone go to games? I doubt I will be down in Minnesota for a while but I really like small town Minnesota and may try to take a few games in sometime. Is it good baseball? How many people attend? Are there concessions (beer) or can you bring your own in? Lastly, any particular venues anyone wishes to recommend?

 

[Ope3]

I am partial to Dundas, home of the Dukes. They get several hundred fans for Sunday afternoon games, and they do sell suds. When they have the grill going, they also have fine burgers, brats & hot dogs.

Chaska & Jordan are also great parks if you want to stay closer to the metro.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

The quality of ball can vary. In SW MN, teams have a lot of HS players or just out of HS, along with current or former college players. In my city, the amateur team has a pitcher who graduated from Augustana in Sioux Falls a couple years ago, and he can still bring some decent heat.

then, you also see the older guys who keep playing for the love of the game. I know there is or was an "over-35" league in MN. there was a team from the New Ulm, MN area that included at least one former Twins' player.

Parks also vary. there are parks in the middle of nowhere with little seating, and there are some parks with good facilities and amenities. The Class C and B state tournaments this year will be played at two parks in New Ulm with a few games at the alternate park in Springfield. New Ulm sank something like $2.5-million into improvements to their facilities in preparation for hosting the tournament - and then covid hit, which will result in lower attendance, program sales and beer sales.

 

[gopher7]

I never played but I grew up around it. Miesville is a great park, and they have many players who are former D1/D2 or minor leaguers. Then before or after the game you stop at Kings for your choice of almost a hundred different burgers for a great price.

Maybe this is heaven: Nine innings in Miesville

The village of Miesville, Minnesota, wears Father’s Day like a ballplayer wears a broken-in glove. It’s fit, it’s snug, it’s natural. There are few matches more perfect for each other than a ballplayer and his mitt. There are even fewer matches more perfect for each other than a day like this in...

growlermag.com

 

[CurveballJesus]

I've played for the same team since I was 19, 33 now. It's the best tradition Minnesota has to offer. I've been on terrible teams (literally didn't win a game that summer) and had a blast. I've been on great teams (made it to the final weekend of the state tournament) and had a blast. Like SON said, there are some legit talents all over the state mixed in with guys like me that are well past their prime but still can't stay away from the field. The six year old batboy from my first few seasons is now one of my teammates.

Teams in the C league like to talk to trash and get after each other pretty good during the games, and then hangout, drink a beer (or pop/gatorade) after the game. Less so now with COVID. It's all in good fun.

Some of the best parks to check out are Athletic Park in Chaska, the Mini-Met in Jordan, Cologne for the cheese curds and a really good team. Young America and Waconia are also really good if you want to watch high level baseball. Delano's park is amazing and Chanhassen has a nice new park and probably the best team in the state.

Most parks of plenty of space so you can bring a folding chair and spread out.

 

[Ope3]

I never played but I grew up around it. Miesville is a great park, and they have many players who are former D1/D2 or minor leaguers. Then before or after the game you stop at Kings for your choice of almost a hundred different burgers for a great price.

Maybe this is heaven: Nine innings in Miesville

The village of Miesville, Minnesota, wears Father’s Day like a ballplayer wears a broken-in glove. It’s fit, it’s snug, it’s natural. There are few matches more perfect for each other than a ballplayer and his mitt. There are even fewer matches more perfect for each other than a day like this in...

growlermag.com

When going to Miesville, I would suggest going to a night game. Looks pretty neat under the lights when approaching on Hwy 50. Day games can get hot and dusty. Dan's Bar in New Trier also a good option (strong chance you will see the visiting team there post-game).

 

[MennoSota]

The Metro leagues (I believe there are four within the 494-694 loop) are a mix of present college kids and former college players. Fan attendance is generally quite low, but some teams are really good. You'll be hard pressed to find a better team in the state than the Minnetonka Millers. On the east side the Stockmen's Irish have some very good lefty pitchers who are either former or present D1 pitchers. John Pryor (Lipscomb), Sam Bridges and Ryan Duffy (Minnesota) all throw for the Irish. Most of the fielder's are D2 or D3, but every once in awhile there are former D1 in the mix (think Tonka and St Louis Park). If you're interested, you can find teams at m baseball.org

Minnesota Baseball Association | Home | scoremonster.com

www.mnbaseball.org

 

[MennoSota]

Stockmen's Irish beat the Stillwater Loggers 6-0 at McGuire Field in So St Paul. 9pm game there on Friday against the TriCity Sharks.

 

[Dano564]

Last year I want to the games at State at Delano.
Nice ballpark.

As I get older I plan to hit more of these type of games. A goal of mine is to attend the majority of ballparks and write a book of haiku's about each one.
Then sell a percentage of the sales up front for millions to Mike Max and Patrick Reusse and Eric Gissellson.

 

[Ope3]

Last year I want to the games at State at Delano.
Nice ballpark.

As I get older I plan to hit more of these type of games. A goal of mine is to attend the majority of ballparks and write a book of haiku's about each one.
Then sell a percentage of the sales up front for millions to Mike Max and Patrick Reusse and Eric Gissellson.

Millions as in plural? If you could get million, singular, well...color me impressed.

For Class B last year, the games were in Dassel, which I was able to hit a couple of times. Really a gem. Same with Green Isle a couple of years ago. The playing field/diamond itself there was really impressive.

New Prague also poured tons of dough into their park, right next to their golf course. Pretty nice.