Your ultimate guide to MiLB Ballpark Guides

Plus, you need a whale of an appetite for this [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( April 13, 2023 A golden anniversary celebrates something that has existed for 50 years. The Ben’s Biz Beat newsletter has existed for approximately 49 years less than that, but this is its 50th edition and that’s gold enough for me. Let’s talk about Minor League Baseball.   HIT THE ROAD: MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK GUIDES DEBUT! [Minor League Ballpark Guides]( It’s alive! After nearly two years, involving the work of dozens of people, the [Minor League Ballpark Guide]( project is complete. I now invite you – yes, you – to utilize this interactive road trip planning tool featuring searchable maps and in-depth write-ups of every MiLB park.  Last week, in conjunction with the project’s launch, I wrote a Ballpark Guide introduction story for MLB.com. While I invite you to read [the whole thing]( here are some relevant excerpts:  “On the [Minor League Ballpark Guides]( landing page, you'll find a searchable map featuring a pin for every Minor League team/ballpark. Zoom in for a closer regional view, and back out to see the entirety of the Minor League landscape (which includes one international team, the [Vancouver Canadians](. Click on the pin for additional information, as well as a link to that team's Minor League Ballpark Guide.  “Looking to narrow your search? Above the map and to the right, you'll find search options by state and parent club. Choose [North Carolina]( for example, and you'll see pins for the state's 10 teams as well as clubs in neighboring states.” [North Carolina]( “Another great way to contextualize Minor League travel is by visiting the affiliates of your favorite Major League team. Choose that MLB team via the "Select by parent club" option. Clicking on the [Baltimore Orioles]( for example, yields a cluster of nearby affiliates that could potentially be visited over the course of a long weekend.” [Tour the Baltimore Orioles' farm system]( If you’re looking for a particular ballpark, and don’t want to use the map, simply scroll down to see a listing for every team in Minor League Baseball, organized by parent club and level of play. And make sure to check out the “Best of the Ballparks” section, to the right of the map, to see articles based in fact (longest affiliations, oldest ballparks) as well as my opinion (best ballparks, views, concessions and mascots).  In short, spend a little time on the Ballpark Guide landing page and you’ll quickly get the hang of it. Build some itineraries of your own. … Or let my friend and confidante Josh Jackson do it for you. He wrote an [MiLB.com article]( detailing six Minor League ballpark road trips, and all six of them are contained in the graphic below. [Six Minor League road trip itineraries]( And, hold on. What’s this? Late-breaking news? On Tuesday morning I appeared on MLB Network’s “MLB Central” morning TV show to talk Minor League Ballpark Guides and more. [WATCH IT HERE](.  Billy Joel voice: Because you had to take a screenshot, didn’t cha? [Ben on MLB Network]( [CHECK OUT THE MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK GUIDE LANDING PAGE HERE]( [READ THE MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK GUIDE INTRODUCTORY ARTICLE HERE]( [THRILL TO JOSH JACKSON’S SIX MINOR LEAGUE ROAD TRIP ITINERARIES HERE](   AND WE'RE OFF! Last weekend marked the first in which all 120 Minor League teams were active, and it took no time at all for MiLB occurrences to work their way into the national sports conversation.  You may have heard that on Saturday, April 8, the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas suffered one of the most improbable losses in the history of professional baseball. [One wild box score]( Yep… the Trash Pandas allowed seven runs in a no-hitter, all in the final inning, and the box score will now live for eternity. In this Southern League contest, the first game of a doubleheader against the Chattanooga Lookouts, Trash Pandas starter Coleman Crow threw six no-hit innings. Ben Joyce came on in the seventh to finish it off, and, well, at least no one hit safely off of him. In that wild half-inning, Joyce and Eric Torres combined to allow seven runs, on no hits, resulting in an eventual 7-5 Chattanooga victory.  Take heart, Trash Pandas. We all know that it’s better to have pitched a no-hitter and lost, then to never have pitched a no-hitter at all.  [READ ABOUT ROCKET CITY’S SEVEN-RUN NO-HITTER HERE]( [Dan Hasty's Master-ly call]( Meanwhile, just outside of Grand Rapids, a self-important golf tournament broke out in the middle of a game between the West Michigan Whitecaps and visiting Lansing Lugnuts. That’s what it seemed like, at least, as Whitecaps broadcaster Dan Hasty announced an at-bat as if it were The Masters. The resulting video, featuring all sorts of hushed exclamations and highfalutin adjectives, went viral.  [READ ABOUT, AND SEE, HASTY’S “MASTER”FUL MOMENT HERE](  But the weirdest happening in Minor League Baseball last weekend? Let’s just go to the tape: [WATCH A SEEMINGLY INEBRIATED GIRAFFE SINGING AT A LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS GAME HERE](   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE TRIVIA QUESTION This question comes in the form of a reader email, a personal recollection from Mr. Clark Blaise: 75 years ago we were living in Leesburg, home of the Class D Leesburg Pirates of the Florida State League. A small booklet of League stats came with the entrance ticket, and -- being left-handed with baseball aspirations -- I turned immediately to "Most Victories, Left-Handed Pitcher." The answer meant nothing to me, but my father jumped. "He's famous," he said.  Who was this famous former Florida State League pitcher? The answer may surprise you!   WELCOME TO THE CIRCUS OF PODCASTING [The Show Before The Show Podcast]( On last week’s Show Before the Show podcast, I, along with Sammy “The Snake” Dykstra and Tyler “Mondo” Maun, spoke with ESPN’s Ryan McGee about his new book, “Welcome to the Circus of Baseball.”  The book chronicles McGee’s 1994 internship in the Asheville Tourists front office, and the result is a vivid, fast-paced and just plain fun love letter to Minor League Baseball and the characters who populate it. The interview was just plain fun as well, as Ryan was in Asheville at the time and had plenty of of colorful and perhaps apocryphal stories to share regarding the city’s long and rich baseball history.  [LISTEN TO RYAN MCGEE ON THE SHOW BEFORE THE SHOW PODCAST HERE](   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson interrupting]( This is Josh Jackson, stepping right into the lane of all of you out there in newsletter land. I host Ghosts of the Minors, the segment from [The Show Before the Show podcast]( in which I challenge you to find a historical Minor League team hiding amidst two fakes.  Last week, we puckered up with the Lewiston Cupids. This week, I ask you which of the following teams was up to no good in the Minors of yore: - The Idaho Falls Fiends - The Des Moines Demons - The Herkimer Tormentors [For the answer, tune into the next Ghosts of the Minors!](   DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY Way back in 2012, long before they had giraffes singing on the concourse, the Lake County Captains debuted a gargantuan seafood sandwich and named it the Moby Dick. But, like Ahab’s white whale, it ultimately proved elusive and subsumed itself back into the murky depths.  However! The Moby Dick is back and (arguably) better than ever. The Captains are now serving a new, reimagined version. [Moby-Dick, or The Whale] Please note, however, that the picture accompanying the above Moby Dick photo is from 2012 and does match the 2023 version. I am working around the clock to obtain an updated photo, and will share it with you as soon as I do. You can count on me.   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE TRIVIA ANSWER! That victorious Florida State League left-handed pitcher of yesteryear was none other than Stan Musial, who went 18-5 for the Daytona Beach Islanders in 1940. He also played the outfield, and never pitched again after hurting his shoulder while diving for a fly ball late that season.   [IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER, TELL THEM TO SUBSCRIBE HERE](   Contact [Benjamin Hill](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com) [Twitter]( Online]( © 2023 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. [Visit MLB.com](. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Subscription required. Blackout and other restrictions may apply. Please review our [Privacy Policy](. You ({EMAIL}) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from [MiLB.com](. Please add info@mail.milblists.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. 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