The must-taste Minor League bouillabaisse

Plus, Jacksonville did WHAT with all those potatoes? [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( August 03, 2023 Welcome to the 66th edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter. I suppose I should write that you’ll “get your kicks” while reading it, referencing the classic song written by Bobby Troupe and first sung by Nat King Cole. That reminds me, the Inland Empire 66ers, based in San Bernardino, are named after Route 66. See, everything has a Minor League Baseball connection, if you stop to think about it.   JULY FLEW BY: WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED By the time this missive gently flutters into your inbox, I will be on the road. In Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, specifically, the third stop of an itinerary that began in Syracuse (Aug. 1) and then included a stop in Binghamton (Aug. 2). Tomorrow, Aug. 4, I’ll move on to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. If you don’t have plans, come to Allentown’s Coca-Cola Park and say hello. As always, I’ll be the dude in a collared shirt pacing the concourse, wondering if I’ve gotten enough material. [Ben's NY to PA itinerary] Before this newsletter once again gets swallowed by road trip documentation efforts, I wanted to take a moment to highlight myriad and sundry items of interest from the month that was. Please enjoy the various nuggets, morsels and scraps that, together, comprise this hopefully tasty (but at the very least edible) Minor League Baseball bouillabaisse.  We begin with El Paso Chihuahuas broadcaster Tim Hagerty, who is one of the best in the biz when it comes to documenting on-field absurdities. To wit:  [Bride vs. Groome tweet]( For those wondering how this matrimonial match-up went: Bride singled in three at-bats against Groome, who allowed one run over six innings en route to an eventual 2-1 El Paso win.  If you liked that tidbit from Mr. Hagerty, check out his book, "[Tales from the]( which includes 1,001 weird and wild Minor League Baseball anecdotes. [At least one of them involves me](.  Speaking of on-field oddities, you know [a 29-3 ballgame]( is going to have a lot of them. This was the score of July 7’s tilt between the Chattanooga Lookouts and Rocket City Trash Pandas, with the former team shellacking the latter. [29-3 ballgame] Chattanooga’s Quincy McAfee scored five runs in this game -- more than any other player -- and yet he was the only player on the team who failed to hit safely. What are the odds? (Seriously, please tell me, what are the odds?) [Nashville Hot Chickens]( The Nashville Sounds played as the Hot Chickens from July 7-9, wearing uniforms that paid tribute to Prince’s Hot Chicken (the original purveyor of such). [Ben Weinrib’s story]( has more details, including this: On July 7, Nashville catcher Brian Navarreto took part in a pregame video where he sampled increasingly spicy varieties of Prince’s Hot Chicken. He wasn’t scheduled to play that day, but then the starting catcher got ejected in the third inning.  "I had to take [heartburn relief] because I almost had to throw up because I was feeling hot inside," Navarreto said. "But after that, it wasn't that bad. I enjoyed it. My mouth felt hot for 30 minutes or an hour."  Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. [Kate Flannery and the Rattlers]( Promos paying homage to "The Office" have been a part of the Minor League landscape for years, thanks in no small part to Meredith, Kevin and Stanley having reasonable appearance fees. Meredith -- known in our non-fictional universe as Kate Flannery -- visited the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Fort Wayne TinCaps and Indianapolis Indians over the course of a single weekend. Steph Sheehan has the details.  [READ ABOUT KATE FLANNERY’S RUN THROUGH THE MIDWEST HERE]( [Squealon]( Steph Sheehan also has the details on the St. Paul Saints’ second-half ball pig, who was named in honor (or perhaps disparagement) of one of the most polarizing figures in America today. [WALLOW IN THE MUCK WITH THE SAINTS' NEW BALL PIG HERE]( From the department of “I’ve never seen this before” comes this exercise in patience out of Lake Elsinore. The below tweet, like Clarissa, explains it all: [The Storm's blue square contest]( The Bowie Baysox paid homage to a Maryland specialty on July 21, eschewing their primary identity in order to suit up as the Pit Beef. Bowie%27s%20Pit%20Beef%20hat The Pit Beef won, of course. Did you think a team named the Pit Beef could possibly lose? [Jacksonville's Potato Friend]( [When we last heard]( from Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp promotions director David Ratz, he was refusing medical attention in the wake of extricating himself from a concourse pole to which he had been (willingly) duct taped. This time around, Ratz and his crew staged a DIY Mr. Potato Head promo. Josh Jackson, your friend and mine, has details on this spudtastic endeavor.  [READ ABOUT CAPTAIN POTATO FRIEND AND THE TABLE OF PARTS HERE](   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson Interrupts]( This is Josh Jackson, abruptly popping out of the woodwork to say hello to all of you out there in newsletter land. I host Ghosts of the Minors, the segment on [The Show Before The Show podcast]( that challenges you to name the real historical Minor League team disguised among frauds. In the last episode, we got some experience with the Dayton Veterans. This week, we ask which of these teams was a true beast in the Minors of yesteryear: - The Elkhart Eagle Eyes - The Beaver Falls Bees - The Caribou Bear Cubs For the answer, tune in to the next Ghosts of the Minors!   IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF “MY FIRST MINOR LEAGUE GAME” Last week’s newsletter was largely dedicated to readers’ recollections of their first Minor League game experiences. There was more where that came from, I promised, and, as you know, my word is bond. This week’s installment comes courtesy of Eric Murto, who saw a bad team play in a beat-up ballpark and, as often happens in these types of situations, fell in love.  My first Minor League game was the Alexandria Dukes, in 1980. My father took me and taught me all about the Carolina League. I don't remember who they played, or who won, but I remember having a great time.  The Alexandria Dukes are sort of a forgotten team. They were the predecessors to what is now the Fredericksburg Nationals. They started as the Dukes and played at Four Mile Run Park in Alexandria, Virginia. It was essentially a normal parks-and-rec field, and they had no MLB affiliate. They stayed in Alexandria a few years before moving to Prince William County, where they became the Pirates/Yankees/Cannons and eventually the Potomac Nationals before their recent move to Fredericksburg.  That day spawned a baseball world that I didn't know about. All I knew at the time was the Baltimore Orioles. That began my obsession with the Carolina League that was fueled once again a few years later by the movie "Bull Durham." I used to check the sports pages daily to see how the Dukes did, and in the process learned all about the International League, the Eastern League and even the Shenandoah Valley League. The obsession still exists today! -- Eric Murto  To share your own first game memories, or to share anything else, get in touch: benjamin.hill@mlb.com.   NOTES FROM THE NAT: BALLPARK RECOLLECTIONS FROM VANCOUVER [Vancouver's Nat Bailey: A gem]( In May, I visited Vancouver’s Nat Bailey Stadium. It’s a wonderful place to see a ballgame, one of the best in all of Minor League Baseball. On the night I was in town I talked to a variety of ballpark regulars, and now I’ve incorporated their stories and perspectives into a MiLB.com story. It took me a little while to get this article together -- more road trips, and the season itself, just kept happening -- but now it can be read by you, the discerning and attractive Minor League Baseball consumer.  [READ ABOUT NAT BAILEY STADIUM AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE IT HERE](   [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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