Here piggy piggy......

May 20, 2005 11:05 AM

Well today is the opening day of one of the most popular baseball leagues in the county. A big part of the league is the The Goldklang Group, (which is partly owned by Bill Murrary.) The president and owner of the Saints is marketing genius Mike Veeck, son of the late Bill Veeck. Smell the hotdogs and taste the beer but not in that order. (More peanuts and Crackerjacks await inside)
posted by wheelieman (14 comments total)

I'm a waitin
posted by scottymac at 11:12 AM on May 20, 2005

Is this the midwestern softball leagues?
posted by mathowie at 11:18 AM on May 20, 2005

Um which county is this baseball league popular in because I've never heard of it?
posted by fenriq at 11:18 AM on May 20, 2005

The Saints and the Northern League have a devoted following. Withblogs not directly about the team but mention it off and on. Ahhhhhhhh yes. Baseball outside in Minnesota at Mighty Mighty Midway Stadium
*If you feel the urge to debate the Twins Stadium issue, do it somewhere else. Besides the Midway is getting a facelift.
posted by wheelieman at 11:21 AM on May 20, 2005

Country...... Whatever. Softball League????? I even linked to the league site. Cant Number 1 read anything for more then 2 seconds??

Don't ban me
posted by wheelieman at 11:25 AM on May 20, 2005

I've got tickets for tomorrow night. No rain, no rain, no rain, no rain...

/ObDuluthDukes: I'll miss you guys.
posted by unixrat at 11:25 AM on May 20, 2005

Cant Number 1 read anything for more then 2 seconds??

There's no "about" page. I still don't have a clue what this league is all about. Is it canadian baseball or something? Triple A ball? Some rogue league not endorsed by the MLB?
posted by mathowie at 11:37 AM on May 20, 2005

Sorry to lash out Matt, its Minor League baseball, I am not sure about what class. I know a lot of players make it to the majors so maybe Triple A?
posted by wheelieman at 12:02 PM on May 20, 2005

Well, at least you thoroughly researched it before posting.
posted by fenriq at 12:28 PM on May 20, 2005

Triple A?

Nope, it is strictly Independent. It's a league for league's sake, not a farm team. While this means that they have more flexibility on scheduling, promotions, stadiums, and whatnot, it also means that we won't get Rincon pitching his way out of suspension either.

The Northern League is also notable for having the Ila Borders, the first woman pitcher to win a professional game. Playing for the (now defunct, sadly) Duluth Dukes, IIRC. We attended a Dukes game on our honeymoon to see Ila pitch.
posted by unixrat at 12:34 PM on May 20, 2005

It's an independent league, not affiliated with the bigs. Independent leagues are popular in smaller areas or areas that don't have a major league team. The team I'm familiar with seems to consist of younger guys taking that last shot at impressing somebody and getting drafted into the minor leagues, and older guys who'd just like to keep on playing for a few more years and getting paid a few bucks to do it. The fields and crowds are small, and the tickets cheap. I love it.

Some surprising names show up in independent leagues these days, too.
posted by JanetLand at 12:38 PM on May 20, 2005

Here in Madison our team plays in the The NorthWoods League. College players. Can't pay 'em, so there's no need for salary caps!

Go Mallards!
posted by Floydd at 12:54 PM on May 20, 2005

Meta-boing: I sold my house to Marv Goldklang. He totally outnegotiated me, but I still thought he was a nice guy. I guess that means he totally, totally outnegotiated me.

But the Red Sox won the World Series. (Not sure if the articles mention it, but Marv is also a part owner of the Yankees.)
posted by alms at 10:30 PM on May 20, 2005

There is an "about" page. They call it history.

Northern League fans should remember that the American League started as an independent league.
posted by ?! at 9:26 PM on May 21, 2005