Major League Baseball in the USA

I have an affinity towards North/South Carolina. In Australia we have a new digital TV channel that shows 5 major league baseball matches every week. I've loved baseball for a long time but don't have a team. Now I can watch it, I want to support a team. Since there are no North/South Carolina major league teams, what team are they aligned to?

Thanks,

Pony

Rene,

Well, first of all, you should save the word 'match' for the tennis thread - in baseball, you call it a "game"!

As for who to root for: your love for the Carolinas would most likely make you a fan of the Atlanta Braves, what with the state of Georgia being just south of South Carolina. They also built something of a nationwide following back in the 80s, when their owner Ted Turner started broadcasting all of their games on his cable TV network.

Another team with a cable-based following is the Chicago Cubs. The tradition with them, though, is that they are under a curse and will never win the World Series. So becoming one of their fans may indicate that you're a glutton for punishment! They are very passionate fans, though - probably would be a fun bunch to get in with.

Another team with a very passionate fan base is the Boston Red Sox. However, they "lost" some of their lovable-loser mystique when they actually won the World Series a few years back. The tradition with these folks is their intense hatred for the New York Yankees (the Sox/Yankee thing is one of the great rivalries in American professional sports).

As a Setzer fan, you may want to follow the New York Mets. One of the gifts Brian got at his 50th (can't remember if it was from Jim or Lee) was a DVD titled "How to Play Baseball" starring Ken Harrelson, former shortstop of the Mets.

I'll close by extending an invitation to join the Brew Crew - Wisconsin's team is the Milwaukee Brewers, who have a pretty good team these days. I must confess, though, that my interest in baseball peaked in 1982, when the Brewers made it into the World Series. There was another uptick in about 1987, when they started the season with 13 straight wins, which is prettty much unheard of, but they kind of crashed and burned later that year. Right now, I'm not sure I could even name 5 guys on the team. I suppose I'll have to jump on the bandwagon if they get into the playoffs in October!

Take-me-out-to-the-ballgame-a-billy,
Dave

Actually, retro soul that he is, Brian received a book entitled "How to Play Better Baseball," published in 1972 featuring New York Mets star Bud Harrelson.



Brian displayed it proudly and then said, "How to Play Better Baseball? Oh, it's much too late for that now." I'm actually not sure who gave it to him, but the gift was well-received.

Bear85 is right about the Atlanta Braves being pretty popular in the Carolinas. However, the baseball that is HUGE in North and South Carolina is actually Minor League Baseball. The Minor Leagues are the training grounds for the future major league stars, or former major leaguers who are trying to get back to the big leagues. Most of these teams have a direct affiliation with a Major League team, so when their favorite local players succeed, the fans follow them to the Major Leagues.

The movie "Bull Durham" was about the Bulls of Durham, North Carolina. Teams change their big league "parent team" affiliations once in a while. The Durham Bulls are currently affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. For a complete listing of Major League Teams, and their affiliated Minor League teams, check THIS site.

Of course, the TV packages are probably going to show games of the more popular teams, so the more storied and/or successful franchises are: Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Mets, Philadelphia Phillies (current champs), Los Angeles Dodgers, St Louis Cardinals, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. There are plenty of other teams, and until recently, the Atlanta Braves had their own national broadcast network, so they built quite a large fanbase over the previous 25 years.

Perhaps Carolinian 20 Flight Rick can provide some insight to the regional favorites.

Carolina In My Mind-a-billy

HA HA! As a native North Carolinian I can tell you that Rick is correct as always. If you grew up in either NC/SC and you were a fan of the majors, you pulled for Atlanta. Rick's mention of our support for the minors is also very accurate. I would say minor league ball gets more attention and revenue because it's always been here for us, and it's cheap. It's a five hour drive and a lot more expense to go see a Braves game. Here in Greensboro, our team is called the Bats. We built a new stadium downtown that opened in 2003, and going to a Bats game is a blast! GO BATS!!

Thanks for the local view, Rick. I couldn't find the Bats on that MLB affiliate list. There are dozens of teams out there without a connection to a Major League franchise. It's fantastic that the team thrives, even without a Major League franchise partner. We have similar support in Lincoln, Nebraska for our Salt Dogs. I think it is professional sports in its purest form - people playing for the love of the game, and just enough money to get by, and a dream of the longest of longshots: a chance to make a Major League roster someday. Locally, the Salt Dogs have a pretty good following, drawing anywhere from 3,000 to 4,500 people a game.

Sometimes, players from these non-affiliated teams do make it to "The Show." But it's extremely rare. It reminds me of a bar band with a regional following who knows that making it big is such a remote possibility. But they have loyal fans in certain bars/clubs in certain towns within a radius of several states, and they press on for the love of the music and the fun of being in a band and sometimes, because they just can't imagine doing anything else.

Switching briefly to music: If you want to see a fascinating look inside the life of a hard-working, hard-rocking band out there, you should check out Hillbilly Casino's "Buy-in" DVD. It's a terrific behind-the-scenes documentary about the challenges of liviing the life of an unsigned band on the road. Nic, D, Geoff, and Ronnie tell the band's story from their beginnings, to the Nashville scene, to life on the road, to producing their own CDs. There's even a segment on Brian Setzer and what landing the support gig on the 2005 Christmas tour meant to them. There's a fair amount of performance segments, but it's not a concert DVD. Y'all have to catch the band live to get the full-on show experience, something that's mere days away for me - finally!

I realize I'm totally oversimplifying the DVD in this exremely shortened review - I don't the time to give you the words that will do it justice at the moment. Just know that if you frequent this board and are a fan of Brian Setzer's music, then you need to check out the Hillbilly Casino. For those of you who have the CDs, I think you'll really enjoy the DVD. Ronnie, the man of fewest words in the DVD, singing "Shout It Out Loud" is worth the price of the DVD by itself.

Whoops! Mr. Capone is telling me it's time to get the thread back to baseball!




At the Old Ball Game-a-billy

Try googling the Greensboro Grasshoppers. They changed their name in '03, but I can't stop referring to them as the Bats! Before that they were the Hornets, which became the Charlotte Hornets basketball team, which has since moved to New Orleans.

GO TWINKIES!!!

You could always be a fan of the Asheville Tourists.. They're the Single A minor-league team that is a feeder program for the Colorado Rockies. Based outta Asheville, NC.

i have lived in South Carolina forever but no Braves here!! i'm a huge Cincinnati Reds fan!! always have been for as long as i can remember!!

the city i live in, Greenville s.c., has a minor league affiliate of the Redsox! we have season tickets! it's a good time!!

rick how's it going? you coming to Greenville for the bso show in dec.?

Hey Gaston! Glad to hear from you again! Yes, I intend to be at the show. I'm researching ticket options now. Hopefully I'll at least get seats as good as those from '06. It's hard to believe it's been 3 years! Are you planning to go? If so, I've gotta tell you the next pick is mine!

I'm watching a lot of "ball" and really enjoying it. I shall in future refer to it as a "game" instead of match so I don't get beaten around the head with a bat. In terms of support, I'm supporting the Tampa Bay Rays because they have an Aussie pitcher and the Braves, since they are aligned with the Carolina's.

Thanks for the lessons, as always, very informative.

Pony