Mudhens baseball is exciting

People may think that the Detroit Tigers may be the only baseball team in town. Or maybe even the only tea worth spending any money on at all.
This couldn’t be more from the truth. The Toledo Mudhens have been around for years and it is just a short drive down the freeway to go and watch some up and coming ball players. Maybe you will even be fortunate like I was and get to see a player like Saline resident and Detroit Tiger Brandon Inge doing some rehab to get back to the majors.
Inge had been sick with mononucleosis and was down in Toledo last week when I was able to watch the Tigers’ AAA team play the Columbus Clippers. The game itself was a lot different than a professional game but I will say it is nice once in awhile to see that difference and get watch what these guys go through in order to make it to the majors.
They aren’t making a lot of money and I will bet you that Inge’s salary for one year is way more that what the entire Mudhen team makes. That being said the level of play at Toledo is nowhere near what you get at Detroit.
But, it is cheaper to go to Toledo to watch a game and you will get a seat that is probably better than what you will see with the parent club in Detroit.
They do all kinds of crazy promotions and things between the innings. One of my favorite has to do with picking a certain player from the other team and making them the goat of the game. If that player strikes out during the game a certain section gets free ice cream.
I couldn’t really tell if that pressure wore on the opposing batter but I will say he didn’t strike out at all. In fact, it appeared he had better game. Maybe when they play Columbus again they should pick someone different who may be more likely to strikeout.
Some of the players on the team like Fu-Te Ni and Clete Thomas have been up in the majors before and sent back down. Others like Andy Dirks and Brennan Boesch are up with the Tigers and may stay for awhile.
One player, Max St. Pierre has been with Toledo for years and never really gotten a chance at the majors. He is still holding onto that dream of getting up to the “Bigs” and having fun getting paid for doing what he loves. Although if he got into the majors he would get paid quite a lot more money.
His debut for the Tigers on Sept. 4th of last year made him the oldest Tiger position player to make the MLB since Mike Roarke in 1961. He got a hit during his first start.
The game is fun at any time but the minors tend to make a few more mistakes than the majors. You also get to see more pitchers. The Mudhens threw about five pitchers on the night I went.
I was also fortunate to see a fireworks show, which was fun I will admit but the most interesting part of the entire night was just watching the people and enjoying a very laid back atmosphere.
I would say run out and get season tickets buy season tickets but it might be nice for a change of pace or even a couple times a year. The game is fun and every player has a different story.
Some will rise to the top and end up in the majors while others may reach Toledo and that will be the highest level they ever play. Whatever the case if it comes to Detroit they will more than likely have to come from farm team down in Toledo.
So grab you mitt and put on your baseball hat for an enjoyable time down in the minors.
Check out the Mudhens Web Site at www.toledomudhens.com.
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for Heritage West Newspapers and can be reached at dmerchant@heritage.com.