T THE ROAD TO DISCOVER THAT BALKING AT THE MINORS IS A MAJOR MITAE.
BASEBALL'S DICHOTOMY
Find the carnival that defines minor league
tes lies an intriguing baseball dichotomy. But it
sn't appear so at first. After all, there they are
the players - joking with each other in the
out, dancing-ith giant birds on the field, play-
along with the home team's mascot as he steals
third baseman's etove and nroceeds to hurl it
The heartfelt jeers emanating from the box seats
at Old Kent Park last Saturday could prove that just
as well as Corporal Klinger's undying allegiance to
the Mud Hens on "M.A.S.H." 20 years ago.
But on the other hand, there are the minor
league players and managers - the prospects, the
suspects and the side effects of the big league.
They may enjoy their profession, but most aren't
f nt*n* with "' YP We tn' incr nlnop- In-...-ct+
who returns to the Whitecaps after arriving last sea-
son just in time to win the Midwest League title
(under the marquee pitching of Jeff Weaver). "In
order to win, you have to do your own job better. It
hurts, because all the teams I've played for haven't
been very good."
It's an ambiguous answer, but being a minor Tiger Stadium
league player is an ambiguous job. Sure, you'd love Detroit
for your team to win. But you'd also love the call up
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