Seattle's minor league affiliates offer good, cheap baseball Shane Suzuki
Ebbtide Reporter
Baseball season is here, and it seems that Seattle's obsession with America's pastime will continue for another year. Ever since the Mariners' "refuse to lose" 1995 season, Seattle has been a bona fide baseball town. However, Seattle's minor league jewels have become lost in the commotion.
Seattle's AAA affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, has been part of the Mariners' minor-league system since 1995. However, professional baseball has been played in Tacoma since 1960, when the Tacoma Giants started playing ball. (The team has undergone many name changes since then, settling into its Rainier incarnation when it became affiliated with Seattle in 1995.) During its 43-year existence, Tacoma's team has been a stepping stone for many future hall of famers and all-stars, including Mark McGuire, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Conseco, Gaylord Perry and Dave Stewart. It is also where many current Mariner stars learned the ropes. Joel Pineiro played in Tacoma, as well as Willie Bloomquist, Ryan Franklin and Gil Meche. Some top prospects in the system now are pitchers Ryan Anderson, Ken Cloude, Brian Foulkenborg and Rafael Soriano; all four are ready to play at the major-league level and are awaiting their opportunity to make it in the big leagues.
Tacoma has won the Pacific Coast League champion ship nine times and has come in second 15 times. The team routinely leads its division in attendance and has had more than 9 million fans attend since 1960.
Perhaps the most compelling reason to go see the Rainiers, however, is the price and game-day experience. For $12, you can get up close and personal with box seats. These are the seats along the first and third baselines that cost up to $46 per game for the Mariners. Ticket prices after that are still exceptionally low, with $10 for row box, $6 for reserved and $5 for general admission. Ticket names are deceiving because the Rainiers home ballpark, Cheney Stadium, is a small and intimate place with no bad seats. They also have many different promotions. Every Friday is Fireworks night, with a special fireworks extravaganza on July 3. On Thursday home games, beer, hot dogs, sodas and ice cream sandwiches are all $1. On various nights during the season, you walk away with everything from a Louisville Slugger baseball bat to a Freddy Garcia bobblehead doll to a Carl Buddig T-shirt!
From top-notch players to fun fan giveaways, these games are always a good time. They are only a half-hour away and make for a great, affordable night out with a date, the family or by yourself.
On the other side of Seattle lives the lesser-known affiliate of the Mariners, the Everett Aquasox. The Aquasox have been around since 1984 and have produced top Mariner prospects like Willie Bloomquist and Chris Snelling. Many Mariner draft picks end up in Everett, like last year's first-round pick Michael Garciaparra. Much like the Rainiers, the Aquasox give a great value for the dollar. They have many different promotions as well as various camps and opportunities for kids to feel involved. Various T-shirts, baseball bats and notebook giveaways dot the promotions schedule, as well as the occasional fireworks show and the ever-popular Ivar Haglund bobblehead doll night.
The Aquasox season starts June 18, and tickets are available May 17. Ticket prices will not be available until then; however, they have always been reasonable and affordable for a family outing.
While the Mariners will always get the lion's share of attention around here, Seattle does have two guaranteed good times less than a hour from downtown. The opportunity to see future stars and the great dollar value make the Rainiers and Aquasox games times out that can't be beat.
For more information, contact the Tacoma Rainers at 1 (800) 281-3834 or www.tacomarainiers.com. For the Everett Aquasox, call 1 (800) 463-7647 or see www.aquasox.com.
