The 100 Best Affordable Vacations Read Online Free Page B
Author: Jane Wooldridge
constructed as a hunting lodge for William Randolph Hearst. Rooms from $45. San Antonio de Padua, P.O. Box 803, End of Mission Rd., Jolon, 831-385-4478, www.missionsanantonio.net .
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
For more information about the California Missions, visit www.thecaliforniamissions.com .
take in a minor league game
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
I like my players to be married and in debt.
That’s the way you motivate them.
— ERNIE BANKS, FORMER MINOR LEAGUE COACH
11 | A handful of stars hit the headlines as soon as they hit the diamond. But most baseball players are more like Kevin Costner’s Bull Durham character than New York superstar Alex Rodriguez. (And even A-Rod did a short stint in the minors with the Seattle Mariners’ affiliate before moving to The Show.)
Minor leaguers are the true Boys of Summer, underdogs playing for dreams and love of the all-American pastime. (They also play for money. In his first contract season, a minor leaguer could earn a maximum of $1,100 per month in 2010, with $25 per day for meals while on the road.) On opening day, nearly 7,000 players may be listed on minor league rosters; historically, about 10 percent of minor leaguers will play at least one major league game.
A quick minor league primer: Minor League Baseball is composed of 251 clubs in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. The league’s highest level is Triple-A, where you’re most likely to see the DiMaggios of the future. Down the rankings are Double-A, Class A Advanced, Class A, Class A Short Season, and Rookie. In total, the clubs will play more than 10,000 games each season.
But minor league ball isn’t all about stats and standings—which is why more than 41 million fans catch a game each year. The parks are friendly and the ambience local—even if the rivalry is still intense. After all, some of these teams have been playing each other for a century; Minor League Baseball will celebrate its 110th season in 2011.
Comparatively speaking, a day at a minor league park is a bargain. About a hundred of the minor league teams offer free entry; the rest charge on average $7 per adult. For about $54, a family of four can take in a game—and that includes parking, four hot dogs, two sodas, two beers, and a program. With teams scattered across the continent, chances are good you can drive a short way and catch a game for an afternoon. Check on the Internet at http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com for information and schedules.
But why not go the whole Bull Durham route? The minor league action in Durham, North Carolina, will thrill you, while the city will charm you. The Triple-A Durham Bulls (919-687-6500, www.durhambulls.com ) no longer play in the stadium where the 1988 film was set—they moved to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 1995, at 409 Blackwell Street—but you will still feel the same level of excitement. Tickets start at $7; the price varies with view and date of play.
Durham retains its tobacco town origins. Former brick warehouses have been transformed into lofts, boutiques, and craft breweries. Duke University, the school that tobacco built, boasts the stunning stone Duke Chapel (1 Chapel Dr., 919-681-9488, www.chapel.duke.edu ), which offers periodic carillon and organ concerts, and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens (420 Anderson St., 919-684-3698, www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens ), where you can stroll among the flowers and watch students sun on the lawn. The university’s Nasher Museum of Art (2001 Campus Dr., 919-684-5135, http://nasher.duke.edu/ ) houses special exhibitions as well as a permanent collection of Renaissance, classical, and African art.
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MINOR LEAGUE MILESTONES
1901 : Minor League Baseball first formed as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues; 14 leagues and 96 clubs played the first season in 1902.
1921 : Agreement signed to allow major league teams to own minor league teams.
1933 : Joe DiMaggio plays his
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
For more information about the California Missions, visit www.thecaliforniamissions.com .
take in a minor league game
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
I like my players to be married and in debt.
That’s the way you motivate them.
— ERNIE BANKS, FORMER MINOR LEAGUE COACH
11 | A handful of stars hit the headlines as soon as they hit the diamond. But most baseball players are more like Kevin Costner’s Bull Durham character than New York superstar Alex Rodriguez. (And even A-Rod did a short stint in the minors with the Seattle Mariners’ affiliate before moving to The Show.)
Minor leaguers are the true Boys of Summer, underdogs playing for dreams and love of the all-American pastime. (They also play for money. In his first contract season, a minor leaguer could earn a maximum of $1,100 per month in 2010, with $25 per day for meals while on the road.) On opening day, nearly 7,000 players may be listed on minor league rosters; historically, about 10 percent of minor leaguers will play at least one major league game.
A quick minor league primer: Minor League Baseball is composed of 251 clubs in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. The league’s highest level is Triple-A, where you’re most likely to see the DiMaggios of the future. Down the rankings are Double-A, Class A Advanced, Class A, Class A Short Season, and Rookie. In total, the clubs will play more than 10,000 games each season.
But minor league ball isn’t all about stats and standings—which is why more than 41 million fans catch a game each year. The parks are friendly and the ambience local—even if the rivalry is still intense. After all, some of these teams have been playing each other for a century; Minor League Baseball will celebrate its 110th season in 2011.
Comparatively speaking, a day at a minor league park is a bargain. About a hundred of the minor league teams offer free entry; the rest charge on average $7 per adult. For about $54, a family of four can take in a game—and that includes parking, four hot dogs, two sodas, two beers, and a program. With teams scattered across the continent, chances are good you can drive a short way and catch a game for an afternoon. Check on the Internet at http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com for information and schedules.
But why not go the whole Bull Durham route? The minor league action in Durham, North Carolina, will thrill you, while the city will charm you. The Triple-A Durham Bulls (919-687-6500, www.durhambulls.com ) no longer play in the stadium where the 1988 film was set—they moved to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 1995, at 409 Blackwell Street—but you will still feel the same level of excitement. Tickets start at $7; the price varies with view and date of play.
Durham retains its tobacco town origins. Former brick warehouses have been transformed into lofts, boutiques, and craft breweries. Duke University, the school that tobacco built, boasts the stunning stone Duke Chapel (1 Chapel Dr., 919-681-9488, www.chapel.duke.edu ), which offers periodic carillon and organ concerts, and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens (420 Anderson St., 919-684-3698, www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens ), where you can stroll among the flowers and watch students sun on the lawn. The university’s Nasher Museum of Art (2001 Campus Dr., 919-684-5135, http://nasher.duke.edu/ ) houses special exhibitions as well as a permanent collection of Renaissance, classical, and African art.
----
MINOR LEAGUE MILESTONES
1901 : Minor League Baseball first formed as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues; 14 leagues and 96 clubs played the first season in 1902.
1921 : Agreement signed to allow major league teams to own minor league teams.
1933 : Joe DiMaggio plays his
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