A slew of cancellations has laid waste to the collections of minor league enthusiasts everywhere. As far as I can tell only one ASG ball was produced for 2020 before the world shut down. You can see the Bowling Green Hot Rods’ Midwest League ASG ball here. Enjoy it, it’s probably the only one you’re going to see this year. Of course I’ll keep you posted if any others show up.
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As if the virus weren’t bad enough for the business of baseball, negotiations between Major League Baseball and the affiliated Minor League Baseball organization continue. From all indications it appears increasingly likely the the affiliated system is looking at some significant changes.
As I said, the virus is bad enough, as several minor leagues have postponed or cancelled their All-Star Game festivities, if not their entire seasons (yet). As of this writing that list of ASG cancellations includes the Eastern League, the Midwest League, the Southern League, the Texas League, and the Triple-A All-Star Game.
All of this craziness makes this website all the more relevant as a repository and a museum for official minor league baseballs. I’m tracking down those teams that had already produced official ASG balls (you can see them here) and I’ll update the site as soon as I hear from them all. Keep your eyes peeled.
And don’t forget to buy the book! For collectors of minor league balls, I present a handy reference and how-to guide for curating your collection. Pick one up today! Buy two, they’re small!
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The new year promises to be a big one! For starters the physical museum has moved to sunny Arizona and continues to grow. In a few weeks we’ll have another big announcement. You’ll notice the Information Warehouse section is gone but never fear, it will return in a new form! Watch this space for details and as always, happy collecting!
The All-Star games have wrapped up and so has the regular season! It’s time for post-season series. The only commemorative I’m aware of is the game ball for the Triple-A National Championship Game which is scheduled for September 17th at Autozone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds.
Watch this page for updates!
It was a busy June in All-Star Game ball collecting…or not. There were seven games but sadly only three leagues used special balls: the California, Carolina, and Midwest Leagues. You can see the Cali and Midwest balls here; I’m still waiting for somebody at the Frederick Keys to get back to me.
One thing of note: both the Cali and MWL balls aren’t league balls, they are MiLB baseballs, complete with MiLB prez Pat O’Conner’s stamp. I believe in the past that the host team, or at least the individual leagues, paid for the special league baseballs. If the Head Office is now footing the bill, does that explain why there are (so far) fewer special game balls? I hope not, it’s a disappointing trend.
On to July! This month there are five pro games. They are listed below, along with the host team. Again, an asterisk indicates that no special ball was commissioned. Right now I’m assuming they all use one unless I find out otherwise, so keep checking back for updates.
Atlantic League; York Revolution
Can/Am-Frontier Leagues; Rockland Boulders
Eastern League; Richmond Flying Squirrels
Triple-A (PCL vs. IL); El Paso Chihuahuas
American Association; St. Paul Saints
There are also some collegiate leagues putting on ASGs: the United Shore Professional League will kick it off on July 6th at Jimmy John’s Field north of Detroit; the Savannah Bananas will host the Coastal Plain League festivities on July 8; and the Waterloo Bucks will do the honors for the Northwoods League on July 16th.
It’s June, and you know what that means: All-Star season! This month no fewer than six minor leagues will play their respective summer classics. The schedule for this month is below.
Not all leagues commission a commemorative game ball, but I’m tracking down those that do. As information comes in I’ll update this post.
Here are the dates to note, the league, and the host team. An asterisk indicates that there is no special game ball.
June 14
Florida State League*; Jupiter Hammerheads
June 18
California League; Inland Empire 66ers
Carolina League; Frederick Keys
Midwest League; South Bend Cubs
South Atlantic League*; West Virginia Power
Southern League*; Biloxi Shuckers
June 25
Texas League*; Tulsa Drillers
I have an update on the 2018 California League ASG ball: there are two versions!
This one, purchased online directly from the host Lancaster Jethawks, features the sponsor beneath the ASG logo:
This one, purchased in person at the team gift shop on game day, has no sponsor logo:
Which version was actually used in the game? I don’t know for sure, but I was informed by an attendee that it was the sponsor-less version. Keep your eyes open, fellow collectors.
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Wrapping up the minor league season was the Triple-A National Championship game. For the first time, the same team, the Columbus Clippers, hosted both the NCG and this year’s Triple-A ASG.
That’s another minor league season in the books. Here’s to a productive off-season!
It’s All-Star game season again! My favorite time of year. I’ll update this page as the new balls come in. Here’s what I have so far, keeping in mind that the Florida State League (Tampa Tarpons), the Carolina League (Carolina Mudcats), and the South Atlantic League (Greensboro Grasshoppers) did not commission special game balls for their games.
UPDATE! The Southern League (Birmingham Barons) did not commission a game ball for its ASG, nor did the Texas League (Midland RockHounds).
The Museum page for All-Star Game and special event baseballs is here.
California League (Lancaster JetHawks)
Eastern League (Trenton Thunder)
Midwest League (Lansing Lugnuts)
New York-Penn League (State College Spikes)
Triple-A (Columbus Clippers)
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