Baseball is in full swing for the Kansas City Royals, and some of the preseason hype has worn off. With so much money invested in professional sports leagues, winning is everything and it is no different for Major League Baseball.
While teams like the Royals try very hard to endear themselves to the fans with promotions and charitable causes, it can be very easy to lose a genuine sense of community. In many markets, including Kansas City, minor league sports have endeavored to fill the "community" void.
If you travel approximately 23 miles west of Kauffman Stadium on I-70 and head into Legends at Village West, you will arrive at Community America Ballpark, home of the Kansas City T-Bones. Oh yeah, the T-Bones. When you play second fiddle to the Metro's true baseball love it is easy to be forgotten.
In case you've been living under a rock for the past five years, the T-Bones are a minor league baseball team that plays in the independent Northern League. The league is made up of eight teams that have no major league affiliations, unlike single-, double-, and triple-A leagues.
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Some might say, "Well, you get what you pay for." It is true that the caliber of players on the T-Bones' roster is not up to the same standard as that of the Royals, but that doesn't mean the T-Bones' players don't come to play.
First baseman Mario Delgado was rewarded with a trip to last season's Northern League All-Star game, thanks in part to his consistent hitting. Last June, Delgado set a season record with five hits, three doubles, and six RBIs in one game. Players that may not have the pressure of living up to a lucrative contract can be a lot more fun to watch at times.
Community events are also part of the T-Bones' contributions. Community America Ballpark recently hosted the River City high school baseball tournament and is getting ready to host the 2008 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association's MIAA baseball tournament.
In a press release regarding the upcoming MIAA tournament, T-Bones General Manager Rick Muntean said, "In our continuing efforts to provide quality entertainment at Community America Ballpark, the T-Bones are very excited about the addition of the MIAA baseball tournament to our facility's schedule. Not only will we offer our fans and the market top notch baseball, we will be bringing folks from out of the market to the Legends area. It should be a win-win for all involved."
So how many people actually go to T-Bones games? According to last season's attendance, 6,024 people frequented games nightly. In 2007 the T-Bones averaged the fourth best attendance of independent baseball's 64 teams and they ranked 38th out of 263 total minor league baseball teams.
The Northern League's club in Winnipeg ranked highest in league attendance and both they and the T-Bones garnered praise from NL Commissioner Clark Griffith. "The Northern League is very proud of its attendance leaders - Winnipeg and Kansas City - whose talented and dedicated ownership and management make the Goldeyes and T-Bones industry leaders. Furthermore, their success shows why the Northern League leads independent leagues in attendance."
No, the T-Bones may not be the Royals, but they do offer aspects of baseball that major league ball clubs may not be able to, namely a community and family-oriented perspective of the game. For passionate baseball fans, quality is not always measured by the big names and big stadiums but, rather, by big hearts.
For more information log on to www.tbonesbaseball.com.
Copyright 2008 Metropolitan Community College