Antonio Belarmino: I can hardly wait for Nuts baseball home opener

Springtime is when a young, or old, man’s fancy turns to … well, that too, but I was thinking of opening day at Thurman Field when the Modesto Nuts take on the Inland Empire 66ers. It has been a very long 7 1/2 months without live baseball.

I have been a baseball fan for almost 60 years, but I am not necessarily a Nuts fan.

Michelle, my daughter, and I have been season-ticket holders since the local team was called the Little A’s. We use almost every ticket that we purchase and give away the ones we do not use. With that much time and resources invested, how can I not be a Nuts fan?

The problem with my developing loyalty goes right to the heart of the purpose of minor-league baseball. A farm team’s reason for being is to provide players for the parent club. The goal of both the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball organization and the individual players is to earn a promotion to “The Show.”

My non-scientific observation is that at least 75 percent of last year’s team will not make up the current team. There are some people who develop a “laundry loyalty,” but I tend to base my loyalty on players. With players moving up the ladder, sometimes even during the season, it is hard to keep track of them all.

Still, nothing beats live baseball in the summer.

Here, and in minor league locations throughout the country, baseball provides the greatest entertainment value around. Families can enjoy a few hours at the ballpark without draining a checking account.

We have seats above the home dugout. With my “old guy” discount, the tickets average $9.57, which is cheaper than most movie tickets. I have never fallen asleep at a baseball game. The early-bird parking passes averaged only $1.42. If tickets are purchased before the day of the game, they range from $6 for general admission to $12 for “Hall of Fame” seats.

In July, at the annual gathering of a social organization I belong to, I will make a presentation entitled, “The Joys and Heartaches of Minor League Baseball.” Since it is in Louisville, Ky., I have a ticket to watch the AAA Bats take on the Columbus (Ohio) Clippers on July 2.

During that presentation, I am going to show logos of 26 minor league teams that, according to the website www.buzzfeed.com, will live in infamy. Those teams range from the Lansing (Mich.) Lugnuts at No. 26 clear up to the top spot – the Montgomery (Ala.) Biscuits.

According to Buzzfeed, the Nuts are firmly ensconced in the No. 3 position. That name is sort of old hat now, since almonds are the county’s top ag crop. In 2004, almonds were the second crop behind dairy. But “the Udders” probably wouldn’t have made a great team name.

I am looking forward to April 16 at 7:05 p.m. when the Playball Kid yells the greatest sound in baseball: “Play ball!”

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Antonio Belarmino: I can hardly wait for Nuts baseball home opener."