Stolen Summer: The Real Faces of the Minor Leagues, Part 2
By Wade Astin
This is part two of a three-part series that focuses on the faces of minor league baseball.
One of the greatest things about minor league baseball is its uniqueness. Just like the players, there is a certain scrappiness to the teams and the communities they serve.
MiLB teams are unique. They are often working hard to make every promotion successful, every fan happy, and stretch their dollar as much as possible.
In order to help curb expenses by lodging an entire team of players in a hotel for the summer, teams like the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League (Rookie Level), seek “host families”.
These host families will take in players to their own homes while the team is at home during the summer. The memories that the host family program has created far surpass anything ever imagined.
Meet Jim Sargent. Mr. Sargent and his wife, Sue are well known in the Pioneer League for their endless dedication to being host families. They’ve host players from all over the globe in the friendly confines of their own home. In an e-mail interview, Jim stated that being a host family “opened our world to the dynamics of professional sports”. Being a host family has definitely broadened their experiences and “gave us an opportunity to meet wonderful people around the country, which we are still very good friends with”. Sargent elaborated that being a host family “allowed us to learn about their regional customs, food, and activities”.
The memories that being a host family are endless.
"“Montana is unique for them”, Sargent stated, “so are the opportunities we provide for our guests”."
Sargent and his wife have taken on new professional athletes and shown them all that Big Sky country has to offer. Whether it be to the gorgeous views of Glacier National park, fishing the Missouri river, or “seeing their first rodeo”, Sargent says that these are some of their best memories for being a host family.
Let’s not forget about the excitement of getting to attend some great baseball either. Sargent recalls “not knowing when their last game would be” when hosting their first two athletes. The team was in the Pioneer League championship and “had to fight being down 1-0 and then went on the road to steal a win and bring it back home when they won their first title.
Sargent has hosted players like Chris Beck, Micah Johnson, and Michael Earley (who is the current hitting coach for ASU).
These are memories that no one could forget, especially being a host family.
What happens if baseball closes up shop? I asked Sargent for his thoughts on this hot topic. As it is well documented MiLB and MLB are at odds right now with contracts, agreements, and what MiLB teams should stay or go.
These are the faces of MiLB and these are the faces that the sport will lose if MLB trims up MiLB.
"“It (trimming teams) denies about 1,500 athletes, trainers, and coaches the opportunity to possibly make it to the major league level”, says Sargent."
Trimming MiLB will also hurt the fan base, eliminate it in some places, and MiLB could definitely suffer. “It will reduce interest in the game of baseball”.
This is probably the most accurate statement right now. When you trim teams, you trim opportunities to connect fans to the sport. Some fans gain their first knowledge of major league teams through a minor league affiliate like Great Falls.
Fans enjoy tracking a player from Rookie Level all the way to the Major Leagues. I remember doing it when I was in Great Falls and following players like Luke Allen, Jorge Piedra, and more. Some made it to the show, some didn’t, but that’s when I really became a true fan of baseball.
"Baseball means so much to the communities it serves, it would be detrimental to many towns across the country. “We feel once the sport leaves Great Falls, we’ll never see it return”."