Cheap seats, theme nights and tomorrow's big leaguers

Minor-league baseball might be the best deal in American sports. You can sit close enough to hear the catcher talk to the pitcher, pay less for parking than you would for a big-league soda, and still watch players who'll be on national TV in a couple of years. Ask any fan who saw a future star in Single-A and you'll hear about it for the rest of the night.

The minor leagues are also where baseball lets itself be silly. Fireworks nights, bobblehead giveaways, dog days and jerseys designed by somebody who clearly had fun. Every town does it a little differently, which is why we think minor-league parks make the best road-trip stops in the sport.

This section covers the parks, the promos and the prospects, with extra attention on the Southeast. That includes the Grand Strand, where a Myrtle Beach baseball weekend can mix a beach morning with a ballgame at night. We'll tell you what to eat, where to sit with kids, and how to get home safely when the fireworks end.