Your Chance To Be A Pro

Two Northern League (league of unaffiliated Single-A teams that includes the Saint Paul Saints) minor-league baseball teams play part of their game via X-Box:

The first two innings of the July 16th game between the Kansas City T-Bones and the Schaumburg Flyers will be played virtually.

Equipped with Microsoft Xbox game controllers instead of baseball gloves and bats, two video gamers will climb into recliner chairs around home plate at CommunityAmerica Ballpark and slug it out on the park’s 16- by 24-foot video screen.

Their scores from playing two innings of MVP Baseball 2005 on an Xbox will stand when the T-Bones and Flyers take the field to finish the last seven innings of the game.

So all you thirty-fiftysomethings who thought your chance at baseball stardom was long gone? Think again.

A cool byproduct of this story is that I haven't followed the Northern League (beyond the odd Saints game) in a while. The League seems to have prospered; it's up to twelve teams, in mid-size markets. Unfortunately, the Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks aren't among them; it was a cool name for a team.

Story via Daniel Champion, who is undergoing a rough spot in his cancer treatment; prayers for Dan are eagerly solicited.

Posted by Mitch at June 29, 2005 06:40 AM | TrackBack