Baseball Fun with the Saints is Back

It’s spring in Minnesota, so we all know what time it is. It’s time for Saint Paul Saints baseball. Ah the Saints. The wacky franchise that is centered around merriment in baseball. And since becoming the Triple -A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, the site of some darn good baseball.

The Beginning

Saints owner Mike Veeck, decked out in a top hat and tails for an early Halloween celebration at the Saints game Friday, schmoozes with “Saints III”, the team mascot. – JOEY MCLEISTER/Star Tribune via Getty Images

In 1993, Mike Veeck, Marv Goldklang, Bill Murray, and others decided to import their brand of frivolity to St. Paul, Minnesota. The group owned or previously owned franchises in Fort Myers FL., Charleston SC, and Hudson Valley, among other locations. The Saints entered the baseball world as part of the upstart Northern League.

Saints Promotions

Darryl Strawberry and his wife Charisse at the news conference where it was announced that he had signed with the St. Paul Saints for the 1996 season.- JOHN CROFT/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Over the years, the Saints have been best known for their outlandish and unpredictable promotions. Some of these stunts include:

Playing an exhibition game without umpires. The Saints had a judge in a robe calling balls and strikes from behind the pitcher. Furthermore, the calls in the infield were made by a jury of 12 Little League players with the judge able to overrule any calls.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the movie, Animal House by staging the world’s largest food fight.
And finally, hosting the world’s largest Twister game, with over 56,000 dots painted on the outfield grass.

What do you expect from a team that has a pig as a mascot? Or a team that celebrated a league championship by holding a one block parade?

Saints Baseball

And the caliber of play? It’s pretty darn good. Also, because the Saints are the Twins’ Triple-A franchise, the fans get to see many up-and-coming future stars. Also. fans are treated to watching established Major League stars on rehab assignments.

So, on this particular day the Saints demolished the Columbus Clippers 8-1. The team collected three home runs in the game with the last one coming off the bat of Twins prospect Jose Miranda.

Some of the better-known Saints over the years include Darryl Strawberry, Jack Morris, Royce Lewis, and Byron Buxton.

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