Other than the White Sox $5 Tuesday deals at the Rate, there aren’t too many bargains at the ML ballparks within 90 miles of Casa Bob. Ergo, the $25 Silver Fox package at Hi-A, Wisconsin seemed like the best gig for my Wednesday off. Throw in the fact that it was a 12:10 matinee, and the 175-mile trip was a no-brainer.

While my Dad never made it to a game in Grand Chute, he would have approved of the Silver Fox package. My fifteen older male cousins used to refer to my Dad as the Silver Fox. An added bonus is the great Cedar Crest ice cream at Fox Cities Stadium.

While both the Timber Rattlers (T-Rats) and South Bend Cubs haven’t played well during the second half of the season and there’ve been a few notable promotions, I still looked forward to a great afternoon of minor league ball. $25 bucks earned me a box seat, beverage, hotdog or brat and cap. Ordering through the ticket office scored me a second row seat next to the Cubs dugout on the third base side.

Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium is both one of the more cumbersome names in minor league ball and one of my favorite places to view a game. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, the food selection is terrific, and the staff couldn’t be more friendly. Since my last visit, they’ve added a giant Ticonderoga pencil in the right field concourse. I’m not sure the kids know what to make of it. There is no default bleacher seating at the ballpark, however you can stand along the rails beyond the various party decks. There’s a very nice elevated and covered newer deck in left field adjacent to the faux Bernie’s chalet and slide. Of the 2717 fans in attendance, a large number was made up of companies enjoying these decks.

Unlike the other MWL games I’ve attended this season, Wednesday was my first encounter with autograph collectors. Because of my dugout seat I wasn’t really surprised to find one veteran collector and two youngsters hanging in my seat. The older guy was generous with the two kids and atypical of guys chasing prospects’ signatures. Once the game started they were gone and replaced by three young ladies who were neither paying attention to the game, nor infatuated with their smart phones. The overall mood of the crowd was muted as people seemed to be enjoying a free afternoon at a ball game.

When I attend minor league games, I hope that the better ranked prospects live up to expectations, but don’t let it ruin my day if they don’t measure up. That’s part of the game. Of all the prospects on the two rosters, only Jadher Areinamo (#23, Brewers) measured up. While the box score said 3-5, the real story was he didn’t hit the ball hard all day. In fact, none of the 9 Rattler base hits would have broken a thin pane of glass or a paper bag.

The Cubs starter, Evan Aschenbeck, took the mound with a 2-4 record and a 3.46 ERA in 54.2 innings of work. The unrated, 6’2, 23-year-old lefty isn’t a strikeout pitcher with a blazing fastball. And despite the fact he didn’t hit 92mph on the speed gun, he never pitched under stress all afternoon.

The Cubs got things rolling, sort of in the top of the first, as Wisconsin’s starting pitcher, Ryan Birchard walked three of the first five South Bend hitters. All three stole bases and the leadoff hitter, Ivan Brethowr, scored on the catcher’s throwing error. For his part, Birchard settled down, retiring eight batters in a row and ended up with 7 strikeouts and 5 walks in 4.1 innings. Entering the game, he was the only T-Rat with more K’s than innings pitched-so he met expectations. The second and third batters he walked, scored on eventual singles.

Staked to a 3-run lead, Aschenbeck finally allowed a run in the bottom of the 6th on a two-out single by Luiyan Alastre (3-4, RBI and sb). He survived without further damage and allowed a meaningless single in the 7th-good enough for the 3-1 victory.

The first reliever the Cubs brought in, Grayson Moore, appeared to be getting low-leverage innings in a situation with little margin for error. Entering the game, he had made 12 appearances covering 12.1 innings in which he had allowed 18 hits, 14 earned runs, 8 walks and 13 strikeouts. Zoiks Scoob, like run! He did make things interesting in his lone inning, walking three and striking out one, but because of the T-Rats ineptitude, he held them scoreless.

Jackson “Don’t call me Spanky” Kirpatrick pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save of the year and the Cubs improved to 8-9. While the 3-1 victory was not exciting, it was a most enjoyable afternoon at the ballpark. Dad would have enjoyed the game, sights, sounds and smells of the ballpark, the drive and scoop of Cedar Crest.