Minor-league baseball is major fun, as the powerful, title-chasing Sioux Falls Canaries are proving
We’re going to a baseball playoff game Thursday night. It will be an ideal late-summer outing, with temperatures in the mid-80s cooling off into the upper 60s.
The weather will be perfect, the competition should be heated, and there will be entertainment between innings. In addition, parking is easy and free, ticket prices are cheap — $10 for almost all seats — and the concessions are affordable.
Those are why I have enjoyed minor league and independent league baseball for more than four decades. I am a baseball fanatic — you can shorten that to fan — and follow the big leagues closely.
My Giants and Royals are on the outside of the playoff picture and trying to close the gap in the waning days of the season. I am hoping they find a way to the October tourney.
But there is some dang good baseball being played closer to home.
The Sioux Falls Canaries are already in the postseason. They had a great season, going 58-42, finishing third in the West Division of the American Association. That earned them a playoff berth against the rival Sioux City Explorers.
After a loss in the first game, the Canaries had to win a pair in Sioux City. They did, powering past Sioux City 16-8 in game two and 7-1 in game three to win their first postseason series in 15 years.
Fan favorite Jabari Henry hit three home runs in game three. Henry is the Babe Ruth of the American Association, hitting more homers than anyone in league history.
The 34-year-old Florida native bounced around from team to team before arriving in Sioux Falls in 2017. Aside from 2019, when he played for two other teams, he has been the Sioux Falls slugger fans love to cheer on.
Now, Canaries fans are hoping Jabari and other top hitters — the Birds led the league in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs and frustrated opposing hurlers — can get past the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.
It’s a five-game series that started Monday night in North Dakota. The RedHawks won the opener 2-1, but the Canaries responded with a 9-2 win Tuesday. We’re hoping for two more wins.
The teams will battle in The Birdcage in Sioux Falls Thursday and Friday and, if necessary, Saturday night. We will be there Thursday night, and may return for another game if it continues.
The winner moves onto the Wolff Cup Final, a best-of-five series named for Miles Wolff, the “Godfather of Independent Baseball” who owned multiple teams at various levels and also served as commissioner for four leagues.
The Canaries were league champions in 2008, and after a few rough seasons, have built a strong team. This is their third-straight playoff appearance, and fans are hoping for another title.
In 2021, I talked with Brian Slipka, a businessman who co-owns the team. Slipka said he would invest in the Canaries and make them competitive. His word was good.
There has been talk about building a new stadium closer to downtown, and maybe that would draw more fans. But we love the ol’ Birdcage, which has been spruced up under the new ownership.
The crowds aren’t as good as the team deserves, but there is a coterie of loyal supporters who chant “Let’s go Canaries” at every game. I have been attending
Canaries games for three decades, with a few breaks when I was out of South Dakota, and hope this is a championship season.
I even got to play with a Canaries Hall of Famer. My softball team was in a tournament in Dell Rapids in 1994 when we spotted Canaries outfielder Chris Powell playing for another team. They got knocked out, and Chris agreed to play with us on Sunday.
He was coming off a great year, hitting .357 for the Birds. It earned him a shot at making the California Angels during spring training in 1995. But he was eager to play softball on a beautiful field in Dell Rapids and was great, as you might imagine. Nice guy, too.
There have been some big-name players who suited up for the Birds. All-star slugger Pedro Guerrero was a Canary in 1993 and 1994. Steve Howe, a talented but tragically addicted and doomed lefty reliever, made Sioux Falls his final stop in 1997.
I got to know and like Steve in Whitefish, Mont., after he retired. He played softball after retiring from baseball and, like Powell, gave it his all even when competing with bankers, ranchers and editors. It’s a damned shame his demons ended his career, and life, far too soon.
One more big name who wore a Canaries cap was Pat Mahomes, a hard-throwing righty who pitched for the Minnesota Twins and five other big-league teams. Mahomes was a key member of the Sioux Falls roster from 2007-09, and played a vital role in the 2008 title season.
His sons served as bat boys and shagged fly balls in the outfield. Their names are Jackson and Patrick. You might recognize Patrick Mahomes, who was a talented baseball player who chose football for a career.
I have attended minor league games in Reno, Portland, Missoula, Mont., Omaha and Sioux Falls. It’s an affordable way to get my baseball fix, and the players are talented and play hard.
If you live near a team, and there are 360 minor league, rookie league and independent league teams, go to a game next season. I know Spearfish fans have enjoyed watching the Sasquatch play the last few summers.
If your team is still playing, root them on as they chase a championship this fall. That’s our plan.
Let’s go Canaries!
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: Canaries slugger Jabari Henry has been a powerful force for the team for several years. He hopes to lead them to an American Association title. Photo by Tom Lawrence
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