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Five Themes of Geography: Regions Regionalism and Minor League Baseball Franchises Ezra Zeitler | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | Department of Geography & Anthropology

Purpose: This exercise applies concept of regions to the geographic arrangement of North American cities with Minor League Baseball teams in 2011. As a result of completing this exercise, students will be more familiar with the three types of regions (formal, functional, and vernacular) and the role they play in the organization and structure of Minor League Baseball. Supplies: To complete this exercise, students will need a pen or pencil, a, scissors, and a calculator. Data: Primary data for this exercise was obtained from Minor League Baseball Online, Baseball Reference Online, and the websites of individual Minor League Baseball franchises. Data analysis required to design this exercise was completed by the author. Part A: Major League and Minor League Baseball Teams and Formal Regions Formal Regions have recognized boundaries and are defined by a uniform characteristic. Formal regions can be distinguished by their physical or human attributes. Examples include topography (Rocky Mountains), watersheds (Mississippi River watershed), biomes (Mojave Desert), economic features (Corn Belt), political definitions (Florida or the City of Denver), and cultural patterns (Mormon cultural region). A map on page 2 uses physical features to define ten formal North American regions. Use the map to determine the number of Major League and Minor League Baseball teams that are located in each region. After doing so, calculate the percentage of the total number of Major and Minor League teams in each region.

Formal Region Number of Major League Baseball

Teams

Percent of all Major League

Teams

Number of Minor League Baseball

Teams

Percent of all Minor League

Teams

Appalachian Upland

Atlantic Coastal Plain

Canadian Shield

Central Lowlands

Great Lakes

Great Plains

Gulf Coastal Plain

Intermountain West

Pacific Coast Mountains

Rocky Mountains List the regions that have greater than 2% more List the regions that have greater than 2% more Major League than Minor League teams below: Minor League than Major League teams below: 1. 2. 1. 2. Provide two explanations why regions may have significantly more Minor League or Minor League teams. 1. 2.

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Part B: Functional Regions of Minor League Baseball: The Power of Television Functional regions are defined by the connections and relationships between places. Activities that define functional regions are often in a hierarchical structure, with one or two places (usually with a large population) acting as centers of power over other places with smaller populations. Examples include the distribution area of the local newspaper and the organization of bank locations in a region (a centralized location in a large city addresses the needs of branches in smaller cities nearby). A surge in the number of regional sports networks since the late 1990s has increased revenues for Major League Baseball franchises, and since 1998 a number of them have severed ties with Minor League franchises located outside their television market to affiliate with franchises located within them. These strategic connections streamline marketing campaigns by reducing the number of out-of-market media outlets, facilitate ease of movement between the parent franchises with their Minor League affiliates, and build upon a growing Minor League fan base that identifies with and roots for the parent Major League team. The maps below depict the locations of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia’s Minor League affiliates in 1998 and 2011. The maps also show the Major League Baseball television markets – functional regions – where their games are broadcasted on regional sports networks. Use the maps to document the change in the number of Minor League affiliates in and outside television markets between 1998 and 2011.

Team # of Minor League affiliates in 1998 TV market

# of Minor League affiliates outside 1998 TV market

# of Minor League affiliates in 2011 TV market

# of Minor League affiliates outside 2011 TV market

Cleveland

Pittsburgh

Philadelphia

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Part C: The Vernacular Regions of Minor League Baseball Team Nicknames Unlike formal and functional regions, vernacular regions are more loosely defined. Vernacular regions are based on perceptions and common acceptance rather than official boundaries or criteria. Regions like the American South, Midwest, and West conjure various images in one’s mind, and a person’s experiences and knowledge of these places can play a significant role in delineating them. Cultural variables like religion, dialects, and cuisine often weigh heavily in determining the boundaries of vernacular regions. The map on page 6 contains team nickname labels in the location of all 160 Minor League Baseball teams in 2011. Your task is to examine the nicknames and create your own vernacular regions of Minor League Baseball that are based on nickname similarity. Be creative with your regions and their names, and use the appendix on page 7 to learn the meaning for a team’s nickname if you are not familiar with it. List the names and brief descriptions (location and basis) of your vernacular regions below. Name Description ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

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Team Name Explanation 51s Area 51 (mascot is an extraterrestrial alien) 66ers Route 66, famous highway Aces Playing card Aeros Aeronautical engineering Aqua Sox "Sox" is a traditional name in baseball; area get a lot of rain, mascot is a frog Astros derived from Houston Astros Barons Nobility Bats Baseball bats, mascot is a bat (mammal) Bay Bears Located on Mobile Bay Bay Sox Located on Chesapeake Bay Bears Mammal Bees Insect Biscuits Flour biscuit Bison Mammal Blaze Hot temperature Blue Claws Crustacean Blue Jays Bird Blue Rocks Nickname for Pennsylvania Bluestone Braves Indigenous warrior Brewers Makers of drinks Bulls Male cow Canadians Person from Canada Captains Leader of a boat or ship Cardinals Bird Chiefs Fire Chief (Peoria, Illinois) Chiefs Railroad Chief (Syracuse, New York) Chukars Bird Clippers Type of ship sailed by Christopher Columbus Cougars Mammal Crawdads Crustacean Crosscutters Saws Cubs Infant to adolescent-aged bear Curve Famous curve in railroad track Cyclones Famous rollercoaster Dash Host city, Winston-Salem, includes a dash in the name Doubledays Abner Doubleday, inventor of baseball Dragons Mythological mammal Drillers Oil drillers Drive Driving an automobile Dust Devils Dry weather cyclones Emeralds Color of local landscape (dark green) Express Nickname for Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan's pitches Fischer Cats Mammal Flying Squirrels Mammal Flying Tigers Nickname of 1st American Volunteer Group of Chinese Air Force in WWII Generals Military leader Ghosts Ghost towns Giants Tall people Grasshoppers Insect Green Jackets Prize for winning Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Course Grizzlies Bear; mammal Hammerheads Shark; fish Hawks Bird Hill Cats Cat that lives in the hills (mascot is a bobcat) Hooks Instrument for catching fish

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Team Name Explanation Hot Rods Nickname for fast cars Indians Generalized name for the Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere Intimidators Nickname for Dale Earnhardt, stock car driver Iron Birds Cal "Ironman" Ripken, Jr. and affiliation with Baltimore Orioles Iron Pigs Pig iron, a product of steel manufacturing process Isotopes Atoms of a specific chemical element Jammers People who stomp grapes to make wine Jet Hawks Aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base Kernels Individual pieces of corn Keys Francis Scott Key, composer of the Star Spangled Banner Knights Medieval warriors Lake Monsters Mythological monster in Lake Champlain Legends Baseball players of early 20th century Lookouts Lookout Mountain, site of Civil War battle Loons Bird Lugnuts Car parts Lumber Kings Lumber magnates Manatees Marine mammal Marauders Pirates Mariners People who work on boats Mavericks Adolescent cows Mets Derived from New York Mets Miracle Special occasion Missions Spanish colonial era church Muck Dogs Nickname for dogs who live in swamps Mud Hens Nickname for birds who live in shoreline marshes Mudcats Nickname for catfish Mustangs Wild horses Nationals Derived from Washington, DC Nationals Naturals Beautiful natural scenery Nuts Food Osprey Bird Owls Bird Padres Spanish for "Fathers," leader of Catholic parishes Pelicans Marine bird Phillies Derived from Philadelphia Phillies Ports Place for ocean going ships to dock Power Electricity Quakes Earthquakes Rainiers Mt. Rainier Raptors Dinosaur Rawhide Animal skin that has not been tanned Rays Derived from Tampa Bay Rays (fish) Red Hawks Bird Red Sox Derived from Boston Red Sox Red Wings Bird Red Birds Nickname for Cardinal (bird) Renegades Mischievous persons (raccoon is mascot) River Bandits Thieves who perform their trade on a river River Rats Rats that live along river River Dogs Dogs that live along river Rock Cats Cats that love Rock 'n Roll Rock Hounds People who explore for oil Rough Riders Nickname for horse riders Royals Derived from Kansas City Royals

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Team Name Explanation Sand Gnats Insect Scrappers People that exist on little (mascot is a dog) Sea Dogs Nickname for seal (marine mammal) Sea Wolves Wolves that live along the sea Senators Politicians Shorebirds Birds that live on the shore Silver Hawks Bird Sky Sox "Sox" is a traditional name in baseball; area is high in elevation Smokies Smoky Mountains Snappers Snapping turtles Sounds Music Spikes Adolescent male deer Spinners Machines that load thread onto a spool Stars Distant suns Stone Crabs Crustacean Storm Dangerous weather Storm Chasers Chasers of dangerous weather Suns Local stars Threshers Shark; fish Thunder Sound associated with storms Tides Natural rise and decline of ocean Tigers Mammal Timber Rattlers Snake Tin Caps Named for pot that Johnny Appleseed wore on his head Tourists Vacationers Travelers Working and playing away from home, on the road Twins Derived from Minnesota Twins Valley Cats Cats that live in a valley (mascot is a cougar) Volcanoes Mountains that discharge magma Voyagers Colonial era fur traders White Sox Derived from Chicago White Sox White Caps Large wave on body of water Yankees Derived from New York Yankees Zephyrs Type of railroad locomotive