Nothing beats minor league prices for Cougars fans

You can't beat fun at the old ballpark.

Especially when a family can have that fun at the price it usually costs one person to see a ballgame at Wrigley Field.

That's where minor league baseball comes in.

After a fleeting taste of baseball at Wrigley Field, players, coaches, and, yes, even fans, all happily returned to Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva to watch the Kane County Cougars.

While the players might have noticed a huge difference in facilities and crowd numbers, the fans noticed a return to minor league prices.

"It's inexpensive and very close to home," said Kim Bimler, who has followed the Cougars since their first season in 1991. "It's family fun."

Bimler attended the game at Wrigley Field and said she goes to between eight and 10 games a year.

With today's costly gasoline prices and limited free time, the joys of baseball close to home are easy to understand. Perhaps that's why the Cougars just played host to their 8 millionth fan.

Concessions also are generally less expensive at Elfstrom Stadium, with bottled water selling for $3 compared to the $4 it costs at Wrigley Field. Just think of it this way: four bottles of water equals one gallon of gas.

The biggest difference, of course, comes in ticket prices.

For $12 a ticket, fans can sit in Cougar box seats right next to the field.

At Wrigley Field, those seats cost $70 on regular days. Maybe that's why die-hard Cougar fans say there's no place like home.