Sorry I'm so late to respond to this thread.

I became a Phillies fan when I was young because it made sense geographically and my brother was a Pirates fan. The intrastate rivalry was very heated in the 70's as they battled each other for the NL East title most seasons.

I too am a big fan of minor league baseball, particularly our local Double A affiliate of the Nationals. They won 4 consecutive Eastern League Championships in the 90's.

My highlight was the deciding game of a championship series game against the Yankees affiliate, which was Norwich then. Our Harrisburg team trailed by four with two out and the bases loaded. An infield single brought us to within three, and then with two out, Milton Bradley lined a 3-2 pitch over the right field wall to win the series. Players for Norwich that game included Nick Johnson, Marcus Thames and Alfonso Soriano.

I've also seen Jeter, Bonds, Garciaparra, Rolen, Ryan Howard, Justin Morneau, Deion Sanders and Andy Pettite play at this level.

The minor league experience brings you in close touch with the players. Because my family and I went to many of the games and my kids would hang out near the dugouts, we got to know quite a few of the ball players. Now when we go to major league games, guys like Michael Barrett, Vladimir Guerrerro, Jamey Carroll or Cliff Floyd will stop to say hello during batting practice.