Thank You St. Cloud Rox For Another Awesome Summer [OPINION]

(NOTE: Granite City Sports is the radio home for the St. Cloud Rox. This is an opinion piece.)

Although the season ended a couple of games sooner than we would have liked, it was an amazing summer both on and off the field for the St. Cloud Rox.

On the field, the Rox had the best regular-season record in the Great Plains West Division and earned home field advantage in the playoffs. The team sent five players to the All Star Game and saw several players set franchise records.

Over 35 home games, the Rox drew nearly 55,000 fans to Joe Faber Field this year, one of the best marks in the league.

Off the field, it was another fun summer full of celebrity guests, fun contests and great giveaways. My kids really developed a love for the Rox, and the game of baseball, because of how much fun they have at Faber Field every time they go to a game!

My favorite game this season was Father's Day, where the Rox gave us a chance to play catch on Joe Faber Field. Yes, I am an adult and yes, I have been to probably 200 games at Joe Faber Field... but it was still awesome!

My kids and I also really enjoyed the annual day game! They enjoy the different energy that is in the stadium when it's packed full of kids!

Blanket Night was probably my older son's favorite night, which I chronicled HERE. Blanket night was a bigger hit than I had anticipated, but the Rox got the long line into the stadium very quickly.

Other highlights this season included meeting the Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase; lots of fireworks nights, Tyler's Amazing Balancing Act (is that an ironing board, dad?) and, of course, lots of autographs from Chisel.

It took all season, but at the final game of the year a MoonDogs player tossed one of my kids a ball! It is now proudly displayed on his shelf and is not allowed to be handled without permission.

As someone who is passionate about baseball, I really appreciate having the Rox in our backyard to help my kids develop the same love for the game that I have. I cannot tell you how many times they asked to play catch if not at the game itself, certainly by the time we got home!

While the Twins continue to make headlines for the wrong reasons, baseball is alive and well in central Minnesota thanks to our local Northwoods League team. We are already looking forward to next year!