Without minors, Major League Baseball would run out of players and sad songs would all sound like marching-band tunes. Cheer on today's youth and tomorrow's pros with today's Groupon: for $16, you get four general-admission tickets to see the Asheville Tourists play the Greensboro Grasshoppers at McCormick Field (up to a $32 value). Choose from the following dates:

• Saturday, July 23 at 6:05 p.m.
• Sunday, July 24 at 2:05 p.m.
• Monday, July 25 at 7:05 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 26 at 7:05 p.m.

As a Minor League affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, the Asheville Tourists look to improve on last season's record with a roster poised for more orb clobbering, field prancing, and bag stomping. Kick up dusty cleats in a general-admission seat at McCormick Field and watch the Tourists take the leap out of the Greensboro Grasshoppers' springy limbs. The first 1,000 fans to enter the field on July 23 receive a free bobblehead figurine, and on July 24, fans can line up for an autograph session and a kids' run around the bases. On Monday nights, kids age 12 and younger receive a free meal from Acropolis Pizza, and players are treated to their customary favorite of sunflower seeds á la pine tar.