Mark & Alan...Great pieces as always (love the coin proof especially!).
As Alan showed, it was common back in the day for MLB clubs to play their minor league affiliates in exhibition games...
Here is a signed program from May of 1998 when the Orioles played their Class A Level Delmarva Shorebirds....Ironically both Cal Ripken Jr. & Ryan Minor are pictured on the cover and just four months later, Minor would play third base in a game that ended Cal's consecutive game streak:
