Josh Pahigian publishes ESPN column on the best promotions in the bush leagues

Josh Pahigian, adjunct faculty member in the Department of English and Language Studies and a columnist for ESPN.com, published the first of a two-part ESPN SportsTravel series on the best promotions in the bush leagues on May 5, 2011.

Pahigian writes: "Sometimes a great promotion is born of extensive planning and is years in the making. Other times, front-office execs engage in a bit of outside-the-batter's-box thinking, then take a leap of faith that a fresh idea they've hit upon will evolve into a winner."

For example, the Lowell Spinners, as part of the New York-Penn League team's Independence Day celebration July 5, will attempt to shoot David "Cannonball" Smith Sr. out of the park. If successful, he would become the first person to be shot out of a minor league park via cannon. Read the column.

Pahigian is the author of seven baseball books, including 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out and The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip, which he co-authored with his friend Kevin O'Connell.