Braves minor league baseball in Mississippi...YES!

The Atlanta Braves' Double-A squad lost their eighth game in 11 tries Monday night. But why doesn't that matter? Because they made their home debut at their new ballpark in Pearl, Miss. Minor league baseball is finally back in the Magnolia State, and the icing on the cake is the fact that these guys are one breakout season away from jumping to Turner Field.

This is also great for the state of Mississippi. The Braves' only rival among the state's major league baseball fans is the Cardinals, and we already have their Triple-A team in Memphis. Perhaps Oxford's location only an hour from Memphis and a little over two hours from Pearl makes it the perfect place to live if you can't have a major league park nearby.

Also note that the M-Braves' designated hitter is Michael Rosamond. Sound familiar? It's probably because not too long ago the Madison native was launching baseballs out of Swayze Field at Ole Miss.

Don't expect this club to fold anytime soon, either, as previous minor league teams in the Mets and Astros' systems have done over at Smith Wills Stadium downtown. The M-Braves are locked into their contract at Trustmark Park for 20 years, and the Braves' fan base in Mississippi is strong enough to keep the turnstiles turning.