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That metaphorical cliché took on a whole new meaning last July when the Chicago Cubs hosted a Midwest League game at Wrigley Field.

The first-ever "Road to Wrigley" contest pitted the Cubs-affiliated Peoria Chiefs against the Kane County Cougars (A's), and a Midwest League-record crowd of 32,103 witnessed the event. While much has been written about what the game meant to the players, it was also a transformative experience for the Chiefs' front-office staff. The club's employees were given the chance to bring their Class A antics to a Major League environment -- in effect, showing Chicago how they play in Peoria.

The "Road to Wrigley" is part of a growing trend in professional baseball in which Minor League teams are given the opportunity to play a ballgame in the home of their parent club. In the Chiefs' case, the game was simply the result of one thing leading to another.

"It was something that we had brought up in staff meetings, but we never thought much would come of it," recalled Chiefs broadcast and media manager Nathan Baliva. "But we were in Chicago in January for the Cubs convention, and our president [Rocky Vonachen] ran into the Cubs director of Minor League development [Oneri Fleita] and said 'What do you think about this idea?'

"[Fleita] said it would be awesome, and the idea went up the chain from there. ... It was a pie-in-the-sky idea, and became reality. It's like when you're 16, and you know you're going to get a crappy car that was driven by 10 people before you -- so why not ask for a Mustang?"

The Cubs' dedication to the concept was exemplified by the fact that they gave the Chiefs' front office and game day staff free reign at the ballpark. As a result, Wrigley Field -- that most hallowed of baseball cathedrals - temporarily took on a circus-like atmosphere.

"We sent down our promo crew, our interns, our video camera operators, our mascot, pretty much everybody," said Baliva. "I did my pregame show right there on the field, and during the game we had dizzy bat races, Frisbees and water balloons. Birdzerk and the Zooperstars were there too. We just pretended like we were in Peoria on a Tuesday night."

Except that the crowd was 10 times larger, of course.

"We took along our sales staff and made them part of our promo crew for the night, because we had a whole lot of extra sections to cover," said Baliva. "When we're giving away t-shirts, we can usually hit anyone in the ballpark with a slingshot. That wasn't the case at Wrigley."

But perhaps the greatest benefit of playing to such a large crowd is its effect on the bottom line. The Cubs, like all Major League clubs, are responsible for handling the ticket sales for events that take place within their facility. But the Chiefs received a cut of the proceeds.

"The economic impact is outstanding," said Baliva. "It's great for us, and there was nothing going on for [the Cubs] otherwise, so it was big for them as well. Hopefully they'll keep doing this."

At the very least, they'll be doing it again in 2009. This year's "Road to Wrigley" game takes place Aug. 9, when the Iowa Cubs take on the Las Vegas 51s in a Pacific Coast League contest.

The Chiefs still will be playing in a Major League venue this season, though, taking on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Milwaukee's Miller Park. The April 24 contest, which will commemorate the Timber Rattlers' new affiliation with the Brewers, is the first Minor League game to be played in Milwaukee since 2004.

"The decision [to play in Miller Park] was a no-brainer," remarked Timber Rattlers president Rob Zerjav. "It's a great way to get exposure for our new relationship. We're located just 100 miles away [from Milwaukee], and we really want people to say 'Hey, that's our Class A affiliate now, let's go up there and check out a game.'" "The Brewers will be handling all of [the in-game entertainment]," said Zerjav. "They're ahead of the curve, with the racing sausages and all that kind of stuff. They're handling every facet of the game operations."

Nor do the Timber Rattlers stand to gain much financially.

"Basically, the Brewers are buying the game from us," said Zerjav. "They're taking the risk, and reaping the reward. We're being compensated for the revenue we lose; we looked at the numbers from the last five years and calculated our average on a Friday in April."

Still, the franchise would love to best the Midwest League record established by the Chiefs at Wrigley Field last season.

"It would be great, especially since I know [Chiefs president] Rocky Vonachen quite well," said Zerjav. "But we haven't made a bet on it; there's no cheese on the line. But who knows? Maybe Trevor Hoffman will be with us on a rehab assignment that day."

Another benefit of Minor League teams playing in Major League parks is that it gives fans an affordable option where one might not otherwise be available. The Red Sox's annual "Futures at Fenway" contest was started specifically for this reason, as Boston mayor Thomas Menino wanted to give fans the ability to see a game at Fenway without paying exorbitant prices. Tickets are as low as $5, while seats located atop the fabled Green Monster sell for $30.

"Futures at Fenway" is a non-traditional doubleheader in that it features two Red Sox affiliates. This year it will feature the Eastern League's Portland Sea Dogs in one game and the Pawtucket Red Sox in the other. Thus far, Red Sox affiliates have gone 6-0 at Fenway -- including three victories by the New York-Penn League's Lowell Spinners.

"In our case, it actually ends up costing a bit to play at Fenway," wrote Spinners general manager Tim Bawmann in an email. "We don't receive the same amount of ticket revenue and concession revenue that we would if we actually played in Lowell, but the exposure we receive is tenfold ahead of a normal home game. The game is also televised live on NESN prior to a Red Sox night game. The television exposure alone is magnificent."

And, of course, there are aspects of the experience that can't be reduced to dollars and cents.

"Over the past three years, I've traveled with the team on the bus to Fenway," wrote Bawmann. "Can you imagine? A short-season [Class] A ballclub pulling into the famed Fenway gates, the same gates such notable players as Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron have passed through. Can you say 'priceless?'"

Portland Sea Dogs assistant general manager Geoff Iacuessa echoed many of Bawmann's sentiments regarding Futures at Fenway, and he stressed how it's a "dream come true" for the front-office staff to work for a day at Fenway Park.

Unlike the players, however, many of these Minor League employees have no big league aspirations whatsoever.

"Working in the Major Leagues is very compartmentalized, and you pretty much have to do the same thing all day," said Iacuessa. "But down here, you get to do a little bit of everything. I definitely prefer working in the Minor Leagues."

Benjamin Hill is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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