Minor League teams are known for the creativity of their gameday promotions. On Tuesdays this season, we preview the most intriguing for the week ahead. If you'd like a particular promotion to be considered for this feature in the future, please send it to [email protected] with the subject line: "Promo Preview" or send a Tweet  to @bensbiz, hashtag "#promopreview."

When the United States Women's National Team raised its third World Cup trophy July 5, they did so with a talented roster of performers who played at elite levels in high school and college and continued their dreams professionally both in the United States and elsewhere. It may never have been possible without baseball pioneers 70 years earlier.

This Saturday, the Bowie Baysox will pay tribute to some of the nation's athletic trailblazers when they host their annual Women in Sports event at Prince George's Stadium.

After putting together a Negro Leagues tribute for years, Bowie assistant general manager Phil Wrye came upon a realization:

"I decided that the ladies have never really gotten their due," he said. "A lot of teams have done Negro League tributes, but nobody really had ever done a women in baseball or tribute to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League."

Wrye decided to change that. From 1943-54, beginning when America was embroiled in the depths of World War II, the AAGPBL provided a different brand of baseball for Americans badly in need of entertainment in a stressful time for the nation and world. With the number of living AAGPBL veterans dwindling every year, the Baysox have welcomed members of the league to Bowie to share their stories with fans, and the event hasn't stopped there.

"Over the past couple years, we've actually grown it into a women in sports event," Wrye said. "The primary thing is honoring the All-American Girls players and the league and those who have played in it as the marquee pieces of it, but we've also reached out to dozens of women's sports organizations in our region and invited them to take part."

The Baysox have been joined by female football players, hockey players, members of the Eastern Women's Baseball Conference, and stars like Paralympian Jessica Long

"I'm under the firm belief that the AAGPBL women were pioneers for what we know as Title IX today and women's athletics," Wrye said. "They were playing professional baseball before there was a thing for women to play."

This year four former AAGPBL players will join the Baysox for the event: Ruth Hartman (nee Kramer), Sarah "Salty" Ferguson (Sands), Joanne McComb and Virginia Manina (Ventura). Wrye and the Baysox hope their legacy will continue to inspire future generations in an era that's already as exciting as any for women's sports.

"Watching that 7- or 8-year-old girl in line talking to her parents about, 'Who are these ladies?'" Wrye recalled. "I remember some of the comments [in the early seasons of the promotion] were, 'These ladies are the reason why you get to play sports today.'"

Best of the Rest

Lake Elsinore Storm (California League)
Donut Tread on Us, July 15
The world continued to pretend that things teenage pop stars do actually matter when there was a collective international freakout at Ariana Grande licking doughnuts and then kissing her bandanna-clad "manpanion" last week. The Lake Elsinore Storm won't stand for those shenanigans. Grande licked multiple doughnuts placed on a doughnut shop's counter, then proceeded to say on video, "I hate Americans; I hate America," in apparent reference to the nation's obesity problem. Again, she dropped that intellectual gem after licking a doughnut that she had not purchased, but that's neither here nor there. The Storm will host a night in support of Lake Elsinore-area Wolfee Donuts where the national nightmare occurred. The first 1,000 fans will receive a doughnut ("unlicked" according to the team's press release) from Wolfee, and fans who bring a Wolfee receipt or donate any Grande merchandise will receive a ticket for $5.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Midwest League)
Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary, July 16
We live in a Minor League world full of tributes to the Back to the Future, Star Wars and Jurassic Park movies, but not quite as many teams have gone the route of honoring video games as they have cinematic adventures. The Fort Wayne TinCaps will dive into that 8-bit world with special music, videos and more. There is a gauntlet to be thrown down here: a team needs to get actors Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper to a game to honor the terrible 1993 live-action Mario movie.

Fresno Grizzlies (Pacific Coast League)
Nolan Ryan Retro Jersey Giveaway, July 18
The Fresno Grizzlies have embraced their new affiliation with the Astros full-bore and will harken back to some early Houston glory days with a giveaway of the famed "Tequila Sunrise" jerseys to the first 1,500 fans. Fresno will also take the field that night in similarly styled jerseys boasting "Grizz" across the chest. Those tops will be available to fans in a silent auction to take place during the game.

Brooklyn Cyclones (New York-Penn League)
Impractical Jokers appearance, July 19
The stars of truTV's practical joke masterpiece will be on hand when the Brooklyn Cyclones clash with the Vermont Lake Monsters. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead of one of the four longtime friends and cast members -- Sal, Joe, Q and Murr -- and a host of quartet-inspired events will take place throughout the night, including the opportunity to get temporary tattoos (unlike the real ones Joe picked out for the other three on an episode of the show) and a "Nose Ninja Fan Cam" in which fans attempt to put their nose on unsuspecting patrons around them a la another classic Impractical Jokers gag.

Quick Hits

July 16: Have you been wondering what former National League All-Star Ryan Klesko has been up to lately? You can ask him yourself when the longtime Braves and Padres star visits the Carolina Mudcats at Five County Stadium.

July 17: Similarly, have you been wondering what Naughty by Nature has been up to lately? (If you answered yes to both of these, you should probably put away your Beanie Babies and hop out of the '90s.) The Clearwater Threshers will be hosting an "Old School postgame concert" featuring Infinite Skillz plus Treach and Kay Gee from Naughty By Nature.

July 18: If anyone in baseball looks like he inspired the garden gnome giveaway trend, it's probably Tommy Lasorda. The Tulsa Drillers will pay tribute to the legendary Dodgers -- and 2000 Olympic gold-medal winning -- manager with a gnome in his already gnomey likeness. (True story: Lasorda once almost ran me over while driving a golf cart at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. That has nothing to do with this -- just an aside.)

July 19: The Baysox are back with a bobblehead giveaway of Baltimore native Babe Ruth. Extra props to Bowie for featuring the Bambino in his 1914 Baltimore Orioles uniform -- back when the O's were a Double-A club.

July 20: Even within the Zooperstars-infused Minor Leagues, there's still room for a traveling classic. The Vancouver Canadians will host the bird who laid the groundwork for all of them when they welcome the Famous Chicken north of the border.

July 21: Named a National League All-Star this year, Joe Panik gets his own promotion when the Richmond Flying Squirrels honor their 2013 second baseman. The first 1,500 fans through the gates will receive a "Panik Button", and all fans of the Giants affiliate will get a chance to check out the World Series trophy, which will be on display.