Diamond dreams: minor-league baseball in the Central Valley is a big-time hit.(Classic West)(California's Visalia Oaks)(related article: The valley of baseball)

"This is a simple game," says the manager in the movie Bull Durham, distilling baseball to its essence. "You throw the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball."

It's a perspective that's easy to lose in a world where major-league ballparks have swimming pools and steam-locomotive replicas, hotels, and art galleries, where stadiums are named for banks and beers, tech companies, and Ted Turner. Pony up $50 million, and they might even name one after you. Even the minor leagues have gotten more gussied up with their scaled-down yet state-of-the-art throwback parks.…