Results tagged ‘ Sacramento River Cats ’
Putting the Fun in Philanthrofunphy
From 50-50 raffles to jersey auctions to rappelling mascots, Minor League teams are well-versed in the art of raising money for charity. And, lately, some teams have taken their philanthropic endeavors in bold new directions.
Take the Sacramento River Cats — please — who last month announced that they will issue a $1 fine to anyone who spells their name incorrectly:
You’ve been warned: the moniker “River Cats” is comprised of two words, with a capital “R” and a capital “C.” Effective immediately, all members of the local and national media, River Cats corporate partners, full- or part-time River Cats staff, and season, flex, and mini-plan ticket holders will be fined $1 for spelling “River Cats” incorrectly.
All money collected will go to the River Cats Foundation, which has contributed more than $1.5 million in cash and $16.2 million in in-kind donations to the greater Sacramento community since 2000.
This despite the fact that the team’s Twitter handle is @rivercats — no underscore! — and their logo doesn’t really make a point of separating “River” and “Cats.”
The River Cats’ initiative brings up a larger issue, in that there is a complete lack of uniformity when it comes to Minor League monikers. The Charleston RiverDogs do not use a space between River and Dogs, for example, while the Delmarva Shorebirds go the one word, no caps route. The Minor Leagues are a grammatical minefield, their team names as unregulated as a 19th century western territory brothel.
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Another unique fundraising effort comes courtesy of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, who partnered with outbid.com in order to host a live online auction featuring team owner Donald Moore as auctioneer.
Outbid is said to “combine the theater and transparency of live online auctions with social gaming features,” and its existence means that we are all one step closer to living in a Utopian society. Items that the Grasshoppers auctioned off included team-autographed baseballs, a night in a 24-person ballpark suite and, best of all, an autographed Willie Nelson jersey.
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Finally, we turn our attention to the Lancaster JetHawks (who, it should be noted, recently had to postpone one of their games due to a haboob).
The JetHawks won the California League championship last season, and now fans are being given the chance to get a ring.
Swiped from the press release:
The Lancaster JetHawks have partnered with two local little leagues to host a special raffle giving two individuals the opportunity to win an authentic customized 2012 California League Championship Ring. Proceeds from the raffle will be donated to West Lancaster and Quartz Hill Little Leagues.
Raffle tickets are on sale now and will be sold through June 10. Tickets will be available for $5 each, or five for $20….The winning raffle tickets will be drawn just prior to the JetHawks game on June 12. The two winners will receive custom-made rings personalized with their own last name during a special pre-game ceremony that will take place at a JetHawks game in late August.
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And that shall conclude this blogging week, which was admittedly a light one. And when things are light on the blog it’s always a good bet that they’re correspondingly heavy over on MiLB.com Head to the site for Promo Preview, an Opening Weekend Crooked Numbers column, and three — count ‘em three — pieces of content related to 42.
I do it all for you, as “you” is what I have nicknamed my paycheck.
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
2013 Promotions: 10 Alliterative Bobblehead Giveaways
There are few, if any, things that I like more in this world than the sound repetition device that is alliteration. Examples of it abound here on (ahem) Ben’s Biz Blog, perhaps my favorite being a post titled “Charlie Crist Cancellation Causes Costumed Crustacean Candidacy.” I should have retired immediately after writing that.
But, no, here I remain. My personal predilection for alliteration has led me to peruse 2013 promo schedules for examples of it in bobblehead form, because what better way could an able-bodied 34-year-old man possibly make use of his time?
1. Bowie Baysox — Jim Johnson, July 22
The Bowie Baysox have the honor of leading this post, for they are the only alliteratively-named team giving away an alliterative bobblehead. Their honoree is Bowie-turned-Baltimore pitcher Jim Johnson, who was born in June in the town of Johnson City.
And would you believe in that in addition to the Jim Johnson bobblehead, July 22nd is also “Mutt Monday” at the ballpark? And that the Baysox are playing the Akron Aeros? It’s almost too much too take.
The Gwinnett Braves also get a very special mention in this post, as they are the only team with TWO alliterative bobbleheads on the promo calendar.
2. Gwinnett Braves — Brandon Beachy (April 6) and Freddie Freeman (May 18)
Yes, a Brandon Beachy Braves Bobblehead! It boggles the brain!
And now the rest!
3. Richmond Flying Squirrels — Brandons Bobblehead (Belt and Crawford), April 5
This bobblehead is doubly alliterative in that not only is it a Brandon Bobblehead, but one of the Brandons is Brandon Belt. A Brandon Beachy Braves Bobblehead followed by Brandon Belt, right here on Ben’s Biz Blog. My life’s work is nearly complete.
4. Rome Braves — Henry the Hot Dog, April 20
Will Henry come covered in condiments?
5. Frederick Keys — Manny Machado, May 11
This May a multitude of Manny fans, many men and maybe many more women, will flock to Frederick in order celebrate Monsieur Machado’s manifold splendor.
6. Reno Aces — Brett Butler, May 25
A bounteous booty of Brett Butler bobbleheads bestowed upon Reno’s resplendent residents as a means of creative championship commemoration.
7. Sacramento RiverCats — Chris Carter, June 23
Chris Carter, a Californian, consecrated by the ‘Cats. Cool.
8. Harrisburg Senators — Stephen Strasburg, July 15
It’s Military Monday and the bobblehead is mini. Stephen Strasburg’s scintillating skill set stays sky-high.
9. Clinton LumberKings — Mitch Moreland, August 3
Mitch Moreland matriculated at Mississippi.
10. Memphis Rebirds — BBQ Bobblehead, August 16
Memphis is mum regarding the scintillating specifics of this “BBQ Bobblehead,” but what we do know is that it is taking place during a “Fred’s Family Friday” promotion.
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My work here is done.
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
Something For Everyone
Lots of flotsam and jetsam has piled up on the shores of Ben’s Biz Blog remote island headquarters, and the only way to deal with such excess detritus is by accumulating it into a tidy pile.
Nice to get a belabored analogy out of the way so early. Let’s go to the info!
First of all, a pair of Pacific Coast League announcers are on the cusp of celebrating significant milestones. Tonight in Des Moines, Deene Ehlis will call his 3000th game for the Iowa Cubs. The broadcast will also be notable in that it’ll include an interview with Indianapolis Colts receiver (and University of Iowa alum) Dallas Clark, who has been immortalized by the I-Cubs in bobblehead form.
Then on Tuesday, Steve Klauke of the Salt Lake Bees call his 2500th contest:
Klauke joins legendary Utah Jazz broadcaster Hot Rod Hundley (2,645) as the only two play-by-play broadcasters to call 2,500 games with one Utah team. He also becomes just the fourth current Pacific Coast League team broadcaster to reach the 2,500 games-called mark with one PCL team. Currently in his 18th season with the Bees, Klauke can be heard live on 1320 KFAN and at slbees.com.
Klauke will be recognized during a pregame presentation on Tuesday, April 26, while audio highlights of his more notable calls will be played throughout the game.
Trivia Question! Who are the other two current PCL broadcasters to have called at least 2500 games? The first person to email me with the correct response will get to contribute 150 words to a future blog post on whatever topic they choose (must be family friendly, of course). benjamin.hill@mlb.com
Since we’re on the topic of the PCL , it is well worth pointing out that the Fresno Grizzlies are staging a Saturday night tribute to severely (and senselessly) injured San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow.
Fans can purchase a Super View ticket and special Bryan Stow bracelet for $15, with $10 going directly to The Bryan Stow Fund, established to support Bryan and his family. Stow is a paramedic with American Medical Response and works games for the San Francisco’s Single-A affiliate, the San Jose Giants, at Municipal Stadium.
As you’ll recall, the aforementioned San Jose ballclub is dedicating the month of April to Stow.
I might as well stay with the PCL, as yesterday Sacramento and Reno upped the stakes of their rivalry via a bet between each city’s classic car museum. Typical, right?
The annual season series between the Reno Aces and the Sacramento River Cats will take on new significance in 2011, as the two host cities’ auto museums will face off in a high profile wager based on the overall winner of the season series. Reno’s very own National Automobile Museum will put up the 1949 Mercury that James Dean drove in “Rebel Without a Cause,” while Sacramento’s California Auto Museum will put up a 1932 Ford raced by driving legend AJ Foyt.
The RiverCats have owned the Aces as of late. Reno’s win on 4/19 snapped a 12-game losing streak against Sacramento, with their previous victory having come exactly a year previous. (My knowledge truly knows no boundaries, a fact that I’ll tell myself many times over tonight while sitting in an easy chair and drinking whiskey in a darkened living room.)
But anyway, can you believe that I’ve made it this far before featuring a new food item that laughs in the face of death? What follows is the Lancaster JetHawks’ new “Heart-Stopper” a limited time only delicacy consisting of a hot dog on biscuits, smothered in sausage gravy, cheese, and bacon.
I actually think this one looks pretty good! If only concession items could safely and sensibly be sent via the United States post office…
Until that day arrives, I’ll be amusing myself with humorous videos. This one, featuring the clumsy ball-handling skills of Durham Bulls hurler Mike Ekstrom, is a must-see instant classic.
That’s going to close out the week for me. But before I go, may I direct your attention to my latest “Farm’s Almanac” piece on MiLB.com? Professor Joe Price is singing the National Anthem at over 100+ ballparks this summer, and he’s truly a man on a mission. From the story:
“I always love for people to join in, and for the anthem to be sung together regardless of political orientation,” said Price. “This can, potentially, be everyone’s national anthem. And as a result it can bridge the gap between the Tea Party and liberals, between hawks and doves. Because, even though it is a wartime song, it was written as a celebration of freedom. The preservation of our freedoms is what lies at the heart of it.”
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
A Quartet of Gastronomical Pursuits
When it comes to covering concessions, I make no concessions. I will scour the furthest reaches of the internet in search of Minor League food news, so that you may read about it within the comfort and safety of this blog.
Here are four items of interest, which, taken together, amply illustrate the democratic ideals that are at the heart of the Minor League Baseball experience.
West Michigan Whitecaps Want Ideas! For the second straight year, the Whitecaps are asking fans to suggest new Fifth Third Ballpark menu items.In 2010, this endeavor yielded the Yooper sandiwch as well as the spectacularly-named Declaration of Indigestion:
Sez the team: The food idea submissions will be whittled down to approximately 10 finalists, and starting February 22 fans will be able to vote for their choice on the new 2011 concessions items. Voting will take place on the Whitecaps website, whitecapsbaseball.com, and will end March 4. The winning entry will be on the menu for all fans to enjoy.
Clash of the Concessions in Durham: The Durham Bulls are offering fans the chance to
“create, select, and win” a new food item to be served at the ballpark in 2011.
Sez the team: Clash of the Concessions will allow fans to submit their ideas or recipes from now until February 18th for a new food item at the DBAP for the 2011 season. The Bulls will select the three best ideas, then make them available for the fans to sample and vote on at Fanfest on March 4th and 5th at the ballpark. The winning submission will become the new featured item at the ballpark this summer and the person who made the submission will win a season’s worth of the new food item!
The press release doesn’t specify what constitutes a “season’s worth”, however. My guess is that the Bulls will use the highly complex formula of 1×72, in which one represents the food item and 72 represents the number of home games on the schedule.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans Want ‘Home Run Recipes: The Pelicans have announced a contest that will be overseen by food and beverage director Brad Leininger, who “is inviting his colleagues to submit recipes that would appeal to
baseball fans. The dishes much be quick and easy to prepare and simple for hungry Pelicans fans to consume while sitting in a stadium seat. Recipes that exhibit regional flair are encouraged.”
Leininger will select five finalists, who will then go head-to-head at a competition held at the stadium. The winner receives Pelicans tickets and merchandise, as well as advertising in prominent local news publications.
My suggestion would be a deep-fried hard-boiled egg:
jam-packed promo schedule yesterday, and to my eyes June 11′s “Celebrity Chef Night” was the one that stood out. Details are scant at this point, but the team does note that “Celebrity Chefs will take over a concession stand.”My guess is that this night will be part of an emerging trend in 2011, one inspired by the Frederick Keys quite amazing “Volt Night” last season.
Got a lead on interesting 2011 concession items? Drop me a virtual line:
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
The Mysteries of the Minors
Last year the State College Spikes staged their inaugural “Mystery at the Ballpark”, one of the most inventive (and absurd) promotions of the year. The team produced a series of short videos that aired on the videoboard throughout the evening, each one providing a clue in the mystery of “Who Stole Ike’s Hat?” (Ike being the Spikes mascot).
On July 28, the Spikes staged yet another “Mystery at the Ballpark.” GM Jason Dambach writes that “this year’s mystery involved the Nittany Bank Nookie Monster, who is trying to find out who stole his milk and cookies (each night at the end of the seventh inning we have a Nookie Monster Milk and Cookies special for $1). The videos played throughout our game, and fans who successfully followed the clues and solved the mystery got to turn in their guess to win tickets to a future game.”
To whet your appetite for this stirring saga of dairy product and dessert thievery, I now present parts one, two, and three of 2010′s “Mystery at the Ballpark”:
A Shocking Discovery
False Alarm
Rough Interrogation Techniques
There’s no going back now! Watch the rest of this gripping saga HERE.
But State College isn’t the only locale in which trouble has been a brewin’. In Sacramento, River Cats mascot Dinger (aka “Sam Spayed”) is hot on the trail of his arch-nemesis Mascot Von Mascot.
Much is at stake here, as Mascot Von Mascot has stolen the magical Rally Pants regularly worn by reliever Brad Kilby.
Here are Kilby and the pants, in happier times:
Tin Caps broadcaster (and expert blogger) Dan “Elementary, My Dear” Watson reports that during July 24th’s ballgame, Burlington Bees outfielder Hilton Richardson was mysteriously replaced in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The reason became clear two innings later, when axe-wielding firemen walked onto the field and into the Bees dugout. Their mission? To rescue Richardson, who had gotten trapped in the bathroom. The rescue operation resulted in significant damage to the offending door:
From “The Watson Files“:
When they finally got the door open, Richardson was standing there, done for the night
, propped against the sink, arms folded, soaked in sweat (it was humid and the heat index was about 102 at game time), thoroughly disgusted with life.
And that’s the story of how the bathroom at Parkview Field is a home-field advantage.
Thanksto Watson for sharing this anecdote, as it ends a three-year lull in the always-entertaining sub-genre of “Minor League Player Gets Locked in Bathroom” (lest we forget, Matt Elliot’s 2007 restroom entrapment was featured in the New York Times).
The final mystery that I’ll mention this afternoon involves this very blog post, as my humorous closing sentence has gone missing.
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
A Promotion Worth its (Veruca) Salt
It is laid out in the Ben’s Biz Blog constitution (email me if you would like to review a copy of this hallowed document) that any Minor League promotion that can be described as “Willy Wonka-esque” will receive coverage. Therefore, I am now obligated to highlight one of the Sacramento River Cats‘ most recent publicity-seeking endeavors.
Throughout the past week, the River Cats have distributed 500 bags of peanuts throughout the Sacramento area. Within one of these complimentary parcels of salted legumes is the highly sought-after “Golden Ticket”, which can be redeemed for 2008 River Cats season tickets.
Hopefully, this “Golden Ticket” will end up in the hands of a deserving individual, much like Charlie was eventually awarded the titular chocolate factory in Roald Dahl’s beloved book. Stay tuned…
Promotion of the Day
Well, this isn’t so much a promotion as a flat-out “event”, but the Northwest Arkansas
Naturals play their first home game tonight (weather permitting). Fans will receive special commemorative tickets as they enter Arvest Ballpark, and the likes of George Brett, Arkansas governor Mike Beebe, and Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle will be in attendance. Three skydivers are slated to deliver Texas League Baseballs to the umpiring crew, and an F-16 flyover will occur just after recording artist Joe Nichols finishes singing the national anthem.
And then there will be a ballgame! Welcome to the world of Double-A Baseball, Northwest Arkansas. I hope you enjoy it watching it as much as I enjoy writing about it from 1500 miles away.
BensBiz
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