Yankees!

In the interest of full disclosure, two years ago, I attempted to attend a game at the old Yankee Stadium for the last time.  I couldn’t get tickets that day, and because of the way the staff treated me and the person I was with, I vowed to hate the Yankees forever.

Forever is a long time.

After leaving baseball in July, I re-connected with a friend who now works for the Brox Bombers and he invited me to attend a game in New York.  I decided to make it a long weekend, connected with a friend who works for the Mets and got to see two great new stadiums in one weekend.  The tours were fantastic and the features of the great cathedrals of baseball were truly amazing.

When the Yankees won the world series two nights ago, I found myself excited for their 27th title – the most in all of professional sports – and then the critics started in on how they came to be the world champions again.

“They bought it so it’s tainted,” said one sports broadcaster.

That was the theme of the day, and I have some observations.

1.  They are playing under the same rules as everyone else.  They happen to be the most storied franchise and a place where the best talent in baseball wants to play because they know they will be given the opportunity to play for a championship.  They also happen to have a number of revenue streams that are vastly different from the revenue streams that say the San Diego Padres have – but don’t blame them for being in the top baseball market in the country.

2.  They have been trying to “buy” that same championship for the past nine seasons.  While payroll does play a significant role in a teams ability to win, it’s not the only factor, and they still have to go out and play the game.

3.  Just for the record, I don’t blame ARod for taking a large payday and leaving the Mariners.  It’s not his fault that someone offered him 10 times the amount of money to do what he does for a living.  Any one of you would do the same, so don’t pretend that you wouldn’t.

Congrats to the Yankees and their entire front office.  Thanks to Mark for a great time this last Summer during some much needed time off.

 

How Art Imitates Life

 

The overriding theme – what goes around, comes around.  and it’s coming around.

PART 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzR9lTuzVjY

PART 2 – coming soon…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlXZwFKDxSo

 

Return of Hockey To The Quad Cities

I admit it, I got caught up in the excitement of opening night for hockey in the Quad Cities.

I attended last nights Mallards home opener with my son, and we had a fantastic time.  The early arriving crowd was gobbling up the new Mallards merchandise (I managed to purchase a few things too), and the team did an amazing job of paying tribute to the Mallards of the past prior to the face off.

The entertainment was spectacular, the crowd was into the promotions and they almost gave $1,000 away on the first puck shoot of the year.  The team didn’t win – and in fact they were dominated by a much better back to back champion.  But I have not seen atmosphere at a sports event in this town ever, and we will certainly be back.

Welcome back Mallards – lets hope the rest of the season goes as good as the opener.

Entourage

There are very few shows I like as much as Entourage.  These links are two of the reasons why.  The first one especially.

Ari vs. Josh

I was once described by a former employer as having some of the characteristics shown in the second clip.  I call it passion.

Ari Gold “bat line”

Just thought I would share.

Stats

Tonight, as I made the decision that I am going to use this blog for random rants going forward (you know everything from pop culture to sports, but nothing set in stone), I thought it would be interesting to look at the stats associated with this blog so I know who my audience is.

The great thing about wordpress is they not only tell you the number of people that are visiting your site, but the site they came from, their location, area of the country sometimes.  It was pretty cool to see who was looking for this blog and the search terms that they used to get here.

First, it’s nice to know my best friend from Seattle still checks in here from time to time.  I haven’t really written anything in a while, yet he shows up occasionally – I can see it.

The largest referring site is still from my former employer, and the largest referring IP address is here in Davenport.  The largest out of state hits come from Florida, with the majority of people coming from AOL – who still uses AOL?

Overall, my unique hits number continues to climb – so I thought I should start adding content when I have some free time, which isn’t much now a days.

So, stay tuned – and thank you for continuing to come to this site over and over and over again, when there has been no unique programming for two and a half months.

C

Autism Awareness Night

I have five wonderful children.  Each of them is unique in their own way, with their own interests and personalities.

My two sons, Chandler (7) and Spencer (3), are your typical blond hair, blue eyed boys that love sports, Star Wars, watching movies, swimming and playing on the family trampoline in the back yard.  They also have both been diagnosed on the Autism spectrum.

1 out of every 150 kids born today will be diagnosed on the Autism spectrum.  20 years ago, that same statistic was 1 in 10,000.  It’s an epidemic that requires attention so we can figure out why this is happening, and how we can get parents and children the proper treatment they need to become functioning members of society.

As a public trust, we owe it to our community to support various charitable programs across the Quad Cities.  We are so blessed to have the best fans in all of sports who come out and support us night in and night out and it is our responsibility to take on causes that are important to the people of our community.

In the Quad Cities alone – 3,000 kids have some form of autism.  3,000.  For the size of our community that number is outrageous.

Tomorrow night you will have a chance to make a difference.

First – I am going to ask you to take an additional step before you purchase tickets for tomorrow night.  Please visit http://www.qcautismcenter.org/page/page/2959054.htm, and print the front page of the web site.  Bring that page to the box office when you buy your ticket and $2.00 for every ticket you purchase will benefit the Quad City Autism Center.  This is designed to help families pay for this important treatment.

Second – During the game, our players will be wearing special Autism awareness jerseys on the field.  You will have an opportunity to bid on the jerseys throughout the game, with the money going to the Vera French Foundation.  It’s a cool jersey!

Third – Our tennis ball toss will benefit the Quad City Autism Center.  Please take the time to spend $1.00 and get a tennis ball.  You can win some great prizes, even some money – but the proceeds will benefit a cause that will help hundreds of children in our area.

It’s true that I took this on because two of my children are affected, and I see the day to day challenges associated with Autism.  It’s important, however, that we continue to spread the word so that other people can get the treatment they need.  We can either let autism define us or we can define it, and I have chosen to try to re-define it.  With your help, anything is possible.

Thank – you!

Cory Howerton

Standing in line

If you’re like me, you don’t like to stand in line.  I don’t like it when there are people in front of me at the ATM, at a fast food place or Starbucks.  I especially don’t like standing in line when a sporting event is concerned.

The line at a sporting event represents seats that I won’t be able to get.  With each transaction in front of me, another pair of great seats are gone.  When you are in a long line – like some of you have experienced this week at Modern Woodmen Park – you might get to the ticket window and find that there are no tickets remaining.  You have paid to park, stood in line with friends or family only to realize that you won’t be able to attend the game.  It’s frustrating.

It was brought to my attention over the last several days that people didn’t know there was an option when purchasing tickets to a River Bandits home game.  They would simply drive to the ballpark, stand in line and buy a ticket – if we had any left.  If we didn’t have any, they would return home frustrated, and if you know anything about us and our guest service policies, you would know that a frustrated guest is not acceptable in our world.

There are three ways that you can enjoy a River Bandits game without standing in line for tickets.  That’s right – you will not have to stand in line to buy a ticket.

1.  Ticket Plan: We have a variety of ticket plans ranging from voucher books to season tickets depending on how many games you want to come to during the season.  Not only will you get your tickets in advance of the game, but purchasing a ticket plan also gives you a discount on the seats – saving you both time and money when investing in the River Bandits.  A ticket plan really is the best way to enjoy the fun and excitement of River Bandit baseball during the season, and offers you the most benefits, the biggest savings and most importantly – your tickets in advance.

2.  Come as a group: Groups of 25 or more receive a discount on tickets, get to sit together, cheer together and most importantly have fun together.  We have a variety of picnic and non-picnic group plans to choose from.  You will recevie you tickets well in advance of the game, meaning you can go right to your seat upon arriving at Modern Woodmen Park.

3.  Order online at www.riverbandits.com:  You can order your tickets online at riverbandits.com, and print them at your desk, and simply take the paper to the gate to be scanned.  It is easy and you have guaranteed yourself a seat ahead of all of those people that you once stood in line behind.  You will never be frustrated again when buying online!

Guest care is our number one priority at the River Bandits, and we want to make sure that you have all of the tools available to you to ensure that your time with us is the best sports and entertainment experience of the year.  By taking advantage of these simple programs you will ensure a great seat in the most beautiful ballpark in the country, without the frustration of standing in line – even though we do provide free popcorn while you wait.

Go Bandits!

Cory Howerton

Vice President of Sales / Chief Marketing Officer

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Most people reserve the title of this entry for the holiday season.  While I am a big fan of the holidays (when you have children, it really is an amazing time of year), it is June of each year that I think is the most wonderful time of the year.

First, baseball season is well underway, with each game as we get closer and closer to the climax in September becoming more important.  This is the time of year that the Cub are already looking forward to next season, and my Seattle Mariners have already enjoyed their token time in first place in the American League West.

NFL mini camps are happening and local and national media are already engaged in the great debate of who will be participating in this seasons Superbowl and where will Michael Vick be playing.  I believe those two stories are mutually exclusive by the way.

On the frozen Pond, the Detroit Red Wings are one win away from winning the Stanley Cup.  In normal years, I would be completely against this happening.  My best friend of 29 years is the worlds biggest Red Wings fan.  Because of this, I made the decision early on that I would not like the Red Wings.  It has grown into a hatred for that team – similar to feelings that Red Sox fans have for the Yankees.

This year is different though.

Ten years ago, I worked for a hockey team in Portland, Oregon that won what is the most difficult trophy to win in all of organized sports – the Memorial Cup.

The Memorial Cup is the holy grail of the junior hockey world.  In order to win the Memorial Cup, you have to be the champion of your league (or be the city that hosts the tournament), and then you have to play the champions from the other two junior hockey leagues (in our case, we won the Western Hockey League, then had to play a team from our own league in Spokane who was hosting the tournament and the champions from the Quebec League and the Ontario League) in a round robin tournament over a ten day stretch to win the ultimate prize.

We won the Memorial Cup, defeating the Guelph Storm in overtime on an amazing goal, against a goaltender who was the star of the tournament.

In the middle of the third period, our best player was injured and tore his ACL in a knee on knee collision that looked to be devastating.  Clearly, he was not going to return to the ice for us that night, and there was a question of if he would return at all.  Following our sudden victory overtime win, Innes Mackie – our team trainer – hugged the coaches and then took off for the locker room, where he found a young Marian Hossa trying to get to the ice to celebrate with his teammates.  Innes carried Marian onto the ice, where he sat in a folding chair and was pushed around the rink during his turn to skate with the cup.  It was the most memorable moment of my sports career, and truly defined what that team was about.

Fast forward ten years and Marian plays for – the Red Wings.  So, the Red Wings get a one year repreive from my total dislike for them, as I cheer for Marian to be able to skate with the Stanley Cup and finally claim the NHL’s most coveted prize.  Good Luck!

The NBA finals have just begun, and if game one is any indication of how the series is going to go, then it might be over before I finish this post.  Orlando has a lot of work to do to contain the Lakers, and while I think they can do it, I believe that Kobe will be celebrating his 4th championship since joining the league.  I am rooting for the Magic though, and hope they can bring their first title to Orlando.

Let’s re-cap:

1) Baseball is well underway and playoff races will soon heat up;

2) The Stanley Cup will be awarded this week hopefully – there is no better playoffs than the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.  Something unique and exciting happens every year, creating memories that I can share with my children for a lifetime.

3) The Lakers are probably going to win their 15th NBA title (they have been to the finals 30 times in their history), unless Orlando can turn  things around quickly.

4) Michael Vick is looking for a team and NFL mini camps are open.

Combine all of that with MLS season is underway and the WNBA kicked off last weekend – well, it is truly the most wonderful time of the year.

Go Bandits!

Cory Howerton

Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer

Cheese Steaks!

If you know me, you know I don’t miss many meals.  Even if you don’t know me, it’s pretty clear by looking at me that I love food.  I am not ashamed to admit that one of the great perks about working for a professional sports teams is that I have an excuse to eat great food 70 times a year (at the behest of my cardio doctor).

We have made a number of changes to our food and beverage operation this season, including the addition of permanent satellite concession stands along the concourse.  One of these specialty stands features the best Philly Cheese stake sandwiches you can find outside of Philadelphia.  During the first 15 games of the season, I have had the opportunity to try a number of our new products – Upper Crust Pizza and their world famous chicken lips are reason enough to visit Modern Woodmen Park this Summer (here’s a secret- if you are not going to get to the ballpark this summer, you can also visit Upper Crust Pizza at their store for an all you can eat lunch buffet every day, or simply to order the best pizza in the Quad Cities for your family – they are located at 3559 W Kimberly Rd # 126 Davenport, IA 52806 or you can call them at  (563) 388-7499), our new dog house featuring the best brats and sausages in the world (yes – the world), Rudy’s Tacos (need I say more?  you can get the same great Rudy’s at the ballpark),  and finally – cheese steaks.

The cheese steak was something that I put off trying until tonight.  No reason behind it, it was just the last thing that I got to this season.  I have to tell you that I sat down to write this as I was eating it – it is that good, and the guy behind the stand is a master at creating the best cheese steak experience.

Food is such a big part of the experience at the ballpark.  Guests have come to expect great food at a reasonable price when visiting Modern Woodmen Park, and we certainly deliver on that promise.  I have written about the changes before, knowing that the portions were going to get bigger and the prices were either going to stay the same or go down.  We knew the quality was going to improve, but I have to say that it has improved beyond my wildest expectations.  The professional sports catering team has done a magnificent job in bringing our food and beverage operation to a level that could rival any team in the major leagues – and beat a great many of them.

Trust me on this – the cheese steak concession stand at Modern Woodmen Park is one of the best kept secrets in all of baseball – discover it for yourself.

WHO WANTS MORE?  Me!

Cory Howerton, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

15

Earlier this week, the River Bandits opened the 78th season of organized baseball in the Quad Cities.  Over the past 77 years, thousands upon thousands of memories have been created at the ballpark that rests on the banks of the Mississippi, making Modern Woodmen Park a special place to spend a spring night (and soon summer) cheering on the future of the St.Louis Cardinals organization as they make their mark on this historic ballpark.

Thousands of players have come and gone.  You might remember a player from your youth that visited your school and then went on to play of the Angels, cubs, or Cardinals.  You might remember your first game, when Dad surprised you with tickets, and you broke out your glove hoping to catch a foul ball or home run.  You might remember your first ballpark hot dog, or peanuts and how they just taste a little better at a professional baseball game.

Earlier this week, as we opened the 78th year of this historic and majestic ballpark under light from the centennial bridge, with the river rushing by our tiki lounge in the outfield, it marked a significant milestone in my career.  This year marks my 15th in professional sports, making me an old man in our business.

The front office of the River Bandits is a group of well rounded, extremely talented people that are all well on their way to dynamic careers in the sports industry.  Our interns are the best class of interns I have seen in a while, and our general manager knows more about the operation of a baseball team and how to maximize our opportunities than anyone I have ever met.  It’s been great spending the time learning from each of them, and I look forward to our continued association.

We continue to strive to be the most ‘fan centric” organization in all of sports.  The guests that attend games at Modern Woodmen Park (some of you I see every day – thank you!) are more than just baseball fans wanting to track balls and strikes.  They are teachers, union workers, members of our armed forces, home makers, police officers and fire fighters.  They come from all walks of life and come together for three hours every night to forget the troubles of their day, enj0y our new concession products (by the way, you can smell the hot dogs and the cotton candy all the way out in the parking lot now -it’s wonderful) and maybe grab a new hat or shirt.  I am so proud when I am out in the market place somewhere and I see not just one person, but a Myriad of people wearing our new gear.  It shows that you have as much pride in this team as we do.  It’s your team – and we are merely stewards of it right now.

I have worked for teams in the NBA, MLB, junior hockey and the Major Indoor Soccer League.  This experience, by far has been the most rewarding of my career.  Working with a group of people to return baseball to the forefront of the sports and entertainment landscape in the Quad Cities where it belongs was one of the most difficult challenges of my life.  We had a lot of work to do in a short period of time.  The reward, however, was great.  To see the smiling faces of our guests each night, to smell the new concession stands from all the way out in the parking lot and to watch children attending games for the first time with their parents, running up to the gates as they enter full of energy and having the chance to meet our beloved Rascal for the first time.  Then to be carried out by Dad at the end of the night because they are so tired from the evenings events.

I have been doing this officially for 15 years.  While I am older now and tired, this experience never gets old and I never tire.  My two younger children will grow up on River Bandits baseball, just as my older children grew up on NBA basketball and WHL hockey.  This job becomes who you are if you let it, and while I love what I do, the people I do it for and the guests we serve – I appreciate the sacrifice my family makes so I can do what I love to do for a living.

Come out and enjoy a great evening at the ballpark this Summer!  Bring your family, your neighbors or co-workers, just come out – there is not a better value for your dollar in town, and I guarantee a great show.

Sincerely,

Cory Howerton

Vice President / Chief Marketing Officer, Quad Cities River Bandits