Why were they unplayable?
Glad you asked.
Apparently the Suns are not smart enough to realize that you put a tarp on the field for protection from the weather when the field is not in use.
Most LITTLE LEAGUE fields and volunteers have figured this out long ago,but a "professional" baseball club apparently cannot.
Of course,it is likely that the Suns front office was too busy counting the plungers for their upcoming promotion.
It takes a few minutes to put a tarp down and I don't care that the weather projections for rain have often times been incorrect.
Putting a tarp down is simple common sense.
This is a fiasco beyond belief,as the Augusta players were laughing at the ridiculousness of this evening.
Not to mention that this was another feed your face night.
Normally a team would at least try to make the field playable,as they could sell concessions as they attempted repair.
But since this was FYF night,it made more sense to this staff to call the game WITHOUT any effort,as the time taken to make the effort was food that was given away during the delay.
PATHETIC!
Not to mention the immediate closing of all food stands to avoid having to give any further food away.
And one more log to toss on this fire.-
You did get a free ticket for another game,BUT if you paid to attend this game and paid the extra dollars for FYF night,you take a 2-4 dollar loss per ticket.
I cannot imagine how a casual fan or 1st time customer looked at this mess,but from the various
people I heard as I left the stadium,most were far from impressed and certainly were less than likely to return for a while.
What will it take for these guys to get the hint that whatever one would call their "management style" that it is proving to be ineffective,not fan-friendly at all and incompetent.
How many times can this organization blow layups before the game ends in failure?
But as long as nights like tonight are shrugged off as other peoples problems,corrections cannot be made and when you ignore mistakes and pray they go away-nothing happens besides a massive piled up mess.
I do not wish bad things on people,everyone has to work and make a living.
But it has become abundantly clear that the front office here in the Hub City needs to be swept out and started over.
Remember the proverb-the Fish rots from the head down
Bullpen Notes
Lots of trades today including former Suns catcher (and Rachel's favorite player)Drew Butera moving from the Mets organization to the Twins for Luis Castillo.
I will likely do a big trade deadline review tomorrow.
Sorry to hear about the death of Tom Snyder from Leukemia.
I,being a night owl,always enjoyed both the Tomorrow show as a kid and the Late Late show as an adult.
Terrific interviewer and offered the late night viewer some intellectual fare beyond the usual norm.
So to Tom,here's one last one-"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
On the signing front
Took advantage of the fiasco tonight and got some Augusta players outside t
he stadium.This is not a team loaded with prospects,but I was able to get one of the two higher rated prospects in Emanuel Buriss.
Also got 2 cards from Greenjackets manager and former MLB outfielder Roberto Kelly signed.
Thanks to Jeff Heimberger for helping with Kelly and others tonight.
But former big league pitcher Ross Grimsley signed all 10 cards that I had and talked as well.
Super nice gentleman.
Still have about 10 Greenjackets to finish up on before they leave town and the Greenville Drive comes in.
I will see 3 of the 4 games for Greenville,as the other night,I will be in Frederick to see the Potomac Nationals.
Hopefully I can finish up on the Suns players that were called up to Potomac in the Nationals version of Nixon's "Midnight Massacre".
Back tomorrow with more on the signing front,MLB trades and yet another attempt at the post I have been meaning to write.
10 comments:
This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.
Yep.
The Suns attitude is basically this-We got your money tonight,so who cares if you come back............
Do the Suns management only come to the games a few minutes before game time??? Geesh, where's the aforethought here? Someone working on field maintenance throughout the day could have likely solved some of these problems. Most likely no one comes to the park before start time because, oh yeah, they're at their real job!
RIP Tom Snyder
The sheer foolishness of the Suns management continues to astound me.
Nothing like having complete amateurs operating a professional baseball club.
I think Butera could make a great backup for Twins Superstar Joe Mauer in a couple years..
His bat doesn't really big league potential, but his defense is very strong and would allow Mauer to DH more often.
I'm a big Pirates fan and get a kick out of some of your "musings" on their happenings. I am also a Suns fan and wonder, why does it seem like there is only negative things on here about the Suns? I make it to about 3-4 games a year and always seem to have a good time. The staff seems friendly and competent in my opinion. From what I understand attendance is up significantly from the previous ownership/management. This would lead me to believe that people are coming, having a good time, and coming back. Have you guys worked in sports? Do you know what it takes to operate a team. Bad weather happens it isn't always predictable. If the Suns' games are that miserable for you maybe you should save yourself the agony and not go.
Nope,sure haven't worked in sports.
However,I have had many discussions with professionals in the business about this subject.
I have friends that work in the front office of two minor league teams.
1 local and 1 distant and I know a few of the employees of the Suns,so I know of where I speak here.
You go to 3 or 4 games,I am there almost every night,so I know what goes on there,I talk to fans that visit here from other areas.
I listen to what others have to say about their opinions.
1 person that reads and posts here was a visitor that sat beside me at a Suns game offered opinions and we compared notes.
Have you ever attended a Frederick Keys game?
Go there and compare the entire experience with food,employees,promotions etc.
Not even close and that is just 1 comparison that I have seen.
The games aren't miserable at all.
They are the best part.The Suns players this year are some of the nicest fellows one can meet and far more fan friendly than
the 05 and 06 players.
What is miserable is the management team,promotions,food etc..
When they do things right,I complement them.
The problem is this-they do not do enough of those things right.
Many of these problems are not all the fault of the Suns,I blame the city far more than Mandalay Sports,the Suns and the management for the most part for the problems of the Municipal Stadium facility.
However,failing to put a tarp on the field after every game is the fault of the Suns.
When you coach youth baseball,that is a mandatory move after every game-in case it rains.
I would love to put a positive spin on this,but I just cannot.
They screwed up and then screwed their customers out of their food promotion,due to the incomptence of the staff.
And then Will Smith is quoted in the Herald Mail as "This caught me off guard" and "I didn't expect this".
It is your job to not be caught off guard and to expect anything.
You are correct that sometimes weather cannot be controlled and games get called off,but can you really give them a pass for a game cancellation on Monday 7;05 from a
rainstorm on Sunday afternoon?
If you read my post on the Suns in April,I gave credit for the good things they do and criticize the poor.
I would love to see these guys get their act together.
Every person that comes here wants baseball in Hagerstown.
The last thing anyone wants is to not have a team.but if you go to other minor league ballparks and compare their management and employees to the Suns,you would never wonder about why this organization is the laughing stock that it is.
When you see some of this stuff,it does not take sports management experience to see what is wrong.
Anyone with a Marketing 101 class under their belt can see that.
Thanks for reading and writing and offering an opinion.
Next time you are at the Muni,say hello,I am pretty easy to find there.
I always like to talk the game with other fans and hear opinions and a different point of view.
Wow,How insightful and dialogue opening too......
Hopefully this anonymous writer is different than this previous one,who at least had some legitimate thought provoking comments.
Little league tarp fields since when. I drove by their fields during the rain storms last weekend and NO TARPS. Driven by Harry Grove in Frederick on their out of town games. NO TARP. Hmmmmmmm been to many Major league fields and called a few and they do not tarp the field when the team is OUT OF TOWN. Because it helps the end field grass to breath.
Hmmmmmmm get facts straight. And it was the decision of BOTH the Managers to call Mondays game at the Muni.
And just a few months ago, AUGUSTA had the same problem. I was there I witnessed it. So guess what Shawn do not take what others say to heart. They were laughed at also.
The Suns are not critisized by other clubs. All clubs have their problems.
You come and get your autographs. And yes you play critic. But till you walk in the Field crews shoes do not do not pass judgement. For the case in point did you ever think that mabye Mother nature created a small natural stream underground between second and third base at MUNI. Hmmmmmm but do you take the time to research the problem or do you just like to banter.
Laugh at yourself then apologize.
Till you walk in the shoes of others one should not critize. Maybe you should apply for a job as lets say Manager or maybe field maintanence before opening mouth or in this case fingers and making a fool of some of your posts
Show me where I said that either manager wanted to play.
Both managers did agree to cancel.
I am not even stating that the game should have been played,the condition were unacceptable.
My statement is why they were unacceptable.
You can spin all you want,if there is rain in the forecast,even 10 %,you put it down.
Most Little Leagues now aren't putting it down?
Why?
Because their season is over!
They do not have to worry about playing a game until next April!
If,as you say,the same happened in Augusta,then they made an error as well.
When you coach in little league,most leagues put the tarp down.
I coached in two leagues over 10 seasons and both of them did that all the time.
And,no I do not want to work in field maintanence.
I did enough of that in 10 years of youth baseball.
Think I will take a pass on that one..
The Suns get my money.I am a paying customer and therefore I have the right to be a critic.
They called tonight's game off,no problem.
Good call..
Feel free to say and think whatever you like-after all,you still are reading,aren't you?
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