Two years since this post have passed and I thought it would be a good time t
o take look at things that have and haven't changed.Remember we shoot from the hip and as I have told members of the Suns management team,I write nothing that I wouldn't tell you face to face.
The Good
The Suns continue to not charge for parking.
That is always a good thing when you consider the trend of teams beginning to charge to park your car.
The team shop has begun to bring in opposing team sets to sell and help collectors that want to work on the visiting teams for autographs.
This has been something that I had been hoping for years would happen and the Suns have finally taken steps to bring those into the shop.
It is a low cost,low risk opportunity to bring those sets in and the extra effort is appreciated by the collectors.
Sometimes it is the little things that make your opinion improve.
I asked GM Bob Flannery at the meet the team night about rescinding the silly Will Smith/Drew Hankinson policy on the suite area ban for the autograph collectors.
Bob did just that on the first night and it has been a big hit.
Being able to spread your stuff out and not be compacted in the cattle chute by the clubhouses is a huge plus and the organization doesn't look so small to hassle people over a minor issue.
The Suns Hall of Fame was a great idea and the statues that were given were quality items.
Credit for the idea and for not going cheap on the giveway.
Great job.
Adding grilled chicken,grilled hot dogs and hamburgers to feed your face nights are a good touch.
Especially the grilled dogs when compared to the regular dogs,those are (never mind,more on those in the bad section).
The chicken is actually quite good.
I really like giving a cup to season ticket holders to have soda for a buck.
I had been critical of this in the past when you compare it to the beer promotions,but the Suns have corrected this to be fair to all.
And a plus to Bob Flannery himself.
Bob tries to talk when he can about things and always has time to least say hello,how are you.
I got maybe two hellos from Will Smith in two years.
Maybe he didn't like me??Nah,couldn't be.
Anyway,I like the way Flannery works and his willingness to please the fanbase.
I wouldn't wager that Flannery will be in the Hub City long term,he will be moving up the Mandalay ladder and it will be sooner than later.
The Bad
Ready?
Here goes-The guy on the PA is the worst announcer that I have ever heard.
Period.
Bar none.
From the screaming into the microphone to the hanging onto syllables for a hour "Sttteeevvveeee Lombarrrrrdooooooooooozzzzzzzzzziiiiii" to the high pitch of his voice,he has to be the worst around.
To me,it sounds like a very bad YouTube parody of the Chicago Bulls announcer from the Michael Jordan days.
I could do a better job than that walking in the door cold.
I'll take that challenge tomorrow,but then again I would bet most people could.
How about a smidgen of professionalism?
This guy is so loud that you cant even speak to the person next to you until he shuts the hell up.
My lord,if I could do one thing that would have an immediate impact at the Muni,that would be the one.
Sharpen the axe on him-Please!!!
The PA system is loud in spots and soft in others (although the PA guy doesn't seem to have any issues with it unfortunately).
That is a city of Hagerstown issue as is the continuing deterioration of the crappy restrooms.
The city could help a little bit by tossing some money in to work on these things.
The Sunsations are still a tired and half assed act although two things have improved over the last two years.
One,the shirts that the ladies wear are a bit more professional than in years past.
Whether the ladies or the Suns realize this or not,the Sunsations are a role model to young girls that attend these games and this is a far more positive image for them.
The other is that they actually have one member that tries to look like they are having fun doing their job.
With the exception of this young woman,it is the old uninspired routine of the same songs with "dancers" that really don't want to be there and give less than glowing effort.
Perhaps an idea might be in future job fairs could be have this put in the job description-"You must like to dance and be able to at least look like you are enjoying this'!
You don't have to be good,just try hard!
The games/on field "entertainment" still leaves much to be desired,but to be fair, that is rarely going to be my idea of a good time and I am not the demographic that the Suns are going after anyway on this,but one stands above all for awful.
The PA guy blares some song about "Smelly Feet" while kids battle among themselves to find their shoes and put them back on to win a race.
I would bet that there is a good chance that the person that thought this one up doesn't have children!
The regular hot dogs still have the awful red stripe from what could be a S
tarfleet replicator and the taste is worse this season.Why?
Well,nachos are no longer on the FYF menu and the nacho cheese and jalapeno peppers went a long day into turning a awful dog into a below average one.
Nachos would be welcomed back to the FYF menu for 2010.
This is not a Hagerstown problem,it is a South Atlantic League rule,but still-The gates open one hour before the game.
Other leagues either have entrance times that are before that or they ignore the rule.
I cannot believe that the Suns wouldn't profit on some evenings by opening the gates earlier instead of having people in line.
Again not their fault,but I wish the rule would be modified.
Ideas that don't belong in the good or bad column
Please change the team colors to the Nationals red,white and blue!
Red hats,white jerseys with red or blue lettering and keep the current alternate jerseys in place except for a trim around the back numbers to make the number stand out more.
I understand there are people that like to pretend the Suns are still with the Orioles,but time to face reality.
Just an idea for the 2010 Suns team set.
How about putting the players in the Road Gray jerseys that say Hagerstown on the front?
Just for something different and a new look.
And finally,a final word for the Suns to think about.
Think about doing a tribute of some type for Nick Adenhart in 2010.
I am not sure the management understands what Nick meant to the Washington County area and even though he never was a Hagerstown Sun,he played games at the Muni and meant a lot to the people of the area.
It could be a statue giveaway,maybe a limited edition art print by a local artist showing Nick with Williamsport High and the Angels or Nick Adenhart night where his family is brought out to throw the first pitch etc.
The Suns could even retire number 34 as the ultimate tribute to Nick and the area fans.
Trust me,the fans would love such a tribute and the Suns would look just fine in their eyes for honoring his memory in such a classy manner.
Things have improved over the last two years except for the PA guy!
Here is hoping that in two more years that things are even better.
Photo Credits
Logo:Sportslogo.net
Hot Dog:Ryan Heimberger
Adenhart;Unknown
10 comments:
Overall, I think Bob is doing a very good job. He has made some drastic improvements, and he's drawing well despite the crappy weather. I commend him and his team for all their hard work. I appreciate it.
But there are a few improvements which I think could be made:
I still would like to see $1.25 soda on nights when alcohol is discounted. I'd like to see that for a few reasons, one some people just don't drink. And two, more importantly, it would aide those who are there to drink to drink responsibly (i.e. have a designated driver).
There was already, thankfully not alcohol related, one bad accident coming out of the stadium this year. People drinking irresponsibly only increases the likelihood that something like that will happen again.
Also, I think the Suns could do a better job of encouraging people to drink responsibly, both on nights when there are alcohol discounts and when there are in-game alcohol related promotions. For instance, "Now batting, the Suns designated hitter Steven Souza. The Suns would like to remind you that you always hit a home run when you have a designated driver. Drink responsibly."
Or to go along with their $1.25 beer promotion, perhaps having a promotion where there are $1.25 small sodas if the designated hitter hits a home run.
But those are things that are on the edges. Overall, they've been doing a great job this year. There is always room for improvement, even when things are going well though. Nothing is perfect.
On Adenhart, I agree his number should be retired. It would be a nice touch. Chris Lugo, who is currently wearing 34 is a good guy and would probably gladly change his number anyway.
Hi there. I'm actually one of the Sunsations and I'm kind of curious who you considered the one of us who actually look like we care was. Thanks! =]
Personaly I think u have no room to speak about how talented the sunsations are. I think they r very good. If u want to judge next time u go to a game ask them if u can go up and dance with them and see how u do. I am speaking from expierence I have taken dance fore many years and have my own theater company. So until u get up there and "show them how its done" you have no room to say much of nething
Blondie,
I don't know any of the girls names or I would happily give her full credit.
I do believe that this is her first season with the team....
To the Theater Company owner.
I think I will pass on dancing for now,then again I am not being paid for dancing either.
I suppose my opinion on dancing is "much of nething" compared to an obvious professional such as yourself,so I'll take your opinion for its "value".
Perhaps you being a pro could give the girls a few tips or dance with them yourself.
I am not a dance/theater person after all,you,on the other hand,have a theater company-I'll defer and let you show me how its done....
As a Sunsation, I'd just like to say that what you see is pretty much what you get. It looks like we don't have a clue what we're doing...we probably don't. It's quite possible we learned a dance 10 minutes before we're supposed to be performing it. That fact that we can laugh about it and realize that we're simply there for entertainment and not professionals is important.
Christa,That is EXACTLY what I meant when I wrote that you don't have to be good,just try hard!
No one (at least me anyway) begrudges anyone for not being a pro.
Just look like you are having fun and trying hard and you will hear no criticism from me!..
Thanks for reading.
I would like to say that actually the Sunsations try, and that is all that can really be asked of them. They are there for entertainment, and that is what they try to give the fans. Baseball is a hard sport to work in (speaking from experience), and can never really be understood unless you have been there when it comes to the front office. Bob is a great GM and the front office staff is just as great! The pa announcer is actually quite good, if you would take the time to actually listen. I have been to many minor league games where the announcers are very boring, which is never the case in Hagerstown. Be grateful for having such a great team and organization in such a small town, and stop critiquing them on everything.
I agree with some of your comments.
Bob Flannery is doing a terrific job and the front office is improving as well.
The difference in the front office from two years ago is tremendous and that is for the better as I wrote.
However,I cannot agree on the PA guy-the worst.
Period.
Trust me,I have no choice but to listen to him.
I love the team and want nothing more to see the team stay in Hagerstown.
But pretending all is perfect helps no one.
Honestly,when you consider the state of the team two years ago,I think things are on the upswing and I wrote so.
Holy crap..At last it's not me taking heat LOL.. how do you like dance boy LOL
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