Now,I'm sure the Hagerstown Suns are thrilled as they'll be drawing the type of crowds not seen in Hagerstown in years,but this could be a double edged sword for people that have not been to Municipal Stadium in years.
The Suns are getting a four game chance to expose their product to fans that they (past management teams included) have lost and to people that have never sampled minor league baseball and it'll be interesting to see how they handle this opportunity.
I would hope that the "staples" of entertainment of late get shelved,but it'll be interesting to see what the Suns sell to attempt to hook the crowd in order to get them to return.
It'll be a tough sell with a stadium best described as old yet charmless without almost any modern amenities at all,but not one insurmountable,if things don't go over the top,
One of the things that I always thought that the Mandalay group did wrong during their run in Hagerstown was the mentality of "hey,kids let's put on a show" with too much dancing and worrying too much about the entertainment side of things.
What I like about the Frederick Keys and the Harrisburg Senators as far as the in between innings entertainment is that it doesn't happen in every inning and when they do,they manage to do it at a sound that can distract if you wish,but can be ignored easily as well.
I'm hoping that the Suns use a similar plan and use a low key manner that gives the fan the option of enjoy or ignore.
As for Tim Tebow,I'm not really interested in him.
Nothing against the former quarterback,but I wasn't a fan (I didn't think he was anywhere near an average NFL quarterback) or a hater (he seems like a nice guy that needs to stick to what he's good at-football commentating on the SEC network),so not collecting current football cards,this is an annoyance more than anything because it is going to be difficult to do what I normally do-graph the rest of the team.
Tim Tebow is certainly the draw,it'll be interesting to see just how the fans root-you have to figure Tebow will get lots of cheers,but will the fans coming to see him root for Hagerstown,Columbia or could care less and just cheer Tebow?
This weekend could show one more thing that could be unexpected-if all goes well and if enough people have a good time and want to come to more games,this might show once and for all,that if Hagerstown wants minor league baseball,that Municipal Stadium needs a massive overhaul at minimum and a new stadium at maximum.
My fear is that the stadium might be the big downside to the weekend as fans see just how inadequate the Muni is.
Will that be the crushing blow towards the future of baseball as fans refuse to enter a downtrodden facility?
Or could it be the first step in a new facility as people finally realize just how decrepit things have become and begin the drumbeat to give the Suns and the SAL the stadium we deserve?
It'll be an interesting weekend for sure and the pressure is on so many to produce a good outcome-few of those are on the field playing the game.
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