“We tend to get a lot of the draftees that Cleveland has each June,” says general manager Jordan Taylor. History: During the 1990s, the owners of the Erie SeaWolves saw potential in Niles, Ohio, for a short-season team, which is created for players joining teams after the start of the regular season. 2.ġ11 Eastwood Mall Blvd., Niles 44446 | 330/505-0000, Īffiliated team: A short season, Cleveland Indians The first one this year is set for April 15, with the final one scheduled for Sept. Eight friends-and-family nights offer savings on admission, a meal voucher and a Dayton Dragons ball cap. Save the Date: The team trades nightly giveaways for a few grand slam deals that run throughout the season. Instead of bran flakes and raisins, the “Heaties” package included their tickets for the season, gift vouchers, print and magnetic game schedules, and a Dragons keychain. In 2015, season-ticket holders received a cereal box in the mail. “They are as loyal as the day is long.” The feeling is mutual, and the Dragons are known for their tradition of sending out season tickets in creative packages. Promos Past: “We have some of the best fans,” says Deutsch. Inside, guests can order popcorn and nachos as well as Donatos Pizza, local Mar-Chele pretzels, and even salads and wraps. A large plaza in front of the park hosts pregame bands and activities. Deutsch attributes the stellar attendance streak to the effort the team puts into the overall game-day experience. “Her name is Gem, as Dayton has been coined the Gem City.” Recently, the team introduced Princess Sunny, who rolls into the stadium in her very own carriage.Īt the Ballpark: The Dayton Dragons have had 1,121 consecutive sold-out games - an all-time record for sports in North America. “We have a male named Heater, and then we have a female who is Heater’s niece,” says Deutsch. Mascot 101: Less the fire-breathing sort and more the jersey-wearing, ball-playing type, Dayton’s mascots are a pair of green dragons. “We did some research: Were there any types of team names that hadn’t been used?” Dragons was available and team officials liked the alliterative sound of Dayton Dragons. “It was probably ’97, ’98 before everything started to happen,” says Dayton Dragons executive vice president Eric Deutsch. History: Minor league baseball didn’t arrive in Dayton until the turn of the 21st century, but planning for the team began a few years earlier. The team is awarding the first 1,000 fans with a Shooter McGavin bobblehead.Ģ20 N. Save the Date: It’s been 20 years since Christopher McDonald teed off in “Happy Gilmore,” and the Akron RubberDucks are hosting the actor May 28. Actor Corey Feldman, who played Clark “Mouth” Devereaux, threw out the first pitch.
Promos Past: Last year, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the classic 1980s film “The Goonies,” the RubberDucks handed out a bobblebelly (wherein the belly jiggles) of character Lawrence “Chunk” Cohen. She flew up specifically to try the Nice 2 Meat U Burger.” For a smaller investment, and a tasty deal, the ballpark’s regular hot dogs - made in Cleveland - are just $2. “When this came out, Lewis Black from ‘The Daily Show’ picked it up,” says Pfander. Inside, fans can find all kinds of classic ballpark eats, as well as extreme-food specials, such as the 21-scoop Screamer Sundae and the Nice 2 Meat U Burger: one-and-a-half pounds of meat, a half-pound of hot dogs, a quarter-pound of cheese, bacon and onions all on a very hefty bun. “It’s a brick facade on the outside that blends in with the history of all the buildings in downtown Akron,” says Pfander. “He’s just a fun, goofy mascot.”Īt the Ballpark: Despite its relatively recent construction, Canal Park fits in with its surroundings. “There’s no rhyme or reason to Homer,” says Pfander. Mascot 101: Webster - a bright-orange, oversize version of the ubiquitous bath toy - helps cheer from the dugout and the stands alongside cosmic feline Orbit, the old Aeros mascot, and Homer, an 8-foot-tall, purple polka-dotted pigeon. “You put 15 people in a room and asked them what an Aero was, you’d get 15 different answers.” As a nod to the region’s rubber history (and the ducks often seen paddling along a canal near the ballpark), the team became the Akron RubberDucks in 2013. “We found we had kind of an identity problem,” says Akron RubberDucks general manager Jim Pfander. Then, during the 1990s, Agganis struck a deal to relocate his club to a brand new downtown Akron ballpark and renamed the team the Aeros. History: Minor league baseball slid into northeast Ohio in 1989 when Vermont Mariners owner Mike Agganis moved his team to Canton.
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