Brewers renewing with Huntsville -- Latest: Stars season ends with another losing record, poor attendance

[Mass Haas]

Link for text and reader comments:

 

Brewers assistant GM warns Huntsville may lose Stars

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Milwaukee assistant general manager Gord Ash says the Brewers have sent plenty of talented minor-leaguers to Double-A Huntsville, but the fan support hasn't been reciprocated.

 

"This is a very apathetic baseball town, and something's going to have to change," said Ash, scanning Sunday's sparse crowd of 660 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. "They're going to be sorry in a couple of years when they don't have baseball."

 

The Stars' attendance ranks last in the 10-team Southern League this season after ranking ninth the past two years.

 

***

 

Ash's comments have struck a nerve, with a high number of fan comments posted. Some comments are obviously better thought-out than others, but here's a sampling --

 

"Does the lack of fan support somehow diminish the talents of those players? Mr. Ash sure makes it sound as though it does."

 

***

 

"I am a season ticket holder and have been since my arrival here in 1991. I have supported this team through winning seasons and non-winning seasons. I would be absolutely heartbroken if this team were to move. The problem lies within management. The current regime has snubbed its season ticket holders and in many cases, isolated those who have supported the most. Current management offers little or no incentive for the average fan to come to the ballpark, examples being fewer promotions, higher ticket prices, and fewer food options as compared with other teams in the league.

 

If the current regime is genuinely interested in keeping the team in Huntsville (of which I am not convinced based on some of managements shenanigans this season) it needs to harken back to the days when the Oakland A's were the parent club. That means things like Buyout Nights, quality giveaways, major league exhibitions, and cheaper parking and ticket prices. And finally, the city needs to step up and fix issues such as the marquee on the Parkway, the scoreboard (which has never worked correctly), and dedication of a permanent year round restaurant on the grounds. There are other things Huntsvillians could spend their money on, but this town deserves a baseball team. Especially for those of us transplanted from major league cities who adore the game of baseball...."

 

***

 

Check the link for all the comments, quite a few worthwhile and most emotional one way or the other...

[Mass Haas]

Time for a new Joe?

[bamberger]

If it's good enough for Ryan Braun to be admonished, how about Gordo?

 

Seriously, I'm not too sure other than the rocket science people the Huntsville folks will understand "apathetic." Well, not so seriously.

 

Who cares here? Not me . . .

[Mass Haas]

Full article now available --

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

Brewers Asst. GM calls Huntsville 'a very apathetic baseball town'

Fans are scarce at Joe Davis Stadium and the Brewers are concerned enough to consider moving the Double-A affiliate out of Huntsville

By Brad Shepard For The Times

 

Without more fan support, the Huntsville Stars are in danger of losing their affiliation with the Milwaukee Brewers when the current contract expires after the 2010 season, said the major league club's assistant general manager Gord Ash.

 

Ash was at Joe Davis Stadium for the July 4 game that ended in fireworks and drew 7,819 fans. He also witnessed the crowd of 660 on hand Sunday - a number more indicative of the Stars' lagging attendance the past three seasons.

 

Though the Stars won the Southern League North Division's first-half crown, Huntsville owns the worst attendance in the 10-team league - averaging only 1,540 fans entering Monday.

 

"This is a very apathetic baseball town, and something's going to have to change," Ash said. "They're going to be sorry in a couple of years when they don't have baseball. I don't know if they're going to lose the team, but they're going to lose our interest in being here because there's no enthusiasm."

 

Though attendance struggles of recent summers fueled doubt about Huntsville's minor-league future, the Brewers' front office had kept mum on the topic until Ash's comments.

 

"The record of the quality of clubs we've put here doesn't warrant the lack of support," Ash said.

 

When Huntsville reached the league championship series in 2007, the Stars were next-to-last in attendance with an average of 2,449 fans per game, ahead of only West Tenn. Last year, despite featuring five of the Milwaukee organization's top 10 prospects for most of the season, the Stars finished next-to-last again, averaging 2,389 fans.

 

This season the Stars are in the cellar, averaging 703 fewer fans per game than the Diamond Jaxx of Jackson, Tenn.

 

It's a trend that alarms the Brewers, who have cultivated a rich farm system in recent years.

 

"This is a player development center for us, and part of the development of players is learning to play in front of crowds," Ash said. "I mean, you could replicate this in a complex somewhere. The reason we don't do that is playing with pressure, playing with a need to win is part of development as a major league player.

 

"My point is, in too many communities, there's always a lot of concern after something's happened. What I'm suggesting is there needs to be some kind of proactivity before that happens."

 

Ash declined to discuss specifics when asked what needs to occur for Huntsville to remain affiliated with the Brewers. He said the organization has effective contact with Stars second-year general manager Buck Rogers, who discusses the Brewers' desires with team ownership and city officials.

 

Rogers said he cannot fathom Huntsville losing its minor-league team.

 

"If it happens on my watch, I'd be devastated," Rogers said. "This is the 25-year anniversary of baseball in Huntsville, and we're working as hard as we can to make sure it's here 25 more years."

 

Rogers said he has met with city officials to discuss the Brewers' desire for drastic stadium upgrades, including the addition of indoor-hitting facilities.

 

Renovations Joe Davis has experienced in Rogers' two years as general manager is an improved sound system and air-conditioning units in the pressbox paid for by the city, as well as a noticeably cleaner and decorated concourse.

 

"We plan to keep baseball here alive and kicking," Rogers said. "If we get our plan laid out before ownership and the city of Huntsville, we'll be OK. We've just got to get it done."

 

Brewers business manager Scott Martens, who also oversees the team's minor-league operations, was more blunt about the Stars' future.

 

"In my opinion, in order for baseball to survive and thrive in Huntsville, a new stadium is needed," Martens said. "A stadium where fans will want to come out and support the team."

 

Rogers claims that ticket revenue has increased from last season, but he said attendance has been impacted by inclement weather and the swine flu scare. Despite the hearty Fourth of July crowd, Rogers reasoned the Stars were hampered by home dates on Memorial Day, Good Friday and Easter - occasions when fans were more likely to travel.

 

He also said the club can no longer afford the popular "buyout nights" of past seasons. That promotion, whereby local companies were sold hundreds of tickets at drastic discounts, was discontinued after an audit ruled teams must pay taxes on tickets that were, essentially, given away.

 

Rogers insisted Monday night that "We're going to fix this operation. We're in this for the long haul."

 

Still, the lack of fan support is noticed on the diamond. Stars manager Bob Miscik said discussing the shortage of fans "isn't my area," but he added that "it's a lot more fun to play in front of big crowds."

 

His players agreed.

 

"You're used to an atmosphere when you're playing a game, and it hasn't been that atmosphere here," said Huntsville Stars infielder Vinny Rottino. "Absolutely (playing in front of crowds) is part of the development of players."

 

Diamond Jaxx second baseman Mel Stocker, who played for the Stars in 2007, wasn't surprised by Sunday's tiny crowd at Joe Davis Stadium. He has seen it in Jackson, and he saw it during his Huntsville stint.

 

"When a crowd is not here, as a player, not only is it frustrating, it's discouraging," Stocker said.

 

"If you're not in a pressure situation in the minors and don't have people yelling at you when you do something wrong, you're not going to be as ready when you get to the big leagues. This is supposed to be a dress rehearsal."

 

Ash said the dropoff in community support puts Huntsville's relationship with the Brewers in peril.

 

"Huntsville has a good history as a minor-league affiliate, but the last few years I've been here, I have to tell you it's been pretty apathetic," Ash said. "Even the players comment on it.

 

"When you look at this league and see the attendance in the Southern League, not only are we last, we're last by a long way. That's concerning to us. Let's get proactive and make something happen or somewhere down the line, you'll risk not having this form of entertainment, and it's better to think of it now before something happens.

 

(Joe Davis Stadium) is an aging facility that's been dressed up as much as it can be, and I don't think there is much more than can be done with it. It's pretty apparent that I don't spend enough time in Huntsville to know why people don't want to come here. Is it because of the facility? Is it because of the cost? I don't think so. It seems pretty reasonably priced to me. All I'm saying is there needs to be some proactivity in the concern area."

[hsvstarsfan]

If the current regime is genuinely interested in keeping the team in Huntsville... that means things like Buyout Nights, quality giveaways, major league exhibitions, and cheaper parking and ticket prices.

 

It's more than just that I'm afraid. Gord Ash hit the target on the reason --- apathy. As a former season ticket holder, who has gone to games regularly since 1985 and goes to many as humanly possible, the attitude of the area's residents has been, as summed up by one person on al.com: "Huntsville has a baseball team?" This city, its leaders, and to some degree the media today, simply could care less about the team. There is absolutely no pride emanating from this city over having a professional baseball team connected with major league baseball. This, in spite of all the efforts of GM Buck Rogers, to instill some community involvement and pride, is the disease.

 

From a 1985 curiosity that drew over 300,000 the first season, home attendance declined each of the following four years after that, sinking to below 200,000 in 1988 (which was a horrible season), even with buyouts that continued as practice well into the late '90s. But there are too, other issues that the following poster hit on, that are reasons for disinterest.

 

And finally, the city needs to step up and fix issues such as the marquee on the Parkway, the scoreboard (which has never worked correctly), and dedication of a permanent year round restaurant on the grounds. There are other things Huntsvillians could spend their money on, but this town deserves a baseball team. Especially for those of us transplanted from major league cities who adore the game of baseball...."

 

This ballpark is owned by the city, which as I addressed, shares some of the apathy, especially during former mayor Spencer's administration. I saw city council members at the ballpark in the early years. I don't see them anymore and haven't for a very, very long time. The marquee is their responsibility. The marquee sign is elevated on a service road on the side of Memorial Parkway, which is the main North-South artery running through Huntsville. If it doesn't work, you lose advertising. No one knows from this wasted space if there is a game, let alone who is playing.

 

The scoreboard is a very important source of not just information for the fan, but connection to the fan and the players. If they don't care about the players, it's because they don't know who they are. And if they want to know who they are, they have to shell out $3 for a program. Those who come to the ballpark, including me, are not going to shell out $3 extra after paying $4 for parking, $8 to get in, $3.50 for a drink, $3 or $4 more for something to eat, and so one. It adds up!

 

Finally, the park, which has been dressed up to look more attractive, is old. It was built before HOK designed Camden Yards, which started a whole new trend in ballpark construction right down to minor league parks across the US. I've seen more modern parks that serve Class A teams (Rome). With deep foul from one end to the other, the seating becomes detached from the players and the game itself. There is no berm or cheap outfield bleacher seating, no way, as in Memphis, that you can walk around the entire stadium and see the game, no concession area in view of the field, such as there is in Montgomery, no restaurant, such as can be found in the M'Braves and Smokies' parks. Joe Davis Stadium, the oldest park in the Southern League, is outdated. It is time for a new stadium and one that's done right. With the infusion of BRAC workers coming mostly from Virginia, they will come.

 

I've made my complaints known a number of times on my web site until I tired of it. It does no good. Someone in this city with the vision of former mayor Joe Davis needs to step up to the plate and realize this before it's too late.

[Invader3K]

Interesting articles, and thanks for the thoughts, hsvstarsfan. I don't think I've ever heard Gord Ash speak out so strongly about something before.

 

I imagine with this economy, a new minor league ballpark is a tough sell though, right?

[Mass Haas]

Y'know, to me, these look like some very legitimate reasons for concern among Huntsville fans -- this list was taken from those comments that are maybe less reactionary or wiseguy-ish (well, except the "uniform" complaint). Hopefully they get things squared away among all parties. No reserved seating?

 

LINK to text below --

 

Former Stars Fans Speak Out About Team's Attendance Woes

It's unclear what the future holds for the Huntsville Stars, but for now, the baseball team is staying put.

However, it's possible that The Milwaukee Brewers will not renew their contract with the Stars because of the downward spiral in attendance. That contract is up at the end of next season. The Stars are dead last in attendance in the 10 team Southern League this year, and have been next to last the past couple seasons.

General Manager Buck Rogers says sales are not down, but admits attendance is. However, he says whatever the Milwaukee brass decides, baseball will stay in Huntsville. "Whether the Brewers resign with us next year at the end of our agreement with them our two year agreement is up it's a normal renewal if they go away we're still going to be the Huntsville Stars the year after. Same uniform, same jersey, same stadium."

The controversy came after the Assistant G-M of the Brewers told the Huntsville Times that baseball in the city was in jeopardy because of the poor attendance. On Saturday, there was a sellout crowd to see the 4th of July Fireworks. Sunday, less than 700 people showed up.

On Tuesday, we asked you what you thought about the situation. We got plenty of reaction.

Sue wrote this note on the WAAY 31 Morning Show Facebook page :

"We are season ticket holders, and the way they changed those tickets this year really turned us off. No reserved seats? Come on...! Also, when we attended a game a little over a week ago, the display board wasn't working, there was no more organ (just canned rock music)... It just isn't fun baseball anymore."

Bob commented :

"The Brewers have to realize that 1.)The economy has scared people to death 2.)The stadium needs to be replaced 3.)The uniforms are not attractive at all in my opinion. 4)No more reserve seating! That's a joke. In my opinion I think that Huntsville will refuse to build a new stadium and this minor league team will move out to I-565 and 65 when the new Bass Pro shop is built with all of the other shopping. This same thing happen in Knoxville, TN with the Smokies. Just my opinion."

Amanda wrote :

"It's really the most absurd set up I've been around in Minor League Baseball. Of all the places I've traveled when watching my husband play it's the most costly. Nothing to attract families or to engage children. Definitely could use some fresh ideas."

Alan e-mailed the newsroom with his thoughts :

"(Stars General Manager) Buck (Rogers) has turned the baseball games into a circus. He has gotten away from focusing on the game. Too focused on selling horns. I have followed the Stars for years, and usually went to at least 35 home game and listened to most all games on the radio... All my friends that went a lot will not go either. It's like a soap, you have to watch every day. If you go to stand in line to get a beer there are no longer TVs to watch the game. Years ago we could listen and watch the game on the Internet. Tell Buck to point the finger at himself not the fans. The low fan count proves his ideas have been wrong. Get back to thinking about the fans of baseball. It's a baseball game, not a circus."

Amy blamed the humid southern weather :

"I have been to the Joe Davis Stadium in recent years, but it has just been much too hot to sit out like that and sweat!"

Cora agrees :

"We love baseball but attend only 2 - 3 games a season. It's hot and humid. No local channel telecasts Brewers' games so we can watch players who move up to the Majors. A 20-ounce bottle of water costs $3.50 and you aren't allowed to carry in your own water... that much money for that little water is ridiculous and dangerous."

Kelly called our You Tell Us Hotline and left this message :

"The reason why I don't attend the Huntsville Stars games anymore is because the noise level. It's very annoying, especially the horns that they sell to the children to blow during the game, it makes it very distracting to watch the Huntsville Stars. We used to go frequently, 4 or 5 times a season, and now we don't go at all."

[kramnoj]

How legitimate is the threat that Hunstville would lose a baseball team? It certainly is reasonable that the Brewers would find a new affiliate, but would Hunstville lose a team, or would they just get the team from the affiliate the Brewers would land? The WV Power lost the Brewers, but they didn't lose baseball.

 

I'm just curious how many available minor league stadiums are waiting to take a team from Hunstville.

[Mass Haas]

There's no doubt that Huntsville would have baseball after 2010, the question is for how long.

 

At some point there will be a community that sees an opportunity for what they hope to envision in a new downtown ballpark setting within a population that could support an acceptable level for AA baseball. That community would locate and work with an ownership group (such as Miles Prentice's of the Stars) to try and lure and lock in a move or an ownership transfer.

 

If Milwaukee chooses not to renew with Huntsville, they would have to hope at least one other team (or locale) is unhappy with their AA situation. The Brewers would hope to impress one of the other locations that frees up so a partnership could be formed. Someone would end up in Huntsville, kind of holding the short end of the stick. This happens to non-West Coast big league clubs often when they are "stuck" with one of the less desirable high-A California League affiliates, after they lose their Carolina or Florida State League affiliations.

 

I imagine another community, perhaps in the Carolina League, could step up and say they want to move to a AA affiliation from high-A and join the Southern League. That would involve a lot of discussions among MiLB hierarchy. But it's not as though the Southern League trustees are going to "kick Huntsville out" any time soon.

[TooLiveBrew]

I find it interesting & yet confusing that Ash would have anything to say about the attendance for a minor-league affiliate. Isn't an inherent part of this kind of relationship that the big-league club agrees to sign on for the affiliate's promotional approach?

 

I know the Beavers (San Diego AAA) here in Portland just do an awful job of promoting themselves & also see pitiful attendance... in an urban-set stadium, no less. I haven't heard anything about the Pads griping over attendance totals. Just seems out of line for Ash (or anyone not working for the Stars).

[hsvstarsfan]

I imagine with this economy, a new minor league ballpark is a tough sell though, right?

Tough sell is an understatement in this town which repetitively since the early '70s have voted down property tax increases for the schools, mind you. Huntsvillians erupt like mad dogs when the city, which spent $80 million for a new jail, spends money on anything!

[hsvstarsfan]

1. How legitimate is the threat that Hunstville would lose a baseball team? It certainly is reasonable that the Brewers would find a new affiliate, but would Hunstville lose a team, or would they just get the team from the affiliate the Brewers would land? The WV Power lost the Brewers, but they didn't lose baseball.

 

2. I'm just curious how many available minor league stadiums are waiting to take a team from Hunstville.

1. The general sentiment among Huntsvillians, from reading the paper and internet postings, is that once the Brewers leave, so will baseball, and they couldn't really give a darn. One point I never made in my earlier, more lengthy posting, is that the culture, the embrace and love for baseball, never existed in this town. In the early years before Milwaukee's connection with the Stars, people came out because the owner was giving away tickets to games like crazy. A good marketing idea the first year in that you want to introduce your product, but it never ended. I remember the Huntsville Times carried once a feature story about a customer, an elderly lady well known then at the ballpark, who would come all the way from Fayetteville, Tennessee only when tickets were given away are businesses. When that ceased, she stopped coming. But to answer your question, I believe the Stars would pick up another affiliate should the Brewers leave and I have my educated guesses on that, but I won't say.

 

2. Not many. Biloxi or Pensacola perhaps. Maybe Lexington. There's not much interest in baseball in the South, except for the Carolinas and parts of Georgia. Support in Rome is very good.

[TheCrew07]

I find it interesting & yet confusing that Ash would have anything to say about the attendance for a minor-league affiliate. Isn't an inherent part of this kind of relationship that the big-league club agrees to sign on for the affiliate's promotional approach?

 

I know the Beavers (San Diego AAA) here in Portland just do an awful job of promoting themselves & also see pitiful attendance... in an urban-set stadium, no less. I haven't heard anything about the Pads griping over attendance totals. Just seems out of line for Ash (or anyone not working for the Stars).

 

Well this is development issue to a limited extent, the the theory is that the crowd should get bigger as prospect advances, part of getting past the "wow" factor in terms of playing in front of so many people. Rogers had a lengthly interview that I put in the Link Report from yesterday, there's more information there regarding the great relationship the Brewers have with all of their affiliates (sentiments echoed out of Appleton and Nashville as well). Both Nashville and Huntsville need new stadiums, I see Ash's comments as he's lending a helping hand to Rogers, trying to get the word out and the awareness up. At least people in Huntsville are actually talking about the stadium now. I'm not sure I buy some of their claims about loudness and not enough baseball. T-Rats games aren't about the baseball for the fans, it's about the experience of the ball park, and it's no different when I listen to games on the radio, you can hear pretty much the exact same things going regardless of the broadcast, Helena, WI, Huntisville, or Nashville... I can hear all of the promotions/events in the stadiums during the games. Hell the people in Missoula MT are such sheep they'll yell "PEANUTS" every 10 seconds between pitches and drive a listener insane... Peanuts are just not that exciting people! The MLB experience isn't really about watching the game either, or people would actually stay in their seats and be somewhat considerate of those around them, it's about the experience of the ball park.

 

One thing that stuck with me from the audio interview yesterday is that people in Huntsville seem real hung up in Oakland's bashers that came through town in the 80s like McGwire and Canseco, and don't see to realize or care that some of the best young players in the NL have come through town recently in Gallardo, Weeks, Fielder, and Braun. Just a strange situation.

[trwi7]

I know the Beavers (San Diego AAA) here in Portland just do an awful job of promoting themselves & also see pitiful attendance... in an urban-set stadium, no less. I haven't heard anything about the Pads griping over attendance totals. Just seems out of line for Ash (or anyone not working for the Stars).

Well PGE Park is below street level, so maybe people can't find it.

[pogokat]

I can see a AA team in Greensboro, NC

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Downtown baseball stadium or not, key thing may be that fans just want to have fun

By Patricia C. McCarter and Steve Doyle

Huntsville Times Staff Writers

 

When a group of 115 local business leaders was at a lunch meeting in Chattanooga Wednesday, mulling over ideas to revitalize downtown Huntsville, one concept got applause from nearly everyone in the room.

 

Build a baseball stadium downtown for the minor league Huntsville Stars, at a site where the Searcy Homes housing project will soon be demolished.

 

The group happened to be sitting in a city that has one of those new-ish, cozy downtown stadiums positioned near riverfront restaurants and bars, and minor league baseball is popular there. It's much more popular in Chattanooga than it is in Huntsville, where the large, comparably old multi-use stadium is off a busy Parkway and not in walking distance of many restaurants or watering holes.

 

In a scenario where cash is plentiful, a new stadium sounds great. But that construction could easily be in the $20 million range, and the City of Huntsville doesn't have the money.

 

But to keep Milwaukee Brewers-affiliated baseball in Huntsville, a change is necessary. The major league club's assistant general manager, Gord Ash, witnessed lackluster attendance last weekend - the worst attendance of the 10-team Southern League - and said Huntsville could lose the team.

 

"This is a very apathetic baseball town, and something's going to have to change," Ash said last weekend. "They're going to be sorry in a couple of years when they don't have baseball. I don't know if they're going to lose the team, but they're going to lose our interest in being here because there's no enthusiasm."

 

Could a new stadium fix that? And should the city be responsible for building it? Or has it done its share for minor league baseball?

 

Can minor league baseball in Huntsville be saved?

 

Deal with city

 

Named for a popular former Huntsville mayor, Joe Davis Stadium was built in 1984 with about $4.6 million in city tax dollars.

 

The Stars lease the ballpark from the city for just $10,000 a year. The city is responsible for routine maintenance - repairing broken restroom fixtures, for example - and has spent about $1 million since 2006 on stadium enhancements, including a larger home locker room, brighter outfield lights and a better sound system.

 

It has also replaced all 10,488 seats in "The Joe" since 2002.

 

The current lease is much more favorable to the Stars' management than the previous deal. From 1994 to 2006, the Stars were responsible for stadium maintenance and also had to pay the city a cut of ticket, concession and souvenir sales.

 

That deal pumped an average of $17,000 back into the city's coffers from 2000-06.

 

Former Mayor Loretta Spencer and Stars owner Miles Prentice negotiated the current lease, which will expire Sept. 30, 2010.

 

"Miles was driven because he was an investor, but we cooperated very well," Spencer said Friday. "We knew what their needs were to stay in Huntsville, and I thought we were extremely fair."

 

While the idea of a new downtown ballpark has been batted around for years, Spencer said she never seriously considered it. She said she chose to focus instead on expanding Huntsville's retail and industrial base.

 

A new stadium "would be great," Spencer said. "But you have to have projects that pay their way. What we get a return on is what we put the biggest investment in."

 

Mayor Tommy Battle has no plans to invest the city's limited resources in a new stadium, either.

 

"The city can't afford to do everything," he said. "We've got especially tight resources right now, and there's no guarantee that a downtown stadium would alter attendance that much."

 

Battle said he was surprised when he read in The Huntsville Times what the Brewers' assistant general manager had said about the Brewers possibly ceasing its affiliation with the Stars.

 

"In baseball terms, that one came out of left field," Battle said. "I talked with Miles Prentice and (Stars general manager) Buck Rogers this spring, and both said they're looking forward to a long relationship with Huntsville.

 

"We want to keep them, and they said they want to stay."

 

'It works for us'

 

For Frank Burke, president of the Chattanooga Lookouts, a downtown stadium "reintroduced" baseball to his city, and the residents have loved it. He said he's consistently doubled his revenue since he built it - with private money - in 2000.

 

He also built a downtown stadium for his minor league team in Portland, Maine.

 

"We believe in it," he said. "We've found that it keeps people downtown between quitting time and time for the game to start. It works for us, but I'm certainly no expert as to what would work in Huntsville.

 

"What I know most about the Huntsville team is that they usually beat us."

 

Burke said his team was in "fight or flight" mode when the decision was made to move from the 1929-era stadium about two miles from the current site. But he wasn't going to build it if he couldn't sell at least 1,800 season tickets and 12 suites within a 90-day ticket drive.

 

He ended up selling 2,300 season tickets and 15 suites.

 

"In the past 10 seasons it's dropped a little bit, but the profitability is still there," he said. "We're paying the city twice as much sales tax as we did in the old stadium."

 

Burke said people come to Lookouts games not just for baseball but for the experience.

 

"You don't have any control over what kind of team you have, so you have to focus on the experience for the people who are paying their hard-earned money to come to the stadium," he said.

 

"Minor league baseball exists to develop major league players of tomorrow. Some years, your team will be terrible, so you've got to have something else to draw the fans."

 

Burke said the Lookouts give away $1,000 every Thursday, and every Monday children eat free. Most every game has some sort of promotion.

 

"We constantly have to be working to give people a reason to choose us," Burke said.

 

Baseball's a business

 

Huntsville financial planner Phil Dotts agrees that baseball isn't the only reason people come to baseball games. He was one of 15 co-owners of the Stars for nearly 10 years before Prentice bought the team. Dotts explained that that group went in together to buy the team in 1994 "because there was a real threat of it leaving Huntsville."

 

"It would be devastating for us to lose the Stars, but at the end of the day, it is a business," Dotts said. "And a business has to have a return or at least the prospect of an economic return, or it's not viable."

 

If Brewers' management determines it no longer wants its affiliation with the Stars, "ownership could have to look for another major league affiliate, and that is a long, cumbersome process."

 

Dotts said although the Stars venue "could be considered a bit tired," fans come to games for expectations other than a nice stadium and good baseball.

 

"They want to be entertained, and that doesn't always have to do with actual baseball," he said.

 

He and his wife recently attended a St. Paul Saints game in Minnesota, and he said they had an amazing time "because they had something going on every minute."

 

The Saints are in an independent league and not affiliated with a major league team.

 

"The night we were there, they had more fans than the Minnesota Twins did," he said. "It was just really, really fun. If you give people enough fun, they'll show up.

 

"You can't blame low attendance on the stadium alone. The city has been responsive to the Stars' needs, and it has made some improvements.

 

"At some point, it's about the product and how it is marketed. It is a tough business, I know. We didn't break even every year we owned it."

[dadofandrew]

"The night we were there, they had more fans than the Minnesota Twins did," he said. "It was just really, really fun. If you give people enough fun, they'll show up.

This is an urban legend, as it has never happened in the history of the Saints. Midway Stadium only holds about 7K, so it's all but impossible.

[hsvstarsfan]

One thing that stuck with me from the audio interview yesterday is that people in Huntsville seem real hung up in Oakland's bashers that came through town in the 80s like McGwire and Canseco, and don't see to realize or care that some of the best young players in the NL have come through town recently in Gallardo, Weeks, Fielder, and Braun. Just a strange situation.

1- First and foremost, Huntsville's "fans" are not knowledgeable by any stretch. 2- For some reason, many won't go to the park because they hate the Brewers. Maybe its why attendance declined after they came. Me. I just want to see baseball and I don't care who they connect with. But for others, it seems to be an issue. I don't get that. 3- Attendance hit its peak during the old days of their Oakland affiliation. Consequently, there's more people who will remember those days and remember them with wistfulness. Attendance in Huntsville started its precipitous decline in 2000, the second year of its affiliation with Milwaukee.

[PeaveyFury]

Attendance in Huntsville started its precipitous decline in 2000, the second year of its affiliation with Milwaukee.

 

Any particular reason for the dislike of the Brewers/decline? It's not like the organization hasn't run considerable talent and many future big leaguers through there in the last 10 years....

[logan82]

Does it seem like the Brewers are pushing for a new park? Maybe I missed it, but it doesn't seem like Ash mentioned a new park, he just wants the city to support the team better.

[Mass Haas]

It should be all about the facilities as it relates to player development, not so much the fan atmosphere -- the Manatees play before fireflies, yet in a major-league quality spring training facility, crowds are not a concern in choosing the Florida State League over the Carolina League at high-A.

[logan82]

So you are saying attendance isn't the issue? Or are you saying that the attendance and the fact they play in a really poor facility are both issues?

[Mass Haas]

So you are saying attendance isn't the issue? Or are you saying that the attendance and the fact they play in a really poor facility are both issues?

The really poor facility is a much, much bigger issue.

 

Buck Rogers said he has met with city officials to discuss the Brewers' desire for drastic stadium upgrades, including the addition of indoor-hitting facilities.

 

Brewers business manager Scott Martens, who also oversees the team's minor-league operations, was more blunt about the Stars' future.

 

"In my opinion, in order for baseball to survive and thrive in Huntsville, a new stadium is needed," Martens said. "A stadium where fans will want to come out and support the team."

[Mass Haas]

Birmingham's doing well...

[MWS77]

What I find funny is how minor league owners and the cities themselves do not think the Southern League and minor league baseball will not pack up shop the 1st moment they can and relocate the teams that are struggling. Minor league baseball is a business not a hobby for the owner. Ask the city of Richmond, VA how much they miss the Braves being a part of the city and if they ever thought the team would be moved within a sixth month period after not giving the Braves what they wanted.... You currently have three Southern League cities wanting Minor League baseball: Biloxi, Mississippi, Tallahassee, Florida, and Orlando, Florida. You could have a 4th city once Pensacola gets their brand new stadium bulit in 2012. You have three teams that are struggling in the Southern League: Mobile Baybears, West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, and Huntsville Stars. Its a only a matter of time......

 

but I have a suggestion that can help the Huntsville Stars. Give up the AA affiliation to a different city to be associated with the Southern League with the promise from Minor League baseball that they will have a Low A team in your city within the next two years while the city of Huntsville renovates the current stadium. Currently, they are several Low A teams that are also struggling with cash flow and that would give Huntsville something else to offer to the region other then AA baseball. This was explored early before the Columbus Catfish were sold to the Bowling Green ownership group. This suggestion is way better then Indepedent baseball. Ask the city of El Paso about that.