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The preparation for every Mallards season always presents a unique set of challenges. Those challenges are exactly why I love my job so much, no matter how much we plan or dream, we never quite know what obstacles may be right around the corner. The main challenge as we prepared for 2009 was pretty easy to identify: the economy. We decided to do what we do best, stay positive. The biggest thing I worried about was how a potential drop in support from our sponsors would impact our ability to put on as entertaining of a show as possible. From Bobble-Heads & Fireworks, to Celebrity appearances & ballpark improvements, none of it happens without the support of our sponsors. As we planned our events for 2009, we set the bar high: a Bobble-Head series for the first time, more ballpark renovations, Paul Molitor at the Alumni Game & more. To dream these ideas up was easy; the prospect of finding someone to pay for them to actually happen was scarier than ever.
Well, I’m happy to report that our sponsor support for 2009 is better than ever. Because of that support we’ve been able to assemble, in my opinion, the best promotional schedule in all of baseball. This story isn’t really about the specifics of what the promotions or ballpark improvements are, it is about the people that make these things happen – our sponsors. In these difficult times the businesses & fans that step up to the plate every year to support us deserve as much recognition & thanks as possible. I like to think that the importance of community is becoming even stronger all the time & that the Mallards have become an important part of that community. Our sponsors see value in not just connecting their brand with ours, but also in being a part of the unique & vast community of Mallards fans that has developed over the years.
So, what does this all mean for our fans? Well, beyond hopefully just having a great time at the park again this summer, I’d like to ask just one more thing. Don’t forget the people that make these summer nights as entertaining & comfortable & affordable as they are. Next time you are going out to eat stop by the Great Dane, not just because they offer great food, but because they are a vital part of making the Mallards happen. Or remember that Charter loves the Mallards next time you are thinking about switching cable providers. Stop out & say “hi” to Jerry over at Stoddard’s Market in Cottage Grove next time you need some Mallards-style Brats. Say “thanks” to your American Family Insurance agent for their support, pull into Stop-N-Go next time you have a choice to fill up your gas tank. Union Cab, Duluth Trading Co., Verizon, Jay Hazen Dentistry, Pepsi, Schoep’s, West Bend Insurance, Budweiser…the list goes on & on. These businesses & their employees are not just a part of the same community that we all care so much about, they are actively investing in making sure you have nothing less than a great time at the Duck Pond every night.
Thanks again for your support as we get ready for what is sure to be the most exciting summer of baseball Madison has ever seen & I look forward to seeing you around town supporting Mallards sponsors for years to come!
Today everything seems right in the world. The Mallards Basketball team got our first win since week one of the season last night, the band I’m singing in (The Kites…more details in a later post) is starting to really sound great, there are strong signs that my daughter is a Bob Dylan fan, our staff are all doing a great job &, oh yeah, the Mallards promo schedule is really starting to come together as well.
So, those of you who follow Mallards Basketball team closely know that the last several weeks have provided a series of heart breaking defeats. Every loss (5) was within a few points & we had a chance almost every game to pull out a “W” well, until the game last week at least. Last week we got beat by 12 or so & it didn’t really even seem that close. To make it worse we actually seemed to play pretty well, but the other team just appeared that much better than us. Well it would be great to say that we learned from that loss & realized what we had to do to win last night…but that would be a bit misleading. The other team had four guys. Well for the first 5 minutes or so, after that they added a fifth guy. Best part was that our nine-man team only had a four point lead 5 minutes in! Anyway, we put it together pretty quick after the first five minutes & ended up winning by 16. Still it might be unfair to say we played great…the other guys might have been a bit tired…but hey, we’ll take any momentum we can get. Seriously though, we’ve got some good signs. Jerrad is lights out from 3-point land, C.J. is providing inspiration & game planning skills, Nick is solid as ever & we haven’t had to bring in Maynard yet to completely confuse our opposition.
So if you know me well, you know I’m kind of a Bob Dylan aficionado. The Dylan/Willie Nelson show we got to host in 2004 is definitely among my personal & career highlights (we’ve actually got an autographed Dylan Mallards uniform in the office). So when Christmas time came last December I was excited to find an illustrated version of the classic Dylan song “Forever Young” for kids. So of course I got it…technically I gave it to Kallie & Chloe, but it may have been (well it was) more for me. Chloe didn’t really appear to care too much about the book until the last week or so. She has started grabbing the book & bringing it over to me & insist that I sing it to her. Can’t beat that.
Oh yeah, Mallards promotions. Here is a quick list of some of the things we’ve been working on lately (nothing is final yet, but hopefully a lot of these will happen):
• Classic Bobble Boy Bobblehead
• Adam West at the Duck Pond – yeah!
• Original Star Trek character?
• Organic T-Shirts for on Summer Time St. Patty’s Night
• Big Lebowski Night – looking more & more like a lock!
• Swedish National team vs. Mallards (pre-season)
• Laser Light Show
So, it looks like the only bad thing is that Opening Day is still 110 days away. The good news is that pitchers & catchers will report in less than a week to MLB Spring Training. Which reminds me…Kallie & I will be throwing a big Twins Opening Day party at our house on the night of Monday, April 6th. We just won a big Weber Smoker last weekend at “Grill N’ 4 Peace” & I plan on putting it to good use for the celebration of the Twins returning to the field. If you are a Twins fan, or a Mallards fan looking for the inside scoop, or just like good food & would like to come over, just send me an email sometime & I’ll send you the specifics.
