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It is hard to believe that Opening Day is less than one week away. I must say the Operations Interns & their respective managers have really done a nice job getting everything ready seemingly earlier than usual, even with the number of ballpark improvements increasing at a high-rate this year. We hope ballpark improvements have a positive correlation with our fans' overall satisfaction upon visiting the "Duck Pond" during the summer as they give you experiences you never thought you'd be able to enjoy while watching a baseball game.
I mean, we're installing a beach (yes, a beach) just outside of the left-field corner to serve as just another means of enjoyment for kids during games when they're not bouncing in "Big Maynard," trying to show up dad at the speed pitch, or hitting the "floating" baseball at the t-ball machine.
On top of that, if you can text (or parents; have your kids teach you) and find yourself hungry at the ballpark, you'll love another addition to 2009: the ability to text your orders to Maynard's from any location in the ballpark & only have to show up once your order is ready. Why should you have to miss any part of the game while waiting for your food? Simply text your order (according to codes posted in the ballpark) to 608.622.EATS (3287) and we'll respond back with an approximate wait time, which averages less than 15 min. Once you've paid for your food at the window, it's time to enjoy the freshest and biggest portions in all of the park. Eat up!
Moving to the Great Dane Duck Blind, the addition of 200 actual seats should put a smile on a lot of people's faces. The key three words we keep stressing is that "capacity is unaffected" because it's important to note that we're not just adding more seating to allow more people to experience the Duck Blind. This area is constantly evolving, and your suggestions are always helpful. If you're able to grab a spot in the field-level addition, you're going to want to bring a glove because it feels like you're standing behind the first baseman.
Switching gears, about 15 players reported today, which further means that the baseball season is upon us. It's always fun to see the guys' first reactions when they step onto this field for the first time. In talking to them year after year, the cool thing they're most excited about is usually playing in front of 6,000-plus fans and the electricity that surrounds Mallards baseball. To be honest, they could care less about the team's 2004 Northwoods League Championship, or how this team has been ultra-competitive the past 4 seasons. They want to experience minor league baseball in a major league playoff type atmosphere. And yet, we're neither of those things.
This Wednesday, the Mallards will host the Swedish National Baseball Team at 6:05 p.m. at the Duck Pond. It'll be interesting to see how their style and the American style of baseball are both alike and yet different. We hope to see you out there...and if not, remember, Opening Day is THIS Monday against the Rochester Honkers. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.! Great seats are still available too I'm hearing.
Here's to a great season! And by the way, beginning in mid-June, we're going to turn Maynard's Musings over to the interns to get their thoughts on working for the Mallards and share a story or two. Consider it to be a glimpse into a facet of the team that is certainly underrated at times.
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!
It’s time for another guest blogger to grace the pages of Maynard’s Musings. I’m Michael Schroeder, and I was the media relations intern for the Mallards last summer. I’m guessing the hard-working front office staff needed to get some more things done around the ballpark as Opening Day approaches, so they went to the bullpen for today’s Musing.
Last summer in Madison was probably the most fun summer of my whole life. You might think that having about five days off the whole summer and working 12-15 hour days sounds awful, but when you realize that you get to spend your summer at the ballpark there really isn’t anything better. With all that time together, the people in the front office and the other interns start to feel like your family. I’m from central Illinois, and after we got past all the “flatland” jokes (I think they finally stopped about the first week of August) that really became the case.
One of the many things I loved about being an intern with the Mallards was that every day brought something different. A new team came to the ballpark, a new promotion was happening and new people were coming to experience a game at the “Duck Pond.” My major duties revolved around helping the media with interview requests and whatever else they needed, plus writing game previews, post-game stories, feature stories and press releases to send to the media and post on the website. I also did a lot of work with statistics and other miscellaneous things for the coaching staff and players. It really solidified in my mind that sports media relations is what I want to do for a career.
If you’ve ever been to a game at the “Duck Pond” (and if you haven’t, you definitely need to this summer), you already know about what a great environment it is to see a game. That’s more of a marketing, promotions and operations thing, so I wanted to talk a little bit about the quality of the team that you’ll see on the field.
I spend the school year as the team manager for the University of Illinois baseball team (home of current Mallards Brandon Wikoff and Nick Chmielewski, and former Mallards Joe Bonadonna and Mike Rohde, among others). I’ve been looking through the roster for this year’s team, and once again, Vern and Coach Thieleke have done a great job of getting quality players from great baseball schools. Some of these guys are dominating the headlines with their performances so far this year, and many of their teams are competing for conference championships and the postseason. It’s quite an assortment of talent from all across the country, so I’m sure the fans will love watching these guys play on a daily basis this summer. It should be another quality Mallards team taking the field and competing for a championship.
I guess I’ll wrap it up for this entry. It was a nice surprise to open my email and see another “assignment” from Jerrad. It brought back memories of last summer and getting one of the tasks that needed to be done or media requests that needed to be handled. I know the “Duck Pond” is going to be rocking again this summer with great family fun and great baseball. Let’s try to get back to the championship series and bring one home this time.
So it is time for my next blog…well actually my blog was due last week but my kind co-worker Steven Stewart filled the gap for me. It is May, wow, I can’t believe it. The spring has flown by and summer is right around the corner. The day’s move pretty fast right now.
Vern is busy learning the ins and outs of twitter, the newest online craze. I don’t know that much about it however it sounds like it can be a little addicting.
Jerrad is busy running from room to room to the press box and back again. Good thing he has 2 interns in working for him now, it should make his plate a little less full.
Meanwhile Kevin is doing all that he can to help local schools complete their reading programs. This is the first year of the reading program and it has been well received. If you’re interested in learning more about the reading program, contact Kevin, he’s your guy.
Nick and John are busy preparing for the season; Nick is working on getting the souvenir stand up and running well & John is working on getting signage for the ballpark and getting things organized for Opening Day. Mike is busy setting up mascot appearances, delivering pocket schedules and not emailing us messages in the office. You see, he is old school and likes to put post-its on our desks. Ask Nick how much he likes post-its on his desk!
Steven, well, he is busy doing everything. He takes care of everything outside of the office from growing grass to painting. And when it rains he makes trips to Sports Impressions to pick up merchandise or he spends time working on getting us equipment for the summer. Steven really is pretty handy and helps us out a lot, I am pretty sure we don’t tell Steven that enough, so thanks Steven!
I have been busy doing a little bit of everything. Single game tickets are on sale now so we are busy taking ticket orders, printing tickets and finalizing orders. We recently received the rest of our ticket stock so I have been busy trying to organize the ticket office so it is not complete chaos.
Well now that you have the update of everyone in the office, I thought I would end with a few of the things I am looking forward to this summer.
1) The Trek Bike Blind. Many of you may not know but I am a closeted cyclist. I got hooked when I lived in Green Bay and still continue casual road-riding when I can. Having a more exclusive area for bikes this summer is something I am looking forward to.
2) The double header on July 12th, that is something that I am looking forward to. We will have a lot of fun packed into that day with a BBQ in between games. Nothing goes better with a double header then BBQ!
3) The Duck Blind Club level. The Club level includes unlimited ballpark food, drink, a nightly food special, separate food and beverage stations in the Club level and reserved picnic tables for 8! Not to mention one of the best views of the ballpark!
4) The Evergreen tree seedlings give away. We are going green and I couldn’t be more excited! There is something about giving out 2,000 trees that puts a smile on my face.
Well now you know what I am looking forward to... what are you looking forward to??
After “somehow” missing the message the last time I was supposed to write a blog and getting tired of other people bugging me about it, here it is! The excuse of it not being in my job description just doesn’t cut it. Plus, I figured that if I wrote one of these every once in a while, it would give them a little more time between their blogs so they can think of something to write.
I will give you all a brief background about myself. I graduated from UW-LaCrosse in the summer of 2007 after I finished my Operations Internship with the Mallards, with a degree in Recreation Management. The following summer I was offered a Seasonal Position to try and help out the rest of the office get the park ready for the season, as well as help with managing the main concession stand. I am back again this summer to try and make it even better and easier for everyone. In the off-season, I have had the pleasure of helping out Chef Boyer by cooking at Rookies.
I am just like everyone else and like to relax with some friends and enjoy some refreshing drinks. Which brings me to my topic of my blog……………Local Taverns. I would like to know where people like to enjoy these beverages and why? Some people like going downtown Madison to the college bars because that is where “everyone” goes and you will see a lot more people. Others like to go to the National Chain Bars because they are a little better known for a wider range of age groups. And then there are the local bars that you see all over, but never really know what is going to be inside. Truthfully I kind of like the local “hot spots” because you tend to get better service than the other bars, plus it won’t cost you an arm and a leg for the night. But, what is the best part about the local taverns? It has to be the BAR BURGERS. You get that urge where you want to get a nice thick burger at a decent price, and the only thing that comes to mind is a Bar Burger. Usually the tavern is owned by brothers, a husband and wife, or it has been in a family for generations. That creates a nice family friendly atmosphere -which can be hard to find these days. If you are at a local tavern, you are more than likely still able to watch a particular sports game on the television. If it is busy at the tavern you are at, then you also have a better chance of getting the game you want to see on the television than if you were at a “college bar.” It is always interesting to think “Who came up with that or why is it called what it is called?”
Because each place is so unique, that is what makes them so different. Whether it is the jokes and stories from the bartender or locals, specialty drinks, no running water in the bathrooms, or even the “Jumbo Burgers,” each place has its own followers. Yes, I can say that I have been to a bar with no water in the bathrooms and all I have to suggest is make sure you go during the summer and also during the day.(Don’t worry, it did have outhouses for customers to use.) So if any of you want to go there, let me know and we will go. Just make sure we don’t go on the last Wednesday of the month because it is their infamous “Stinky Cheese Night.” I have never been there for it, but I heard that it is standing room only and something that will just amaze you.
So I want to know……..what are some of the good local taverns in the City of Madison? If I can find a free night here or there this summer or am on my way home from the park, where is a good place to stop for a beverage? Well, I hear Vern calling my name (he must have thought of something for me to do around the park) so I better get going and I look forward to hearing your suggestions!
P.S. For those who were wondering, Tony is my cousin.
With it being the 4th week of the month, that can only mean one thing, Kevin Caloia is back on the blogisphere scene. I apologize for missing/side stepping my blog during the month of March. Unfortunately, I was mentally preparing for a 12 hour van ride down to Alabama for a golf / bachelor party trip. . . .which I had a very good time on, as the weather was beautiful both days and the golf courses were great.
I will share one quick highlight with you from the trip before we dive into the meat of this week’s blog, MUSIC! It had rained for about 12 days in a row while we were down there so everything was really wet and there was a lot of standing water. We were on our way to the third hole which we needed to drive through a tunnel (under the road) to get to. Well some water had collected just before the entrance to the tunnel and I did not think it was more then a couple of inches so I didn’t think twice before the individual riding in the cart with me said, “floor it”. . . . It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen; the water was at least one if not two feet deep and we hit it at top speed 8 mph) and created a pretty amazing scene. Water shot up over the whole cart, we got completely soaked, but didn’t care because we were laughing so hard because we created such a big impact that the water cascaded over the top of the golf cart like a title wave. Note: If you are going to be as stupid as I was that day you will want to make sure your cart has a windshield, you have a couple of adult beverages before and after, and you put your phone in a waterproof bag. . .
Baseball is in full swing and the Brewers have had a couple of home games so what is the juice talk around the office, what song is playing when Braun, Hart, and Prince walk up to bat? What is the hot new track that they are blasting at Miller Park? Well I couldn’t tell you but I am sure numerous Brewer fans have already download it to their iPods. I could tell you every song which the Cubs players walk out to, the beautiful organ! This got me thinking and I thought I would ask all of our loyal readers a question, what do you like better, each player having their own music or stadiums just playing the same type of music for each batter?
Now I think that a lot of people could go both ways on this issue thinking that it is nice to hear an organ every once in a while for all of the players but they also think that it is nice for a player to have their own song to pump them up before the at bat. I am torn on this issue as I could go either way (a switch hitter). I love the idea that they are a team, not a bunch of individuals. That the players “walk up song” (I believe Liz or Rod coined this phrase in our office), which is the music being played as the player walks to the plate, should all be the same or played by the same instrument. They are one team, one group united, with a common goal and purpose to play their best and win the game. (Editor’s note: bla bla bla)
However, I know if I was the one walking out in front of 40,000 screaming fans in the bottom of the 9th with runners in scoring position and two outs, with everything riding on my bat I would want to hear some AC/DC, maybe a little Hells Bells, Thunderstruck, or TNT! I would want something to get me jacked up and excited for the at bat. A song that would give me the confidence to look the pitcher right in the eye and let him know that this is not going to be his day.
I know that the baseball purest prefer just a simple organ being played for the whole game and just the players names being read. While the kids nowaday want the latest rap track from Flowrida, T-Pain or JT! Or possibly the latest Nickelback or Hurt song. I think the two questions which have to be answered by the stadiums though,
1) Is the music going to help or hurt my player’s performance during his at bat?
2) Is the music going to get the crowd involved, get them excited, or is it going to put them to sleep, bore them, or annoy them?
Until next time, keep your chin up because Mallards baseball is just 39 days away!!
Go Bulls! Go Hawks! Get well soon Fridge! R.I.P. “Tired Bill”
So I would like to dedicate this blog to a sport that is held very dear to Steven Stewart’s heart….NASCAR! (Steven is my roommate and a current seasonal staff member who also runs the main concession stand. During the season ask Steven how he is related to Tony Stewart)
I have never really had any interest in NASCAR prior to 2003 when my brother, Kevin, left his position as an auto mechanic in West Bend, WI to take a position working for Matt Kenseth and the #17 DeWalt team. He currently builds the transmissions for Kenseth’s cars and travels with the pit crew on race days. I do not watch the sport religiously but if I am sitting around on a Sunday afternoon I will flip back and forth between NASCAR and whatever else I am watching. I do follow it more closely than year's past and try to catch a glimpse of my brother on tv after Kenseth would win a race.
I have visited my brother who lives in Concord, NC, which is about 20 minutes north of Charlotte. This area is also home to many NASCAR teams. It amazes me how much the way of life differs down there from here. First off it is God’s country down there. I have never seen so many churches in rural areas and they are just packed on the weekend…maybe praying to the NASCAR gods?!?! Second, you cannot buy liquor in any old store. You have to go to what they call an “ABC” store. This is a store that is owned by the government whereby you cannot purchase liquor on Sundays. Lastly, I have never seen so many people crazy about NASCAR. I happened to be there for a week and wanted to find a place to watch the Packers game on Sunday so I headed to the Dave and Busters. Of course they had the satellite package that could pick up every NFL at the bar, but most of the patrons were complaining that most of the tv’s had football on and made the bartender turn on the race.
Anyways to get back on track (no pun intended) I was mentioning that the area surrounding Charlotte is home to many NASCAR teams. I was lucky enough to go to the shop where my brother worked on all of the #17 cars. This was not your ordinary shop that you and I are used to. This was a glass palace. I was amazed to how big these buildings were and that they were all tinted glass buildings. You could not see inside but you can definitely see everything going on outside. The shop was very pristine there was not much that was out of order. You could have licked the floor that’s how clean this place was.
I was also amazed at the number of race cars in the building. They were just lined up row after row. I never realized they have different styles of cars they use either. They have certain cars they use for short track races and roads races and usually have a new car for every race, which is not cheap because they cost right around $400,000-$500,000 per car. My brother also said they sell cars that are kind of banged up or they won’t use again to individuals who race in lower levels.
Also while I was there I visited the DEI Museum (Dale Earnhardt Incorporated). This was actually a pretty cool place. They had all sorts of memorabilia and career highlights of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. The thing that amazed me the most was in the center of the museum they had a large glass enclosure with a bunch cars that Sr. had driven throughout his career. It was quite remarkable to see the differences in the cars they drive today to one’s they drove 20-30 years ago.
I have been told attending a race is unlike any other event. People travel in RV’s from all around the country to attend the races. The Phillip Morris Company in Concord actually owns fields surrounding Lowe’s Motor Speedway and they charge people to park in their fields on race weekends. It is quite the scene! I also have been told that the young women who attend these races are phenomenal. My brother has also said "if you ever want to go you let me know," so maybe one of these years I’ll take a trip to a race somewhere.
I don’t have much insight on the sport in general and probably could tell you very little about any of the drivers, but I do respect what these guys do for a living. As for Steven he is such a huge fan of NASCAR he actually purchased NASCAR 09 for his Playstation 2. I have a little advice for you: easy on the left hand turns and slow down coming out of the pits! Well Steven good luck on your quest for the Nextel Cup Championship!
Only 41 Days Until Opening Day!
