It's time for the Affiliation Shuffle Again

[WrongVerb]

Reds and Wahoos for 2 more years, per Sheldon:

Mark Sheldon
@m_sheldon

#reds and Double-A Pensacola extend PDC through 2018 season, club announced
12:20pm · 15 Sep 2016

[19braves77]

Wahoos explored.....

[JaxRed]

Wahoos explored.....

The funny part is (to me....and I'm easily amused). I just hit the web site and thought, you know, if either party in Pensacola had been considering the Jacksonville alternative, once Jax is announced then I bet Pensacola is not far behind. And boom, there it is....

[19braves77]

Yea and if you really like your dance partner why two years instead of four ? I bet Suns get a Marlins exhibition game in Year 1 and Year 3. Well am happy.

[dougdirt]

Wahoos explored.....

While I'm sure they did a tad, from what I've been hearing, there wasn't much to it. The Reds seemed to think there was nothing to worry about for a while now.

[19braves77]

http://www.pnj.com/story/sports/mlb/...reds/90410968/

[Tom Servo]

Wahoos explored.....

But you're stuck with us! Ray Chang forever!

[JaxRed]

Everybody Ray Chang Tonight!!

[paulrichjr]

well if you sell out every game that you've ever had in existence and hold the professional sports sell out streak that tends to happen.

For those that have been....Why? Why do they sell out every game? What is so special about what they do and why hasn't it worn off yet?

[dougdirt]

For those that have been....Why? Why do they sell out every game? What is so special about what they do and why hasn't it worn off yet?

Well, first off, there's very little to do in Dayton, and I think that's certainly part of it. But, it hasn't worn off yet because they have a great product off of the field. Everything that they do is top notch when it comes to stuff that isn't the baseball played on the field - the things that the Dayton Dragons franchise can actually control. The facilities are great and kept up to date. The between innings is better than you're going to get anywhere else (from my personal experience and from what I've seen watching MiLB.tv for the last eight years). The staff is outstanding and friendly - they take care of people.

At first they probably got the sell outs because it was fresh and new in a town with very little fresh and new, exciting things happening. They kept them because of everything mentioned above.

[dabvu2498]

There was talk that Marge kept Dayton from getting a team for quite a while, so when the Dragons were announced, the city was definitely ready for it. Like Doug said, they also built a perfect park in a perfect location. It's easy in, easy out, if you know what you're doing, you don't have to pay for parking. Ticket and concessions prices are reasonable. And as Doug also said, the organization of the club is first class. Dayton is a pretty solid sports town (see UD Flyer basketball attendance for proof) and the Dayton area has a bit more population and corporate presence than you might think. Beloit or Cedar Rapids, it ain't.

That said, that streak is now being propped up. For the first few years, it actually was tough to get in a game. It's totally a point of pride with the city and the club. And it should be. Now, shake a tree in Dayton and Dragons tix fall out. Don't get me wrong, there are still a lot of people who go to games, but no where near every seat is full.

[nmculbreth]

Well, first off, there's very little to do in Dayton, and I think that's certainly part of it. But, it hasn't worn off yet because they have a great product off of the field. Everything that they do is top notch when it comes to stuff that isn't the baseball played on the field - the things that the Dayton Dragons franchise can actually control. The facilities are great and kept up to date. The between innings is better than you're going to get anywhere else (from my personal experience and from what I've seen watching MiLB.tv for the last eight years). The staff is outstanding and friendly - they take care of people.

At first they probably got the sell outs because it was fresh and new in a town with very little fresh and new, exciting things happening. They kept them because of everything mentioned above.

Respectfully, I disagree with most of what was said above.

The Dragons' organization has very little hustle, especially when it comes to gameday promotions. Bobblehead giveaways? Nope. Fireworks. Nope. Theme nights? Nope. Game used jersey auctions? Nope. Team autograph day? Nope. Kids eat free? Nope. Food or drink specials? Nope. I would assume they eschew most of these options simply because they don't have to resort to such tactics to sell tickets, but the fact remains that they do less to try to bring in people than any organization within a 150 mile radius. Their concessions are dreadful and they also have some of the most expensive ticket prices in the extended area. I go to more Dragons games mostly because of convenience, but when it comes to entertainment value for the buck I'd much rather catch a game in Columbus or Indianapolis.

[19braves77]

Respectfully, I disagree with most of what was said above.

The Dragons' organization has very little hustle, especially when it comes to gameday promotions. Bobblehead giveaways? Nope. Fireworks. Nope. Theme nights? Nope. Game used jersey auctions? Nope. Team autograph day? Nope. Kids eat free? Nope. Food or drink specials? Nope. I would assume they eschew most of these options simply because they don't have to resort to such tactics to sell tickets, but the fact remains that they do less to try to bring in people than any organization within a 150 mile radius. Their concessions are dreadful and they also have some of the most expensive ticket prices in the extended area. I go to more Dragons games mostly because of convenience, but when it comes to entertainment value for the buck I'd much rather catch a game in Columbus or Indianapolis.

I heard several opinions about this ballpark with vacationers in Pensacola. I had people tell me the box office has declared a sellout yet when you get in the stadium and its half empty after the 1st.

[dougdirt]

Respectfully, I disagree with most of what was said above.

The Dragons' organization has very little hustle, especially when it comes to gameday promotions. Bobblehead giveaways? Nope. Fireworks. Nope. Theme nights? Nope. Game used jersey auctions? Nope. Team autograph day? Nope. Kids eat free? Nope. Food or drink specials? Nope. I would assume they eschew most of these options simply because they don't have to resort to such tactics to sell tickets, but the fact remains that they do less to try to bring in people than any organization within a 150 mile radius. Their concessions are dreadful and they also have some of the most expensive ticket prices in the extended area. I go to more Dragons games mostly because of convenience, but when it comes to entertainment value for the buck I'd much rather catch a game in Columbus or Indianapolis.

I've certainly seen fireworks at the stadium (I hate when I show up on fireworks nights because then I have to find alternate parking). After every game there's a free autograph session in the Dragons Den with a player. I don't know if they have a team autograph day, but you can certainly get autographs every home game.

Where do kids eat free at? I've never heard of that at a ballpark. I do wish they would do $0.10 hot dog night like they do in Columbus - though at the same time, I regret that decision.

Bobbleheads could be lacking. Maybe that's a "we don't need something to bring in 7000 people" thing.

[nmculbreth]

I've certainly seen fireworks at the stadium (I hate when I show up on fireworks nights because then I have to find alternate parking). After every game there's a free autograph session in the Dragons Den with a player. I don't know if they have a team autograph day, but you can certainly get autographs every home game.

Where do kids eat free at? I've never heard of that at a ballpark. I do wish they would do $0.10 hot dog night like they do in Columbus - though at the same time, I regret that decision.

Bobbleheads could be lacking. Maybe that's a "we don't need something to bring in 7000 people" thing.

The only two times in the past few years that I remember seeing fireworks after a Dragons game was around July 4th and those fireworks were put on by the city of Dayton and not the team. Personally they're not my cup of tea (mostly because I don't like the extra crowd they bring) but they're a big draw for the casual fan.

And to the Dragon's credit, they do have a designated player sign after every game but that's not exactly thing as same as having an actual team signing day... Louisville has two on-field team signing days every year, so does Toledo. Fort Wayne has an on-field signing session after every Sunday home game and Indianapolis runs 2-3 team signing sessions every year and even brings in a couple HOFers for a free pre-game autograph session.

Louisville runs a kid's eat free promo at every Sunday home game and each kid under twelve gets a voucher that is good for a hot dog, a drink and a snack. Columbus runs a ton of food promos, including the ever popular dime-a-dog promo every Monday night.

I'm not saying that they should do everything, but the contrast between what Dayton does to attract casual fans vs. what every other minor league team within a 150 mile radius does is stark. When I see that Indianapolis and Columbus have big attendance numbers, I feel like they've earned it... I don't feel the same way about Dayton. They're blessed by the fact that they're a Reds affiliate in the middle of Reds country and the fact that there isn't a ton else to do in Dayton, which allows them to do nothing and still end up with attendance figures that dwarf all other non-AAA affiliates. That said I saw way more open seats last year than I have in years past, so I'm not sure how much longer they're going to be able to prop up their sellout streak without doing more or charging less.