The Weather "A Promotional Event Game Changer"

Coming into the 2013 season Elizabethton Twins General Manager, Mike Mains felt his staff had produced a promotional event calendar that would create a since of excitement among E-Twins fans. The calendar was filled with unique promotions such as Hunk of Burning Love Night, the Miss Elizabethton Twins Pageant and of course the annual God and Country Fireworks Extravaganza. On paper everything looked great and then came the game changer of the 2013 baseball season.

Whether it was light, moderate or heavy, consistent rains flooded numerous promotional nights forcing cancellations, delays and rescheduling. The game changer has been rain and it hasn't given the E-Twins staff a break since opening day. "Looking back now to the night of our first game when we had to roll out the tarp with only a twenty percent chance a rain we should have known then we were in for a very long season," said Mike Mains, General Manager. "It's been a tough season the toughest I've seen since I've been associated with this team. Our administrative staff have been on the phones rescheduling events and our grounds crew have pushed themselves all season to make sure we have a playing surface that is safe for these great players to play on."

The game of baseball is often looked at in numbers and this game changer for players, staff and fans alike is no different. For example, the E-Twins grounds crew have pulled the tarp at some point on game day 15 out of the first 21 games played this season. Sometimes two and three times a day. In addition, four games have been rescheduled and numerous games have been delayed. The string of bad weather goes all the way back to last season as 6 out of the last 7 games played at Joe O'Brien Field were affected by heavy rains. "We've taken a pretty tough hit and it just seems the weather patterns when we've been at home have produced rainfall," said Mains. " We have some of the best fans in the league but when it rains all day or when you're sitting in the stands getting washed away on a day when there is only a 20 percent chance of rain it is a game changer for attendance figures and for those fans so passionate about this great game."

The E-Twins are set to host a big series of games as the Johnson City Cardinals and the Greenville Astros come to Elizabethton. In addition to this great baseball several promotional nights will take place along with a few rescheduled events such as a visit from an Elvis tribute artist on Thursday, a fireworks event on Friday and a Back to School Night on Saturday. For ticket information call 547-6441.