Durham merging indie bands with Bulls

Minor League teams are known for the creativity of their gameday promotions. On Tuesdays this season, we preview the most intriguing for the week ahead. If you'd like a particular promotion to be considered for this feature in the future, please send it to [email protected] with the subject line: "Promo Preview" or send a Tweet to @bensbiz, hashtag "#promopreview."

The Minor League Baseball universe already includes RubberDucks, Chihuahuas, Biscuits and Mud Hens. On Thursday, the Durham Bulls are adding Mountain Goats, Caribou, Seaweed and Volcano Suns to the mix.

Thursday is the Bulls' second annual "Merge Night," in which the iconic International League franchise partners with the iconic Durham-based independent record label. Merge Records co-founder (and Superchunk singer/guitarist) Mac McCaughan will throw out the first pitch and Heather McEntire of the band Mount Moriah sings the National Anthem. Then, throughout the game, Bulls players will come to the plate to a Merge-centric playlist curated by the record label.

This promotion, the first of its kind in Minor League Baseball, is the brainchild of Durham Bulls director of marketing Scott Carter.

"First and foremost, this comes out of a mutual respect between the two organizations," said Carter. "Because not only are we huge Merge Records fans, [but] they also happen to be Bulls fans. We first got in touch through Twitter, after a bunch of people [from the label] tweeted during a day game. I sent them a direct message, saying 'Hey, I'd love to get together and brainstorm'... We got together not because we wanted to put on a concert, or because they had such and such CD to promote. It was more, 'How can we have fun with this?'"

The music one hears at a ballpark -- from "Light 'Em Up" to "Happy" -- is generally geared to a youthful, pop-oriented audience. Carter said that a promotion like "Merge Night" helps the Bulls appeal to fans that Minor League Baseball often does not specifically cater to.

"You have to be in the right kind of market to do this. ... Here in Durham, there's a great musical community. We have one of the biggest independent labels in the country [Merge] and they have one of the biggest independent bands in the country, Arcade Fire," said Carter. "This reaches a different crop of Bulls fans, ones who aren't normally vocal. But now we hear, 'I'm coming to that game!' It's a cool thing to see, like 'Oh, yes. Here come the hipsters!'"

"Hipster" and "Minor League Baseball player" is a demographic that rarely overlaps, however.

"We get the funniest reactions from the players," said Carter. "We tell them we're going to change their walk-up music and it's like 'OK. Whatever.' But then they get out there -- 'What was that?!' It's a big departure for them. I worry that if a guy goes 0-for-4 he'll blame it on us because we changed his walk-up music to Neutral Milk Hotel."

The Best of the Rest

Huntsville Stars (Southern League)
Ben Hill Night, June 5
You won't see this promotion on the Stars' promo schedule, but, trust me, it's happening. I, Ben Hill, will be visiting Huntsville on Thursday as part of my latest and greatest road trip, and in honor of my visit, any fans hailing from the town of Ben Hill, Georgia, will get into the game for free. Ben Hill -- named after a Civil War general -- is a good six hours from Huntsville, so it's possible that no one will take the Stars up on this once-in-a-lifetime offer. I will do my best to make it worthwhile however: in addition to receiving free admission, I will throw in an autographed baseball and a complimentary order of boiled peanuts. How can you say no?

Dunedin Blue Jays (Florida State League)
Beer, Bacon and Fireworks Night, June 6
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have positioned themselves at the forefront of Minor League Baseball's bacon renaissance, but plenty of other teams are celebrating the sizzle. On Friday, the Dunedin Blue Jays are staging "Beer, Bacon and Fireworks," a promotional mash-up of epic proportions. Says the team: "Last season we devoted a night to bacon. We also had a night celebrating craft beers. And, of course, we had fireworks. [On Friday], we decided to jam them all into one awesome promotional night. ('Best Night Ever,' some may say.)" Tickets to the game and a bacon-tasting wristband are just $10. Dunedin? They haven't even begun!

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (International League)
25th Anniversary Celebration, June 7

In 1989, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons played their inaugural season. Two name changes and one affiliation switch later, the team is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. On Saturday, the RailRiders (as the club is now known) will be taking the field in a phantasmagoric jersey featuring all three team identities in one: the front displays the logos of the RailRiders and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees atop black pinstripes, while the back features a Red Barons "SWB" logo atop red Phillies pinstripes. Additionally, the first 2,500 fans receive a statue of team manager Dave Miley. Miley's first year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was 2006, after the Red Barons era but prior to the current RailRiders epoch in which we now reside.

Gwinnett Braves (International League)
Superhero Night, June 8
Superhero theme nights are a common promotion in Minor League Baseball these days, but all superhero nights are not created equal. Check out the backstory on this one: "The Gwinnett Braves have announced that an unidentified villain has broken free from their prison in outer space and has its sights set on Coolray Field and more specifically, [mascot] Super Chopper. Sources say that the evil force that has escaped will arrive in time for [Sunday's] Gwinnett Braves game." The only way to thwart this super villain is through the power of a group dress-up exercise, as the G-Braves are asking all fans to come to the game wearing superhero garb. Can this evil force possibly be thwarted, or is annihilation nigh? 

Lakewood BlueClaws (South Atlantic League)
Cole Hamels Jersey Retirement and Pitcher Pitcher giveaway, June 9
When Cole Hamels made his professional debut for the Lakewood BlueClaws in 2003, his age was his uniform number: 19. Ten years later, the team has decided that no BlueClaw shall ever don this number again. Monday is "Cole Hamels Jersey Retirement Night," and the team is celebrating in what may very well be the best way possible. The first 2,000 fans through the gate receive a "pitcher pitcher," as in a beverage-holding device bearing the beaming visage of young Mr. Hamels.

Quick Hits

Because I've only covered the tip of the proverbial iceberg, what follows is a brief rundown of other notable promotions taking place this week.

• June 4: Jackie Robinson Ballpark, home of the Daytona Cubs, is turning 100. The team is celebrating.
• June 6: Mountain Man (Duck Dynasty) keeps on rolling across the Minor League landscape. Tonight he's visiting the Jacksonville Suns, tomorrow he'll be gracing the Mississippi Braves with his presence. ... Northwest Arkansas explores alternate team name realities via its annual "Thunder Chickens" promo.
• June 7: A gaggle of NFL celebrities are descending upon Bowie, home of the Baysox, for a charity softball game benefiting Wounded Warriors. ... The Corpus Christi Hooks distribute "Sliding Nolan Ryan" bobbleheads, perhaps the only bobblehead to ever feature a pitcher on the basepaths. ... The Memphis Redbirds pay tribute to the city of Memphis, Egypt, by donning jerseys featuring hieroglyphic script.
• June 8: It's "Root Beer Float Night" in Stockton, as the Ports serve up one of the best desserts of all time in copious quantities.
• June 9: The Reading Phillies play their annual "Morning Game," which is enjoyed by retirees, night-shift workers and hooky-playing school kids alike.
• June 10: Adam Jones recently played his 1,000th Major League game. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are giving away 1,000 Adam Jones bobbleheads. Coincidence?