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Suns win 2013 Southern League Promo Trophy

Suns will be league nominee for Larry MacPhail Award
September 13, 2013

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Suns are the second annual winner of the Southern League Promotional Trophy for the 2013 season, announced by the league office.

With the award, the Suns will be the Southern League's nominee for the Larry MacPhail Award, which honors the team demonstrating the most outstanding promotional work in Minor League Baseball. The Larry MacPhail Award will be presented at the 2013 Baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., from Dec. 9-12.

The Suns featured one of the most unique promotional schedules in all of baseball during the 2013 season, entertaining 295,258 fans at Bragan Field during 67 home games in Jacksonville. The Suns finished third in the league in total and average attendance (4,407).

The highlight of the year came on July 17, when the Suns hosted the 2013 Southern League All-Star Game presented by State Farm in front of a Southern League All-Star Game record crowd of 9,373 fans at Bragan Field.

The weekly promotions included Thursday Night Throwdown, NAPA Friday Family Fireworks, VyStar Kids Run the Bases on Sundays, Belly Buster Mondays, Fifty Cent Family Feast Nights, as well as Businessperson's Specials for weekday day games.

Celebrities made their way to Bragan Field in 2013, with baseball stars Dale Murphy, John Rocker, and Denny McLain all signing autographs for Jacksonville fans. The Suns also welcomed back everybody's favorite principal Mr. Belding (actor Dennis Haskins) from "Saved By the Bell." Suns fans also had the chance to see performers such as the Zooperstars, Myron Noodleman, BirdZerk, Elvis Himselvis, as well as postgame leprechaun wrestling. The Suns also featured postgame concerts by the George Aspinall Band, and Christian recording artists Francesca Battistelli and Jason Crabbe.

Jersey collectors had plenty to smile about with the Suns with four jersey auction nights in 2013: Navy Blue Digital Camo, Jacksonville Expos throwback, Patriotic Red White and Blue, and Jimmy Buffett-style jerseys. Collectors also enjoyed the Suns' bobblehead giveaways that included a talking bobblehead doll of late Suns owner Peter D. Bragan, Sr., a bobblehead of Randy Johnson in his 1987 Jacksonville Expos uniform, as well as Chipper Jones in his Jacksonville Bolles High School uniform with a pair of bats.

Fans also came away with a Mike Stanton pen and pencil holder, a Christian Yelich backpack, a J.T. Realmuto kids replica jersey, a Halloween Suns cap, and a commemorative replica of Bragan Field.

The Suns express appreciation to all sponsors, local and national, for their support of Suns baseball in 2013 making this recognition possible.

For the latest Suns news this offseason, fans are encouraged to visit www.jaxsuns.com and can keep up with the Jacksonville Suns on the club's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram social media platforms, as well as the "Tales from Bragan Field" blog: www.sunsradio.com