Fans May Submit Ideas Beginning Saturday

OMAHA, NE - The Omaha Royals are not only playing their final season at Rosenblatt Stadium, but also potentially their final season as the Royals. The Triple-A team is giving fans the opportunity to help come up with team name ideas for 2011, when the club moves into its new ballpark in Sarpy County.

Beginning Saturday, August 21, fans will aid in the team's ultimate decision on a name by being able to submit their ideas in two ways. They may submit their ideas online at www.oroyals.com from Saturday through Monday, September 6. Fans attending a game during the Royals' final homestand, which runs Saturday through Thursday, September 2, will be able to submit their ideas at Innovation Research Fan Services at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Team officials will review all of the fans' ideas beginning on September 7. On September 13, the Royals will release the top 24 names and the public will be able to vote for their three favorite names from the 13th through the 27th of the month, again at www.oroyals.com. On October 4th, the team will release a list of the top nine names remaining under consideration and fans will be able to vote online for the one name they like best.

In November, Omaha's Triple-A baseball club will release its team name, mascot, logos and uniforms at a public event. Details on the event will be released soon.

One lucky fan who suggests the name of the team will win two Box seat 2011 season tickets in the new Sarpy County ballpark and an official home jersey personalized with their name on the back.

"We encourage everybody in the metro area to take part in this process and help decide the name of Omaha's Triple-A baseball team, as we enter the exciting new era of moving into a state-of-the art Minor League ballpark," said Royals Vice President/General Manager Martie Cordaro. "Our owners, management and staff all value our fans' opinions and feelings and are excited to include them in the process of selecting a team name."

The final home stand at Rosenblatt - a 13-gamer that includes five contests vs. the arch-rival Iowa Cubs - opens this Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. tilt against the Memphis Redbirds, Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

For tickets, call (402) 738-5100, or print tickets online at www.oroyals.com.

ABOUT THE ROYALS: For the second year in a row, readers of Omaha Magazine voted the Omaha Royals as Best Omaha Sports Team in the magazine's 18th annual Best of Omaha Awards, published in its January/February 2010 edition. 371,046 fans attended Omaha Royals games in 2009, making the Royals the largest-drawing sports team or event in the metro area last year. The team's total attendance, as well as the average of 5,457 fans per game, marked its largest figures since the 2000 season. Omaha's Triple-A franchise has now drawn over 300,000 fans a year to Rosenblatt Stadium for 23 consecutive seasons, dating back to 1988.