Suns cap season with ESPN 'Veeckie' award
The "Veeckie" Awards, named after famous baseball promoter Bill Veeck, are given annually by the magazine to recognize the industry's top promotions each season. The Suns have received a "Veeckie" in three of the past five years. Previous winning promotions included the Guinness World Record for the Youngest Broadcaster ever (2002) and the Free Funeral Giveaway (2003), which was also selected as the Promotion of the Year by ESPN the Magazine and was named as one of the Top 5 baseball promotions of all time by Sports Illustrated.
"We are flattered that ESPN the Magazine has chosen us as the recipient of one of the most sought after honors in Minor League Baseball," said President and General Manager of the Suns, Kurt Landes. "Teams strive to come up with unique promotions, and we're very fortunate to have a creative staff that's continually able to come up with new, fun ideas. Minor League Baseball and our local fans have come to expect these fun, unique promotions at our games -- and we enjoy that reputation of being willing to try anything."
The "They even gave away the kitchen sink" Kitchen Sink Giveaway took place during the Suns game on July 12. A sink, donated by Hagerstown Kitchens, was filled with peanuts and fans were able to guess how many peanuts were inside as they entered Municipal Stadium. The closest guess took home the sink.
"Our fans have always told me, 'Kurt, you've given away everything but the kitchen sink.' Well, now I can tell them we've even given that away, too," Landes said in an earlier press release announcing the promotion.
The Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League are owned by Los Angeles-based Mandalay Baseball Properties. Ticket packages, group information, and sponsorships for the 2007 season are available by calling 301-791-6266, or by visiting the Suns online at www.hagerstownsuns.com.