RIVER BANDITS, CARDINALS EXTEND AFFILIATION
"We could not be happier to be able to make this announcement," said team owner Dave Heller. "Since I bought the team, guys like [Cardinals General Manager] John Mozeliak have been a pleasure to work with, and we already know about the great number of loyal Cardinals fans that live in our market and come to ballgames here. We want all our fans to know that they can see the next generation of Cardinals' stars here today, then see them again in two or three years when they reach St. Louis."
"We look forward to continuing a strong working relationship," added Mozeliak, who was named the General Manager of the Cardinals in October after six seasons as the club's Assistant General Manager. "We are excited about the new ownership group and believe strongly in the direction they're taking the team."
The Cardinals organization has stacked the team's roster with exciting young prospects since beginning their affiliation in 2005. Playing under the "Swing" name, the team has been to the playoffs in all three of its seasons with the Redbirds as a parent club, and has established eight new offensive franchise records during that span. In just three years, the likes of Colby Rasmus, Bryan Anderson, Jaime Garcia, and P.J. Walters have all gone from Swing regulars to knocking on the door of the big leagues, while Rick Ankiel and Dennis Dove have already reached the majors.
"One of the great attractions of playing in the Quad Cities is the ballpark," added Mozeliak. "It is a tremendous facility and the club's staff has done a great job of supporting our players and coaches. Modern Woodmen Park is not only a great place to play, but it is a great working environment as well."
The Quad Cities was the place that saw pitcher-turned-outfielder Ankiel slug 11 home runs in just 51 games while working his way back to the big leagues in 2005. Cardinals' top prospect Rasmus enjoyed a breakout season in 2006, hitting .310 with 33 extra-base hits before receiving a mid-season promotion. That same year, his roommate with the club, Anderson, hit .302 as an emerging catching prospect while the Mexican southpaw Garcia burst onto the prospect radar with a 2.90 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 77.2 innings. The 2007 campaign featured more of the same, highlighted by changeup-artist Walters, who blew through the Midwest League with a 6-1 record and a 2.62 ERA on his way to playing a pivotal late-season role for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals in the Texas League Championship Series.
Main Street Iowa's Vice President, Kirk Goodman, expects the affiliation between the River Bandits and the Cardinals to only get better with time. "I am very much looking forward to working closely with the Cardinals," Goodman said. "We think that River Bandits fans want to see more promotional tie-ins with the Cardinals such as tickets to Busch Stadium and other giveaways, and we plan on doing what we can to help feed the passion that Cardinals Nation has here in the Quad Cities."
While there are many changes going on at the newly renamed Modern Woodmen Park this off-season, maintaining the club's affiliation with the Cardinals was an important element of consistency.
"We're really excited about a lot of new things here," said Main Street Iowa co-owner Bob Herrfeldt. "We have a great new name and we are working on a lot of other changes that are going to improve baseball in the Quad Cities. But keeping and extending our affiliation with the Cardinals was extremely important to us, and was something that we put a high priority on."
ABOUT THE RIVER BANDITS: After an off-season full of upgrades, the Quad Cities River Bandits will open the 2008 campaign at Modern Woodmen Park on April 3! The new merchandise is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store, and season ticket packages, including the new 10-game pack, are on sale at the park or by calling (563) 3-BANDIT!