At Home With the Mud Hens

Today, we speak with Jason Griffin, media and public relations director of the International League's Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers). Toledo has a professional baseball history that dates back to 1883; the current incarnation of the ballclub was established in 1965. In 2007, the Mud Hens set their all-time attendance record by drawing 590,159 fans to Fifth Third Field.

MiLB.com: How would you characterize your team's fan base? Has it grown or changed in recent years?

JG: Our fan base remains the same as it has been for many years. In fact, below is our mission statement:

• To provide family-friendly, first-class and affordable sports entertainment in a clean, safe and healthy atmosphere.
  
• To faithfully preserve over 100 years of world-famous popularity that evolves from community pride.
  
• To cherish a special relationship with our fans, our community, our players, our media partners and our sponsors.
  
• To nurture the individuals employed by the Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Club.
  
• To preserve a Triple-A professional baseball team for Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.
  
• To maintain the financial integrity of this private, nonprofit corporation.
  

MiLB.com: Working in a Minor League front office is all about getting people in the seats. What are some of your team's most effective recurring promotions?

JG: Several of our promotions have been very popular -- fireworks are still king and we have over 25 shows per year. School Day Celebration games (10:30 a.m. starts) have been wildly popular for us and attract over 30,000 school kids annually. Schools from over two hours away have made the trip to Toledo. Scout Sleepovers have been a big hit, as both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have a handful of dates where they can come enjoy the game, then pitch their tent and sleep on the field overnight.

MiLB.com: Has your team staged any notable creative or offbeat promotions in recent years?

JG: One of our biggest promotional successes was the introduction of our two new mascots. To introduce fans to the new additions to the Toledo Mud Hens mascot family, we created an elaborate scripted plot. We produced several "Weird Watch News Alerts" segments that ran between innings to inform fans of the events leading up to the big debut of the characters. A new "news flash" docu-drama was featured every home stand, starting in late April. The segments included graphics and an official correspondent who would report on the UFO sightings, the discovery of giant eggs in the outfield and then a "live" hatching. The creatures from outer space were finally revealed to fans in June with a smoke-filled entrance, creepy music and a dance routine. Who were they? None other than "Muddiva" and "Muddevious," the brand-new inflatable alter-egos of the Mud Hens' original mascots, Muddy and Muddonna. (Answer courtesy of promotions manager Jamay Edwards.)

At a Glance: Toledo Mud Hens

• First season: The current incarnation of the club played its first season in 1965, although Toledo has a professional baseball history dating back to 1883. The name "Mud Hens" was first used in 1896. • Affiliation: Detroit Tigers (1987-present, also 1934-35, 1949-51 and 1967-73) • Stadium: Fifth Third Field (2002-present) • League Championships: The Mud Hens won the International League's Governors' Cup Trophy in 1968, 2005 and 2006. • City Population: Approximately 298,000 • Notable Toledo Alumni: Billy Beane Jamie Moyer Kirby Puckett Frank Viola • People who've called Toledo home: Jamie Farr (actor and prominent Mud Hens fan) Gloria Steinem (feminist icon) John Snow (Secretary of the Treasury) Jim Leyland (Detroit Tigers manager)

MiLB.com: How has the internet affected the way your team is run?

JG: Clearly many of our fans get much of their information about the team through our website. Our team store has seen a big boost in merchandise sales, and fans can purchase tickets online (over 15 percent of overall ticket sales in 2007) and view what the seat location has to offer. Fans can also sign up for our e-newsletter that will offer special promotions and give fans the latest Mud Hen team information.

MiLB.com: Does your concession stand serve any regional specialties or otherwise remarkable items?

JG: We have partnered with regional and local food manufacturers with great success in our first six seasons. Toft's Dairy out of Sandusky, Ohio, has been our ice-cream supplier for six seasons and produces and supplies all of our hand-dipped ice cream, including two unique flavors made exclusively for the Mud Hens: Strawberry Strikeout and Bullpen Chocolate. Our potato chip and snack supplier is Ballriech's out of Tiffin, Ohio, and our salsa and tortilla chips are produced by a Bowling Green, Ohio company. This season, our newest menu items are our Fried Bologna Sandwich served with grilled onions and cheddar cheese and a Jalapeno Cheddar Bratwurst (both produced locally by Tanks Meats out of Elmore, Ohio). We have enjoyed such great success with using locally made products, we now look locally first when considering new menu items. (Answer courtesy of food and beverage manager Craig W. Nelson.)

MiLB.com: How large of a role does your mascot play, both at the stadium and within the community?

JG: Our mascots play a tremendous role in the community and at the stadium. We refer to them as our living logos!

The Mud Hens first and most popular mascots are Muddy and Muddonna, but like I said we recently added inflatable mascots, Muddevious and Muddiva. The Mud Hens' community relations manager books mascot appearances year-round. These requests come from all over metro-Toledo, some as far as two hours away. The appearances include birthday parties, retirement homes, hospital visits, press conferences, store grand openings and parades, and are always well-received. During the season, if an organization books one of the mascots and also a player for an event, it's not unusual for the mascot to be more popular than the player. That speaks volumes.

In the stadium, the mascots typically get their own inning break for a dance or skit. On a game day, each mascot often has a schedule that includes making stops in suites, the stands, meet-and-greets, birthday parties, group parties, on-field contest participation and also general roaming. Our mascots have Hen-tern handlers who help them get to where they need to be during the game. It's very helpful when there are 10,000 or more people in the ballpark. Everyone wants to interact with the mascots. We try to meet as many fan requests as possible by having the mascots accessible at the stadium.

MiLB.com: Minor League stadiums often vary greatly from one another. What are the positives of playing in your facility? Any drawbacks?

JG: Being in a downtown setting is wonderful, as it gives Fifth Third Field a big-league feel. Home runs can land beyond the wall in left field and bounce down the street. We have all the bells and whistles, such as two giant video boards and a state-of-the-art sound system, not to mention the fact that our playing surface has won the "Best Field" award in Triple-A for two straight seasons. Fans love watching a game here and players love playing here.

MiLB.com: What are some of your favorite on-field moments since you've been with the team?

JG: Winning the Governors' Cup championship in 2005 and 2006 were wonderful experiences, and it was really nice to win it in 2006 because we were at home for the final game.

It's always a lot of fun to have big names come through, and we've seen Nomar Garciaparra, Magglio Ordonez, Curt Schilling and Mike Hampton, to name a few. We also had [professional golfer] Phil Mickelson try out for us in 2004, which was a real treat.