At Home With the Reading Phillies

Today, we speak with Rob Hackash, director of communications for the Reading Phillies (Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies). The club welcomed its 10 millionth fan in franchise history last season, becoming the first Double-A club to reach this figure.

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

RH: Our fan base spans generations. The Phillies have been in town for 42 years, so there are fans at our games today who came here in the late '60s and '70s to see Schmidt, Boone, Bowa and Luzinski. They brought their kids in the '80s to see Samuel and Daulton. These days, they still come with their kids -- and grandkids now too -- to see Burrell, Rollins, Howard etc.

I think our fans are very knowledgeable, and they also enjoy everything about coming to the park, both between the lines and aside from the game. They're also very respectful. Bowie's Lou Montenez made a face-first diving catch onto our warning track recently. It had to hurt and was a heck of a play to sell out on the crushed stone. Our fans gave him a decent round of applause for playing the game the right way, even though he's for the other club. That being said, you can imagine how well they get behind our guys.

Going back to the '50s when the Indians and Red Sox were in Reading, over 10 million people have come through the gates at FirstEnergy Stadium.

I'd say our fan base grows like any family does -- it gets more deeply rooted year after year.

MiLB.com: What type of marketing strategies do the fans respond to?

RH: Fireworks, for sure. We've had 28 shows each of the last two years, and the fans just can't seem to get enough. Aside from fireworks, we try to do a variety of things that will appeal to entire families. It feels like we have a ton of kids who come to the park and the folks who travel the Minors -- scouts, writers, broadcasters -- echo that. It's a very kid-friendly place.

We work very hard to create a product that's valuable to the fans and sponsors. People appreciate it when they feel they're getting a lot for their dollar in this economy. I think Minor League clubs in general are very good about this. That's why even in a so-called down economy you see attendance marks being surpassed all over the Minors -- it's a valuable product.

At a Glance: Reading Phillies

• First season: 1967 • Affiliation: Philadelphia Phillies (1967-present) • Stadium: FirstEnergy Stadium (built in 1951, formerly known as Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium) • League Championships: 1968, 1973, 1995, 2001 (co-champions) • City Population: Approximately 83,000 • Notable Reading Alumni: Larry Bowa Julio Franco Jimmy Rollins Mike Schmidt • People who've called Reading home: George Bradley (first pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter in the National League) Carl Furillo (Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder) John Updike (writer) Delores Wells (Playboy Playmate of the Month, June 1960)

We're only 60 miles from Philadelphia, and we're very proud of our 42-year relationship with the Phillies. We try to honor that constantly with our name, uniforms, giveaways, displays around the park, etc.

We stress the importance of group sales, too. The group department is the biggest in the front office. There are six areas in the ballpark where you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet, plus regular groups, all sorts of youth teams and more. The Group Experiences section on readingphillies.com is by far the biggest.

It all comes back to the families, though. Craig Stein and Chuck Domino made the staff feel like a family long ago. A lot of us have been working together for a very long time by Minor League standards. Scott [Hunsicker] has kept it rolling now that he's the GM, and it really extends to the fan base.

MiLB.com: Has your team staged any notable promotions in recent years? Any that just didn't work?

RH: Last year we had a pretty big celebration to recognize the 10 millionth fan to attend a game at FirstEnergy Stadium. That milestone really summed up my point about generations of fans calling this place home. The community really embraced the whole thing.

We also did a Fans' Choice bobblehead last year, which was well supported. The candidates were all people fans see working around the ballpark, but no players. We ran it like an election, and even staged a weekly web show that felt like an election update you'd see on the news. The winner was the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor.

We're always appreciative of being recognized for a promotion in your weekly Top 10, like Clunker Car Night. Earlier this year ESPN.com put our Instant Vacation Giveaway at number three in a Top 10 they did in their travel section. I think Spam Carving could go global, maybe even beyond. If there is life on other planets, this could draw them out of hiding.

To answer the second part -- like every team in the Minors, every promotion and wild stunt always works exactly as planned. Nothing ever goes wrong.

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

RH: The web has affected us in a very positive way. We've tried very hard to stay out in front of the possibilities available as technology advances. From selling tickets and merchandise online as far back as the holiday season of 1998 to posting daily video highlights and interviews, plus broadcasts and podcasts today, readingphillies.com is the fans' source for literally everything but the hot dogs. Ralph Trout is our staff photographer and gets us great stuff daily. Tony Zonca, who is retired from the Reading Eagle, where his beat was the big Phillies for a long time, writes for us, and Andy Kauffman does a great job producing some very entertaining videos. There are too many people involved to name. It's a fun destination for an R-Phils fan.

Being able to sell tickets online changed a lot of our thinking from an advertising standpoint years ago. We started to do more TV commercials that directed fans to making ticket purchases online. We used to be somewhat reluctant to run TV spots -- say in March -- if we weren't at the stadium at night and no one was here to take a ticket order. Once we were online we were open 24/7, even if the office was empty, and it was full speed ahead.

I'm not saying the internet is 100 percent responsible for our success the last 10 years, but our attendance has been consistently way above 400,000 since we made it a priority. Before, it hovered around the 400,000 mark. Just having a web site isn't enough -- it's the content -- and a lot of time that content comes from the ideas we generate as a front-office team. The web serves as a vehicle to let people know about everything we do at the park to make it fun for the fans. It's an unbeatable way to share what's going on with your fans.

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

RH: Funnel cakes and pierogies have a regional flare to them. Our signature item is the Churger, though. It's a slice of American cheese between a quarter-pound burger and a boneless chicken breast, served on a fresh roll and "made with a whole lot of love," according to Jamie "Scoly" Scolastico, who runs the Grand Slam Grill in the right-field food court. Scoly came up with the Churger back in the mid-'90s. They're delicious.

MiLB.com: What type of merchandise sells best at the team store? Are there any unique items available for purchase?

RH: We revamped our look this past off-season, so I'd say everything is hot right now. Our primary home jersey is white with red pinstripes, just like the big Phils, but it says "Reading" across the chest in the same font that Philadelphia's says "Phillies." It makes people do a double-take. Our new road jerseys are actually quite old looking -- they're powder blue, just like the Phillies wore in the '80s. They look so sweet on the field; it takes you back, if you're old enough to remember those days well.

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

RH: Well, there are five of them -- Screwball, Quack, Change-Up, Bucky and Blooper, plus a host of other characters roaming the park at all times -- so I'd say they're quite important. People ask us all the time, "Why so many mascots?" I guess the more the merrier. Disney didn't stop with just Mickey. It's nice if every kid in the park can feel like they've had some contact with the mascots. Five can cover more ground than one.

The mascots are always out and about, helping Little Leagues open, marching in parades and participating in all kinds of community events.

They're best known for their work as a band though. Every Saturday from June on, the five of them play post-game concerts. Quack sings and plays the guitar, Screwball is the drummer, Bucky is on bass, Change-Up is on the bongos and Blooper strokes the keyboards. They've drawn a lot of attention for their musical prowess. They've been on SportsCenter, played at Citizens Bank Park while all big-league mascots danced around for the Phanatic's birthday, and they've been featured by local and regional media outlets. They've been at it since 2002 and no, there's no Milli Vanilli-ing going on. They really sing and play.

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

RH: Its age is probably both its greatest strength and weakness.

We have history. We've got a lot of it. Roger Maris played here in the '50s when Reading was an Indians town, and so did Rocky Colavito. Rico Petrocelli was here on his way up with the Red Sox. Plus all those Phillies mentioned above and many more. Seven different players have gone on to rack up 10 MVP awards in the Majors. Three future Cy Young winners cut their teeth here, as did three Rookies of the Year. You can feel the nostalgia when you're here. But the park has undergone so many renovations over the last 20 years that it really has many modern attributes -- like a giant video board, multiple picnic areas and, of course, the pool. With all those additions, though, it hasn't lost any of its old-time charm. Going back to the generations thing, this place is like a second home to a lot of people.

There are some drawbacks, mostly due to the age of the park. The concourses are kind of cramped, and they didn't think about having enough storage for thousands of bobbleheads etc. when they built it back in 1950. The clubhouses and press box are on the small side too by today's standards. I think it'd be nice to have suites as an option for fans/businesses that want them to entertain. With all these new parks popping up everywhere, the deficiencies are brought more to light with each passing year. At some point soon, those issues will have to be addressed.

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

RH: Gosh, after 12 years they all sort of run together, but for me personally number one was on July 6, 2005. "Broadway" Charlie Wagner, a life-long Reading resident and member of the Red Sox, got his 2004 World Series ring on the field pregame at the age of 93. Charlie played for the Sox (he was Ted Williams' roommate), scouted, coached, ran the farm, was an ambassador for them, you name it -- he did it. He was on their payroll until he passed away at the end of the 2006 season. He was a daily fixture at the park and a great friend to so many of us, a class act all the way. He loved his Sox so much. It was amazing to see someone so humble and classy get that kind of reward. As "Broadway" came out onto the field to get into position for the ceremony, the fans gave him a standing ovation as soon as they saw him -- without any announcements or prompting. I guess that goes back to my saying we have knowledgeable fans. There were a lot of people fighting back tears, and many of them weren't winning that fight.

As if the night wasn't electric enough, Cole Hamels was making his Double-A debut. We already had a ton of media coming here for Charlie, and then it exploded when Cole was starting. "This Week in Baseball" was here, which was cool having grown up watching that show religiously as a kid. We get our fair share of attention from the Philly papers and television and radio stations too, and that night was no exception.

Back in '98 we hosted our first '60s night. The team wore tie-died jerseys and really bought into the night and took it way beyond. Steve Carver came up to bat in the first inning and decided to wear a long blond hippie wig and unbutton his jersey enough to show off a sparkling gold peace-sign medallion on a sweet chain. With that get-up on he hit a three-run homer onto The Deck in left field and this place went nuts.

The hype that followed Pat Burrell in '99 and Ryan Howard in '04 was really something to be part of on a daily basis, too. Those guys attracted a lot of media attention, which falls under my department. When Pat was here it was only year number three for me, so we kind of got through it together and learned as we went. By the time Ryan was here hitting all those home runs, the experiences I was fortunate to have had with Pat helped me make it even more fun for Ryan, the fans, the media and everyone else involved in 2004. Nobody has yet to come close to having that bright a spotlight on them as those two.

We've had some very memorable playoff games, a seven-inning perfect game and a nine-inning no-hitter, too. All of that has been awesome.