At Home With the Bowie Baysox

Today we speak with Phil Wrye, assistant general manager of the Bowie Baysox, the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

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

PW: Our team fan base in Bowie is loyal. No matter if the team is playing well or not so well, fans come out to support the team and the events we host. They seem to enjoy being out at the stadium and interacting with other fans and staff.

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

PW: Baysox fans respond to special offers, special events and direct-response items. E-mail blasts about upcoming events or games help to spread the word and increase awareness and ticket sales for those events. Our annual pocket schedule detailing all of our events is still rated No. 1 in the way people find out about our games.

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

PW: This season we honored Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak -- he owns a local radio station in our area -- with a bobblehead giveaway. Pat was also on hand to meet and greet fans. We also honored the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 2007 and 2008 and had six or seven former AAGPBL players from the 1940s and '50s on hand to sign autographs and meet with fans. The ladies had a great time, as did the fans.

Each season we attempt to break a Guinness World Record. The best was the attempt to break the record for the most people simultaneously sitting on Whoopee Cushions. We had over 3,500 fans sit on Whoopee Cushions at the same time -- what a sound that makes!

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

PW: The internet has certainly helped in the way we distribute information and communicate with our fans. We don't have a daily newspaper, radio station or television station in our city, so we rely on our website to be our "daily newspaper." We direct fans to our site for promotional information, team news, features, game times, player stats, etc.

At a Glance: Bowie Baysox

• First season: 1993 • Affiliation: Baltimore Orioles (1993-present) • Stadium: Prince George's Stadium (1994-present; the club played in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium in its inaugural season) • League Championships: None • City Population: Approximately 50,000 • Notable Bowie Alumni: Armando Benitez Sidney Ponson Brian Roberts Gregg Zaun • People who've called Bowie home: J.C. Chasez (formerly of 'N Sync) Danny Ferry (former NBA player) Kathie Lee Gifford (TV personality) Jan Scruggs (founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial)

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

PW: We do not have any regional specialties that we serve at the ballpark; however, we do serve a couple signature items: the Bowie Big Dog (a third of a pound of all-beef hot dog served in a sub roll with grilled onions) and the Bubba Burger (two half-pound Angus beef patties served with cheese, bacon and barbecue sauce with a jalapeno popper on the top).

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

PW: We have a lot of the basic merchandise at our team shop (T-shirts, hats, foam fingers, mini-bats) as well as authentic batting practice jerseys and customizable home jerseys. We also recently started customizable T-shirts for kids and adults. We screen a name and a number on the back of the T-shirt while the fan waits.

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

PW: Our mascot, Louie, is a big part of what we do. A couple years ago we actually trademarked the name LouieVille, Md. -- The Kids Capital. We have someone on staff whose job it is to be our mascot everyday and seek out locations and special events to attend. Also, we play an active role in hundreds of community events annually and strive to be as visible as possible everywhere we can be. We understand that in the Minor Leagues, with most everything around you changing each season (players, coaches, etc.), your mascot is one of the biggest and most recognizable marketing tools a team has.

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

PW: The positive of playing on our field now is the new light system we installed after the 2007 season. The players and opposing players/coaches have been impressed. It is much better than what we had in previous seasons.

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

PW: Besides hosting the 2000 Double-A All-Star Game and the 2004 Eastern League All-Star Game, I would say my favorite on-field moment occurred during an inning break when we were doing our kids' base-race contest.

We had a brother/sister tandem on the field and the brother was starting on the third-base side of home plate while the sister was starting on the first-base side. At the start, each sibling ran toward their respective base. The brother turned the corner at third heading toward second. The sister ran right through first base and down the line. The Baysox bullpen, instead of stopping her and turning around, encouraged her to keep running and she ended up running to the foul pole and turned the corner, heading for center. By this time one of the bullpen members had caught up to her and got her turned around. She ran with a smile on her face, undaunted by the crowd that was getting a big kick out of this, right back to home plate and got a high five from the catcher and batter who were waiting for her to leave the field. Everyone got a big laugh out of this little girl who truly had no idea what was going on. She was having a ball just being on the field.