At Home With the Defenders

The Minor League Baseball landscape is endlessly diverse and encompasses everything from rookie league clubs nestled in mountainous rural areas to Triple-A teams located in the heart of major urban centers. Accordingly, each club must develop marketing and promotional strategies that resonate with its unique fan base. Each week, MiLB.com profiles a Minor League club to spotlight just how interesting and varied the world of professional baseball can be.

Today we speak with Brian Irizarry, director of media relations and broadcasting for the Connecticut Defenders. The club was founded in 1995 and played 11 seasons as the Norwich Navigators before changing its name to the Defenders.

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

BI: Family-oriented. Southeastern Connecticut has a significant military presence as Groton, Conn., is the home of the Naval Submarine Base. The Connecticut National Guard also has a large installation in the area and New London is the home of the United States Coast Guard Academy.

Ticket sales have increased 18 percent over the past two seasons.

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

BI: Defenders' fans are focused on value. The gas prices during the summer of 2008 were a huge challenge for everybody and we placed the emphasis for our fans on quality local entertainment. We took the concession business in-house prior to the 2007 season and have improved the quality of the product while significantly reducing the price. On a consistent basis, fireworks is our best drawing promotion, but we have tried to ensure that all of our promotions are value-added. We have not been especially competitive on the field, so we have concentrated more on the fan experience.

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

BI:Last season's Mike Lowell bobblehead giveaway was a success.

We also staged an "Apple Giveaway" where we linked with a Big Y supermarket and all fans received an apple from a local orchard and a raffle ticket upon entering the ballpark. Throughout the course of the game, numbers were announced and Apple products like Nanos and Shuffles were given away as prizes. At the conclusion of the game and prior to the fireworks, one lucky fan won an Apple laptop.

At a Glance: Connecticut Defenders

• First season: 1995 (the franchise played as the Norwich Navigators from 1995-2005). • Affiliation: San Francisco Giants (2003-present) • Stadium: Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium (1995-present) • League Championships: 2002 • City Population: Approximately 36,000 • Notable Connecticut Alumni: Nick Johnson Mike Lowell Alfonso Soriano Marcus Thames • People who've called Norwich, Conn. home: Benedict Arnold (treasonous Revolutionary War general) Wally Lamb (author) Edwin H. Land (inventor of the Polaroid camera) Horace Smith (inventor of first repeating rifle, one half of "Smith & Wesson")

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

BI: Internet ticket sales have increased over the past few years, with the biggest such increase coming in 2008. In 2007, we hosted the Eastern League All-Star Game, which sold over 1,200 tickets online and had a regional appeal.

We have worked hard to use our website to disseminate information about the organization and we seem to have more and more fans using the site to get information about upcoming games and promotions.

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

BI: No regional specialties, but we do make our own pizza with a variety of choices from classic cheese and pepperoni to BBQ chicken or meat lover's with bacon. Fans have a choice of sauerkraut, chili, cheese or all of the above for free when purchasing a hot dog. Lou's Lounge, a sports bar located upstairs in our skybox level, has a special menu for fans. Popcorn shrimp, chicken fajitas, Caesar wraps and paninis are just a few of the popular items.

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

BI: With the availability of MLB merchandise at any mall in the area, we have focused solely on Defenders products. Hats continue to sell well, though we continue to expand our product line to include more fashion-oriented looks as opposed to game products.

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

BI: Cutter is an eagle and the primary mascot for the Connecticut Defenders. He wears uniform No. 1. Tater the Gator is Cutter's best friend and our secondary mascot. He wears No. 06, representing the first year that we played as the Defenders. Both mascots can be seen at the games throughout the season, and usually they go out individually to events.

Cutter and Tater attend over 150 events over the course of the year. They support local groups, both small and large. They go to numerous local Little League events as well as park and recreations events to show their support for youth athletics. In the spring and summertime, Cutter attends reading programs at participating libraries to help promote literacy. Cutter and Tater also attend community events such as Easter Seals Walk with Me, the Pitch for Pink Breast Cancer Awareness, Cycle of Life for children cancer survivors, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, the annual Jack O'Keefe Memorial Strides Road Race and Special Olympics events. They also attend Juneteenth, the Grecian Festival, Conn. Pride Festival, the Taste of Italy, as well as many holiday parades and festivals. Fish Tales, Tugs and Sails, an environmentally themed children's event, is one of the biggest events that they attend. It draws approximately 5,000 people each year.

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

BI: A brand new playing surface was installed in the fall of 2008 with Kentucky blue grass. An indoor batting cage with special lighting provides players with what they would see during the day.

One setback is our location -- on the top of a hill inside an industrial park.

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

BI: My favorite moment occurred at the end of a five-game series with the Portland Sea Dogs, which included two days of doubleheaders and rain. The final game was error-filled on both sides but ended on a miraculous defensive play. The Defenders had a two-run lead in the ninth, but the Sea Dogs loaded the bases with two outs, and then a liner was hit on the left side of the infield. Shortstop Kyle Haines dove and was able to stop the ball in shallow left field. One run scored easily from third, but the runner from second was trying to tie it up when Haines, from one knee in left field, threw a one-hop strike to home plate. Our catcher, Pablo Sandoval, held on to the ball after a collision at the plate and the Defenders won, 10-9.

Another highlight was our "Salute to the Military" on Saturday, June 26. It was our largest crowd of the year at 7,070 and also a memorable one. Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell was in attendance, along with members of all branches of the military. The ceremony included five local veterans receiving medals and concluded with a military helicopter flyby.