Teams try to stoke playoff fever
But let's face it -- that sort of atmosphere only applies to the Major Leagues. Down in the Minors, playoff games are often little more than an afterthought, attended only by a smattering of hardcore fans. The weather is cooler, school is back in session and football season has begun, meaning that the majority of a team's once-robust fan base is preoccupied with other concerns.
Quite simply, Minor League Baseball is no longer on the radar. This confluence of unfortunate events often leads to the anti-climactic and disheartening reality of seeing a five-month, 140-game marathon conclude not with a bang, but a whimper.
But on the plus side, playoff baseball represents (at least) one more chance for a team to make some money before shutting down their operation for the winter. And in a year characterized by a poor economy and unrelenting wet weather, who wouldn't want the opportunity to generate a little extra revenue?
The teams that are best positioned to draw well during the postseason are those who were fortunate enough to clinch a first-half playoff berth. These clubs have had several months to promote the fact that their season will extend beyond Labor Day, bravely treading into a time of year usually monopolized by other pursuits.
What follows is a look at the promotional strategies of four such teams, each of whom are thinking creatively in an attempt to bring energy and enthusiasm to the traditionally moribund Minor League Baseball postseason experience.
Pulling out all the stops
"We love making the playoffs in the first half," said West Michigan Whitecaps director of marketing Mickey Graham. "It means we can count on at least one more gate, and it's nice to have that kind of boost at the end of the year."
The Whitecaps, who have won an impressive five league titles over the past 13 seasons, will play upwards of six postseason contests over three rounds of play. Only one is guaranteed, however, so the club plans to go all out for their Sept. 10 contest. The promotional lineup for the evening rivals that of a action-packed July Saturday, including food and drink specials, fireworks, a postgame concert and a bobblehead giveaway featuring Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman (who made a rehab appearance with the Whitecaps earlier this season).
"We scheduled [the bobblehead giveaway] the day after we made the playoffs," explained Graham. "It was something we knew we were going to do anyway, but if we hadn't made [the postseason] it wouldn't have been scheduled until May [of 2010]."
The Whitecaps are providing ample incentives and have had plenty of time to get the word out, and Graham says a crowd of between five and six thousand would be considered successful. Any subsequent contests would most likely see a drop in attendance, but the team will do its best to promote those as well.
"We've become good at educating the media, getting out the message that the Whitecaps are in the playoffs," said Graham. "We hope for the games to be over by 11, so we can be on the news that night and in the paper the next morning."
And while Graham concedes that the majority of Whitecaps fans are there for the stadium experience above all else, the club's prolific playoff success in recent years has led to an increasingly widespread appreciation of postseason baseball.
"Two years ago we were playing for the league title, and were able to sell 4,000 tickets over two days," he said. "To us, that was a good indicator that the fans were really starting to understand how this all works."
Give something to get something
Like the Whitecaps, the Lakewood BlueClaws have one guaranteed playoff game. And like the Whitecaps, they're making the most of it. The club has been selling postseason tickets (including a playoff four-pack) since June, and the Sept. 11 ballgame will feature a rally towel giveaway and drink specials.
But perhaps most noteworthy is what the club has planned during the week leading up to the contest. Starting on Sept. 7, Central Jersey Blood Center COO Ryan Ragan will camp out on the roof of Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park. He has vowed not to come down until the first pitch of the playoffs, or until 300 pints of blood are collected -- whichever comes first.
This brazen publicity stunt will not only result in a much-needed boost to the area's blood supply; it will also generate a steady stream of media coverage and ballpark visitors in the otherwise quiet week leading up to the playoffs.
"This was all [Ragan's] idea; he says it was something that he'd always wanted to try," said BlueClaws marketing manager Zack Rosenberg, who is coordinating the BlueClaws' promotional efforts. "The guy is an ex-Marine, so he's had to deal with situations far worse than this. ... He'll have a tent and a cot, and we'll try to find him a Nintendo DS. His biggest request is that he wants a water gun and a bullhorn, so he can greet people as they come in to the stadium."
The unorthodox blood drive has already generated interest from local radio, television and print media (including a morning radio show that plans to broadcast from the roof), and Rosenberg hopes more outlets will pick up the story as the week goes on. All fans who donate blood will receive a ticket to the Sept. 11 game and will be invited to participate in a pregame on-field parade. The donors also will be entered into a raffle drawing with prizes ranging from BlueClaws tickets to Phillies memorabilia to tickets to a Broadway show.
"The hope is that this gets people talking about the playoffs and inspires the community to donate 300 pints of blood," said Rosenberg. "If that's the case, then everybody wins."
Not a sprint, but a Marathon
For those wishing to attend a Fort Myers Miracle playoff game, procuring tickets will strictly be a manner of convenience.
Marathon, a local gas station and convenience store chain, has purchased 25,000 playoff tickets from the club. These complimentary general admission ducats will be good for all postseason home games and can be upgraded at the box office if so desired.
"This is the second year we've done a stadium buyout," explained Miracle promotions director Gary Sharp. "It really helped us last year, because all of a sudden we had a different audience. [The new fans] were excited, made noise and bought food and beverages."
The benefit to the Miracle is obvious, as the team receives extra revenue as a result of the bulk ticket purchase while also expanding the fan base. Marathon stands to benefit as well.
"[Southwest Florida] is a real competitive market when it comes to convenience stores, so this is a good way for [Marathon] to get their name out there," said Sharp. "We have a week left in the regular season, but the team is on the road. So we have 10 days to promote this to radio, print and television. We're trying to generate excitement about the playoffs while also generating new business for them at all nine locations."
Just doing whatever it takes
Huntsville Stars general manager Buck Rogers, a Minor League Baseball front office veteran, didn't mince words when asked about the playoffs.
"Nobody really cares," he said. "Everybody is focused on other things, so you've got to get creative."
Before moving to Huntsville, Rogers served as a GM in the Florida State League. There, he did not hesitate to get creative.
"There was one thing we did that I thought was exceptional," he recalled. "We had an off day [between playoff series], so we took the players out to high school football games and had them hand out vouchers good for buy-one, get-one-free playoff tickets."
The Stars currently have games scheduled for Sept. 10 and 11. The latter contest is being marketed as "Patriots Night," in which all firefighters, law enforcement, EMT and military personnel will be admitted free. Given the solemn nature of the day, the Stars plan to tone down done their usual high-energy game presentation. But if the Stars are able to advance to the Southern League Finals, then all bets are off.
"We'll get crazy if we have to," said Rogers. "I can imagine doing something that ties in with football, because in this area Auburn and Alabama rule the roost. If one of our games falls on a Saturday, we'll even set up TVs on the concourse. We plan on fighting for every fan that we can get."
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MLB.com.