Accepting change (Updated)

The fans of the SW, er, sorry the River Bandits are adjusting to a lot of changes this off-season: New ownership, new stadium name, new team nickname, new colors...

According to this article in the Quad Cities Times, they are handling it pretty well.

Mike Dierkes of Davenport recalls watching Quad-City Cubs teams play around 1980 and he simply wants to see the sport succeed in the Quad-Cities.

“I’m glad to see the River Bandits name back. I was never a fan of the Swing name although it was unique,’’ Dierkes said. “And they can call the stadium whatever they want. It will always be JOD to me.

“I just want the team to be successful and see good crowds at the ballpark. I’d hate for there not to be baseball in the Quad-Cities.’’

The new management is running this promotion to help with the change. Much better idea than running down the logo of a league rival.

[Cecilia] Taylor is among the fans who are looking forward to Lose Your Blues Night on Saturday, a chance for fans to receive a River Bandits T-shirt in exchange for old powder blue and burnt orange Swing of the Quad-Cities apparel.

“I probably have a shirt or two that will get turned in that day,’’ Taylor said. “It’s time for a change. It’s nice knowing that never again will people ask me ‘What’s a Swing?’ ’’

No. It was pronounced SWING! Man, I'm going to miss that.

UPDATE: Posted the above part without looking at today's entries on the Bandits. Here is a bit more of their preview.

New owners reinventing River Bandits franchise

Reinventing? How?

“The biggest improvement people are going to notice is a complete change of attitude and the way we value and appreciate our fans and corporate partners,’’ Heller said. “The fans come first. They are our priority, and treating them royally is our way of doing business.’’

For example, if a young fan spills a soda pop, it will be replaced at no charge.

When lines at the ticket counters get long, the club plans to hand out complimentary popcorn outside the gates and entertain fans with performances by local talent.

The River Bandits are even literally rolling out a red carpet for fans, who will walk on it as they enter the stadium.

“It’s an entirely different approach,’’ [Dave] Heller said. “We have larger front-office and game-day staffs who will be accessible and we want our guests to understand that they are the most important people in the world to us, because they are.’’

There will be washroom attendants at Friday and Saturday home games — a first for a sporting venue in the Quad-Cities — and entertainment begins one hour before the first pitch of each game.

There are some audio clips 1 through 5 in the story. Click to listen.

Also in the QC Times is a profile of the almost entirely new staff.
Bandits' front-office staff an 'all-star team'

A fresh coat of paint on the wall isn’t the only makeover in the front office of the Quad-Cities River Bandits this season.

Nearly the entire staff is new as well.

Only director of broadcasting Ben Chiswick and director of baseball operations Bob Evans return from the front-office staff in 2007.

Dave Heller, managing partner of MainStreet Iowa, the Midwest League team’s new owner, views the changes that have taken place in the front office as a necessity to move the team forward.

“As I walked around the office last summer, there wasn’t a lot of life,” Heller said. “It was dead. Changing the culture and the attitude was something that had to be done.”

That's the thing about us radio guys. We are survivors.