Good morning from Fort Wayne

The ride back to Appleton is in about 30 minutes and I don't have time to do the full posting thing today.

A few things will be going up in a few minutes. (I made a point to type up a couple of the Foxes posts in advance)

Just wanted to use this space to congratulate the front office in Fort Wayne on a great All-Star Experience. It was a pretty good show.

2011 All-Star Game is in Quad Cities.

Can't wait for that.

What are the odds...

of an outdoor hockey game in Fort Wayne?

Be prepared for the phrase economic infeasibility.

The Fort Wayne Komets taking on their top rival at Parkview Field in a local version of the NHL Winter Classic sounds like a blast. It also sounds like a great way to get some use out of the ballpark during the winter.

The fact that H-E-double-hockey-sticks is more likely to freeze over before there is an ice rink built over the TinCaps ball diamond should not put a chill on the community conversation about how to get the most use out of the new stadium.

“We’d love to do it! We have a great relationship with the TinCaps, and it would be a ton of fun. But it’s just not possible,” said Scott Sproat, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Komets.

Not possible? Why?

The American Hockey League is set to play its first outdoor game on Feb. 20. That game is expected to cost about $700,000. Tickets are set at $50 for premium seats, $30 for regular seats and $20 for standing-room-only. Sproat astutely points out that the highest price for a Komets game is $20. And with that you get a seat and heat.

The strategy was always for Parkview Field to become a multiuse venue. Fortunately, it appears TinCaps officials are trying to meet the goal. “All along we’ve said we want to have lots of events, and we have,” TinCaps President Mike Nutter said. “But not a ton of them have been sports events.” The TinCaps want to continue to look for opportunities to welcome other sporting events to the ballpark. Nutter mentioned an event like a soccer tournament as a possibility.

The economic infeasibility of the Komets facing off at Parkview Field is disappointing. But the clamor demonstrates several positive things:

Since I am such a nattering nabob of negativity, you will have to click the link to find out what the positive things are.

Off the grid

Sorry. No internet until now.

A couple of things and then, I have to go again.

First, the San Diego Padres have named the staff of the Fort Wayne TinCaps for 2010.

Jose Flores will manage the 2010 Fort Wayne TinCaps. Pitching coach Bronswell Patrick comes to Fort Wayne from Short-A Eugene while Tom Tornincasa returns for his seventh season as hitting coach and athletic trainer Nate Stewart is back after a brief stopover in 2009.

Bronswell Patrick is a former Milwaukee Brewer and made his major league debut with the Crew in 1998. He also pitched for the Madison Muskies in 1988 and 1990. The MWL has changed a little since that time.

Also, if you go to that link for the TinCaps, you will notice that they have now joined the MLBAM fam. Also, the Cedar Rapids Kernels are now part of MLBAM.

I believe that makes everyone in the MWL -- except for Lansing and Kane County (wherever that is) -- now with MLBAM for their website.

Back tomorrow with more.

Bah...oh, you know the rest

Christmas tree coming to Parkview Field

The Fort Wayne TinCaps announced Friday they will put up a Christmas tree in the centerfield of Parkview field for the holidays.

TinCaps Vice President, Mike Limmer said the tree will be lit on Wednesday, November 25th, the same night Santa's sleigh, the wreath, the Wells Fargo display and other holiday-themed decorations will be illuminated in downtown Fort Wayne. "We are hopeful that this will be a complimentary piece to the long standing tradition of Night of Lights, the Festival of Trees and many other wonderful downtown holiday favorites," said Limmer.

The ballpark will be open on Lighting Day until 8:30 p.m. and then each Saturday until Christmas they will be open until 7:00 p.m. when they will present special holiday programming, music and videoboard displays starting at 5:00 p.m.

How Christmasy of them.

Settle down, Fort Wayne

Hey, I was happy for the TinCaps when they one the Championship this season. And I'm all for civic pride...but...seriously?

Move over Green Bay, our city is ‘Title Town’

In an effort to capitalize on the city’s recent athletic and municipal success, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Convention & Visitors Bureau on Friday announced a marketing campaign dubbing the Summit City as “Title Town.”

The bureau teamed with Burkhart Advertising and other community organizations to launch the campaign, which includes billboards.

The designation celebrates the back-to-back Turner Cup championships by the Fort Wayne Komets, the Fort Wayne TinCaps’ Midwest League championship and the city winning its third All-America City designation.

Betsy Perry Patton, communications manager for the bureau, said research was done to ensure the title didn’t infringe on copyright issues, as the title is often associated with Green Bay, Wis., and its Packers.

The group has asked businesses to help promote the campaign by using “Title Town” on marquees, Web sites and newsletters.

Seriously?

That is the story from the Journal-Gazette. This link to the News-Sentinel has an image of the billboard.

Seriously?

What say you, Dan?

The broadcaster of the TinCaps checks in on his blog

Thirdly, I want to caution people against expecting 101-win seasons, no-hitters, players going from A-ball to the big leagues and raging fu manchus every year. Generally this does not happen. I think the Padres had a really good 2008 draft and a lot of the players from that draft came through Fort Wayne this year, as they usually should in their first full pro season. I do NOT believe this team was purposely “stacked” to get into the playoffs. If that were the case, there would’ve been a good chance all the players would’ve been taken away at mid-season. Four pretty good ones went up, but the TinCaps won more games in the second half (49) than they did in the first (45). The Padres have some pretty good depth in the low minors right now and we saw that this year.

Click the link for Firstly, Secondly, and...Fourthly (?) and Fifthly (?)...

Irregardless, of Dan just making up words it's worth a read. Remember a noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.

I shouldn't make fun. Fourthly and Fifthly are perfectly cromulent words.

Why do I get the feeling that...

the News Sentinel is the paper that is the more negative of the two dailies in Fort Wayne?

Too soon to predict revival

In their first season downtown, the Fort Wayne TinCaps won the Midwest League championship and far surpassed the largest attendance the team pulled when it was the Wizards playing at Memorial Stadium on Coliseum Boulevard.

The team itself has clearly been a success, but has it helped make downtown Fort Wayne a success, too? The concise answer is: Too soon to say.

Some restaurants near Parkview Field say they saw more business on game days. And the presence of the team and Parkview Field downtown appear to draw thousands of visitors from outside Allen County. But there's no certainty that the stadium and team are catalysts to ignite and support a broader revival in the heart of Fort Wayne. It may be years before tax receipts, property values, occupancy rates and other objective measures reveal how well the city's gamble on Parkview Field pays off.

“We have a lot of good anecdotal evidence, and I don't want to ignore that, because it's important,” said Rich Davis, president of the Downtown Improvement District. Through their presence, he said, the TinCaps and the new stadium have drawn “upwards of 400,000 people” downtown and given them a “mind-opening experience” of entertainment available there.

This next story is a bit more of a look at the bright side of life.
Record-book crowd

Despite initial skepticism about their new name and logo, a tough economy, a very wet spring and hard feelings from some about their new ballpark, the Fort Wayne TinCaps may have had the perfect summer from a business perspective.

With a total of 378,529 fans during the regular season, the team averaged more than 1,000 more per game at Parkview Field this season than last year at Memorial Stadium. Merchandising was also up by about 40 percent over last year.

It doesn't hurt that the team had its best-ever first half with 45 wins, capturing the Midwest League's Eastern Division title and went on to top that in the second half with a 49-21 mark.

“We obviously took some heat for changing the name,” TinCaps President Mike Nutter said in June. “We took a chance. What we did know when we made the announcement is that we didn't have a game for a while, and a negative perception might stick for a while. We think the name is goofy and fun, and we had a perfect storm of the new ballpark and the team playing well. I just think it's a lot of stuff.”

This next story may be the best I've heard in the baseball business genre in awhile.

The team early in the season wanted to purchase a reinforced window for the office where money is distributed and collected for souvenir and concession stands so the door would not have to be opened. A new window would've cost about $1,000, Nutter said, but someone came up with the idea of buying the same window at the Memorial Stadium auction.

“We had one of our employees go over to the auction, and he had to wait for six hours or whatever until it came up, but we bought it for $5,” Nutter said.

That, kids, is called a good omen.

To be fair

I gave Ben Smith a bit of a hard time for his column after the TinCaps won the MWL Championship in this post.

So, to be fair, here is a link to a far superior column that puts a wrap on the season of baseball in Fort Wayne.

It was a raw, ugly night in 1993 when baseball came to Fort Wayne, and I remember everything and nothing about it. A kid named Scott Moten threw the first pitch in franchise history, and, two pitches later, recorded the first strikeout. Another kid named Ramon Valette hit the first home run. And the inaugural night for your Fort Wayne Wizards was christened with an inaugural win.

It was not exactly a sign of things to come. The Wizards missed the playoffs that year, and then they missed the playoffs again the next year. In fact, between 1998 and this year, Fort Wayne never saw its baseball team get out of the first round.

That’s a long time to hang in there. It’s a lot of nights spent coming out to the ballpark, bringing the kids sometimes because there would be fireworks at the end, even if there weren’t any in the game itself.

No more.

Much better.

A Moment in the Sun for Fort Wayne

Photo by Samuel Hoffman | The Journal Gazette

The Midwest League Champions had a rally at Parkview Field last night. That's Robert Lara, the guy who hit the series ending homer in the Eastern Division Finals against Great Lakes, in the picture. Here's part of the Journal Gazette article...

The evening gave fans everything they needed to savor the season for a final time.

Video highlights, speeches, concessions and even the national anthem helped nearly 2,000 TinCaps faithful Friday night celebrate the city’s first Midwest League title with the members of their minor league baseball team at Parkview Field.

Team President Mike Nutter noted the crowd was much larger – and louder – than the one at the team’s championship-clinching game the night before in Burlington, Iowa. He heaped praise on the fans, telling them they helped the team to a 50-20 home record.

Oh, Mike. Did you really have to go there with the attendance thing? I mean, it's understandable that you want to say something for the folks at home, but, come on.

After the team took the field, mascot Johnny ran out carrying the Midwest League championship trophy. A few fans had signs calling for a repeat, something Nutter wouldn’t quite guarantee. But he said his staff would work to make next season just as enjoyable.

“Thank you for a 2009 at Parkview Field we’ll never forget,” he said.

Take this image to your nightmares tonight

Photo by Chad Ryan News-Sentinel

Let's hear more from the beat writer

LaMond Pope is the TinCaps beat writer at Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.* I'll give him the last word for now with these links to his blog posts from last night/this morning.

TinCaps tidbits

The 1978 Appleton Foxes went 97-40 in the regular season (best regular-season record in Midwest League history), 4-1 in the playoffs... For a total of 101-41. They beat Burlington, 2-1, in the championship series. The 2009 TinCaps are currently 100-48 (94-46, 6-2), so if the team were to win one more game they would tie for the most wins in a combined regular and post-season in Midwest League history.

Bullpen gets the job done

Brad Brach is known for working quickly.

Thursday, he made quick work of the Burlington Bees. In the process, the TinCaps won the Midwest League title.

Brach struck out two of the three batters he faced, including Hilton Richardson to end the game for the 4-3 victory.

"I wanted to stay away from him, make sure he didn’t get anything he could poke over the right-field wall," Brach said. "Three fastballs, right by him. I wanted to stick with my best pitch."

Reflections from the champs

Final thoughts

It’s true, you really couldn’t have scripted a better season for Fort Wayne.

Following the negative reaction by some to the new ballpark and the negative reaction by many to the new name, the franchise had some act to live up to.

It exceeded it on every level.

Fort Wayne set 16 franchise records in the regular season. They never seemed out of any ballgame and were standup guys win or lose.

I got asked a 100 times whether San Diego stacked the team to provide a good season. I said, no, San Diego has done a better job of drafting in the last couple of years and this is the result.

As the team showed, even when some of the top talent left, there were new guys ready to meet the challenge. In fact, the team bettered its record-breaking win total from the first-half, and rode that momentum to the first title in franchise history.

*-He was not the author of the column in the previous post.

Parkview Field

Wow. The Journal-Gazette went 'all-in' on the coverage for the opening of the new home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Downtown jewel shines: “I couldn’t believe Fort Wayne had something like this,” said Brad Stoffer, of Fort Wayne, who ate grilled burgers and bratwurst with his friends just south of the ballpark.

Now the important stats..
Parking smooth; 1 arrest at opener...was alcohol involved? Police also arrested one man for public intoxication after he stood outside the gates of the stadium and loudly yelled profanities at fans as they were leaving. He was warned multiple times before his arrest, Chamberlin said....Yes, yes it was.

This should make some of the nattering nabobs of negativity pipe down for a bit..
Naming rights, ticket revenue to pay for ballpark upkeep: Parkview Field is expected to generate enough money to pay for its own long-term maintenance.

Little to fret about on first night: “All in all, a tremendous, tremendous success,” Nutter said after Fort Wayne defeated Dayton 7-0 Thursday. “If we had issues or hiccups here and there with different stuff, which we knew would happen on a small level, people get it on a day like today. What’s the expectation? Perfection?

Hometown boy returns and likes what he sees...
New ballpark impresses former Snider standout: “It doesn’t feel like this is in Fort Wayne,” said the former Snider and Michigan State catcher, now a first-year member of the visiting Dayton Dragons. “I’m like, ‘Am I in Fort Wayne or not?’ You’re used to being on Coliseum (Boulevard) and all that stuff. Now we’re right downtown. It’s different, but it’s still a good feeling.”

Here is the really, really, really important stat of the night...
Ballpark toilet tally: Hers 49, his 38: At the new stadium, there are five restrooms for men and five for women, but the total number of stalls for women is 49, compared with a combined 38 stalls and urinals for men. That’s far from 2-to-1, but the women do get 29 percent more facilities.

Did I say all-in...yes, all-in...
Clinton patched up in time for big night: Two lanes of Clinton Street just north of downtown, closed to traffic because of a collapsed sewer pipe, will be paved this morning and should be open to traffic in time for tonight’s inaugural game at Parkview Field.

Look, a story on a TinCap player...
TinCap working way back to hometown: Growing up in San Diego, Allan Dykstra admired Tony Gwynn and the 1998 Padres squad that reached the World Series. Now his goal is to appear in a major-league game with his hometown team.

Oh, and Heeeeeer's Johnnny! Caught in mid-air guitar! Awesome!

Cutting this kind of close

Sigh of relief in Fort Wayne.

The TinCaps’ home opener will have beer and other adult beverages for fans.

Greg Leatherman, Fort Wayne executive director of redevelopment, said the Indiana Alcohol Beverage Commission on Tuesday approved the liquor license for Parkview Field. The license will be owned by the city and allow it to serve beer, wine and liquor at the new baseball stadium.

Leatherman said the stadium isn’t quite ready to serve alcohol, but the approval means there will be no complications come April 16, the first game at the stadium.

“When we need to be ready, we’ll be able to pour,” he said.

Set 'em up!

Other Rosters

Let's see...

Fort Wayne

The Fort Wayne TinCaps are set to open the 2009 season with an Opening Day roster featuring three first-round draft selections and a reigning league MVP. INFs Allan Dykstra and Drew Cumberland and LHP Nick Schmidt were first-round selections by the San Diego Padres in the last two years, while OF Daniel Robertson was the 2008 Northwest League MVP.

“On paper, this looks like one of the best teams we’ve ever had in Fort Wayne,” TinCaps team president Mike Nutter said. “We hope these guys can make the first season at Parkview Field a championship season.”

Beloit

Skipper Nelson Prada will take the reigns once again for the Beloit Snappers along with Gary Lucas (Pitching Coach) and new Hitting Coach Rich Miller. Rounding out the 2009 Field Staff will be Trainer Alan Rail and new Strength coach Ben Peterson.

Snapper fans will see some familiar faces in Pitchers, Michael Allen (‘08), Danny Hernandez (‘07, ‘08), Shooter Hunt (‘08), Henry Reyes (‘07, ‘08), and Brad Tippett (‘08). Ozzie Lewis (‘08) is the only returning outfielder. Hank Sanchez (‘06), Ramon Santana (‘07, ‘08) round out the former infielders and Eli Tintor (‘06) is the only returning catcher.

Still waiting here. Why do I have the feeling traffic is going to have a big spike tomorrow?

That's a heck of an idea

In the spirit of Midwest League teams ripping off ideas from the Chicago Cubs, TinCaps...you're next.

TinCaps fans can now get a Wrigley Field experience without leaving Fort Wayne, and at a Fort Wayne price. For Opening Weekend, including Friday, April 17, Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, fans can purchase individual “all you can eat” tickets in the Treetops Rooftop area. The TinCaps will also be having “Treetops Tuesdays” allowing the rooftop, which is primarily a “groups only” area, to be available for individual fans on Tuesday nights all season long.

“We had a lot of people calling, asking how they could get up on the rooftop for a game,” said TinCaps President Mike Nutter. “It became clear that there was a lot interest in this section, so we wanted to find a way to allow those fans, not coming with larger groups, to experience this unique area.”

Individual tickets for Treetops will be $32.00 each. The price includes a rooftop ticket, along with an all-you-can-eat menu...

That price may seem steep, but consider that the rooftop packages at Wrigley can cost over $200.

How excited is Fort Wayne's Director of Group Sales?

“This will be unlike any other picnic that fans have ever experienced in Fort Wayne,” commented Brad Shank, Director of Groups Sales for the TinCaps. “All food will be cooked fresh on the rooftop and the menu will rotate so that a new entrée will be served every couple of innings. Bring your appetite!”

he exclaimed! and he's not done...

“Our goal was to offer a “Wrigley Rooftop” atmosphere, while keeping it affordable for our fans,” said Shank. “And the views here are even better, you won’t be across the street, you are still right in the ballpark!”

!!ZOMG!111ELEVENTY!!11

Job Fairs

The Kane County Cougars, the Fort Wayne TinCaps, and the Lansing Lugnuts all recently held their job fairs.

Cougars job fair draws crowd, older workers to Geneva

More than 300 people showed up Saturday to apply for part-time positions at the Kane County Cougars job fair in Geneva.

"It was definitely the highest attendance we've had," said Cougars media relations coordinator Shawn Touney.

The job fair was for first-time applicants only, not returning employees, and many in attendance were not the traditional high school or college age job seeker.

Scott Snedden of Warrenville, 65 and retired from the video business, was applying for an usher's job.

"The way the market's been going, I saw it as an opportunity for some supplemental income," Snedden said.

Thousands apply for jobs with TinCaps

Well over 2,000 job seekers filed into the Grand Wayne Center on Saturday to learn more about the Fort Wayne TinCaps and the part-time and seasonal positions available at Parkview Field the team said in a press release.

The applicant line started to form as early as 8:30 a.m. and the TinCaps staff opened the doors and began the application process at 9 a.m., a full hour earlier than originally planned.

“We anticipated a great response to the openings we have available, so an early arriving crowd wasn’t a surprise,” said Vice President of Sales and Finance, Brian Schackow. “I am proud of our staff for being able to interact with as many people today as we did.”

Hundreds Show Up For Lugnuts Job Fair

There's no doubt finding a job in this economy is no walk in the park.

"I've been looking for a job for a year and a half," Jeffrey Cherkinsky said. "It's been really tough."

"I've been out of work for a month and a half and before that I was out of work for two months," John Mudget said.

That may be why hundreds of people packed the Lansing Center Saturday --- filling out applications and waiting their turn --- to take a swing at job with with the Lansing Lugnuts.

"Today is our game day job fair for all people that work at the stadium during the summer," General Manager Pat Day said. "Those are the people who serve your hot dogs or are on the field performing."

Day said the annual job fair usually brings in a crowd, but this is by far the biggest one he's ever seen.

Testing...Testing

The TinCaps debuted their new video board on Friday. It must have worked.

The largest big-screen TV in Fort Wayne now resides at Parkview Field! On Friday, February 20th, the Fort Wayne TinCaps unveiled the Parkview Field video board for the first time, displaying a spinning TinCaps logo in near-HD quality. The video board is the second-largest in all of Minor League Baseball, measuring 26.25 feet high by 53.54 feet wide. It tips the scales at nearly 21 tons.

There is this as well:

Texas Star will also install two high-definition LED boards on the outfield wall that will each measure 5.25 feet high by 18.9 feet wide, located in the right- and left-field power alleys. More information on the final installation date will follow in the near future.

I'll be there in July...Hopefully.

Back up the Mayflowers

It's moving day in Fort Wayne.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps front office staff will be moving from their offices at Memorial Stadium to their newly finished offices at Parkview Field this Friday, February 13th.

“We are thrilled to be able to move into our new space at Parkview Field,” said TinCaps Team President, Mike Nutter. “It is a tribute to Weigand Construction and all of the sub-contractors involved with the development of Parkview Field that our staff will be able to be on-site in beautiful and fully functional office space two months before Opening Day.” The entrance to the TinCaps office is located at 1301 Ewing Street, on the west side of Parkview Field.

Not only will the move provide staff members with the added benefit of being on-site during the final stages of construction, the increased square footage is a necessity. “We have added 15 full-time employees and have completely out-grown our current offices,” said Nutter. “There are only so many spaces you can squeeze people.”

I've been in the offices at Memorial Stadium. Sardines in a can would be an appropriate term.

New guy in Fort Wayne

If there is time later this week, I'll need to add another blog to the links on the left under the Broadcasters section. There is a new radio guy in Fort Wayne and he's got a blog.

Oh, his name is Dan Watson and the blog is called The Watson Files.

Seems to write a bit more coherent posts than a certain writer you all check out occasionally. I hate him already.....just kidding.

There's some good news and some bad news

Delays encircle Harrison Square
Ballpark remains on schedule, but financing eludes other parts

First the bad news:

Construction has yet to start on the two major private pieces of the $130 million development, and the national economic collapse has made it extremely difficult for the hotel and condominium projects to secure financing to build.

The Harrison condo/retail project has been downsized, and its developers are examining what size project would work in Fort Wayne. While the builders of the Courtyard by Marriott have obtained a building permit, they don’t have the money to construct the hotel, despite numerous public subsidies.

Now, the good news:

Hungry contractors supplied low bids, allowing the stadium construction to come in under budget – meaning extra perks can be added.

Parkview Health committed $3 million over 10 years to name the venue Parkview Field.

And ticket sales, according to the team’s general manager, have exceeded expectations.

Then, there's a timeline and everything for the three main projects. Parkview Field's looks like this:

Feb. 1 : TinCaps General Manager Mike Nutter said the team’s administrative staff plans to move into Parkview Field, as phone and other services should be in place.

Feb. 24 : Individual game tickets go on sale for all TinCaps games. Nutter said all the usual methods to acquire tickets – in person, by phone and online – will be possible on this day. The TinCaps have already sold nearly 1,600 season tickets, Nutter said.

March : Nutter said the staff hopes to offer public tours to people interested in seeing the near-completed stadium. Other public and private events at the stadium this month are possible.

April 16 : Opening Day at Parkview Field. The TinCaps open their home season against the Dayton Dragons at 7:05 p.m. A large to-do is expected, including fireworks.

To-do? People still say that? I was expecting something like hullabaloo or shindig.

Checking the merchandise

The addition of Timber Rattler/Milwaukee Brewer co-branded merchandise has helped the Timber Rattler team store have a good Christmas season.

Makes you wonder what that whole new team name did for merchandise sales in Fort Wayne.

Adam Bohren didn’t know a Tin Cap from the Tin Man – until last week.

That’s when the Fort Wayne native was greeted at home by his parents with a dark green T-shirt emblazoned with the bright red apple logo of Fort Wayne’s minor league baseball team. It was their Christmas gift to him, and Bohren liked the logo so much he bought a team hat to go with the shirt.

“I’m kind of into ridiculous team names,” said Bohren, who now lives in Milwaukee and visits his parents about twice a year. “Because of where I’m from, people (in Milwaukee) can ask about it, and it’s a good little story. It’s something a little quirky.”

A word from the team, please?

“It’s going over very well,” said Brian Schackow, vice president of sales and finance for the Tin Caps, who has been with the organization for six seasons.

Team officials revealed the new logo only a few months ago, but they’ve received three times the Internet orders for merchandise this holiday season than in the four previous holiday seasons combined, Schackow said.

And offseason sales, measured from mid-September to the first of April, have already eclipsed the best Wizards mark from the past four years by 400 percent, according to Schackow.

“Those numbers are tremendously exciting,” Schackow said.

Not just exciting...Tremendously exciting!

Schackow said the struggling economy was a concern for the team, but the initial bashing from fans who took time to express their displeasure with the name was not. In fact, national logo consultants prepped team officials for the ridiculing.

“They spelled out how this was going to go,” Schackow said. “They told us the first week, second week, we’d be the dumbest guys in baseball. When we started selling and selling, it put any doubts to rest.”

Well, I don't know about that....Kidding.

More at the link about how the Fort Wayne Komets merchandise is doing this year.