The Neverending Story Continues

Survey says: Area wants new Snapper stadium

Cue the Field of Dreams reference, please?

One of the most famous lines from a baseball movie is, “If you build it, he will come,” the immortal words Kevin Costner hears in “Field of Dreams.”

Will a recent feasibility study allow the Beloit Snappers Baseball Club to move a step closer to its own “Field of Dreams?”

And if a new stadium is built, will fans come?

Dennis Conerton, Snappers board chairman, believes so.

“It’s very encouraging,” Conerton said of the study, which indicated that 75 percent of participants voted favorably for a proposed year-round multipurpose event facility and new stadium for minor league baseball in the Beloit Gateway Development area on Interstate 90.

...

The Snappers average close to 90,000 fans per year at Pohlman Field. The study indicated that a stadium built in the Beloit Gateway Development area could draw as many as 200,000 fans per year—more than double the current attendance rate.

HOWEVER:

Money remains the No. 1 obstacle in funding a new stadium/multipurpose facility. The estimated cost of new accommodations for the Snappers is between $5 million and $10 million dollars. That money would be raised through a capital campaign that 66 percent of those surveyed said was feasible.

Good luck, Snappers. I really want to retire the graphic up top.

Midwest League Actions: Games of April 11, 2010

Complete scoreboard

Click the link for the full scoreboard. The main non-Rattlers stories are the Dayton and Lake County are both 4-0 to start the season.

The focus today is on two off-field related items. The first is awesome!

River Bandits' field gets upgrade

The biggest improvement at Modern Woodmen Park this season doesn't include a thatched-roof hut or glitzy computerized graphics.

Beginning with today's 1 p.m. home opener, the Quad-Cities River Bandits are going green.

The City of Davenport and the Midwest League club cooperatively installed a new playing surface during the off-season, and the benefits of the $569,000 project extend beyond providing the Bandits with truer hops as they field grounders on their home diamond.

"If it rains during the day, we'll still be playing baseball at Modern Woodmen at night. For fans, that's a huge change that erases uncertainty," general manager Kirk Goodman said.

You may think this isn't a big deal...but, it is. Trust me.

The other story on which to focus is...well..


Beloit Snappers Pushing For New Stadium

For years the Beloit Snappers have been looking into building a new stadium.

The Class A minor league baseball team has long complained that its current stadium, Pohlman Field, is far inferior to the facilities its competition enjoys.

However, as the team opens its 28th season at Pohlman Field, that could soon change, a prospect that the organization says is a long time coming.

"While we currently pass for an existing facility, we've been grandfathered into the existing standards. We're far behind the new standards that are set. So slowly we're falling way behind the eight-ball," said Beloit Snappers chairman Dennis Conerton.

One look around Pohlman Field and it’s hard to argue. From the outdated scoreboard, to the crumbling storage shed near left field, to the miniscule gift shop, it’s clear that the Beloit Snappers home field is not nearly what it could or should be.

But a new stadium won’t be cheap.

A chance to use the graphic

From WCLO:

Team owners say new Snappers stadium could be open by 2012

Plans are back on track for a new stadium for the Beloit Snappers, and club owners say the first pitch at a new ballpark could come as early as 2012.

In 2006, the Rock County Board of Supervisors shot downs plans for a project that would have included a new Snappers stadium at the intersection of Avalon Road and Interstate 90/39. Since then, the club's owners and supporters have regrouped and looked at several other sites, said Snappers Chairman Dennis Conerton.

Last year, the club settled on a 20-acre site in Beloit Gateway Business Park.

"We're very confident that we can do this," Conerton said Thursday. "We were confident before, but we never really had a specific site.

"With the Avalon Road site, we were not the driver in what turned out to be a very complicated project. We were an indirect beneficiary in the project."

Conerton and the Snappers organization have long said their present home—Pohlman Field at Beloit's Telfer Park—is inadequate and antiquated for minor league baseball, in which the Snappers play as a Class A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

This part is interesting.

Conerton said the new stadium would include all the modern-day amenities of other minor league stadiums. Fixed seating would increase from 3,000 to 4,000, and other seating options would likely push capacity to 5,000, he said.

A suite level and other portions of the facility would be enclosed so year-round use—and revenue—would be possible.

"It would be a very fan-friendly facility that would appeal to a broad range of people," Conerton said. "Being along the Interstate, it would be a regional draw with easy access.

This part is not a surprise.

Conerton compared the Beloit proposal to the reality that is Fox Cities Stadium, an improved minor league facility that has been successful in Appleton.

A date of 2013 is thrown out as more likely opening date.

To be honest, I cannot wait until I can retire that graphic up top.

Just in time

The graphic, I mean.



Team owners say new Snappers stadium could be open by 2012

Plans are back on track for a new stadium for the Beloit Snappers, and club owners say the first pitch at a new ballpark could come as early as 2012.

In 2006, the Rock County Board of Supervisors shot downs plans for a project that would have included a new Snappers stadium at the intersection of Avalon Road and Interstate 90/39. Since then, the club's owners and supporters have regrouped and looked at several other sites, said Snappers Chairman Dennis Conerton.

Last year, the club settled on a 20-acre site in Beloit Gateway Business Park.

"We're very confident that we can do this," Conerton said Thursday. "We were confident before, but we never really had a specific site.

"With the Avalon Road site, we were not the driver in what turned out to be a very complicated project. We were an indirect beneficiary in the project."

Conerton and the Snappers organization have long said their present home—Pohlman Field at Beloit's Telfer Park—is inadequate and antiquated for minor league baseball, in which the Snappers play as a Class A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

The city of Beloit owns the Gateway site and proposed it to Snappers' officials, Conerton said.

Consultants have completed architectural and engineering studies of the site.

"The conclusion is that (a new stadium) could be built at this site," Conerton said.

An artist's rendering of the ballpark...

When they break ground, I will use the stadium picture with every story about this.

A new graphic

Thanks to a photoshop wizard on staff, I now have a graphic for every time I post something about The Neverending Story that is the attempt at a new stadium in Beloit...


Try not to smile when you see that. Just try.

That graphic is so good, I might go back through the archives and post this picture all the old stories on this topic.

Yep...Another one

Still looking for someone to photoshop Snappy into this photo, because The Neverending Story continues.

Plans are still under way for a new Beloit Snappers stadium to be built in the Gateway Business Park.

The stadium — estimated to cost $18 million to $20 million — could be built in time for the 2012 or 2013 season if construction is complete and the finance is locked in, according to Snappers Chairman Dennis Conerton. The site is north of Cranston Road at the intersection of Apex Drive and Gateway Boulevard.

Before the players are ready to throw out the first pitch, however, many more details need to be discussed and finalized. Thus, in order to give an update on the stadium feasibility project, Conerton met with Rock County 5.0 representatives and again with City of Beloit officials last week.

“We just wanted to give everyone information on what’s been going on to keep them in the loop and to answer questions they might have and to hear their ideas because everyone would like to see this succeed to keep minor league baseball in the county,” Conerton said.

So far the architectural and engineering studies have concluded the 20-plus acre site is capable of housing the roughly 4,000-square-foot stadium and its parking. Now the stadium committee is awaiting the results of two financial-related studies expected to be complete by the end of May.

4,000-square foot stadium? that's gotta be a typo. The trailer is 1,200 square feet...(Hey, I never said that I lived in a bad trailer).

That time year

If it is about two months to Opening Day, it must be time for an article about what is going on with a new stadium for the Beloit Snappers.

The topic of conversation at the Country Club of Beloit on Monday evening was as much about a new stadium as one that hasn’t been built.

The Beloit Professional Baseball Association, Inc., kicked off its 29th season for the Snappers with its sixth annual Winter Hot Stove Banquet. It featured current Minnesota Twin and former Snapper Brian Duensing, Twins legend and current special assistant Tony Oliva, Twins director of minor leagues Jim Rantz and former Twins general manager Terry Ryan, a Janesville native, who now is a senior advisor to the general manager.

It also included Snappers pitching coach Gary Lucas and new Snappers hitting coach Tommy Watkins.

And while members of the Twins organization glowed over sparkling new Target Field, set to host the Twins this spring, they were also mindful of the plight of their Class A affiliate, the Snappers, in an effort to build a new stadium.

Venerable Pohlman Field is a Midwest League staple and has hosted the Snappers since 1982. But it’s outdated, and if a new stadium isn’t built in the near future, the Snappers could be forced to leave Beloit.

...I'm sorry...did you just say 'Venerable'?

"We’re basically focusing on a plot of land right on the Interstate, basically right by where 43 and 90 share,” Vohs said. “We did a study last summer that came back positive, basically checking to see if the site was able to support a stadium.”

Vohs said that using tax dollars to finance the stadium would be “pretty much impossible.” As far as a timetable for construction, it’s definitely too early to tell. Vohs said the absolute earliest season to begin play in a new stadium would be 2012 if everything goes well.

“We don’t want to go and start showing pictures all around town or around the area, and then all of a sudden the money isn’t there,” Vohs said.

Read it all.

The headline is a little jarring

From the Beloit Daily News

Snappers salute Scarpetta

See what I mean about jarring? But, it's okay.

Hononegah High School senior Ryan Scarpetta is the Beloit Snappers 2009 Player of the Year.

Scarpetta will be presented with the award at the Snappers’ annual Hot Stove Banquet on Feb. 1, which will be held at the Country Club of Beloit.

Scarpetta has played varsity baseball since his freshman year at Hononegah and last fall signed an NCAA letter-of-intent to play baseball at Valparaiso University.

This is Cody Scarpetta's cousin.

Beloit's turn

Bowling Green introduces the Beloit Snappers to their fanbase.

Beloit seems to be a rarity in the Midwest League in that it had just one team in one league for one season before the Midwest League arrived. That team played in the Wisconsin Association in 1905; after that, baseball was gone until the Midwest League placed an expansion franchise into brand-new Pohlman Field for the 1982 season.

More at the link.

Extended in Beloit

The Beloit Snappers and the Minnesota Twins have extended their current player development contract through the 2012 season.

"This is a great day in Snappers' history," said Beloit Professional Baseball Association, Inc. Chairman Dennis Conerton. "We couldn't be happier with the Twins, who have been outstanding to work with since day one, and provide our fans with a very exciting major league product to watch. The Twins, from top to bottom, are a first rate organization and we are proud to continue our affiliation with them."

The Snappers and Twins last extended their PDC on August 14, 2007, which runs through the 2010 season. Today's agreement extends the contract for an additional two years, through the 2012 season.

"We would like to thank the Minnesota Twins for extending their agreement with us," said General Manager Jeff Vohs. "The signing represents the confidence that both we and the Minnesota Twins have in each other. We look forward to keeping this relationship alive through the 2012 season and beyond.

It has been a good relationship. The Snappers have made the playoffs three times and the MWL Championship series once since becoming a Minnesota affiliate.

The starting pitcher for the Twins in Game One of their series against the Yankees tonight is Brian Duensing, a Snapper from the 2006 season. Jose Mijares and Jeff Manship were also Snappers.

Alexi Casilla, the guy with the game winning hit in the 12th inning last night? He was in Cedar Rapids in 2004 and 2005.

Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel and Justin Morneau...they were all with the Quad City River Bandits. So was Denard Span. So were Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn and Jesse Crain and Jose Morales. Nick Punto was with the SWING of the Quad Cities...for a few games on a rehab assignment

A bit more on Beloit

Remember this post from June 30?

Posted some video from ESPN's Outside the Lines program about the struggles of the Beloit Snappers trying to deal with one of the worst local economies in the state of Wisconsin.

The Journal-Sentinel followed up on that story yesterday.

Ball team runs the squeeze play
Beloit Snappers draw fans any way they can

It's four hours before the first pitch and Jeff Vohs' office is a beautiful mess. The Snappy the Turtle mascot outfit lies on the floor, baseballs are stashed in boxes and a prize wheel is shoved in a corner.

Life is never easy for the general manager of a minor-league baseball team, especially the boss who runs the Class A Beloit Snappers.

Vohs is selling baseball in a city with an 18.1% unemployment rate, the highest in the state.

He'll do just about anything to get fans into the ballpark, and then keep them there for nine innings.

Want to reach out to those who've lost jobs? Drop off 2,000 tickets at the Rock County Job Center, just up the road in Janesville, where the local General Motors assembly plant shut down.

Need to pack the crowd with college kids? Offer $1 tickets on Tuesday nights and hope older workers enrolled in community college join the kids in the stands.

There is some good and some bad.

Attendance is up around 9% from last season, the team says. If the weather holds, the team might draw up to 90,000 fans this year, the equivalent of about two sellouts at Miller Park.

Sponsorships, though, are off about $18,000 from last year's total of $250,000. At least one past sponsor went out of business and a few others cut back in the tight economy.

Pohlman Field is a gem of dirt and grass surrounded by bleachers, wood decks and picnic tables. Pro scouts sit behind the plate. The players aren't much older than the kids who scamper after foul balls. Local advertisements line the outfield wall.

Go. Read. Especially the part about the wall sign for the Beloit Snappers Fan Club, Huntley Chapter.

For your morning discussion

ESPN just did an Outside the Lines on the economy and sports. They focused on Beloit and Janesville.

Here is the video of segment two. It is a look at the Beloit Snappers.



The OTL home page is right here. This should be a direct link to the story with links to segments one, two, and three.

I'll be back later with the whole day of posts.

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?

Meet the Snappers

The Beloit Snappers have announced a new location for their Meet the Team night.

The Beloit Snappers are proud to announce their annual “Meet the Snappers Night” on Tuesday, April 7th. The annual team meet and greet will take place at a new location – Beloit Memorial High School – 1225 Fourth Street in Beloit. Doors will open to the general public at 6:00pm.

Ticket prices for this event are $5, with ages 4 and under free, and can be purchased through the Snappers either by phone or at the Snappers Administrative Offices located at 2301 Skyline Drive in Beloit.

Ballpark food, the new players, and Snappy D. Turtle. What more do you need if you are in Beloit?

I was thinking about ignoring this....

But, a writer by the name of Kurt Hunzeker over at Seamheads.com has started a series of posts called POD '10. The POD stands for Project Opening Day 2010. The thesis from his first post called How to Build a Team in One Year:

Beginning today and for the next 12 months leading up to Opening Day 2010, I will provide you with an insider’s look into the development and inner workings of a professional baseball franchise, focusing exclusively on the off-the-field operations: ticket sales (group, season and individual), sponsorship sales and corporate marketing, media relations, fan development, community affairs, etc. And since every aspiring player begins his Major League dream in the Minors, that too is where my story will start.

I will enlist the help of consultants comprising today’s top baseball executives to provide their thoughts and hands-on experiences to help shape my fictional franchise. I will hire my staff, hand-picked from colleagues in the industry and from actual applicants to help bring my vision to life. Hell, I may even print business cards.

Post number two is titled Snapping Up a Franchise......you see where this is going? Just go read it for his justification.

I popped into the comments...because I had nothing better to do at 10pm on a Friday night.

I know this is all hypothetical, but as the beautiful saying over at despair.com goes....

Never be afraid to share your dreams with the world, because there's nothing the world loves more than the taste of really sweet dreams.

What's an ex-GM to do?

Here's the answer if you're former Minnesota Twin General Manager Terry Ryan.

A “fancy title” hasn’t put Terry Ryan far out of the game of baseball.

“In essence, I go out and see games,” the senior advisor to the Minnesota Twins general manager said Wednesday night. “That’s about all I do now.”

The 55-year-old Janesville native was among the “fans” who attended the Winter Snappers Hot Stove Banquet at the Country Club of Beloit. Ryan was the Twins general manager from 1994 to 2007, before stepping down from the position.

Ryan still is a part of the Twins organization, the parent club of the Beloit Snappers, but is back to his roots of player evaluation. He no longer has to worry about signing players and dealing with agents and all the other head-banging aspects of being the No. 1 man on the organization food chain.

Terry Ryan, ex-head banger!

“We had an awful good year with the circumstances of losing all the guys that we did,” Ryan said of the Twins. “We had quite a transition, but we had a good year. We had a lot of things happen that were impressive.”

Minnesota finished 88-74 in the regular season and in a tie with Chicago for first in the AL Central. The White Sox then won the one-game playoff, 1-0, in Chicago to earn the playoff berth.

Without the year-round responsibilities the general manager has, Ryan is able to spend his spare time in a cabin he owns in the Wisconsin Dells area.

“I don’t hunt much, but I try,” Ryan said. “My wife likes it better than I do. My wife’s sister has a place right down the street.”

Ryan gets back down to baseball business Feb. 11. He expects to work through November. So he certainly isn’t retired.

At 55.

Twins in Beloit

Minnesota Twins General Manager Bill Smith and manager Ron Gardenhire were at the Beloit Snapper Hot Stove Banquet last night.

There is video at the link. But, here is this part with any White Sox fans who might stop by:

Although most of the Stateline pulls for the Cubs or White Sox, the Twins don't mind tip-toeing into enemy territory.

"I love the White Sox and our rivalry with them," said Gardenhire. "I love Ozzie too. I don't always understand half the things he's trying to say, but he makes me laugh and we have fun."

And isn't that what it's all about?

A good idea....from Beloit?

Yes, this blog cracks on our good friends from Beloit...occasionally. But, credit where credit is due. This is a nice idea.

The Beloit Professional Baseball Association will present two awards for the firs time at the annual Snappers Winter Hot Stove Banquet.

Earning the Stateline Area Team of the Year is the Hononegah baseball team. Beloit Turner senior Mike Jacobs is the Stateline Area Player of the Year.

The Hononegah Indians, led by head coach Matt Simpson, went 23-9 during the 2008 season, winning a regional championship and reaching the sectional final before falling to the eventual IHSA state champions, 4-2.

Well played, Snappers front office. Well played.

Edit: Not well played by the Beloit Daily News. I think the word firs is not recognized as an alternate spelling for first.

This is what is known as...

...a PR offensive. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

First there was this story. Then, there was this one. Now, Gazettextra.com has a brief podcast of a story that aired on WCLO. Here is the title:

Beloit community leaders hope for Snappy new stadium

You have to scroll down a bit, but you should find the podcast without a problem. It is worth a listen.

Here is the recap of the story:

Visit Beloit Executive Director Martha Mitchell says the stadium could be used for different events, including weddings, trade shows and company gatherings. The project is in its infancy, but could cost $15-$20 million. Mitchell says she hopes the funds can be raised through donations and not tax dollars. She says she thinks the City of Beloit is willing to donate property in the Gateway Industrial Park.

Snappers on TV

The Beloit Snappers were the subject of a story on WISC-TV out of Madison yesterday. Click on the link to go to the story that includes video of the report. What was the topic?

"There's a lot of people that want to have this happen right now," said Dennis Conerton, chairman of the Beloit Snappers.

Pohlman Field is home to the Beloit Snappers and has been the starting point for many big names in Major League Baseball but the park has hardly changed in 30 years.

"We know long term that this facility is not going to make it," said Conerton. "It's probably at the bottom or second from the bottom of our 14 team league, so we have to do something."

Building a new stadium is a top priority for the team and community leaders. Beloit's visitor’s center recently identified a new stadium among the top priorities for its five-year strategic plan.

Five-year plans always work. Just ask the Soviet Union.

Kidding, Beloit and the Snappers. Kidding.