Written for Hometown Headlines, a website focused on news and business in Northwest Georgia. This article previews the fan experience and possible roster invitations for the Rome Braves' 2009 season.
by Mickey Seward
In the first six seasons since they relocated here from Macon, the Rome Braves have won a South Atlantic League championship, reached the playoffs twice and produced some of the game’s top prospects.
Still, as much as the team’s on-field success brings fans to the ballpark, the Braves’ game-day atmosphere depends as much on what happens off the field as the action between the lines.
The Braves open the season on the road with a four-game series at Charleston, S.C., beginning April 9. The home opener is April 14 against Savannah, the first of a six-game homestand. Along with traditional Opening Night festivities, former Atlanta Braves catcher Javy Lopez will throw the ceremonial first pitch.
That first home game also will mark the first "2-for-Tuesday" promotion. All season long, fans can purchase two tickets for the price of one in any seating section on Tuesdays. The Braves have run the promotion in the past but not for “special” games such as Opening Night or July 4th. This season, the promotion will be applied each Tuesday.
New ticket discounts for 2009
Another cost-cutting promotion is aimed at families. On Sundays, a family of four can receive four game tickets, four hot dogs, four soft drinks and four boxes of popcorn for $25.
Other discounts include:
-$20 tickets in the all-you-can-eat section on Mondays (a $5 discount)
-Senior Days on Wednesdays (half price club level seats for fans at least 55).
-Dollar Drink Nights on Thursdays (beer and soft drinks).
-Military discounts gives all members of the U.S. armed forces, past or present, a $1 discount on any ticket by showing a military ID.
Regular ticket prices, which range from $4-$10, have gone unchanged since 2005. The Braves will bring back much of the most popular between-innings games and entertainment, including the Braves Brigade dance team. Kiss Cam and the Hot Dog Squad are among the recognizable holdovers but a few new promotions will join the list of events that help give minor league baseball its unique appeal.
One of the new promotions is a build-a-burrito competition, which will take place on the field between innings. “Truth or Spoof,” which will enable fans to get to know the players and staff members, will make its debut at State Mutual Stadium this spring as will “Meal or No Meal,” based on the popular television game show, “Deal or No Deal.”
What's on the menu
For the fans who aren’t lucky enough to win a meal, there will be plenty of new food options at the concession stands.
“We’re excited about the new Tony Pepperoni pizza parlor, featuring Mr. Pepperoni’s family recipe,” says Braves General Manager Michael Dunn. “There will be nightly visits throughout the summer from the Pepperoni family. We will also have a new crispy chicken sandwich, tater tot pie, chicken wings and a new jumbo souvenir flashing mug. All concession stands will also have combo packages that include fries and a drink at a discounted price.”
While getting ready for the baseball season, Dunn and his staff also are busy prepping other events. “We’re working on a car show, a concert and a baseball showcase,” he says. “There will be more information coming soon on those projects.”
One project that has been tackled is the team’s new-look Web site (click www.romebraves.com). Introduced this winter, it is more in line with other minor league and major league team websites.
“This site is more current, more interactive,” Dunn says. “We’ll be able to include some video streaming.”
One of the interactive features is a fan poll, which Braves staff members believe will allow the team to gauge fan opinion on different matters. An option to receive the team’s official electronic newsletter is available as well. The e-newsletter puts fans on the team’s mailing list to receive e-mail blasts with news and information.
There also is an area on the front page delegated for a “Rome Braves Fan of the Game” as well as information on how kids ages 14-and-younger can join Romey’s Rascals, the team’s kid’s club. Team news, statistics, rosters and other information can all be found on the web site as well.
While no current social networking sites are being maintained by the team, club officials say an official Facebook presence will be available soon.
Along with the new promotions, discounts and web site, fans also will see the addition of a blue alternate jersey with “ROME” across the chest (right).
Fans can also join the Rome Braves Fan Club, an independent organization that supports players and field staff during the season. For more information, contact the Rome Braves, who can then put you in touch with the fan club.
Showing posts with label ROme Braves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ROme Braves. Show all posts
Monday, April 20, 2009
Meet J.B. Smith, New Voice of the Rome Braves
Written for Hometown Headlines, a website focusing on news and business in Northwest Georgia.
by Mickey Seward
On Christmas Day, JB Smith was watching a television show on the NHL Network about great hockey announcers when he was inspired to look into the Rome Braves’ broadcasting situation.
Smith had experience calling games but found out that he might be lacking one thing necessary to get a shot at the job that became available when former play-by-play voice Josh Caray left Rome to join the television broadcast team of the Class AAA Gwinnett Braves.
Unable to find out if Rome needed a radio announcer through his own research – “I would never want to undermine someone who already had the job,” Smith says – he finally telephoned the office of WLAQ 1410 AM/The Ridge 95.7 FM, the Rome Braves’ flagship stations.
He reached general manager Jim Bojo, who confirmed they indeed were looking for a new announcer and asked Smith to send in a resume and demo tape.
There was one problem.
“When he told me to send a demo, I told Jim he might hang up on me after he heard what I was about to say,” Smith says. “I told him I could get him a resume, no problem. But I stepped out of the station and into a patrol car 25 years ago.”
Intrigued, Bojo and the station’s owner and operator, Randy Davis, the original Rome Braves’ play-by-play voice, invited Smith to Rome to simulate a pre-game show and an inning of baseball in a production studio.
“After that and four stressful interviews later, they hired me,” Smith says.
Davis: Smith has 'a hometown feel'
It may not have been the textbook way of finding a play-by-play job but Davis says Smith’s introduction to the station was the beginning of what he feels will be a perfect match.
“We’d been taking some applications (for the broadcasting position) and had talked to several people,” Davis says. “Then JB’s call came out of the blue. When we listened to him, we were impressed.
“We felt like he would be a really good fit. We’ve been broadcasting local sports for a long time, several decades, and we wanted someone who does things the way we do things. We’re a hometown station. JB’s not just a stats guy. He’s a story teller, someone who can really tell our audience about who the players really are. He’s got a real hometown feel, and he has a very pleasing voice. It’s not too aggressive and it’s not monotone.
“But he definitely knows the game. When you have a conversation with him, JB’s knowledge of the game is obvious.”
Davis doesn’t believe there will be much rust for Smith to shake off, even though he hasn’t been on the air full-time since well before most of the Rome Braves’ players were born. During that time, he’s been around the game as a fan but most of his days and nights were spent apprehending crooks doing much more than stealing bases.
From police beat to Braves' beat
After graduating from Boston University with a broadcast journalism degree, Smith was drafted into the military and sent to North Carolina. While there, he broadcast high school and college baseball, football and basketball.
Later, he moved to Atlanta and worked in the music radio business. And while his career was in radio, Smith always had an interest in law enforcement.
While interviewing Roswell’s chief of police, and working without benefits at one of the radio stations, Smith was told by the chief that he should consider becoming a police officer.
“I told him, ‘Get me an application and we might have a deal.’ I went to the police academy and I spent the next 22 years working with the Roswell Police Department,” Smith says.
For awhile, Smith continued to broadcast high school sports while working full-time as a police officer but he soon decided to concentrate on his public service career and left the press box. He retired in 2004.
Now, he returns to the microphone as the voice of the Rome Braves, calling all 140 home and away games. Smith says he doesn’t really pattern his style after any particular announcers but said he loved listening to Curt Gowdy broadcast Red Sox games when he was growing up in his native New Hampshire.
“Of course, down here, we all loved listening to Pete (Van Wieren), Skip (Caray) and Ernie (Johnson),” Smith says. “That was one of the best broadcast teams of all time, maybe the best.”
Smith gets to join that legacy as a broadcaster in the Braves organization. The question is, will Smith use his unique background in law enforcement to enhance his profile with his new team?
“I can definitely help keep the players in line on the road,” he says with a laugh. “No, not really. I’ll leave that up to (manager) Randy Ingle and his staff. But, if anybody tries to steal our bus, I’ll take charge.”
by Mickey Seward
On Christmas Day, JB Smith was watching a television show on the NHL Network about great hockey announcers when he was inspired to look into the Rome Braves’ broadcasting situation.
Smith had experience calling games but found out that he might be lacking one thing necessary to get a shot at the job that became available when former play-by-play voice Josh Caray left Rome to join the television broadcast team of the Class AAA Gwinnett Braves.
Unable to find out if Rome needed a radio announcer through his own research – “I would never want to undermine someone who already had the job,” Smith says – he finally telephoned the office of WLAQ 1410 AM/The Ridge 95.7 FM, the Rome Braves’ flagship stations.
He reached general manager Jim Bojo, who confirmed they indeed were looking for a new announcer and asked Smith to send in a resume and demo tape.
There was one problem.
“When he told me to send a demo, I told Jim he might hang up on me after he heard what I was about to say,” Smith says. “I told him I could get him a resume, no problem. But I stepped out of the station and into a patrol car 25 years ago.”
Intrigued, Bojo and the station’s owner and operator, Randy Davis, the original Rome Braves’ play-by-play voice, invited Smith to Rome to simulate a pre-game show and an inning of baseball in a production studio.
“After that and four stressful interviews later, they hired me,” Smith says.
Davis: Smith has 'a hometown feel'
It may not have been the textbook way of finding a play-by-play job but Davis says Smith’s introduction to the station was the beginning of what he feels will be a perfect match.
“We’d been taking some applications (for the broadcasting position) and had talked to several people,” Davis says. “Then JB’s call came out of the blue. When we listened to him, we were impressed.
“We felt like he would be a really good fit. We’ve been broadcasting local sports for a long time, several decades, and we wanted someone who does things the way we do things. We’re a hometown station. JB’s not just a stats guy. He’s a story teller, someone who can really tell our audience about who the players really are. He’s got a real hometown feel, and he has a very pleasing voice. It’s not too aggressive and it’s not monotone.
“But he definitely knows the game. When you have a conversation with him, JB’s knowledge of the game is obvious.”
Davis doesn’t believe there will be much rust for Smith to shake off, even though he hasn’t been on the air full-time since well before most of the Rome Braves’ players were born. During that time, he’s been around the game as a fan but most of his days and nights were spent apprehending crooks doing much more than stealing bases.
From police beat to Braves' beat
After graduating from Boston University with a broadcast journalism degree, Smith was drafted into the military and sent to North Carolina. While there, he broadcast high school and college baseball, football and basketball.
Later, he moved to Atlanta and worked in the music radio business. And while his career was in radio, Smith always had an interest in law enforcement.
While interviewing Roswell’s chief of police, and working without benefits at one of the radio stations, Smith was told by the chief that he should consider becoming a police officer.
“I told him, ‘Get me an application and we might have a deal.’ I went to the police academy and I spent the next 22 years working with the Roswell Police Department,” Smith says.
For awhile, Smith continued to broadcast high school sports while working full-time as a police officer but he soon decided to concentrate on his public service career and left the press box. He retired in 2004.
Now, he returns to the microphone as the voice of the Rome Braves, calling all 140 home and away games. Smith says he doesn’t really pattern his style after any particular announcers but said he loved listening to Curt Gowdy broadcast Red Sox games when he was growing up in his native New Hampshire.
“Of course, down here, we all loved listening to Pete (Van Wieren), Skip (Caray) and Ernie (Johnson),” Smith says. “That was one of the best broadcast teams of all time, maybe the best.”
Smith gets to join that legacy as a broadcaster in the Braves organization. The question is, will Smith use his unique background in law enforcement to enhance his profile with his new team?
“I can definitely help keep the players in line on the road,” he says with a laugh. “No, not really. I’ll leave that up to (manager) Randy Ingle and his staff. But, if anybody tries to steal our bus, I’ll take charge.”
Saturday, April 05, 2008
When Home Plate Meets Unlimited Dinner Plate
This article appeared on HometownHeadlines.com, a regional news and business website, on April 4, 2008. I was asked to write about my experience sitting in the all-you-can-eat seats section at the Rome Braves' 2008 season opener.
by Mickey Seward
It seems like such a good idea, it really does. Combining the national pastime with an unlimited pass through the food line, all-you-can-eat seats for Rome Braves' games at State Mutual Stadium has "winner" written all over it.
But I gotta tell ya, I'm miserable. Sure, it's a "Wow, I can't believe I ate that much food ... and I can't wait to do it again!" kind of miserable but it's still miserable.
You see, when you put a kid in front of a bowl of candy, he's going to eat until you tell him to stop--or at least until he gets sick. And even then, he's still going to try to get more.
When you put a baseball fan in a ballpark and tell him to eat as much as he wants, the result is going to be similar. It was Thursday night, anyway.
That was the plan all along. My buddy Jarrod and I went into this thing with a simple goal: we wanted to ruin this promotion for the rest of Rome. It's nothing personal, we just wanted the Braves' staff to at least consider the fact that allowing a couple of guys into the ballpark to eat as much as they could might not be a great idea after all.
Making the money back from the $25 tickets (the seats are in the $8 section) wasn't going to be an issue for us. The real challenge was going to be how much over the $17 worth of food we needed to eat to break even would we consume.
When scorecard meets menu
For the first time in my life, I went to a professional baseball game thinking as much about the concession stand as the ballgame. There were going to be two winners this night. One would be a baseball team. The other winner, I knew before the game even started, would be me. I was going to beat the concession stand.
And once I entered the ballpark, my game began.
First, we had to learn the process, since Thursday's game marked the first time this promotion has taken place in Rome. It's not hard to figure out. Section 117, located as far down the right field line as you can go without getting grass stains on your pants, is the all-you-can-eat section, and when you enter a tent that leads to your seat, you're given a wristband.
The wristband is to signify that you are an all-you-can-eater; to me it's a badge of honor, a signal to anyone who cares to know that I am here to dominate my friendly rivalry with the concession stand.
Inside that tent is a small buffet, filled with hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, beans, coleslaw, soft drinks and, rumor had it, fruit. You can also pick up nachos, popcorn and ice cream bars at the concession stand behind the tent.
Before the game started, I filled a plate. Hall-of-Famer Bruce Sutter threw out the ceremonial first pitch. I celebrated by eating a hot dog. After Scott Thompson of Peachtree Station belted out the National Anthem and the color guard left the field, I toasted our great nation with a hamburger.
And that's how the night went. The ballplayers played, the managers and coaches managed and coached, and the all-you-can-eater ate all I could eat. And more.
By the fourth inning, a thought came to my mind that soon had me nearly trembling in fear. I scanned the ballpark.
'Let's play two'? Please, please no
I was looking for Ernie Banks.
Banks is a National Baseball Hall of Famer who loved to play the game so much his oft-used phrase, "Let's play two!" became a cliché.
For me, a doubleheader could be disastrous. There's no telling how many hot dogs I might be able to finish over the course of 18 innings.
Ernie always wants to play two. At this point, I was praying I could get through just one without breaking my seat.
But something happened as the game went on. And, honestly, it didn't take long. Sure, I was still munching here and there. But, you know what? It wasn't about the food anymore. I won that matchup early.
I realized that it was all about the game the whole time. I can dominate any buffet and for a lot less that 25 bucks. But, when Concepcion Rodriguez belts a line drive over the left field wall, I enjoy that more than any hot dog. There's more heartburn when a pop fly lands in front of the third baseman for an error than after any plate of nachos.
Food is great. Gimmicks are nice. But the game's the thing. When it all comes down to it, home plate is the only plate that matters. It always has been, and it always will be.
When I think about it, even though the Charleston RiverDogs, a Yankees' farm club, beat the Braves 10-4, I'm not miserable at all. In fact, I'm feeling pretty good.
Welcome back, baseball. I’ve missed you.
Mickey Seward moonlights as a Rome-area writer. Hometown Headlines paid for his tickets and asked him to write about the Rome Braves All You Can Eat Seats. Tickets are $25 per person and include admission to the game and a special all-you-can-eat-menu. You can add beer with a $40 ticket. Fans get field-level seating ($8 tickets) and ballpark food such as hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, nachos and more. For more, click www.romebraves.com. Photo by Mills Fitzner
by Mickey Seward
It seems like such a good idea, it really does. Combining the national pastime with an unlimited pass through the food line, all-you-can-eat seats for Rome Braves' games at State Mutual Stadium has "winner" written all over it.
But I gotta tell ya, I'm miserable. Sure, it's a "Wow, I can't believe I ate that much food ... and I can't wait to do it again!" kind of miserable but it's still miserable.
You see, when you put a kid in front of a bowl of candy, he's going to eat until you tell him to stop--or at least until he gets sick. And even then, he's still going to try to get more.
When you put a baseball fan in a ballpark and tell him to eat as much as he wants, the result is going to be similar. It was Thursday night, anyway.
That was the plan all along. My buddy Jarrod and I went into this thing with a simple goal: we wanted to ruin this promotion for the rest of Rome. It's nothing personal, we just wanted the Braves' staff to at least consider the fact that allowing a couple of guys into the ballpark to eat as much as they could might not be a great idea after all. Making the money back from the $25 tickets (the seats are in the $8 section) wasn't going to be an issue for us. The real challenge was going to be how much over the $17 worth of food we needed to eat to break even would we consume.
When scorecard meets menu
For the first time in my life, I went to a professional baseball game thinking as much about the concession stand as the ballgame. There were going to be two winners this night. One would be a baseball team. The other winner, I knew before the game even started, would be me. I was going to beat the concession stand.
And once I entered the ballpark, my game began.
First, we had to learn the process, since Thursday's game marked the first time this promotion has taken place in Rome. It's not hard to figure out. Section 117, located as far down the right field line as you can go without getting grass stains on your pants, is the all-you-can-eat section, and when you enter a tent that leads to your seat, you're given a wristband.
The wristband is to signify that you are an all-you-can-eater; to me it's a badge of honor, a signal to anyone who cares to know that I am here to dominate my friendly rivalry with the concession stand.
Inside that tent is a small buffet, filled with hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, beans, coleslaw, soft drinks and, rumor had it, fruit. You can also pick up nachos, popcorn and ice cream bars at the concession stand behind the tent.
Before the game started, I filled a plate. Hall-of-Famer Bruce Sutter threw out the ceremonial first pitch. I celebrated by eating a hot dog. After Scott Thompson of Peachtree Station belted out the National Anthem and the color guard left the field, I toasted our great nation with a hamburger.
And that's how the night went. The ballplayers played, the managers and coaches managed and coached, and the all-you-can-eater ate all I could eat. And more.
By the fourth inning, a thought came to my mind that soon had me nearly trembling in fear. I scanned the ballpark.
'Let's play two'? Please, please no
I was looking for Ernie Banks.
Banks is a National Baseball Hall of Famer who loved to play the game so much his oft-used phrase, "Let's play two!" became a cliché.
For me, a doubleheader could be disastrous. There's no telling how many hot dogs I might be able to finish over the course of 18 innings.
Ernie always wants to play two. At this point, I was praying I could get through just one without breaking my seat.
But something happened as the game went on. And, honestly, it didn't take long. Sure, I was still munching here and there. But, you know what? It wasn't about the food anymore. I won that matchup early.
I realized that it was all about the game the whole time. I can dominate any buffet and for a lot less that 25 bucks. But, when Concepcion Rodriguez belts a line drive over the left field wall, I enjoy that more than any hot dog. There's more heartburn when a pop fly lands in front of the third baseman for an error than after any plate of nachos.
Food is great. Gimmicks are nice. But the game's the thing. When it all comes down to it, home plate is the only plate that matters. It always has been, and it always will be.
When I think about it, even though the Charleston RiverDogs, a Yankees' farm club, beat the Braves 10-4, I'm not miserable at all. In fact, I'm feeling pretty good.
Welcome back, baseball. I’ve missed you.
Mickey Seward moonlights as a Rome-area writer. Hometown Headlines paid for his tickets and asked him to write about the Rome Braves All You Can Eat Seats. Tickets are $25 per person and include admission to the game and a special all-you-can-eat-menu. You can add beer with a $40 ticket. Fans get field-level seating ($8 tickets) and ballpark food such as hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, nachos and more. For more, click www.romebraves.com. Photo by Mills Fitzner
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