truebluefan

Thursday Morning Update 12/07

The Winter Meetings in Orlando are beginning to wind down and the Manatees staff has been extremely busy. Yesterday staff members attended league meetings, followed up with interns that are coming to Space Coast Stadium this season, did one last walk thru the Trade Show to check out giveaway items, souvenirs and team equipment, had lunch with Brewers staff, attended the annual Gala at Friday¢s Front Row in Orlando and then mingled with friends in the hotel lobby until 1:30 this morning.

A few hours sleep and we¢re going crazy today. Our staff has to pick up the Manatees new speed pitch machine at 8:00 this morning, then drive to Lakeland to pick up our new souvenir and merchandise scanning equipment, meet with the Brewers Player Development office and eventually get back to Space Coast Stadium tonight for the shuttle launch at 9:35 (weather pending, NASA says).

Last night our staff ran into former Manatees Manager Freddy Gonzalez (now the Florida Marlins Manager). Freddy wants to send his best wishes to Manatees fans and said he¢s glad the Manatees have a Booster Club in place.

For those that wish to join the 2007 Manatees Booster Club, email Lori Brown at BoosterClub@spacecoaststadium.com for information.

Our staff will be back to work tomorrow (Friday) at 9:00 am. We¢re all sick or on our way to being sick, but we¢ll be there.

This message is brought to you by the good people at Bayer, because $6 for a small tube of aspirin at a Disney hotel just reminds me why I have a headache in the first place.

truebluefan

For those that requested information on the new Brevard County Manatees Booster Club, here are some answers to the most popular questions we have received.

What is the cost to join the Booster Club?

Membership is $10 for adults, $2 for kids.

Will the Booster Club be collecting items for the players?

Yes, the club will create a lending closet to assist players in setting up their apartments. If you have the following items at your house and are looking to donate them to a good cause, I'd like to suggest the Manatees Booster Club: sheets, pillows, blankets, towels, washcloths, drinking glasses, pots, pans, silverware, dishes, small appliances, utensils, laundry/dish soap, toiletries, cleaning supplies, air mattresses, card table/chairs, or a monetary donation. The Booster Club plans to maintain a "closet" for players to come and get needed supplies, or borrow what they need while in town.

What will the Booster Club do for fundraising activities? When will Booster Club fundarisers be held?

The Booster Club is looking for any sports-related memorabilia for donations that can be used as part of an auction. Tentatively, the following dates and activities are scheduled for Booster Club fundraisers at Space Coast Stadium:

April 28th raffle

May 4th raffle

May 17-19th Armed Forces Day Silent Auction

June 14th Flag Day raffle

June 28-30 All-Star Silent Auction (items from the 2007 FSL All-Star game)

July 19th Thirst-Aid Thursday raffle

Aug 2-4 Silent Auction

Sept 1-2 raffle or auction and Booster vs. Booster softball game between the Daytona Cubs and Brevard County Manatees Booster Clubs

Any special events that the Booster Club will participate in?

Booster Club members will be much more involved wiht the players, coaches and staff than other fans or season ticket holders. The Manatees staff will have a few events planned that will be open to players, coaches, staff and Booster Club members only. These events will be our way of thanking the Booster Club for their dedication to this cause and for their personal sacrifices, time and effort in taking care of the Manatees when the team is in Brevard County. As you can see above, the cost is minimal and the rewards are many! Contrary to popular belief, most Minor League baseball players are not multi-millionaires; many are out on their own for the first time, need an occasional shoulder to cry on or friendly ear to listen to their concerns and we feel a Booster Club will let our players know that they have an adopted family here in Brevard County that will be there for them. Players have their own apartments, many stacked and packed in like cordwood to make ends meet. The Booster Club is a godsend to the Manatees operation and our ownership and staff, and the staff of the Milwaukee Brewers, are all commited to making the Booster Club a success! Booster Club membership is an excellent family Christmas present that will give you a lifetime of memories! The Booster Clubs of some of the other teams I've worked for enjoyed getting to know many now-Major League Baseball players, many that still write back and forth, send Christmas and Birthday cards, etc. You'll be making friends for life. I've been there because before I worked in baseball I was a fan sitting in the cheap seats of a Minor League Baseball stadium and we joined a team's Booster Club. You'll make an impact!

OK, you had me at hello; who do I contact to get signed up?

Glad you asked. Email Lori Brown at BoosterClub@spacecoaststadium.com to get rockin' with the Booster Club.

The Brevard County Manatees offices will close for the holidays next Friday (the 22nd) and reopen on January 2nd.

truebluefan

[Daytona Beach, FL] The Daytona Cubs will play the Embry-Riddle Eagles in an exhibition game at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, April 3 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. This will be the first chance for fans to catch a glimpse of the 2007 Daytona Cubs.

"This will be a great way to kick off what promises to be an exciting summer of baseball here at Jackie Robinson Ballpark," Cubs general manager Bill Papierniak said. "It should be a lot of fun for both Cubs and Eagles fans." Embry-Riddle head baseball coach Greg Guilliams agreed. "We are very excited," Guilliams said. "When we played the Cubs in 2005 it was the highlight of the guys' season. They talked about it more than they did about their opportunity to go to the World Series that year."

Tickets for the event will go on sale in March. Special ticket prices for the game are $7.00 for V.I.P. seats and $4.00 for General Admission. All students attending the game will be admitted in at a special rate of $2.00 with a valid student ID. The Cubs will open their regular season April 5 on the road with their first home game taking place on April 7 when Daytona plays host to the Brevard County Manatees at 7:05 p.m. For more information please call the Daytona Cubs offices at (386) 257-3172.

truebluefan

OK, Manatees fans, it's time for all you guys out there to begin your Christmas shopping and there's no better place than the 4th floor of Space Coast Stadium. We have heavy-duty sweatshirts at cost. We do not have the space to store these after the first of the year and you can save some serious cash by gettin' while the gettin's good. Come on up to the 4th floor. For everybody outside of our area, you can also take advantage of these savings...we'll add a few dollars to your order for shipping and handling based on your zip code. If you wish to purchase an order that needs shipping, email your name and telephone number to babsrogers@spacecoaststadium.com and Babs will get back with you as quickly as possible. If you need anything over-nighted or sent on a crash delivery schedule for a last second Christmas present, she can make that happen, but please don't wait.

We have received a few emails regarding the need for Bat Boy/Girls for the upcoming season. We have one returning Bat Boy and have a couple openings. Our goal this season is to have a staff of four Bat Boys to fill out our schedule to allow each time off for family reunions, personal days, etc. Before you automatically send us an email regarding a son or daughter (yes, we can use Bat Girls), here is the criteria for the position and these requirements are non-negotiable so please don't write asking for an exception to policy because there will be none: -Must be at least 14 years or age -Must not have conflicting schedule such as youth baseball, softball, etc. that will take an inordinate amount of time away for practice, games, etc. If you're involved in extra-curricular activities, please do not apply for a Bat Boy/Girl position. -Bat Boys/Girls must have solid character traits and a strong maturity level. -Bat Boys/Girls are exempt from the state of Florida's Child Labor Laws. Therefore, when a game goes extra innings on a school night, Bat Boys/Girls are expected to complete their duties until the game(s)' completion, no matter if the game ends at 1:00 am. Because this has a direct impact on their ability to function and maintain academic standards in school, all bat Boys/Girls will provide a copy of individual's report card on regular basis. If the Bat Boy's/Girl's grades drop, so does the position until that individual's grades improve. Being a Bat Boy/Girl is a unique opportunity. The person will have access to players, coaches and staff unlike any other day-of-game employee and are an important part of our game operations. We do not take the selection of our Bat Boys/Girls lightly. It takes very dedicated, mature individuals to be a part of the clubhouse/game operations. There are rewards as well. -Bat Boys/Girls are paid by the game, not hourly. If a game is rained out after 4.5 innings, the Bat Boy gets a full night's pay with fewer hours worked. If the game goes extra innings, the Bat Boy works additional hours, same cost per game. Bat Boys normally come out nicely above an hourly rate. Parents, your son or daughter will be expected to stay for the entire game even though we may be in the 17th inning on a school night. Last season our Bat Boys worked the spring training games at Space Coast Stadium as well as the Manatees season. We do not have the final input for the spring training games at this time, however, we will sometime after the first of the year. Because spring training involves numerous daytime games we are adding extra bat boys to the rotation to accommodate the spring training schedule. -Please understand that this position really restricts your son or daughter's free time. I can't stress this enough! Their social life will revolve around the game of baseball. They are here to work, not play catch with the players or hang out. There is no post-game partying. They will miss out on dates, dances, school activities, etc. because of this job. We cannot accept the 'Friday Night Flu' or 'Saturday Night Sniffles' just because he or she has a chance to go to Disney with friends, or a last second chance to attend a school outing just popped up. Reliability is the key word. -This position puts the Bat Boys/Girls in direct contact with members of the Milwaukee Brewers, MLB scouts, league officials, umpires and other game officials and Bat Boys/Girls have to bring their 'A' game on a daily basis. This position requires a professional. -If you and your kids are interested in becoming Bat Boys/Girls, please send an email to info@spacecoaststadium.com with the text BAT BOY Application in the subject line and we'll send you off a complete packet of information. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS OUR WEB SERVER WILL DUMP IT INTO A SPAM BOX AND WE WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR REQUEST. Space is extremely limited for this position and Bat Boys/Girls that perform well are automatically renewed for the following season, such is the case of one of our returning Bat Boys. Consider everything that the Bat Boys/Girls must sacrifice to be a member of the team and you'll understand why they have first opportunity to return the following season! They have earned that right. The only reason we have an opening at this time is that one of our Bat Boys has moved to the Midwest.

Moving on.Every couple weeks we receive a letter from somebody asking us the name of the song we play when the managers are out for the line-up exchange with the Umps at home plate. The song is entitled 'Seeing is Believing' and is the work of Acousticon, a duo comprised of Brad Sayre and David Simmons from New Smyrna Beach, FL. If you want to check out the video that goes with their live performances of this song, click on the following link or copy and paste it into your browser: YouTube - AcoustiCon Live-Seeing is Believing. David's wife, Barbara, is responsible for the artistic effect in the video and the photos on the web site. The song is so motivating that two seasons ago Manatees Starting Pitcher Ty Taubenheim needed a copy for the clubhouse for his pre-game ritual. Last season the coaching staff of the Ft Myers Miracle requested a copy of the song because it 'got them ready for the game.' They said it got inside their heads. If you'd like your own copy, log onto Welcome to Acousticon.net.

The Manatees offices will be closed next week for all of the holidays (pick one) and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2nd, at 9:00 am for regular business. We'll have a wide open list of events coming up after the first of the year. Make sure you stay tuned for all the fun.

One you won't want to miss: Saturday, January 20th, the Manatees and Ovations, the stadium's concessionaire, will conduct a Hot Dog tasting event at Space Coast Stadium. Fans are invited to come out and help us decide which hot dog will become the official dog of Space Coast Stadium. Our staff will also conduct a job fair on this date as well. If you're interested in becoming a member of our game day staff this season to include concessions (for spring training and the Manatees season), make your plans to attend. More on this as the details get finalized. Speaking of concessions.we're searching for feedback on any items that you wish to see added to or taken off the menu at Space Coast Stadium. Shoot those ideas to info@spacecoaststadium.com and we'll forward them onto Jack Masson, the new Director of Stadium Operations here at Space Coast Stadium. Jack joined the stadium's staff after retiring from the Brevard County Parks & Rec Department.

If you are one of those fans that collect pocket schedules, magnet schedules, etc. from sports teams, here's a quick way to get your samples on time. Send us a SASE with a short note detailing the items you wish to receive. You can forgo the note and write this information on the back of your envelope to make things easier; we'll know what you want. Each year sports teams receive thousands of requests from people all over the world that begin, "Dear Team: I am a huge fan of yours and wish to attend a game this summer. Please send me the following items so I can plan my trip." I'm not going to insult anybody's intelligence here, but I know the Van Snerffle family from Pig's Knuckle, Arkansas, doesn't need 50 pocket schedules for each member of the family so they can come to Brevard County. We really don't care if you're a collector, heck; we're really flattered that you want to include our pocket schedule or team photo in your collection. We know that collectors trade internally and it's easier for you to get enough for everybody in your collector group than individually. Hey, we're all for it, but I'm going to flashback to the movie Jerry Maguire here for a moment: "Rod, help me help you." Simply send us a SASE envelope (Manatees Fan Pack, 5800 Stadium Parkway, Suite 101, Viera FL 32940) and we'll jam it so full of leftover stuff for you that it'll come back to you postage-due because you didn't put enough postage on it.but just send us the SASE. Work with me here! And I apologize for insulting anybody from Pig's Knuckle.I stopped there for gas one time and just couldn't forget the name of that town. Yeah, it really exists. Of did, back in the 80s and I happen to use it as my town-of-choice when I need something more creative than Springfield or Anytown USA.Pig's Knuckle Night at the Ballpark, anybody?

Booster Club memberships make a great family gift. Contact Rob Brown or his boss Lori at BoosterClub@spacecoaststadium.com. Get yourself a family gift that will last all season long.$10 for adults, $2 for kids.