Friday, March 31, 2000

Dayton's new team already a winner

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Fans excited to see Reds stars of the future

BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Thomas Harvey, 6, of Troy tries on a Dayton Dragons hat at the team's gift shop. (Michael E. Keating photos) | ZOOM |

        DAYTON — Twenty-eight days to the dawn of minor-league baseball in Dayton, and the new ballpark is as much a construction mess as Fort Washington Way.

        Some of the seats aren't even installed yet, but they're sold. And in the world of minor-league marketing, that's more important than wins and losses.

        Baseball fever won't be hotter anywhere than Cincinnati when Ken Griffey Jr. makes his Reds debut Monday. But 45 miles north in Dayton, the fever for minor-league baseball is as torrid as anywhere in the country.

        The Dayton Dragons, the Reds' new Class A affiliate, won't play the first home game of their inaugural season until April 27, the first time Dayton has been home to professional baseball since 1951.

The whole season is nearly sold out. | ZOOM |

        But they've already sold 98 percent of tickets available for the season at brand-new Fifth Third Field, a 7,200-seat old-style, red-brick yard in an industrial neighborhood downtown. When the Reds' Single-A affiliate played in Rockford, Ill., last season, the team drew fewer than 1,000 fans a game.

        Tickets for Dragons games are $4 to $8. They expect to be sold out by Opening Day, with only the outfield lawn seats now available for single- game purchases.

        It's possible the Dragons' Opening Day record will show zero wins, zero losses and 71 sellouts.

        “We knew it was going to be a great situation,” Dragons President Bob Murphy said. “We have great fans who love baseball, and the Reds have a huge following here.”

        The Dragons began selling season tickets before Dayton officially secured the franchise in February 1999. Lifelong Dayton resident Tom Borchers was one of the first to buy.

        “I was really turned off to baseball when the salaries got out of sight,” Mr. Borchers said. “But when they announced the team was coming, I bought tickets immediately. What excites me is that I've got an 11-year-old son at home, and I've got the capability now to sit at home at 6:30 at night and say, "Hey, do you want to go to the game?' and be just 10 minutes away.”

        It helps that Dayton has long been Reds country, and that two of the organization's top prospects — power-hitting outfielder Adam Dunn and left-handed pitcher Ty Howington — are likely to begin the season with the Dragons.

        The Dragons will promote fan interaction with the players, including player-taught clinics, that will give Reds fans the chance to get to know the stars of tomorrow.

        “How great it will be to introduce baseball to a whole new generation of fans,” Mr. Murphy said. “Those are the fans who are are going to follow Ty Howington and see him on the mound in a crucial game of the World Series.”

        But this goes beyond the Reds. It's about bringing baseball to Dayton instead of Dayton going to baseball.

        “It'll be interesting to watch some of the guys as they move up,” said Bryan Harvey, a Troy, Ohio, resident who stopped by the Dragons' gift shop with his family Thursday. “But this is nice because it's so close to home.”

        “It's great for Dayton,” said Amy Harvey, his wife. “It's cleaning up the downtown. It's something safe and exciting; and when you have kids, you're looking for something safe to do.”

        The idea of baseball in their backyard is appealing to fans, but so is the Dragons' logo — the key that unlocks the real cash in sports marketing. A green, mean-looking dragon's head is the team's official symbol, and it's selling the team before the team can sell itself.

        T-shirts are out of stock at local supermarkets. Even Reds outfielder Dmitri Young, in Dayton over the winter signing autographs, saw the logo on a shirt and said, “I've got to get one of those.”

        Children can buy Dragons Happy Meals at Miami Valley-area McDonald's that come with a Dragons baseball. They can collect trading cards at Kroger stores. A contest offers one lucky child the chance to win a pizza party with the entire team at his or her house.

        “It's building the brand throughout the community, and everyone has been able to see this is their team,” said Kevin Rochlitz, the Dragons' vice president of sales and marketing. “It's inexpensive, it's entertainment and it's fun.”

        “And in a few years, you'll drive down to Cincinnati and see the players you saw in Dayton.”

        Daytondragons.com
        Reds teams also hot in Louisville and Chattanooga

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