GM Smith’s main goal: Keep focus on the fans

Ticket prices have stayed the same and Eastwood Field got an upgrade.

By PETE MOLLICA

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

NILES — When Mahoning Valley Scrappers general manager Dave Smith was editing his biography for this year’s media guide, the thing that stood out most for him was the 11 years he’s now been associated with AML Entertainment and Palisades Baseball, the owners of the Class A short season affiliate of the Cleveland Indians baseball team.

“Time really flies by when you are doing something that you really enjoy doing,” said Smith, who has been with the Scrappers all nine years of their existence.

Smith, who is in his fourth season as the team’s general manager, is excited about the upcoming home season, which gets underway tonight at 7:05 when the Scrappers play host to the Batavia Muckdogs at Eastwood Field.

“For the last eight years and again this year our whole outlook has been to make this an enjoyable and affordable menu for our fans,” Smith added.

“I don’t know of any other business in this area that has not raised its prices in a nine-year period like we have been doing,” he added. “Our ticket prices were $6 and $8 back in 1999 and that’s what they will be again this year.”

Eastwood Field facelift

Smith said that over the past eight seasons the Eastwood Field facility was in need of some minor upgrading.

“We just wanted to keep the facility up to its top-rated standard,” he added.

Smith said that the entire stadium has been repainted and a new outfield fence has been installed along with a new souvenir stand inside that will allow fans to walk through to view the contents rather than stand behind a counter and look.

A new message board was installed last year and this year a new scoreboard was added along with a wireless camera that will provide pictures throughout the contests.

“We’ve upgraded just about everything this year including our promotional schedule,” he said.

“We wanted to build off our very successful Thursday’s Buck Night and our Friday fireworks nights and we’ve moved our Sunday afternoon starting times to 6 p.m. where we can even do more with our promotions,” he continued.

“We’ve also added new batting cages for the players and every light in the stadium has been replaced,” he said.

Season tickets

Smith said that he’s hoping that all the new promotions will again help toward the season ticket sales.

“We’re on track to sell out for the home opener for the third year in a row and we are also hoping that the promotional schedule, once we’re under way, will help to bring in more fans to the games,” Smith said.

“We’re going to try and entertain people seven days of the week here,” he added.

Smith feels that the fan interest is still there for the Scrappers.

“Obviously we’re not going to be in the 5,000-plus range we were in back in the first couple of seasons here, but we feel that anywhere in that 3,000-plus range is a pretty good range to be in after eight years of existence,” he added.

“Keeping the ticket prices the same as they were in 1999 is a big challenge for us, especially with everything all around us going up in prices, but we want to keep this affordable to the fans.”

Smith also said that the Scrappers relationship with the Indians’ organization is a great one.

“It has been a win-win situation for both of us,” Smith said. “We are so close that it is easy for them to send down instructors here or if players need any medical treatments we can send then up there quickly.”

Smith said that the Indians usually have a two-year contract with their minor league affiliates and the Scrappers are in the middle of their fifth deal with the parent club. This contract runs through the 2007-2008 seasons.

Smith is also excited about the team’s new coaching staff including new manager Tim Laker.

“We haven’t had a chance to really sit down with them since they just got here this past weekend,” Smith said. “But Tim has spent a decade in the major leagues and you just know that he’s going to do a great job here.”

mollica@vindy.com