BLUEFIELD — There was a brief period last August when Bluefield almost lost professional baseball. Toronto didn’t allow that to happen, bringing in the Blue Jays, and baseball — which has been a yearly part of the town since 1946 — will remain.
Chris Maxwell, the first-year general manager of the Bluefield Blue Jays, encourages residents to give Appalachian League baseball a chance, baseball fan or not.
“Come down and support it and really appreciate. That is the big word — appreciate — because what happens being new, it seems to me when the Orioles left and there was that mild panic, ‘Will we still have baseball’, I think maybe that affected a lot of people,” Maxwell said. “People come up to me everywhere I have been, shake my hand and say, ‘Thanks for being here, thanks for staying’ and really being excited about it.
“There is a lot of genuine enthusiasm out there, but you have got to come down and support the team and keep it going.”
That opportunity will begin soon, with the Blue Jays opening its inaugural home season in Bluefield next Friday against the Danville Braves at 7 p.m. They actually begin play on Tuesday with a three-game series in Elizabethton.
No one is more excited than Maxwell, who had previously been serving in a similar role with the Casper Ghosts in Wyoming, a rookie league affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the Pioneer League.
“I can’t even tell you how excited I am, I am thrilled, I have got a lot going on, but the excitement level is 11 out of 10,” Maxwell said. “I think it is because everything is starting to come together. When I see the roster and I know we have accomplished a lot and I know we are in great shape and I know we are going to provide something amazing.”
‘Amazing’ might be needed. In recent seasons, local fans of baseball at Bowen Field — a historic facility that was first used in 1939 — have often been disguised as empty seats. Maxwell is working to change that disturbing trend, which saw the Orioles in their final season draw just 22,868 spectators, a drop of 11,642 from 2009.
“We just ask that everybody come down at least one time, just come down once, that is all we are asking,” said Maxwell, whose Blue Jays will offer 34 home games. “Just come down once this summer and see what we offer, see how inexpensive it is to take your family down here and have a good time and enjoy it.
“You just give us one opportunity and we will prove to you that we’re worth your time.”
While Maxwell understands that not everyone is a baseball fan, Blue Jays baseball is about entertainment, not just sport.
“I can tell them we are catering to both baseball and non-baseball fans,” Maxwell said. “If you love baseball we have got a manager and team that is going to put in total effort every night, and if you are not really a baseball fan and you are looking for a really inexpensive, fun way to spend some time with your kids and a place where you can really enjoy no matter what your age is, this is the place to come.
“We are going to make it entertaining between innings, we are going to give away a lot of stuff, we are going to make sure you really enjoy your experience zero to 100. Whatever your age is, we’ve got something for you.”
That includes such events as 50 cent hot dog night on July 5, and a $10 all-you-can-eat night on Aug. 3. There will also be nightly promotions and giveaways, such as a camouflage hats and Christmas in July to magnetic schedules given out on opening day, and rally towels the following night.
Maxwell is also open to ideas, and hopes for feedback from fans.
“What we are looking to do is plan events that we can continue to do in the future and we are just going to throw it at the wall and see if it sticks,” Maxwell said. “We will try a lot of different things, maybe on a one-game basis and see if we can come up with a really good promotional plan for 2012.
“We are always thinking a year ahead... It is just going to depend on fan feedback and how many people come down and support it.”
The first edition of the Blue Jays — who practiced in Dunedin, Fla., on Friday morning before boarding a plane for Charlotte — arrived late last night, with Maxwell making the trip to North Carolina to help bring the 32 players and six coaches — including manager Dennis Holmberg — to their summer home.
“On paper it is a very promising looking roster and especially having Dennis coming here with that much experience, I feel great,” said Maxwell, whose roster includes a pair of first round (supplemental) picks, along with a second and third round selection from the 2010 draft. “I was very, very excited when I saw that roster.”
Maxwell and his staff of interns were busy on Friday morning putting the finishing touches on Bowen Field, including more green paint — the blue is complete, at least for this season — and protective fencing in the dugouts.
“The great thing about being the general manager of a minor league team is the day before they get in or the day when they get in, your entire life is filled in panic, making sure you haven’t forgotten something,” Maxwell said. “We are at that stage and you have got a new team and a new G.M. and a lot of change, but to be honest with you, it is running fairly smoothly...
“I think one of the things that is starting us off on the right foot is there is a huge buzz about it being a new team and a new color. Anyone under the age of 53 have never seen this place painted anything but orange. Come down and just see the physical changes.”
For the next three days, the players will get settled in, take part in daily practices, participate tonight in a picnic with season ticket holders, and will bowl with the kids on Monday at Mountaineer Lanes. They’ll also meet with local police today to go over local laws, all of which are meant to integrate the athletes into the community.
The Blue Jays plan to do the same, promoting baseball in Bluefield at Bowen Field.
“We are going to go to a grass roots marketing where (mascot) Baby Jay is going to be out in the malls and on the streets, out there promoting each game day,” Maxwell said. “We are going to be down on Friday at Chicory Square, we are going to be everywhere, the players, the mascot, myself.
“We will be all over town reminding people to support the team because this is the area’s jewel.”
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