THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408210228
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
More than 1,000 standing-room tickets sold at Harbor Park on Saturday helped make the crowd at the Tides-Richmond Braves game the largest in the park's two-year history.
A throng of 13,069 packed the place, which topped the crowd of 12,884 that attended the last game of last season. Harbor Park's seating capacity is 12,057.
Saturday's gate is also believed to be the second-largest ever for a regular-season minor league game in Virginia. On May 29, 1966, the Richmond Braves drew 13,335 to Parker Field for a game against Jacksonville.
A combination of the next-to-last Saturday night game, an attractive opponent, pleasant weather, nearly 3,000 in group sales and a car giveaway were major reasons for the turnout, general manager Dave Rosenfield said.
``I think being on TV the last three nights didn't hurt,'' Rosenfield said, ``and the strike probably contributed a few. But I don't think that turned it from 9,000 to 13,000. It would've been a big night anyway.''
The Tides started to turn fans away in the first inning. After 1,012 standing-room tickets, ``it was all we felt we could handle comfortably,'' Rosenfield said.
WORKING IT OUT: Rosenfield, Tides president Ken Young and Mets minor league director Steve Phillips gathered at Rosenfield's home for about three hours Saturday to discuss a new working agreement with the Mets.
Both sides want their relationship to continue at least another two years, Rosenfield said, and signing a new agreement in the next few weeks is a formality.
All working agreements between major league clubs and minor league franchise owners are standard, with little or no room for negotiation and no monetary considerations. Agreements can be signed for two years or two years with an option.
Each side's desires are fairly basic: Big league clubs want quality facilities and care for their players in favorable proximity to their city. Franchise operators want competitive teams and the assurance that the clubs will provide quality players.
The Tides and Harbor Park might be the most attractive package in the International League, and Young knows big league clubs would line up to send their Triple-A players here. But no solicitation on either side may take place, under penalty of huge fines, unless both parties declare their desire to end their present relationships.
Rosenfield, in fact, had to squash a rumor that circulated around baseball earlier this season that the Tides planned to ditch the Mets after 26 seasons and lure the Baltimore Orioles to move their Triple-A club from Rochester to Harbor Park.
``Whether the Mets will be here the whole 20 years, I don't know,'' said Young, who has 18 more seasons left on a 20-year lease at Harbor Park.
``Associations take a while to mature, and even though people in front offices in both the minors and majors may change, you get to know people and how they act. I like that stability. I think it's good for the fans.''
More than 1,000 standing-room tickets sold at Harbor Park on Saturday helped make the crowd at the Tides-Richmond Braves game the largest in the park's two-year history.
A throng of 13,069 packed the place, which topped the crowd of 12,884 that attended the last game of last season. Harbor Park's seating capacity is 12,057.
Saturday's gate is also believed to be the second-largest ever for a regular-season minor league game in Virginia. On May 29, 1966, the Richmond Braves drew 13,335 to Parker Field for a game against Jacksonville.
A combination of the next-to-last Saturday night game, an attractive opponent, pleasant weather, nearly 3,000 in group sales and a car giveaway were major reasons for the turnout, general manager Dave Rosenfield said.
``I think being on TV the last three nights didn't hurt,'' Rosenfield said, ``and the strike probably contributed a few. But I don't think that turned it from 9,000 to 13,000. It would've been a big night anyway.''
The Tides started to turn fans away in the first inning. After 1,012 standing-room tickets, ``it was all we felt we could handle comfortably,'' Rosenfield said.
WORKING IT OUT: Rosenfield, Tides president Ken Young and Mets minor league director Steve Phillips gathered at Rosenfield's home for about three hours Saturday to discuss a new working agreement with the Mets.
Both sides want their relationship to continue at least another two years, Rosenfield said, and signing a new agreement in the next few weeks is a formality.
All working agreements between major league clubs and minor league franchise owners are standard, with little or no room for negotiation and no monetary considerations. Agreements can be signed for two years or two years with an option.
Each side's desires are fairly basic: Big league clubs want quality facilities and care for their players in favorable proximity to their city. Franchise operators want competitive teams and the assurance that the clubs will provide quality players.
The Tides and Harbor Park might be the most attractive package in the International League, and Young knows big league clubs would line up to send their Triple-A players here. But no solicitation on either side may take place, under penalty of huge fines, unless both parties declare their desire to end their present relationships.
Rosenfield, in fact, had to squash a rumor that circulated around baseball earlier this season that the Tides planned to ditch the Mets after 26 seasons and lure the Baltimore Orioles to move their Triple-A club from Rochester to Harbor Park.
``Whether the Mets will be here the whole 20 years, I don't know,'' said Young, who has 18 more seasons left on a 20-year lease at Harbor Park.
``Associations take a while to mature, and even though people in front offices in both the minors and majors may change, you get to know people and how they act. I like that stability. I think it's good for the fans.'' by CNB