Prospects management happy with fan turnout
Edmonton loses both games in season-opening doubleheader
The turnout of 541 spectators Saturday looked lost in the almost 9,000-seat Telus Field.
But one baseball fan was so impressed with the Edmonton Prospects’ entertaining seasonopening doubleheader on Saturday at Telus Field that he purchased a suite for the entire season.
Prospects general manager Tracy Neumann was happy with the attendance, although Edmonton lost both ends of the Western Major Baseball League doubleheader to the Lethbridge Bulls 5-1 and 9-8.
“It’s opening day and I think the crowd is very good,” said Neumann.
Lethbridge left fielder Zach Rhodes went five-for-nine with five RBI over the two games. In the nightcap, third baseman Jesse Sawyer slammed a threerun homer in the Bulls’ sevenrun sixth inning to fashion a come-from-behind victory from an early 8-0 deficit.
Edmonton right-fielder Josh Kennedy popped up to Bulls first baseman Jeremie Fagnan with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to squash any hope of a comeback after the Prospects started the last inning off with back-toback base hits.
The Prospects begin a sevengame road trip Sunday night against the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets at Cairns Field. They will also make stops in Medicine Hat, Okotoks and Swift Current, Sask., before returning to Telus Field for a two-game series against the Okotoks Dawgs on June 15.
While it’s good for the Prospects — and good for baseball in Edmonton — to have the team of Canadian and U.S. college players play out of Telus Field this season, absence makes the heart grow fonder for professional baseball.
Since the Trappers hauled their duffle bags out of town in 2004, leaving Edmonton without a Pacific Coast League Triple-A team, independent baseball has tried to make a go of it in Edmonton without much success. The team, first known as the CrackerCats and, later, the Capitals, has played in three different pro leagues — the Northern League, Golden Baseball League and the North American Baseball League — over a seven-year span.
The Capitals won the NABL championship last year, but suspended play this season because there were only four teams in the North Division.
An announcement could be made within a few months regarding a new league for the Capitals for the 2013 season.
When the Capitals return, they could play in front of more appreciative fans than the Prospects drew Saturday. But it’s not fair to compare the two organizations. The Prospects don’t have the budget for an advertising campaign and will rely upon word of mouth to increase fan support.
So is Edmonton still a baseball town?
“I really feel baseball has risen in popularity in Edmonton in the last few years,” said Prospects pitcher Markus Fergusson.
The Edmonton native points to programs such as the St. Francis Xavier baseball academy for helping to develop players skills the last several years so they can play college baseball in the U.S.
But, maybe by playing at Telus Field this season, the Prospects can set the foundation for future baseball fan support in Edmonton.