Flyers home opener kicks off with unique promotions
Strapping a fan onto a wall above right field to try to catch a fly ball and win a new car might not make a baseball purist happy.
But the Schaumburg Flyers hope that and other new promotions will be draw fans new and old this year. Armed with a new team logo, they'll host their home opener against the Joliet Jackhammers at 6:45 p.m. today at Alexian Field.
Team owner Rich Ehrenreich said tickets sales are about 50,000 ahead of 2008's pace. He hopes the team actually benefits from the sagging economy, as families opt to attend minor league games instead of spending more at Wrigley or U.S. Cellular fields.
For corporate clients, Ehrenreich says, high-priced suites at a Major League stadium don't make sense from a financial or public relations standpoint. He points to the pricey seats at the new Yankee Stadium.
"People don't want to be seen behind home plate at a Yankees game," he said. "It just doesn't look good because it's so expensive."
The Flyers will continue their tradition of creative - some would say gimmicky - promotions, like the wall.
In the bottom of the sixth inning of each home game, a fan will don a garment made of a Velcro-like fabric and slip into a harness. A pulley system will hoist the fan off the ground, and he or she will be fastened to a panel on a wooden platform above right field.
If a Flyer hitter slams a homer over the fence, and the fan manages to catch the ball while stuck to the wall, the fan will win a $25,000 car from Fox Valley Volkswagen, which has showrooms in Schaumburg and West Chicago.
It's not exactly comfortable, as the harness tends to squeeze tight against the lower torso.
Catching a homer won't be easy, either. Cubs Hall of Fame second basemen Ryne Sandberg would have been lucky to win a Gold Glove with the reduced mobility the harness affords. Mathematically, the chances a ball lands in the fan's vicinity are also small.
"But would you do it for a shot at a car?" said Flyers Assistant General Manager Aaron Studebaker.
The wall does provide a unique vantage point for seeing the game, though rainy days could be problematic.
Fans must sign up either at the stadium or at the dealership. And yes, spokeswoman Sarah Eichenberger said, the team is insured in case of a wall emergency.
Other new additions include a children's playground, moonwalk and batting cages beyond left field, and a hot tub and tiki bar behind the first baseline seats. The stadium's suites also have been upgraded.
The season also features the usual slew of pop cultural promotions, like a Star Wars-themed night with appearances from Darth Vader and Batman. But the classic fireworks night typically guarantees a sellout.
"Nothing works as well," General Manager Ben Burke said.
The Flyers will also face Olympic softball star Jennie Finch and her Chicago Bandits on July 27. The fast-pitch battle of the sexes was Eichenberger's idea.
Past promotions have included adding Nigel Thatch, who played Leon in a series of Budweiser commercials, to the roster. A couple years ago, fans had a chance to play a baseball video game to determine the outcome of an actual game. That promo was eventually nixed.