This was meant to be a follow up to my last post, but my computer ate it and it's been a busy fall.
Ok, so the Saints don't need saving, but they could certainly use a boost in attendance. It's not that the Saints don't sell tickets, but their actual gate attendance is down and my guess is that their concession and souvenir sales are also down (but I have no facts to back up that supposition). The Saints are suffering from a lack of marketing momentum though. They lost the biggest advantage they had over the Twins when the Twins opened Target Field. They are still more affordable for a family outing and they still have a reputation for fun. But, they aren't the Saints of old. They aren't the Saints of Ila Borders, J.D. Drew, and Daryl Strawberry anymore. They are the grandfather of independent baseball, not the new kid on the baseball block. In an effort to regain some of their shine and reassert their place as a leader in the baseball family the Saints have made a push for a new stadium. While I agree that Midway is substandard both for the teams and the fans, there are other things the Saints can do to bring in fans and reestablish their brand.
1. Manny being Manny
The Saint Paul Saints made their name with a former Major League All-Star looking for another chance. The presence of Strawberry and his impressive performance against Northern League pitching made independent baseball a viable choice for big names looking for a comeback and it gave Saints baseball immediate credibility as high quality play. The Saints haven't had a player like that for several years. Tanner Scheppers and Kerry Lightenberg are the biggest names the Saints have had in the last few years. Neither one was a big enough name to bring in any additional fan base. The last chance the Saints had to make a big splash was with Barry Bonds, but he said that he wasn't going to sign a minor league contract and the Saints missed out. This year the Saints can make a run at Manny Ramirez. Assuming that no major league team is stupid or desperate enough to throw buckets of Manny for a whole season, he might be available to the Saints. The Saints can offer him a chance to prove he can be a good teammate, and leader and that he can still crush the ball. Some major league team can then give Manny his half season chance to earn a big payday. If the White Sox don't resign Manny, the first people he should hear from should be the Saints. If Manny isn't available then the Saints need to look for another unsigned major league free agent with name value.
I know the Saints are at a bit of a disadvantage competing with some of the other independent league teams with a higher salary cap, but this is the type of investment that the Saints need to make.
2. Real Family Friendliness
This is one for the new stadium that the Saints eventually build. In the current Saints' stadium has a family section. No drinking, no smoking, no swearing and no amenities. They are the worst seats in the ball park for watching the game. The only close bathrooms are port-a-potties. The walk to the concession stands is the longest in the ballpark. It's family friendly in name only.
A truly family friendly section would be close to real restrooms with real built in baby changing stations. There would be nearby concessions with kid friendly options and the seats would actually be close to the action. I know teams put family sections in areas that are far from the action because they can't sell those seats for a as much money anyway, but by doing that they are telling families that they are second class fans. They are discouraging their future fan base from coming out to games. My son loves baseball and when we go to Saints games we have great seats (not in the family section) he has a great attention span because he can see everything that's going on. I recently took him to a Twins game and he barely paid attention to the game. I thought the seats were fine, but he couldn't see anything. A family friendly section make the game part of the game and makes going to the game an enjoyable experience.
3. Beer Drinkers' Destination
Surley, Summit, Flat Earth, Brau Brothers, Coldspring (Gluek), Finnegans, Lift Bridge, St. Cooix and August Schell. Those are all local breweries. There are another couple dozen really good breweries in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. The Saints currently sell only Summit (and only one variety) and some of the big breweries (Bud, MGD, Grainbelt (ok, Grainbelt is smallish and local, but it's the same type of bad beer.) ) With the right ad campaign and a big enough selection of beer, the Saints could turn their games into a beer drinkers' destination. If the Saints had a dedicated area (like Twig's place) dedicated to beer drinking, beer drinkers could think of the stadium as an outdoor bar with a great beer selection and a $8 cover charge.
4. Mike who?
I just said that with the right ad campaign that the Saints could convince beer drinkers to come to the games. That of course would require the Saints to run an effective ad campaign. I like Mike Veek (and Libby and Rebecca). They are really nice people. Mike has good taste in beer and is fun to talk to. He however isn't a Twin Cities icon. This summer I talked to a friend about the Saints and he commented on the TV ad he had recently seen. I don't remember his exact words, but they were something along the lines of "who the %#@& is Mike Veek and what are the Saints doing running ads with him?" He's a known commodity to Saints fans, but the Saints really need to stop basing their entire TV ad campaign around him. How about showing off the on field talent? This would get people to know the team and help them be invested in the team's success. How about celebrating the quirky things that make the Saints the Saints?
None of these suggestions will make the Saints bigger than the Twins, but they could all make the Saints the most important team in independent baseball again.
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