New owners reinventing River Bandits franchise

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By Steve Batterson | Sunday, March 30, 2008 |

Quad-Cities River Bandits Assistant General Manager Cory Howerton moves a display of new River Bandits T-shirts into place inside the team store, inside Modern Woodmen Park in preparation for opening day. (John Schultz/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

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A new era in the 129-year history of professional baseball in the Quad-Cities begins Thursday.

There’s new ownership, a new nickname and mascot, a new staff and plenty of new ideas. Even the picturesque 77-year-old ballpark on the banks of the Mississippi River has a new name.

On the eve of the 2008 Midwest League season, it’s far from baseball as usual for the Quad-Cities River Bandits and for fans who will attend games at Davenport’s Modern Woodmen Park.

“Rarely in this business do you have a chance to step into a situation and reinvent a franchise, but the time it took to complete this deal has given us a wonderful opportunity to do just that,’’ said Dave Heller, the managing partner of the team’s new owner, MainStreet Iowa.

The team’s new vice president and general manager, Kirk Goodman, comes to the Quad-Cities after spending the past three seasons as the general manager of the Jacksonville Suns, a Double-A franchise that led the Southern League in attendance.

Goodman has surrounded himself with a front-office staff that is nearly entirely new, a blend of individuals with experience working in the Quad-City market or elsewhere in professional sports.

“We have people who are excited about being here and who are working hard to take this franchise to the next level,’’ Goodman said. “There is a real energy here and people will feel that when they come to the park.’’

Heller believes the biggest change fans will notice won’t have anything to do with the team’s new red-and-black uniforms, new ticket and concessions options, new children’s activities or even the new outfield hot tub and tiki bar they’ll be able to enjoy later this summer.

“The biggest improvement people are going to notice is a complete change of attitude and the way we value and appreciate our fans and corporate partners,’’ Heller said. “The fans come first. They are our priority, and treating them royally is our way of doing business.’’

For example, if a young fan spills a soda pop, it will be replaced at no charge.

When lines at the ticket counters get long, the club plans to hand out complimentary popcorn outside the gates and entertain fans with performances by local talent.

The River Bandits are even literally rolling out a red carpet for fans, who will walk on it as they enter the stadium.

“It’s an entirely different approach,’’ Heller said. “We have larger front-office and game-day staffs who will be accessible and we want our guests to understand that they are the most important people in the world to us, because they are.’’

There will be washroom attendants at Friday and Saturday home games — a first for a sporting venue in the Quad-Cities — and entertainment begins one hour before the first pitch of each game.

“Our tickets have two times printed on them for a reason,’’ Goodman said. “While the game may start at 7 p.m., the show is going to start at 6 p.m. and from one game to the next, we’ll have all sorts of different activities from bands to vocalists to jugglers and clowns.’’

Fans who frequently attend games will find promotions that vary from one game to the next and a variety in musical selections.

“We’re not following one script that is used night after night,’’ Heller said. “Nobody is going to be sitting in the stands saying, ‘It’s the third inning, time for the dizzy-bat race again.’ Fans will find something different every time they come back to Modern Woodmen Park. The idea is to expect the unexpected.’’

For example, instead of simply handing out magnet schedules during the first home games of the season for people to take home and put on their refrigerator — a traditional minor-league promotion and something Quad-Cities will do — the River Bandits will give one fan a refrigerator to take home from Friday’s game.

While the schedule indicates that Opening Day is Thursday, Goodman said the club considers this as “opening season’’ in many respects.

“In many ways, we’re a work in progress. Because the sale was not completed until December, we’ll be rolling out a number of changes during the course of the season,’’ he said.

“The experience will be different in June and different in August than it is in April. There will always be something new going on, and I don’t see that changing.’’

An expanded children’s activities area including all-new inflatable games will be in place this week and new River Bandits signage will be installed as soon as it arrives, but other additions will come later. Upgraded video and sound systems are in the works, and the hot tub and tiki bar areas will be constructed in time for use when the weather warms.

“We’re making the first significant investments in the facility since it was renovated five seasons ago and it’s time,’’ said Heller, who has a 25-year lease with the city of Davenport to operate the franchise. “You can’t just do the same thing over and over. We will constantly be looking for new and different ways to entertain our fans and bring value to them and our corporate partners.’’

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2285 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.

LINEUP CHANGES

What differences fans will notice as they attend Quad-Cities River Bandits games this season:

Parking

A $2 fee will be charged to park in the hard-surfaced lot north of Modern Woodmen Park. However, fans will receive a coupon worth at least the value of the fee for use inside the stadium.

“Because there are other activities that take place on the riverfront, this assures our fans of a place to park,’’ general manager Kirk Goodman said.

Complimentary parking will continue to be available west of the stadium.

Tickets

Prices remain at $12 for club seats, $9 for lower boxes and $7 for general admission. Upper boxes are now priced lower at $8 and a grass berm and standing room ticket are available for the first time at $5. Discounts for students, seniors and military are available for tickets purchased at the box office.

Concessions

Four new themed stands will be open for each game. They include:

-- The Black Angus, where traditional ballpark fare of burgers, hot dogs and popcorn are featured.

-- The Four Paisanos, featuring Italian food such as pizza, pasta and Ceasar salads.

-- The River Bandito, which includes walking tacos, nachos and other Mexican fare.

-- The Healthy Harvest, offering healthy options including wraps, salads, yogurt, veggie burgers and soy dogs.

Promotions

In addition to daily promotions each week ranging from 2-for-1 tickets every Tuesday to half-price beverages on Thursdays, fireworks on Friday and family days on Sunday, special events are planned throughout the season.

Giveaways include trips, major-league baseball tickets, caps, cowbells, U.S. flags, rally towels, stadium replicas and bobbleheads. The club plans a bobblelection in mid-August, allowing fans to select a bobblehead likeness of their favorite presidential candidate.

Jersey auctions, appearances by mascots and soap opera stars are also part of an extensive promotional schedule

Entertainment

A number of Quad-City area bands, vocal groups and other assorted entertainers will be among the nightly activities at River Bandits games. Live bands will perform following Saturday home games.