by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The 2002 Jacksonville Suns season promises to be unlike any other in the history of the franchise.
There’s no new Major League parent ball club, but there may be 25 new players. The ownership remains the same, but many of the support staff is new. Once again, ticket sales and promotions are at the forefront of economic success, regardless what happens on the field.
The major difference this year? After playing in Wolfson Park for the last 46 seasons, the Suns — the Double A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers — are preparing to say goodbye to the old ball park. Next season the Suns will move across the street to a brand new, Camden Yards-like park.
For Peter Bragan Jr., owner and general manager of the team, the next two seasons will be two of the most emotional, enjoyable and entertaining in the history of the franchise.
“That new ball park is going to be more exciting, but this season is going to be more memorable,” said Bragan. “It’s going to be an old-timey ball park and it will be beautiful. It’ll be more fan friendly and have much better sight lines. When they built this park, they didn’t think about sight lines.”
For months now, the Suns have been touting their 2002 slogan: “Only 70 more opportunities to create memories that will last a lifetime.” Starting with the home opener next Thursday against the Tennessee Smokies, which is magnet schedule and trip giveaway night, the season is loaded with promotions. However, this year there is a theme.
“Almost every one of them is commemorative,” said Bragan.
Team-wise, Bragan said the 2002 roster is still unknown and the season is even more of a mystery.
Team scouts in Vero Beach, the Dodgers’ spring training site, have indicated to Bragan that the organization is loaded with pitching talent, something the Dodgers have built their reputation around, and plenty of that talent will start the season in Jacksonville.
“They said that this year our pitching will be our strength and our position players won’t be as strong,” said Bragan.
A potentially strong pitching staff could become even better if their battery mate is Koyie Hill, a Wichita State product who Bragan says looks like Mickey Mantle.
“I saw him hit a 500-foot shot off Roger Clemens,” said Bragan, referring to the New York Yankees pitcher and five-time Cy Young winner. “It looked like a Tiger Woods five-iron.”
Putting a good team on the field is always good for walk-up ticket sales, but season ticket sales this year have been brisk compared to recent years. Bragan said the fact that this is the terminal season for Wolfson Park has sparked solid ticket sales.
“The guy who did not come out to the park last year, but has been before, he’s coming twice this year,” said Bragan. “We are ahead of last year in total ticket sales. And, we expect the Labor Day weekend [the last of the regular season] to be unbelievable.”
Shortly after the season ends, playoffs or not, the wrecking ball will begin the demolition of the ball park. Provided no one tells him he can’t, Bragan plans to sell off much of Wolfson Park. But, he figures most folks won’t want much more than perhaps the seat they have bought for years or a souvenir brick.
“We want to sell the seats and be able to sell the bricks,” said Bragan. “I am trying to get that straight with the City.”
In addition to plenty of excitement over the new ball park locally, the Dodgers organization is also pleased and anxious. When Bragan entered negotiations with the parent club a few years ago, he pushed for a two-year contract. The Dodgers, knowing the new ball park was in the pipeline, wanted to be a part of opening it and signed on with Bragan for four years. Looking at next season, Bragan said the Dodgers won’t overtly set him up with a loaded team, but they aren’t going to let him field a bad team in a brand new park.
“I’m not sure that’s arrangeable,” said Bragan of a stacked team. “But, some of the top prospects are at the A level so the Double-A team [the Suns] should be loaded next year.”