by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The office of Jacksonville Suns owner and General Manager Peter Bragan Jr. is a mess. Practically from floor to ceiling and certainly from wall to wall, it’s jammed with baseball memorabilia. There are dozens of ball caps and bobble head dolls and balls and bats and baseball-themed chairs and wall hangings.
You get the picture.
His front office is jammed, too, and he needs more space. That’s because Bragan and his organization just added a fourth Southern League title to the trophy case.
The Suns beat the Tennessee Smokies 3 games to 1 over the weekend to cap the first year as an affiliate of the Florida Marlins and a year in which Bragan wasn’t sure what kind of team he had after being an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers for several years.
That title has left Bragan in a great mood and makes selling his team to the area’s corporate community a whole lot easier this off season.
“What’s wonderful about winning is you get a box of cigars from my good friends at Swisher Sweet and a big plant from European Street,” said Bragan, whose family bought the team in 1984.
The Marlins will recognize the effort this weekend in Miami when they introduce Bragan and let him show off the Southern League trophy.
“They (the Marlins) are thrilled,” said Bragan,
When he gets back, Bragan will take some time off, as will much of his staff. Then, it’s back to work — selling ads and tickets and sponsorships for the 2010 campaign. Marketing a defending champion is a lot easier and more fun, he says, than selling a team that didn’t make the playoffs.
“I’ll give twice as many speeches this winter and that’s good for the team. It’s good to reach out in the community,” he said, relaying a call he got recently from a lady whose first Suns game was a playoff game. “She said she now knows so much more about the team. She echoes a lot of people’s thoughts.
“We are in the memory making business; that’s what minor league baseball is. And, there’s no better memory than a championship. It comes down to the fans mainly. The sponsors recognize there are more fans and everything is better.”
The Suns led the Southern League in attendance again this year, something they have done every year since moving from Wolfson Park into the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Bragan did say overall his revenue was down about 9 percent this year. However, he’s fully aware of the economy and the role it played in attendance and sales figures. However, he said the 9 percent is not reflected in ticket sales and revenue generated from the playoff games held in Jacksonville.
“We had more people walk up and buy tickets this year,” said Bragan.
Next month, Bragan and his marketing team will set the promotional schedule for the 2010 season. You can hang your hat on the staples — Thirsty Thursdays, Friday fireworks, business person specials and Tuesday Family Feasts. Bragan said he annually sells about 2,500 season tickets. But, it’s those promotions, along with others, that help pack the stands on a fairly regular basis.
“I’ll do a little selling and make some time for a bird hunting trip up to my uncle’s farm in Alabama,” said Bragan.
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