Paw Sox: The more things change, the more they stay the same
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
These days, it’s tough to know who you can count on.
Even in Pawtucket, one of Rhode Island’s true landmarks – the Pawsox – lost their longtime owner Ben Mondor in the off season. His success in turning a moribund baseball franchise into a local treasure has been well documented throughout the 33 years he owned the team.
But would things stay the same, with Mondor’s passing last October? After all, here was a man who saw the average annual attendance increase ten-fold (from 70,000 a year to more than 700,000 fans annually) during his ownership tenure, so it’s only natural to think that some change could occur. It’s natural. It’s evolution. It’s life its’ own self.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTUnless you’re one of Ben Mondor’s trusted right-hand men, like team President Mike Tamburro. For Tamburro and the Pawsox, nothing has changed.
“Ben in my mind is always here, he’s always a part of us,” Tamburro said last week, prior to baseball’s All-Star break. “He means so much to all of us and I still feel him here every day. We’re running this operation the same way we have the last 25 years, it’s quality family entertainment at the lowest possible price. It’s something we all believe in with all our hearts, he passed that onto each of us and something that continues.”
True to Tamburro’s word, nothing looks out of place at McCoy Stadium today. Ticket prices remain lower than most in comparable situations and venues (a general admission ticket is $1.44 less than the average adult ticket cost, throughout Triple A baseball), concession prices are manageable and the game day experience – complete with fan interaction and the “fishing for autographs” over the dugouts – has not changed. One thing has changed, however – with the unveiling last month of “Mondor Gardens” outside of the left field fence.
And in true Ben Mondor fashion, there’s a story to tell behind it all.
“About a year and a half ago, he found these bronzes of kids playing baseball,” Tamburro recalled, “and he mailed them up here and said ‘what the hell are we going to do with these?’ He wanted to put them up front, cement them into the gate, and I said ‘Ben, we’re going to build a little garden.’ He kept asking ‘when’s that sidewalk going to get done?’ right up until the end of last season. Its’ just the perfect spot, in a high traffic area, and fans will walk by on a daily basis and it just made all the sense in the world to do this for them, as a way to honor him.”
Mondor Gardens thus becomes the newest niche in the Pawsox’ arsenal of entertainment options. The product on the field also remains competitive, with a team record of 50-41 at the break, currently in 2nd place in the International League North Division, 3.5 games behind Lehigh Valley. And if you’re wondering who might be worth a Boston call up or two before the season is through…consider players like pitchers’ Kyle Weiland (up to Boston just before the break), Kevin Millwood, Felix Doubront and Triple A all-star Matt Fox; catcher Ryan Lavarnway, infielder Hector Luna and outfielder Daniel Nava. All appear capable of helping the organization better itself on the field. Off the field, the mix of talented individuals remains in place as well.
“We’ve built an outstanding staff, our staff is second to none in this industry, the right hand always knows what the left hand is doing,” Tamburro explained. “The core of this staff has been together for over 20 years. It’s all about building family. That began with Ben and filtered down to every one of us. We believe in family, not only family entertainment for the fans, but in family for our staff. It’s a big reason why we’ve had the success that we’ve had.”
Keep an eye out, and an ear open, for further improvements and surprises at McCoy Stadium in the near future. Through the stadium expansion and renovation 12 years ago, to the Walk of Fame, the high-definition video board, the live televised streaming of Pawsox broadcasts through the internet and the building of Mondor Gardens this year…something is always “in the works.” Sure enough, that’s still the case today – although Tamburro doesn’t yet want to let the next surprise out of the bag. “Let’s just say we’re going to continue with innovative ways to help promote Pawsox baseball. We’re going to continue to find different ways to attract fans and make them happy. Innovation is a part of this operation, and always will be.”
Kinda good to know that the more things change, the more they really stay the same. Ben Mondor probably wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
