Cavemen battling tough opponents, misconception
By DANNY HENLEY Hannibal Courier-Post - Jun 08, 2009
In the first four games of their inaugural season the Hannibal Cavemen have not only battled some stiff competition, but a misconception.
On the field, the Cavemen are off to a 1-3 start. The Cavemen opened the 2009 campaign facing DuPage and Springfield, two of the top teams last year in the Central Illinois Collegiate League, which was renamed the Prospect League over the winter after additional teams, including Hannibal, were added. During their initial homestand, the Cavemen averaged between 1,600 and 1,800 fans. The misconception is that the team cannot accommodate more fans at its games. “Somebody announced we were sold out and we’re not. We won’t turn anyone away,” said Larry Owens, co-owner of the team. “We have room for people throughout the rest of the year,” said General Manager Mark Sanders. “Even if we sell out, we can get you a ticket and get you in here.”
How can tickets be available when every ticket has been sold? “Sometimes we save seats for host families. We save seats for VIPs. We save seats for numerous things. We can always get you in Clemens Field,” said Sanders.
While the Cavemen are away from home for their next three games, additional seating is being installed on a berm that overlooks the field in right field. “I’m putting bleachers out there with the chairs,” said Owens. “Rather than double stack the other bleachers I’m going to put bleachers over there, so 200 can sit in the bleachers and the rest of them can be in the chairs. We won’t turn anyone away.” Other changes are being made at the ballpark after team management spent the weekend seeking first impressions from fans. “A lot of people have given us their input about what we did. A lot of it I’m taking care of right now,” said Owens, noting that one suggestion is to provide motorcycle parking. That specialized parking area will be available when the Cavemen return home Friday. “If it (suggestion) is within reason we do it.”
A staff meeting is also planned this week to brainstorm, according to Owens. “It is so our staff can better serve people and make it a totally enjoyable experience,” he said. While team officials are taking to heart the suggestions they receive, most fan reviews have been glowing. “We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback,” said Owens. “People are saying it’s really great.”
Despite having one of the largest attendance averages in the league thus far, team execs are not satisfied. “We’d like to see it full every game,” said Owens. “We’ve had good numbers, but I want every seat sold,” added Sanders. “I want people with season tickets, if you know you’re not going to be here to let people know that your seats are available. Make somebody else’s night who has not had a chance to come here and watch a game. Those people are ecstatic about the opportunity to watch a game in great seats and watch two good teams play.”
During their first four games, the Cavemen have struggled to score, managing just four runs. “We need to get over that hump of hitting,” said Sanders. “We’ve got to get runners in scoring position and put them across the plate. We do have good pitching and guys that can hit. We just haven’t gotten in that groove yet.” Sanders, a long-time coach, knows how momentum can swing in a team sport. “I’ve seen teams go through a season and one play gets guys all fired up and they win one big game. The next thing you know, boom, it’s contagious and it carries over to the next game. All of a sudden a team that had won four or five games back to back becomes unbeatable because they believe,” said Sanders. “When the kids make that decision to make it happen, then it will happen. That’s the key. We’ve got good kids.”
D2 assisted this project through completion of a tax impact cost benefit analysis utilized by public entity project participants.
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