Category: Dailies

All About the Kids

Baca.jpgBernie, Ronald McDonald, Congressman Joe Baca and hundreds of excited children.

Just a few names of those who helped deliver a memorable day last weekend at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.  More than 800 kids from San Bernardino, Rialto, Loma Linda and other surrounding areas took the field as part of the Joe Baca Foundation Baseball & Fitness Clinic, aimed at teaching baseball and healthy living skills to local youth.

Former baseball professionals and future MLB stars like Dodgers prospect Trayvon Robinson, Astros prospect Vincent Velasquez, Giants prospect Bryan Salsbury, Marlins prospect Greg Burns and Cardinals prospect Mike O’Neill took the children — ages 7 through 13 — through on-field drills, and spoke to the kids in length about making wise choices throughout life.

Ronald McDonald even showed up to present each kid with a free Happy Meal as they left the stadium.  Other vendors sacrificed their day to set up booths around the ballpark, allowing children time in inflatables and offering free baseball memorabilia like baseball cards and caps.

The day was highlighted by the event you see in the picture above.  Unfortunately some kids had to leave well before this, but the ones that stuck around were treated to a short presentation from Congressman Joe Baca about his childhood, and how he always wanted to be a professional baseball player.  He let them know that although one door was eventually closed for him — as his talents on the baseball field never blossomed into a big league career — he succeeded in another direction, and is now a representative for his community in Washington DC.

He then turned the microphone over to Daniel Carroll, a Mariners prospect who had also been working with the children throughout the day.  Daniel encouraged the kids to stay in school and to stay away from drugs, and let them know what it took for him to reach his goals of being drafted by the Seattle Mariners.

No child seemed to leave the park unhappy, and although every one of them experienced an unforgettable day by playing ball on a professional baseball diamond, the most rewarding part was seeing the kids have fun.  We’re so proud to have had the opportunity to host the event, and we can’t thank the Joe Baca Foundation and each volunteer enough for their time in welcoming so many to the ballpark!

For a complete photo gallery of the event, check out our Facebook page by clicking here.

Putting a “Twist” on everyday promotions

66ers_Twist.jpgA few weeks ago we released two of the 2011 promotions that we’re particularly excited about.  Today, we’ll let you in on one of our weekly themes that may sit you back in that easy chair and reminisce!

Jukeboxes will rock and the poodle skirts will swing on select Friday nights this year at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.  Flash the peace sign and plug in the Atari and join us this season for 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s nights at the ballpark.

Not only will we feature special discounts every Friday throughout the park, but we’ll also entertain our fans with music, costumes, on-field promotions and overall fanfare from the different decades of the 20th Century.  Start digging through your parent’s attic today to prepare!

In addition, we’ll throw in some other theme nights like Country Music Night or a futuristic theme to really give our fans some variety throughout the season.  We love to have fun, and our goal has always been to be the place for families.

Check out our Facebook page to let us know about some of your best memories from those decades.  Was it the moon landing or Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle’s race to pass Babe Ruth’s single season homerun record?  The Reagan presidency or some of the classic battles between the Lakers and Celtics?  Or maybe it’s a memory unique to you — we want to hear it!  Let us know and maybe we’ll feature you in one of our games this summer.

 

Turf Talk – 1/6

 Happy New Year everyone!

 

With the week off between Christmas and New Year’s, I was pleasantly surprised when I came back to the park on Monday the 3rd.  About 95% of the seed we placed over the dormant Bermuda grass has germinated, meaning we’ll hopefully start seeing that perfect green color that baseball fans come to expect.

 

Compared to last year, we’re looking ten times better with our over seed.  And with the recent weather pattern in Southern California, that’s great news.

 

The next two months are critical for our newly established turf.  Balanced fertility is key, and if everything goes right, the new ryegrass should be fully mature and thriving around March 1.

 

Baseball fans know the importance of a perfect field.  Nothing screams summertime like baseball, and we’re all excited with the way our field is coming together leading up to the season.  Remember the first time you saw a freshly-cut infield at a professional stadium?

 

It’s the way I want our fans to feel everyday at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

 

Jason Hilderbrand is the Head Groundskeeper at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.  He is always available for professional or at-home lawn maintenance advice at jhilderbrand@ie66ers.com

The 3 Best Friends that Anyone Could Ever Have – 1/5

3BFFs.jpg

Life is “suite.”

As we mentioned in our first post, we’re Steve, Joe and Dave, and we run the Group Sales Department for the Inland Empire 66ers.  The Three Best Friends.

We have a sweet deal on suites this year for you and 20 family members, coworkers or even your buddies.  Stuff your face with an all-you-can-eat buffet for only $800.  That’s less than $50 per ticket for a suite!

That includes everything!  Tickets, food, waitress service and a fully furnished suite with DirecTV.  And best of all, 66ers baseball.

We pride ourselves on discovering your needs and developing the best plan possible for your event.  Next week we’ll highlight another great area for your group, but until then, give us a call or e-mail us and let us know how we can serve you in 2011!


Suite1.jpg
The Three Best Friends consist of Director of Groups Steve Pelle’, Assistant Director Joe Rugo and Community Groups Manager Dave May.  They can be reached at (909) 888-9922, or at spelle@ie66ers.com, jrugo@ie66ers.com or dmay@ie66ers.com.

AngelsWin.com Top Prospects

Yesterday the Voice of the 66ers Sam Farber gave us a great breakdown of some Angels prospects who have the potential to land in the Inland Empire in April.

Our friends at AngelsWin.com took it a step further and have listed the top 50 prospects in all of the Angels system.  Take a look now and hopefully we’ll see some of these guys in 66ers uniforms after Spring Training.

Click here for a direct link to the article.

A View from the Press Box – 1/4


Sam_Blog.jpgIt’s a new year with a new affiliation for the Inland Empire 66ers, and that means a whole new crop of future big league stars will be making their way to Arrowhead Credit Union Park in the coming months. I think it’s time we gave you a peak of who MAY be coming to the California League to play for the 66ers this year.

Before we get started, I’ll let you know that we’re only including players who have had no more than a cup of coffee in the California League prior to 2011 (meaning they may have played in less than a handful of games leading up to a playoff run at the end of the season).

This eliminates listing players like Mike Trout — who would top my list — but does not mean he’ll for sure be absent the 66ers roster to start the season. The Angels place players within their system. As a team, the 66ers have zero say in who plays for its team. I have no idea who will or won’t be sent to the Inland Empire, so please don’t read into this list as indication of who will or won’t fill our roster this season. With that in mind, here is my list!

Worth Mentioning:

(Here are some guys that are all from the most recent draft, who if they have a Trout-like freshman year, may make it to the Inland Empire.)

Kaleb Cowart- Angels first 1st round pick (selected out of a Georgia High School). Speedy position player who can switch hit, play multiple infield spots and was a stud pitcher in High School as well (Gatorade Player of the Year for 2010). Showed very good speed in high school with solid pop with the metal bats, and as a former pitcher has a good arm. If he has a huge start to the season he could come to the Inland Empire.

Cameron Bedrosian- Angels second 1st round pick (from Georgia like Cowart). Has great bloodlines (son of Steve Bedrosian), but at just 19 years old, with no starts outside of the Arizona rookie league, may take some time to rise to High-A.

Chevez Clarke- Angels third 1st round pick (guess where he’s from…yep, a Georgia High School). Reason he might rise faster: played more during his draft year recording three homers and nine stolen bases in 38 games. Reason he might not get to the 66ers in 2011: he hit .216 and struck out 55 times in Arizona.

Donn Roach- Slightly older for the draft class, Roach had a nearly 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio with rookie level Orem. But he had a 6+ ERA and opponents hit .294 against him so he might be a mid-year call up depending on performance at his next stop.

Max Russell- 4th round pick but might be the most likely of this group to start with Inland Empire next year. A 22-year-old who had a better than five-to-one K-BB ratio, but saw a big jump in his batting average against (BAA) and ERA from the rookie level to Low-A after being drafted. A possibility perhaps, but like the others more likely to join the 66ers half way if at all as I see it.

 

My Top 5:

5. David Carpenter (RP)- I love under the radar guys who put up great numbers, especially with pitchers. This guy has put up great numbers the last two years, particularly in the clutch. Carpenter went eight-for-eight in save opportunities last year with Low-A Cedar Rapids. He didn’t give up a run in his last six outings (6.1 innings) and showed an ability to stretch himself by pitching two or more innings seven times — all but one of them without allowing an earned run. Perhaps best of all, there was only a slight rise in his ERA and BAA during his jump from the rookie level to Low-A. He may not be the 66ers closer for 2011, but he sure looks like he could be a go to bullpen guy for Inland Empire in 2011.

4. Daniel Tillman (RP)- He would have a bit further to rise than Carpenter, but is the 2010 draft pick (2nd round) most likely to make it to High-A to start 2011. He had a 1.95 ERA, five-to-one strikeout to walk ratio, didn’t allow a home run all year and opponents hit just .195 against him in 22 rookie league appearances. At 21 he’s at an age where the California League is a real possibility, and if he makes it, he would be a favorite to close for the 66ers next season.

3. Randal Grichuk (OF) – The Angels first 1st round pick of 2009 (one pick ahead of Michael Trout!) is slightly against the grain of the Angels normal draft patterns of speed, speed and more speed. Grichuk was a big time power hitter in high school with 21 home runs in 75 at bats (hit .613 overall). In two years of pro ball he has 18 home runs in 117 games but is still hitting .310 lifetime (.292 last year in 50+ games at Low-A Cedar Rapids). He is very young, very talented, and if he plays the full season, he could put up some serious numbers for the 66ers next year both for power and average.

2. Fabio Martinez Mesa (P) – There are rumors that a move to the bullpen could be in this flamethrower’s future, but whatever role he takes, expect excitement from Fabio Martinez Mesa. As a starter last year in Cedar Rapids, Martinez Mesa went 7-3, striking out 141 batters in 103 1/3 innings while allowing just 80 hits. He did walk 76 batters last year (third most in the Midwest League), hence some scouts speculation of a future in the bullpen. If he stays a starter he could be out on the hill opening day. If he goes to the bullpen, he could be the Kenley Jansen of 2011.

1. Jean Segura (2B) – Pound-for-pound Segura may be the best prospect in the Angels system (tips the scales at 155). He led the Midwest league in hits (161) last season, and was top-5 in batting average (3rd– .313), stolen bases (3rd– 50), runs scored (4th– 89), and triples (4th– 12), all while committing just 13 errors in 125 starts at second base last season. He also led the team in Home Runs (10) and RBI (79), so he could bring a little pop to Inland Empire as well. The soon to be 21 year old is my top prospect among potential 66ers for 2011.

Again, none of these guys are a lock to appear on the 66ers roster in 2011, but any one of them could leave Spring Training for the Inland Empire!  Let me know what you think of the list, and tell me who you’re most excited to see this season.

A View from the Press Box comes to you every Tuesday from Director of Broadcasting, Sam Farber.  To contact Sam, e-mail him at sfarber@ie66ers.com.

The Monday Ticket – 1/3

 


TicketMonday.jpgLet me be the first to wish you a Happy New Year from all of us at 66ers Baseball!

 

We had an amazing last minute rush of ticket buyers before the holiday break, taking advantage of the free Angels vouchers that came with the purchase of a 66ers Holiday Package. If you missed out on this opportunity, don’t fret, we are working to get a few more vouchers from the Angels and our Blog readers will be the first to know, if we do.

 

As the season approaches, we are always looking to expand upon the experiences that season seat holders receive when visiting the ballpark. Whether you are currently a season seat holder or are planning on becoming one in the future, I’d like to know some of the perks that you would like to see included. It is our main goal to ensure that you not only enjoy competitive and entertaining baseball, but that each game you attend is a memorable experience. I look forward to hearing  your thoughts and hopefully implementing some of them.

 

Finally, we will be announcing our 2011 promotions soon and while I cannot reveal them to you right now, all I can say is that our 24 Premier Game plan is going to be a very exciting ticket package. Keep an eye on 66ers.com for the list of promotions. Here’s a hint, we’ll be honoring our past as well as promoting our future with the Los Angeles Angels. That’s it for now. The ticket office is always open at 909-495-7638 if you need anything from us or e-mail me at joey@ie66ers.com.

A World of Angels

angels_a.jpgWith just a few days left before the holidays, the 66ers want to extend a big thank you to a couple of our blog partners. 

The guys at Halos Heaven and Angelswin.com have helped us get our name out to the world of Angels fans since we started this blog a few weeks ago.  The transition from a Dodgers affiliate to an Angles affiliate has been pretty smooth, and we’re so happy to keep our fans from previous years, and to bring in new ones because of the switch.  We’re confident that fans in the Inland Empire choose to come to 66ers games because of the fun and entertaining family atmosphere we provide, but we also know that our fans are very knowledgable about the game.

That’s why we’re so excited to team with these great Angels blogs.  Each post from these guys is a true inside look at what’s happening in Anaheim — and as you know, what happens in Anaheim has more than just at trickle effect in San Bernardino!

With interviews, breaking news, opinions and just about anything else Angels you could imagine, these two blogs are some of the premier access points for Angels fans across the country.  And with only a couple months left until players invade Florida and Arizona for Spring Training, news is really starting to pour out of Angels Stadium.  You won’t want to miss a beat, so check out our partners at Halos Heaven and Angelswin.com! 

Go Angels and Go 66ers!