Opening Night and Opening Weekend are now behind us as we move forward into the meat of the season.  The 66ers took the first two games of 2011 before dropping the next two, to split the four game series with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Nearly 8,000 excited men, women and children packed Arrowhead Credit Union Park for the opening series of the season, which included a sleeved blanket giveaway and one of the most successful kid’s clinics the 66ers have ever seen.

Tonight, the 66ers move on from the Quakes to begin a three-game set with the High Desert Mavericks, the Class A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.  Head over to 66ers.com for a complete photo gallery of the first series of 2011.

6. Group Opportunities

One of the best things about going to a baseball game is enjoying it with someone else.  Being with a group of people enhances the experience and makes the time you spend with everyone that much more memorable.

Bringing twenty or more people to a 66ers game at one time qualifies for the group rate, and gives preferred seating to the group to sit together.  To let everyone else know what a great time the group is having, the 66ers will also recognize the party on the big screen.

When it comes to bringing a group to Arrowhead Credit Union Park, the 66ers can accommodate an outing of any size.  The Patios are the largest areas, and great places to add the all-you-can-eat option to satisfy everyone’s hunger.

Another great place to watch the game with a group is either the first base or third base terrace.  Shaded private seating balcony is available on the suite level as well as a spot for the all-you-can-eat-option. Terrace seating is also a prime location to catch customary foul balls down either line as well.

Want to watch the game but avoid the summer heat? Air conditioned luxury and hospitality suites are just the place to catch the game. All private suites are furnished and equipped with DirecTV and include their own kitchenette, personal suite server, and access to the La Paz Bar on the suite level.  What better way to entertain clients or show employee appreciation than a suite?

Children can benefit from group rates as well. Birthday parties are always a favorite among kids, especially when Bernie comes to visit. Another way to create life long memories is for a son or daughter to take the field with the 66ers through the Baseball Buddies program.  Children will receive a 66ers logo baseball and a food voucher for a hot dog, chips, soda, and ice cream.

Booking any of these great options is as easy as one, two, three with the 66ers.  All we need to know is the date and how many people to expect.  Then step back, let us handle the planning and YOU take all the credit and praise for what a great time was had by all.  Since it’s that easy, what are you waiting for to let the 66ers host your next party or group event?

Give us a call at (909) 888-9922 or visit 66ers.com to learn more about all our group options.

There are hundreds of reasons to visit us this season at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.  But as the season quickly approaches (only a handful of weeks until Opening Night), we’ll highlight the top ten reasons to cheer on the 66ers beginning April 7!

7. The 66ers Dance Team

The 66ers Dance Team not only works game nights at Arrowhead Credit Union Park, but they also spend countless hours each week representing the team at community events throughout the Inland Empire.

Perhaps the most recognizable ambassidor for the 66ers (outside of Bernie, of course) is this group of about a dozen young, energetic ladies who have become one of the major faces of the organization over the past several seasons.

Whether it’s a Little League function in Riverside or a concourse booth at an Ontario Reign game (or even hanging out with Angels Manager Mike Scioscia), these girls can be seen around the area promoting fan interaction for the Sixers.

Most importantly, however, is that the Dance Team is one of the Top Ten Reasons to Make Arrowhead Credit Union Park Your Home this Season!

If you’ve attended our games in the past, you know the Dance Team performs several times thoughout a home game at our ballpark.  The third inning YMCA dance has become an iconic staple around San Bernardino.  And as much as Bernie would love to take credit for it, the Dancers receive most of the credit for creating an “I just have to dance” environment throughout the seating bowl.  It’s OK…normally you’ll even find members of the 66ers Front Office failing to restrain from shakin’ a booty.

And it’s all because of the Dance Team.  The atmosphere they have helped to create at Arrowhead Credit Union Park is one of the best — not only in the Cal League, but the Minors as a whole.  And for that, we’re very grateful.  Come see them this summer at the ballpark!

Fans at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky sing the National Anthem in unison prior to a basketball game between the University of Kentucky and the University of Florida

 

On March 5 at the Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino, we’re going to bring in some of the best talent in the area for a chance to sing the Star Spangled Banner before one of our 70 home games at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

The iconic song has been played before sporting events (and baseball in particular) for a long time.  The Baseball Hall of Fame says that it was played before a game during the Civil War.  Any way you look at it, it’s been around a LONG time!

The 66ers won’t be the only team to carry on this tradition.  In fact, if there’s a single professional baseball game all year that fails to start the game with the Star Spangled Banner, we’d all be shocked.  But the lyrics, the tune, the sense of pride it brings…it’s all rarely changed.

And we’re looking for YOU to be the next person to continue the tradition!

In previous years we’ve had some phenomenal talent sing the National Anthem, and we expect to have great performers this year as well.  Check out 66ers.com for all the details!

There are hundreds of reasons to visit us this season at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.  But as the season quickly approaches (only a handful of weeks until Opening Night), we’ll highlight the top ten reasons to cheer on the 66ers beginning April 7!

 

8. Stadium Amenities

It’s been awhile since #9, so to refresh your memory, the Top Ten Reason to Make ACUP Your Home this Summer has included Promotions & Giveaways and Friendly Staff.  Today we’ll focus on the ballpark itself.

Born in 1996 through the blood, sweat and tears of the great people of San Bernardino, Arrowhead Credit Union Park has been a staple in the Inland Empire community for more than a decade.  Besides having some of the best sightlines to watch a professional baseball game, what makes it great are the little perks that you don’t find everywhere.

Own a company and need to show your clients how much you appreciate their business?  Take advantage of one of the Group Hospitality Areas reserved for parties ranging from 12 people all the way up to several hundred.  Want a luxurious experience without the high cost of a Major League stadium?  Try a nightly suite with all-you-can-eat food and beverage items, completely hidden from the summer heat.

Or maybe it’s the Kids Zone you love.  With more than just a couple inflatables for the little ones to enjoy, you’ll know your children are safe as they wear themselves out in our state-of-the-art bounce houses.  And with the area close to the seating bowl, you won’t miss any of the action on the field as you watch the kids and the game at the same time.

The biggest and most popular addition to the ballpark has been our unbeatable new videoboard, installed before last season to strengthen the fan experience.  It’s one of the biggest boards in the Minors and we know how to use it. 

Whether you’re a fan who’s able to get a better look at a replay after a close call at the plate, or if you’re a business owner who wants a unique way to get your message out to the public, the videoboard has been a great addition to the park.  It sits conveniently above the right-center field fence, viewable from every seat at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

Finally, if you’ve ever been to a stadium with limited parking, you’re probably familiar with how nice it is to have the space we have here in downtown San Bernardino.  Some stadiums may not even have a parking lot, and if they do, might charge nearly as much as the most expensive ticket to let you leave your car.  Not us.  We have hundreds of open spaces.  They’re not expensive.  And your walk to the closest gate will take less than five minutes.

The stadium has everything you’d enjoy in a big league park on a smaller scale, right down to the players-only clubhouse area.  Come on out to a game beginning early April and experience it for yourself!

Favorite Food:

Chipotle

Favorite TV Show/Movie:

Anything on the Military Channel and ESPN SportsCenter

Celebrity Look Alike:

Brian Bader (UFC Fighter)

 

Hello Inland Empire! Let me introduce myself. I am a home-grown San Bernardino native. I attended North Park Elementary School, Golden Valley Middle School and San Gorgonio High School. I have worked for several local businesses during high school, and shortly thereafter, until I made the decision to join the Navy where I served as a military police officer in some very interesting regions of the world. An interesting fact about my Naval career is that I never once stepped foot on a boat. Military Police are referred to as a Sand Sailors and serve on land rather than on sea.

After leaving the military, I got my feet wet in my first sales position at Spreen Honda where I worked as a car salesman. I later went on to work for Loma Linda University Medical Center as well as other local businesses. I have always enjoyed working in the same area in which I was raised and also having the opportunity to give back to my community. I remember as a boy attending Stampede games here at Arrowhead Credit Union park with my dad, which makes it even more exciting to be working here.

I am a very family-oriented person, so working for this franchise will give me the opportunity to promote 66er events that families can attend together. I hope to see all you at a game! If you see me, feel free to come up to me and introduce yourself. I look forward to serving you, your family, and friends!

Favorite Food:

Pepporoni Pizza (or anything spicy)

 

Favorite TV Show/Movie:

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, 17 Again and Sugar

 

Celebrity Look Alike:

Some say Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Love Hewitt or Kim Kardashian.  I don’t agree with any of them.

 

I’m Brianna Rivas from Yucaipa, CA.  I recently graduated in May 2010 from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications with an emphasis in Entertainment Studies.  I loved going to California State University, Fullerton because it is a really big baseball school that has one of the nations best baseball teams.

 

I spent the 2010 season interning with our rival team the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.  I helped out with their Promotional team and enjoyed the whole experience.  It was very exciting to be a part of a team that did very well and made it to the championship. What brought me to the 66ers is the stadium is close to home, I enjoy all aspects of baseball, and I am a fan of the Angels.  Growing up my brother was an athletic trainer for the Angels organization for eight years.  Two out of those eight years my brother was in the CAL league as the Quakes athletic trainer.  During that time I attended numerous CAL league games and that is when it occured to me that I wanted to work in baseball particularly a minor league team because they seem to be really community oriented and provide a great amount of entertainment for these communities.

Besides my enjoyment for baseball, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, friends, and dog.  I find traveling fun and adventerous.  My brother is someone who I look up to the most.  He has been so successful in the sports industry that I hope one day to be just as successful as he is.

Favorite Food:

T-Bone Steak with Mashed Potatoes, Corn and a Glass of Milk

 

Favorite TV Show/Movie:

Happy Gilmore and The Dark Knight

 

Celebrity Look Alike:

Topher Grace

 

 

Hey Inland Empire! I come to you from the Prairie State: Illinois, where the old Route 66 began.  No, I did not grow up in Chicago because, contrary to popular belief, there are plenty more cities to the south.  I spent the first four years of my life being raised a mile outside of a town of just over 300 people named Maquon.  From there I made the move ten miles up IL-97 to the bustling metropolis of Knoxville, which houses somewhere around 3,200 people. I grew up in Knoxville with an older brother, Ryan, a younger sister, Lindsay, and my loving parents Andy and Lisa.  I also lived just minutes away from my wonderful grandparents Grandma C, Great Grandma Helen, Grandma Pru and Grandpa Jay.  Without my family’s support I know I would not be where I am today.

 

As a kid I was usually found outside catching bugs, frogs and snakes, fishing, or playing a pick-up game of backyard baseball, basketball, or football.  Most of my weekends were taken up by traveling from city to city for my basketball or baseball traveling teams and wrestling.  In high school I played football, basketball, and baseball for the Knoxville Blue Bullets as well as staying active in groups such as student council, pep club, National Honor Society, junior and senior class president, and running an underground game of poker in my basement every weekend.

 

From Knoxville, I took my talents to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, to study TV/Radio Broadcasting and minor in Business Management.  When Sports Communication was offered my senior year, I transferred into that program and thankfully was able to graduate on time in May 2010. My time at Bradley opened up many different opportunities for me to take advantage of.  I worked for the campus TV program reporting, running cameras, and trying to keep one news anchor sane. I also broadcasted Bradley Braves women’s basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball. I broadcasted the 2009 and 2010 Women’s NJCAA Div. II basketball championships and worked for WEEK/HOI-TV as a camera man shooting sports and reporting a few stories for their website.  In Peoria I covered the Peoria Chiefs (A – Chicago Cubs) for two seasons for Scout.com as well. 

 

While waiting for the baseball Winter Meetings to take place so I could attend the job fair in December, I filed papers to substitute teach at my alma mater KHS. After subbing a few times a teacher had to suddenly resign and I found myself in the position of being a permanent teacher of a semester and a half instructing chemistry and physics.  While teaching was a great experience for me, I found I did not like grading homework just as much as I did not like doing homework when I was in school, so I was relieved when I was offered the Promotions internship from the 66ers at the MLB job fair in Orlando. 

 

It took me three days, 1,866 miles, six energy drinks, and a few Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney CD’s to arrive in San Bernardino and I’m excited to work for the 66ers and make this season the best season yet! 

There are hundreds of reasons to visit us this season at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.  But as the season quickly approaches (only a handful of weeks until Opening Night), we’ll highlight the top ten reasons to cheer on the 66ers beginning April 7!

#9 Friendly Staff

From the time you drive through the gate and park your car, to the second you leave the stadium, you’ll encounter close to 20 or 30 different staff members with the 66ers.  Parking attendants, ticket sellers, ticket takers, ushers, concessions employees…it goes on and on!

The people we hire to make your experience great are some of the smartest, friendliest and outgoing people in the area.  Most of them have a love for baseball, but beyond anything else they have a love for people.  We pride ourselves in our training and make sure everyone that works at Arrowhead Credit Union Park puts the fans first in everything they do.

But it isn’t just our gameday staff that puts Friendly Staff our number nine reason to make us your home this summer.  Our Front Office staff, led by Assistant General Managers Ryan English and Joe Hudson, are committed to bringing the best possible family atmosphere to the ballpark every year.

If you’ve ever organized a group event with us, have a ticket package of any kind or if you’ve worked with us to advertise your business, you’ve worked with one of our staff members to make that happen.  Our goal is to always discover the needs of our clients and implement an event or package that best meets those needs.  If you love baseball and want to see some games — but you can’t commit to a full season — we have close to 10 ticket plans for any budget.

Know that you need to do something to tell your employees thank you for working hard all year long, but can’t spend a whole lot of money?  We’ll make your night at the ballpark look like you broke the bank, but keep the cost down to the affordable level that our fans have come to expect.  Bottom line: our staff not only wants you to be here this season, but we want you to be here and want you to come back.

We could go on about ourselves and our gameday employees all day long, but you don’t want to listen to us brag for too long.

So we’ll end it with some slightly breaking news to prove how friendly we can be!

Join us next Tuesday (February 1) at 8:00 PM at Empire Bowl in Redlands for a chance to meet the staff and get excited for the upcoming season.  We’ll introduce some information about the 66ers Booster Club and the Host Family Committee.  The price is only $10 for unlimited bowling for up to two hours, with shoes included.

The idea for this event is to allow our fans to meet the new faces that have come to the Inland Empire since last year, plus reunite with the ones that have been here awhile.  In going with our yearly goal of putting our fans first, this is a time where we want our fans to come out and say hello, and also let us know where we can improve to make the experience best for you!

See you next Tuesday — and go 66ers!