Greenville Drive Baseball

[RestedTraveler]

Yes, this is true, and I'd be surprised if there wasn't at least one open house ahead of opening day this year, so people can get in and pick their seats for their season tickets.

[GE Turbine Man]

Actually, most of the seats are selected already, at least if you were a ticket holder last year. I picked them over the phone several months ago. For new tickets I'm not sure what they are doing, but I bet you get to pick them when you pay for them. A open house when everything is done could help sell a few season tickets, but I bet they've pretty much sold all the full season packages that they are going to sell.

[g-man430]

My guess is that its the official announcement of the upgrades to the ballpark, even though they are already listed on the website, not many people know about them. They do need to get the word out and try to sell some of those new meeting places. What better place to "advertise" than when all your fans are assembled in one place. (I'm assuming there will be some good in game pushes for them as well.)

Where is this listed on their website? I looked everywhere on there and couldn't find it.

[GE Turbine Man]

All the suite additions are now listed as options in the "Suites" Section on the left bar. No pictures/renderings online though.

Edited January 30, 2007 by GE Turbine Man

[gs3]

An article from MLB.com about Gabe's new position here in Greenville with the Drive. Great read and good insight into the Red Sox organization. Everybody going to Haywood tomorrow for the introduction?

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article_perspectiv...s&fext=.jsp

[Fiddlestix]

This press release answers the question about the other announcements. Yes, the suite upgrades are here. As well as the answer to the earlier question about the playground equipment. Remember, the Meet Gabe Kapler event is tomorrow (Saturday). There was another press release about that, but it's fairly redundant to what I posted above.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 2, 2007

MEDIA CONTACT: Eric Jarinko

(864) 240-4515

[email protected]

Drive Unveil West End Field Enhancements

[gs3]

^ Great to see all these positive additions to an already outstanding venue!

[g-man430]

Drive Job Fair-

Buck Mickel Center: Feb. 17, 10:00AM-2:00PM

Bi-Lo Center: Feb. 22, 6:00PM-9:00PM

[g-man430]

I went to the thing at Haywood Mall today. It was very good and very crowded. They had a ton of things for free, merchandise for sell, and many workers walking around handing out information about season/part-season ticket packages. I didn't have camera with me unfortunately, but it will be on the local news tonight and in the Greenville News. There was this one poster I got in a packet folder that looked like this -

Step 3 says "take three steps away from poster."

Here are a couple other things I got too:

Edited February 3, 2007 by g-man430

[BigTone]

I cant wait to see all the new improvements to an already awesome field. The job fair sounds good too, might have to go check it out for a part time job.

[gs3]

Thanks for the photos of the printed media g-man. I must say, IMO, The Drive does an excellent job with marketing. When the logo was first introduced, I was a little unsure, but now, to me, it has come to represent classic baseball in every sense of the game.....I really LOVE the logo.

[GE Turbine Man]

I went to the press conference yesterday with the wife and was able to get a few snapshots. Gabe seems like hes going to be a good addition to the franchise. Hope we can hold on to him for a while. He was very well spoken and presented himself well. Good turnout in the mall as well. Anyway, on to the pics. I apologize, a few came out kinda fuzzy, I was holding the camera well above my head to get these.

Rendering of the new Playground.

Rendering of the new field street suite entrance.

Gabe officially given his Drive jersey.

Questions with Gabe and Red Sox's Director of Player Development.

check out that 04 world series ring!

[RestedTraveler]

Rendering of the new Playground.

Rendering of the new field street suite entrance.

Thanks, GE Turbine Man! These look to be nice new additions. I suppose they had a lot of questions from people of the nature, "how the heck do I get to the suite level?" last season. This will make it a little more obvious.

Joe Jackson Night will be April 11th. Season Ticket Holders will get a nice Cooperstown-style Shoeless Joe plaque. Sounds pretty cool! And, finally, the weekend ticket package is now available! That's the one I've been waiting for!

[linkerjpatrick]

One thing about the playground render is kind of sad or disturbing. You have a girl in a wheelchair (are they trying to be P.C. ?) but her chair is parked next to some steps she or the chair can not climb!

[RestedTraveler]

One thing about the playground render is kind of sad or disturbing. You have a girl in a wheelchair (are they trying to be P.C. ?) but her chair is parked next to some steps she or the chair can not climb!

I didn't necessarily find it distrubing or perplexing...I merely concluded that she was just a mom in a wheelchair sitting and watching her kids play?

[linkerjpatrick]

When I first looked I thought she was just another kid but now that I look closer she does have adult proportions however the the body size appears to be the same. Somehow all of those computer generated renderings of people look child-like. I guess it's because children have more "plastic" like skin than adults. Notice in Monsters, Inc. how they rendered fairly realistic looking children in the context of the movie but the only "adults" seen were in the monster world wheras that made the Incredible look intentionally cartoony and out of proportion. Part of that was the comic book aspect but another aspect was trying to avoide the creepy living mannequin syndrome.

[RestedTraveler]

...aspect was trying to avoide the creepy living mannequin syndrome.

You mean like in the Barbie movies (Fairytopia, Mermadia, Rapunzel, etc.)? (Yes, I do have a young daughter, before anyone asks.)

[linkerjpatrick]

You mean like in the Barbie movies (Fairytopia, Mermadia, Rapunzel, etc.)? (Yes, I do have a young daughter, before anyone asks.)

I was thinking more of Polar Express. I haven't seen those movies but might be less creeped out because Barbie is pretty much a manquin anyway.

[whitehourseview]

Ballpark Digest has a nice writeup about the West End Field improvements:

http://www.ballparkdigest.com/news/2007/we...provements.html

Plus the Greenville News has a nice article about new Drive manager, Gabe Kepler's, efforts to reduce incidents and help women involved in violence:

http://www.greenvillenews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...372/1050/SPORTS

[GE Turbine Man]

Well they sent me all the images of the Party porch and suite stuff, but the files are corrupted. But here are the ones I already posted, but better views of the creepy plastic people.

I'll send them an email and have them resend the other stuff.

[whitehourseview]

Well they sent me all the images of the Party porch and suite stuff, but the files are corrupted. But here are the ones I already posted, but better views of the creepy plastic people.

I'll send them an email and have them resend the other stuff.

The chick in the wheel chair does kind of throw you off.

I'm impressed that they are continuing to improve the ballpark.

Two things that I wish were part of the facility:

Something to show Bombers/Drive history, including league championships, etc. Just because they moved doesn't mean they need to wipe out their history. I believe the Bombers/Drive have won two SAL trophies. It would be sort of nice if they were displayed somewhere, along with pennants on a pole. Also, maybe have a board somewhere that showed the SAL standings, updated as the season goes along.

At Municipal Stadium, still I presume, there are about eight plaques that are the "Greenville Baseball Hall of Fame", I guess they will remain there, but I would like to see them incorporated into West End Field somehow.

[RestedTraveler]

Also, maybe have a board somewhere that showed the SAL standings, updated as the season goes along.

At Municipal Stadium, still I presume, there are about eight plaques that are the "Greenville Baseball Hall of Fame", I guess they will remain there, but I would like to see them incorporated into West End Field somehow.

These are excellent ideas! Why not borrow a page out of Wrigley Field's book and have a couple of flag poles, one for the Northern Division and one for the Southern Division, each with flags for each team in that division raised to the appropriate heights to display the current SAL standings?

If those plaques are still around somewhere, whether at the old Muni or not, it would be great if they were incorperated into West End Field somehow. They'd fit right in.

[g-man430]

^^^Those plaques along with others are going to be incorporated into the entrances and along the main concourse at West End Field for the 2007 season along with the rest of the improvements and renovations.

[whitehourseview]

^^^Those plaques along with others are going to be incorporated into the entrances and along the main concourse at West End Field for the 2007 season along with the rest of the improvements and renovations.

Where does it say that? Please don't make things up. I've read every press release the Drive have put out and haven't seen the words "Greenville Baseball Hall of Fame" plaques.

[g-man430]

^^^Mike Demaine said it at Haywood Mall on Saturday and this: Concourse Decorations-To enhance West End Field with an even more nostalgic feel, the concourse will be decorated with baseball memorabilia and regalia. Similar to Heritage Plaza, fans can expect to see items remembering the Upstate's baseball heritage is from this article: http://www.ballparkdigest.com/news/2007/we...provements.html

-I'm not saying it will include the exact plaques you're talking about, but it will include plaques and signs showing Greenville's baseball history.

Edited February 8, 2007 by g-man430