{"id":14102,"date":"2011-05-19T15:36:50","date_gmt":"2011-05-19T22:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.seamheads.com\/?p=14102"},"modified":"2011-05-19T15:36:50","modified_gmt":"2011-05-19T22:36:50","slug":"dugout-of-dreams-part-of-new-can-am-stadium-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2011\/05\/19\/dugout-of-dreams-part-of-new-can-am-stadium-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Dugout of Dreams’ Part of New Can-Am Stadium Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The Can-Am League<\/strong> will be the last of the Independent leagues to open, starting next Thursday (May 26), and it will be another three weeks before the new Rockland Boulders <\/strong>get to inaugurate their 4,300-seat ballpark in Ramapo, NY<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 But it seems an understatement to say the enthusiasm is building in Rockland County<\/strong>, which is only about an hour north of New York City.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is the best thing this side of the big leagues\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, praised veteran baseball manager Dave LaPoint,<\/strong> who will guide the Boulders in their new playpen, which was very much in doubt because of the opposition of some in the area until a few months ago.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Any lingering opposition should have been pretty well cast aside this week when Provident Bank, <\/strong>a local entity, purchased naming rights for a reported $2.75 million dollars over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We can see the finish line\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from the project that started in July of 2009, President Ken Lehner <\/strong>said Thursday.\u00c2\u00a0 Lehner is putting his marketing experience, which earned him championship rings from the World Series (Florida Marlins) <\/strong>and Stanley Cup (Tampa Bay)<\/strong> and had him at the forefront of baseball building projects at Space Coast Stadium <\/strong>in Viera, FL <\/strong>and Buffalo, NY<\/strong>, to the test.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You have to market the whole experience,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, for the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ton of baseball fans in this area.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 One of the neatest opportunities seems certain to be selling the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dugout of Dreams\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.\u00c2\u00a0 Provident Bank Park\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s <\/strong>home dugout will stretch some 150 feet, all the way to shallow right-field, with half of it being for the Boulders and half for 30 fans a game, who will only be separated from the players by a glass partition while they munch sunflower seeds, chew bubble gum and drink Gatorade.\u00c2\u00a0 Talk about feeling like you are in the game.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

FOR ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT BASEBALL COVERAGE?<\/strong><\/p>\n

www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com<\/a> ADDED TO www.IndyBaseballChatter.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

Mike Rivera Back in Majors, Wilhelmsen Goes Down to Start<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Former Atlantic League <\/strong>catcher Mike Rivera (Atlantic City, NJ) <\/strong>is back with the Milwaukee Brewers <\/strong>for the fifth time in six years and his ninth major league season overall.\u00c2\u00a0 Rivera, 34, was brought up this week from Triple-A Nashville, <\/strong>where he hit .250 with three homers and 10 RBI in 18 games.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Going the opposite way, Seattle <\/strong>sent rookie pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen<\/strong> to Double-A Jackson, TN <\/strong>so he could get some work.\u00c2\u00a0 Wilhelmsen became quite a story when he made the Opening Day roster since he was out of pro baseball entirely for five years (2004-08) until the Golden League\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Tucson (AZ) Toros <\/strong>got him away from his bartending and coed softball activity and resurrected the career of the 6-foot-6 hurler, who still is only 27.\u00c2\u00a0 He had not pitched above Class A until this season.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The Mariners <\/strong>want Wilhelmsen to begin working as a starter.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m very happy about starting,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he told MLB.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Winnipeg Games Go National on TV in Canada<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Baseball fans all across Canada <\/strong>are going to be able to find out what Independent Baseball has to offer.\u00c2\u00a0 Nineteen Winnipeg Goldeyes <\/strong>games are being telecast on Shaw Direct<\/strong>, which some say is exposure for the American Association <\/strong>team not unlike what Atlanta <\/strong>and the Chicago Cubs <\/strong>had for years on TBS <\/strong>and WGN, <\/strong>respectively.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0(This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes year round on Independent Baseball.\u00c2\u00a0 Fans may subscribe at newly reduced rates at <\/em><\/a>www.WirzandAssociates.com<\/em><\/a>, enjoy his blogs, <\/em>www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>www.IndyBaseballChatter.com<\/em><\/a>, or comment to <\/em>RWirz@aol.com<\/em><\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 The author <\/strong>has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The Can-Am League will be the last of the Independent leagues to open, starting next Thursday (May 26), and it will be another three weeks before the new Rockland Boulders get to inaugurate their 4,300-seat ballpark in Ramapo, NY.\u00c2\u00a0 But it seems an understatement to say the enthusiasm is building in Rockland County, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":452,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4746,78],"tags":[4032,95,14734,13282,542,489,8604,3419,52,14733,14730,493,7116,11328,14732,11103,14729,14736,14735,14731],"class_list":["post-14102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-indy-baseball-insider","category-minors","tag-baseball-coverage","tag-baseball-fans","tag-baseball-manager","tag-bubble-gum","tag-can-am-league","tag-championship-rings","tag-dave-lapoint","tag-finish-line","tag-florida-marlins","tag-glass-partition","tag-home-dugout","tag-independent-baseball","tag-independent-leagues","tag-lehner","tag-provident-bank","tag-seat-ballpark","tag-space-coast-stadium","tag-stanley-cup","tag-sunflower-seeds","tag-viera-fl"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t