Baseball owners to buy Riverhouds

It'll be nice for the Riverhounds to finally start playing their home games in a non-high school field. Hopefully that will improve the teams image in the local media.

 

Well, this is good on one the one hand, as it will keep the team around, and we know that the Wild Thing owners know how to get a stadium built. On the other hand I hope that, when they get the stadium built that they don't get too gimmicky, as that is the main reason that I avoid Wild Things games. I mean, some gimmicks are okay, but speaking solely from the personal preference and not personal business acumen of someone who really likes baseball, I hate going to games where at least 70% of the audience couldn't tell you the score. On the third hand, I remain hopeful that Swiatak and his people will be able to adjust to the fact that soccer is a different sport from baseball, with a different pace, etc.

 

I have mixed feelings about this. Frontier field is a great stadium, for baseball but not the best set up for soccer.

Baseball ownerships of soccer teams in the past have not been that successful. Generally speaking when ever baseball and soccer have crossed paths soccer losses.

That being said, the Wild Things have a great marketing and sales track record. I would hope that at least 1/4 of the staff would be transferred over to the Riverhounds. Perhaps a package advertising deal of some sort.

The land surrounding Frontier field is flat and wide open, which makes building a stadium a possibility.

I'm taking a wait and see attitude for now.

 

Man, I must've been busier than I thought yesterday, because I didn't see that part of the article where it says, "The Riverhounds will be sold to the current owners of the Washington Wild Things Frontier League Baseball team and will play their games at Falconi Field, according to sources close to the deal." I'll give soccer at Falconi a shot, because that's WAY more accessible to us than Moon Township, but I don't hold out high hopes for the sightlines or anything. But like I said, hopefully they can use their already demonstrated getting-the-stadium-built skills to pull something off along those lines.

 

I'm going to bet you'll see with the Riverhounds what happens with the Rochester Americans AHL team and the Rhinos. Staff are employed by the ownership group and do promotions and event staffing for both teams. There is a seperate Rhinos Front Office staff, but a lot of the marketing and promotional things are done by the same people.

 

At least Falconi isn't Forbes Field re: soccer layout.

Good to hear that, at least, the Hounds have an immediate future. Did Heasley finally just give up on the franchise, Pittsburgh, or both?

A local angle here, since the Wild Things were originally the Canton-Akron Indians. If things go sour in Washington Twp, Thurman Munson Stadium back here could use a couple tenants.

I'd suppose, given the nature of baseball now as family entertainment moreso than the game itself, the new owners will attract as many to the park for any number of reasons other than purely soccer. I share all your mixed feelings, but I guess given the circumstances, it's the only immediate way of keeping the Hounds alive.

But if they hire some loudmouth disk jockey on the PA system...

 

Webpage relating to Falconi Field

http://members.aol.com/charliezeb/stadiums/washpa.htm

 

How they'll turn the diamond into a field...
http://www.washingtonwildthings.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=2

New Logo etc.
http://www.washingtonwildthings.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=3

 

Well, that logo is a step in the right direction. And another thing that people around here have noticed: The Wild Things have done a terrific job merchandising, and I suspect that skill will carry over to the Riverhounds. I seem to remember last Christmas or so Houndguy running a thread on that topic, after he saw Wild Things stuff in a mall, and of course, Hound items were nowhere to be found.

So the Falconi Field thing isn't bugging me as much now as it was yesterday. The possibility of a beer garden might've changed me a bit.

 

True that, but judging by the badge, it looks like they're commemorating soccer in Forbes Field by using its shape to outline the image.

 

This is outstanding news, never care to see the Riverhounds at a high school field but since they are now playing less than 30 minutes from my house I am there!!!!! I drive 3 hours to see the Crew play and go right past the field, guess I'll save some money and stop at the Riverhounds new field!!!!!

 

See this sort of attitude bothers me. You wouldn't see one of the best teams in the A-league/PSL because they played at a High School field?

This attitude is why the game growing.

 

Let me re-phase that comment, at a high school field that's a 45 minutes drive as opposed to a real stadium 15 minutes away. And it's true watching a "Professional" team playing at a high school field is a bit odd. The Atmosphere does make a difference at a game in any sport.

 

Baseball owners to buy Riverhounds

I give major props to this development to Rich Paschette.

 

It's good to see some new investment in Pittsburgh.

 

I received the Season Ticket prices from the Riverhounds FC not bad. Best seats $120 for 12 games, I assume the 2 extra are the Preseason games. You can get the Upper Reserved seats for $70 for the season. They also have half Season Plans and Flex Tickets.

 

Will they play in the baseball stadium? The reason i ask is that W&J college soccer team uses a soccer stadium(small) right next to the baseball stadium. Maybe the wild things plan on expanding this field and using it for the Riverhounds

 

Yes the are using the Baseball Stadium, go to either the Riverhounds web site or the Wildthings and you can see the Soccer Stadium set up.

 

It looks like the supporters group will be standing in the hot tub behind the goal

 

It could turn into a Polo match in the Hot Tub