April 26, 2007
Read Previous Columns in the Commodore Notebook Archive
NOTEBOOK: HARDBALL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: Do you think Vanderbilt will host an NCAA Regional Baseball series?
Yes, our administrative group thinks that is probable. The official awarding of sites won’t happen for a month but while last year we were HOPING to host, this year we EXPECT to host. Obviously, our team has to continue to perform at a high level and nothing is assured. The top four or five teams from the Southeastern Conference typically host Regionals.
Q: Are there tickets available?
Absolutely, but if you are thinking you will attend you should order them sooner than later. Here’s why: the host site must give 200 tickets to each participating team. That means we must allow 600 tickets for visitors and if every season ticket holder we currently have wanted to buy for the Regional, there would not be enough seats to go around. And that doesn’t get into other matters that will require tickets.
As we have seen lately, the fan that comes to the ticket window an hour before the first pitch risks being turned away. Finally, should we host, it will become a high profile event in Middle Tennessee and the ticket office will be swamped. Season ticket holders have priority up until May 19, the end of our regular season.
Q: Are you really turning fans away?
Our policy is that a limited number of general admission tickets go on sale two hours prior to every regular season home game so that we can better “grow” our fan base. Unfortunately, some late-comers are being turned away. Friday evening of the Tennessee series those general admission seats that went on sale at 5:00 p.m. (game time was 7:00) were sold in 25 minutes. The other weekend games were totally sold out 75 minutes before game time – with most of the tickets being sold to Commodore fans, not visitors.
Q: Is baseball’s general admission ticket plan working?
For the most part, yes. We have found a way to combat the sport’s “no-show” tendency whereby season ticket holders just can’t make all the games. Our fans are starting to understand that “general admission” in this case allows that fan to sit in an open seat until the owner of the seat arrives. That might mean someone moves a few times a game, but that seems better to us than letting an empty seat sit idle.
Q: Next year I want to be sure I get in to a couple of games. Should I buy season tickets?
Some of my colleagues think I am nuts but I say no, don’t buy valuable season tickets if you are only going to use them a few times and let them get dusty in your desk drawer. Our program has reached a point where we don’t need well-meaning fans to support us with a season ticket purchase. What we need and want are for all 2,000 seats in Hawkins Field to be occupied every game! If you want to make a donation to help the program, consider the Bull Pen Club or the National Commodore Club.
Q: It seems the program is much more visible these days; is that right?
Each of the last two years we have significantly increased the number of games on WNSR, 560-AM. This year an unprecedented 44 regular season games plus all post-season games are on the radio. Also, all games can be heard at no charge on vucommodores.com while all most home games can be watched (free) on the internet. Plus, a handful of the regular season games are televised regionally. We hear from people all around the world who are tuning in to watch or listen. We have come a very long way with being able to offer our fans access to our baseball program. Just a few years ago less than half of our SEC games were broadcast with nothing on the internet.
