Ballpark Fans & Friends

This article appeared in the May 11 Star Tribune and was written by Rochelle Olson

St. Paul Lowertown resident and artist James Ramsay remembers the initial conversation with St. Paul Saints executives about a proposal for a baseball park in his neighborhood just east of the downtown Farmers Market.

“Their first question was: ‘Do you want us here?’ ” said Ramsay, a wedding photographer. “They want to fit into the community rather than just barge in. They’re trying to be respectful.”

Saints owner Mike Veeck and his lobbyist Julian Empson Loscalzo were at the State Capitol on Tuesday and planned to be again Wednesday, trying to nudge $27 million into the bonding bill for the proposed $50 million ballpark.

Public art made by the neighborhood artists is a key selling point.

The sunny, irreverent Veeck isn’t putting on the hard sell. “What am I going to say? I got no leverage,” he said. “We know our place in the food chain. We’re not talking about the Wild or the Timberwolves or the U.”

All bills at the Legislature are in flux for now so predictions are perilous. The chairmen of the two bonding committees didn’t return calls and e-mails Tuesday.

Midway Stadium, the Saints’ current ballpark, hasn’t been upgraded in eight years, Veeck notes, and with the new Target Field and the comfortable Xcel Energy Center expectation for quality fan experiences have been raised.

Veeck comes to legislators with the backing of the Lowertown community, rich in artists who migrated there some 25 years ago. They were drawn by relatively inexpensive and expansive warehouse loft-studio-gallery space and the pedestrian-friendly feel.

His ballpark would incorporate a permanent installation of art throughout the concourse. He also would install four kiosks to display the work of a rotation of 16 local artists. That means the 400,000 people who attend events at the park could see the works.

“I just think the Saints are really going to embrace and enhance the community,” said Ta-coumba Aiken, whose work includes murals, public art and parking ramps. He’s been living in Lowertown since it was desolate with “a bunch of empty warehouses with pigeons breaking out of buildings from the inside.”

He and other artists see the Saints as a family-friendly business that draws a friendly crowd with affordable tickets. To Aiken, more people and more exposure for the artists is nothing but good. “Whether people come and buy from me or my neighbors, it’s important to me to build a stable neighborhood,” Aiken said.

Rose Marie Felsheim is even more committed than Aiken and Ramsay. Her gallery is downtown, but she lives just east in the Dayton’s Bluff area. She and her husband hold Saints season tickets behind home plate.

“This is one of the best art communities in the nation,” she said, adding that the Saints’ proposal is the best she has seen for the Lowertown land. “If issues came up, they would be really willing to work with people to make sure that it would get taken care of.”

Mayor Chris Coleman sees the ballpark as a “good opportunity” to “take a polluted site and clean it up.”

Veeck promises ticket prices wouldn’t increase in the new park. Realistically, he knows the team can stay in Midway, but the ballpark initially built for 1,500 has taken a beating. The park expanded a few years ago and now 6,000 fans attend each game. Veeck says a trip to the overloaded restrooms or portable toilets and the concession stand can take two to three innings. When it rains, he has to cover the concessions areas with a tarp.

With the bonding money from the state, the Saints and St. Paul would pay the rest, with much of the city’s contribution going toward site assembly. Veeck said that the Saints would make up about a third of the 180 events per year. The Minnesota State High School League, the American Legion and Hamline University also have teams that play at the park.

Veeck talks of the Twins and Target Field at one end of the Central Corridor light-rail line and the Saints at the other. His dream? A bullet train near the Saints’ ballpark to his native Chicago, making Lowertown an “epicenter of resurgence.”

Regardless of what happens, Veeck doesn’t warn of doom and gloom. “This is supposed to be fun,” he said. “This is just a playground.”

This article appeared in the April 29 Grand Forks Newspaper and was written by Andrew Telljohn.

ST. PAUL — Bill Kinnunen remembers the rush he felt playing baseball in St. Paul’s Midway Stadium in two mid-1980s state tournaments.

The former Grand Rapids High School player has been back twice in the last half-dozen years as Grand Rapids coach, watching his players chase the same dream he did two decades ago.

“It is exciting to come from an outstate area and get to play in a big, beautiful stadium like that,” Kinnunen said. “And the crowds for the state championship, that makes for an exciting, memorable event.”

But Midway Stadium’s chief tenant says it is time for a new ballpark.

The St. Paul Saints say they eagerly open the ballpark to high schools, colleges and other amateur baseball organizations, many from greater Minnesota. But team officials also say the nearly 30-year-old park that cost $1.5 million to build is falling apart.

In the last few years, the Saints have lobbied state officials for help financing a new, 7,500-seat ballpark in St. Paul.

Chief among the team’s selling points is that the 50 home games the Saints play represent fewer than one-third of nearly 170 events Midway hosts a year, said Tom Whaley, Saints’ executive vice president and team co-owner.

“The Saints account for most of the attendance but those other events account for the majority of the use,” Whaley said. “Look and see where a lot of those come from. … They come from all over the state.”

That will not change, said Mike Veeck, co-owner and president. The Saints, for two decades, have altered the team’s home schedule to accommodate high school state tournaments, he said, “because, quite frankly, they are more important.”

“We kind of know our place in the food chain,” Veeck said.

In addition to upgrading their venue for high schools and colleges, Saints officials hope to use the new venue to attract regional and national tournaments tied to small colleges and other amateur leagues.

The Saints want the state to kick in $25 million – half of the total cost. The team and the city of St. Paul would contribute the rest. The proposed park would be located in the Lowertown neighborhood on downtown St. Paul’s east side.

The park was included in a bonding bill proposed this year by Gov. Mark Dayton. That has not passed.

Whaley said a ballpark bill will be introduced soon, although at least one key lawmaker thinks it is unlikely to advance far this year.

A cousin of Sen. Dave Senjem used to play for the Saints. But despite his family ties, the Rochester Republican said it is getting late in the legislative session and even if lawmakers do a bonding bill this year it will not include recreational facilities like convention centers or ballparks.

“It will compete in 2012,” Senjem said of a Saints ballpark bill. “For 2011, it is not conceivable to me.”

Kinnunen, the Grand Rapids baseball coach, said he is not involved in the political process and does not know how Midway Stadium has held up. But if the Saints say they need a new park and will commit to continued partnering with amateur baseball statewide he is all for the new ballpark.

He agreed with Saints officials who said kids from greater Minnesota love the trip to compete in the big city in front of large crowds.

“Baseball is another avenue for kids as they are developing to become young men,” Kinnunen said. “Anything to help amateur baseball I totally agree with.”

Over the past few months we’ve called upon you to contact your elected officials and tell them why you support building a new regional ballpark. Many of you took action, and we are extremely grateful. For those who haven’t yet called, emailed or sent a letter to your legislators we hope the following information will help you take action today!

Contacting Your Elected Officials is as Easy as 1 – 2 – 3

1. Find your Minnesota Senator and Representative by visiting http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/ and entering your full home address.

2. Once you know who represents you, call, email, write or schedule an appointment to meet with your elected officials. (See our tips below for writing to your elected officials.)

3. Remember that your elected officials are at the Capitol representing you. Make sure your voice is heard by telling them your story and why the ballpark is important to you.

Ten Tips for Writing Your Elected Officials

Letters from constituents are very important to legislators. Here are 10 tips to help you write a compelling letter to your elected officials:

1. Begin by stating that you are a constituent. If you voted for the decision-maker, let them know that as well. Make sure that you write your return address on the envelope, so that the decision-maker knows immediately that you are a constituent. If you’re sending an email, include your address below your name at the bottom of the email.
2. Personalize your letter. Research consistently shows that handwritten letters have the most impact. However, whether you are sending a handwritten letter or an email, be sure to personalize the message by telling your story. If you are basing your letter on a form letter, rewrite it, or at least retype it. Photocopies of generic letters are the least effective. In making your case on the issue, use personal examples.

3. Use the news. Watch news stories in your local community that you can use to illustrate your point. Use a local news item as a springboard for your issue.

4. Local, local, local. Make a strong connection between the issue and your local community that the elected official represents. Again, use local examples that illustrate why your issue is important and why your position is a strong one.

5. If the elected official has supported your issues in the past, acknowledge this—but don’t take it for granted that the support will continue. Give reasons why the decision-maker should continue or intensify his or her support.

6. Show restraint. Keep your letter brief—three to four paragraphs at the most. Make sure that supporting information that you leave behind is brief as well.

7. Persuade a like-minded friend, family member, or colleague to write a letter as well. Again, quantity is critical. Elected officials pay attention to issues when they believe that many of their constituents care about that issue.

8. Report your letter. When you are part of a grassroots organizing effort, your participation is helpful only if the people mobilizing the effort know about it. Let them know that you wrote the letter, and what you intend to do to follow up. You can let Ballpark Fans and Friends know that you sent a letter by emailing us at lowertownbaseball@gmail.com or call us at 612-424-1678.

9. Follow up. In the letter, ask your elected official for a response. To get a better picture of your official’s position, consider following your letter with a phone call or visit.

10. Communicate more than once. Again, quantity is as important as quality in grassroots advocacy. One letter will not gain influence. As you monitor the issue, communicate with the decision-maker through phone calls, additional letters, email, or visits to ask for specific support or action as appropriate to the process.

Example of a Letter to an Elected Official

This is just an example – it is important that you write a letter that reflects your personal feelings and reasons for supporting the ballpark.

Dear [Senator/Representative X],

I’m writing you today to ask for your support of a regional ballpark facility in Saint Paul. The ballpark will serve the needs of youth, amateur and minor league baseball. In total, the park will host over 180 events a year, only 50 of which are games played by the park’s primary tenant, the Saint Paul Saints.

[Insert your personal perspective here.]

The City of Saint Paul and the Saints are funding nearly 50% of this project, making a strong case for public/private partnerships. Residents, small business owners, corporations, and amateur sports organizations have come together in support of the ballpark but we also need you. I am asking for your support of $27 million in state level funding for this valuable community asset.

Thank you very much for your time and attention. Please send a reply to let me know if you will support the regional ballpark.

Sincerely,

[Name]
[Mailing Address]
[City, State Zip]

St. Paul Saints fans know when the calendar turns to March, the madness can officially begin.  I’m not talking about THE March Madness, as in the NCAA tournament, but the madness that starts to grow inside of you realizing the baseball season is just around the corner.  All winter long we here in Minnesota have dealt with record snowfalls, arctic chills and being cooped up inside for much too long.  Now is the time spring shows itself and we can start thinking about the boys of summer, but more about that in just a moment.  Before I get to the 2011 Saints season, let me share something with you.

             As I do every Monday-Friday morning, I was working out at my gym (that’s right I’m bragging) and a couple of guys came up to me and we started chatting about baseball.  These guys knew what I did and said they had heard rumors about a new Saints ballpark.  First off, I told them they weren’t rumors and second I told them it was a regional ballpark that would be used by amateur, college and Little League teams along with small and large tournaments from around the state and so on.  Why am I bringing this up?  For two reasons: #1 the word is out about the regional ballpark and people all over the state are aware of it which is a great thing and #2 I always tell people for more information head to the Ballpark Fans and Friends website at ballparkfansandfriends.org.

             As for your 2011 Saints here’s what I can tell you so far.  Manager George Tsamis usually spends the early off season re-signing players and trying to fill some gaps with guys from other teams in the American Association or other Independent League teams.  So far he has done that by re-signing three All-Stars from last season’s team: outfielder Brent Krause, first baseman Jason Cooper and pitcher Jake Schmidt.  Other players from last year’s team that re-signed were infielder Steve Mays and pitcher Kyle Foster.  The other three players the Saints currently have are pitcher Caleb Thielbar (free agent signee), catcher Richard Mercado (acquired from the Schaumburg Flyers for cash) and third baseman Ronnie Bourquin (also acquired from the Flyers for cash). 

             The rest of the 22-man roster will be filled out over the next couple of months with Saints players from last season, guys who are released by Major League organizations and other Independent League players.  This much is for sure, March Madness will take on a whole new definition as the signings continue leading up to Opening Day, May 12.