JackHammers Fans' Newest Best Friend
Published on January 12, 2004 under Northern League (NL)
Joliet JackHammers News Release
JOLIET, IL â The Joliet JackHammers newest member of their team is not a player or coach. He is a dog, but not just any dog. His name is Champ, a Champion Breed Yellow Labrador Retriever. Champ is sponsored by Karges Realty. The JackHammers begin their third season at 7:05 PM on Thursday, May 20 versus the Gary (IN) SouthShore RailCats at Silver Cross Field in Joliet's City Center. That is also the date that fans will be first introduced to Champ.
The JackHammers chose the name based upon the influence of the City of Joliet's nickname as "The City of Champions." Champ was born on November 15, 2003 at Rozzay Labrador Retriever's near Springfield, Illinois. Currently, Kristin Stefek is training Champ at Summerlin Labradors near Rockford, IL. Champ has begun a four-month training program to get him ready for the 2004 season.
Champ will have a noticeable role at every JackHammers game. He will carry a basket of new baseballs to the home plate umpire and one day be able to retrieve the bat from home plate and then bring it back to the dugout. At the end of a JackHammers win, Champ will take a victory lap by circling the bases.
Fans will be able to visit Champ during games. Karges Realty will have a doghouse inside Silver Cross Field for the team's newest mascot. When the team is on the road, fans will be able to visit Champ inside the team store, The JackHammer Pro Shop, located on street level (Jefferson Street side) of Silver Cross Field. A JackHammers front office staffer will house Champ outside of game and business hours. Champ will also have a presence at community events such as parades, festivals and miscellaneous appearances.
The concept of having Champ as part of daily entertainment at Silver Cross Field was derived from past experiences by the JackHammers front office. Several front office staffers were part of the "Dinger, The Home Run Dog" experience when working for the Single-A Advanced Myrtle Beach (SC) Pelicans from '99-'01. Dinger was the same kind of dog as Champ and could do the same tricks as mentioned above.
"Champ is the perfect addition to the family entertainment of a JackHammers game. Thanks to Karges Realty, fans will truly enjoy getting to know Champ at the ballpark and at events throughout the community," said Karen Crichton, the JackHammers Corporate Sales Manager.
Fans can check in on Champ until he comes to Joliet in May. Fans can log on to www.summerlinlabradors.com/Champ to view pictures of Joliet's new "best friend." For media, contact JackHammers media relations to have a photo sent to you for publication.
The JackHammers have full season tickets, mini-plan ticket packages, group ticket packages, team merchandise and gift certificates available for purchase. The JackHammers will host the 2004 Northern League All-Star Skills Competition (July 19) and Game (July 20) presented by Budweiser. Individual game tickets, including the all-star dates, will become available in the spring. Subscribers to The JackHammer Journal, the team's free e-mail newsletter, will be informed of a special early bird on sale date. Subscribe on the team website: www.jackhammerbaseball.com.
For additional team information, log on to the team's website, stop in at the JackHammers offices located at Silver Cross Field, send an e-mail to info@jackhammerbaseball.com or call 815-726-BALL (2255).
Northern League Stories from January 12, 2004
- JackHammers Fans' Newest Best Friend - Joliet JackHammers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
