NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



 Portland Sea Dogs

Sea Dogs Unveil What's New At Hadlock For The 2008 Season

April 7, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release


Portland, Maine- The Portland Sea Dogs have announced a series of improvements and additions for the 2008 season in all areas of the organization including ballpark improvements, promotions, ticketing, community outreach, concessions, merchandise, and staff. The Portland Sea Dogs home opener is set for Friday, April 11th at 6:00 PM against the New Britain Rock Cats (Twins). The 2008 season, presented by Northeast Delta Dental, will be the Sea Dogs' 15th season in Portland and sixth as an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

BALLPARK:

- Sea Dogs' Bullpen- The Sea Dogs will feature one of the most unique bullpens in all of Minor League Baseball. It is believed to be the only elevated bullpen in Minor League Baseball. The new bullpen is located on the same level as the U.S. Cellular Pavilion. For the first time in two years, fans will be able to see Sea Dogs' pitchers warming up in the bullpen. The past two seasons the bullpen was located underneath the U.S. Cellular Pavilion and was not visible to fans.

- Sea Dogs' Home Clubhouse- The Portland Sea Dogs move out of the basement of the Portland Expo into a brand new clubhouse facility for the 2008 season. The new clubhouse is located below the U.S. Cellular Pavilion in right field. The new facility includes player's lounge, trainer's room, trainer's office, manager's office, coaches office, weight room, and batting cage.

- Visitor's Clubhouse- With the Sea Dogs relocating to a new clubhouse, the visitor's clubhouse has expanded to include a new training room, and separate office space for the coaches and the manager.

- Female Bathrooms- All female restroom facilities in the concourse have been painted to provide a softer home like feel.

TICKETING:

- New Ticketing System- The Portland Sea Dogs have changed ticketing software for the 2008 season. The new system, TicketReturn, has increased credit card security, marketing opportunities, and added online ticketing features.

- Online Ticketing- Now fans can select their own seats from the comfort of their own home. Once you have selected your seats, you can print them too. No more stopping at the Sea Dogs Ticket Office or waiting for the mail to arrive.

- Scanners- All tickets are now bar coded and will be scanned at the turnstiles.

- April & May Discounts for Sky Boxes & Picnic Rentals- For the first time the Sea Dogs will be offering discounted rates for Sky Boxes and Picnic Rentals during the month's of April and May. April and May Sky Boxes are available for $550.00 (normally $594.00). While April and May Picnic Rentals are available for $22.00 per person (normally $24.00 per person). Call the Sea Dogs Group Sales Department at 207-874-9300 for more information.

ON THE FIELD:

- The Sea Dogs will feature new Batting Practice uniforms for the 2008 season. Batting practice tops will be all red with blue "Sea Dogs" lettering. Batting Practice caps will be all red and will feature a patriotic "P". New BP caps are available for purchase at the Sea Dogs Souvenir Store.

PROMOTIONS:

- More bobbleheads- The Sea Dogs will feature five bobblehead doll giveaways in 2008 rather than the usual four. Gold Glove Kevin Youkilis (May 8), ALCS MVP Josh Beckett (June 6), AL Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia (July 10), AL All-Star Jonathan Papelbon (August 1), & No-hitter Clay Buchholz (August 25).

- Get Married at Hadlock Field- The Portland Sea Dogs will give away a wedding at Hadlock Field. The wedding will take place at home plate following the Sea Dogs game on Sunday, August 17th. The lucky couple will receive 100 tickets for friends and family to attend the August 17th game, wedding bands provided by Day's Jewelers, two airline tickets provided by JetBlue, and a photography package courtesy of Clare Norton Wedding Photography. Interested couples should log onto www.seadogs.com and in 200 words or less tell us why you should be married at Hadlock Field.

- Football Appreciation Day/ Steve Grogan Appearance- New England Patriot's legend Steve Grogan makes an appearance at Hadlock Field on Patriot's Day, Monday, April 21st.

- Friday Night Concert Series- The Portland Sea Dogs introduce the Friday Night Concert Series, every Friday night in June, July, and August with the exception of July 4th a local band will perform on the front plaza at Hadlock Field, sponsored by MaineToday.com.

- Musical Chairs- A new between inning promotion for the 2008 season, five contestants will square off in a traditional game of musical chairs using inflatable chairs sponsored by Let's Go.

COMMUNITY:

- All the Hair You Can Spare- The Portland Sea Dogs and The Wolf will be hosting a pre-game hair cutting event, "All the Hair You Can Spare," for Pantene Beautiful Lengths on May 23, 2008. Sea Dog players will do the honors of cutting each donor's ponytail, followed by stylists from Akari Salon finishing off each look. The hair donated is used to make wigs for cancer patients. If you are interested in donating your hair, contact Liz Riley at lriley@seadogs.com or 207-879-9500.

- College Fair- The Sea Dogs will be hosting a College Fair on April 16th. More than 50 schools are participating. Additionally, a $500 scholarship will be awarded randomly to one of the student attendees during the middle of fifth inning of that night's game.

CONCESSIONS:

- Shipyard Brew Pen- More TV's and an expanded menu will be added to the Shipyard Brew Pen located behind section 315 on the third base side of the ballpark.

MERCHANDISE:

- Player Jersey T-Shirts- The Sea Dogs have expanded their selection of Sea Dogs T-shirts featuring former players. Shirts are now available for Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis.

PRESS BOX:

- A television monitor has been installed in the main area of the press box allowing media members to monitor the progress of Red Sox games.

STAFF:

- Liz Riley has been hired as the teams' new Director of Group Sales replacing Corey Thompson who has relocated to California. Liz previously served as the Sea Dogs' Assistant Director of Ticketing. This is her second season with the Sea Dogs and third in Minor League Baseball.

- Sarah Connolly has been hired as the Assistant Director of Ticketing replacing Riley. This is Sarah's first full-time job in Minor League Baseball. She previously spent eight years as a part-time employee with the Sea Dogs serving in a variety of roles including food service, birthday parties, information desk, reception, and ticket sales.

- A record eleven full-time interns have been added to the staff for the 2008 season; Kelsey Albair (group sales), Matt Combra (stadium ops/ promotions), Ryan Durrell (group sales), Nick Fox (grounds crew), Tom Gauthier (radio), Jessica Johnson (media relations), Rachel Masse (merchandise), Mike Mestieri (grounds crew), Dan Vassallo (tickets), Lyndsay Woods (tickets), Jack Yerxa (stadium ops/ promotions).

- All ushers will wear hats with "ETFE" stitched on the side. "ETFE" stands for Enhancing The Fan Experience.

RADIO:

- Three new radio affiliates have been added to the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network in 2008; WRMO 93.7 FM in Milbridge, WMYF 1380 AM in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and WQSO 96.7 FM in Rochester, New Hampshire.

Tickets are available for all home Sea Dogs games and can be purchased by calling the Sea Dogs Ticket Office at 207-879-9500 or online at www.seadogs.com.


• Discuss this story on the Eastern League message board...

Eastern League Stories from April 7, 2008


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.

OurSports Central