EL1 Altoona Curve

"What's New in Curve, Pa in 2011"

Published on April 5, 2011 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


CURVE, Pa. - The 13th season of Altoona Curve Baseball gets underway in two days when the team opens up the 2011 campaign with a seven-game road trip to Erie and Akron. The defending Eastern League Champions will then return to Blair County Ballpark for the home opener on Thursday, April 14. After an exciting 2010 season that saw the Curve bring home the first league title in franchise history, 2011 promises to bring more fun and excitement than ever to the residents of Curve, PA.

The following is a list of what's new in and around the town of Curve, PA:

Logos: The Curve's new railroad-oriented logo scheme was introduced on November 23, 2010 at a press conference held at the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. The fresh new designs pay tribute to the railroad heritage that helped build the city of Altoona while also putting a face with the organization - as a determined-looking railroad engineer is the centerpiece of the primary logo. The background of the primary logo also features the iconic Pennsylvania keystone - making the Curve the lone professional or collegiate sports team in the commonwealth to bear that mark in its flagship design. Two additional logos include the Curve 'C' and the Keystone 'A'. The Curve 'C' incorporates a curved track to celebrate Altoona's famous Horseshoe Curve - a National Historic Landmark. The Keystone 'A' accentuates the keystone shape with an old-time 'A' in the middle.

Uniforms: Along with a new logo comes a whole new set of uniforms that incorporate the new designs and colors such as Railroad Red and Boiler Bronze. The new home, white uniforms will have the "Curve" script across the chest as well as patches of the Keystone 'A' and the Pittsburgh Pirates' 'P' on the sleeves. The new, gray road uniforms will have a throwback-style "Altoona" script across the chest and also maintain the Keystone 'A' and Pirates' 'P' patches on the sleeves of the jersey. An alternate, red jersey will be used during batting practice and occasionally in games. The alternate top has bronze and white trim and prominently features the new Engineer logo over the left chest.

Mascots: A new face will be entertaining fans young and old for years to come as Tenacious Casey, or Tenacious C for short, will make his Blair County Ballpark debut in 2011. The name Casey, which was selected by fans in an online voting poll shortly after the Curve released their new logo scheme, was paired with the adjective Tenacious, a term to describe someone who is persistent in maintaining, adhering to or seeking something valued or desired. Rally mascot and fan-favorite Al Tuna has also gotten an upgrade in 2011 with a new suit to help the Curve to victory.

Merchandise: A completely new line of official game apparel, jackets, caps, shirts, sweatshirts and novelty items with the new Curve logos is available for fans to purchase at The Stockyard in BCB or at the new, streamlined Curve online store at altoonacurve.com.

FREE Galliker's Kids' Club: The Galliker's Kids' Club is revamped and better than ever in 2011 and, best of all, it is now FREE. Children ages 12 and under can join the Kids' Club for free and get a general admission ticket to eight select Curve games throughout the 2011 campaign. Another addition to the Kids' Club membership is that all members can play FREE in the Weis Playland and Galliker's Fun Zone from the time gates open until first pitch for ALL Friday, Saturday and Sunday home games. Kids' Club members will also be first in line to run the bases after all Kids' Club games and all Friday-Sunday games. At the time of this release, there are currently 904 members signed up for the 2011 Kids' Club, up from a total of just over 200 from last season.

Website/Social Media: The new altoonacurve.com was launched in conjunction with the new logos back in November of 2010 and is now part of the MiLB network of sites, which gives fans easier access to statistics, videos and information about the Curve and all of the teams in Minor League Baseball. The new site will also feature MiLB Gameday for all Curve home games in 2011, which will give the fans that aren't at BCB a better way to follow the live-game action from their computers. Along with the new website came a revamped online store as well as an online auction site. On the social media front, Curve fans can stay more connected than ever with the team by following the Curve on facebook (facebook.com/AltoonaCurveBaseball) and on Twitter (@AltoonaCurve).

Community Relations: The Altoona Curve have always been active supporters of the many communities in the region and this year they are proud to partner up with M&T Bank for their community relations efforts. One of the most noticeable additions fans and everyone around town will notice will be the new Curve Community Relations van provided by Fiore Toyota Scion Volkswagen Audi. The 2010 Toyota Sienna will be wrapped with eye-catching custom graphics that will let everyone know the Curve are coming to a town near you.

In-Game Promotions: When fans come to the ballpark in 2011 they'll see some new in-game promotions at the ballpark as part of a enhanced promotional lineup. Some of the new additions are:

* Giant Eyeball Race (presented by Envision Laser Centers): contestants will jump in giant hamster balls that look like giant eyeballs and race around the field

* Road to the Show Kids' Race (presented by Holiday Inn Express): Kids will try and climb the path to Pittsburgh by donning apparel from each of the full-season affiliates in a race to see who can get dressed the fastest

* Curve Mascot Dodgeball (presented by General Mills): Curve mascots will participate in a vigorous game of dodge ball at each home game

* Change the Base (presented by Allegany College of Maryland): At each home game, one young fan will "steal" second base and the ballpark grounds crew will replace it with a new one

Expanded Giveaway Items: Fans will be treated to a plethora of different items when they come out to BCB during 2011 with 22 giveaway events on the schedule, up from 13 in 2010. There will be something for people of all ages ranging from Tenacious C Banks and Growth Charts to Rudy Owens Perm Hats and a Summer Cruise. Starting April 29th, every Friday in Curve, PA will be a Freebie Friday with guaranteed giveaways for each of those nights.

Expanded Ballpark Block Party: After the success of the inaugural Ballpark Block Party in 2010, the Curve are expanding on the well-received event for 2011. The event will kick off the Fourth of July Weekend on Friday, July 1st with a fun, safe atmosphere for friends and family alike to celebrate. The evening will feature more games, more live entertainment and, of course, fireworks.

Oktoberfest: A completely new event for 2011, the Curve invites those 21 and over to celebrate Oktoberfest at Blair County Ballpark on Saturday, October 1st. Patrons will be treated to a classic German-style celebration with traditional beers, food, activities and atmosphere with an on-field celebration. More information on Oktoberfest will come throughout the 2011 season.

Ponderosa Four-Pack Wednesdays: Wednesday nights in Curve, PA have become even more family-friendly with the addition of Ponderosa Four-Pack Wednesdays presented by Ponderosa Steakhouses. Fans can get four tickets, four hot dogs and four regular sodas all for $30.

Expanded Curve Radio Network: Fans in Maryland and in surrounding areas of West Virginia will now be able to hear Altoona Curve baseball with the addition of WCBC in Cumberland, Md. to the Curve Radio Network. The seven-station strong network, headlined by flagship ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM, also includes WKGE The Edge 850 AM (Johnstown), WWGE The Edge 1400 AM (Loretto), 970 ESPN (Pittsburgh), WTRN-AM 1430/FM 100.7 (Tyrone) and WCPA 900 AM (Clearfield). All games can be heard on AltoonaCuve.com thanks to the MSA Sports Network. Fans can also listen to archived games courtesy of the MSA Sports Network.

Toddler Play Area (presented by Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries): Brand new for 2011, the Toddler Play Area, located on the upper concourse next to Diesel Dawg's House, will provide children ages 5 and under with a safe, fun environment to play in when they attend Curve games. Equipped with several play items and child-safe padding, the area will be open during all Curve home games.

Theme Nights: The Curve are following up their successful theme nights from 2010 like Livin La Vida Lunchmeat Night with "What We're Watching Wednesdays" and the "Nittany Travel Summer Cruise Series".

* What We're Watching Wednesdays: Fans will be treated to the parody skills of the Curve, PA staff as they try and tackle some of the most popular shows on television like LOST, NCIS and Pawn Stars just to name a few.

* Nittany Travel Summer Cruise Series: A theme for select Thursdays in 2011, the Summer Cruise series combines the giveaway of one free cruise for four at the end of the season with the feature films of one of the greatest actors of all time not to win an Oscar: Tom Cruise. Giveaways to fans 21 and older that coincide with the films are Aviator Glasses (Top Gun), Tighty Whiteys (Risky Business), Shot Glasses (Cocktail) and a Foam Football (All The Right Moves).

"Only In Curve, PA": This expands upon the branding of Curve, PA and takes it one step further to signify the total experience that fans can only find in Curve, PA. Whether it's a Curve burger, Sunday Night Fireworks, off-the-wall and wacky promotions or mascots, it's about the atmosphere of fun found "Only in Curve, PA."

Employees: There are some new faces around Curve, PA that fans will see as they visit the ballpark in 2011.

* Duane Miller: Assistant G.M. - Sales - Duane joined the Curve in November of 2010 and brings years of baseball experience including stops with the Albuquerque Dukes and the Springfield Cardinals.

* Michelle Anna: Assistant Manager of Concessions - Not necessarily a new face to Curve, PA, Michelle begins her first season as the Assistant Manager of Concessions after working in the Concessions department for two seasons.

* Doug Mattern: Assistant Operations Manager - Doug joined the Curve in the middle of 2010 and will be in his first full season with the Curve as the Assistant Operations Manager.

* Josh Ellis: Broadcaster/New Media Manager - Josh comes to Curve, PA to join Mike Passanisi on the 2011 radio broadcasts and also assume the role of New Media Manager after spending 2010 as the voice of the Kannapolis Intimidators of the South Atlantic League

* Mollie Shoemaker: Ticket Associate - A native of Bedford, Pa., Mollie joined the Curve in January of 2011 and this will be her first season with the Curve and also her first working in baseball.

Team: The 2011 Curve features an all-new coaching staff and 13 new players to open the season. Top prospects such as C Tony Sanchez, OF Starling Marte, 2B Brock Holt, 3B Jeremy Farrell, and P Aaron Pribanic will be many making their Double-A debuts.

Check out the Altoona Curve Statistics

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