Promotion Party

Minor League Baseball teams have long been known for their ingenuity in the world of promotions. In the short history of this franchise, the Aces have staked their claim as one of professional baseball’s best at providing valuable discount offers and high-quality promotional giveaways.

In 2012, the club has taken things one step further. This season, all 72 games at Aces Ballpark will feature a discount offer, theme night, giveaway or promotion. You quite literally won’t attend a game this season without being treated to something special.

Here’s a look at some of our recurring promotions for the 2012 season. You can find the full promotional schedule by clicking HERE.

RENOWN CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FAMILY FUNDAYS
The whole family will love coming out to the ballpark on Sundays this season to enjoy a game of the ever-popular Baseball Bingo. Winners will receive exciting prizes throughout the season.

OM-NOM-NOMDAYS PRES. BY KTVN CHANNEL 2 NEWS
A new feature at Aces Ballpark this season, Om-Nom-Nomdays (get it?) are already getting plenty of attention from our fan base. Every Monday at Aces Ballpark, a select concessions item will be available for just $1. Nachos, hot dogs, ribs. Bring a little change and a lot of appetite.

2-FOR-$22 TUESDAYS
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better way to spend your entertainment dollar than Tuesday nights at Aces Ballpark. Every Tuesday, fans can get two tickets, two hot dogs and two sodas for just $22.

ACES WINS-DAYS
Another new wrinkle this season can be found on Wednesday nights. The concept is easy. If the Aces win, you win. For every Aces Wednesday night victory, fans will receive a coupon for concession items, Freight House District appetizers, team store discounts or tickets.

COORS LIGHT THIRSTY THURSDAYS PRES. BY LOTUS RADIO AND RENO NEWS & REVIEW
The name says it all. $2 beer specials at the ballpark. Take in a ballgame with friends and enjoy a cold one.

SAINT MARY’S FIREWORKS FRIDAYS PRES. BY KRNV NEWS 4
The best fireworks shows in Reno can once again be found at Aces Ballpark this season. Every Friday night will feature a post-game fireworks extravaganza, and again this season you’ll have the chance to pick the soundtrack.

GIVEAWAY SATURDAYS
Who doesn’t like to come to the ballpark and walk away with a souvenir? Here are some of the giveaway items this season:

–A-Play Club Fleece Blanket pres. by KOLO 8 News Now (April 7)
–Division Championship Pennant, pres. by KOLO 8 News Now (April 21)
–Dillard’s Batting Practice Jersey (May 5)
–Desktop Cornhole, pres. by KOLO 8 News Now (May 19)
–Nevada Dairy Council Baseball Card Set, pres. by KOLO 8 News Now (June 16)
–Garden Gnome, pres. by KOLO 8 News Now (June 30)
– Bobblehead (July 14)
–Welcome Mat  (July 28)
–Messenger Bag, pres. by KOLO 8 News Now (Aug. 11)
–Trucker Hat, pres. by KOLO 8 News Now (Aug. 25)
–Player Bobblehead, pres. by KOLO 8 News Now (Sept. 1)

Growth Blanket Marks Rite of Spring

Down on back fields in warm Arizona Spring Training complexes, pitchers are throwing bullpens, outfielders are perfecting cut-offs and relays and batters are regaining their timing at the plate. In less than a month, the dust will settle, rosters will be set and a crop of 25 players will head north to begin the 144-game marathon of a Triple-A season.

And meanwhile, 800 miles away, the Aces Ballpark playing surface is being groomed for the arrival of a new season. This week, two-time Pacific Coast League Turf Manager of the Year Eric Blanton and his crew took the next step in their idea of preseason preparation. Blanton’s crew installed the “growth blankets” on the Aces Ballpark grass–an annual tradition that prepares the surface for the grind of a six-month baseball season.

   

The growth blankets cover every blade of grass inside Aces Ballpark–more than 105,000 square feet. The material creates a sort of micro-climate for the grass, warming the soil temperatures and protecting it from harsh weather conditions and cool temperatures. In a sense, the growth blankets essentially trick the grass into thinking it’s May, instead of early March.

The blankets will remain on the grass for three-to-four weeks, depending on the Northern Nevada climate as we inch closer to April. Soil temperatures are warmed by as much as 15 degrees with the help of the growth blankets.

When all is said and done and the blankets are removed, the grass comes alive, re-energized, crisp and–perhaps most importantly–green.

Turf Tuesday: Offseason maintenance, part one

We’ve told you in a previous post that Eric Blanton–the man responsible for the playing surface at Aces Ballpark–is the best at what he does. You know he puts in long hours during the season, often arriving at the ballpark before anyone else and staying long after the last fan has left.

But what about the offseason? How does he ensure the field survives the long, cold, Northern Nevada winters that we are accustomed to in the Biggest Little City?

We’ll keep you informed throughout the offseason, starting with how Blanton and his full-time assistant, Daytime Dan, wrap up the season in September.

This past season, the Aces played their final home game on Thursday, September 8. Immediately after the game, Blanton’s offseason began.

First, Eric and Dan “vertical cut” the grass on the field, which the average homeowner might refer to as “thatching” or “dethaching” his or her lawn. According to Blanton, this process helps clean up underlying thatch, which helps the grass grow throughout the fall. After the vertical cut, more air can flow under the canopy of the turf, which promotes growth.

Another season of perfect grass lies ahead for Aces Ballpark turf manager Eric Blanton's crew.

The vertical cut leaves a layer of loose thatch on the field, so Blanton has to use an industrial-sized sweeper to clean up and dispose of the thatch. Considering the fact that a baseball field is approximately three acres, the first job of Blanton’s offseason takes several days.

Join us next Tuesday, when we explore re-sodding, aeration and some other offseason tricks that Eric uses to make sure Aces Ballpark remains the best playing field in all of minor league baseball.

Turf Tuesday: Catching up with turf manager Eric Blanton

With so many sights and sounds to take in during any given Aces game, it’s easy to overlook the most obvious work of art inside Aces Ballpark–the field itself.

Many fans likely take for granted the fact that the field is almost always in perfect condition, assuming that Aces turf manager Eric Blanton has a legion of assistants who work day and night to keep the field in pristine condition. In fact, it is just Blanton, one full-time assistant (“Daytime” Dan Kastens) and a seasonal intern, who this past season was a gentleman known simply as Scotty. The Aces also employ several game-day grounds crew members, four or five of which join Blanton for each of the Aces 72 home games.

For a little background on why you shouldn’t take the Aces Ballpark playing surface for granted, here’s a quick rundown of hardware awarded to Blanton by his peers over the last five seasons:

2007 – Turf Manager of the Year, Eastern League (with Double-A New Hampshire)
2008 – Turf Manager of the Year, Eastern League (with Double-A New Hampshire)
2009 – Turf Manager of the Year, Pacific Coast League (with Triple-A Reno)
2010 – Runner Up, Turf Manager of the Year, Pacific Coast League (with Reno)
2011 – Turf Manager of the Year, Pacific Coast League (with Reno)

If your first thought was “Wow,” you’re not alone. We thought it too.

With that out of the way, we here at Not Just Baseball…Aceball are going to do our part this winter to keep you abreast of offseason happenings as they pertain to the field itself. We’ll check in with Blanton throughout the offseason, beginning next Tuesday, when we’ll begin investigating and explaining all the work Eric and Dan have done to the field since you last saw it on September 8.

So stay tuned, and send us an email if you have specific questions for Eric about how he makes the field look so incredible every year.