It's official; baseball is in the air. "We're certainly getting ready for that now, we have been getting ready for it months really since the end of last season," says Jason Griffin, the Director of Public Relations.
The Toledo Mud Dens kick off the 2011 season next week. And this year is a special one. It marks the tenth anniversary of the home of the Hens at Fifth Third Field.
Griffin says, "Out at Ned Skeldon stadium in Maumee we had crowds of 300,000, for the year 350, and I just mentioned that we've already sold 300,000 tickets before we even have a pitch so that gives you an idea of what its meant for the Mud Hens to move downtown."
It also meant good news for the rest of the city. Restaurants, bars, and even an arena have since found a permanent place near Fifth Third Field. "Its nice to see now in year 10 we're still seeing new businesses pop up around the ball park which is great for the community great for us great for them," says Griffin.
Hens fan Pat Lillie says, "It brings back downtown again and we love downtown. All the restaurants are new and we love it its great." But the best part is the game.
Preparations for opening day are underway. We're just one week away from the first pitch right here at Fifth Third Field and not only are the fans excited, but so is management and the players. Griffin says, "Obviously our fans are so important to us we get great fan support, yesterday we saw some of the players have been here before and it was great to kind of hear them tell all the younger guys wait till opening day."
And while all the Muddy fans wait patiently, or impatiently, one feeling remains true.
If you haven't bought tickets for opening day, you're in luck! Believe it or not there are tickets still available but they're going fast.
