Just a note. That street in Columbia spelled "Huger" is pronounced
"You Gee".
It's named for a prominent family in South Carolina whose roots are
in the
Charleston area.
--- In brooklyncyclones2@yahoogroups.com, cityhawk.geo
<no_reply@y...>
wrote:
> Posted on Mon, Jun. 02, 2003
>
> THE VISIONARY
> By CHRIS DEARING
> Special Correspondent
>
> New Capital City Bombers team president Rich Mozingo has seen both
> sides of the fence in his eleven-plus seasons of being involved
with
> minor league baseball.
>
> He has seen crowds range from 200 to more than 6,000. And if any
> betting man wants to place a wager on Mozingo's chances of getting
> fans in the Capital City Stadium seats, the smart money is that he
> will.
>
> The 36-year-old Mozingo came to Columbia after four seasons as
> general manager of the Chattanooga Lookouts during which time the
> Lookouts' attendance doubled from 2,000 fans a game to 4,100.
>
> Given the current situation in Columbia, that turnaround would be
> somewhat remarkable. The Bombers' best season came in 1996, when
> 156,921 fans turned out to Capital City Stadium, an average of
2,241
> a game. But for the past several seasons, attendance has steadily
> declined.
>
> So far this season, the Bombers rank 13th out of 16 teams in South
> Atlantic League attendance with a nightly average of 1,266. But
> Mozingo understands the challenge of getting fans to visit to
> Capital City Stadium.
>
> "We've been through this situation before," Mozingo said. "The
> situation here and what we faced in Chattanooga are very similar.
> The ballparks had a lot of the same issues and problems. There are
> so many different parallels to Chattanooga that it's scary here.
>
> "In fact we learned an awful lot by going through this in
> Chattanooga. We can see we're making progress here with some of the
> things we've already done."
>
> Mozingo already has lowered ticket and concession prices. But the
> biggest issue facing not only Mozingo and the Bombers, but also the
> University of South Carolina, is getting a new stadium near the
> Vista , which is now in the hands of Mayor Bob Coble and the city
> council.
>
> Still, Mozingo is pleased with the progress being made.
>
> "We're still having great conversations with the mayor and USC,"
> Mozingo said. "Things are going at an appropriate pace. It's a big
> decision for a lot of different people, and we're still moving
> forward on the process. We feel good about where it's going right
> now."
>
> In Chattanooga, a new ballpark made all the difference. The
Lookouts
> moved from Engle Stadium to Bell South Park and watched the
> attendance double in the first season. The stadium only moved a
> little more than a mile from its former location, but it was in the
> middle of downtown Chattanooga.
>
> If the Bombers and USC get approval for a new stadium, the sites
> being mentioned are in the Vista and a piece of land at the corner
> of Blossom and Huger streets. Again, that would be a short move ,
> but Mozingo believes it would make a world of difference.
>
> "If we do in fact get a new ballpark in one of those areas, we feel
> it could make the same type of difference it made for us in
> Chattanooga," Mozingo said.
>
> No one knows yet if the city will build a stadium for either the
> Bombers or USC. The Bombers' cause is definitely helped with the
> involvement by USC. If the Bombers were to go it alone, the road
> would be much tougher.
>
> Mozingo is hopeful that the university will stay in the picture,
and
> from what he knows, it is.
>
> "I still think USC wants to be involved and hopefully we'll be able
> to make it happen," Mozingo said. "I haven't been contacted by
> anyone at USC to tell me anything different. As far as I know,
> they're still involved. If they pull out, it hurts our chances. I'm
> not saying it can't be done or it won't be done but it certainly
> doesn't help our cause if the university doesn't want to be
> involved."
>
> But seeing more than 1,200 people come to Capital City Stadium
> nightly this season has been taxing on the former college wrestler
> at James Madison University. The new ownership group of Frank Burke
> has to overcome the sour taste that former owner Rob Cohen left
> behind.
>
> Cohen threatened to move the team if the city didn't build a new
> stadium, and he stayed in his New York home most of the time.
>
> Mozingo, on the other hand, is at the stadium every night
> interacting with the fans. He can be seen greeting folks as they
> enter the stadium or chatting with groups in the stands.
>
> Mozingo even helps pull the tarp when necessary.
>
> The last thing Mozingo or the new ownership group wants is to move
> the team from Columbia. The Columbia area has nearly 100,000 more
> people than Chattanooga, and all Mozingo wants is a chance to get
> people into the stands. He knows the support group he has in place
> here is working hard to make it happen. But thus far, it's been
> frustrating.
>
> "There's nothing to me that's more fun than sitting out front and
> watching families come see a baseball game," Mozingo said. "So it's
> been rather difficult to see the small attendance.
>
> "I know we have a great product here. I know what we're doing here
> is fun and people that come to baseball games enjoy them. I would
> like nothing more than to see more people come out and enjoy what
> we're doing.
>
> "I promise we're working every bit as hard if not harder than the
> staff in Chattanooga for a lot less people to come see our product."
>
> All Mozingo asks is that Columbia baseball fans give the new
product
> at Capital City Stadium a chance. He feels if they come out once,
> the atmosphere and fan-friendly prices will keep them coming back.
>
> "I don't know if people take baseball in Columbia for granted,"
> Mozingo said. "If you miss a game this year, there's always next
> year. We need to build momentum for Bomber baseball, and I think
> we're well on our way."