New blood in the Saints' front office will try to
connect with customers and boost attendance.

BY RAY RICHARDSON
Pioneer Press

St. Paul Saints founder Mike Veeck won't let a broken
leg keep him from a firsthand status report on his
franchise.

Crutches and all, Veeck will travel from his home in
Charleston, S.C., for the Saints' regular-season home
opener tonight against Winnipeg at Midway Stadium.
It's important for Veeck to see how the independent
Northern League team is functioning after an unusually
high turnover in the front office and other positions.

Changes with the Saints, including the resignation of
longtime general manager Bill Fanning, have Veeck
talking of spending more time in St. Paul this season.

"We're at a critical stage," said Veeck, who broke his
right leg in April in a bicycle accident in
Charleston. "We won't be the same club we've been the
past few years."

After 11 years of relative stability and success,
Veeck and majority owner Marv Goldklang had to piece
together half of the front office in the offseason
after several staff members left.

Seven new faces are in the Saints' front office this
season, including general manager Derek Sharrer.
Another addition, Annie Huidekoper, was with the
Saints in their inaugural season in 1993 but returned
this year to run the team's customer service
department. Veeck said customer service is the team's
top priority this season.

"We have not delivered consistently to the fans the
way I like," Veeck said. "We got to where we were by
taking care of the fans."

The Saints have not led the Northern League in
attendance since 1999 — after leading the league their
first seven seasons. They have finished second to
Winnipeg each of the past four years. The Saints
averaged a respectable 5,929 fans for 45 home dates
last season. There were 28 sellouts.

Veeck, Goldklang and Saints personnel are trying to
solve the team's attendance issues. A playoff
appearance last season, the team's first in three
years, under first-year manager George Tsamis was a
welcome change. But no-shows and non-sellouts remained
a troubling issue.

Veeck hired Sharrer when Fanning resigned in March.
Sharrer was general manager of the Charleston River
Dogs, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' Class A affiliate in
the South Atlantic League and one of three minor
league baseball teams owned by Veeck, Goldklang and
comedian Bill Murray.

From his work with Charleston and the Fort Myers
(Fla.) Miracle, the Twins' Class A affiliate, Sharrer
has a reputation for marketing and building
attendance. Veeck is counting on Sharrer to
re-energize the Saints at the gate. The River Dogs
averaged 5,998 fans last year.

"We've established a season-ticket concierge
department that will communicate with every
season-ticket holder every week," Sharrer said. "We'll
also be more proactive with our marketing and
advertising. After 11 years, you have to expect some
of the shine to wear off. That's our fault. It's our
job to make sure the shine doesn't wear off. The way
you counter attendance problems is excelling in
customer service."

Midway Stadium is part of the Saints' sagging
mystique. The team has wanted a new home for several
years. The latest push is on the backburner until the
Twins and Minnesota Legislature decide whether a site
in St. Paul will be the major league team's new home.
Veeck accepts the reality that the Twins come first.

"We have to be good citizens and wait for the Twins
thing to shake out," Veeck said.

Until then, the Saints have to continue working with
deficient Midway Stadium, which has limited restroom
facilities for fans and outdated clubhouses for both
teams.

The Saints are doing what they can to make Midway more
fan friendly. They have installed more concession
stands and will keep the recreation areas along the
left- and right-field foul territories. The club
removed about 258 seats before the 2003 season to
create extra dining space and play areas for kids. It
reduced Midway's capacity from 6,327 to 6,069.

Saints fans also will be greeted by a new public
address announcing team. Eric Webster, the Saints'
public address announcer for seven years, was replaced
by Rusty Kath of Minneapolis and Maggie Faris of St.
Paul. Kath was the P.A. announcer for football,
basketball and baseball games at the University of
Minnesota-Morris; Faris is a local comedian who
performs at Knuckleheads and the Acme Comedy Club.

Kath and Faris will alternate games during the season
and host the Saints' on-field promotions. Sharrer said
the team conducted a survey in the offseason to see if
fans wanted the zany events to continue.

"The fans told us they've been seeing some of the same
stuff for 10 years," Sharrer said. "Some of the things
they still want to see. Each night, we'll bring back
one of the all-time favorites."

The Saints hope the fans keep coming back as well.

May. 24, 2004




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