BY RAY RICHARDSON
Pioneer Press

Maybe the true test for the Saints' operations staff
will come when the team has a capacity crowd at Midway
Stadium.

A temperatures in the low 50s and the threat of rain
kept many fans away from Midway for the Saints'
regular-season home opener Monday night against the
Winnipeg Goldeyes. Saints management had promised an
upgrade in customer service for the team's 45-game
home schedule in the 2004 Northern League season.

The Saints sold 5,491 tickets for their 5-4 victory
over Winnipeg, but more than half of the stadium had
empty seats. By the end of the game, only a few dozen
fans were left.

The low turnout, however, failed to curb enthusiasm
among Saints employees. First-year general manager
Derek Sharrer continued a tradition established by
former Saints GM Bill Fanning — greeting fans to take
tickets when the main gate opened at 6 p.m.

"That was something Mike believed in from the day he
started this team,'' Sharrer said of Saints founder
Mike Veeck's fan-friendly role. "We should be at the
gate to say hello to people when they come and goodbye
when they leave.''

The Saints moved their concierge desk closer to the
main gate to interact more with fans. Annie
Huidekoper, the club's customer service director, was
stationed about 20 feet from the entrance. The smiling
Huidekoper was nearly out of business cards a
half-hour before the start of Monday's game.

"A lot of people stopped by,'' said Huidekoper, one of
seven new front-office staffers this season. "We were
prepared for more people just in case.''

The Saints also brought back their "Ushertainers'' to
give more attention to fans seated inside Midway
during the game. The staff members, some dressed in
costumes, perform a variety of tasks, including
helping vendors serve orders.

Veeck, who made the trip from his home in Charleston,
S.C., had hoped to see some of the new customer
service twists. After arriving in St. Paul Monday
afternoon with his wife, Libby, and 13-year-old
daughter, Rebecca, Veeck was advised by his doctor to
stay away from the ballpark because of the chilly, wet
conditions.

Veeck suffered a broken right leg April 13 in a
bicycle accident in Charleston and is still on
crutches. Libby Veeck and Rebecca attended the game. A
Saints spokesman said Veeck might attend tonight's
game against Winnipeg.

Saints remain undefeated: The Saints improved to 4-0
behind a strong outing from right-hander Mike Meyer
(1-0). Meyer pitched eight innings and limited
Winnipeg to four hits and one unearned run. He struck
out five and had no walks.

Saints reliever Julio Perez earned his first save
after getting the final out in the ninth. Reliever
Chris Chavez gave up three runs in the ninth after
Meyer left with a 5-1 lead.

Saints first baseman Matt Howe, the son of New York
Mets manager Art Howe, hit a solo home run in the
eighth, his first. Howe was 2 for 4.

Donation: Before Monday's game, a member of a Japanese
television crew donated $500 to the Saints' "Section
F' fund." Fans who regularly sit in the section behind
home plate take up a collection for every Saints home
run in Midway Stadium.

Proceeds from Saints homers are donated to the
National Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation. Rebecca
Veeck has retinitis pigmentosa.

May. 25, 2004




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