Spring Newsletter

After a brutal winter the weather has finally heated up and Chizzle has come out of hibernation!  Grizzlies season is right around the corner and the preparations for our biggest and best season have hit an all time high.

Since arriving back in the office, Chizzle has been on cruise control forcing the Grizzlies to hire more staff.  On March 1st, the Grizzlies hired Jim Ratajczak (Just call him Jim) and presented him with his new office on top of the roof here at Sims Legion Park.  At first confused, Jim instantly fell in love with his new workplace taking pictures on his phone of his beautiful view of the Stadium.

Even with the added staff, the Grizzlies front office has been going crazy getting ready for the 2010 season.    We have even added a job fair for all our game day positions this season which will be held here at Sims on April 20th.

The Grizzly Nation radio show has been going strong with great guests including Brian Rushing, Derek Smith, Phil Gardner and new head coach Jason Plourde.  Chizzle has been begging to go on the show to promote his upcoming race, the Run for the Money on April 17th.  While Chizzle will be entering his first race since joining the Grizzlies, I have tried to explain to him that his inability to speak will not translate well on the radio.  Regardless, Chizzle is excited to raise money for the Grizzlies Field of Dreams Foundation which raises money for underprivileged kids in Gaston County to participate in our summer camp, meet the players and come out to a Grizzlies game. 

Other big plans this year for the Grizzlies include the 2nd Annual Ballpark Beer Fest.  This year the Grizzlies are expecting more than 100 beers from Breweries all over the country and locally in North Carolina including Foothills Brewery, Rock Bottom, Four Friends and Kind Beers.  Some of the more well known breweries that are attending the event include Blue Moon, Kona, Magic Hat, Pyramid and Leinenkugal’s.  We are limiting the festival to 550 people and you can visit the Beer Fest page at www.gastoniagrizzlies.com/beerfest.htm.

The 2010 Grizzlies season will be filled with tremendous promotions.  As mentioned in the winter newsletter, Midnight Madness, Backwards Game and Millionaire For A Day giveaway are some of big highlights for the season.    Some of the new promotions that the Grizzlies are working on include “Twilight Night” for all the fans of the vampire saga, “Michael Jackson Tribute Night,” celebrating the King of Pop and Pregnant Night, where you and your future kid will get in for free (a classic two for one deal). In addition to some of the Grizzlies typical crazy promotions, the team will also host Team USA, bringing the top collegiate players in the country to Sims Legion Field on July 12th.  The game will mark the opening night for Team USA and we are hoping fans will flock to the park to bring the home field advantage to the Grizzlies.

On that note, I’m off to give Chizzle oxygen as he jogs around the field.  Don’t forget to send your questions and comments to me at jesse@gastoniagrizzlies.com!   Opening night is May 27th and I’m warning you all to be prepared as Chizzle, PA extraordinaire Brian Rushing and yours truly will be in a brand new tuxedo kicking off the Grizzlies season as the Best Show in Town!

Chizzle