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Baseball’s Improbable Bridgeport Success
New park contributes to
Bluefish popularity
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Business New Haven
9/7/1998
By: BNH
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The people of Bridgeport and its environs have gotten hooked on Bluefish - the Bridgeport Bluefish, that is - hook, line and sinker.
As the Bluefish wind down their inaugural regular season of play in the fledgling independent Atlantic League assured of a playoff berth (the postseason begins September 8), the club has proven to be even more successful than projected as it played well its part as a key cog in the Park City's long- and short-range economic development plans.
“There is no doubt that the Bluefish have proven that people will come to downtown Bridgeport,” says Steve Tyliszazak, special projects coordinator for Bridgeport's Office of Planning & Economic Development.
“Our goal is to bring this city into the 21st century,” Tyliszazak adds. “It may not happen overnight, but it will happen. I can't believe the hype and media attention.”
“People see and hear about Harbor Yards Park and it has become symbolic of what can be done,” adds Mike Freimuth, Bridgeport's director of economic development.
While downtown Bridgeport still has a long way to toward attracting corporate, professional and retail business as well as casual visitors in droves, the popularity of the team has played a major role in revitalizing interest in downtown.
As of August 25, the club's paid home attendance was 263,937, representing an average of 4,327 for 61 home dates. According to Steve Schoenfeld, director of media relations, it is well on its way to breaking the Connecticut minor-league regular season record of 283,766 set by the Eastern League's New Haven Ravens in 1995, and the national mark of 277,766 for independent league teams established by the St. Paul (Minn.) Saints in 1996.
“We are very visible here in downtown. You can see the park from I-95, the ferry and it looks terrific at night from the train,” says general manager Charlie Dowd, former GM of the Ravens. “People are responding and they are coming back and telling their friends. People who never thought of coming to Bridgeport are coming down here.”
The park, which has been dubbed a miniature Camden Yards after the Baltimore Orioles new inner-city stadium, is owned by the city and was funded by a $7 million municipal bond issue and a $12.5 million grant from the state.
The Bluefish organization has a five-year lease on the park and operates 95 percent of the concessions and parking for 2,000 autos. It employs approximately 150 seasonal workers.
“We decided it would be better to invest money in equipment and employees than to contract the concessions,” says principal and co-founder Michael E. (Mickey) Herbert, a community civic and sports leader and co-founder of Physicians Health Services (PHS). “We spent more than $1 million on equipment, but turn about a 40 percent profit by doing it ourselves.”
'The city couldn't have asked for more from the team,” says Tyliszazak, who adds that everything is order with the club commitment's to the city.
On the playing field and according to the attendance figures, the team appears to be the most successful in the Atlantic League circuit, despite the fact that the league is footing the bill for the Newark Bears, who are expected to have a stadium of their own next year. The Bears are playing all their home games in Bridgeport before rather sparse afternoon crowds which have attracted many youth groups and camps from throughout the state.
Herbert estimates that it will cost about $500,000 to support the Bears for the season, including salaries and travel. Atlantic League player salaries range from about $1,000 to $3,000 a month, depending upon experience.
“Our capital and labor expenses were higher than expected, but we were determined to have a quality product here,” says Herbert.
The league's second most-successful franchise is Atlantic City, N.J.; which also has a new park. Nashua, N.H., with an older but suitable park along the lines of Yale Field, has also done well. New parks for Somerset, N.J. and Lehigh Valley, Pa. should be ready for next season.
In addition to concessions and individual seats which sold from $4 to $10, the Bluefish sold out their club seat section and 20 luxury boxes as well as the outfield wall advertising. There are 77 signs, mostly for large corporate sponsors, costing from $5,500 to $9,500 and Dowd expects to add a third tier in left field next year.
“Has the Bluefish team helped our business?” asks Jack O'Connell, owner of Fishin' Buddies (no relationship to the team), a nearby deli. “Absolutely. It has acted as a catalyst. People have become inquisitive and I am seeing some life downtown. I don't see any great change, but business is good.
Craig Rowson, manager of Jasper McLevy's, a popular downtown pub, says he has attracted a pre- and post-game crowd and has offered a number of promotional specials.
“Even if they don't come here now, I know that the team has stirred attention toward our business and others as well,” he says. “We have definitely made money from business generated by the team.”
Dowd probably sums up the approach best when he says: “If they don't come once, shame on them. If they don't come back, shame on us.”
- Fred Rehm
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