Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 50

4D I CaliforniaLeagueRiverside Pilots Sunday, July 4, ma Reno Gazette-Journal Pilots taking off slower than expected with fans California League Former Reno Silver Sox take flight to Southern California, where they play ball as the Riverside Pilots. back," said Patton. It ill be tough to do with relatively little media coverage. There is no television or radio exposure. On top of that, a local Riverside radio station broadcasts Rancho Cucamonga Quakes game.

The Quakes average almost 5,000 people a night and are the talk of the league with their new 10 million stadium complex. In short, the team draws considerably fewer people than it did in Reno and those fewer people are spending less because of the absence of beer. Patton defends the move from a financial standpoint. "We have a better chance of keeping our affiliation (with Seattle) here than we did in Reno," he said. "For that reason alone it was a good move." On the other hand, he also says the Mariners, who signed a four-year deal while the franchise was still in Reno, were willing to play all four years in northern Nevada.

Affiliation or no affiliation, there is still the problem of draw- really hurts." Richard Rubio, the owner of Rubio's Restaurant in Riverside, runs the Pilots' concessions. He has a guarded optimism about baseball in his city. "This town has over 200,000 people," said Rubio. "We can support professional baseball. Look in the stands.

You can still see people wearing those Red Wave jackets. "But we need to get total commitment from the city and the mayor. The beer issue is a problem and it doesn't look like they will ever correct it." It's a warm, sunny afternoon at the Riverside Sports Center. And the paved parking lot Patton is so proud of (Moana's lot was a dust bowl) is full to capacity. Fans are forced to park on the streets surrounding the park and Rubio's concession workers are whipping around the park as feverishly as the night Crystal showed up.

The crowd, though, has arrived to witness a California high school baseball state championship California) i nevada jReno Stockton JV Port San Lose Giants Modesto I Central Valley Rockies Bakersfield Dodgers 1 I High Desert I Rancho Maverick Cucamonga San Bernardino 8 Quakes Spirit 8 Iv Palm Springs XV i From page 1 Riverside resident who grew up with Bobby Bonds. "There's a rich tradition here. "But the main thing people are upset about in this city is that it seems the city doesn't want to get behind the team." Sound familiar? In Reno, the city officials' apathy for minor-league ball showed up in the form of a fire station in the Moana Stadium parking lot, a scoreboard unfit for a T-Ball league and a plaving field that resembled the surface of the moon. They all combined, among other things, to help push the franchise out of town last December. In Riverside, the city prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages inside the ballpark.

Culpepper believes the lack of beer cuts into attendance "about 300 people a night." Has Patton moved the franchise out of the Reno frving pan and into the Riverside fire? The first three months of the Pilots' season leaves that question with a wide range of answers. "I don't regret the move at all," said Patton, peering out his office window which overlooks left field. "Sure, if you look short range, this was a bad decision. But if everv-thing works out like we think In the future, this will be a great move." Is Patton dreaming? The Pilots are last in the 10-team California League with an average attendance of 985, about 33 percent less than in Reno last year. They've sold just 200 season tickets, about the same as in Reno.

And lop off an opening-night gathering of over 3,500 when Billy Crystal showed up and that 985 looks even thinner. Patton also has to pav about $30,000 rent to the city of Riverside this year ($120,000 over the length of the four-year lease) as well as a percentage of ticket sales. He could have stayed in Reno this season the last year of a five-year lease rent free. The move has cost Patton's ownership group about $50,000 in start-up costs. Too much competition.

The Angels are a half hour awav. the Dodgers about 90 minutes. There are four Cal League teams less than an hour away. "We have to educate the people down here that baseball is "Some parts of Riverside can get to Anaheim Stadium (California Angels) quicker than they can get here," said Patton. That same night Patton lets fans in free if they bring in a couple cans of food to be donated to charity.

"That promotion used to work real well in Bakersfield and Reno when we were there," said Patton. "But here, nothing. But we're trying." So why did Patton leave Reno a year before his lease was up? Why didn't he wait until a better situation opened up in Southern California? "We just weren't sure the opportunity to move to Southern California would have been available to us a year later," he said. He also moved to Riverside because the nearby community of Moreno Valley had all but promised his franchise a new stadium by 1994. The Pilots, by being in Riverside, now have the rights to the Moreno Valley territory.

But things have changed. There will be no new stadium by 1 994 if ever. "We will definitely be here next year in Riverside and I fully expect to be here all four years of the lease," said Patton. There have been hangups in Moreno Valley. "The city has decided, like every California city, that they can't afford to build the stadium so they are looking for private financing," said Patton.

"But it's still a possibility." Patton. though, probably would have made the move without the chance at a new stadium. He is now located in the prime area of the California League he'll save about $30,000 in travel expenses this year as opposed to Reno and he finally has what he fought for in Reno for four years a quality facility. "This is one of the better facilities in the league," said Patton, who shares the field with the UC-Riverside baseball team in April and May. "We always have 8 or 10 people out here everyday making sure the field is maintained." The stadium, located in a picturesque setting with palm trees all around and mountains in the background, has picnic areas down the right and left field lines.

The concession stands are plentiful, clean and convenient. It's not exactly Dodger Stadium the aluminum stands give the stadium a cold, impersonal feeling "Sure, if you look short range, this was a bad decision. But if everything works out like we think in the future, this will be a great move." Jack Patton Rlvtpslii Miral maniisr and the whole complex kind ol looks like a rest stop off the highway with a ballpark in the middle but it's certainly no Moana Stadium, either. "This place is probably what Moana would look like if Reno would have put that $1.5 million in improvements into the stadium," said Patton. "But in Reno you still would have had the same problem of maintenance.

"Moana would return to the way it is now because the field is just used way too much by Casey Stengel (recreational adult baseball league). That was our point all along. Improvements were fine, but the issue was usage of the field. That never changed. In fact, the last year we were in Reno, usage increased and maintenance decreased." The Pilots theme song Pilots Go," written and performed by a local gospel singerscable-TV installer) blares through the irri New stadium a must 1993 NATIONWIDE PRO FOOTBALL CONTEST ing fans in Riverside.

The Red Wave couldn't do it from 1 988-90. averaging under 1,000 a year, and now the Pilots are struggling. "We will build this program every year, just like we did at Reno," said Patton. There are those, however, who doubt attendance will increase. Riverside has just about no Cal League tradition before this year the city was in the league just four years (1941, 1988-90).

"We just couldn't see us making it work in Riverside, so we left the first chance we had," said High Desert general manager Leanne Pagliai, who cited the lack of beer as the main problem. "You're right," said Patton. "We don't have the tradition here to build on that we did in Reno. And I think people are still a little upset the team moved out of here a few years ago." "This is a laid-back community as far as baseball is concerned," said Culpepper. "Not having beer will upgrade its situation," said former Reno Silver Sox general manager Jack Patton, now the GM for the Riverside Pilots.

"And for that to happen Reno needs a new park. Moana Stadium was the worst stadium in the league last year." Also working against Reno rejoining the California League is the migration of teams to Southern California. Just three teams Stockton, San Jose and Modesto are north of Bakersfield. Northern cities like Salinas, Fresno, Merced, Santa Clara, Redwood City and Reno have all seen Cal League baseball come and go in the past 45 years. "The entire Southern Division now is a commute," said Pagliai, meaning that teams bus to and from road trips, skipping hotel costs.

"It saves a lot of money." Patton, though, doesn't expect San Jose, Modesto or Stockton to move south. "I don't really see much more movement down south, if at all," he said. "There's just no more room for anybody to move down here." Reno, said Patton, does have an outside chance of returning to the league. "They have to build a new stadium," he said. "That's the first thing.

And then they have to convince somebody to go there. They can't expect to get a team first and then build the stadium. Nobody will go to Reno on a promise anymore. "But if a new stadium was built tating Moana-like public address system. Bobby Bonds' mother is wheeled to her seat in a wheelchair and waves up at Culpepper.

"Great lady," smiles Culpepper with a wave. "I think she's out here most nights. She just loves baseball." The crowd, though, sits there like they do most of the game, seemingly bored and disinter-; ested. It resembles Moana on an April night with the temperatures hovering around freezing. This night, though, it's 75 degrees and the Pilots are winning.

"They are always real quiet," said Bannon. "That's what happens when you don't sell beer. It takes a lot for them to make some noise. You don't get a rowdy crowd here, not like in Reno. That was a hard-drinking town." But it's also a town without baseball for the first time in over 40 years.

PRIZES WHILE SUPPLIES Receive a beautiful KICKOFF CLASSIC sweatshirt valued at J29.95 with each entry (limited number remaining). Contestants can purchase multiple entries of 5 for $100. Sign up early for this once in a lifetime contest! For fast action and the earliest entry number (extremely important in the event of a tie), sign up today. For additional information please call our toll-free hotline: 1-800-879-1379 ext. 6277 lOam-Spm Pacific time.

Complete rules are supplied at any of the participating casinos. game, not the Pilots (named alter nearby March Air Force Base). Although the fans are told they can remain in the stadium and witness the Pilots (a Seattle Mariners affiliate) and Bakersfield Dodgers for free that same night, the stadium all but empties after the high school game. Less than 700 show up for the Pilots-Dodgers. "I think a lot of people are a little tentative about coming out here at night," said Culpepper.

"There's been a few car-jacking incidents around here." "This is not the best part of town," said Bannon. "You can hear the helicopters and police sirens at night when you're sleeping." Patton and Bannon miss Moana's prime location. "The stadium here is not in the hub of the city," said Culpepper. "And that hurts attendance. We're kind of stuck out in the north end of the city." for Reno and somebody, say Modesto, wanted to move there, I wouldn't give a no vote.

I like Reno. It's a great city to live in and the fans are great and supportive of the team." Patton said there's also a simple solution to the built-in travel problems associated with Reno. "The new owners in Reno could just pay a travel stipend to the other teams in the league to help with the costs," he said. "It's been done in the league before." There is also another way Reno can get back into Class A baseball. And they might not need to build a new stadium.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes president Hank Stickney has a dream. "I'd like to see all the southern teams in the league someday become a Double-A league," said Stickney. "With all the beautiful stadiums being built down here, the facilities would already be in place." Patton likes the idea and said it might be Reno's only hope of getting a team. "The northern teams in the Cal League could remain as a Class A league and then Reno could rejoin the league," said Patton. "The southern teams could be Double-A.

Then out west you would have a single A league, the Northern California League, a Double-A League, the Southern California League, and a Triple-A League, the Pacific Coast League. "It makes sense but that is just a pipedream right now. You're talking 10 years down the line, if it happens at all." Stickey knows that it is the Epicenter not Class A baseball that is the main attraction. The park puts some major league facilities to shame. And Moana Stadium is to The Epicenter what rubbing a couple sticks together is to a microwave oven.

Rancho Cucamonga is the future of minor league baseball. But it's a future that also hit the California League back in 1990 when the High Desert Mavericks moved into their new home in Adelanto, Calif. The Mavericks also attracted over 4,000 fans per game their first year and now attendance has settled in at just under 3.000. It is a stadium 10 miles away from the nearest home, stuck out in the middle of the desert. But the fans in nearby Victorville and Adelanto have no trouble finding it.

"This place is a source of pride for the whole area." said Mavericks general manager Leanne Strong lure: State-of-the-art stadiums are luring teams throughout the league. By Joe Santoro gazette -journal ADELANTO, Calif. If Reno wants to return to the California League it's likely going to have to build a multi-million dollar stadium. "I just can't see anybody going into Reno to play in the park the Silver Sox left," said High Desert Mavericks general manager Leanne Pagliai. "You have to build something like this nowadays." Something like this is the Mavericks' $6.5 million stadium out in the Southern California desert.

Or the $10 million facility built in Rancho Cucamonga, the home of the Quakes. There is also a stadium being built in Lake Elsinore a short freeway drive from the Cal League's Southern Division teams that is rumored to be the 1994 home of the Palm Springs Angels. That is the competition Reno faces as it struggles to return baseball to the Truckee Meadows. "To get a team to move you first must convince that team that it Quakes pack MINIMUM CASH 'em in at plush stadium Minimum $20,000 weekly prize money; One winner in each category. (These prizes will be awarded each week for 1 8 weeks.

Tie breakers will be enforced.) 1st place $5,000 2nd place $1,500 3rd place $1,000 4th place $25 -5th thru 105th place Contestants pick winning teams, no point spread. In the event of a tie, both teams win! A ONE TIME ENTRY FEE of $25 will be charged to each contestant. Multiple entries cannot exceed 1 0 per person. ADVANCE PLAY Up to 9 weeks at a time. CIRCUS CIRCUS ENTERPRISES is Guaranteeing a Minimum Total Prize Fund of TTTTTTTTTTTTTT $25,000 MOST WINNERS $5,000 SECOND MOST WINNERS $25,000 MOST LOSERS $25,000 MIDDLE (50 WINNERS) (These prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of this contest.) CIRCUS CIRCUS HOTELCASINO A souvenir shop as does the ticket window stays open every day, even when the Quakes are on the road.

"We've already sold $250,000 worth of Quake material," says Stickney. It is an unheard of amount of money for a Class A team. Stickney tries not to smile too much. The place even has elevators. "This elevator is bigger than the Moana Stadium bathrooms," jokes former Reno Silver Sox, now Riverside Pilots assistant general manager Tom Bannon.

And Southern California is going crazy over the Quakes. They lead the league with an average attendance of 4,768. Quake fever has definitely hit this city whose former claim to fame was being part of a Benny comedy routine aboard for Anaheim. Azusa, and Kemember, this is California League Class A baseball. And this is what Reno might have to build to attract the league back to town.

By Joe Santoro GAZETTE-JOURNAL RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. A bronze Jack Benny greets you at the front gate, complete with violin. Once inside, you are greeted by baseball's excess. The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes call their new $10 million home The Epicenter. You can call it the minor league baseball palace of the world.

The 1 3 luxury boxes come complete with color television, plush carpeting, sinks, microwaves, smoked glass windows and a waitress. They go for $7,000 a season but if you want one, you have to get your name on a waiting list. There are 5,100 seats and on any given night during this California League season they are more than likely all filled when the teal and black Quakes went alter San Jose Sharks colors." savs president Hank Stickney) arc at home..