TAMPA DEVIL RAYS SHINE
DOWN ON PRINCETON

By Jason Brown

WVSPN Correspondent

PRINCETON -- With a cavalcade of young men and high profile athletes set to make Hunnicutt Field their first stop on a pro career next week, Princeton Devil Rays general manager Jim Holland looks along the construction of the nearly completed stadium and just hopes that they will have a place to play.

"The plan is to come back and put the finishing touches this fall," Holland said of the $2.3 million locally financed project. "Right now, we just want to have a place to play come July 2."

That place has in a decade gone from a baseball menagerie thrown together in three months to field a Pittsburgh Pirate affiliate to the building block of a fresh, high class organization in the Tampa Devil Rays. Pushing its way into the Appalachian League eleven years ago, Princeton appears to be approaching a new era.

"The plan was all along to put a fully functional stadium here. But going from year-to-year with these franchises (the stadium project) has never happened," Holland mentioned of Princeton’s previous ties with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Cincinnati. "Tampa signed a one-year contract with us in 1996 for the ‘97 season and another one-year deal for the ‘98 season. They liked what happened so much that the most recent contract has a five-year extension if the stadium was in place by 1999. We’ve collected on that part."

The five-year deal cemented what was clearly a growing relationship with Princeton. The Devil Rays eliminated their Gulf Coast rookie league team to send such prospects as this year’s number one pick Josh Hamilton to Princeton. Along with Hamilton, the Devil Rays drafted Lewisburg native Seth McClung this season. While Hamilton has signed and will be in Mercer County this summer, McClung’s negotiations are not finished.

"We’d love to have them both. I could then be the only GM in the country to have the best player in the country and the best player in the state on my team." Holland said. "Nobody else can say that because we have Josh Hamilton."

Big names and good teams have been a constant with the Tampa/Princeton association. The Devil Rays sent their first ever draft pick Paul Wilder and 1997 Appy League MVP Jared Sandburg to Princeton. The team tied for the division title with a 39-30 record only to lose a one-game playoff with Bluefield. In 1998, the team went 38-30 before losing in the Appalachian League championship series.

"This has been incredible," Holland said. "It was our first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history, and our first seasons with Tampa." Regardless of the winning, Holland knows that professional baseball in Princeton would be nowhere without the phenomenal fan support. Made only more impressive in a town that has been called the smallest in all of professional baseball. 

Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal’s recent survey of fan support among the 158 minor league teams in the country put Princeton 85th. In case you’re wondering, that’s ahead of such places as Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Orlando, Albuquerque, Bluefield and Charleston, WV.

"We’re proud of that," Holland said of the recognition. "We led all rookie leagues in ability to fill our stadium’s capacity for the season. Better than places like Billings, Montana that draw 100,000 fans a year."

Holland knows that those numbers are figured on an average attendance of 1,148 in a 1,500 seat park. However, Princeton shares the county with another team in a town with a population of just over 7,000.

"That’s one in seven people coming to our games," Holland said. "Can you imagine how big Yankee Stadium would have to be to draw one out of every seven people."

Regardless, Holland says the new additions to Hunnicutt stadium will not be to fit the whole town in the seats. The park will hold 1,700 when it’s completed and challenge most any minor league park its size.

A plethora of new bathrooms, field-level dugouts, window access for volunteers working the concession stand, private clubhouse for umpires, air-conditioned clubhouses and an expanded press box are among the many amenities the stadium will include when completed.

While the resodded field won’t be playable for a June 20-22 series with Martinsville, the P-Rays will commute to historic Bowen Field in Bluefield. The field and bleachers should be ready for Princeton July 2 series with Pulaski.

The completion dates for the modern clubhouses is still not known, but Holland said that the facilities at the nearby football field will do for now. This fall, the current souvenir stand will make way for a 1,000 square foot site near the park’s entrance. Holland said the two-year project will include several other additions as well.

Until, Holland says he can’t wait to see fans coming through the gates. "We’ve got some great promotions and a limitless supply of great baseball." Holland said. "It’s only 85 miles from Charleston here, so we’d be glad to have everybody that comes. I’m sure they will enjoy our great facility and great team."

JUNE

June 18, 19 at Bluefield Orioles

June 20, 21, 22 VS Martinsville Astros

(June 20-22 Games Played In Bluefield At Bowen Field)

June 23, 24, 25 at Elizabethton Twins

June 26, 27, 28 at Pulaski Rangers

June 29, 30 at Kingsport Mets
 
 

JULY

July 1 at Kingsport Mets

July 2, 3 VS Pulaski Rangers

July 4, 5 at Pulaski Rangers

July 6 OFF Date

July 7, 8, 9 VS Burlington Indians

July 10, 11, 12 VS Bristol White Sox

July 13 at Bluefield Orioles

July 14, 15 VS Bluefield Orioles

July 16,17,18 at Johnson City Cardinals

July 19, 20, 21 VS Danville Braves

July 22, 23, 24 at Martinsville Astros

July 25, 26, 27, VS Elizabethton Twins

July 28 OFF Date

July 29, 30, 31 VS Pulaski Rangers
 
 

AUGUST

Aug. 1, 2, 3 at Burlington Indians

Aug. 4, 5, 6 VS Kingsport Mets

Aug. 7, 8, 9 VS Bluefield Orioles

Aug. 10, 11, 12 at Bristol White Sox

Aug 13, 14 at Bluefield Orioles

Aug. 15 OFF Date

Aug. 16, 17 VS Martinsville Astros

Aug. 18, 19 at Martinsville Astros

Aug. 20 at Bluefield Orioles

Aug. 21, 22 VS Bluefield Orioles

Aug. 23 at Bluefield Orioles

Aug. 24, 25, 26 at Danville Braves

Aug. 27 (4 p.m. Game) VS Johnson City Cardinals

Aug. 28, 29 VS Johnson City Cardinals

PLAYOFF DATES ARE AUGUST 30, 31 AND SEPTEMBER 1, 1999