FROM THE DESK OF: I Got the Call from the Myrtle Beach Pelicans

BY: Taft Matney

Driving back from Columbia last week, the phone rang. I looked down and noticed the 843 area code. I thought about it for a minute and decided to answer. Don’t worry. I went hands-free and hit the Bluetooth button on the steering wheel.

The voice on the other end began, “Mr. Matney?” “Oh, great,” I thought to myself. “Another telemarketer.”

“This is _______________ with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Do you have a minute to talk?”

“Of course,” I responded, not sure where this was going.

“Our records show that you attended a game last year. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Was it your first time at our ballpark?”

“No. We’d been there before. We try to come to at least a game a year.”

“Oh, great. How many people were in your party?”

“It’s always my son and me.”

“Did he have a good time? Did he get to spend any time with Splash, our mascot?”

“He had a great time. We both always do, but no. He didn’t spend any time with Splash. He ran the bases after the game, though, and that’s even better.”

“Oh. Great. If you don’t mind, where were your seats?”

“We always sit as close to field level as possible along the First Base line.”

“Do you plan on coming back this season?”

“Absolutely. We’re just looking at our schedules to figure out when.”

“Great, Mr. Matney. I’m really glad to hear that. We’re just working to better personalize fan experiences, so I wanted to call you today and let you know if there’s anything we can do better, we really want you to tell us.”

What came out of my mouth was, “OK. I appreciate that. We go to a lot of Greenville Drive games, but we always look forward to our annual visit to Pelicans Ballpark.” What was going through my mind was more like, “You really wanna personalize this fan’s experience? We’ll be there in late May/early June. What night should I throw out the first pitch?”

OK. I probably won’t be on the mound any time soon (I’m also open to taking over PA announce duties for the night.), but a boy can dream.

It’s opening weekend for baseball — including our state’s minor league teams. The Greenville Drive opened at home last night with a 4-2 win. Charleston’s RiverDogs got rained out last night, so fans have to wait an extra day. The Pelicans open their park for the season tonight at 7:05.

That just leaves one more thing to say. Play ball!

UPDATE: From TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark, Myrtle Beach beat the Wilmington (DE) Blue Rocks with a 6-0 final. The RiverDogs won their rain delayed season opener at home in Charleston over the Rome (GA) Braves by a score of 1-0.