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Post by perfeckt on Oct 9, 2010 18:12:32 GMT 10
Melbourne Aces made a public official announcement today at Sandringham Baseball clubs inaugural Summer home game on the Jack Guilliano field. And the announcement was, that the Aces home ground is...the Melbourne Showgrounds! Matt Blackmore donned the new Aces cap and joined Aces officials, including Steve Nash, for the announcement. Great news (finally) to start a terrific day of baseball organised by the Royals. Music PA, Aces tent and what a day! Go Aces!
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Post by doubleddownunder on Oct 9, 2010 18:44:40 GMT 10
Absolutely great news - and can't wait for the official news release/Web site update/e-mail from the club so the marketing can start in earnest. I live less that 2 kms from the ground and will try to go to as many games as possible - see you all there.
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Post by duke on Oct 10, 2010 9:21:43 GMT 10
Yes, it is terrific news that this year's worst-kept secret has finally been made official.
I would have thought, though, that it would be simultaneously trumpeted on the Aces website and in the media. Perhaps even let BV in on the news, too, so that it could make mention of something that is of interest to all baseball people.
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Post by roly on Oct 10, 2010 15:15:25 GMT 10
Yes, it is terrific news that this year's worst-kept secret has finally been made official. I would have thought, though, that it would be simultaneously trumpeted on the Aces website and in the media. Perhaps even let BV in on the news, too, so that it could make mention of something that is of interest to all baseball people. knock it on the head duke......only me and a few selected others are in on this If it wasn't for all those blabber mouths who said they could keep a secret no one would still be any the wiser If no one turns up on the first night it will be their own fault for pretending they didn't know about it Personally, I'm putting all of the blame on Enos Slaughter & Cool Papa Bell. WOOF
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Post by doubleddownunder on Oct 12, 2010 13:22:31 GMT 10
Here's the news release from the State Government www.premier.vic.gov.au/newsroom/12252.htmlNEW HOME FOR MELBOURNE BASEBALL HITS FEVER PITCH From the Minister for Sport & Recreation Tuesday, 12 October 2010 Baseball is set to undergo a renaissance in Victoria thanks to a $300,000 boost to revamp the main arena at Melbourne’s Showgrounds to accommodate the game at the elite level. Sports Minister James Merlino said the Brumby Labor Government had committed funding to for a major facelift of the arena, including construction of a new diamond, mounds, backstop and outfield fences, lighting and netting and players and officials’ amenities. The Showgrounds will be the new home for Australian Baseball League team Melbourne Aces. “Baseball is undergoing a major rejuvenation at the elite level in this country,” Mr Merlino said. “It’s an exciting time for the game – November sees the return of the Australian Baseball League and for the game to return to a sporting powerhouse, we need a strong team in Melbourne. “The Melbourne Aces have not had a permanent home, until now. “A redeveloped Melbourne Showgrounds will provide a great new headquarters for the club to play and train and will help promote and develop the game to a new base of fans. “Baseball has a proud tradition in Victoria dating back to the American gold miners who came to the country seeking their fortune in the 1850s and the first Australian interstate baseball match was played at the East Melbourne Cricket Oval when Victoria hosted South Australia.” Australian Baseball League chief executive Peter Wermuth said the Showgrounds provided the Melbourne Aces with an exciting new base on the eve of the return of elite competition. “Thanks to the support of the Victorian Government, we will be able to play at the Showgrounds, which has the potential to become Australia’s most fan-friendly baseball venue and offer an unrivalled game day experience,” Mr Wermuth said. “The Melbourne Aces are going to play in front of their home crowd here and we could not be more excited to offer the community, especially our young people, a chance to see tomorrow’s baseball stars playing in their own backyard. “It’s been 10 years since we had a national competition, and a strong ABL has the potential to produce players of the same calibre as former Melbourne Reds player and two-time World Series ring winner, Graeme Lloyd. “It can rejuvenate baseball in this country to reach the same heights it did back in 2004 when Australia won an Olympic silver medal.” Baseball Victoria General Manager Brett Hidson said without Victorian Government support it would have been very hard for Melbourne to have a team in the new ABL. “With this level of support from the Victorian Government we will be able to put a very competitive team on the field, giving baseball in Victoria a huge boost,” he said. Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria chief executive Mark O’Sullivan said baseball at the Showgrounds would provide ideal family entertainment over summer. “The showgrounds are centrally located, easy to get to by car or public transport and are geared up for public events with excellent facilities,” Mr O’Sullivan said. “The arena will comfortably accommodate the crowds estimated by the ABL, with room for growth as baseball grows in popularity.”
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Post by The Joker on Oct 12, 2010 13:40:22 GMT 10
Interesting to see quotes from the head of the ABL, and the GM of BV, but none from the GM of the Aces.
Perhaps the rumour fromt he rumour mill thread is true?
Note there is explicit mention of public transport, so seems as though a deal has been done to ensure trains run on gamedays?
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Post by burgers on Oct 12, 2010 14:19:54 GMT 10
“It’s been 10 years since we had a national competition, and a strong ABL has the potential to produce players of the same calibre as former Melbourne Reds player and two-time World Series ring winner, Graeme Lloyd. I hope this was a typo from the local paper and not a direct quote from the ABL GM. Just little things and probably being pedantic, but let's get our facts right. If the GM has stated that - I wish him all the best when Roly gets hold of him
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Post by roly on Oct 12, 2010 18:42:25 GMT 10
“It’s been 10 years since we had a national competition, and a strong ABL has the potential to produce players of the same calibre as former Melbourne Reds player and two-time World Series ring winner, Graeme Lloyd. I hope this was a typo from the local paper and not a direct quote from the ABL GM. Just little things and probably being pedantic, but let's get our facts right. If the GM has stated that - I wish him all the best when Roly gets hold of him Melbourne Reds, Melbourne Monarchs......no big deal. I'm just looking forward to seeing A Rod win the WS with the Mets this year Jeez Louise..I nearly chucked up in my plate of concrete Good-O's Go Aces WOOF
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Post by wheezer on Oct 12, 2010 19:11:31 GMT 10
Note there is explicit mention of public transport, so seems as though a deal has been done to ensure trains run on gamedays? Not necessarily. James Merlino may be talking about the 57 tram. It runs up Elizabeth St, then along Flemington Road, Racecourse Road and Princes Highway right up to the Showgrounds train stop. It would be a mega effort getting the train to service Flemington. If 5,000 people came for the opening home weekend that's a train operations cost of about $6.00 per person. Considering tickets are about $10.00... Of course you can always grab the Craigieburn line up to Newmarket and just walk from there. Not even 2 km. Then once you're at the game you'll be thirsty and... AHA! Conspiracy! Back in the old ABL, was it the running coach of the Melb Monarchs who used to yell to 1st base "you're alright! you're alright!" - does anyone remember that?
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Post by doubleddownunder on Oct 13, 2010 6:08:45 GMT 10
Really are five options to get there via public transport.
1. Craigieburn line to Newmarket Station - hop on 57 tram west on Racecourse Road, north on Epson Road for a k or two.
2. Craigieburn line to Newmarket Station - west on Racecourse Road, north on Epson Road for a k or two.
3. Craigieburn line to Ascot Vale Station - walk a few blocks west to Union Road, then walk south on Union or take 57 tram south.
4. Take the 57 tram anywhere from the CBD north through North Melbourne and Flemington/Kensington to the Showground, or south from Highpoint/Moonee Ponds/Ascot Vale.
5. Drive and try to find parking.
I can't see any situation where they would activate the Showgrounds Station for baseball games - way too expensive, esp for the size crowds that the Aces might draw.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2010 13:58:27 GMT 10
I dont want to distract from the thread too much (and 300k isnt much money at this stage) but is the new Showgrounds 'Aces' diamond designed to be 'temporary' (and removed later for other events held there) or not ?
If not would BV use (or be allowed to use) it for Sunday/Masters etc games as another option to Altona or Latrobe at other times?
In this way getting the punters out there 'seeing and believing' just might help attract a solid support base for the Aces I'd have thought.
Just curious !
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Post by outsider on Oct 13, 2010 15:07:30 GMT 10
Authentic to take your idea slightly further, maybe considering playing some of the Div 1 or Div 2 games at curtain raisers would be an option to draw a crowd.
Or to go one further perhaps some of the Under 18 state league games could be looked at to showcase some of the best young talent in the state. (With BV and club agreement of course)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2010 19:22:40 GMT 10
Authentic to take your idea slightly further, maybe considering playing some of the Div 1 or Div 2 games at curtain raisers would be an option to draw a crowd. Or to go one further perhaps some of the Under 18 state league games could be looked at to showcase some of the best young talent in the state. (With BV and club agreement of course) I reckon thats a great idea OS but problem may be limited space for the big boys to warm up/pre-game out there though.
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Post by pirate22 on Oct 13, 2010 20:35:51 GMT 10
or a variation on the AFL half time entertainment, play a kids tee ball game 45 min before the main game and get 25 - 30 sets of parents watching the Aces play afterwards.....
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bushman
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Between the lines, play it hard.
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Post by bushman on Oct 14, 2010 11:48:34 GMT 10
or a variation on the AFL half time entertainment, play a kids tee ball game 45 min before the main game and get 25 - 30 sets of parents watching the Aces play afterwards..... That is a top idea, especially for all the saturday doubleheaders that they are scheduled to play. After the first game get a 3-dig kids t-ball game going, would give them a great buzz playing in front of a crowd (like AFL little league). Mariner I like the way you think!
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Post by texasleaguer on Oct 14, 2010 15:21:06 GMT 10
or a variation on the AFL half time entertainment, play a kids tee ball game 45 min before the main game and get 25 - 30 sets of parents watching the Aces play afterwards..... That is a top idea, especially for all the saturday doubleheaders that they are scheduled to play. After the first game get a 3-dig kids t-ball game going, would give them a great buzz playing in front of a crowd (like AFL little league). Mariner I like the way you think! An excellent Idea. Having the field covered with as many Yardball or Tee-ball games as possible and fit in with other ABL pre-game fun is the go. all setup and done and dusted in 60 Minutes. Invite different Local clubs each week to send as many teams as possible. ( kid players free, parents and support spectators buy Tickets. ) You could probably squeeze in 10 Teeball games on the field concurrently, so say 10 per team, 200 kids + accompanying parents 300 + say 100 other siblings or friends/ relatives. 600 ready made crowd for each game with this promotion alone. I'd also have some come and try nights and games for general non-baseball kids, what better way to recruit them into the sport than at an ACES or HEAT or BANDITS game.
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Post by Ace on Oct 14, 2010 15:54:20 GMT 10
What is the parking like at the showgrounds? Haven't been there by any means other than train.
Who owns the Showgrounds? It would be great for crowds if there was a good amount of parking and the parking cost next to nothing.
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grandslam
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Throw me a fat one and see how far it goes!
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Post by grandslam on Oct 14, 2010 21:46:33 GMT 10
What is the parking like at the showgrounds? Haven't been there by any means other than train. Who owns the Showgrounds? It would be great for crowds if there was a good amount of parking and the parking cost next to nothing. The Showgrounds are owned by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV). Just checked the RASV website, they hold a Farmer's Market every Sunday and the parking is $3.00 and there's plenty of parking spaces
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Post by Ace on Oct 15, 2010 11:20:07 GMT 10
The Showgrounds are owned by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV). Just checked the RASV website, they hold a Farmer's Market every Sunday and the parking is $3.00 and there's plenty of parking spaces Sounds good GS!! I know where my Friday nights will be over Summer!
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Post by rev4 on Oct 25, 2010 23:02:08 GMT 10
Ground will be struck next week I believe. Also, I think there will be an Aces 'launch' in the city square on thursday - 12:30, (grapevine from BV meeting this evening).
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emdeem
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Post by emdeem on Oct 29, 2010 19:03:52 GMT 10
Hey all, Check out this overhead shot of 'The Show' using a webpage called Near Map. You can see the timeline of the photos of how things have changed in the area. Good way to see what upgrades are happening. www.nearmap.com/?ll=-37.78134,144.912656&z=18&t=h&nmd=20101001 See you opening day!
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Post by Diesel on Nov 2, 2010 17:13:42 GMT 10
see below Norwood oval and compare to what Aces will be playing on; www.nearmap.com/?ll=-34.919913,138.630488&z=18&t=h&nmd=20091201 This should give some indication on how the ground hopefully will look.
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Post by wheezer on Nov 2, 2010 19:28:11 GMT 10
NearMap is amazing.
The two links above of Melb Showgrounds and Norwood Oval are the same scale. Visually it really shows the concerns about field size. Will be interesting to see what's been done. Would be lucky for NearMap to update the shot of Showgrounds before open on 24th.
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Post by Diesel on Nov 4, 2010 9:09:52 GMT 10
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Post by Diesel on Nov 4, 2010 13:17:57 GMT 10
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2010 11:11:00 GMT 10
How short is the right field fence at the Showgrounds ? - looks like its maybe 220 > 230 !!!! - Could that be right ?
Gotta figure the Managers will be looking for lots of Lefty match ups for any Right hand pitchers brave enough to pitch there !
It promises to offer up some strange hitting nuances and offense fireworks (particularly to right field) that has never been seen before at Altona (which was part of the problem out there of course) !
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Post by philallen on Nov 6, 2010 15:01:52 GMT 10
How short is the right field fence at the Showgrounds ? - looks like its maybe 220 > 230 !!!! - Could that be right ? Gotta figure the Managers will be looking for lots of Lefty match ups for any Right hand pitchers brave enough to pitch there ! It promises to offer up some strange hitting nuances and offense fireworks (particularly to right field) that has never been seen before at Altona (which was part of the problem out there of course) ! authentic.....although I haven't run the tape over it myself I'm lead to believe that RF will play at about 290. But here's the kicker.....there will be a 20' BLUE MONSTER in RF. Should be very entertaining. Hope to see you out there opening night.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2010 16:59:56 GMT 10
Sounds great Phil, thanks for the clarification.
I'll get along thats for sure, always loved it when runners try to anticipate the ball coming off the Green Monster at Boston and advancing prior (at some risk of course).
Makes for just another interesting dimension of the game out there I reckon.
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Post by wheezer on Nov 7, 2010 11:10:57 GMT 10
Awesome! Kind of reminds me of NAB Cup, the AFL preseason, when the footy bounces off the goalposts and the ball is still in play.
It will make for some extra excitement while the hitters work their way out of the near-shutouts if last night is anything to go by.
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Post by Spice on Nov 8, 2010 10:55:00 GMT 10
I'm down at the showgrounds at the moment (for work of course). There seems to be some movement down here. Sprinklers going, people moving around the field. Could be something top secret because security wouldn't talk and called my bluff about being a player. I thought with all my gear on the back seat I might have been waved in. We all know what thought did though
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