For love of the game
Rain or shine, Alexandria fans support their Northwoods team
ALEXANDRIA -- It was about 55 degrees and dreary. The wind was whipping through Knute Nelson Memorial Field. Rain drops felt like BB gun pellets slapping against your face.
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More than 770 fans turned out Aug. 9 despite those conditions to bid farewell to the 2004 edition of the Alexandria Beetles of the Northwoods League. Their attendance was testament to a small community grateful for the opportunity to have an NWL franchise.
Riley Gostisha was with the Beetles in 2001, when he was their opening-day starter, and returned this season as the Beetles' assistant general manager.
Manager Mark Magdaleno calls the Beetles' fan support "unbelievable."
Gostisha has seen Alexandria attendance grow from about 700 a game to almost 1,050 this season.
"It starts with effort," he said. "A lot of people ask me, 'What do you do after the season?, like all we do is open the gates and people come up. (General manager) Ryan (Voz) and I are selling presold tickets, sponsorships.
"It's a grind, a boot camp. It's never ending. As soon as this game's over we'll probably take a day off and we're right back at it. 2004 is over with. We've got to start our revenue for 2005. There are no breaks. If you slack off, that's when a team goes down."
Danny Mocny, junior infielder from Long Beach State, returned this summer for his third season with the Beetles. He likes the small-town feel where everyone knows everyone.
"I know the owners, I know the management, I know how it's run," Mocny said. "That's one of the main reasons I came back a third year.
Manager Mark Magdaleno calls the Beetles' fan support "unbelievable."
"It's kind of a tight group. I'm comfortable coming back here. I decided I would rather be here than go and play in another league."
Beetles manager Mark Magdaleno has been coaching for 20-plus seasons across the country. He called Alexandria a "tremendous situation" for a small market and said fan support has been "unbelievable."
Northwoods League
The possibility: The Northwoods League is contemplating putting a team in Brainerd in 2005. The Brainerd Mighty Gulls played in the league from 1998-2002.
The stat: Attendance at Alexandria Beetles games has grown from about 700 a game in their first season (2001) to almost 1,050 this season.
"It's a big business in a small town," Magdaleno said. "We do a good job making sure we put a quality program on the field every night. I think that's why people come.
"It's a great program for the city, for the league. A lot of money's being brought in by this organization. The league has quality people running a quality program. It allows you to put a quality product on the field.
"There are no negatives in this thing. If Brainerd was to get an organization it would be the best thing in the world for that city. I can only talk about what's happened here in Alexandria. We're treated in a first-class manner from our front office, to our owners, to the city. It's red-carpet treatment every night."
Manager Mark Magdaleno calls the Beetles' fan support "unbelievable."
Coni and Tom McKay have been a host family for players for three years. Their experience has been nothing but positive.
Coni McKay, director of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, said each year as a host family is as unique as the players. A few players are dedicated to making baseball their profession. Others come to Alexandria because they love to play the game.
"This has a fantastic impact on the community," she said. "It's not just for visitors, it's for local people too. Even though there's a lot to do here with all the lakes, and of course Brainerd has the same advantages, there still are a certain amount of people that like and enjoy doing a good family activity. It's affordable, it has a good economic impact on the community.
"To have this experience in a community this size ... Understandably they can pack them in in Mankato and Madison because they have a big population to draw from. But when I compare the percentages of population that attend these games as opposed to Madison, we're right up there. It's wonderful."
Manager Mark Magdaleno calls the Beetles' fan support "unbelievable."
Her husband said host families become attached to their players.
"Everybody gets excited when it's opening night," Tom McKay said. "You get used to having these kids around. You adjust to them, they adjust to you. When they leave it's like losing a kid. It's unbelievable. A few tears are shed. It's a great experience."
Mark Klein is general manager of Pete's County Market and a season ticket holder since the team was founded.
Manager Mark Magdaleno calls the Beetles' fan support "unbelievable."
"It's a great community event," Klein said. "People love it. Bringing the family together is what it's really done for us. It's fun to come out. For a small town to have a baseball league like this is great. There's a lot of excitement."
Mike Bialka can be reached at mike.bialka@brainerddispatch.com or at 855-5861.