That’s entertainment

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/09/2016 (3313 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It is exactly one hour before game time when the familiar 20th Century Fox theme blares over the loudspeakers.

The gates are officially open.

It’s a fitting way to welcome visitors to Shaw Park. Because what they are about to experience over the next several hours at the downtown stadium will have many of the same elements as a typical Hollywood movie.

Drama. Intrigue. Conflict. Emotion. And plenty of entertainment, most of it unscripted.

Of all the major sports, perhaps none have the deep sensory connections with fans as baseball. The sights, the sounds and the smells are as much a part of the experience as what happens on the field.

It’s why there are songs about peanuts and Cracker Jack, customs such as standing up to stretch in the seventh inning, and why legendary announcers such as Vin Scully are beloved across the land.

The Goldeyes have hosted more than 200,000 guests at Shaw Park this season as they continue to be one of the most successful independent baseball franchises in North America.

While the players on the field may change frequently — such is life in minor-league ball — there is a remarkable consistency to those who work behind-the-scenes with the goal of maximizing the fan experience.

Here’s a glimpse at some of the cast:

His voice has become synonymous with Goldeyes baseball. Ron Arnst says it was a chance event that put him behind the microphone as the team’s public address announcer during their return to Winnipeg back in 1994.

The Goldeyes were running a series of local celebrity announcers early that first year as they played out of Winnipeg Stadium. Arnst was among the fans in the crowd. John Hindle, then the GM of the Goldeyes, would often make the rounds chatting with spectators. One day, early in the summer, he stopped by Arnst’s seat with a proposal.

“We’d known each other a bit from amateur baseball in Winnipeg. He asked me what I was doing on Thursday. I think it was Tuesday. I told him ‘Well, I got tickets for the game.’ He said ‘You don’t need them anymore,’” said Arnst. “They say the first thing you have to do in business is show up. Well, that’s what I did. And I’ve been showing up ever since.”

Arnst comes by his entertainment roots naturally, as he has a lengthy history in radio and TV in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba. His signature spot every game is when he introduces the team with an enthusiastic “Goldeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyes” that seems to go on forever without taking a breath.

“From the day the door opened at Winnipeg Stadium, this has all been about the game experience. If you only play to baseball fans, you’re gonna have 2,500 to 3000 people. If you want 6,000 here, you need to have a great fan experience,” says Arnst. “The competition for the entertainment dollar in the broadest sense is vicious out there. If you don’t have a superior experience like it is here, you’re in trouble.”

When he’s not at the ballpark, Arnst works with Investors Group as the assistant vice-president of brand management and media relations. As a result of some increased work travel, his son, Kevin, has now started doing a handful of Goldeyes games every year. However, the veteran announcer has no plans of hanging up the microphone anytime soon.

“To be involved in a pro baseball team, that was a big deal. It remains a big deal,” he says. “I have a great time every time I come to the ballpark. I look forward to walking in here every day regardless of how it’s going. When it’s done being fun I’ll stop doing it.”

● ● ●

Let’s face it — baseball can be a slow-moving game. Even those who love it admit there are times when it can feel excruciating. That’s why it’s so important to try to fill the gaps between pitches. The Goldeyes do that in droves, often with plenty of comedic value.

Some recent examples:

The Goldeyes starter opens the game with a perfect strike: cue the sound of bowling pins being knocked over. A pitcher unleashes a wild throw that goes past the catcher and to the backstop: cue the Steve Martin Wild and Crazy guys clip. The umpire comes out to break up a mound meeting: cue the old-time “Here comes the boss” sound effect. A Goldeyes baserunner steals second: cue the sounds of Catch us if you can by the Dave Clark Five. The Sioux City pitching coach gets into a heated dispute with the umpire: cue the Let’s call the whole thing off song right at the “You say tomato, I say tomato” part. The coach gets tossed out of the game: cue the Happy Trails To You song escorting him off the field.

All of this is the work of Paul Duque, the Goldeyes music operator.

“I remember the first season doing it I had no idea what to play, so I just went with the usuals. It got repetitive. As the season went I started adding to it, for different situations,” Duque says. He’s now in his seventh year with the Goldeyes and has a master file for nearly every possible play on the field.

“We try to do it without being obnoxious about it,” Duque says with a laugh.

Duque is also in charge of another important element — the walk-up song for each player. It’s become a big part of the baseball presentation, as players try to pump themselves up and share a bit about their musical tastes each time they come to bat.

“Some guys are very superstitious about it. Some want a lot of variety,” says Duque. “We had one guy a few years ago who had like 13 or 14 changes to his song during the year.”

● ● ●

Jason Young has a few tips about how to get on video at a Goldeyes game.

The do’s would include being enthusiastic, dancing, laughing and cheering. The don’ts would include making obscene gestures and mooning the camera.

Young has seen it all — the good and the bad — since starting with the Goldeyes in 1994 helping his dad, sportscaster Peter Young, do the radio broadcasts during the team’s home games. He’s now running the video element of the show, co-ordinating four cameras, firing up replays and producing a webcast of every home game.

“It’s changed a lot with the web streaming aspect of it, changed how we shoot the game. It’s gone from a pretty basic production to more like an actual broadcast now, with changing shots multiple times between pitches and getting the replays in,” he says.

Young also had stints in Thunder Bay and Lethbridge doing media relations for other independent baseball teams which eventually folded. He says the Winnipeg experience is second-to-none.

“There’s really nothing comparable in terms of attendance, the faithfulness of the fans, the game production here. I’ve been in places where we have fewer people in the stands than people working here,” he says. “Our worst night here is probably somebody else’s dream. Not everybody has it so good. If you’re a player, you would want to play here in front of these fans.”

Just when Steve Eitzen figures he’s seen it all, along comes a play that reminds him of how unique baseball can be.

Eitzen has been the official scorer for the Goldeyes since their second season in 1995. Like Arnst, he was a baseball fan coming to the games who got asked to take over when the original hire moved to Ottawa.

He’s missed a grand total of five games in the 22 seasons since. It’s his decisions about errors and hits and scoring plays which go up on the board for fans — and players — to see.

“Since I’ve been doing it it’s been the highlight of my summer,” Eitzen admits.

There have been a handful of times where angry players and managers have come up to the media room after the game, demanding to know why plays were scored a certain way.

“I learned early on professionals watch their numbers really closely, and I better pay attention to that,” says Eitzen. “I just handle it diplomatically. I realize while I’m up here I have a good view but I may not have the best view. Someone down there may see a different angle than what I saw.”

Eitzen says he lives for those rare moments in baseball, like the first-triple play he witnessed a few seasons ago. Next on his bucket list is a no-hitter.

“Maybe once a year, or once every couple years, there’s something I haven’t seen before,” he says. “There’s a saying… a bad day at the ballpark is better than a good day at the office. That’s pretty much how it is for all of us.”

● ● ●

“This is one big production without question. It’s like putting on 50 shows. Every one has a uniqueness to it,” says Regan Katz, the assistant GM of the Goldeyes.

Katz is tasked with overseeing the game-day elements, something he learned at the grassroots level after joining the organization in 1998. He’s done pretty much everything from working as a sales executive to donning the “Goldie” costume over the years.

“I’m just here to keep the team doing what they do,” he says while calling the Goldeyes presentation “overwhelmingly polished” especially for minor-league baseball. Katz also helps develop some of the special theme nights the Goldeyes do every year such as Zombie night, Bacon Night and Turn-Back-The-Clock Night. There are also nine games every year with an elaborate post-game fireworks show.

“That’s something the fans have always expressed is one of their favourites. For us, it needs to be something you couldn’t just shoot off in your backyard,” he says. “We’re here to provide quality entertainment. Our proudest moment is when we interview fans as they’re leaving and many have no idea what the score is — but all are excited to come back.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca