The Improving Cardinals PR

June 24, 2009 | mriehn | Comments 0

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by Michael Riehn
Whiteyball Staff

Have you ever wanted to hang out at Pujols’ locker?  What would it be like to visit the field, or see where the Cardinals prepare for their games?  Monday, I had the opportunity to visit Busch Stadium during the Cardinal’s “Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Night”.  It was emceed by Cardinals announcer Jay Randolph and featured appearances by Bill DeWitt III, and former Cardinals:  Kerry Robinson and Jason Simontacchi.

In my two part look at the event, I first wanted to focus on Bill DeWitt III.

Cards Club located behind home plate

Normally, I wouldn’t be invited to these gatherings, but the Cardinals extended their events to partial season ticket holders in 2009.  I was happy to find that my 27 game plan was upgraded to qualify.

The Cardinals are doing more for the fans during the “All-Star Summer” than they have in the past.  This hasn’t been the only instance where I’ve been impressed with the Cardinals PR, as they seem to be going the extra step this year.

Public relations has historically been a sore spot for the club, but I believe the Cardinals may be taking a lesson from the Blues “Whatever it takes” slogan.  They are stepping up their customer service efforts, and it has been refreshing.

Making the event even more special, my Dad made the trip up to St. Louis from the Southeast Missouri area to join me.  After parking in a free parking lot next to the stadium, we walked into the area outside of the ballpark, behind home plate.  My dad and I met up with fellow blogger, Matt Wilson and his family for the event and began the evening in the upscale Cardinals Club, located behind home plate.  The Cardinals had a complimentary buffet of ballpark food and desert along with free refreshments of soda and beer.

Bill Dewitt III

Randolph kicked off the event by discussing our stadium tour along with an introduction of himself and the other guests.  DeWitt was the first to speak, thanking everyone for being season ticket holders, and discussing his hopes for the ballpark village.

I know that many of us are frustrated with the lack of movement in the development, but the man that is spearheading the project laid out plausible reasons for the delay, and seems earnest in his efforts to make it a success.

For everyone that criticizes the area as “Lake DeWitt”, and feel like the owners aren’t doing anything, I think they are minimizing the efforts put forth by the club.  No one could have predicted this historic recession, and the Cardinals have felt the effects like everyone else.  It is an embarrassment to them, but they are going to build the project right, and are willing to wait to make it happen.

This methodical approach mirrors their player acquisitions and development.  They minimize risk to allow the club the best opportunity to win, year in and year out.  They don’t make the flashy moves, but when you look back over a period of time, you realize that more often than not they are taking the prudent approach.

The team and PR staff has also been criticized in the past for not being out in front of negative issues.  Whether it be a DL stint, roster scenario or the ballpark developments, they have often times painted a rosier picture than the reality.  This has been a well deserved criticism, in my opinion, but DeWitt didn’t have to stand up and discuss the project with us.  He took responsibility and tried to describe the process to us.

While DeWitt admits being “as frustrated as anyone” in regards to the slow pace, he is optimistic.  Much of the foundation has been laid in the background and he believes that as soon as the economy picks back up, we will see real progress.

One of the funniest moments of the night happened due to the TVs in the Cardinals Clubhouse.  The area is lined along the walls with flat screen TVs, and the Cardinals were showing Monday’s game during the event.  Everyone was paying half of their attention to the TVs throughout the night.

Halfway through the speech, DeWitt interrupted himself with spontaneous: “Oh, that was a nice catch!”   Colby Rasmus had made a nice play at the wall, and it was refreshing to see one of the owners during a “fan moment”.  DeWitt was self effacing afterwords by saying: “I must not be that interesting if I can’t even hold my own attention.”  Everyone laughed at the joke, and I especially enjoyed seeing a glimpse of his sense of humor.  You often forget that the front office/ owners are fans too, and want the team to succeed for more than just business reasons.

I had not heard much from DeWitt III since he became President, but I was impressed with him all the same.  He seemed knowledgeable and down to earth, and even made himself available throughout the night to talk to fans.  It reminded me that there are real people behind the scenes working hard to make the Cardinals a success.

While it is fair to criticize the Cardinals for many of their decisions, you have to remember that they want to win as badly as we do.  They have a pretty good track record as a top notch front office, and most often deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Filed Under: Ballparks • Baseball • Baseball Stadiums