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| The work at Werner Park is estimated to be 90-95% complete |
Storm Chaser fans went out in groups of 25 on 20-minute tours of the park. They had a chance to see the video board going up, to visit the various suites, to hear about the nuances of the park and to ask questions.
Everything might be new, but the Storm Chasers plan to keep strong ties to the past.
Photos of Rosenblatt Stadium are displayed in the administrative offices. The four American Association league champion trophies that the Omaha Royals won dating back to 1969 are on display there as well. They have also named suites after former players and managers and people who are part of baseball history in Omaha, including George Brett, Paul Splittorff, Denny Matthews and Jack McKeon. Finally, in a nice touch, they have named the first base concourse Rosenblatt Way.
With strong ties to the past preserved, they are hoping to give fans a different view of the game than they have experienced in the past.
“The first thing I want you to see is the field,” Ben Hemmen, the Storm Chasers promotions manager and day-of-game on-field host emcee, told one tour. “Right when you come into this ballpark, you can see the field. No matter where you are in the park, there is an 80% chance you have a perfect sightline of the field.
“This is what minor league baseball is all about. This is what we’ve been trying to do for the last couple of years – to make sure you can be intimate and be part of the game.”
Rob Crain, the Storm Chasers assistant general manager, expanded on the what Hemmen said.
“We’ve been talking about a minor league experience forever,” Crain said. “But most of the people in Omaha only know what Rosenblatt Stadium was, and Rosenblatt was great on so many levels, but it was not minor league-centric.
“When fans see the carousel going up, the picnic areas where they can watch the game from, the wiffle ball field, a basketball court, a video board and a downdraught bar underneath the scoreboard, they are like, ‘Wow. I wasn’t expecting this.’
“When you walk into the stadium, you are on a grade and everything is below you. The nosebleeds are Row 18. They don’t get it until they see it.”
Crain knows that most of this will appeal to the non-traditional fan, but he says there will be plenty for the traditional fan as well.
“Look at the Kansas City organization,” Crain said. “Number one overall in talent. The team that we’re going to get is going to be unbelievable and if you’re a traditional baseball fan and you want to come to a game and have a good sightline and be able to watch and study the players, what we are going to have is going to enhance that. For the traditional baseball fan, this will be like heaven.”
Crain estimated that the ballpark is 90-95% complete.
“We’ve got some interior work going on in the clubhouses, commissaries and concession buildings” Crain said. “And we have a lot of signage that still has to go up. All that will be done by the middle to the end of March. Everything will be done by April 1.”
If you have not had a chance to see the ballpark yet but would like to before the season starts, you will have one more chance – the first full week in April. That’s when Family Fest will be held. More details will be released soon.
Some of the more popular promotional events from the past will be carried over to Werner Park, including $1 beer on Thursdays and $1 hotdogs on Mondays.
Season ticket packages are said to be moving well. Single game tickets will go on sale March 12.
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Here is a quick video showing the inside of the Storm Chasers' clubhouse:
Here are a few photos from the event:
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| One of the suites named after Johnny Rosenblatt |
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| The four American Association trophies won by the Omaha Royals |
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| A view inside the Storm Chasers' clubhouse |
