Play Ball

Skyhawks open season with fun and fireworks, By Mark J. Yablonsky AUGUSTA—While the real fireworks came after the game, there were enough of them during the game, too. They were just some of the promotional events the Sussex Skyhawks plan on offering all summer long. In the end, just about everyone had something nice to say about the home opener Monday night at Skylands Park, where Sussex County’s brand new Canadian-American League baseball team came out on the short end of an 18-11 slugfest with the North Shore Spirit of Lynn, Mass. “It’s great,” said Sparta resident Scott Burdsall, who was on hand with his family. “It’s good to see them get a team here again. It’s a nice evening, the kids enjoy it, and I like the promotionals as well. And the field’s in great shape.” “It’s good, clean fun,” agreed T.J. Huffman, a nearby resident of Culver’s Lake. “We came to a lot of Cardinals games, too. It’s nice to come out to a baseball game without spending $500 bucks. You can’t even get into the movies for eight bucks.” The Skyhawks, who are owned by Floyd Hall, the same owner of the New Jersey Jackals, have made it clear that they intend to remain in Sussex County for years to come, and that they want to be a part of the community. That means a lot of youth-oriented promotional items and techniques, including the introduction of Scooter, the team’s new mascot, who toured the stands throughout the game, shaking hands with fans and reporters, and making sure everyone had a smile. Scooter, in a manner reminiscent of both the Phillies Fanatic and the San Diego Chicken, even competed in a diaper derby contest in a break between innings, “losing” to an infant who appeared to get some help from his parents. There was also an eyeball race, a pre-game handout of magnetic Skyhawks schedules, and a giveaway event by Franklin Sussex Automall, who, in lieu of someone’s unsuccessful attempt to win a new truck, presented a free oil change certificate instead. And even the ‘Hawks third baseman Elvis Corporan, who had three hits and four runs batted in, won a free steak dinner from a Branchville restaurant after a mighty three-run homer with two out in the bottom of the eighth. So even though the final score wasn’t what everyone had hoped for, it wasn’t a bad way to cap off Memorial Day weekend, as a crowd of about 3,240 watched. “The score doesn’t mean one thing in coming here,” said Ben Wittkowski, the Skyhawks’ general manager. “Tonight is a bad game (for us), but the fans are coming here for entertainment. We’ve done a lot of work here.” With New Jersey having become a minor league baseball mecca in recent years, the Skyhawks must concentrate heavily on local demographics, said one media representative, who was on hand with his family in a “very unofficial” capacity. “Initially, the Cardinals drew very well, but over the years they began to lose the fan base because of competition,” explained former New England Sports Network sportscaster George Falkowski, who now is an anchorman and reporter for the Edison-based News 12. “They have to really draw from this part of the state because people in other parts of the state aren’t going to come up here. You need to draw from Warren and Sussex counties. And based on tonight, they’re doing a nice job.” And as fate would have it, neighboring Warren County is already involved with the Skyhawks. “We have friends who are host families for four players, and we wanted to support them for the opening game,” said Allamuchy resident Jennifer Dibiasi. “It is a word-of-mouth thing. We’re glad we came, despite the score.” The Skyhawks, who had held earlier 3-1 and 5-4 leads before an eight-run outburst in the top of the sixth inning put the Spirit ahead to stay, opened the season by splitting a four-game series with the Capitales of Quebec City. Against the Spirit, designated hitter Rich Daly also had a good night by going 3-for-4 with a triple, two doubles and three RBI. Patiently, first baseman Ryan Lehr drew four walks and then belted a run-scoring, opposite-field double to right in the ninth inning.