Game Day #1

Hello all, I meant to check in earlier, but with all that's included in playing at a new stadium, I haven't yet had a chance. The field looks great; the signage is up; some fans (for both teams) are in the parking lot. It's officially game day.

Some things to notice when you're at the stadium today:
1. ALL THE BLUE. We have done our best to make the stadium as blue and fan-friendly as possible. The flags on top of the newly installed bleachers are a great touch. Major props to our ops team including David Ficklin, Chris Wyche, Adam Meloan, Dan Drelich (superDan) and graphics guru Chad Reynolds. Well done all.

2. THE LOPEZ BACKDROP. Over what is called "the batters' eye" by baseball folks, we have draped a HUGE picture of El Piojo. It's a bit of an advertisement as well, but it looks pretty sharp.

3. THE GRASS. Holy cow, Jerad Minnick and his crew are outstanding. In a very short amount of time, they took a baseball field and turned it into a soccer pitch. The mowed-in lines look beautiful. This field will look wonderful on TV.

4. THE FOOD. We've talked about it on here several times, but our concessions menu is incredible. Stop at the nearest concession stand and try out the wares. We had a tasting at media day on Wednesday. I'm not lying; everything I had was outstanding.

5. THE TEAM. We've got some new players, and we've lost some familiar faces, but we are confident that things will go well on the pitch. Unfortunately Chance Myers will be out of action today due to a foot injury, but new faces such as Claudio Lopez and Ivan Trujillo will likely make their first appearances in front of the home faithful.

It should be a fun one! I'll be back just after 6 to post the lineups.