PawSox Present Kyrie Irving Night

Just as quickly as he was traded, the Pawtucket Red Sox announced on Wednesday a night to honor new Boston Celtic Kyrie Irving. LeBron James’ former running mate in Cleveland was dealt to Boston on Tuesday, and 24 hours later the PawSox had a promotion in place to welcome their newest hoops star.

Any fan who shows up wearing green or Celtics gear to Thursday’s game gains free entry, but the tickets must be picked up at the team box office at McCoy Stadium.

And in a Willy Wonka-esque twist, one fan will receive a lucky green ticket and a bounty of corresponding prizes. The ticket, which will be marked with a green shamrock, will get the winner 11 free flex tickets for next year, as well as 11 hats, 11 hot dogs and 11 autographed PawSox baseballs.

“We know how popular the Boston Celtics are throughout the area,” PawSox executive vice president and general manager Dan Rea said, “and we hope that our fans will enjoy an evening that trumpets Kyrie Irving’s arrival.”

There will also be a pre-game dunk tank available for fans to show off their arm strength. Who will be in that dunk tank? A Cavaliers fan wearing a LeBron James jersey, of course. And, as a counterbalance to all the conditions that get fans in free, there are also a few things provisions to look out for that might make your ticket more costly. Is your name LeBron, Draymond, Steph, Lonzo or Kevin? That’ll cost you. Fans with those names will pay double in admission.

As far as promotions go, this one is all net.

Augusta Announces Naming Rights

The Augusta GreenJackets, who next season will move into a new stadium, announced on Tuesday the naming rights for their new home. The new stadium will be called SRP Park after SRP Federal Credit Union, which is based in the area.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have North Augusta’s largest institution as our partners in the community. We know from that tag line that good things happen at SRP and now those good things can happen at SRP Park,” GreenJackets general manager Jeff Eiseman said. “To us, there isn’t a better fit locally to see up in lights than SRP, they are the largest locally based company in North Augusta, they are active and involved throughout the community as well as the CSRA and they have been partners with the team for well over a decade. We take pride in SRP and think SRP Park will be the pride of the Central Savannah River Area.

The GreenJackets, the Giants’ low Class A affiliate, have played in Lake Olmstead Stadium since 1995 but will move across the river starting next season. Opening Day at SRP Park is slated for April 12, 2018.

Erie Ready To Unveil Alternative Facts Night

We wrote about Alternative Facts Night when Erie—the Tigers’ Double-A affiliate—announced the promotion, and now the day is here. Originally named for a term coined by Kellyanne Conway, an advisor to President Trump, the SeaWolves found plenty of alternative facts of their own.

The team will commemorate its 2017 Eastern League championship—which, of course, didn’t happen—by giving out replica (can there be a replica of something that doesn’t exist?) championship rings to the first 1,000 fans through the gates on Friday at UPMC Park. The real EL champions, the Akron RubberDucks (Indians), will be on hand to witness the festivities from the visitors dugout.

Local radio host Alex Womer gave fans a sneak preview at the team’s new jewelry on Twitter on Thursday.

Unboxing the @erie_seawolves 2016 EL Championship Ring. It’s going to the 1st 1,000 FRIDAY night. 7:05 – UPMC Park-vs. Akron. Arrive early! pic.twitter.com/75apP3t4vA

— Alex Womer (@ErieAlex) August 24, 2017

“While it was a tough decision to decide which championship to honor,” the SeaWolves said in a press release at the time, “the team will celebrate its most recent one.” The SeaWolves, of course, do not have a championship in their history.

“The SeaWolves’ opponent on this night may dispute the team’s 2016 title run,” the team said. “Very unfair. It is up to the fans, who are tremendous fans by the way, to decide.”

Johnson City Sets Attendance Mark

The Johnson City Cardinals, St. Louis’ Rookie ball affiliate, on Thursday announced they set a franchise attendance record. The team has welcomed 53,445 fans through the gate at TVA Credit Union Ballpark, which broke last year’s mark of 53,444 fans.

“To set the single season attendance record back to back is a testament to this community and how they support their Johnson City Cardinals,” Johnson City general manager Tyler Parsons said. “It’s because of our amazing fans that we are able to keep growing this organization. And because of our growth, we’re going to keep looking at ways to enhance this facility and improve the fan experience.”

The team’s back-to-back attendance records coincides with Boyd Sports LLC taking over the franchise before the 2016 season. The team’s attendance high before 2016 was 48,038, set during the 1994 season.