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Victoria Seals Baseball


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#1 G-Man

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Posted 29 December 2008 - 04:14 PM

Just thought we needed to be ready with a thread once the team is getting up and running. While I don't play baseball (more of a soccer player) I have always enjoyed watching baseball. I am very excited that this team is coming this year. I hate the league name though, sounds like a retirement home softball league.

Website is coming soon

http://www.victoriaseals.ca/

#2 Mike K.

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Posted 29 December 2008 - 04:20 PM

Tijuana, Mexico, is also in the Golden Baseball League :)

I don't think I've ever heard of a professional league that had a non-Canadian- or non-US-based team(s).

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#3 yodsaker

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Posted 30 December 2008 - 10:52 PM

Tijuana, Mexico, is also in the Golden Baseball League :)

I don't think I've ever heard of a professional league that had a non-Canadian- or non-US-based team(s).

Years ago the International League (AAA) had teams from 3 countries:
Canada - Montreal Royals (Jackie Robinson) & Toronto Maple Leafs
USA - Rochester, Buffalo, Jersey City, Columbus (Oh.), Richmond (Va.)
Cuba - Havana Sugar Kings.

The IL was the premier AAA league and the Royals were the Dodgers' #1 farm team.
I saw Don Drysdale, Johnny Roseboro, Tom LaSorda, Rocky Nelson and others play for the Royals at the old DeLorimier Stadium in Montreal.

#4 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 30 December 2008 - 11:37 PM

Years ago the International League (AAA) had teams from 3 countries:
Canada - Montreal Royals (Jackie Robinson) & Toronto Maple Leafs
USA - Rochester, Buffalo, Jersey City, Columbus (Oh.), Richmond (Va.)
Cuba - Havana Sugar Kings.

The IL was the premier AAA league and the Royals were the Dodgers' #1 farm team.
I saw Don Drysdale, Johnny Roseboro, Tom LaSorda, Rocky Nelson and others play for the Royals at the old DeLorimier Stadium in Montreal.


Havana won the championship the year of their revolution, 1959.

#5 Bernard

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Posted 31 December 2008 - 06:16 AM

The Seals, any bets on how long the team will survive? BC has been brutal ground for minor league baseball in the last 20 years.

The triple A Canadians left in 1999. There was some sort of single A independent minor league in the early to mid 1990s that had at least one team in the lower mainland - Surrey Glaciers I think they were called

We had the Victoria Capitals in the 2003 CBL - Kelowna had a team in that league. In 2004 we had the Royals for part of a season.

The GBL tends to have about 1500 to 2000 people per game. These are achievable numbers for Victoria.

The big issue will be the travel costs. The closest team is in Calgary. I am not sure how they will be able to carry the costs. If teams do start up in Kamloops and Kelowna, then this would make life a lot easier for Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton.

#6 G-Man

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Posted 13 March 2009 - 02:20 PM

In the short lived CSL Victoria had the highest attendance and it was projected to be a profitable team.

This league has an interesting business model in that they are not affiliated with MLB but they do sell player contracts to MLB. So if Victoria contracts a player for 3 years a MLB team may come along and pay Victoria a large sum to buy that contract so that they can have the player. The league seems to do this on a frequent basis so I imagine that this is a large part of the business case for any league team.

I am personally pretty excited about going to see games. Tickets are reasonable with the best seats going for 16 bucks.

#7 victorian fan

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Posted 13 March 2009 - 03:30 PM

Tijuana, Mexico, is also in the Golden Baseball League :)

I don't think I've ever heard of a professional league that had a non-Canadian- or non-US-based team(s).



Great name - Düsseldorf Dead Sox

#8 Bernard

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Posted 13 March 2009 - 03:36 PM

In the short lived CSL Victoria had the highest attendance and it was projected to be a profitable team.

This league has an interesting business model in that they are not affiliated with MLB but they do sell player contracts to MLB. So if Victoria contracts a player for 3 years a MLB team may come along and pay Victoria a large sum to buy that contract so that they can have the player. The league seems to do this on a frequent basis so I imagine that this is a large part of the business case for any league team.

I am personally pretty excited about going to see games. Tickets are reasonable with the best seats going for 16 bucks.


The prices are hardly reasonable, get people into the seats and if you fill the place, then raise the rates.

They are asking more than the price of a movie to watch minor-minor-minor league baseball.

For $5 I would go and watch with my kids, for $16, not a chance. I would consider paying $16 for Triple A.

Also, there is still no mention of any sort of play by play of the team - you need game coverage to build the fan base. An internet streaming feed is cheap to set up. The fact that they are not doing it is very short sighted.

#9 yodsaker

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Posted 13 March 2009 - 04:03 PM

$16 for the best seats but at Royal Athletic even the cheapest ones will be plenty close. I'm gonna go: under the lights, fresh cut grass, peanuts (maybe Crackerjack, too).

#10 G-Man

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Posted 13 March 2009 - 08:57 PM

It is going to be great and kids 5 and under free. Cheap seats are only 12 bucks or you could seat on the grass outside the fence with a slurpee if you are really that cheap.

#11 Bernard

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Posted 14 March 2009 - 11:45 AM

It is going to be great and kids 5 and under free. Cheap seats are only 12 bucks or you could seat on the grass outside the fence with a slurpee if you are really that cheap.


I still do not understand why they are charging such a high price for this. Would it not make sense to make it low enough that you get large crowds? Would it not make sense to make it a cheap outing for a family or four? Right now it will cost a family of four $48 to $80 to go to a game before you buy hot dogs, drinks etc.... That is a lot of money so spend speculatively on this.

If I could get in for my whole family for $20-$30 bucks (two adults, three paying kids) I would go.

The Seals need to build a fan base, they need to get people willing to come out and try it out a few times.

The season tickets do not get you a big discount, only about 25% off. I would expect them to be 30% to 40% cheaper. The Vancouver Canadians offer their season tickets for 45% off the full price.

Royal Athletic Park has a capacity of 4247 for baseball. Based on past experience, the park will be less than half full.

The Seals are making the same mistake that the Salmon Kings have, pricing themselves so high that they do not come close to sell out. Part of the experience of going to a life event is the crowd, no crowd, no buzz. Salmon Kings games look pathetic in Save on Foods when less than half the seats are filled.

For the price of a seat to watch the Seals, I can get a ticket to go see the Mariners at Safeco field. I am much more likely to do that on a trip to Seattle than go to Royal Athletic Park for the Seals. I am also more likely to take the kids to a Canadians game in Vancouver - Nat Bailey is an amazing small park to watch ball, one of the best there are anywhere.

Year one, you got to lure the people in or they are not going to come.

#12 Vic Skyscraper Fan

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Posted 14 March 2009 - 12:28 PM

I agree with bernard. If the Victoria Seals want to build a fan base, they should be asking around 10 dollars a ticket. Considering the history of Victoria Baseball teams folding, it might be a good idea to offer cheaper tickets for the first year. then when people are hooked on going to games, raise the price a bit.

I am looking forward to seeing a game, hopefully we'll have a good team. If not at least we'll get to see a guy that was on base when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record. lol

#13 Koru

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Posted 14 March 2009 - 01:33 PM

I don't think its fair to say you can go see a Marniers game for $16 as an argument against a Victoria Seals game...The reason I say this is you left out while you can get a ticket for $16 the price range is from $8 to $65 on game day as I understand it the Seals will range from Free(under 5) to $16 for best seats. On top of that if you are going to a Marniers game, factor in time travelled, hotel, gas, meals etc...It isn't completely unreasonable. A Victoria's Grizzly's game pushes $15 and quite frankly its more enjoyable to watch than a Vancouver Canucks game most of the time! As are the Salmon Kings, and as I understand it as they have been improving since being dead last in the league their fan base is getting larger, I see more and more Salmon Kings merchandise on people around town.

I hope that this team is a success and while the first year or two might be rough, they'll iron out the kinks and make a go of it.

On a personal note, I find the games of the semi-professional sports or junior levels to be far more entertaining and enjoyable to watch/pay money to see than most professional level sports w/the million dollar salaries! these guys are playing out of passion, its amazing what a few million dollars does to the passion of some professional players!

#14 AnonAnnie2

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Posted 14 March 2009 - 02:41 PM

You know, I've never been a big fan of any sport and would not have given this one a second glance were it not for the fact they became a customer of mine, and they also became a customer of my husbands company.

In getting to know the admin team, great bunch of folks who believe in supporting the community and that alone is enough for me to champion that the community should support them!

We will go to the games, show our support and hopefully I'll catch the baseball 'bug'...and maybe even a ball!

I'm glad they are here.

#15 Bernard

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Posted 14 March 2009 - 05:14 PM

There is a quantum difference between watching major league ball or NHL and the minor leagues. I love watching the WHL and wish we had a team here, but the players are simply not as good no matter how you slice it.

I am much more likely to go to Mariners game while I am already in Seattle than a Seals game here. I am not a big baseball fan, but I have at least heard of some of the players with Seattle. The price I have to pay to see a game there is no dramatically more than the Seals and I can even buy cheaper tickets. The Seals are overpriced.

The Salmon Kings are also overpriced for what they offer. I am a hockey fan and I have no idea who the players are or have any sense of a connection to the teams of the East Coast Hockey League. In Kamloops the Blazers sell out all the time and they have 1/3 the population to draw from. The owners of the Blazers know how to make the team connect to the town.

Both the Seals and Salmon Kings need to be cheaper and they need to have more ways for us to follow them. As an example, the Salmon Kings provide almost no detail about their players on their website. And once again, there is no radio broadcast (or internet) of the Salmon Kings and nothing seems to be on the cards for the Seals.

I guess I am complaining about how badly the professional sports are run in this town when it is obvious how to do it better.

#16 G-Man

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Posted 14 March 2009 - 08:26 PM

^ 12 bucks is cheap. It costs just about as much to go to a movie. 2 beers at the pub is more. Going to the theatre is more. Going to a concert is way more.

The last Victoria team showed that there was a market here for baseball it was just unfortunate that Victoria was the only successful market.

Perhaps you are not the target market.

Going to a baseball game for me is not about the players' names but the sounds and smells. I expect to be taking in at least 4 or 5 games this year. I think the Salmon Kings are doing pretty good for attendance this year. Why anyone would rather watch WHL over the ECHL is beyond me though the calibre at our arena is far better.

#17 Bernard

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Posted 15 March 2009 - 04:09 PM

Why anyone would rather watch WHL over the ECHL is beyond me though the calibre at our arena is far better.


The best in the world play WHL, that is why I watch it. I know I am watching the big names of the hockey future. Most of the World Juniors play in the WHL.

Admittedly there is less talent in the BCHL, but the average intelligence of the players is higher.

The ECHL is several steps below NHL, the AHL and Europe have all the players that are just below the NHL. If a guy can not make the AHL or one of the 40 European teams, then he plays in the ECHL. The calibre of play in the ECHL is simply not very good by any measure.

The Salmon Kings are not filling the house, which is shocking given the arena only holds 7000 or so. To me this says they are charging too much for the games. Their attendance is down, but their ticket prices are up.

#18 yodsaker

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Posted 15 March 2009 - 07:11 PM

^ 12 bucks is cheap. It costs just about as much to go to a movie. 2 beers at the pub is more. Going to the theatre is more. Going to a concert is way more.

The last Victoria team showed that there was a market here for baseball it was just unfortunate that Victoria was the only successful market.

Perhaps you are not the target market.

Going to a baseball game for me is not about the players' names but the sounds and smells. I expect to be taking in at least 4 or 5 games this year. I think the Salmon Kings are doing pretty good for attendance this year. Why anyone would rather watch WHL over the ECHL is beyond me though the calibre at our arena is far better.


I'll take a Seals game outside over 1.5 pints in the Bard & Banker any day.

#19 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 12 May 2009 - 11:56 AM

Tijuana has dropped out for this year, citing Swine Flu.

#20 VicDuck

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Posted 12 May 2009 - 03:00 PM

I believe the city wanted a whl team but the league did not want one in Victoria.

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