LI Ducks owner Frank Boulton began with a 5 minute news piece that
appeared on CNBC. As Boulton put it, "this was coverage you cannot buy."
Frank’s affection for the game of baseball, the players, and the
community is undeniable. Bud Harrelson and Boulton came to LIMBA eight
years ago and made a presentation on what they hoped to accomplish.
Today the dream they had, creating excellent and affordable baseball on
Long Island is a reality. The tickets are $10 and they maintain the low
cost through good corporate sponsorship.

 

This is not amateur baseball. Sometimes a player gets bumped from the
majors, and instead of languishing waiting for his million dollar plus
contract to return, he will opt to work for $2100 to $3000  per month
just to keep up his skills. A player may restart his big league
career after playing a year or two, and little or no restrictions are
put on them. Frank did not say this, but I’m sure that the fair
treatment gives them an never ending supply of talent. 

 

From a business point of view, whatever they are doing is working.
Maxing-out on the income revenues is always tempting, but to be
sustainable in a sector of the economy, that is not  notably successful,
(minor league baseball), they have done very well. Most of their seats
are presold. They are technically, usually "sold out." Although, if you
come to the park as a Standing Room Only customer, you can find a seat
after the first inning when they can identify the "no-show" seats. This
also explains why they have a 103% sold capacity.

 

The owners are very sensitive to the community in which they operate.
They have hosted large events for Breast Cancer Awareness as well as
other charities. They really get into the spirit. The players all wore
pink campaign shirts and used pink bats. It was a big success.

 

The team has 3 million fans and that number was reached in less time
than any team in history in the country. I came away believing these
owners care about the players. They want to provide quality family
entertainment. They routinely test for drugs such as marijuana, and
reprimand players when drugs are found. Steroids tests have not been
routine, and every year the debate the value of doing so.