Dave Heller, owner of two MiLB teams and a newly independent Pioneer League squad, joins Jesse Goldberg-Strassler and Kevin Reichard to discuss his approach to fun at the ballpark and MiLB’s makeover in this week’s Ballpark Digest Broadcaster Chat.
Heller’s first splash in Minor League Baseball came as owner of the Quad Cities River Bandits in the Class A Midwest League, where he implemented annual ballpark upgrades on the fan side, including a scenic Ferris wheel in center field, fan-friendly additions to the Modern Woodmen Ballpark upper level, and other amusements in the 360-degree concourse. The guiding philosophy behind all the moves: to create and enhance the sense of community at the historic venue, which reflects in the current support for the River Bandits. A portion of the proceeds from the amusements go to a local medical foundation providing free flu shots for every child in the Quad Cities.
On the flip side, Heller discusses the challenges operating MiLB teams in the last year, whether it’s sitting out the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and losing teams in the MLB reorganization of the sport. Quad Cities and the Wilmington Blue Rocks made the cut to the new 120 (only after Iowa elected officials lobbied to keep Quad Cities in the mix, however), but the Billings Mustangs and the rest of the Pioneer League did not. Instead, the Pioneer League will play this season as an MLB Partner League—the new term for what were formerly independent leagues—and break new ground in the west. All the Pioneer League teams will be operating in 2021 or 2022, joined by the Boise Hawks. While the Pioneer League has been making headlines due to 2021 rule changes, operations will be a challenge due to new, increased payroll, as Heller explains. But with a strong set of owners, Heller likes the chances of the Pioneer League thriving in the future.
Jesse Goldberg-Strassler is the Voice of the Lansing Lugnuts and the author of The Baseball Thesaurusand The Football Thesaurus from August Publications. Kevin Reichard is publisher at August Publications and Ballpark Digest.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!