For the 2007 MLS campaign, the Kansas City Wizards have adopted the mantra "Get Close" as the team's theme. In that same vein, this is the debut of Ball Boy Banter, the new front office blog designed to give fans inside information on the organization and in-depth reporting about everything related to the Wizards.
I, Kyle Rogers, as one of the young, technologically-minded members of the staff, will provide weekly insight and information in standard blog format on both kcwizards.com and ballboybanter.blogspot.com. Leave comments, send emails and ask questions; I will be as responsive as possible.
On that note, let's get this started.
VooDoo Kick-off Party a success
Last Saturday, we threw a season kickoff event for the over-21 crowd at VooDoo lounge in Harrah's North Kansas City Casino. Kudos to the marketing department (especially Rob Thomson and Sarah Hardy), VooDoo Lounge (Jocylyn Lock and Amy Leiker), Mix 93.3 (Ponch), voice of the Wizards Sean Wheelock, defender Nick Garcia for his insightful commentary on the rest of the players and Will Gregory Public Relations for the collaborative effort. This event was a definite success in spite of the KU vs. UCLA game that was occurring at essentially the same time. Needless to say, the Wizards did much better than KU on Saturday.
Turnout was excellent and the atmosphere was very festive. The players expressed their gratitude to the front office for the change in culture and the front office's willingness to put on a first-class entertainment event. Staff was equally pleased, as many players and staff members stayed until VooDoo closed at 1 a.m. CT. DJ Fashen, imported specifically for the event from San Francisco, kept the beats spinning all night and the wait staff (clad in Kansas City Wizards t-shirts) was top notch. If I could juggle bottles like that, I wouldn't be making a living with my writing.
April 6-7, Fuel and family fun
Fans will get another chance to 'Get Close' April 6 at Fuel American Made Bar at 119th and Metcalf in Overland Park, Kan. Mix 93.3 will again be present and drink specials will run 4-6 p.m. CT. We on staff especially love these events, so please join us. Ask your friends who attended VooDoo; we know how to throw a good party.
The following day, join us at the Blue Valley District Activities Complex at 135th and Switzer as we play a preseason doubleheader. The first team plays the Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division at 5 p.m. CT and the Wizards Reserves will play the University of Evansville at 7:30 p.m. CT.
We are planning on creating fun, family-friendly activities surrounding this game, so bring out the whole crew. Tickets are $5 and are on sale currently. Space is limited; call 913.387.3400 today for tickets. (I'll try to keep the blatant sales pitches to a minimum, but sometimes duty calls.)
Practice begins Wednesday at Sprint
No not The Sprint Center; we play outdoor soccer. The Wizards will train at the Sprint Campus at 119th and Nall in Overland Park until our permanent training facility opens at Swope Park sometime this summer. Construction is still on schedule for a June opening.
A few joint activities will be hosted by Sprint and the Wizards in the future, with details forthcoming. This partnership is exciting for our organization. With Sprint's level of importance to the Kansas City community, we are proud to pair with this company going forward.
We salute the Sprint grounds crew for keeping the field in workable condition. Extra kudos to Kansas City Wizards groundskeeper Jerad Minnick for taking the field from workable condition to professional condition in a few short days. Some office staff (including myself) joined him Saturday morning, but he had to shoulder the brunt of the work since we signed the lease with Sprint last week. Great work, Jerad.
This concludes the first edition of Ball Boy Banter. Thanks for your time; hopefully this will keep everyone in the know. Feel free to email krogers@kcwizards.com with questions or comments. You can also post a comment on the Wizards message boards.
Adios.
Question of the week:
What is crazier: Bruce Arena comparing Landon Donovan to Michael Jordan on ESPN2's broadcast of the United States' 3-1 victory over Ecuador or the fact that Bob Bradley is still the "interim" head coach of the national team?
Correct answers get 10 Ball Boy Brownie Points for redemption at the end of the year.
