Baseball returned to Richmond on April 15, 2010, and it did so with a capacity crowd on hand. A game that sold out days before it was played set the tone for what was a historic season at the gates for the Flying Squirrels. The club boasted 13 crowds of 9,000 or more fans including nine sell-outs of 9,560. The Squirrels amassed 463,842 total fans and averaged 6,626 fans per game - both tops in the Eastern League. Richmond edged the perennial Eastern League attendance juggernaut Reading Phillies who had claimed the attendance title each of the last five seasons and seven of the last eight. The Flying Squirrels trailed only the Frisco Rough Riders (Double-A Texas League) and Dayton Dragons (Low-A Midwest League) for overall attendance in non Triple-A leagues.
One-of-a-Kind Promotions at The Diamond
In an effort to make the action outside of the chalk lines as entertaining as what was going on inside, the Flying Squirrels created 71 unique nights at The Diamond that included 16 fireworks shows and theme nights that ranged from Tattoo Night to Awful Night. In one unforgettable promotion, General Manager Bill Papierniak donned a wrestling singlet and challenged "Mona," a 7 ½ foot alligator, as part of Alligator Wrestling Night. On "Will it Fly Night," the Squirrels had a pre-game helicopter drop, flinging cake, bouncy balls, watermelon, and even a frozen turkey out of a helicopter over the outfield to see if these items could "fly." "Gently Used Car Giveaway Night" sent three lucky Flying Squirrels fans home with the keys to gently used cars. There were appearances from Sergeant Slaughter, former Washington Redskins' great Joe Washington, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jerry "The King" Lawler, the Phillie Phanatic, Reggie the Purple Party Dude, and the Zooperstars.
Eastern League All-Stars
Four Flying Squirrels players were selected as Eastern League Mid-Season All-Stars. Right-handers Daryl Maday and Rafael Cova, shortstop Brandon Crawford and outfielder Thomas Neal . Following Maday's promotion to Triple-A Fresno, left-hander Clayton Tanner was added to the Western Division roster. Tanner was unable to participate in the contest and was replaced by teammate and fellow left-hander Jake Stevens.
Cova was also selected to the Eastern League Post-Season All-Star Team as the league's top relief pitcher. The28-year-old ended the season with a 2.40 ERA, striking out 66 batters over 56 1/3 innings pitched, limiting batters to just a .160 batting average against. He led all Eastern League relievers in saves, going 22-for-28.
Giants Announce Reaffiliation and Ford Becomes First Squirrel to the Major Leagues
The Richmond Flying Squirrels and the San Francisco Giants announced the extension of their player development contract through the 2012 season on September 2nd. Former Giants left-hander and American League Cy Young Award winner and MVP Vida Blue was in attendance at the Squirrels' September 3rd game to help commemorate the affiliation extension.
Outfielder Darren Ford became the first Flying Squirrel to be promoted to the Major League level when he was recalled by the Giants on September 1st. That same night, Ford went on to score the game winning run out in San Francisco. Appearing in 114 games with the Squirrels, Ford led the Eastern League leading with nine triples and finished second in stolen bases with 37.
The Flying Squirrels Give Back to the Community
The Flying Squirrels held several promotional nights to help give back to the community. In celebration of Mother's Day, the Squirrels and held Breast Cancer Awareness Night at the ballpark and wore special pink jerseys. The jerseys were auctioned off to raise $1,825 to benefit the American Cancer Society. Players wore special camp jerseys for Military Appreciation Night that were auctioned off to raise over $1,390 to benefit the Robert E. Lee Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). Acorns were also sold to raise $1,200. The club also wore special "Domino" Jerseys that were auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Arthritis Foundation of Virginia.
Partnering with Wes McElroy from Sports Radio 910am, the Squirrels helped with McElroy's annual DAD's Day event (Dollars Against Diabetes). Acorns were sold and over $2,300 in donations were raised to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The Squirrels later partnered with Virginia Peanut Farmers and collected over 130 pounds of peanut butter for the Central VA Food Bank to benefit families in need within the greater Richmond Area. Various other promotions throughout the season benefited United Way, Children's Miracle Network through Anthem LemonAid Stands, and Virginia Heroes to name a few.
Making Memories
The Eastern League announced that baseball would be returning to Richmond on September 23, 2009. Anticipation built from the name of the team, to the unveiling of the logos and uniforms, to Opening Day. Since then Richmond has been introduced to Nutzy, "vendortainers", and "Parney the Elf." While Richmond went without professional baseball for over a year, it will only have to wait six months for another chance to "Have Funn" and "Go Nuts."
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