Majors or Minors? Riversharks do more for less

(Pub May 23)
CAMDEN -- Incessant talk of corrupt oilmen, bankrupt industries and a weakening economy can be enough reason to find escape in our national pastime.
Problem is that many can no longer root, root, root for their home team today without breaking their own citizen's bank.
While Major League Baseball has never been so expensive or exclusive, a similar-but-different baseball experience can be cheaply had at Campbell's Field, home of the hometown Camden Riversharks.
With a carousel spinning left of left field, a climbing wall stretching above right and the Ben Franklin Bridge overhanging the warm day, another nine-inning game of nine-on-nine 'ball took center stage Thursday, May 15.
And some of the 5637 fans in attendance barely noticed.
"You get to see a lot of girls walking around, and you get to watch baseball," said Matt Atkinson, 15, elaborating on the girls-and-game answer given by his Delsea Middle School classmate Brendon Hennis. "It's really cool. And we get to be out of school."
Not counting any looks they stole, Atkinson, Hennis and the rest of Mantua resident Catie Jone's class each received a beverage and a hot dog for the $10 admission during the special promotion. Concession prices are about on par with those at Major League Baseball and tickets normally sell for $6 to $12 depending on seat location and game time.
Getting more than she or her kids bargained for, Jones was handed 10-page trivia workbooks to dole out – and then crammed them into her bag before the announcer could reel off a single question, promising to save them "for another day."
Such fan interaction is vital to the life of the eighth-year Riversharks, a professional club that plays in the independent eight-team Atlantic League at a level between the minors' AA and AAA leagues, Filomeno said.
"You're more into the game," said Kate McGurk, a senior of Pennsylvania's Ridley High School. "I feel you're into it and they get your feedback."
McGurk wasn't kidding.
After making the necessary arrangements with Filomeno , McGurk and her senior classmates – wanting to make their final field trip unforgettable – took the field seventh inning and danced with Mr. Trash, a garbage-collecting usher who wears a top hat and a tuxedo.
"We were helping with the trash bag," she said.
Silly, sure, but Filomeno knows – even with the Riversharks standing at a league-best 16-6 – the sideshow often steals the spotlight.
"Our fans come because they want to see the fireworks, they want to see the giveaway, they want to see their child out in the infield singing the anthem," said Filomeno, 26, a Princeton resident. "We put all of our focus on the show.
"If the fans go home and don't know what the score was at the end of the night, we did our jobs during the game."
Every day is some day at Campbell's.
Friday means fireworks, Saturday spins kids around bases, Sunday is for team autographs, Monday has theme Karaoke, Tuesday brings the Bingo crowd and Wednesday is a wildcard, meaning anything from the upcoming "Christmas in July Night" to such gems as "Superhero Night" and "Fear Factor Night."
"We had them [kids] eating preserved duck eggs and chocolate covered bugs," said Filomeno of "Fear Factor Night," basing the concept on the extreme-eating reality show. "It was revolting. The kids signed up for it."
The 'Sharks play the Lancaster Barnstormers during their next home game Monday, June 2, or, as it's known at Campbell's Field, "Salute to Boy Bands Karaoke Night."
Filomeno has curtailed the number of the theme nights last year in favor of the moneymaker: more firework nights.
About 40 percent of fans – an average draw of 3636 according to 2007 data by Ballpark Digest – are new to the Riversharks, Filomeno estimates.
And for all they do to reach out to new fans, the 'Sharks partly have Major League Baseball to thank.
Major League Baseball's average ticket price rose 10.1 percent this year to $25.43, a trend the Philadelphia Phillies have partaken in and one Washington Township resident Michael Petulla cannot grasp.
"From a working-class, blue-collar standpoint, the Phillies are not as comfortable or affordable," said Petulla, 70, who was there for the first time Thursday wife Arlene. "They make an exorbitant amount of money, they get it from the TV, radio, ads and everything they sell … and yet they continue to raise ticket prices every year."
World Series champion Boston Red Sox lead the majors for the 10th straight year in ticket price, averaging $48.80. The New York Yankees, in spirit of Yankee Stadium's final year, have closed the gap on their divisional rival, increasing prices a league-high 18.1 percent for an average of $41.40.
The Phillies charge between $17 and $50 for an individual ticket, according to the team's Web site.
"Your average working Joe definitely cannot afford that and it's a shame because you should be able to take your older kids to a Yankees game," Filomeno said. "And it shouldn't be about 'Well, it's $80 for one ticket.' That's where we come in."