LONG BEACH — The stands juddered and quaked on Wednesday.
It was the sound of roller skates crashing against the concrete while the Long Beach Coast stomped the Oakland Ballers in the early goings of a mid-week affair.
Several employees from Pigeon’s Roller Skate Shop, including owner Pigeon Meikle, glided around two miles to the Coast’s Sidewalk Surfers and Skaters Rollout theme night at Blair Field – just one of many promotional events the first-year Pioneer League franchise is hosting for its inaugural season – attracting many fans to their first baseball game.
In its most recent home series against the Oakland Ballers, a three-game set played Tuesday to Thursday, the Coast brought in 1,984 spectators for its second $2 Tuesday of the season, 736 Wednesday and 1,352 Thursday, when it honored the United States’ 250th anniversary with a postgame Fourth of July-themed drone show.
“The league has been in contact with us since before they came to Long Beach,” Meikle said. “We owned the local roller rink and roller skating is really big in Long Beach. So they’re (the Coast was) like, if we’re coming to Long Beach, we have to be connected with the roller skaters.”
Across 18 home contests at Blair Field, the first-place Coast’s average attendance is over 1,100 per game.
Long Beach’s upcoming home series against the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds will feature one of the team’s five remaining $2 Tuesdays, First Responders Appreciation Night on Wednesday and Cambodian Heritage Night on Thursday.
Qitana Sapiga, the Coast’s Community Engagement and Fan Experience Manager, said she’s hoping to have several members of the Long Beach Police Department in attendance and recognized on Wednesday, while adding that Thursday and the franchise’s four other heritage nights will give fans access to food from the respective communities at Blair Field.
“Community engagement is making sure that our team is deeply embedded in Long Beach,” Sapiga said. “Regardless of what the attendance is for that night, a couple hundred, a couple thousand people, we are going to give them the best experience possible.”
Sapiga added that she’s particularly proud of the Coast’s efforts to make games accessible, especially when it comes to families – but the affordability of Coast games is felt by more than just parents.
“We just always go out and watch the (Long Beach State) Dirtbags,” Long Beach local Randy Fletcher, who attended his first Coast game Tuesday, said. “Now, with them getting implemented into this new league, and they’re selling $2 tickets, how could you go wrong?”
Fletcher said he thought the crowd was better than the ones he’s seen at Dirtbag games, adding that he preferred the atmosphere at Blair Field on Tuesday over a typical game at Dodger Stadium.
Jack Schier, who attended Tuesday with Fletcher, said he was happy to see so many families come to the park and added that he finds the Pioneer League’s level of play more entertaining than the usual collegiate affair.
Alex Bardowell, father of Coast right fielder Matthew Bardowell, said he preferred the atmosphere of Coast games over those at Cal State Fullerton – where Matthew played two seasons – because of the heightened professionalism, both on the field and in the stands.
Though Alex Bardowell wasn’t wearing a Coast hat or jersey, that’s not to say he wasn’t representing his son’s team.
He was wearing a Long Beach Regulators hat and jersey, the Coast’s alter ego, inspired by co-owner Warren G’s song “Regulate” that the team plays as on Fridays at Blair Field, ditching their typical teal and tan color scheme for a sharper black-and-white look.
While some people may struggle to emotionally invest in a brand new team with players who are anything but household names, Keith Franklin had no trouble being the loudest at the ballpark for his first Coast game Thursday.
“They’re (The players are) just putting everything they got into the game, so you want to celebrate that,” Franklin said Thursday. “They’re sleeping on a boney mattress with a rock under it. They probably ate an am/pm hot dog and they’re wondering whether this even matters anymore. … We have to cheer loud and let these guys know we’re here for them.”
Franklin added that he spends the collegiate season attending games across Southern California, keeping up with players wherever they end up. A professional team in Long Beach, for Franklin, just means he gets to extend his yearly tour of baseball.
Though he wore a Cal State Fullerton shirt, Franklin had no problem rooting for Coast third baseman Dylan Lina, who played for Long Beach State and signed with the Pioneer League team Wednesday.
“Playing the hot corner, that’s his home right there,” Franklin said. “His scent is still there.”
Charlie Kresser and Gavin Madrid have become some of the Coast’s first diehards.
“I first learned about the team back when they were doing the naming contest,” Kresser said Tuesday, attending his 12th home game. “I came on opening night, and I was kind of planning for it to just be a one-off thing, but I just got hooked.
Madrid, meanwhile, credits Kresser for getting him swept into the Coast.
“Best baseball experience I’ve had in my life,” Madrid said. “I’m an Angels fan and it sucks. This has been so much fun coming here. I’ve missed barely any games.”
Assistant General Manager Jacob Benabou said that although Southern California is rich with baseball at nearly every level, he sees the Coast filling a unique niche – providing professional baseball and fan experiences, including an assortment of in-between-inning challenges and activities, at prices the community can afford on a regular basis.
“We envision this club being part of the Long Beach fabric of the community forever,” Benabou said.
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