Duluth Huskies general manager Greg Culver was busy helping out in the Kennel Klub last Friday at Wade Stadium, getting the beer taps set up for the Huskies' Northwoods League home finale.
The day before a monsoon settled in over the Twin Ports, but the Huskies still managed to get the game in, with an announced crowd of 3,198.
Friday's crowd, with good weather, was even better, with 4,039 tickets sold for the Huskies' 7-3 win over the Rochester Honkers. The fifth-largest home crowd in Huskies' history was treated to postgame fireworks.
"We're going to finish the year strong," Culver said. "The biggest (obstacle to) this season has been the weather. That was the kicker for us."
Expect changes for next year.
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The Huskies announced Monday they were parting ways with field manager Daniel Hersey after eight seasons, a long tenure in a league known for its turnover. Hersey and his coaching staff brought stability, so that will be new next year as owner Michael Rosenzweig takes a more active role in running the team. Rosenzweig would like to have a new coach picked in the next 30 to 45 days, but the position will be for the summer only, where Hersey was year-round.
Attendance was down this season, averaging 1,343 per game, compared to a record 1,611 per contest in 2016,
"June was rough," Culver said. "We weren't able to have (as many schools attend) Education Day this year, and we were down 2,000 in attendance with that one game. That set the trend right there. I think it was a lot of a little bit of stuff that added up this year."
That is not to say there weren't bright spots. Former Duluth-Superior Dukes pitcher Ila Borders was one of the big draws, including nearly 4,000 for a bobblehead giveaway on July 27.
"I know where some promotions worked, and some didn't," Culver said. "After the season we have meetings where we'll toss this one out, keep this one in, and we'll call around to see what's been working for other teams, and they'll call us. Our schedule for 2018 will come out around the holidays, and then we'll hammer the promotions to no end. I've got to come up with better June promotions, like a stocking cap or a rain slicker giveaway."
At least Culver has kept his sense of humor.
The Huskies would love for the league to backend their schedule with more home games in August, knowing how fickle Duluth weather can be in June, but that hasn't been the case. Of the Huskies' 11 games this August, only three were at home. The league knows the Huskies are a priority tenant, meaning they can't be bumped for high school games in June, and they know about Wade's artificial surface.
This summer the Huskies had their first rainout in the three years since artificial turf was put in, so while the average attendance might be down, total attendance can be up from four or five years ago because more games are played.
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"There were a lot of games where it looked we didn't have a chance of getting the game in," Culver said. "This field really is a game-changer because it allows us to play through weather like that. So we get the game in, but your attendance is cut in half."
On the field, the Huskies went 31-41, their second straight losing season after going 30-42 in 2016. They were one of the top hitting teams in the 20-team league with a .266 team batting average, but the team ERA of 4.94 ranked 14th.
"I think we had the right guys," said Les Pajari, the Huskies' senior director of baseball operations. "They just needed experience, and that's what the league is all about. Developing them. The pitching was a soft spot for us, so we'll try to load up on arms for next year. You try to do that every year, but we'll really make a concentrated effort to do that for next season. That'll be the focus."
