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Amateur baseball: Mallards have big plans for All-Star event

Adam Mertz  —  4/23/2008 6:58 am

The first time the Northwoods League All-Star Game came to town, the only attraction outside of the main event was a home run derby in which only two players were able to knock one over the fence at Warner Park.

Suffice it to say the landscape has changed a lot since 2002. And this time around, the host Madison Mallards have put together a fan-friendly, two-day slate they believe is a guaranteed home run.

It starts July 13 with the unveiling of what is being described as the "World's Largest Bratwurst" -- a 60-foot, 6-inch sausage, assembled by Stoddard's Meat Market of Cottage Grove to match the distance between the pitching rubber and home plate. Fans will have a chance to wander onto the field and buy a piece.

It is capped July 14 by the big game itself, which will be aired live on the cable channel ESPNU. For the first time, the teams will wear custom North and South jerseys, which will be auctioned off afterward to benefit the Madison Children's Museum.

"It's a chance for us to really put our best foot forward," Mallards general manager Vern Stenman said.

Stenman, who has attended every Northwoods League All-Star Game during his 12-year association with the league -- the last seven in Madison -- announced the lineup alongside Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz on Tuesday at the Hilton Monona Terrace, which will serve as the host hotel for the festivities.

"We couldn't be happier with the success that the Mallards have enjoyed these last few years," said Cieslewicz, who was presented with an honorary South squad All-Star jersey and plans to attend the game. "And this is just the latest example of that."

The Mallards drew a record 2,712 fans to the 2002 Northwoods League All-Star Game, then easily trumped that mark in 2003 with a crowd of 4,310 -- a record that still stands, at least until mid-summer.

The schedule of events for Sunday, July 13:

* The first-ever Fan Fest, which will be open Sunday, July 13 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Duck Pond. Every All-Star will be available for autographs, and a large tent on the adjacent soccer field will contain kid-friendly games and activities including a video game tournament, Home Run Derby contest and a Mallards game program cover booth.

* The Home Run Derby, which should benefit from smaller field dimensions than existed in 2002.

* The All-American Challenge, which will pit a collection of the top players from the Home Talent League -- the amateur baseball circuit with teams in more than 40 communities around Madison -- against the U.S. Military All-Stars.

The schedule of events for Monday, July 14:

* A luncheon at Monona Terrace, open to the public, that will include every All-Star and feature a keynote speaker to be announced; last year's special guest was then-Minnesota Twins general manger Terry Ryan.

* A player combine at which any Northwoods League player can audition for major league scouts; Stenman said that for the last two years, all 30 franchises have had a presence at the event.

* The All-Star Game, which in its 12-year existence has featured 25 players who advanced to the majors, including recent Milwaukee Brewers acquisition Jeff Weaver (1995), outfielders Curtis Granderson of Detroit and Ryan Spilborghs of Colorado (2001) and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier (2002).

"For us, the All-Star Game is an opportunity to show off what we're doing here in Madison. It's also a recruiting opportunity," Stenman said. "We want these guys going back, that don't play for the Mallards already, going back to their coaches and to their friends and to their teammates, and saying, 'Madison, Wisconsin, is the best place to play summer collegiate baseball in the country,' which we feel really strongly that it is."

Adam Mertz  —  4/23/2008 6:58 am