Minor league baseball: Berlin opening bidding for naming rights

SOUTH BEND -- What?s in a name? A rose is a rose, and all that jazz.

A name could turn out to be a big boost for Coveleski Stadium ... er, The Cove ... or whatever the ballpark on the south side of downtown might soon be called.

The Cove and its brand have finally come of age, at least in the eyes of South Bend Silver Hawks owner Andrew Berlin. In his second year at the helm, Berlin is opening bidding for the naming rights of the stadium.

Berlin, 53, said that stipulations of his contract with the city mandate retaining some form of the original name, either ?The Cove? or ?Coveleski Stadium.? But it allows for something like: Blankety-Blank Field at The Cove.

Doesn?t really matter. As long as the check clears.

?We are open for business to sell the naming rights,? Berlin said. ?We have the product; after a year, we?ve kinda proven our chops.

?That enables us to make more capital improvements. All that money will go right back into the stadium.?

Four franchises in the Midwest League have made their naming rights contracts public. Clinton (Alliant Energy) gets $450,000 over 10 years; Dayton (Fifth Third Bank) gets $4.5 million over 20 years; Peoria (Caterpillar) gets $2 million over 10 years; and Quad Cities (Modern Woodmen of America) gets $2 million over 10 years.

Berlin had no idea what naming The Cove might fetch.

During a midseason sit-down, Berlin shared his opinion on several other topics.

On his preferred playing surface (The Cove has artificial turf):??Grass, to me, it?s romantic. (Artificial turf) is utilitarian. Our field handles a lot of games and events and still looks really good.?

On possibly buying the Chicago White Sox (Berlin is already a minority owner):??My first impression (after hearing primary owner Jerry Reinsdorf say he has told his family to sell the White Sox but keep the Bulls after he dies) was, ?much ado about nothing.?

?I?ve obviously made my interest in buying the White Sox known to Jerry. The answer I got from him was, when he?s done enjoying the White Sox, he has instructed his family to sell the team. I would be in line when Jerry is ready. I?m financially ready. I?m professionally ready.?

On the difference between owning a Major League and Minor League franchise:??There are two ways to think about it. I?m glad I don?t have to pay those (Major League) players. They get paid a lot of money. It can also be frustrating. When you have a great team like we have this year (Eastern Division first-half champs), the Diamondbacks see that talent and move these guys up.

?Their ultimate goal is for the Diamondbacks to?win?another World Series. I know this going in. I can?t really moan about it, but by the same token, when you?ve got a really great team in place, and you want to win a championship ? even at our level ? and the players move up...

?My frustration takes a backseat to a lot of other priorities. The Diamondbacks want to win. The players want to move up. Their dream is to make it to the Majors. I?m like the only guy who wants them to stay put.?

On future media visibility of the Silver Hawks:??I?d like to explore with Comcast, or some of the other regional (television) networks, about broadcasting games in South Bend and the region. Fort Wayne does that, and I think we have a better product. We?d also like to get back on the radio.

?I don?t think enough people of Michiana know the names of our players; their stories; where they came from; obstacles they?ve overcome in their lives. I?d love for the people of Michiana to connect with our players. Then they?d start to follow the team.?

On aligning with the Cubs after next season when the contract with Arizona is up:??I can?t talk about it. When I first bought the team, a reporter asked me about it. The story came out that I was exploring an affiliation with the Cubs. I really had to mend some bridges after that story came out.?

On coaxing the Diamondbacks to send some Major Leaguers to South Bend on rehab assignments:?I hear ya. I hear ya. It?s a possibility. The Diamondbacks have a commitment to make the team better here. In my conversations with the Diamondbacks, it?s important to them that the Silver Hawks win a?championship?this year. I think you?re going to see a different team at the end of the summer; a team that will be definitely ready for contention when the (Midwest League) playoffs begin.

Source: http://www.wsbt.com/sports/wsbt-minor-league-baseball-berlin-opening-bidding-for-naming-rights-20130721,0,6833204.story?track=rss

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