Story and photos by Kaitlin Merkel/Murphy News Service
The St. Paul Saints’ staff, coaches and players assured fans Saturday that while the team may have a new ballpark, CHS Field in Lowertown St. Paul, the fun-filled, family-centric atmosphere of the team’s games will remain the same.
“Not only have we not changed, we’ve probably gone to the absurd,” said Saints’ Director of Media Relations Sean Aronson, “[We have a] different address, [but remain the] same quirky Saints.”
The Saints, who are known for their quirky promotions and between-inning entertainment bits will continue the tradition at CHS Field, Aronson said, referring to past acts such as Ball Pig Stephen Coalboar and “30,000-year-old” Caveman Dan, who races across the field whenever the Saints score a run.
During media day and the team’s first full practice, which was open to the public, members of the organization praised the new stadium and expressed excitement for opening night May 21.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time and … I don’t think I’ve ever seen one [a ballpark] as nice as this,” Saints’ head coach George Tsamis said, “This is as beautiful as it gets.”
Saints’ pitcher Drew Gay, who played with the team last year, said he spent the offseason checking the stadium updates, adding he had looked forward to seeing CHS Field in person, “My heart was probably racing 100 miles per hour walking up to the field. Just to see what it looked like and I was just blown away the first time I saw it.”
Gay said he is confident the organization will bring its same quirkiness to the new home.
“The one thing I loved about Midway [the old stadium] was the atmosphere. You can’t beat it. I know they’re going to bring it here which is going to be outstanding,” Gay said, “I think it’ll be just the same, just in a different place.”
The Saints called Midway Stadium home since 1993, but rough field conditions, run-down concourses and cramped clubhouses forced the move.
Tsunamis said the old stadium was sometimes a deterrent in signing players, who didn’t want to play in those conditions.
New Saints’ infielder Ian Gac cited the new ballpark as a “pretty big factor” in his decision to sign with the Saints, “It’s probably the best place to play in the league … I think everyone will be pretty proud of that and want to stay here and play well.”
The Saints and their manager are confident that fans will love CHS Field as much as the team already does.
“I don’t see how anybody can come here and say this was a bad move,” Tsamis said, “There’s nothing to complain about.”
The Saints added a Gopher connection to the team this year by signing outfielder and Minnesota baseball alumnus Mike Kvasnicka, who was released by the Minnesota Twins during spring training.
“I kind of knew that I wanted to go back home for sure … I’ve got one year left at the U, my wife is five and a half months pregnant and I’m just kind of ready to move on,” Kvasnicka said, “[It was a] stars aligned kind of thing and I’m just really happy to be playing in Minnesota.”
Kvasnicka said he plans to finish his last year at the U, completing his degree in youth studies, and views this season with the Saints as “one last opportunity to play for the fun of the game.”
Now that the stadium and new players have been introduced, the Saints are focusing the attention on the task at hand—winning.
“We got a lot of new pitchers, a lot of new relief arms and some really good starters … Outfield we have a ton of speed, infield we’re set all around,” Gay said, “One thing I’m excited about is we have depth. We have two, three guys at each position which is nice.”
“We want to win here … we want to give the fans of St. Paul something to cheer for,” Gac said, “Hopefully we can win and put together a good season.”
“Everybody wants a championship … me, the players, the organization and the fans. And the fans deserve one, too,” manager Tsamis said, “We’re going to put the best possible team out there and play hard and we hope to bring them a championship.”
Reporter Kaitlin Merkel is studying journalism and Spanish at the University of Minnesota.