Hi, Jaguars fans! Jacksonville Florida's other professional team, the Jacksonville Suns, begin their 2016 Southern League baseball season, as they host the Birmingham Barons this Thursday Night at Bragan Field at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The JaxSuns are the Class AA Minor League Affiliate of the Florida Marlins.


Our JaxSuns will try to improve from their disappointing 2015 season where they finished in 9th and last place in the Southern League standings with a 57-81 regular season record, and out of the playoffs, win another Southern League Championship later this season since sweeping the Chattanooga Lookouts 3 games to 0 in their 2014 postseason. The team has won six Southern League Championships as the Jacksonville Suns in the Double AA Southern League since 1991, winning League Championships in 1996, 2001 (Co-Champions with the Huntsville Stars), 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2014.


New owner Ken Babby, who took over the Suns ownership for under $25 million, then proceeded to invest $1.8 million is stadium improvements to the BGOJ, for the JaxSuns upcoming season.


David Berg will also return as Field Manager for The Jacksonville Suns, along with Hitting Coach Rich Arena, and Pitching Coach Storm Davis, and New General Manager Harold Craw, provide leadership for the JaxSuns upcoming 2016 season.


There will be giveaways and promotions on all home games at Bragan Field at the BGOF throughout the JaxSuns 2016 Southern League season begininning with the Magnet Schedule giveaway on Opening Night, with First Pitch at 7:05PM Eastern Standard Time. Ken Babby also announced lower ticket prices this year to make it more affordable for fans to attend JaxSuns games at the Bragan Field in The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.


Bragan Field at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, home of the JaxSuns, is located right across the street between EverBank Field and the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.


No injuries to all the Jacksonville Suns players, as they all endure in their 144 game Southern League Class AA season in 2016, and continue their Field Of Dreams to advance on to AAA with the New Orleans Zephyrs, and to MLB down the Florida coast with the Miami Marlins. GO JAXSUNS!!!!! :yes: B) :thumbsup: ^_^



2016 Jacksonville Suns Southern League Class AA Schedule:

<a class="bbc_url" href='http://www.milb.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=t564'>http://www.milb.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=t564</a>

<a class="bbc_url" href='http://www.jaxsuns.com/'>http://www.jaxsuns.com/</a>

<a class="bbc_url" href='http://jacksonville.suns.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t564'>http://jacksonville.suns.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t564</a>

<a class="bbc_url" href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville_Suns'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville_Suns</a>

<a class="bbc_url" href='http://jacksonville.com/sports/jacksonville_suns'>http://jacksonville.com/sports/jacksonville_suns</a>

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Anybody up for the ***Official Message Board Jacksonville Suns Outing*** this summer? Perfect time to get together in the parking lot and practice drinking beer behind the car; we can probably get discount admission and our own bathroom, too.

 

 

I would love to organize it but I am up to my ears in organizing the ***Official Message Board Golf Tournament*** for late September/early October. There's been no *Official* announcement yet and the only one interested in playing thus far is me. At least I will win Longest Drive AND Closest to the Pin.

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Season Ticket holder since 2004.

 

        

Anybody up for the ***Official Message Board Jacksonville Suns Outing*** this summer? Perfect time to get together in the parking lot and practice drinking beer behind the car; we can probably get discount admission and our own bathroom, too.

 

 

I would love to organize it but I am up to my ears in organizing the ***Official Message Board Golf Tournament*** for late September/early October. There's been no *Official* announcement yet and the only one interested in playing thus far is me. At least I will win Longest Drive AND Closest to the Pin.

Sounds like a plan, and you seem like the man to organize it!

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TravC59, aka JacksJags. @TravC59 on Twitter
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; "This is really good, you want a bite, Honey?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZZJuqt2PGM

 

Play Ball!

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I am a season ticket holder (weekends) for the Suns for last 10 years or so.  I'll be very anxious to see what is different.  The Suns REALLY needed new management.  They have little to no control over the product on the field, other than trying to select which organization they are affiliated with.

 

What they do control is the ballpark experience.  And after having seen some of the best in the Dayton Dragons and Pensacola Blue Wahoos, I was dismayed at the ballpark experience here.  Which is why, in my opinion, that attendance is down by a third since the new ballpark opened.

 

I talked to Ken Babby briefly and he gave me his card/email when I told him I had some thoughts on things that could improve, but didn't get the courtesy of even a generic "I'll forward this on, thanks for your ideas" response when I sent it.

 

So, cautiously optimistic that things will be better starting Thursday night. 

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Who is Ken Babby (I am not local)? Can he put us into the ***Official***Message Board Suns Outing location?

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Season Ticket holder since 2004.

 

        

Ken Babby's father, Lon Babby, is currently a General Advisor with the Phoenix Suns front office since 2010.   Ken also co-owns the Akron Rubberducks, the Class AA minor league baseball team of the Cleveland Indians,  based in LeBron James home town.

 

https://twitter.com/kenbabby

 

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journ...Babby.aspx

 

http://jacksonville.com/sports/baseball/...ville-suns

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Well I attended the Suns game last night.  I was hoping for major changes to the fan experience at the ballpark. I came away majorly disappointed.  Let's just say the Suns have much room for improvement.

 

Let's start with the good news. The place was packed last night.  They said 8,600 but it looked much bigger and their automated ticket scanners failed last night so I think the count was low.  Suns did a good job putting out the news about new management.

 

The bad news?   The Suns were totally unprepared for the crowd.  It was a mess.  Any time there is a crowd the box office gets backed up and last night was no exception. Long lines to get tickets.

 

And, long lines to get in the ballpark even when you had a ticket.  The were doing more checks of bags coming into the place, and so at home plate entrance they funneled people thru 2 lines  (the have 4 normal entrances in front) so if they had 4 checkers those lines would have been cut in half.    In addition they had a entrance just off to the side where season ticket holders were allowed to enter.   When we attempted to use that entrance we were informed that the folks on the Weekender Plan who have been season ticket holders for 10 years, are no longer considered season ticket holders.

 

But they paled in comparison to the mess at the concession stands.  EVERY stand had long, long, waits.  Every one that mentioned it said 1 hour.  The people next to us got in line after the Anthem and got back middle of the 3rd.  

 

I'll edit this post later with more thoughts. 

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Well I attended the Suns game last night.  I was hoping for major changes to the fan experience at the ballpark. I came away majorly disappointed.  Let's just say the Suns have much room for improvement.

 

Let's start with the good news. The place was packed last night.  They said 8,600 but it looked much bigger and their automated ticket scanners failed last night so I think the count was low.  Suns did a good job putting out the news about new management.

 

The bad news?   The Suns were totally unprepared for the crowd.  It was a mess.  Any time there is a crowd the box office gets backed up and last night was no exception. Long lines to get tickets.

 

And, long lines to get in the ballpark even when you had a ticket.  The were doing more checks of bags coming into the place, and so at home plate entrance they funneled people thru 2 lines  (the have 4 normal entrances in front) so if they had 4 checkers those lines would have been cut in half.    In addition they had a entrance just off to the side where season ticket holders were allowed to enter.   When we attempted to use that entrance we were informed that the folks on the Weekender Plan who have been season ticket holders for 10 years, are no longer considered season ticket holders.

 

But they paled in comparison to the mess at the concession stands.  EVERY stand had long, long, waits.  Every one that mentioned it said 1 hour.  The people next to us got in line after the Anthem and got back middle of the 3rd.  

 

I'll edit this post later with more thoughts. 

 

I would honestly send this info to Ken Babby. He seems pretty serious about improving the client experience.

 

As fun as Suns games are, it does seem like the concessions are always an issue when it is a crowded game.

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He certainly knows about the concession issue as he apologized to the fans about the long lines in his post game comments.  I may (after a few games) send Babby another email, but like I said.  I put together a very long email with tons of suggestions over the winter and got no reply.

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Ban the bot! Suns area too sacred for this!

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Who is going?

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When is Jax going to get a Triple A team? They've got the ballpark and the crowds.

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When is Jax going to get a Triple A team? They've got the ballpark and the crowds.

 

Probably never. The only way it may ever happen is if the Marlins swap Jacksonville and New Orleans for their AA and AAA franchises.

 

Most of the current AAA teams play in newer stadiums than we have here. I went to a game in Charlotte last year. They are the White Sox AAA affiliate. It is a great stadium right in downtown.

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