Successful Charity with the Austin Armadillos

On February 28^th the Austin Armadillos hosted a charity event for the children society of cancer. The event took place in one of the event rooms inside the stadium. The goal was to raise approximately $1.5 million dollars in order to help children diagnosed with cancer. It was a private event, and it was an honor to have former President George W. Bush and his family as our guests of honor. In addition to the former president, we had other guests like Jessica Simpson, Lance Armstrong, and Sandra Bullock. During the event, we had several entertaining comedians and band players as well. The event was a success; most of the players attended and we were able to raise a little bit more than our goal. Hopefully this will help the children society of cancer and fight the disease.

Austin Armadillos fighting for cancer!

Postseason Predictions

Opening Week has come to a close and the Austin Armadillos are undefeated. This team full of rookies has really come together and it is evident in their record. In this post I will break down the team into each key component to show why the Austin Armadillos will be the World Champions. 1. Pitching- This team is full of very young pitchers who are out to make a name for themselves. In the first 5 games, the starting pitchers all pitched at least 7 innings. This is was incredible since this was each of their first major league starts. If these young kids can stay healthy, they will definitely be in the race for the Cy Young. The Ace of the Weekend was Adam Roy. He pitched a complete shut out game with 15 Strike Outs. This was one of the best Major Leagues starts for a Rookie in the History of the MLB. 2. Batting- The team had a combined Batting Average of .459 for the first 5 games. In the Opening Series, the team hit 12 home runs. Also, the combined score for the 5 games was 38 runs. They outscored their opponents by at least 5 runs each game. The Golden Bat award for this week goes to Trip Hauf. He went 16-17 in his 5 games he played. This is the best start that Trip has had in his 5 year career in the MLB. Fans have filled the Stadium for each game which has helped the players feel welcomed in their new town. The staff is very excited to see what this season will bring. Who knows, this could be the first team to go 162-0. Best of Luck Austin Armadillos!

Best Family Experience

After a long week at work, I decided to take my family to see the Armadillos play on Opening Day. I have always been a huge sports fan and was really excited when I heard that we were getting a team in Austin. I could not believe the family discounts that the Team offered. Growing up in Boston, my family was able to go to one game a year because tickets were very over priced. Now with the Family discounts, I can take my family to multiple games this season. My oldest son is 12 and my youngest son is 10. Both of them started playing T-Ball as soon as they could pick up the bat. I was so glad that I could share the Inaugural Game with them and my wife.

During the National Anthem, I got the chills when the F-16s flew over the field. I remembered the time my dad had taken me to my first game and the incredible experience we had shared.

My sons watched the game and instantly became fans of the Armadillos. The games and activites between innings really kept my sons interested. It was great to see that they have started to become as interested in the MLB just like their father.

I have to say that the best experience of the entire night was during the 8th inning. Pablo Sandivido hit a foul ball right to our seats and I snatched it out of the air. I could not have asked for a better souvenir to give to my sons to share.

Thanks Austin Armadillos for the experience I will share with my kids for the rest of my life.

Video Contest

My friends and I were bored one weekend, and couldn't figure out what to do. So we did what any 16 year old would do. We googled it on our iPhones. I found some Austin Armadillo tickets on the internet and we decided to go. It was such a blast that we couldn't believe it! While at the game, I learned about how the Armadillos are keeping up with all the technology. I learned something really interesting to me specifically. They have a website all about posting our own videos online, about the Austin Armadillos. As a video geek, I decided to enter their contest and I ended up wining a scholarship to college!

Although I am leaving to go to TCU for college now, I will always be a life long Armadillos fan.

I will always wear purple, to support my team and my college. 

GO ARMADILLOS!

Take me out to the ball game!

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

I am a BIS professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and I heard this classic baseball song everywhere around campus last week: in the library, in the hallways, and in classrooms. The whole campus, students and faculty alike, was buzzing about Austin's new baseball team, the Austin Armadillos! We had all been waiting and hoping for a baseball team to be formed in Austin, and our dream had finally come true.

Although the students at UT are from all over the world, they are all proud Austin residents, and they were thrilled to know that they could now add anothr item on their list of things to brag about: Austin's baseball team!

The excitment only intensified after thier AMAZING first win. I even found myself off topic while teaching my class--one minute I was explaining CRM and ERP strategies, and the next minute I was initiating a debate on who the best player on the Armadillos is. (We couldn't reach a consensus--they are all so good!)

The Austin Armadillos have the support of the UT campus, and we can't wait to see what this season holds for the newest addition to Major League Baseball!

New Stadium

The CEO of Duracell is donating 2.4 billion dollars to construct the new Austin Armadillo’s stadium; out of the 2.4 billion dollar budget, 320 million will be used to accommodate 9,000 vehicles, making parking convenient. The new stadium is going to be named “Duracell Field”. Some of the planning includes a seating capacity for 58,000 people and 150 luxury suits. The stadium lights will be powered by solar energy and the scoreboard will contain LED lights to cut down on energy costs. All the appliances throughout the stadium will be Energy Star approved, making this an eco-friendly stadium. We are ecstatic that Duracell is helping jump start the construction of this new state- of –the- art baseball stadium as well as creating the new baseball culture in Austin.

New Fan

I am proud to say that I am officially a baseball fan, thanks to the Austin Armadillos!

My best friend is obsessed with baseball, and when I told her that I had never been to a baseball game, she couldn't believe it! She told me that there was a new baseball team in Austin, and insisted that we go to their first game. I wasn't really looking forward to it at first--considering I knew nothing about baseball--but my attitude quickly changed when we got to the new Duracell Stadium. The excitement was almost palpable, and it quickly rubbed off on me! After grabbing some delicious hot dogs and a couple sodas, we headed to our seats, where we watched Carrie Underwood sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." She was amazing!

It was rumored that Matthew McConaughey (a Texas native) was also at the game. It is great knowing that the Armadillos have the support of so many! And they definitely deserve it. The game was unbelievable, and I couldn't stop cheering! Who knew I would have so much fun at a baseball game?

I had such a great time at the game, my best friend and I decided to buy season tickets. The tickets were easy to get on their website, and I even ended up buying an Armadillos t-shirt and baseball cap to wear to the many games to come!

Undefeated!

The Austin Armadillos are currently undefeated, after winning their season opening series against the Oakland Athletics. The Armadillos inaugural game at Duracell stadium was sold out! In the bottom of the ninth, with the bases loaded, every eye in the stadium was glued to the lone white leather ball flying out into mid field. The A's outfielder stretched for the ball, but let it slip just out of his grip, ensuring the Armadillo's 8-5 win.

 More excellent games are sure to come, and I am positive that my family and I will be in attendance of as many games as possible. The Armadillos are magnificent at keeping the crowd energetic and the kids entertained. Our kids spent the entire seventh inning stretch playing on the play ground made out of all recycled materials. My wife and I couldn't believe how many other ways the Armadillo's supported the green effort.

We will certainly be life long Armadillo fans after this unforgettable first game.