The Northwoods League again led all summer collegiate baseball leagues in attendance during the 2010 season.
The league placed 11 teams in the top 50 in per-game attendance and broke the league’s all-time attendance record.
Ballparkbiz.com, an online news and information resource for the baseball industry, has ranked the top 50 summer collegiate baseball teams the past three years for attendance. The Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League led the nation in attendance with a staggering 5,884 fans per game while fellow NWL team La Crosse (3,174), was second. The Mallards and Loggers were also 1-2 in 2009 and are joined in the top-10 by the Eau Claire Express, who were sixth.
The Wisconsin Woodchucks and St. Cloud River Bats were 11th and 12th in fans per game. Other Northwoods League teams in the top 50 were Waterloo (16th), Wisconsin Rapids (24th), Mankato (33rd), Duluth (34th), Green Bay (40th) and Rochester (41st).
The Honkers averaged 1,173 fans per game, down slightly from last year, and the team dropped from 33rd to 41st in the overall rankings this season. A total of 54 teams averaged at least 1,000 fans a game this summer.
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The Honkers are setting up a fund for Mitch Caster, a player on the 2010 team who died in a car accident on Aug. 23.
Gifts of money can be given to: The Mitch Caster Fund, Home Federal Bank, 1016 Civic Center Dr. NW, Rochester, MN 55901 (or any Rochester branch).
The Honkers have also set up a web page in honor of Caster so fans can be updated. Go to www.rochesterhonkers.com for more information.
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Craig Dahlof Mankato is again trying to earn a roster spot with the St. Louis Rams. The fourth-year player is a safety and special teams player for the Rams.
Dahl is currently No. 1 on the depth chart at strong safety. He made one tackle in the Rams' 36-35 victory over New England in preseason play on Thursday.
Last year he played in a career-high 14 games, starting a career-high eight. He had a career-high 70 tackles (45 solo) with one sack, three passes defensed and two fumble recoveries. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Dahl played his college ball at North Dakota State.
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Three area men recently sang the National Anthem prior to a Twins game at Target Field. Jonathan Pahlof Pine Island, his brother-in-law Curt Buhlof Mankato and Pine Island High School choir director Doug Strandellsang on Aug. 1 before a game with Seattle. "The Pitchmen" were one of more than 1,000 auditions at Twins Fest in February. They were notified in April that they were
one of the 35 chosen to perform at a game. "The Pitchmen" had their own cheering section with more than 20 family and friends joining them at the game.
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Fans attending the Minnesota Vikings first home preseason game today (7 p.m. vs. Seattle) will get a chance to try a new hot dog or brat. The Vikings and Sheboygan Sausage Products have announced a new partnership. The Sheboygan Sausage Company hot dogs and brats will be exclusively served at Mall of America Field during all events at the stadium during the 2010 season. The new partnership will replace the "Dome Dog" with a quarter-pound hot dog called the "QB Dog."
The Sheboygan Sausage Company is a Minnesota-based company and part of American Foods Group LLC.
• The Vikings also announced that Pepsi Beverages Company will become the exclusive soft drink provider at Mall of America Field. The new agreement will grant PBC, the North American beverage business unit of PepsiCo, exclusive soft drink pouring and marketing rights in the stadium for the next two years. Pepsi has been the Official Soft Drink of the Minnesota Vikings since 2003.
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Information for the RCTC high school baseball league is now available. Rosters, schedule and field locations for grades 8-9 and 10-12 are now available at www.rctc.edu/athletics. Click on "Baseball" and then "Fall Baseball League Information."
Games begin Sunday and will run each Sunday (except Labor Day Sunday) until Oct. 10.
