Post by fwp on Apr 8, 2009 4:49:09 GMT -5
www.elpasotimes.com/sports/ci_12087686
EL PASO -- It's hard to imagine that the El Paso Generals' home opener on Saturday night could've gone any better.
The Generals, playing in their inaugural Indoor Football League game, rolled to a 50-17 win against Corpus Christi and played before a crowd of 4,694.
Good crowd? Check. Did the team win? Check.
"We were just ecstatic that we got that type of support for the first game," Generals general manager Dart Clark said Monday. "We're very pleased.
"Paul Strelzin, who does our announcing, called me on Saturday and said he's never seen a crowd respond and get into the game the way they did, and he's been around El Paso for a long time. That made us feel good."
But as with most opening nights, there were a few problems -- though they get solved.
The team was selling all of its seats, except the VIP seats, for $5 for the opening game. But tickets purchased through Ticketmaster added a small surcharge.
That same surcharge was incorrectly being charged at the El Paso County Coliseum ticket office on Saturday as fans were lining up to buy tickets.
In fact, the team estimated that more than 1,500 fans still were outside trying to buy tickets when the game began.
Team owner Albert Smith found out about the problems outside and got together with the Coliseum to allow all the fans still outside at the end of the first quarter to get in free. Smith would foot the bill for them.
"We made a fast decision," Smith said Monday. "It's not about the money. I didn't want anybody to miss any more of the game."
Smith also apologized for problems with the scoreboard, which was a lemon and will be replaced this week.
The team plays at Corpus Christi on Saturday and at Odessa on April 18, but the new scoreboard will be up and working for the team's next home game on April 25, which also will be against Corpus Christi.
Smith thanked the city for its response to the team.
"They supported us so much, it was heartwarming," he said. "We love El Paso."
John Erfort may be reached at jerfort@elpasotimes.com; 546-6170.
EL PASO -- It's hard to imagine that the El Paso Generals' home opener on Saturday night could've gone any better.
The Generals, playing in their inaugural Indoor Football League game, rolled to a 50-17 win against Corpus Christi and played before a crowd of 4,694.
Good crowd? Check. Did the team win? Check.
"We were just ecstatic that we got that type of support for the first game," Generals general manager Dart Clark said Monday. "We're very pleased.
"Paul Strelzin, who does our announcing, called me on Saturday and said he's never seen a crowd respond and get into the game the way they did, and he's been around El Paso for a long time. That made us feel good."
But as with most opening nights, there were a few problems -- though they get solved.
The team was selling all of its seats, except the VIP seats, for $5 for the opening game. But tickets purchased through Ticketmaster added a small surcharge.
That same surcharge was incorrectly being charged at the El Paso County Coliseum ticket office on Saturday as fans were lining up to buy tickets.
In fact, the team estimated that more than 1,500 fans still were outside trying to buy tickets when the game began.
Team owner Albert Smith found out about the problems outside and got together with the Coliseum to allow all the fans still outside at the end of the first quarter to get in free. Smith would foot the bill for them.
"We made a fast decision," Smith said Monday. "It's not about the money. I didn't want anybody to miss any more of the game."
Smith also apologized for problems with the scoreboard, which was a lemon and will be replaced this week.
The team plays at Corpus Christi on Saturday and at Odessa on April 18, but the new scoreboard will be up and working for the team's next home game on April 25, which also will be against Corpus Christi.
Smith thanked the city for its response to the team.
"They supported us so much, it was heartwarming," he said. "We love El Paso."
John Erfort may be reached at jerfort@elpasotimes.com; 546-6170.