"That just erodes your price integrity," he says with conviction, launching into a pithy lesson on sticking to your core business. "What have we got? We've got tickets to sell. Screw that up and you're in real trouble. Those people that just believe, 'Well, we'll get 'em in, and we'll sell them all these concessions' -- you know what? The customers sit back and laugh at them, they really do. We aren't gonna give them a reason to laugh at us, except for when we dive into a vat of Jello or we blow up the dynamite lady. Yes, sir?"
"How can I get an autograph signed?" a fan wants to know.
"I'll tell you what. At the end of the game, go down to the far end of the concourse. The players go by there, and they'll usually do autographs. Starting the next game, we'll have a couple players every night before the game."
Not only that, but next time that fan comes back the big bull (sponsored by a local restaurant) should be in place above the wall in center field. "The head will move, the legs will kick, the tail will move, and it'll moo whenever we hit a homer," says Dochterman. "It's really cool. And we got this 'I bet you won't do it' radio contest every Wednesday. I bet you won't cover yourself with honey and frosted flakes, stand in a bowl of milk, and sing the Dillas fight song to get tickets to a game."
Fans are leaving now. The Dillas have won again. "Guys, we're glad you came!" says Dochterman, shaking a stranger's hand.
"Be back next time?"
* * *
Evidently.
More than 11,000 fans paid to watch the Dillas' two-game series with the San Antonio Tejanos. Assuming, conservatively, that the average fan spent $7 at the ballpark on tickets, souvenirs, and concessions, the Dillas took in more than enough cash that first weekend to cover player payroll for the entire season. It was an auspicious start, both for the Dillas, who were to become the league's best draw (3,000-plus each game) and for the Texas-Louisiana League itself. By Labor Day, when the season ended, total attendance for all eight clubs had surpassed 650,000, in line with projections.
There were disappointments, however. San Antonio, where the league went up against the Missions, an established minor-league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was a major flop. The Missions, playing in a new ballpark, set an attendance record for their league; the Tejanos averaged only 566 fans and will be moved next year. The Texas-Louisiana League's experience in San Antonio suggests it may be unrealistic to hope to compete for fans head-to-head against established minor-league teams. It may mean, too, that major-league affiliation confers a significant built-in value and that Westcott's projected franchise values are unrealistic.
Overall, though, in its first season the new league came close to breaking even on total sales of close to $4.5 million. There were no big surprises on the expenses side, but revenues lagged. The biggest disappointment was advertising -- specifically, fence ads: $800,000 projected, $90,000 actual. "That will come," says Westcott, now that the league is established. Capital requirements proved greater than anticipated. He and his partners ended up pumping in an additional $800,000 by season's end, mostly for unanticipated stadium improvements. Perhaps $1 million more by opening day 1995 may be needed, Westcott now believes. If so, that would lift the league's start-up costs above $2.5 million.
But Westcott and his coinvestors -- who, with the end-of-season debt to equity conversion, now own 80% of the league -- are undaunted. They'll add four new teams next year (including one in Springfield, Mo.), and they're still aiming for 24 teams in three leagues (A, AA, and AAA equivalents) by 1998. And beyond that?
"We might have a Plan B that we haven't unfolded yet," says Westcott. "There's nothing written in the Bible that says there have to be just 28 teams in the major leagues." He grins. "Now you're going from John Bryant's dream to Carl Westcott's dream."
BOX SCORE
The projected income statement for an average team in the first year of the Texas-Louisiana League
Revenues
Advertising $154,000
Fence signs
Program ads
Radio spots
Tickets $300,000
Concessions/souvenirs $163,000
Total revenues $617,000
Expenses
Team expenses $221,000
Salaries
Transportation
Uniforms and equipment
Stadium expenses $55,000
Rental
Maintenance
Insurance
Depreciation
Game-day expenses $49,000
(mostly personnel)
Umpires
Ushers
Ticket takers
Concessionaires
Security
Mascots
Public-address announcers
Radio broadcasters
General and administrative expenses $177,000
General manager and full-time staff
Accounting, advertising, and marketing personnel
Office rent
Printing, postage, supplies, etc.
Prorated share of league office personnel
Total expenses $502,000
Net Income $115,000
