1 day Ago
Sometimes the breaks don’t fall your way. Ryan Ramsey pitched a masterful two-hitter in the Midwest League playoffs here in Davenport – but one of those two hits was a home run, and the River Bandits lost 1-0. We ended up losing a hard-fought playoff series to Wisconsin.
It’s baseball. That happens. And there’s always next year.
But before we turn the page on this season, we at the River Bandits want to thank you, our guests, who came into Modern Woodmen Park more than a quarter-million times this summer. We appreciate everyone who caught a game, bought a hot dog, wore a Bandits ballcap, attended one of our many non-baseball events, and brought their kids to ride our amusement rides. You are the reason we do all that we do.
You also got to see great baseball! You saw the Kansas City Royals’ top prospects, including Jac Caglianone (#1), Blake Mitchell (#2), Ben Kudrna (#3), and Carter Jensen (#5). Next season, I suspect you’ll see Blake Wolters (#4). We’re especially happy for the thousands of Quad Cities kids who got to meet these fine young men, get an autograph and maybe a photo of them together.
Meeting the players, then watching them go on to start – and star – for the Royals is a memory Quad Cities kids will never forget. And make no mistake: many River Bandits will make it to the majors. The playoff-bound Royals’ starting first baseman, second baseman, and third baseman all played in Quad Cities! We appreciate your support, and we support this community right back.
We help fund free flu shots for every Quad Cities child who wants one (nothing mandatory), Camp Genesis, a week-long respite for area kids dealing with cancer in their families, and the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at Genesis. Indeed, the River Bandits are among the largest donors to each. Moreover, every time someone rides one of our amusement rides, we use that money to fund Family Connects, a wonderful program that sends a nurse home for a week with each new-born baby to an impoverished mother.
Studies show that even one week at the start of a child’s life can mean the difference between graduation and incarceration. We also help fund the largest college scholarship program in all of Minor League Baseball. This year, we donated three scholarships, each of which ensures the recipient and their family have no tuition payments to area colleges.
Each winner also earns a paid internship with the Bandits. All totaled, ownership and staff volunteered nearly 1,300 hours this year in the Quad Cities; we also donated cash, merchandise, and tickets to help nonprofits raise money. The total value? More than half a million dollars! That’s how we build a better, stronger community.
We do all this because we are laser-focused on what matters most: Providing fun, affordable, family-friendly entertainment to the wonderful people of the Quad Cities and giving back to this great community. My partner, Roby Smith, and I aspire to make Modern Woodmen Park the region’s most fun, family-friendly entertainment destination. We value tremendously the businesses that advertise in the ballpark or choose it to host an employee or customer appreciation day.
We’re grateful to the city of Davenport for honoring its contractual obligations to use our rent to help fund the various improvements required by Major League Baseball. Thanks to the city council, next year you’ll see a new playing field at the ballpark. But, most of all, we appreciate you – and the opportunity to be an integral part of this great community.
We’re not just grateful for your support; the many friendships, partnerships, and even the casual “you’re doing a great job” are what inspire us. You drive us not just to do more, but to do better. On behalf of Roby, myself, and everyone within the River Bandits’ family, thank you for looking out for one another, for caring about your neighbors, for making the Quad Cities such an awesome place, and for making 2024 such a great season.
We’ll do our best to make next year even better – and, maybe, come playoff time the breaks will fall our way, and we’ll deliver another championship to this wonderful community we’re so fortunate to call home. Heller Dave Heller is the president and CEO of Main Street Baseball and the majority owner and Managing Partner of three minor league baseball teams, including the Quad Cities River Bandits (Advanced-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals). Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!.
