The Okotoks Dawgs put on a show for their electric crowd every game. But the team feels it’s the other way around.
“It’s almost more what the town has done for the team,” Dawgs outfielder Brendan Rose said.
Rose’s humble perspective showcases the relationship Okotoks has with its Dawgs baseball organization.
“This team is kind of the perfect fit for this town. The stadium’s got the best atmosphere I’ve ever seen at a stadium. Every seat in the stadium is a good seat,” Rose said.
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Every seat at Seaman Stadium is usually sold out, unless you’re lucky enough to get a last-minute seat on the hill. You can’t beat what you get, for what you pay.
“If you want to go to an NHL game, you’re lucky if you’re getting in under three digits. If you’re 12 and under, you’re getting into the game free here,” Elaine Vincent, with the Town of Okotoks, said.
The major league spirit has grown fast in the small community, from a dream 10 years ago.
“What a dream it was. And it’s like the movie Field of Dreams. If you build it, they will come. And people have come to support the Dawgs,” Vincent said.
Mike Haslam and his family drove four hours from B.C. to see what all the Dawgs talk was about.
“We’re trying to grow out a program in Cranbrook and decided to come out and check out their camp and also take in one of their games because I heard it’s pretty high level ball out here. Pretty exciting to come see it for the first time,” Haslam said.
Nearby business owners covet their season tickets.
“Who doesn’t love to have a corn dog and a beer and your friends?” Heather Frayn, owner of Chatters hair salon, said. “It’s not just baseball. It’s community.”
Chris Baker, owner of Bone and Biscuit, sponsors the Dawgs’ mascot and says it has helped his new business build relationships around town.
“Just a great conversation back and forth about the team, about the kids, about the billets,” Baker said.
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One player is an in-house mentor for Chelsea Besuijen’s nine-year-old son.
“We actually have one of the players living with us. He has this big dream of baseball, especially since we have one of the guys living with us… He really looks up to him and wants that for himself,” Besuijen said.
“I think some of the coolest moments happen after the game when all the kids come out on the field, you feel like a big-leaguer for sure. It’s cool. Little kids come up to you, they want your autograph,” Dawgs outfielder Ryan Humeniuk said.
The Okotoks Dawgs continue to play ball to build the love of baseball for generations to come around southern Alberta.
The team is currently first place in the western division, with seven games left in the schedule. Playoffs start on Aug. 1.
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