Jonathan Roybal

Memphis - 02.13.03 - When the Memphis Redbirds accepted the prestigious Freitas award at the Baseball Winter Meetings, they knew there would be a challenge attached to the honor.

In their first year of eligibility, the club was saluted for the consistently high standards of work excellence. The Freitas Award is presented to the top organization in each of baseball's levels. A team is not eligible until it's fifth year. Now comes the challenge of living up to those expectations.

"We know we have to keep the standards up because the expectations are very high in our city," noted Redbirds President and General Manager Dave Chase. "We have to live up to ourselves and what we've done. Fortunately, I have an energetic young staff that can do all that. They have plenty of ideas and my challenge is to keep up with those ideas."

However, Chase is fully aware of the impact winning the Freitas Award will have.

"I was involved on the other side (Baseball America) and I know the value they put on the award. This is an incredible award because it is a total organization award."

There can be no doubt that the Redbirds have set some very high standards.

Their attendances consistently ranked at or near the top of Pacific Coast League figures. It's also easy to bring people into one of the finest parks in all of minor league baseball. But, ever more than those factors is the connection the club has with the Memphis community.

"It's no secret that Memphis had some downtimes for awhile," noted Chase. "But when we came in we made a giant commitment to the community. The Jernigans (founders) run this as a not-for-profit entity. No one is going to take that back from our city. Somewhere down the line, in about 15 years, this stadium will be paid for and it will start generating even bigger returns for the city."

The eye-popping successes of the Redbirds have been noticed around the sports world. Chase notes the Redbirds helped paved the way for the arrival of the National Basketball Association in Tennessee.

"The Grizzlies have stated that our success made them look at Memphis," added Chase. "We share an office building with them and we are exploring ways of marketing with them. We consider ourselves partners in reviving Memphis. We hope down the line that other markets can look at us as a model in working together."

The baseball world will have a first hand look at how the Memphis model has worked. The Redbirds will be hosting the 2003 Triple-A All- Star game this July at sparkling AutoZone Park.

"We want to make our game the best and build on the successes of some of the other ones that have been held," noted Chase. "We intend to use our space in the stadium for an all-day Fan Fest before the game. It will be quite an event and it will be well-promoted."

When the Redbirds take to the field this spring, they will have a new manager.

Tom Spencer, who has previous PCL experience in Calgary and Tucson, will take over as the Redbirds dugout boss. When Spencer arrives in Memphis, he will be in the middle of a baseball hotbed.

"This is a part of the Cardinals nation," laughs Chase. "This is an area dominated by Cardinals fans. Even our uniforms and nickname are connected to the Cardinals. We also place the Cardinals broadcasts in our market so people know what they (former Memphis players) are doing."

Now Chase and the 'Birds can turn their attention to the biggest challenge of all. Namely, keeping up with themselves.

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