What is more impressive is how relaxed Young seems, chatting with staffers and accepting accolades for bringing baseball back to 'Burque as Bradbury-Stamm, the general contractors, fly to put the finishing touches on the ballpark.
It is very clear to all who observe that his calm at the center of this storm of activity shows him very much the man in charge, surrounded by one of the best front office staffs in baseball.
Developing the New Breed of Ballpark.
Isotopes Park is one of the new temples of the American pastime, geared towards attracting what Pacific Coast League President Branch Rickey describes as the "casual fan."
Hardcore minor league baseball fans number fewer and far between. They populate just about any stadium where baseball is played. As long as players take the field, they suffer cold hot dogs, stale peanuts, and butt-numbing aluminum bleacher benches in service of their baseball jones.
The casual fan attends a few games a year as much for good food, comfortable seats, clean bathrooms with vanity mirrors, a variety of beers and wine, and a line with a view of the field at the Dippin' Dots cart.
Ken Young, who sits today with his Mets World Series ring and a polo shirt from the hottest merchandise collection in minor league baseball, started with an extensive, ground-up view of the food service side of the business. He was one of the first owners in the industry to understand the concept of the casual fan, and find ways to bring them into the minor league ballpark.
It's hours to opening day at the Reactor (Isotopes Park), the spanking-new Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As the finishing touches, signage, sound systems, and food carts are being installed, Ken Young, co-owner and point-man of the franchise, stands out on the expansive new promenade. Before him the years of negotiations, hand-shaking, and some arm-twisting, comes to fruition as his second AAA minor league franchise.
An impressive achievement for a businessman whose career began in high school in the mid-1960s at Franklin Field, hawking hot-dogs and soda at Philadelphia Eagles games. "It was a great thing for kids," says Young. "I could make thirty-five or forty dollars on a Sunday afternoon. I didn't think it would become a career."
