Issue 137, August 7
This past Wednesday, we were enlightened by Ken Babby, owner of the Jumbo Shrimp baseball team. Ken was very animated and excited to tell us all about his phone call from Derek Jeter when he asked Babby if he would accept the Triple A affiliation to be the official feeder team for the Marlins. Without knowing what this would entail, Babby still said yes. He knew he would make it happen.
Babby went to the mayor and told him what he needed to do to help make this happen. The mayor proposed $25M to help bring the ballpark up to snuff. The final approval is pending in council.
The right field has metal stands that need replacing, aisles need to be widened, and so much more must be done to update the field. We have the chance to make Jacksonville a major baseball presence.
Attendance has been up 44% since the announcement was made. The Jumbo Shrimp team is currently in first place and hopes to stay there until the finals, the end of September.
Babby is proud and maintains that his team and experience is “Affordable Family Fun”. If you haven’t been to the ballpark lately, take in a game and check them out.
Please join us next Wednesday as we honor our dynamic First Responders in our annual Public Safety Awards. We want a great turnout and will have the larger room for this event. We hope to see you there and bring a guest! Have a great weekend.
Respectfully,
Jeanne Maron
2022 First Vice President
