Catch Central Florida » Joker Marchant Stadium

This Week in Sports

Rebecca Thompson — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:43:53 +0000

Polk County Amateur Golf Championships
Dates: 8/6 – 8/7
Venue: Lake Region Golf & Country Club
-This event will bring in over 100 of the top men’s amateur golfers to the Winter Haven area.
-For more information, please visit http://blog.lakelandchamber.com/2011/06/polk-county-amateur-golf-championships-august-6-7/ or www.centralfloridasports.com

Lakeland Flying Tigers vs Brevard County Manatees
Dates: 8/6
Venue: Joker Merchant Stadium
-First Pitch: 6:00pm
-For more information visit www.lakelandflyingtigers.com

Giveaways, Contests & A Sunset Celebration This Weekend

Kris Keprios — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:01:13 +0000

The Lakeland Tigers will provide an entertaining weekend filled with giveaways, contests and festivities, including a giveaway just for kids on Friday and a Key West themed “Sunset Celebration” on Saturday.

Friday, June 10 vs. Daytona Cubs @ 7:00 p.m. (Gates open at 6:00 p.m.):
Victor Martinez Kids Backpack Giveaway
The Flying Tigers will be giving away Victor Martinez backpacks to the first 750 paid kids ages 14 and younger.

Chick-fil-A Night
Look for special promotions, contests and giveaways throughout the game from Chick-fil-A.

Scout Night
Special group ticket and food packages for Boy and Cub Scouts and their families.

Saturday, June 11 vs. Brevard County Manatees (Brewers) @ 4:00 p.m. (Gates open at 2:30 p.m.):
The Ledger Customer Appreciation Day
The first 2,000 fans will receive a free grocery tote compliments of The Ledger Media Group. The first 100 new Ledger subscribers will be given Ledger Media Group t-shirts. Fans can register to win great prizes including travel trips, gift baskets, gift cards and more throughout the game. A fan will also have a chance to win a Fiat if a Flying Tigers player hits a grand slam in the seventh inning. The Flying Tigers will be wearing special tropical jerseys during the game and fans are encouraged to dress for the occasion as well wearing flip-flops and tropical shirts.

Sunset Celebration Sponsored by The Ledger Media Group and Budweiser
Following the game the Flying Tigers will be turning the berm into a Key West themed party. There will be live island-themed music by Captain Josh as well as street performers, frisbee dogs, a pig roast and much more. There will be drink and food specials on the berm all night. Polk County’s Parrot Head Club, Pirates on the Ridge, will be helping to get the party started.

Fireworks Extravaganza at dark (weather permitting).

Post-Game Party at Natalie’s Sports Bar & Grill
The fun keeps going at Natalie’s following the fireworks show. Natalie’s is located at 3120 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland.

The Tigers will also be hosting games Sunday-Tuesday, as well.

Sunday, June 12 vs. Brevard County Manatees (Brewers) @ 1:00 p.m. (Gates open at Noon):
Sunday is Kids Day. All kids 14 and under will receive free admission to the game. All fans will receive a voucher for a free sundae compliments of Dairy Queen – North Lakeland.

For more information please visit the Flying Tigers online at www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com or call (863) 686-8075.

Plenty of Activities as Flying Tigers Come Home for Five Games

Kris Keprios — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:56:11 +0000

The Lakeland Flying Tigers return home for a five-game homestand beginning Tuesday, May 31 at Joker Marchant Stadium. Lakeland will host the Ft. Myers Miracle (Twins) from May 31 – June 3 and the Tampa Yankees on June 4.

Tickets for all home games are available by calling the Flying Tigers at (863) 686-8075. Box seats are $6 and reserved seats are $5 and seniors 55 and over and children 14 and under receive a $1.00 discount. Saturday tickets are an additional $1. Wednesday All-You-Can-Eat tickets are $10. Parking is FREE.

Wednesday, June 1 vs. Ft. Myers Miracle (Twins) @ 7:00 p.m. (Gates open at 6:00 p.m.)
All-You-Can-Eat Night
Wednesday is All-You-Can-Eat Night sponsored by Outback Steakhouse – North Lakeland. Tickets are just $10 and includes admission to the game and all-you-can-eat hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, cracker jacks, popcorn, pretzels and chips as well as food from Outback from 6:00-9:00 p.m. or while supplies last.

Emergency Preparedness Night
Members of Polk County’s Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) will be at the game distributing ready materials and will be available to answer any questions from fans. There will be PSA audio and video messages, trivia questions, games and contests throughout the game to educate fans. The Red Cross, National Weather Service, United Way as well as a blood mobile are expected to participate. There will also be information regarding hurricane preparedness as the beginning of June also marks the beginning of hurricane season.
WFLA News Channel 8 weekend anchor and Polk County reporter Jennifer Leigh will also throw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch. The Sleepy Hill Middle School Chorus will sing the National Anthem; the Civil Air Patrol Cadets will present the colors, and the Sleepy Hill Middle School Drum Line will perform throughout the game.

Thursday, June 2 vs. Ft. Myers Miracle (Twins) @ 7:00 p.m. (Gates open at 5:30 p.m.)
2^nd Annual Flying Tigers Wing Ding (5:30 -7:00 p.m.)
Area Polk County restaurants will be competing for the Flying Tigers Wing Ding Champion. Competitors will be judged by best overall wing and the people’s choice award which will be judged by the fans. Winners will receive trophies and prizes from the Flying Tigers. Restaurants scheduled to participate include Natalie’s Sports Bar & Grill, Hooters, Buffalo Wild Wings, Gators at Dockside, Tiger Town Cafe, Smokey Bones, Beef O’ Brady’s and Mojo’s. Entrance to the Wing Ding is $5 (ticket to the game is required) and includes wings, live music and beer samples from Budweiser. Part of the proceeds benefit Camp Fire USA.

Thirsty Thursday
Fans can enjoy $1 beer and soda every Thursday home game. Beer sales begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at the conclusion of the 7^th inning.

Friday, June 3 vs. Ft. Myers Miracle (Twins) @ 7:00 p.m. (Gates open at 6:00 p.m.)
Flying Tigers Youth Cap Giveaway
The Flying Tigers will be giving baseball caps to the first 300 paid kids ages 14 and younger.

Saturday, June 4 vs. Tampa Yankees @ 6:00 p.m. (Gates open at 4:30 p.m.)
Fireworks Extravaganza following the game (weather permitting).

Bright House Customer Appreciation Night
Bright House Networks customers receive free tickets for their entire household. Customers can bring their Bright House statement to the game for free tickets. There will be special prize giveaways throughout the game.

The Flying Tigers are a Class A Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. For more information please visit the Flying Tigers online at www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com or call (863) 686-8075.

Chili Returns to Tigertown!

admin — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:57:19 +0000

The Lakeland Flying Tigers are proud to host a Chili Throwdown at Tigertown for the second year. If you love chili, you need to be at the Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. when the competition begins. You’ll have the opportunity to enjoy free beer samples, courtesy of Budweiser, live music, free chili samples, $1 beer and soda until the 7^th inning and a Flying Tigers Vs. Daytona Cubs baseball game for only $10. If you just want the chili, tickets are $5 without admission to the game.

Polk County Fire Departments will be all be competing for one title; The Flying Tigers Chili Throwdown Champion. Competitors will be judged in two categories; best chili as voted by judges and people’s choice award that will be judged by the fans. Trophies will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners in each category.

For more information, visit www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com.

Listen Live to Tigers Spring Training Game Tuesday

Kris Keprios — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:45:14 +0000

If you aren’t able to call in sick….whoops…I mean, make it to Joker Marchant Stadium on Tuesday when the Red Sox come to Lakeland to play the Tigers, don’t worry. For the first time ever, the Tigers are going to broadcast the game with a live audio webcast on tigers.com. Tigers’ broadcasters Dan Dickerson and Jim Price will handle the play-by-play call of the game. The webcast, produced in-house by the Detroit Tigers broadcasting department and MLB.com, is free of charge for fans on tigers.com. To access the Tigers webcast on tigers.com, fans just need to create an account and then during the game click on “Listen Live” in the game story on the home page.

The only thing not included is the sunshine and hot dogs!

Flying Tigers Individual Tickets on Sale Saturday

Kris Keprios — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:16:56 +0000

Individual tickets for Lakeland Flying Tigers home games will go on sale Saturday, February 26th at 10:00 a.m. at the Joker Marchant Stadium box office. The box office is located at 2301 Lakeland Hills Blvd. Tickets may also be purchased at 10:00 a.m. through the Flying Tigers website, www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com or via telephone by calling toll free 1-866-66-TIGER (84437). Season tickets are currently on sale for $210 (only $3 per ticket) and include special season ticket holder benefits including events, trips and a ticket exchange program. The Graphic Systems Officers Club Party Deck and party suites are available for all games.

This season will mark Lakeland’s 62^nd season in the Florida State League (FSL) and 45^th as a Detroit Tigers minor league affiliate, the longest affiliation in all of Minor League Baseball. Lakeland is an original member of the FSL, a league that was established in 1919.

The Flying Tigers will open the season on Thursday, April 7 against the two-time defending FSL champion Tampa Yankees. The schedule is highlighted with home games on July 4th, Armed Forces Day, Flag Day, Cinco de Mayo, and education day games. There will be appearances by the Philly Phanatic and Myron Noodleman as well as fireworks shows. A current promotional calendar can be found at LakelandFlyingTigers.com.

Ticket prices for Flying Tigers regular season games are: $6 for box seats and $5 for reserved seats. Adults ages 55 and over and children 14 and under receive a $1 discount. Saturday tickets are an additional $1. Parking is FREE.

For more information please visit the Flying Tigers online at www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com or call (863) 686-8075.

Detroit Tigers 75th Anniversary Spring Training Schedule

Kris Keprios — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:17:38 +0000

The Detroit Tigers today announced the club’s exhibition game schedule for 2011 Spring Training in Lakeland, FL. Next spring will mark the Tigers 75th season at TigerTown in Lakeland, extending the longest-standing relationship between a major league team and a current Spring Training host city. The 2011 spring season marks the club’s 46th consecutive season of exhibition play at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Tigers will begin the exhibition schedule on Friday, February 25 as the club plays host to Florida Southern College in the annual matchup against the Moccasins. The club opens the home portion of the Grapefruit League schedule against the Toronto Blue Jays at Joker Marchant Stadium on Sunday, February 27. The schedule is highlighted by three visits from the National League East Division Champion Philadelphia Phillies on March 6, March 9 and March 26. The schedule also features visits from the New York Yankees on February 28, Boston Red Sox on March 15 and Atlanta Braves on March 19. To see the entire schedule, click here.

Tickets for the 2011 spring exhibition season will be priced at three separate levels, which include Navy, Orange and White levels. Navy level games on February 28, March 9, March 15 and March 16 range from $14- 25. Orange level games on February 27, March 4, March 6, March 12, March 13, March 19, March 22 and March 26 range from $12-23. White level games on February 25, March 1, March 2, March 8, March 17 and
March 24 range from $9-20. Full season ticket packages for the 2011 Tigers Spring Training exhibition season are on sale now at the Joker
Marchant Stadium ticket office, via phone at (863) 686-8075 or by visiting www.tigers.com. Fans may also now purchase season ticket plans of five-or-more games by calling (863) 686-8075. Individual game tickets go on sale beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 8th, and can be ordered by visiting the ticket office at Joker Marchant Stadium, calling 866-66-TIGER (8-4437) or visiting www.tigers.com. For additional ticket
information and special group pricing, call the Lakeland office at 863-686-8075.

Congratulations!

Kris Keprios — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:53:59 +0000

I just wanted to post a quick note of congratulations to one of our regular contributors here at Catch Central Florida. Zach Burek, who is the General Manager of the Lakeland Flying Tigers, was just named the Florida State League Executive of the Year. The Flying Tigers are the Detroit Tigers Single A affiliate and are part of the Florida State League. Zach regularly posts updates throughout the Flying Tigers season and you can always check here for the latest Flying Tiger news. Here is the official release on his award:

Lakeland Flying Tigers General Manager Zach Burek was named Executive of the Year by the Florida State League today. Burek will be honored in front of more than 1,200 representatives from Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball at the Baseball Winter Meetings during the Opening Session as well as the Awards Luncheon December 6 at Disney World. 2010 was a record breaking year for the Flying Tigers. The team established a new single-season attendance record at Joker Marchant Stadium with 64,010 fans attending games. The previous record of 61,255 was set in 1987. The club also set new records in concession sales and merchandise sales. 2010 marked the 60th season Lakeland has been a member of the Florida State League (FSL). Lakeland was an original member of the FSL in 1919 and has won five league championships. Lakeland has been a Detroit Tigers minor league affiliate since 1967, the second longest affiliation in all of Minor League Baseball. The season also celebrates the 45th anniversary of Joker Marchant Stadium. “I am very honored and humbled to be recognized by a league with such great history and tradition as the Florida State League” commented Burek. “This award is a credit to the hard work and passion of our entire staff.” This is Burek’s fifth season as general manager and tenth season with the Tigers organization. Burek started with the Tigers as an intern in 1997 while attending Southern New Hampshire University.

New Attendance Record for Flying Tigers

Kris Keprios — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:05:46 +0000

Congratulations to the Lakeland Flying Tigers who just broke a 23 year-old attendance record last night. The Lakeland Flying Tigers established a new single-season attendance record at Joker Marchant Stadium with last night’s crowd as they played the Dunedin Blue Jays. Kerri Koesel of Lakeland was the 61,256th fan to pass through the gates this season and for helping break the record, Koesel will receive a free season ticket to the 2011 season. The previous mark was set in 1987 when the team drew 61,255 fans. The mark also represents an increase of almost 25% from 2009 when 49,569 fans attended games. The Flying Tigers have been very creative in drawing fans to the ballpark the last few years and it has certainly paid off. Not only do they have a good product on the field, having seen players like Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Joel Zumaya, Brennan Boesch and others come through Lakeland, they have something special going on every night with promotions like “All You Can Eat Night”, “Thirsty Thursday”, Fireworks on Saturday nights and more.

This was a very fitting year to break the attendance mark too. This season marks the 60th season Lakeland has been a member of the Florida State League (FSL). Lakeland was an original member of the FSL in 1919 and has won five league championships. Lakeland has been a Detroit Tigers minor league affiliate since 1967, the second longest affiliation in all of Minor League Baseball. The season also celebrates the 45th anniversary of Joker Marchant Stadium.

There are only a few more chances to catch the Flying Tigers this season. For more information and the rest of their schedule, visit the Flying Tigers online at www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com or call (863) 686-8075.

Flying Tigers Return Home Wednesday for All-You-Can-Eat Night

zach — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:29:35 +0000

The Lakeland Flying Tigers return home for a two-game series beginning Wednesday, August 18 at Joker Marchant Stadium. Lakeland will host the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers) August 18-19. Tickets for all home games are available by calling the Flying Tigers at (863) 686-8075. Box seats are $6 and reserved seats are $5 and seniors 55 and over and children 14 and under receive a $1.00 discount. Saturday tickets are an additional $1. Wednesday All-You-Can-Eat tickets are $10. Parking is FREE.

Wednesday, Aug. 18 vs. Brevard County Manatees @ 7:00 p.m. (Gates open at 6:00 p.m.)
All-You-Can-Eat-Night
Wednesday is All-You-Can-Eat Night sponsored by Little Caesars and Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches. Tickets are just $10 and includes admission to the game and all-you-can-eat Little Caesars pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, cracker jacks, popcorn, pretzels and chips as well as food from Jimmy John’s from 6:00-9:00 p.m. or while supplies last.

Thursday, Aug. 19 vs. Brevard County Manatees @ 7:00 p.m. (Gates open at 6:00 p.m.)
Thirsty Thursday
Fans can enjoy $1 beer and soda every Thursday home game.

Social Media Night
Check out the Flying Tigers on Facebook (South Paw) and Twitter (LkdFlying Tigers) for more information.

The Flying Tigers are a Class A Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. For more information please visit the Flying Tigers online at www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com or call (863) 686-8075.