After all, nobody sells minor-league baseball tickets like the Dragons.
“It’s cool, but at the same time, it’s humbling because I’m very lucky to have such great colleagues,” Murphy said, singling out Vice President Eric Deutsch and General Manager Gary Mayse, in particular. “You can have the greatest plan in the world, but if you don’t have the people that can execute it, it’s not going to happen.”
On July 9, the Dragons broke the all-time North American professional sports record with their 815th consecutive sellout. They sold out their only playoff game at Fifth Third Field and will take a streak of 844 consecutive sellouts — every game for 12 years — into the 2012 season.
It’s the second such award for Murphy, who has presided over the Dragons since the Cincinnati Reds’ low-Class A affiliate’s inception prior to the 2000 season.
Also Wednesday, the Dragons won the MWL’s Jon H. Johnson President’s award, which honors a franchise that has demonstrated stability while contributing to its community, league and the baseball industry. The MWL nod serves as nomination for the national award of the same name.
The Dragons certainly did their part to enhance the MWL as the sellout record generated coverage from CNN, USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Baseball America and MLB.com, among other outlets.
Two nights were dedicated to celebrating the record. The second, July 23, featured appearances by part owners Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Archie Griffin, plus a helicopter drop-in of three Cincinnati Reds players — pitcher Logan Ondrusek and outfielders Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey — who launched their professional careers in Dayton.
A few days later, Murphy appeared with Johnson on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” to discuss the record and what it means to the community.
“I think it’s become a real great and important source of pride,” Murphy said. “You could feel that. It was a perfect storm. The team was exciting and the fans felt great about what they were accomplishing.”
It won’t happen in 2012, but Murphy said the Dragons’ next logical milepost is 1,000 consecutive sellouts. He said he expects a season-ticket renewal rate of about 95 percent this winter.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@ DaytonDailyNews.com
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