Wild Things experiencing success through first few weeks of league
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Washington Wild Things general manager Tony Buccilli always has considered himself a spokesman for the sport of baseball.
The Murrysville native has been involved with the sport all his life. He played college ball at Wingate and IUP and has been with the Wild Things since 2012. He also had a brief stint with the Texas Rangers baseball operations department in 2014.
So before the Frontier League canceled its 2020 season earlier this summer because of coronavirus, Buccilli knew he had to do whatever it took to bring baseball to Washington.
“I have taken the personal mantra that if I can introduce baseball for the next generation and doing it the right way with the exposure and positive memories, that’s what I’m all about,” Buccilli said. “The family memories at the ballpark. I think it’s really important. Whether it’s this year or a normal year, that’s priority No. 1 for me.”
Beginning in May, Buccilli started putting the pieces together to provide those moments for area fans. He said he knew, baseball-wise, he could make something work in Washington, but there were still a lot of logistics that needed to be worked out.
Safety was a big factor, but who would play? How many teams were there going to be? How many games should they play? All were questions that needed to be answered before they could pull the league together. But, as time carried on, the league slowly came together, and since opening day July 9, Buccilli has experienced success.
“I thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and if we did everything above and beyond expectations, that everyone would be satisfied,” Buccilli said. “The feedback through the first two weeks has been nothing but positive.”
Fans flock to Wild Things Park between Thursday and Sunday for two games of baseball a day played between four teams. Two of those teams, the Wild Things and the Slammin Sammies, are comprised of players Buccilli signed heading into this summer. He kept a few fan favorites with the Wild Things and also brought in several former WPIAL players to play for the Sammies.
“They are a big part of the fan base right now with their families coming to see them play and see their kids make the jump into pro ball for their first stint,” Buccilli said. “When you have two former big league players or a WPIAL player of the year, or some all-conference guys or guys who have won WPIAL or state championships, it adds a little more meat on the bones for the fans.”
Buccilli also got in contact with Road Warrior Black Sox manager Joe Torre — no, not the Yankees legend — and brought in the final two teams to bring it all together.
Although it has been smooth for the most part, Buccilli said there have been a couple of bumps thus far. He said they had to raise the ticket prices during those first weeks to get their feet underneath them. Plus, staff needed to get used to working long hours between Thursdays and Sundays.
“As you can imagine, we were getting a lot of questions, just how things are working, what are we doing, are masks required, where can we sit, this and that,” Buccilli said. “But fortunately, now we’ve been able to communicate that our ticket prices are back to normal, fans know what they can expect from our product, our show, our production and our talent on the field. Our livestream views are up, and they are showing interest in the product.”
The Wild Things will continue the season throughout the summer, releasing tickets on a week-by-week basis while considering the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. If the fans are enjoying it, Buccilli said he is happy to continue providing a product.
“It’s been an interesting ride, but at the end of the day, all the extra gray hairs are worth it just to bring back baseball,” Buccilli said.