NORFOLK, Va. — This is the most unique promotion yet for the Norfolk Tides General Manager Joe Gregory.
"You do a lot of unique stuff, especially when working in minor league sports. You expect some weird promotions, and some things gone wrong, but I don't think 'pandemic' was ever in anyone's vocabulary working in minor league sports," says Gregory.
He's not alone in observing the rarity of what's coming Tuesday.
"It is the most unique form of outreach. It's exciting, it's different, out of all of our sites," says Military Circle Mall Vaccine clinic site manager Auvergene Larry, recalling the various recreation centers, schools, and places of worship leading up to Harbor Park.
The two sides have come together to bring a vaccine clinic to Harbor Park for the Tides' 2021 opening day.
"It's been since September of '19 that baseball had been played here at Harbor Park. If this is one of the things we can do to help out, it's definitely a small price, and willing to pay that price many times over to keep fans safe," Gregory says, reminiscing on more than 600 days without Tides baseball.
Larry hopes America's pastime will provide some comfort. "People who are hesitant are uncomfortable with places they're not familiar with. It's a baseball park, it's a place people like to be."
The shots will be administered in "Hits at the Park," the in-stadium restaurant, where patients won't miss any game action during their wait following the vaccine. Clinic doors open at 5:30 and close at 8.
Anyone who gets the vaccine at the ballpark will get a ticket voucher to the September game of their choosing.