Baseball fans get in for free in Ogden

In 1992, when he was general manager of the now-defunct Salt Lake Trappers, he was faced with the problem of having to play in a ballpark partially condemned and cordoned off by a Salt Lake City government angling to build a better stadium and attract a Triple-A franchise (both of which happened).

Baggott responded by cutting holes in the tarpaulin that covered the condemned section and sticking mannequins through the holes. On opening day he gave away hardhats. The season slogan was "If there's a seat, it's safe."

That year the Trappers drew almost 6,000 fans a game and over 200,000 for the season, both minor league short season records.

After the Trappers were forced out of existence, he emigrated to Ogden and put together a group of owners, himself included, that brought the Raptors into being. No end of innovative promotions have followed. Last year the Raptors franchise was awarded the Larry MacPhail trophy, signifying the best minor league promotional effort in all of baseball.

Perhaps the promotion Baggott is best known for is one that never happened.

That would be Polygamy Night.

"The deal was that any polygamist who came to the game, his primary wife gets in free and all secondary wives are half-price," smiles Baggott. "We said we were going to do it but we never did."

The self-confessed baseball junkie — he played for the Trappers before he joined the front office — refuses to let the game get too serious.

"The ballpark should be somewhere you can come, forget your personal woes, have a bag of peanuts and a soda and relax," he says. "It should be a place of solace."

This year, that translates to not having to worry about paying to get in.

"Once you're in, hopefully you'll upgrade and take the food voucher and then spend a little more," the purveyor of a million free tickets adds. "But you know what, that's up to you."

Lee Benson's column runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com.