and counting

We're one month out. Opening day for the Mississippi Braves is April 7 at Trustmark Park. New manager Rocket Wheeler takes the reins of a club that has made two postseason appearances in its six years of existence, the last in 2008. This could be a contending team, possibly featuring the United Nations Rotation (Colombia's Julio Teheran, Panama's Randall Delgado, the Dominican Republic's Arodys Vizcaino and Americans J.J. Hoover and Brett Oberholtzer — all top 10 prospects in the system) and some promising young position players (shortstop Tyler Pastornicky, outfielders Mycal Jones, Cory Harrilchak and Adam Milligan and second baseman Phil Gosselin). So, watch the standings. But watch the attendance figures, too. Not so much opening day, which will be a big number, but Games 3, 4 and 5 of that first series. Official attendance at the TeePee dipped to 2,620 last season. The regular season average has fallen each year since the club drew 3,847 in 2005. That's not good. M-Braves officials have made a concerted effort this off-season to boost ticket sales, hoping to reverse that trend. The first homestand might give an indication of where the number is headed.
P.S. Rashun Dixon, the former Terry High star, put up some numbers in a split squad game for Oakland on Sunday. Dixon, the A's No. 28 prospect, had a hit, scored a run and drove in two against Milwaukee. He played in low-A ball last year, so he's a few years away from The Show, but his career track bears watching.