JAILHOUSE ROCK
Clever marketing with local roots does wonders for this independent baseball club in Joliet, Illinois.
The Slammers are 1 of 14 teams in the Frontier League (not affiliated with MLB or the Minor leagues), which also includes the Schaumburg Boomers. The Slammers have won their league championship twice, once in 2011 and again in 2018. The previous moniker - the Joliet Jackhammers - was retired following the 2010 season.
The Veeck family are current owners of the Slammers, alongside Bill Murray. While everyone is familiar with Bill Murray's fame, hardcore baseball fans should recognize the surname Veeck--Bill Veeck Sr. was a legendary owner and the brainchild behind many iconic ballpark features, including the outfield ivy wall at Wrigley Field, the "exploding scoreboard" at old Comiskey Park, and the infamous Disco Demolition Night, when the White Sox blew up a box of vinyl disco records in centerfield. Bill Veeck's son Mike and grandson William (aka Night Train) manage the Slammers ballclub, and they're doing an admirable job following in the footsteps of the late great Bill Veeck Sr.
The Slammers feature Thirsty Thursdays with $2 Old Styles and $4 Modelo drafts, Fireworks Fridays sponsored by Ecolab (represent!!), Kids Funday Sunday, and an exhausting list of themed nights almost too numerous to count, but I'll try: Star Wars night, Superhero night, Dog Day, LGBTQ+ Pride night, Ghostbusters night, "Field of Memes" night, NASCAR night, anime night, Swiftie night, Irish heritage, Italian heritage, Hispanic heritage, Princess night, country night, Christmas in July, and more.
In perhaps my favorite named event of the year, the Slammers host an annual charity game between Joliet's police and fire departments called "Guns 'n Hoses". That play-on-words is just terrific, and it probably raises a bunch of money. Did I mention they once played a game at the old Joliet County jail? On the actual prison grounds?? Totally badass.
* TL;DR *
The more I think about this ballclub and all the imaginative tie-ins at their disposal, the more I'm sure they deserve 5*.
The stadium in downtown Joliet is no great shakes - I gave Duly Health & Care Field a tepid 3 stars - but the Slammers ballclub itself is big on guest promotions. Their name leans into a certain penal colony aesthetic while remaining very family friendly, and somehow it all works.
It doesn't hurt that they benefit from pedigreed ownership in the Veeck family and a major celebrity stake in Bill Murray. Yay baseball! read more