Ladies & gentlemen, meet your Las Vegas … 51s (!)

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2000 | 10:02 a.m.

The number 51 will soon be on the minds of many Las Vegans. At least that's the hope of the city's triple-A baseball team front office staff.

But the number isn't the name of a new card game.

On Tuesday, it became the official name of the team formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars.

"The key, I think, from my standpoint is what we're in is the entertainment business," 51s general manager Don Logan said. "Baseball is unique. You can appeal to an entire family.

"The idea is just to give something that can enhance the entertainment experience. You explain to people that Area 51, the place that doesn't exist, where they got the aliens, or where the secret testing goes on. The whole mystery surrounding the area creates an innumerable amount of opportunities to do unique entertainment things."

The team unveiled its new silver and blue logo to sponsors and a few hundred season ticket holders at a party at Sunset Station. Rick Sofield, the team's new manager, and Jerry Weinstein, the Los Angeles Dodgers' new director of player development, were also introduced for the first time.

The decision to change the team's name came after it severed its relationship with the San Diego Padres and announced that it would now be the triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers.

Logan said the team's marketing department wanted a name that could be identified only with Las Vegas.

The 51s are named after the military base located 120 miles northwest of the city where government tests are conducted.

The organization considered calling the team the Las Vegas Dodgers, but decided to go with something new.

"I think, the thought there was, you've got to have your own identity," Logan said. "We're a unique entity, we're separately owned and operated.

"It's important to have your own identity. I think it's doubly important to identify ourselves separately and not be LA's little brother down the road.

"The change to the Dodgers obviously affords us the opportunity to do something like this. You have to have a clean break and I think it's a new beginning, if you will. This is a new identity, to reinvigorate the situation and get people excited again about having baseball in Las Vegas."

Sofield, 43, was energetic and upbeat when discussing his first opportunity to be a triple-A manager.

For the last two seasons he was the Dodgers' field coordinator. Previously, he was the minor league hitting coordinator for the Montreal Expos and served as a minor league manager in the Expos farm system for three years.

"I'm very excited," Sofield said. "This has been one of my goals from the onset in my personal career and I'm really thankful for the Dodgers to give me this chance to run the triple-A club.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge, and it will be a great challenge for us because we have to supply those fellows to the big leagues and help Jim Tracy win."

Sofield, a former shortstop, was the 13th player taken overall by the Minnesota Twins in the 1975 free agent draft. He batted .243 in 207 games for the Twins over three years.

In keeping with Dodger tradition, Sofield expressed a keen interest in not only winning games, but producing players who will make an impression in the big leagues.

"I think we're ultimately going to send young men from here to be stars in the National League," Sofield said. "Our young players are going to be the next star, the next Gary Sheffield, players of that caliber.

"We're in this thing for a World Series. Other organizations don't have the resources that we have. We are in charge of helping that National League club win a World Series and at same the time, we're in charge of developing players and making sure that when they go they stay there for a long period of time."

Season tickets for 51s home games can be purchased by calling 798-7825.