El Paso Chihuahuas hope MLB lockout will increase minor league attendance

EL PASO, Texas– The Major League Baseball lockout has left the first two series of regular season games canceled.

But back in the Borderland, the Minor Leagues El Paso Chihuahuas prepare for their season opener.

General Manager for the Chihuahuas, Brad Taylor said the lockout may present an opportunity for Minor League sports.

He said the last time something like this happened, there was a boom in the industry and more people gravitated toward attending games in their own backyards and watching these aspiring athletes on their way up.

Taylor said he believes the lockout will not affect ticket sales for the upcoming season and expects to have the continuous support of the community.

Still, he wants to emphasize to fans that they are open regardless of what's happening with the MLB.

“The most important thing for people to know now is that your hometown team is here, we're going to be playing April 5th to April 12 in El Paso, so regardless of how the MLB lockout goes, we're up and running,” said Taylor.

A spokeswoman for Dead Beach Brewery, a local business near Southwest University Park, said staffers are glad the lockout will not affect local sports and their fan turnout.

“We definitely have to prepare for all the people that are coming down here, we hire more staff and we’re currently hiring still, so we go ahead and prep our new hours for spring, we have a menu that's a available that’s quite different as well and were ready for the new season,” said Veronica Hernandez, spokeswoman for the brewery.

The Chihuahuas plan to hold their Season 9 home opener on April 12.