By Marc Thaler
Managing Sports Editor

A game ending in defeat due to careless mistakes is commonly known as a giveaway.

When the Manchester Wolves step foot on Brady Sullivan Field inside the Big V for eight home games this season, participating in giveaways clearly isn’t the plan.

The same, however, can’t be said for the folks working behind the scenes of the Wolves operation.

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Giveaways are most certainly a part of the front office’s gameplan in 2006. Manchester’s arenafootball2 team has several fan-friendly festivities scheduled for the spring and summer.

“We build eight months out of the year for these four months,” said Karl-Sven Bertelmann, Wolves director of communications and a Manchester West graduate. “This is what really gets us excited.”

This year, the fun starts immediately. One day after Manchester opens its season hosting the Green Bay Blizzard on Friday, April, 7, the Wolves will temporarily turn into sharks.

Card sharks, actually.

Teaming with WGIR, the Wolves will host the “New Hampshire Charity Poker Classic” at Manchester’s Amoskeag Bingo Hall. Proceeds will benefit the Eddie “B” foundation, and more than $80,000 will await the top 10 participants.

The Super Satellite tourney, which requires a $25 entry fee, begins at 10:30 a.m. The top winners earn seats for the main event No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em tourney, starting at 3 p.m. The No-Limit entry fee is $500, but fans who show an ’06 game ticket receive a $100 discount.

Fans, especially children, will enjoy twice the fun on April 22.

While the wolf pack pops pads with the the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers, “Kids Run the Wolves Night” will take place. In addition, fans young and young at heart will receive a pass to Canobie Lake Park.

Bertelmann said the staff is extremely excited to have younger fans play an active role behind the scenes.

“They’re not gonna be doing any hiring or firing,” Bertelmann said with a laugh. “But they’ll be able to walk around with me, pass out prize packs, and line up an interview for the media. Someone will even get to stand next to (head coach) Ben Bennett on the sideline.”

Other festivities on the slate for Wolves home games include “Wolves Cap Night” on June 3; the popular “Not Your Typical Team Photo Night” on June 23; and “University of New Hampshire Night” on July 14, where the first 5,000 fans to enter the Big V will receive an official Wolves dance team calendar. “Probably all the men will be lining up for that,” Bertelmann said. “We shouldn’t have a problem hanging on to those. They’ll be flying off the shelves.”

Of course, the fun won’t stop when the game ends. Bertelmann insists the opportunity to interact with players will continue to be a big part of the fan experience.

“Our league really caters to that 8-year-old fan,” Bertelmann said. “We can get them close to the athletes, which in other sports you can’t do. We cherish that. The kids are just star struck. At a Celtics game, you’re lucky if you get a hand shake (from players) going through the tunnel.”

Another bonus for fans of the ’06 Wolves is the team’s Saturday schedule. In the past, the team had only two Saturday contests per season. That number is doubled this year, with the hope more fans will plan to spend a portion of their weekend with the Wolves.

“Fans obviously fill the seats and serve as our ninth man,” Bertelmann said. “They’ve stepped up since day one and deserve to be rewarded for that.”