'Welcome To The Ballpark!'

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - "Welcome to The Ballpark," a voice calls out. "General admission is the second green sign down."

A baseball-shaped 'How can I help you?' sign can be seen in a large crowd of Rangers fans a few hours before Wednesday's game gets underway.  A retired police officer weaves through the crowd with the sign in his hand, patting the backs of fans and chanting "Welcome to the Ballpark!" time and again.

Jimmie Patterson is at work, and he loves his job.

Patterson, originally from Muncie, Indiana, is a Fan Ambassador at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. He's working the crowd with his happy-go-lucky and easy style.  "This way to Will Call, you can pick up your tickets over there," he says frequently in a sing-song voice.

He says his main job is to help Rangers fans get to where they are going, and to see to it that they are having a good time.  "We want to make sure they get to their tickets, make sure that everyone's happy and to make sure that everyone has fun from the time they get to the ballpark until they leave to go home," he says emphatically.

He stops to help a fan with a wheelchair, greets a man and his small son, he works hard in a role similar to that of an usher, but with much more space to cover.  "The home plate entrance is like my front porch, and I want to welcome everybody" he says.

Patterson has been a fan ambassador for two years, serving with the team during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, and he couldn't be happier to be back for his third.  "I told my daughter they'd make it to the World Series within 2 years, and they beat me to it by a year." he said, laughing.

He estimates he will say his greeting about 1,000 times during each game, and says most questions are just about where to get tickets. But sometimes the requests are a little odd, he says.  "Some ask me for money, but I tell them I gave it all out," he chuckles.

When not directing fans, Patterson will simply stop and talk to anyone who is waiting outside the gates, "Where ya'll from?  Did you used to go to the old ballpark?" he asks an older gentleman, who nods accordingly.

"It works great for me," he says about dealing with the crowd. "Knowing people, being able to talk to those who sit behind home plate to those in the cheap seats, I can deal with all of them."

He even doesn't mind when fans of the other MLB clubs come to town and ask him questions.  "We like the fans of the other teams--their money is green, it still spends the same."  He adds that as the Rangers have done better on the field, he's seen fewer Yankees and Red Sox fans. "Everybody's on board with us, and we're glad to have the fans."

Patterson says the Rangers organization is all about being fan friendly, and it goes from the top down.  "We're all about the customers having the best experience, and we're all about winning.  That's Nolan Ryan, and it all drains down."

Bottom line, he says, his job is all about serving people, and he wants to make sure fans get the most out of their time at the game.  "For the price you pay, this is the best entertainment in town," he said.  "We're second to none when it comes to customer service.  We feel like we're the best, friendliest ballpark in all of the major leagues."

"It's my Texas, and they're my Rangers," he says, with a pride in his voice and a smile on his face.  Jimmie Patterson loves his job, and he wants you to know it.