ARLINGTON--When the Rangers take the field in today's home opener against the Mariners, the ushers, security personnel, ticket takers and vendors will be making sure inebriated fans do not ruin someone else's fun.

They've all taken a class to help them spot people who may have had too much to drink. Its part of a national program called Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management or TEAM.

The Rangers have been using TEAM training for the past four years, but this is the first time all 28 major-league teams have signed on. It is a partnership between the teams, Anheuser Busch, Coors, Miller Brewing Co. and the Beer Institute -- a Washington, D.C.-area industry group.

"The brewers, in partnership with local distributors, bought $4,000 worth of training manuals for each club," said Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition Inc., a nonprofit group that coordinates the training. "From the brewers' perspective, they're paying to see that the folks who make the guest experience the best are well-trained."

Members of the coalition include the brewers; the National Association of Broadcasters; Aramark, a venue food service company; the International Association of Assembly Managers and teams from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and the National Football League.

"It puts everyone on the same page when spotting people who have had too much to drink," said John Hardin, vice president of events and security for the Rangers.

Through the program, TEAM staff members train one or two officials from the Rangers. Those officials, in turn, train their co-workers. Trained crews take a written test, and those who pass receive a certificate from TEAM stating they have completed the program.

In addition to the TEAM program, employees of SportService, the food service contractor at The Ballpark in Arlington, are trained by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to spot people who have had too much to drink and to not serve them.

Hardin said all the training is beneficial, although there aren't many drunks to deal with at a typical Rangers game.

"It's not as big a problem as you think it is," he said. "Especially with the servers and everyone else on board."

The Rangers open play at The Ballpark in Arlington today at 1:05 p.m. against the Mariners. Pregame festivities include a performance by the Southlake Carroll High School Dragons Band. Two Dixieland jazz bands will be performing in the concourses before the game.

Other highlights include:

• Personnel from the Naval Air Station Fort Worth will present the colors before the singing of the national anthem by an a capella quartet, the Dallas Knights. There will also be a presentation of 50 American flags.
  
  
• Fans will be asked to observe a moment of silence for troops fighting in Iraq. Challenger, an American bald eagle, will fly from the center field office building to the pitcher's mound at the end of the national anthem. A B-1 bomber from Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene will fly over The Ballpark after the national anthem.
  
  
• Emmitt Smith,, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch and be joined on the mound by Corey Fulbright, the Everman High School senior who was paralyzed in December's Class 3A Division I state championship football game. The Rangers and Dodge will present a $45,000 check to Fulbright and his family for the purchase of a specially equipped van.
  
  
• The first 35,000 fans entering The Ballpark will receive a pair of noisemakers. Also, fans 21 and older will get a Rangers magnetic schedule.
  
  
• Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the team expects a sellout. "This should be our seventh consecutive sold out Opening Day," Rangers spokesman John Blake said. Lines are predicted at security checks.
  
  
• Fans may bring food and drinks into the stadium, but metal and glass containers are banned. Hard coolers and bags larger than 12 inches by 12 inches are not allowed. All bags and purses will be searched.