For more than two months, fans cast votes on a variety of elements they will see and experience on May 18. The winning elements are:
• Game Time: 6:35 PM (Gates open at 5:30 PM) • Hot Rods Jersey Color: Red • Food Special: $1 Nachos • Merchandise Special: 20% off Adult Apparel • Theme: '80's Night featuring music and video clips from the awesome '80's • Field Pattern: Classic Angels Pattern • On-Field Experience: Hot Rods Facebook fan David Matthews won 4 tickets and will participate in Wendy's Build-a-Burger Challenge • Charity: Bellewood Presbyterian Home for Children
Nice touch. The team boasts "more than 7,000 tallies were cast" for the final element - the charity angle. Not to shabby for a page that close to 9,000 "Likes." Come to think of it, 9,000 Facebook fans is nothing to sneeze at for a Minor League Baseball team in Central Kentucky.
In 2001, the Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year was Greg Montalbano. A fierce lefthander, Montalbano was a local-boy-makes-good story when drafted by the Red Sox. At the time he was 3 years removed from his battles with cancer. Two years later he was a top prospect.
Just 10 months ago, the Boston Globe ran a moving feature story on Greg detailing his continuous battles with cancer as a ballplayer right up to 2007. While every member of Red Sox Nation has heard of Jon Lester and his brave fight with cancer, Greg's story was lesser known, and Greg probably would have wanted it that way. Like Lester, he did not define himself as a great pitcher with cancer, but as a great pitcher who happened to be fighting cancer. The difference between the two is Greg fought cancer over and over and over again.
This section from the Globe's article is very telling:
Montalbano's surgery was scheduled for January 2007. Until then, he spent as much time as he could outdoors, fishing or hunting. Alone.
"If this is going to be my one month, I'm going to breathe the fresh air and enjoy it while my body can," he said. "What am I going to do, sit and pout for a month? I might never get out of treatment until they put me in a wooden box.
"I know I'm bald. I know my facial hair is not growing. But I don't look in the mirror and say, 'Oh, Greg, your life sucks.' Crying? I've done it. It's overrated."
On Jan. 2, 2007, doctors removed a tumor. Seven days later, they operated again to remove another tumor.
Carlos Peña, a former Northeastern teammate and now a star first baseman for Tampa Bay, was one of the first to visit Montalbano.
"He never complains," says Peña. "The best way to describe him is his courage. He's got the mind of a champion, the way he lives everyday life.
"It's so easy to give up but he does the total opposite. We just love him. God bless him. To go through this with a smile on his face, it's amazing to watch. If we can only be half the man Greg Montalbano is, we'd be all right."
Somewhere around this time, Montalbano's dream of playing in the major leagues died. Getting 27 outs on a baseball diamond was no longer the most important thing in life.
In the interest of full disclosure, I knew Greg when I was younger. He was on my little league team for years, and definitely the best pitcher we had. He was the consummate teammate - older, cooler and way more talented than any of us, but he never acknowledged those traits in himself.
Before Jon Lester there was Greg Montalbano, and throughout Greg's all too brief life, he worked tirelessly to not be defined by his fight with cancer. I will grant him that much. I will remember him by how he chose to fight his illness - with an attitude that was determined, courageous, stubborn, and optimistic - the attitude of every great pitcher.
[Kevin] Youkilis was a teammate of Montalbano in Double-A Portland during the 2003 season while [Carlos] Pena was with Montalbano at Northeastern.
After one of the homers, Youkilis, who tied a career high with two homers and six RBI, he pointed to the sky in honor of Montalbano and had the initials “GM’’ on his hat. When he got to the locker room after the game, Youkilis saw Pena’s homer against the Rangers on television.
“I just saw Carlos Pena hit a home run and he had a sign that said, ‘That was for you, Monty,’” said Youkilis. “It’s an unbelievable feeling that two guys who played with him hit home runs today. It was a great thing.
As Pirate fans reel about the latest trade of the team's All-Star, HHR is proud to report it knows the secret to the Pirates' madness. The team is not the pathetic, bottom-feeder of MLB that it may appear to the untrained eye. In fact, the battling Buccos are in fact the only AAAA team in the World.
That's right, the Pirates are Quad-A. Their role is to elevate players from Triple - A and get them used to that major league curve ball and (on the road at least) major league crowds and fan bases.
HHR suggests that Pittsburgh fans, who take pride in their city's evolution from Steel Town to a technology leader and green city, should take equal pride in the unique role their baseball team plays in today's Major League.
GEM MINT TEN Coliln Powell rookie card. Be dialin' people.
Returning to familiar war zone-like territory, the AP reports that "[f]ormer Secretary of State Colin Powell will throw out the ceremonial first pitch next month at the Newark Bears' home opener," a game that will also feature Patti LaBelle singing the National Anthem.
As if the night couldn't be more star-studded, the team is managed by HHR fave (and Nationals legend) Timmy "Rock" Raines.
No word as to whether former Newark players Rickey Henderson and the brothers Canseco will be on hand. Though, I'd wager to bet that former Stanford all-American tight end and the city's current Mayor Cory Booker will be.
phillyBurbs via NJ.com: "After 10 years of poor attendance and a struggle for attention blocks away from the casinos, the minor league Atlantic City Surf has struck out. The team, which played in the independent Can-Am League, is discontinuing operations, along with another Can-Am team, the Ottawa Voyageurs."
Over the next several weeks, HHR will be interviewing 20 and 30-something-year-olds in various careers in professional, amateur and collegiate sports to get a take on how they broke into their respective industries and to offer tips how ambitious sports-related job seekers might do the same.
Today, we interview Bill Cook, 31, Director of Public Relations for the Yankees' Double-A affiliate the Trenton Thunder.
Name: Bill Cook Age: 31 Position: Director of Public Relations Organization: Trenton Thunder, Double A Affiliate of the New York Yankees College Major: Sports Management, University of New Hampshire Prior Sports-Related Experience: Internships while a student:
UNH Athletic Media Relations Office
New Hampshire International Speedway
Post-UNH:
Eastern League President's Office
First, tell us a little about your duties in your previous roles.
At UNH, I was the main media contact for the swimming and track teams and compiled stats for football, hockey and basketball. I also did a lot of work on the various media guides, wrote press releases and ran scoreboards/clocks. At the speedway, I was an assistant at the infield media center and worked in the timing and scoring building. At the EL office, I was responsible for the league website, newsletter and assisted in administering to the umpires and the league's 12 teams.
From many I've spoken with, professional baseball seems a close-knit group that often hires from within, do you find this the case? And how were you able to break into Eastern League President's Office?
When I was at UNH and decided that working in Pro Baseball was the direction I wanted to go with my career, I picked up the latest Baseball America Directory and looked for places where I would want to live as the basis for where to send my resume. I discovered that the EL office is in Portland, ME (about 1.5 hrs from UNH) and sent my resume there. They called me in for an interview, were impressed with the experience I had gained while I was a student and I was offered the job.
Majoring in Sports Management, what was your intention upon graduation? Did you hope to go down the PR route given your internship at UNH and your current position, or was it something you tried, liked and stuck with?
Throughout my time at UNH and my internships, I realized that PR / Media Relations was a great fit for my skills and personality. So I tailored my classes around Advertising, Promotion, and Journalism.
How did you land the job with the Thunder?
As I was finishing up the year with the EL President's Office, I knew I wanted to work for a specific team, but hadn’t landed a new job yet and hadn’t even thought about moving to New Jersey. So I went to Dallas, TX to the PBEO (Professional Baseball Employment Opportunities) job fair held in conjunction with the Baseball Winter Meetings. The night before the fair, I was hanging out in the hotel restaurant with the EL President and several EL team executives. I got to talking to the guys from Trenton, who had assumed I was there with the Eastern League and not as a job hunter. When I told them that I was job seeking, the GM said they were looking for a Media Relations Assistant and offered me the job on the spot. Since I had just traveled all the way to Texas, I told them I would think about it and had to at least check out the job fair. I got a couple offers at the fair, but all things considered, I chose to take my career to Trenton.
Tell us a little about your day-to-day activities with the Thunder.
One of the most appealing things about this job is that there is no “typical day.” A day in season and out of season are completely different just as an offseason day in October varies from one in February. My responsibilities include overseeing Media Relations including organizing press conferences, writing press releases and issuing credentials. I put together our publications such as pocket schedules and brochures and oversee all of our marketing opportunities such as print advertising, billboards and online ads. I take care of our website, email newsletter and our email marketing efforts. I’m also in charge of the community relations programs for the team.
How closely affiliated is the Thunder with Yankees in relation to your position as Director of PR? Can you focus solely on promoting the team with full autonomy, or are you required to, for the lack of better terms, "toe the company line" as an affiliate?
On paper we run our business independently of the Yankees and the relationship really doesn’t go further than the players and coaches on the field. We do have an obligation to give the Yankees the best environment possible to develop players. We prepare them for the next step by getting them experience playing in front of large crowds and dealing with regular media coverage in a strong media market.
The life of a Minor Leaguer is sometimes described with low pay and poor accommodations in random small towns. Does this translate to front office workers?
Yes and no. The pay in Minor League sports is often not on the same level that a similar position would pay in a non-sports industry, but at the same time, I enjoy working in baseball. I can wear shorts and sneakers to work in the summer and my office is in a ballpark. When it comes to Double A ballparks, markets and front office staff, I would say that Trenton is by no means “poor accommodations.”
Any culture shock going from New Hampshire to lovely Trenton, NJ?
I moved to NJ in January 2001. At that time, everything was brown and gray and I definitely missed the mountains and snow of New Hampshire. However, I quickly learned that the Trenton area including Bucks County, PA, and its close proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, has a lot to offer in terms of culture and entertainment. I’ve been here for almost eight years now and I still have a long list of things I want to do and places I want to see in this area.
Do you get to travel at all with the team?
No, I am not required to travel with the team. Last year, most of the staff did take a bus out to Akron to see the team win its first Eastern League championship.
Any interesting, repeatable stories?
During this past season, our production staff (the guys that run the video and music during games) decided to play a little trick on our radio broadcasters who work in the booth right next door in the press box. They rigged up a giant fake spider to the ceiling in the radio booth and had a string that ran above the ceiling tiles over the wall and into their own booth. They set up three cameras to film the reaction of the radio guys when this thing came dropping down. As you can imagine, our radio guys jumped out of their seats full of panic! The footage was edited together and posted on our YouTube page the next day. It was only a matter of hours before it was one of SI.com’s Hot Clicks, and had over 25,000 views within a couple days.
It seems Minor League baseball, from a fan's perspective, is a family-friendly and economic alternative to the Majors. As an "insider," do you agree with this and see this trend continuing? And, where do you see Minor League baseball in 5 or 10 years as an entertainment source or in relation to MLB?
Without a doubt. We promote ourselves as a family-friendly and economic alternative to Major League sports because that is exactly what we are. The intimate environment with affordable tickets, food and parking all make Waterfront Park a premier entertainment destination in a very crowded entertainment marketplace in Central New Jersey. Most of our fans come simply for a fun night out with family, friends and coworkers. Having the future stars of the NY Yankees is an added bonus to what is already a great experience.
As far as the future goes, the MLB and MiLB relationship is as strong as ever. In fact, just this month the Thunder and Yankees extended our agreement for another six years. I think more and more people are making the connection between the Minor League teams and their favorite Major League teams and players. With the growth of blogs, fan websites and the Internet overall, MLB fans are finding it easy and interesting to look ahead to the future of their teams by following the top prospects throughout their Minor League careers.
Some MiLB teams push the envelope in terms of promotional events. While in comparison the Thunder has been more mild, but what were your favorites with the Thunder?
We were on the road for Independence Day a few years back and the game was being televised. Someone here came up with the idea to have a “No Game Night” at our ballpark where we showed the game on the big screen, ran all of our in-game promotions on our field then held fireworks afterwards. We outdrew the ballpark where the game was actually being played!
Of course, probably our biggest promotional “gimmick” was the introduction of Chase, our Golden Retriever “Bat Dog” about six years ago. During our games, Chase fetches bats, catches frisbees and carries water to the umpires in a basket in his mouth. He has been a bigger fan favorite than we ever could have imagined, to the point where several other teams now have dogs of their own. He’s been featured on CNN, FOX Saturday Baseball Pregame Show, NBC’s Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and most of the local TV and newspaper outlets. Just today, I got a call from Rachel Ray’s TV show requesting footage for a show on “Amazing Animals” that they have coming up.
As Director of PR, how do you find coverage of Minor League baseball in the following 3 areas: local media, national media, online media?
Historically, we’ve had great coverage from all of our local media. Four local daily papers run game stories and two actually have beat writers that cover us day in and day out. Our list of National media contacts has grown as we’ve been fortunate enough to host several big-name rehabs that attracted a lot of attention.
I’ve tried to accommodate the new online media outlets as much as possible, seeing that this is the future of how people get their news. One of our regular newspaper writers started a Thunder-specific blog last year. He has done a terrific job, which is evident in his many readers, giving us a very unique and successful media outlet.
Often, the Thunder has hosted big-name rehab stints. How much do such games change your routine in having to deal with the additional focus?
Going from having five or six writers in the press box to 150, as was the case with Roger Clemens in 2007, is quite a challenge. It’s challenging because space is limited, but also because most of them have never been to our ballpark before and don’t know our procedures and timelines. However, we’ve been through it enough times now (Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano and Clemens to name a few) that we’ve figured out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to accommodating the press and being at the center of a national news story.
Who was your favorite Big Leaguer to suit up with the Thunder and why?
I have a few and they have little to do with performance on the field. Josh Hancock, Kevin Thompson, Freddy Sanchez and Shelley Duncan are four guys that stand out as being super friendly with fans and staff. They all took the time to chat and joke around and were just good all-around guys willing to make appearances in the community, sign autographs and go above and beyond what is expected of them. From a PR perspective, these are the guys you want on your team.
What's the most rewarding part of the job?
I’ve been pushing “green” initiatives for the last few years and it has been rewarding to see things like our Environmental Awareness Fair and other partnerships with the NJDEP come to light and grow. Being able to take part in community outreach endeavors like organizing blood drives and food and clothing collections on behalf of the team is very rewarding.
Biggest perks?
Working in a place where people come to have fun means the staff can’t help but have fun on the job. This job also gives me a creative outlet through my work on the website and graphic design pieces.
Biggest hassles or obstacles?
The schedule from April through September is brutal. Working 12-14 hours a day throughout 7 to 10 game homestands then still having to take care of business in the office while the team is on the road can really wear on you.
Anything you would have changed during college to better prepare you? Relevant courses or internships you'd recommend?
I never took an accounting or economics class in school and while I've learned a lot through my own experience and growth in the business world, I'm sure that having that base of knowledge from college would have been helpful.
What advice would you offer those looking to follow in your footsteps or even break into MiLB in general?
Do whatever you can to get your foot in the door and work hard at it. Even though I didn’t want to run the clock for UNH Field Hockey and Lacrosse, that was what the Athletic Media Relations Department needed me to do. So I did it and it eventually led to other responsibilities that I did want to do. Be personable and work hard. You will get noticed if you are friendly and get results.
Sports Center kicked off this morning with the Saux celebrating their playoff birth and a story questioning the status of the Bombers' decisions to pursue championships in recent years via free agency, and at the expense of their farm system.
Questions surrounding the future of GM Brian Cashman's tenure with the Yanks and the impact on the club his decision would bear, were featured in yaesterday's column by Buster Olney.
Meanwhile, this afternoon in Trenton, NJ, Cashman joined Yankee CEO Lonn Trust and Trenton Thunder officials in announcing the Player Contract Development Contract (PDC) agreement reached between the Yankees and their double A affiliate to run through the 2014 season - a six year deal, almost unheard of in Minor League Baseball.
Cashman and Trust, after a formal announcement and ceremonial contract signing, went on to talk with print and television media. We are working on uploading some audio files, but here are some interesting segments...
Asked how the success of the Thunder, back to-back Eastern League champions, translates in relation to the development of the big league club, Cashman responded:
"Fans come out to support these teams and it's our job to come up with quality talent to run through and develop. We have a player development program that we're executing that's first and foremost, and obviously if you can win on top of that, all the better, and especially for the affiliate. It gets real tough to try to sell a quality product if you're not putting a quality product on the field."
Cashman goes on to note a change of attitude in the club:
"There's a willingness in New York to give young players an opportunity, which opens up opportunity. I think there has been a change in the organization where we're not afraid to live or die with giving some young kids an opportunity and we've seen some positives and negatives with that, but I think it's the better way to go."
And finally, some kind word's for HHR's hometown:
"Everyone of our guys that has played here, has enjoyed playing here. That's not always the case in all the minor league affiliates where when they go through somewhere, sometimes people don't look forward to getting there because they've heard nightmares of that area or the community. That's not the case in Trenton. It's a wonderful place to play, a great place to spend the summer whether you're a fan whether you're working for the yanks as a manager, coach or player."
Come spend you're summers in Trenton, our staff will show you a good time.
Brett Favre is officially part of the New Jersey sports scene. To welcome him to the Garden State, the Trenton Thunder (Yankees minor league affiliate) have offered him a free tickets for the rest of the season.
(Trenton, NJ) - Upon hearing the news that future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre had been traded to the New York Jets, the Trenton Thunder, the Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees, offered the former Green Bay Packer season tickets for the remainder of the 2008 Thunder season.
"This is a big transition for Brett and his family, and the Thunder wanted to ensure they would feel welcome in the Garden State from day one," said Thunder Assistant General Manager Greg Coleman. The New York Jets play their home games in East Rutherford, NJ which is approximately an hour drive from Trenton.
You know the crazy thing. The Jets were going to give away free tickets this season before they got Favre.
On-field skits with Alex and Cynthia Rodriguez look-a-likes and Madonna's hits playing between innings were just a couple of ways a minor league team near A-Rod's former baseball home tried to cash in on tabloid fodder.
The Grand Prairie AirHogs, an independent team west of Dallas and a few miles from the home of the Texas Rangers, offered dollar tickets to fans wearing A-Rod jerseys or dressed as Madonna on Wednesday night.
Was your dream growing up to be a Major Leaguer or to front a rock band? A former MLB reliever did both. And is still living those dreams.
After featuring his 1992 Topps card at HHR's Gem Mint Ten, we were tipped off by readers that former Major League pitcher Scott Radinsky is the lead singer for the California skatepunk band Pulley.
Radinsky, a career 42-25 lefty with 52 saves and a 3.44 ERA, spent time with the White Sox, Dodgers, Cards and Indians. In addition to being an ex-major leaguer and lead singer of a punk band, Radinsky currently serves as the pitching coach of the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, and is the owner of Skatelab Indoor Skatepark and Museum in Simi Valley, CA.
Despite his numerous obligations, we were lucky enough to have caught up with Scott to ask a few questions and reintroduce him to sports (and maybe music) fans.
Hopefully I didn’t miss anything in this brief but eclectic bio of yours.
Music seems to have always been your passion. Was baseball something you were/are equally passionate about, or something you were just really good at and stumbled upon?
No. I think I have always had equal passion for both. I have always felt more comfortable with the guys in the band, though. I think we were all in it for the same thing, unlike baseball where you deal with a lot more personalities so it’s a little tougher to get 25 guys on the same page. Even though it’s called a “team.”
You're playing career overlapped significantly with your band career. And, from my understanding, cost you your gig with Ten Foot Pole. Any regrets or additional conflict in not being able to dedicate significantly more time to one profession or the other?
No. I don’t know if the band would still be around if it were a full-time venture. I think what’s kept it going for so long was that it hasn’t been full-time. I don’t really feel like I cheated either one. They have both been an important part of my life and have given equal effort to both.
How would you compare taking the mound in a Major League city with some of your experiences touring? How different are punk fans from baseball fans?
Not really the same. Baseball is [sic] by yourself out there, granted there is a team behind you. But it’s different. With the band I think we feel a little more like a working machine. As far as the fans I think its different as well. A lot more personable with the band. We get to have interaction with everyone before and after our shows and hang out. Baseball is more private once the game is over. Usually the closest you get to someone is when your signing an autograph.
How do you juggle running the park, singing in the band and coaching?
I am surrounded by some pretty good people. I could not run a business if there wasn’t someone I could trust. So I am lucky to have that. The band has been going now for over 20 years in this same format, so I think it’s safe to say it runs itself. We have all learned how to make it work this way and get the most out of it. Coaching, well for me its the same as when I was playing as far as the time it takes away during a year. So it has been easy for all of us.
How about life on the road with each. I'm sure our readers have dreamed for years about the tail they would pull as a rock star or professional athlete. Any repeatable tales from the road?
Actually pretty boring. Oh yeah we do have a DVD with a lot of craziness documented!!
Tell us a little about the DVD - its reception, the rationale behind putting it out and your experience making it.
Well, it’s pretty simple. Our friend who sells t-shirts for us when we go on the road was always filming everything and one day he said he wanted to put together a DVD. We all laughed thinking it would never happen. When he was finished we were all amazed. He did a great job and were all proud of him. I guess we thought it would be cool to see some behind the scene footage and us acting stupid. It really did turn out good. So far we have gotten a real good response from the people who have seen it.
Who do you consider your musical influences?
I still listen to a lot of the early 80's punk bands that got me into this. It was a time when this music was pure and unchartered and I think that's what still keeps me going.
Who were your favorite performers to either play or tour with?
I am not sure if I could remember all the good times we have had with all the different bands we’ve played with, but the first 2 that come to mind are Lagwagon and No Use For a Name, both who we are friends with and it was just like a vacation not a tour.
Excluding your own band, give us your essential 10-track playlist.
Don’t think I could narrow it down to just 10 songs, so I will list 10 bands:
Minor Threat, The Decendents, Black Flag, Lagwagon, Propaghandi, Adolecents, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Dead Fish and Black Sabbath.
And I forgot or didn’t have enough space to list the other 2000. Can anyone just name 10?
What athletes did you look up to coming up?
Being from Los Angeles, I grew up with the dodgers, so anyone who played with them during the 80's probably was on the walls of my room when I was a kid.
Who were your most memorable teammates or coaches to play with?
Most memorable teammate was Carlton Fisk. I had a locker next to him for my first 3 years. Dave LaRoche, my first pitching coach. Wow, there are a lot of good guys I respected so I'm sure I could mention a lot more. These are always the 2 that come off the top of my head.
How did you get involved with the skatepark?
[I] always grew up skating, so when I saw my first indoor skatepark I thought this would be a cool thing to do for my town. I did not know what I was getting myself into, but 11 years later it has been worth it. A lot of hard work and a lot of good memories there. So far the kids have had respect and appreciate it, so that helps to see through some financial loss at times to keep a good thing going.
What's next on the horizon? Do you plan to continue in each of these ventures, or do you see yourself concentrating on any exclusively?
I think this is my life. Nothing is exclusive, its all one big venture. We have a CD we recorded in March coming out soon, I think I am going to coach again next year, and I have 5 months off to fill candy machines at the skatepark. That’s my life. Pretty boring, huh?
Around 5 PM last night I got a giddy text message from Cousin McCormack who works with the Mets' Single A affiliate, the Savannah Sand Gnats: "Daryl Strawberry is at my stadium! He's a roving instructor for the mets and i met him!"
I insisted she get me some sort of exclusive photos or dirt and I'd do a whole piece on the Gnats, to which she promised she'd "try."
In the meantime, here's a shot of Straw from SavannahNow.com talking with the Gnat's Michael Parker.
Yesterday, we were ecstatic to hear about the St. Paul Saints' clever upcoming promotion, the Larry Craig Bobblefoot giveaway.
Unfortunately, just as this promotion was born, we got wind (albeit late) that another passed away. We decided that this would be a good time to check the status of the Macon Music "Eliot Spitzer Night" scheduled for June 13, only to learn that it died a silent death back in March.
The team’s website poll results show that 55% of fans voting were in favor of canceling the event. Another poll featured on the Macon Telegraph’s website had similar results.
The Music team wanted to give its fans the chance to voice their opinion on a promotion that has caused quite a stir. The local fans support is very important and with that in mind, the team respectfully has canceled the event.
We applaud the Saints for their innovative and media-grabbing promotion and the effort by the Music to be equally creative. But we understand while some people would be uncomfortable with the idea(s).
HHR will offer a free weekly guest post throughout the Music's season to recap Macon games on our site to any fan who send us a picture of themselves wearing our Spitzer #9 baseball jersey at Luther Williams Field.
The first 2500 fans attending the St. Paul Saints' game against the Fort Worth Cats, May 25 will received one of these collector's pieces commemorating Sen. Larry Craig's run-in with an officer at the Minneapolis-St.Paul airport last year.
AP Photo
Coincidentally, the Saints' schedule lists the 25th as "Day of the Week Sponsor: Underwater Adventures Family Sunday. Kids run the bases and get autographs from Saints players!"
The Trenton Thunder, since locating to New Jersey's capital city in 1994, has become one of the most successful and popular minor league franchises in the region.
According to their Wikipedia page, in 2006, "the Thunder became the first team in Minor League Baseball history to draw over 400,000 fans for twelve consecutive seasons at the Double-A level or below. Through 13 seasons, over 5.4 million people had attended a Thunder game."
Since 1994 it has also been affiliated with 3 teams - the Tigers, the Red Sox and currently the Yankees, which is most relevant due to a large number of Yankee fans in the area.
Thunder alumni includes back-to-back AL rookies of the year Tony Clark and Nomar Garciaparra, as well as Trot Nixon, Shea Hillenbrand, David Eckstein, Carl Pavano, Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes and one Joba Chamberlain.
That last name jumps out at me. Chamberlain is widely heralded as a future MLB superstar, like a handful of young Yankee hurlers, despite wonder whether he'll start or remain in the bullpen in the immediate future.
Besides Chamberlain (ranked 3), who is a lock to make the Yankees big league roster this year, only 3 Yankees appear in Baseball America's top 100 prospects:
Jose Tabata (OF, 37)
Austin Jackson (OF, 41)
Ian Kennedy (RHP, 45)
Kennedy will likely end up in the Yankees rotation this year, obviously enough that the Thunder are polling on their main page the following:
THUNDER TOP PHILS, TABATA AND JACKSON SPARK OFFENSE
Obviously, Tabata and Jackson will be the top draws for the Thunder this year.
Yet, the Thunder want to hype their past instead of their current and future. Take for example their electronic marquee which encourages you to call a number for information on getting a limited edition Joba bobblehead. Obviously, I haven't called, but it piqued my curiosity. I assumed they had some left over from a promotion last season. Then, at a bar with Willard last night, I noticed the free Thunder pocket schedules, adorned on front and back with Joba Chamberlain.
Now I see the ONLY way to get a Joba limited edition bobblehead is by purchasing a "Joba Rules" 10-game ticket plan. A plan with which in all likelihood you will never see Joba pitch.
I understand the marketing strategy to capitalize on a young star's success and popularity. But, for a franchise that continues to set attendance records, is such a push really necessary in lieu of promoting your current roster and team?
For the Thunder, this strategy isn't new. Their 2006 schedule featured Melky Cabrera, a year in which he played in 130 games with the big league club.
Image: WasWatching.com
Again, we get it the idea, but not the justification. You're going to draw fans, so why not develop and market your own new stars instead of that of your big league counterpart?
In the meantime, I like this McCain-esq idea and am going to try to win me partial season tickets.
In a world where wacky Minor League Baseball promotional shenanigans are all the norm, the Bowling Green Hot Rods tapped into another common societal element for their latest game-day marketing scheme - Facebook.
