This blog has covered a diverse range of topics over the past several weeks, and I am proud of that fact. However, it has come to my attention that I have been neglecting that most tried and true content resource: the team press release.

So, today, let me rectify the situation by composing a post that is based largely upon the work of another. Journey with me to Charleston, South Carolina, where the RiverDogs have announced a most interesting promotion, one that is tied in with their upcoming Hot Stove Banquet and Silent Auction. Take it away, press release:

The Charleston RiverDogs are offering a unique chance of a lifetime by auctioning the opportunity to enjoy an inshore chartered fishing trip with Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry.

Bidding for the fishing charter begins Monday, Jan. 12, at 9 a.m. and concludes Monday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. Those wishing to bid on this opportunity should submit their bid, along with contact information (full name, address, and phone number) to specialevents@riverdogs.com

I don't know about you, but for me, "fishing with Gaylord Perry" ranks very highly on my comprehensive list* of "aquatic activities I would like to do while in the company of a celebrity". It's not as high as "White-Water Rafting with John Fogerty" or "Scuba Diving with David Lynch", but it's pretty close.

At any rate, kudos to the RiverDogs for working Perry into a promotion that goes above and beyond his appearance at their upcoming Hot Stove Dinner (and raises money for charity, to boot). I wanted to close with a joke that somehow incorporated both fishing and ball-doctoring references, but I couldn't come up with one.  Any help in this regard would be greatly appreciated. 

*for a complete copy of this list, email me at benjamin.hill@mlb.com

Something that I have become aware of over the past several months is that I am recognized as a "blogger" first and a "journalist" second. That's fine with me.

But I nonetheless must occasionally draw my readers' attention to the work that I do that appears on the mighty MiLB.com, such as this recent article on the effect that the economy is having on Minor League Baseball.

While this piece came out well enough, I was somewhat hampered in writing it by the fact that it was so close to the Holidays. Time was tight, and it was a bit more difficult to get in touch with people than usual. Therefore, some decent material fell by the wayside.

But what is the function of this blog, if not to provide a home for such material? For example, one of several things that did not make it into the article was an email from Andrew Seymour, the General Manager of the Vancouver Canadians. In this email, Seymour took the time to outline the ways he thinks his club is well-positioned to deal with the economy (outside of the fact that his team isn't located in the United States, of course).

I figured I'd share the contents of this email, and include along with it an invitation to any of my readers to get in touch with lists of their own. You know, reasons why YOUR team (be you fan or employee) has what it takes to make it through the tough times.

benjamin.hill@mlb.com

And now, let me turn the floor over to Mr. Seymour.

In an effort to take care of our #1 asset, our fans, we've instituted a price freeze across the board. We have kept our ticket prices the same for 09 -- for flex/mini packs (which we call NatPacks), season tickets, groups and game day/walk-up tickets.

Our advertising prices are the same for in-stadium advertising (and we plan to deliver more and more impressions -- aka butts in seats).

Parking is the same rate as it has been for years!

We have created a kids club at a tremendously inexpensive rate ($20) that gets kids in for free to 14 home games (7 Sunday + 7 Monday dates). We also have a $50 family rate for families that have 3 or more kids.

We've furthered our outreach in the community --we like to see it as giving back. Now that we have a mascot, we have a much better avenue to be out supporting the events in our immediate and surrounding communities. This allows us to reach-out and connect with all the people we hope will take interest in a Canadians game.

We're also expanding our no-cost information network, in order to help build our fanbase. From facebook to an amped-up website with audio and video, we have a viable opportunity to reach fans everywhere.

We'll have a number of ball park upgrades that will be pleasant for our fans - upgrades that we won't ask our fans to shoulder!

And whatever we do, it is always a result of having a generous local ownership group (jake kerr, jeff mooney + andy dunn) and a first class, dedicated staff that cares dearly for our community.

 

All in all our m.o. will be to deliver first class, affordable family fun in a safe and friendly

environment. Our goal is to provide consumers with a great value on their entertainment dollar!

Pretty solid sales pitch, is it not? Again, get in touch with similarly self-promoting screeds of your own, and I'll do my best to post it up here on this ever-growing little niche of the blogosphere.

Folks, the bottom line here is that I need content, and its easier to have you create it than me. Let me be the conduit through which your self-expression can reach its full potential.

As you may or may not be aware, the inexorable passage of time has resulted in the fact that we are now living within the realm of a new calendar year: 2009!

I, once again, find myself either unable or unwilling to make an earnest bid for literary immortality. But I have to do something to pass the time and pay the bills, so I may as well engage in a task that serves the betterment of mankind. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that I have updated my links section. There have been a few additions and many subtractions, as I work toward the ultimate goal of providing the most well-curated Minor League link list ever known to man.

I must credit Joey over at "The Consumption Of..." blog for motivating me to undertake this most recent round of link list updates. For it was he who asked me, in the comments section of a recent post, what were some of my Minor League team blogs.

My answer, in good old alphabetical order:

BlueClaws Blog -- A recently revitalized destination, offering behind-the-scenes insight into anything related to the BlueClaws.   

The Brooklyn Baseball Blog -- All sorts of inside tidbits on life in the Cycones front office, written in a light-hearted and humorous style.

Greg's Connecticut Defenders Blog -- Updated regularly throughout the offseason, and chock full of exclusive pictures.  

Notes From the Nat (Vancouver Canadians fan blog) -- Surprisingly thorough and wide-ranging coverage from a short-season superfan.

Rattler Radio (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) -- As someone who has engaged in my own half-insane blogging adventures, I greatly enjoy announcer Chris Mehring's wide-ranging, highly-detailed, and humor-laced posts.

Travelerocity (Arkansas Travelers fan blog) -- No other Minor League blog I've come across enjoys a greater level of user interaction than does "Travelerocity."

Of course, please get in touch (by email or the comments section) with YOUR favorite blogs. If I'm missing anything, please let me know. And, as always, thanks for reading.

benjamin.hill@mlb.com  

Hello, and Happy New Year. I hope that the just-concluded Holiday Season served as a much needed chance for rest and respite, because now we're all right back in the thick of things. As if we never left.

But judging by the deserted state of the MiLB.com headquarters, it was rather unnecessary for me to come into work today. There are no other people here, or any other living things save for the occasional squirrel. But that's okay with me. I thrive in solitude.

So, as 2009 commences, what is there to write about?. First off, I must dutifully piggyback off of my last post and mention that the Peoria Chiefs are the latest team to have been bitten by the Blogojevich bug. Last week, the club announced that they would be selling off "Senate Seats" for each 2009 home game. The details, italicized and in fine print for your pleasure:

The seats, which are located in the second row of section 108, are directly behind home plate and protected by the screen sell for $10 per game. They will be available via auction on the Chiefs website beginning Feb. 1. The auctions will end 24 hours prior to each home game and begin at $20. All proceeds from the "Senate Seat Auctions" will go into a pot which will be distributed at the end the season among various local charities.

Moving on, I must commend my colleague Lisa Winston for using her finely-honed journalism skills to

decipher one of the more mysterious ballplayer utterances of all-time. On Dec. 19, Lisa ran an interview with Tigers prospect Casper Wells on her blog. In response to the question "What is the best Minor League promotion or visiting act you have ever seen?", Wells replied that he liked "the monkey guy with the floating thing."

No one could figure out what Wells was talking about, and it caused a many a sleepless night for those who care about such things. So Lisa dug a little deeper, and was able to solve the mystery. Read all about it here.

And, finally, because I must operate in threes -- At 11 p.m. EST on January 14th I will be a guest on the weekly Minor League Baseball Radio Show. I'll post more specific info on this in the near future, but mark your calendars now. It's not like they were going to stay all new and shiny much longer anyway.

Just last week, I mentioned the fact that the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL were going to be staging "Blagojevich Night". As part of this promotion, the team will take to the ice wearing prison uniforms, and an open seat between the player's benches shall be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Upon mentioning this item, I lamented the fact that such an imminently promotion-worthy scandal had occurred in the baseball offseason. Because what's the point of scandal if it can't be capitalized on by a Minor League Baseball team?

Fortunately, the Quad Cities River Bandits have stepped in to fill the void. Yesterday, the club publicly endorsed Director of Baseball Operations Bob Evans for Illinois' still-vacant Senate seat. Whether they were moved to take this action as a result of my blog post is beside the point, because I'm just going to assume that they were. Why else would I have gotten into the blogging game anyway, if not to erroneously validate and promote my power and influence within the industry?

I'm sure not doing it for the money, as my paycheck currently comes in the form of concession stand vouchers and discontinued team merchandise.

Anyhow, forgive me these moments of self-indulgence. The 2008 blogging year is reaching its end, and I am finding it hard to say goodbye. So to return to the River Bandits, here are some samplings from yesterday's press release:

The team is offering the Governor quite a bounty for the vacant Senate seat, including four club season tickets - featuring private wait staff delivering food and beverage orders directly to fans' seats - as well as two nights in a luxury suite at Modern Woodmen Park, and advertising for the State of Illinois on the brand new LED ribbon board that will be installed this spring.

"I feel honored that the River Bandits have selected me as their choice for United States Senator and am confident that I will be a great asset to the state government," said Evans, 65, as he spoke from his Moline home. "As an usher, greeter, concession stand worker, salesman and little league coach, I've worked with Illinois baseball fans for decades. I know what people want. Also, I've worked with a lot of umpires here at Modern Woodmen Park and I know I make better calls than most of them.

So congratulations to the River Bandits for getting in on the action, and using the Blagojevich scandal to generate a little bit of Holiday time publicity. Now, it's my turn to get in on the act, with the just-conceived "Ben's Biz Blog-ojevich Promotion."

The first person to bribe me with complimentary words about my blogging skill will, in return, get a free post on this here blog (600 word max). It can be about anything you want, provided it passes muster with both myself and MLBlogs' draconian Standards and Practices department.

benjamin.hill@mlb.com

Well, that's it for me, guys. I truly thank everyone who has made this blog a regular destination over the past year, and I look forward toward bigger and better things in '09.

And, this holiday season, remember the things in life that are truly important:

Today I must draw my readers' attention to my Minoring in Business "cover" story, which features the Holiday Wish Lists of 20 (!) Minor League teams.

Folks, this is the kind of content you just can't find anywhere else, so I hope you appreciate it. I could just as easily be getting paid to write literary essays on the cultural effects of 21st-century social isolation for Harper's, you know. Lewis Lapham is constantly badgering me to do this.

But, no. The Minor Leagues are my calling, so I must answer the call. Therefore, revel in today's article, which is chock-full of interesting Holiday requests. There is currently a poll on the MiLB.com homepage, asking fans to vote on their favorites. Your choices include three masterpieces of the Minor League Holiday Poetry genre (Huntsville, Toledo, Quad Cities), as well as a handwritten mascot letter (West Michigan) and a superb doctored photo (Tri-City ValleyCats).

Not included in the Top 5 poll, but still worth checking out, are humorous contributions from Reading, Williamsport, and Birmingham. Actually, it's ALL worth checking out. Do not discriminate.

And I may as well get in on the act as well, and post a Holiday Wish List for this here blog. I refuse to address it to anyone in particular, but I nonetheless believe these things will happen as a result of positive karmic repercussion. I give, so that I may get. Here are the two things that I want:

-- More readers! The numbers have been really strong lately, especially for the offseason, but there is still plenty of room for growth. I feel that the subject matter has appeal far beyond "the industry" and Minor League Baseball superfans. The culture and atmosphere of a Minor League Baseball stadium reflects the culture and atmosphere of the community in which it is located. Taken together, these community portraits represent and reflect American culture.

To summarize, and tone down the pretention a notch (sorry Lewis): Minor League Baseball IS America.

-- More feedback! There has been a nice uptick in comments as of late, and I routinely receive emails from front office folks and fans alike. But...more please! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this blog is a two-way street. The content will only ever be as good as what I am provided with by my readers.

So get in touch, for any reason at all:

benjamin.hill@mlb.com

As I mentioned yesterday, I am fantastically behind on my new logo updates. The only way for me to emerge from this self-created morass is to condense a good half dozen or so posts into one. So, here we go with 2008 New Logo Round-Up, Volume 1.

Buffalo Bisons
Unveiled: December 16
Designer: Phoenix Design Works
Sentence Pulled At Random From the Press Release: This new adaptation shows a bison charging out and adds a new dynamic, multi-dimensional feel to an old logo.

The Logo:


Charlotte Stone Crabs
Unveiled: December 17
Designer: Unknown, despite 90 seconds of internet research

(Mystery Solved! -- Dan Simon of Studio Simon got in touch to let me know that his company designed the Stone Crabs logo. Wrote Simon: "The Stone Crabs identity was the fourth, and final, unveiling of a new Minor League Baseball identity developed by Studio Simon for the 2009 season, following those of the Oklahoma City RedHawks, Visalia Rawhide and Colorado Springs Sky Sox.")

Sentence Pulled at Random From the Press Release: Limited quantities of merchandise were available at the event and sold out immediately.

The Logo:


Colorado Springs Sky Sox
Unveiled: October 22
Designer: Studio Simon
Sentence Pulled at Random From the Press Release: With a significant military presence in town (Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base and the Air Force Academy), and the USOC and all the US athletes that train in their facilities, Colorado Springs truly is one of the most patriotic towns in America.

The Logo:


Lowell Spinners
Unveiled: December 5
Designer: Single Source Promotions
Sentence Pulled At Random From the Press Release: "The symmetry with the Spinners' "S" really makes the logo pop."

The Logo:
 

I consider logos and uniforms to be part of the Ben's Biz Blog beat, and when it comes to that area of my expertise there is much to report.

Yet, I keep putting it off. My heart is not into it. It's sort of like when you listen to the same album over and over, to the point where you get sick of it. Some distance is then needed, so that the album's pleasures may reveal themselves yet again.

Yes, that's how I feel about logos right now. Distance is needed. Therefore, I shall instead bring you up to speed on a variety of other important matters. Such as these:

-- Via the excellent Gameops.com editor's blog, I was alerted to the fact that the Las Vegas Wranglers of the East Coast Hockey League are staging Blagojevich Night on January 30th. The details:

The Wranglers will unveil special new vintage prison uniforms, complete with horizontal black and white stripes.  Each player will also have his own prison number assigned to him, and as if all that wasn't enough, now for the piece de resistance.

There will be an open seat between the player's benches that will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, a la Obama's vacant seat in the Senate.  (NBCChicago.com)

Congratulations to the Wranglers for coming up with this, but it always pains me when such promotion-worthy scandals occur in the dead of winter. In order to establish their dominance over the rest of the sporting world, baseball teams should stage "ripped-from-the-headlines" promotions in the offseason as well. When it comes to such gimmickry, the idea results in far more publicity than the execution.   

-- My MiLB.com colleague Lisa Winston has an article on the site today that is well worth reading. Entitled "Trying Times", it hammers home the point that Minor League ballplayers often have to deal with precarious financial situations. Many of the people reading this blog are already aware of this, but its always good to be reminded that the majority of people who play sports for a living are far from wealthy.

Somewhat on topic, I'd highly recommend reading Steve Fireovid's "The 26th Man" It provides a lot of insight into the day-to-day hardships associated with simultaneously being a Minor Leaguer and a family man. And, please, never hesitate to get in touch with Minor League Baseball book recommendations:

benjamin.hill@mlb.com

-- Finally, many of you may remember this post of just two days ago, in which I went up on my soapbox in order to tout the innovation and resiliency of the Minor Leagues in tough economic times. Well, today this press release caught my eye*, in which the Missoula Osprey mentioned that all season ticket holders will receive a free "popcorn and a pop" at each game. Now, this in and of itself is a very small news item. But, it is indicative of the sort of promotion that will become more and more "pop"ular as teams seek to lure fans through the turnstiles during these tough economic times.

*you know how painful that can be

For those who don't follow the world of Minor League Baseball very closely, a common misperception is that teams more or less go into hibernation during the offseason. Sure, someone might occasionally stop by the office to check the phone messages and pick up the mail, but that's about it, right?

Wrong! In the Minor Leagues, not even bears go into hibernation during the offseason...even if said bear is employed by a short-season ballclub AND lives in a foreign country.

For proof, journey with me all the way to the exotic locale of Vancouver, Canada, the home of the sensibly-named Vancouver Canadians. The club's mascot Bob Brown Bear has been working overtime in order to spread holiday cheer while simultaneously keeping the Canadians baseball club in the hearts and minds of the Vancouver citizenry.

Here, we see Bob Brown Bear (BBB, as he will henceforth be known) working the crowd at Vancouver's annual Santa Claus parade:



BBB later made an appearance at Vancouver's annual tree-lighting ceremony, once again while toting his trademark giant candy cane:

 

Then, back in the comfortable confines of Nat Bailey Stadium, BBB welcomed none other than Santa Claus himself. Mr. Claus was taking time out of his busy schedule in order to check out the fine items on display at the Canadians' one-day only merchandise sale. Of course, he also patiently listened to the Christmas wish requests of Vancouver's youngest generation:



So, there you have it folks. Just another quick glimpse into the YEAR-ROUND operation of a Minor League franchise.

(Thanks to Canadians GM Andrew Seymour for the pictures. And, please, by all means, don't hesitate to send YOUR offseason pics to benjamin.hill@mlb.com)

On Friday, the New York Times ran an article on the state of the Minor League economy entitled "As Money Tightens, Scaling Back on Jobs and Fun". It was written by one Michael S. Schmidt (who is like me in that he is a sportswriter who must share his name with a far more famous individual), and can be viewed here.

Schmidt wrote the piece at the Las Vegas Winter Meetings after talking to a variety of Minor League job seekers and front office executives. While I can't argue with any of the facts in the article, it nonetheless seems to me that Schmidt went out of his way to remain negative throughout, like he was unable or unwilling to deviate from the main premise of "the economy's in bad shape, therefore the Minor Leagues must be in bad shape too".

We learn that some teams are skimping on equipment costs, in-game entertainment features, and concession stand portions, that it is harder for job-seekers to attain employment in the industry, and that sponsorship dollars will be increasingly hard to come by. This is most certainly the case, and I don't want anyone to accuse me of myopia when it comes to the difficult economic situation that Minor League Baseball (and by extension, our country) currently finds itself in.

However, Schmidt does his readers a disservice by failing to mention the ways in which the Minor Leagues are relatively well-positioned to weather the current economic storm. First, many of these clubs have deep-rooted relationships with their communities, and have therefore accumulated a tremendous amount of fan loyalty. These fans are making economic sacrifices along with everyone else, but many will find a way to remain ballpark regulars while spending less on other, less deeply-ingrained entertainment diversions. This is America's Pastime, after all.

Secondly, when compared to other entertainment options, the Minor Leagues provide a lot of bang for the buck. A family of four can attend a game for anywhere from $20-40 total, while taking advantage of frequent giveaway items and food and beverage prices that are far lower than most any other professional sports event. And let's be realistic...while the Major and Minor Leagues have a symbiotic relationship in many respects, fans who live within reasonable distance of both options may find themselves drifting more and more toward the Minor League side of the equation. In the Majors its often difficult to find a ticket for less than $20 (and let's not forget about $12 parking, $8 beer, and $5 hot dogs) and there is also the increasingly off-putting disconnect of watching ludicrously well-compensated individuals compete within an overall morbid economic environment.

Finally, industry-wide creativity is one of the Minor Leagues' greatest strengths, and that is something that can't be measured in purely economic terms. I think one of the reasons the 2009 season will be very interesting is because teams across the country will come up with their own unique ways to deal with the crisis. Whether its by staging promotions that poke fun at the situation (I'm guessing there will be a wave of "Fan Bailout" nights) finding new ways to lure previously unreached customers to the ballpark, or cutting costs without dramatically altering the upbeat environment, the industry will adjust. It always has and it always will. This is real-live professional baseball we're talking about. It has survived through two World Wars, the Great Depression, innumerable natural disasters, the designated hitter, Nixon, and astroturf. It will survive this as well, and Michael S. Schmidt should have taken the time to at least acknowledge this more nuanced big-picture view.

*************************************************************************************************************
Okay, I'll get off of my soapbox now. It's been a while since I've been on this thing, and in fact my right leg broke through one of the slats and ripped a hole in my jeans. I promise to be more careful in the future.

Also, thanks to regular reader and longtime touring NBA stand-up comic Tom Lorenzo for alerting me to this article in the first place. If YOU would like to alert me to anything, please send an email --

benjamin.hill@mlb.com