Yesterday I stumbled upon a pair of excellent sports journalism-themed Minor League events, and since they both involve a team from the Mike Veeck-led Goldklang Group I figured I would cover them in tandem with one another.

Tonight in Fort Myers, the Miracle are hosting the first-ever "Miracle Journalism Camp". From the press release:

"The camp will give 10- to 18-year-olds the chance to learn about sports broadcasting and meet broadcast professionals from Southwest Florida...Professional writers, TV anchors, editors and photographers will talk about their respective professions, how they got there and what the campers can do to prepare themselves for a career in journalism.

The highlight of the camp will be the opportunity to cover that evening's Miracle game. Campers will watch the game from the Hammond Stadium press box and report on the game and their experience. Stories will be reprinted on the Miracle's website."

Tonight's event is at full capacity, and the club is already compiling a waiting list for next year. Obviously, this is a win-win situation. The camp provides aspiring sports journalists with a great opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of covering a game, while simultaneously generating increased fan interest in the Miracle.

Meanwhile...The Charleston RiverDogs announced the details of their "Fancaster Contest" yesterday. The club is currently accepting 1,000-word essays from fans who would like to try their hand in the broadcast booth. They will then select nine of these aspiring announcers, each of whom will broadcast one inning of August 23's game against the Columbus Catfish.  Here are the rest of the details:

At the conclusion of the RiverDogs-Catfish game, nine fan video clips will be uploaded and available for voting by 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 25 at www.fancaster.com.
 
From Aug. 25-27, fans will have the opportunity to vote for the best RiverDogs Fancaster fan video on www.fancaster.com.  There will also be a link on the RiverDogs' website.

The winner will be announced as the "RiverDogs' Fancaster Fan of the Year" during Fan Appreciation Night, which will be held as part of the RiverDogs final home game of the season on Aug 27 against the Savannah Sand Gnats.

On the assumption a position is available, the winner may be considered for a potential radio play-by-play position for one of The Goldklang Group's teams (Charleston RiverDogs, Fort Myers Miracle, Sioux Falls Canaries, Brockton Rox, St. Paul Saints and Hudson Valley Renegades).  Being named the "RiverDogs Fancaster Fan of the Year" during Fan Appreciation Night does not guarantee future employment.

So there you have it folks...while the winner of this contest may not be guaranteed future employment, he or she will be guaranteed to win respect and admiration as a result of heretofore unrecognized play-calling skills.

Kudos to both the Miracle and the RiverDogs for staging events for their fans that are both fun and beneficial to professional development. That's a hard combination to pull off.

Two worlds collided in Vero Beach on July 22nd, as the Devil Rays' front office staff brought the fine art of historical war re-enactment to the ballpark. As part of "Revolutionary War Night", crucial moments of our country's battle for independence were brought to life for the edification and enjoyment of the evening's game attendees.

Devil Rays communication manager Christa McElyea sent along "Revolutionary War Night" photos, remarking that the night was "epic...Martha Washington narrated the evening and our mascot Squeeze even got in on the battle action."

It's about time that anthropomorphic grapefruits were recognized as the staunch defenders of American liberty that they have always been! Let's take a look at some photographic evidence of this fine event, shall we?

Here's the evening's distinguished host, future first First Lady Martha Washington:



The British are coming! The British are coming! (Note that very few people wished to be photographed with these dastardly rapscallions. Vero Beach fans are true patriots!)



But Squeeze and his fellow American soldiers were ready for the British attack (Also worth noting in this shot is the presence of a man wearing a water cooler as a shirt and a plastic bag over his head):



The British troops, despite being equipped with cell phones and walkie-talkies, were soon forced to surrender:

Given the absurd amount of details involved in hosting a professional baseball game, almost all Minor League front office staff members are highly-skilled in the fine art of multi-tasking.

Yesterday, the State College Spikes took multi-tasking to the limit with their highly innovative (and somewhat masochistic) "Night of 100 Promotions." The evening was exactly what its name implied, as the Spikes crammed an absurd number of promotional endeavors into the span of nine innings. Some of these activities are really stretching the limit of what could be called a "promotion", but such boundary-pushing is what Minor League Baseball is all about.

Spikes promotions and community relations manager Jennifer Orlando was kind enough to send me a list of all 100 promotions, which I will now reprint in tiny font:

1. Paper Airplane Contest

2. Pet Rock Petting Zoo

3. Rubber Band Shooting Contest

4. Sock Puppet Show

5. Crazy Straws at Concession Stands

6. Bubbles at the Gates

7. Stick of Gum...Win a Contest, win a stick of gum

8. Paper Clip Giveaway

9.  Free Laughs

10. 10 Free Popcorn Gloves @ Gates

11. Paper Plate Mask Making Station

12. Dum Dum Giveaway

13. Sunflower Seed Giveaway

14. Pixie Stick Giveaway

15. Face Painting

16. Amazing Christopher Appearance

17. 70's Night

18. Family 4 Pack

19. Stadium YMCA Dance

20. Disco Dance Off

21. Hippie Cam

22. Groovy Grounds Crew Dance

23. Free Programs at gates

24. Free T.P. squares at gates

25. Free High Fives

26. Free Hugs from Ike

27. The Hustle dance instructions

28. Free Smells

29. Spend an Inning in the Press Box

30. Spend an Inning with Ike

31. Bag of Ballpark Air

32. Hula Hoop station on Concourse

33. 70's Trivia...Valpak?

34. Leftover Night

35. Kids Run the bases

36. Balloon Giveaway

37. Arts and Crafts...Coloring stations?

38. Mini-Golf

39. Self-Guided Concourse tours

40. Spikes Trivia

41. Curve Trivia

42. Pirates Trivia

43. Penn State Trivia

44. New York Penn League Trivia

45. Meet the Spikes Staff

46. Gates open 1 minute early

47. Do the Wave!

48. Free Hugs

49. Intern Olympics

50. Ike Autograph Session

51. Merchandise Sales

52. Front office carnival at the gates

53. Play in Porter Gardens

54. Wing Eating Contest

55. Spread the "Peace" Signs

56. $1 off burgers

57. ½ off 16 oz. beer from 6-8

58. ½ off small soda from 6-8

59. Free Pocket Schedules

60. Free Half sheeters

61. Free lists of 100 promotions

62. Free Business cards

63. Sidewalk Chalk

64. Free Trash Disposal

65. Free Recycling

66. 162 Free Student Tix from SPA

67. Ike's First Pitch

68. Nookie Monster's First Pitch

69. K Contest - If the Spikes Get 9 Strike Outs, One Lucky Fan Gets $9 off a Hat

70. Triple Play Contest - If the Spikes Turn a Triple Play, One Lucky Fan wins Three Free Tickets

71. Walking Taco Walk - If the Spikes Get 4 Walks, One Lucky Fan wins a free Walking Taco

72. Be the Playball Kid!

73. Fan of the Game Contest

74. Hot Dog Launch

75. Throw Out the Last Pitch of the Game

76. Be the PA Announcer for an inning

77. Jimmy John's Frozen T-Shirt Contest

78. Weis Market Hamster Balls

79. Mt. Nittany Wheelworks Tricycle Race

80. T&B Medical Karaoke

81. ValPak Trivia

82. McDonald's Waterballoon Toss

83. Sweet Tooth Bakery Candy Toss

84. Dominoes Pizza Scream

85. Heimer Eyecare 20/20 Dash

86. Nittany Embroidery T-Shirt Toss

87. Wegman's Playbill Signature

88. Sheetz Playbill Signature

89. Pre-game Player Autographs

90. Be the Honorary Bat Kid Pre-Game

91. 4 Lucky Fans will get their seat upgraded

92. Grounds Crew Tip of the Day

93. Birthday & Anniversaries will be announced

94. 4 Free Pizzas!

95. One Lucky Row will win free car washes

96. Ike Skit

97. Play Ball Launch at the end of the game

98. Guess the Attendance

99. Lucky section will win a prize when the first Spikes run scores

100. Be on the Fan Cam!

There are many, many highlights here, but perhaps my favorite is #61 -- "Free List of 100 Promotions". This list could then serve as a handy checklist throughout the evening, as fans participated in a veritable promotion scavenger hunt. I am also partial to the free bag of air (#31), free smells (#28), and the chance to win a  "walking taco" (#71).

So now that the Spikes have set the bar with this promotion, will any team be able to top it? Will we soon see a night of 101 Promotions? 200? 567? The sky's the limit, really, and I am hoping that a full-fledged battle now erupts as teams vie for the coveted honor of "Most Promotions Staged in A Single Night."

I would also like to see a team host a "Knight of 100 Emotions", featuring a medieval warrior with bi-polar disorder.

Last week, I wrote an article on South Bend's "Josh Collmenter Mustache Awareness Night". This fine piece of probing investigative journalism ran in conjunction with my weekly "Promotion Preview" column, and was bolstered even further by a meticulously curated photo gallery of prominent Minor League mustaches as well as a fan poll.

I cannot take credit for the latter two features, as putting together such a wide array of mustache-related content was a team effort that involved many of MiLB.com's greatest minds. But that is neither here nor there. What is "here" is that Josh Collmenter Mustache Night occurred last Wednesday, and I would like to provide a brief recap of this evening of sartorial splendor.

Silver Hawks' director of sales and marketing Amy Hill reports that the event was "fantastic", and that there was "perfect weather, a great crowd, and plenty of mustaches." The promotion drew a reporter from a local television station, who provided the following coverage (scroll down a bit and click on "Watch the Video")

http://www.wsbt.com/sports/local/25810384.html

A wide array of Silver Hawks players participated in a pre-game "best mustache" contest, and the winner was Derrick Walker. Unfortunately, I do not have an up-to-date photo of the 22-year-old right fielder. I imagine that his mustache has improved somewhat since this MiLB.com file photo was taken:

I'm a day or two behind on this, which is entirely appropriate:

CURVE'S SALUTE TO PROCRASTINATION NIGHT STILL NOT SCHEDULED

Astute readers will remember that this is not the first time that this has happened. For those too lazy to expend the energy necessary to click on the above links, here's a quote from the  Curve's most recent press release:

"We still have 38 more days until the end of the season so

there's no need to worry because there's still plenty of time to get Salute to Procrastination Night planned," said Curve General Manager Todd Parnell. "38 days is still a long time away... I mean if you break it down you could play one World Cup, four World Series, nine U.S. Open Golf Tournaments and 38 Super Bowls during that period. When the time comes we'll lock ourselves in a room, turn off all televisions and radios, drink lots of coffee, and pull an all-nighter to come up with a promotion which will be just good enough for us to earn a passing grade from our fans."

Fortunately, the Curve have staged plenty of other promotions in a timely fashion. One of the most recent was their "Please Come to Altoona, Will Ferrell" extravaganza, which was held this past Monday. In order to entice the portly comedic superstar to make a visit to Blair County Ballpark, the Curve put together the following package:

--A $716.67 appearance fee (based on his birth date of 7/16/67)

--A ride to and from the Blair County Airport in mascot Steamer's Mini Van

--Two (2) Diamond Club Tickets to the game of his choice and the opportunity to throw out a ceremonial first pitch

--The opportunity to host the "Curve Game Day Show" in the character of "Ron Burgandy" from Anchorman

--An opportunity to broadcast one inning of the Curve game on radio (Ferrell attended USC in hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster)

--One Curve Burger and a small fountain drink

--A Curve hat from the ballpark's Lost and Found Bin

--A round of golf for he and sidekick John C. Reilly on the Moon with Tiger Woods, as he demanded during Sunday's telecast of the ESPY Awards on ESPN (The only caveat is that the Curve still are awaiting word from Woods on "Please Come to Altoona Tiger Woods Night", which was quietly announced earlier in the season) 

The Curve have not yet received a response from Ferrell, but that's probably because he has been procrastinating.

Never let it be said that the Trenton Thunder don't care about professional basketball fans of the Pacific Northwest. Because they do. Clearly, they do.

Or do they?

As many of my readers are no doubt aware, the NBA's Seattle Supersonics franchise is relocating to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season. And with the move comes a new name: the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That's all it took for the great minds of the Trenton Thunder front office staff to swing into action:

"The Trenton Thunder are now offering a complimentary ticket to any Seattle Supersonic fan.

To receive a free ticket, fans must stop by the box office at Waterfront Park and be wearing their Seattle Supersonic hat, jersey, t-shirt or other merchandise. Each Seattle fan will receive one free ticket based on availability.

'We just want to help ease the pain for Sonics fans worldwide and offer them a night of fun with the Thunder here in Trenton,' said Thunder General Manager Brad Taylor. 'We can't blame Oklahoma City for choosing the best nickname in all of sports and certainly wish them well.'"

The Thunder win some creativity points here, but I'm not really sure how these Sonics fans will have their pain eased by watching another team named "The Thunder." Wouldn't this be the exact sort of thing these fans would wish to avoid?

After all, if your girlfriend ran off with a guy named "Joe", you wouldn't go to "Joe's Pub" to drown your sorrows, or try to distract yourself by watching the 1996 serio-comedy classic "Joe's Apartment". No! You'd avoid all Joe-related cultural ephemera like the plague. That's what you'd do!

I think it would make more sense if the Thunder offered ticket discounts to everyone with Oklahoma drivers licenses, and/or to fans wearing the apparel of Oklahoma City sports teams. After all, it is these individuals who will be most receptive to watching the Trenton Thunder as they prepare for the inaugural season of a Thunder of their very own.

Perhaps I am mistaken in these views. If any of my usually non-commenting cadre of loyal readers would like to weigh in with their opinions, I would very much like to hear them.   

And, regardless, kudos to the Thunder for a creative, attention-grabbing promo.

Hank Aaron's former Mobile home will temporarily become a mobile home, as the Mobile BayBears announced yesterday that they will be moving the legendary slugger's childhood residence to Hank Aaron Stadium. This, of course, is the immobile home of the Mobile BayBears, who are currently on the road.

If you are confused, I take full responsibility. This compulsion to engage in unnecessary wordplay is reaching epic proportions.

Here's the deal: Hank Aaron was born in Mobile's Toulminville district, and his family has recently announced its decision to donate his childhood home to the city of Mobile. The city has wisely decided to restore the home and then move it to the grounds of the BayBears' Hank Aaron Stadium.

Once there, it will become the Hank Aaron Family museum. From the press release:

"The home will be restored and will become a museum showcasing the history of Hank and his family during the 40's, 50's and 60's...The renovation will take place from October 2008 into the spring of 2009 and plans are to open the museum in April as the BayBears will celebrate Hank Aaron's 75th birthday all season long."

But, of course, that is not all:

"In addition to tours of the home, during BayBears games, fans will have an opportunity to picnic in Hank's backyard. A white picket fence will be constructed in the back of the home with picnic tables. Plans are for groups to tour the stadium grounds, Hank Aaron Family Museum and view a video in the Harbor Communications Center about the life of Hank Aaron."

Hammerin' Hank is far from the only baseball luminary to hail from the city of Mobile, as the likes of Willie McCovey, Ozzie Smith, Juan Pierre, Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Amos Otis, and Jake Peavy were also born there. Maybe the city can tow the homes of all these players to Hank Aaron Stadium as well, in the process creating a neighborhood of local sports superstars.

(photo credit: Mary Hattler, Associated Press)

As regular readers of this exemplary blog are aware, Fresno's Drag Kings are Minor League Baseball's premier infield-dragging dance crew. But they are not the only game in town when it comes to novelty groundskeeping.

For once a year, male employees of the Winston-Salem Warthogs front office don women's clothing and tend to the infield dirt. Like many other humiliating promotional endeavors undergone by Minor League Baseball employees, the reason they do this is simple: It's for charity.

This year's "Drag in Drag" event raised $3,000 for a local chapter of the Special Olympics. How it works is simple. In the two weeks leading up to the big day (which occurred on July 5th), fans were asked to donate money to the front office member who they would most like to see "Drag in Drag". Let's take a look at the "winners".

Trey has his face covered in hair, but that outfit leaves little else to the imagination:

When we last checked in with the re-vamped Quad City River Bandits, it was to highlight their vast array of unorthodox seating options. This time, it's to highlight a surprisingly successful promotion that was held last Thursday -- Tattoo Night.

The premise was simple: The team offered fans the opportunity to come to ballpark and get a River Bandits tattoo. Those who did so were rewarded with a 2009 berm season ticket. While this is not the the first time this type of promotion has occurred in the Minor Leagues (the Daytona Cubs made a similar offer a few years back, and others have followed suit), the River Bandits' version was remarkably well-received.

General Manager Kirk Goodman reports that 28 (!) people got a River Bandits tattoo, and that the team's makeshift tattoo parlor was busy from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Time for some photographic evidence:

You know this guy was psyched for this promotion from the very moment he heard about it:



Here's a shot of one of the tattoo artists hard at work.

It might not have anything to do with baseball, but the drama, uncertainty, and general chaos surrounding Brett Favre's recent decision to "unretire" is too hilarious a situation to ignore. So, in the grand tradition of last season's Billy Donovan promotion in Fort Myers, the Augusta GreenJackets have announced that August 4 will be "Brett Favre Night" at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

In cases like these, I find it most expedient to quote copiously from the press release. Here's what's in store for the evening:

The GreenJackets plan on retiring the number four jersey on August 4, only to reinstate it the next day on August 5.  The team also will hand out a pair of flip flops to the first 100 fans through the gates on August 4 to honor one of the greatest flip-floppers of all time.

Other events planed for the night include seat up grades to box seating for anyone wearing a Favre jersey, Green Bay or Atlanta.  Fans wearing a "cheese head" will also receive a free brat at the concession stand. 

 

We are also allowing any fan that purchases a ticket between now and August 3 the

opportunity to reuse that ticket for the Augusta 4 game because just because your game is over, does not mean your game is over," Brown said. 

 

Food specials will include brats and Pabst beer, and there will be on field contests that include the "Lambeau Leap" and the "Strahan Sack.

The full release can be read here. Congratulations to Augusta GM Nick Brown and his front office staff for being the first club to poke fun at Favre and his waffling ways.

This doesn't have anything to do with the Minor Leagues specifically, but nonetheless I believe it will appeal to my vast cadre of loyal readers.

Earlier this month The Baseball Project released its debut album "Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails", and it is a winner. In case the group name and album title hadn't made it clear, this is a rock 'n roll record whose subject matter is 100% related to our National Pastime.

The Baseball Project's core song writers are Steve Wynn (formerly of the Dream Syndicate) and Scott McCaughey (of the Minus 5 and longtime R.E.M. collaborator). The rhythm section consists of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck on bass and Wynn's wife Linda Pitmon (Golden Smog) on drums. Clearly, this is a group with some serious rock and roll credibility.

The record's dozen songs could generally be described as ragged, mid-tempo Americana roots rock. Or something like that. It's always a dicey proposition to string a bunch of adjectives together in an attempt to categorize a band's sound, so I won't attempt to do so any further.

And I'd rather talk about the lyrics, anyway. Wynn and McCaughey are obviously serious fans of the game, and bring a first-person storytelling approach to many of the songs. The subjects include the peripatetic Satchel Paige, overlooked labor hero Curt Flood, tragic slugger "Big Ed" Delahanty, one-time tabloid villain Jack McDowell , and a whole lot more.  But my favorite track, hands-down, is "Harvey Haddix". Not only does the song tell the hard-luck tale of Harvey Haddix's excruciating perfect game that wasn't, but it also manages to name-drop every pitcher who has ever thrown a pitcher game in the chorus. It's a fine piece of storytelling in the American folk tradition, and is available on the band's MySpace page for all to hear.

And it appears that this album is called Vol. 1 for a reason, as Wynn and McCaughey have indicated in interviews that there's a lot more where this came from. For future song topics, may I suggest the legendary Bud Fowler? That dude deserves to be honored as the true American hero that he was.

And if the Baseball Project ever tours -- and I sincerely hope that they do -- then I have a perfect recommendation for who their opening act should be. These guys.

In last week's Promotion Preview column, I mentioned that legendary pro wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart would be making an appearance at Vancouver's Nat Bailey Stadium as part of the Canadians' "Superstar Series".

Well, this all went down last Thursday night. Vancouver GM Andrew Seymour (the man responsible for last season's Promotion of the Year) writes that "The night was terrific -- Hart was great with the fans!", and sent along a few photographs as well.

This picture shows Hart signing an autograph (on what appears to be a replica championship belt) for a fan who is clearly enamored with the world of professional wrestling:



And here's the Hitman throwing out the game's ceremonial first pitch:

I did a post last month about the Lancaster JetHawks' upcoming skateboard giveaway, a most highly impressive promotion indeed. In case you need your memory refreshed, the post is here. And for further refreshment, here's a photo of the skateboard that was given away to the first 500 kids in attendance (age 16 and younger):

I am a resident of New York City, so inevitably I end up attending several Mets games throughout the course of the season (against my better judgment, perhaps). One of the most recognizable Shea Stadium regulars is "Cowbell Man", who patrols the stadium with his signature noise-making instrument. He is just one man, and yet he can be heard quite easily in a stadium with a capacity of over 55,000.

So imagine the noise-making potential of the Visalia Oaks' latest and greatest creation: the cowbell section. Behold:

I am currently multi-tasking. With my left hand, I am typing the sentence that you are in the midst of reading. With my right, I am shaking a hat that is filled with small pieces of paper. On each of these pieces of paper, a potential Ben's Biz Blog topic is written.

It is now time to choose.

Okay, here we go:

USA! USA! -- From the "Promotions That I Missed" department comes this one staged by the Hudson Valley Renegades. On July 1st, the club held "Born in the USA Night", in which four pre-selected immigrant fans competed to have their neutralization process paid for by the Renegades. Said the Renegades in the press release:

Tuesday night the Renegades will do something that has never been done before by starting one fan on the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. What goes better than baseball, fireworks and America? Nothing...that is why the Renegades are going to complete the trio for one deserving fan.

Okay, time to reach into the hat once again...

Apropos of Nothing -- I am on the email list of many Minor League teams, but the missives of one club in particular have recently caught my eye. That club is the Charleston RiverDogs, whose game recap headlines utilize verbs that are rarely used in the world of sports journalism. Let's take a look at the headlines from the recent series against the Lexington Legends:

RiverDogs Forget Legends, 2-0 (July 7)
Legends Loom Large Over RiverDogs, 3-1 (July 8)
RiverDogs Discredit Legends, 5-4 (July 9)

So, to summarize, on Monday the RiverDogs defeated the Legends by effectively erasing them from memory. The Legends overcame the RiverDogs' amnesia the next day by developing a temporary size advantage that allowed them to tower above their opponents. But the momentum from that triumph did not last, as the RiverDogs won the following afternoon by using their powers of logic and oratorical skill to effectively dismantle the cunning but ultimately empty sophistry of the Legends.

Kudos to the RiverDogs' Media Relations Department for tapping into the unlimited potential of the English language. And now I proceed to the hat for the third and final time.

Recommended Link! Several times in the past, I have referred my loyal cadre of readers to the excellent gameops.com. Recently, the site featured a "Pro Panel", in which five sports industry executives gave their two cents on how they would respond to the following scenario:

You are in this position: Your shipment of 20,000 bobbleheads arrives on Friday for your game on Saturday. You take them out of the box and notice that the player seems to be giving you the finger. You have 36 hours until game time, a sponsor is attached to the promotion, and tickets have been selling briskly in anticipation of the giveaway.

What do you do?

It goes without saying that the resulting responses make for some excellent reading. It's like an episode of 24 for sports industry professionals. And, of course, this scenario was inspired by a recent real-life situation.

While I greatly enjoy writing "Promotion Preview" on a weekly basis, it is a column that clearly has its limitations. Mainly, there is only room for a handful of photos. Yet, one's understanding and enjoyment of many of these promos would be greatly enhanced if there were an accompanying image to each write-up.

Baby steps, readers, baby steps. While this utopian vision of copious photo representation remains a long way off, at the very least I can use this blog to close the gap between this ultimate goal and present-day reality.

Alright, enough talk. I mean, really, dude. Just get on with it. All this blither blather just to set up a photo of a Pajama Jersey is a little much.

Just a minute, italicized text -- did you say something about a Pajama Jersey?

I did:



Oh, awesome. These jerseys were worn by the Birmingham Barons last month. Here are the details, courtesy of my friend italicized text:

For the team's games on Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22, against the Jacksonville Suns, the Barons players and coaches will wear specialty "pajama" uniforms that will be auctioned off over the course of the weekend.

The uniforms will be white with powder blue and black trim. They will also incorporate stars and half-moons in the trim of the lettering to add to the "nighttime" feel. The "Baron head" logo that is on the left sleeve will feature the Baron wearing a night-time stocking cap.

This past offseason, Toledo Mud Hens Director of Media Relations Jason Griffin generated a good deal of attention for his team when he offered A-Rod a contract with the Mud Hens.

The contract offer was, of course, facetious. But looking back, perhaps A-Rod would have been better off in Toledo. Away from the harsh glare of New York, he could have settled in to a much more relaxed and carefree existence. Instead, A-Rod stayed in the Big Apple, where his marriage disintegrated after he was "brainwashed" by Madonna, his alleged "soulmate."

But those in the know are aware that Toledo wouldn't have offered any respite for the beleaguered slugger. Because Toledo is home to none other than Muddonna:

Times are tight these days, and we could all use a little extra cash. But acquiring extra cash usually requires extra work, and that's no fun at all. Why not just head to your local Minor League stadium in order to obtain the riches you so desire? This is a much better path to potential financial salvation.

Last month, the Lake County Captains instituted their "Big Win Wednesday" promotion. Here's how it works:

"The Captains will give away $1,000 in cash and prizes at every Wednesday night home game

for the remainder of the season. The prizes include one (1) $500 winner, one (1) $100 winner, ten (10) $10 gas card winners, and twenty (20) $5 Captains gift card winners.

Starting Wednesday, June 25^th, the first 1,000 fans through the turnstiles will receive an envelope containing anything from a dime to a certificate for $500 cash."

(Thanks to Lake County Promotions Manager Jonathan Levey for the info).

A similar promotion is being staged by the Connecticut Defenders on Friday, July 11th. Defenders Director of Sales Johnny Gill writes:

"The 1^st 1000 adults get $1 and a raffle ticket, and those numbers will be drawn throughout the night for cash prizes of $5, $25, $50, $100 and $500."

And speaking of the aforementioned Johnny Gill, I received an email earlier this afternoon touting the fact that he recently worked his 300th consecutive game as the Defenders' on-field MC. This email was signed "Proud Staff", despite the fact that it came from Gill's email account.

I would like to encourage this practice in the future. If any Minor League front office members would like to tout their accomplishments while half-heartedly pretending to be someone else, then don't hesitate to get in touch.

I have many long-standing goals here at Ben's Biz Blog, and one of them is to bring my readers information on as many Minor League mascot races as possible. My last post on this all-important topic focused on the Toledo Mud Hens and their "Racing With the Stars" series.

Last week, Jennifer Groome from the Lakewood BlueClaws was kind enough to clue me in on the existence of the team's Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese mascot race. These three characters, which pay homage to one of New Jersey's most favorite sandwiches, were introduced to the fans in Mid-May. They have quickly become an integral part of the FirstEnergy Park experience, as one can see from this video:

Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese

Cheese won this round, but the battle is far from over.

Also not over -- my blogging day. The people have demanded more posts, and I am doing my best to satisfy the will of the people.

Happy Fourth of July! I can't think of a better way to celebrate the holiday than by getting this venerable blog back on track after a week in which other obligations left it sad and lonely. All other potential uses of my time seem frivolous in comparison.

Let's look at a couple of notable Holiday happenings that are taking place in the world of the Minor Leagues. Yes, lets:

Augusta, Georgia, is located some 800 miles away from Coney Island, home of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. In an attempt to bring the fame and glamour that surrounds this event to their hometown, the GreenJackets are staging their very own frankfurter consumption competition.

Over each of the past six Thursday home games, the club has staged a hot dog-eating contest. And tonight, the winners of each of those six contests will battle to become Augusta's undisputed hot dog champion.

The Championship event will take place upon the conclusion of tonight's ballgame against the Charleston RiverDogs, and will be immediately followed by a fireworks display. Now here's where things get really good: the winner will be able to choose between $200 cash or a trip for two to Weiner, AR. I sincerely hope that this latter option is chosen.

As a service to my readers, I have spent the last three hours (give or take two hours and 55 minutes) researching the town of Wiener, Arkansas. According to Wikipedia, this quaint little burgh has a population of just 760 people. It has located in close proximity to many other hilariously-named towns, such as Birdeye, Bono, Cash, Cord, Egypt, and Strawberry. Those Northwest Arkansasians sure know how to give their communities interesting monikers!

Now, of course, hot dog eating may not be the sort of thing you're into. Perhaps numerical-based promotions are more up your alley. Let's travel 300 miles away from Wiener, all the way to Pearl, Mississippi. There, the M-Braves have put together the following contest:

If the fourth batter in the Braves' lineup goes 4-4 (four base hits) in the game on July 4th, one lucky fan will receive $4,444.00.

If the M-Braves score five runs in the fifth inning on July 5th, one lucky fan will receive $5,555.00.

Finally, if the Braves score six runs in the sixth inning on July 6th, one lucky fan will receive $6,666.00.

That's a total of $16,665, just waiting to be won by a triumvirate of lucky fans. Here's hoping that the M-Braves pull off all three of these statistically improbable events over the course of the weekend.