On Saturday, August 16, a Mascot Showdown for the ages took place at Fresno's Chukchansi Park, as the Grizzlies' own Parker went head-to-head with the legendary Phillie Phanatic in a battle for costumed character supremacy.

In anticipation of this momentous event, I wrote a preview detailing what fans could expect from the evening. Now, it is time for the review.

Bradley Collins, the Grizzlies Director of Mascot Relations and Parker's best friend, was kind enough to provide me with a recap of what took place. All photos contained therein are courtesy of Don Davis, whose work can be viewed at dadphoto.com.

Collins reports:

A substantial backlog of fascinating material has accumulated here at Ben's Biz Blog headquarters, and I am greatly looking forward to sharing my bounty of Minor League news.

But, today, time is of the essence, and I simply do not have it in me to do a powerhouse post. Instead, let me fill you in on a thoroughly ridiculous promo that was staged by the Omaha Royals this past weekend. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how it came about.

1. On August 19, columnist Tom Shatel of the Omaha World-Herald makes the following observation: "...the Royals shouldn't be afraid of $6 parking prices (at the new downtown stadium) because people pay that much to park in the Old Market. That's a fair point. But the Royals would be going from free parking to $6. Plus, you can't get lavosh at a Royals game."

2. After doing some research, the O-Royals' front office learns that "lavosh is of Armenian origin. It is a flat bread used to celebrate in the Jewish fashion. There is no yeast in it and it can be eaten during many Jewish festivals and Holy days."

3. Armed with their newfound knowledge of Jewish flatbread, the club announces that a special lavosh pizza will be available at the ballpark on Saturday, August 23. It consists of chorizo sausage, roasted bell peppers, onions and smoked gouda sauce, and is named after Shatel. Furthermore, fans have the option of "Shatel-ing" their nachos by replacing the chips with lavosh crackers.

4. Finally, the club stages an on-field promo -- "'Shatel Lavosh Toss,' where participants will toss large lavosh crackers into a container. If they win, they will receive free parking to all Omaha Royals games that will be played at the new downtown stadium.

Now, as someone who possesses only a superficial knowledge of O-Royals ballpark negotiations, lavosh, Omaha's Old World Market, and the journalistic stylings of Tom Shatel, it is quite possible that I do not fully understand the club's motivations for staging this evening of lavosh-related ridiculousness.

Nonetheless, I hope this promotion serves as an inspiration to other Minor League teams. The next time a local journalist makes a snide reference to your club's parking and ethnic food-related deficiencies, don't just smile and turn the other cheek. Instead, incorporate said reference into one of the most baffling promotions of the year!

Regular readers of this up-and-coming blog may recall this post, which detailed the Quad Cities River Bandits' surprisingly successful "Tattoo Night" promotion.

Yesterday, the Lake County Captains followed suit with a "Tattoo Night" of their own. Artists from a local tattoo studio set up shop at the ballpark, and five fans ended up making the decision to indelibly brand themselves with the Captains' logo. Jonathan Levey, the Captains' promotion manager, was kind enough to send along the following photo of one such fan:



If any other teams have been able to implore their fanbase to get a team logo tattoo, then by all means send along some pictures (benjamin.hill@mlb.com).

Meanwhile, I will simply implore my vast cadre of loyal readers to have a great weekend. Things are getting busy here at MiLB.com headquarters, but rest assured I shall find the time to make a few posts next week. There are a few things sitting in my inbox that just cannot be ignored.

Hard as it may be to believe, the 2009 season is a mere seven months away. And in the Minor Leagues, where change is a constant, every season brings with it a host of changes big and small.

One of the biggest such changes on tap for '09 is that the South Atlantic League's Columbus Catfish will be re-locating to Bowling Green, Kentucky. And with the new location comes...wait for it...a new name!

After receiving more than 1100 entries in a "Name the Team" contest, the club has narrowed it down to seven choices. All of these names have something to do with the history, culture, or fauna of the Bowling Green area, and all of them are awesome in their own way. But, I think you'll agree that one name is a little more awesome than the rest. Let's see if you can guess which one has received a coveted Ben's Biz Blog endorsement.

Speedsters
Cave Shrimp
Hot Rods
Bluegills
Turbos
Sparkplugs
Mammoths

Of course, my winner is Cave Shrimp. From the team's website:

"Mammoth Cave, located near Bowling Green, is home to the endangered Kentucky Cave Shrimp, a sightless albino shrimp. The blind cave shrimp has been registered as an endangered species since 1983."

I have long advocated for teams to be named after species that are either albino, sightless, or endangered, so to see this holy trinity encompassed into one moniker is a dream come true.  Whether you agree with my choice or not, make sure to cast your vote here. And, rest assured, I will continue to provide updates on the evolution of this new franchise throughout the coming months.

This past Friday, a couple of hunters announced that they had found a Bigfoot carcass in the woods of Northern Georgia. While this dubious claim was quickly debunked, it nonetheless inspired a real-life Bigfoot to make his presence known at a Mobile BayBears game.

Here are some details from one of the weirdest press releases of the year:

"It was business as usual in Mobile on Friday night until a dark, furry creature appeared from beyond the right field wall and began galloping around the warning track with seemingly no purpose, although he did manage to swipe a Braves' jersey during his trek from the Georgia woods."

While Bigfoot may not have meant anyone any harm, BayBears mascot Teddy Bear wasn't about to take any chances.

"Fearful of nothing and no one, Teddy Bear took it upon himself to chase down the sasquatch and club him unmercifully until he retreated back into the freezer and grainy, unreliable photos that made him famous."

The threat of getting pummeled by a usually adorable mascot seems like it would deter Bigfoot from attending games in the future. Clearly, it is easier to reside in the realm of  freezers and unclear photography. Nonetheless, the BayBears offered free tickets to Saturday's contest to any local Bigfeet who wished to attend.

None took them up on the offer, apparently. In fact, the BayBears website no longer even lists the Bigfoot press release, as the team's focus has now shifted to the fact that Stan Musial's cousin's 9-year-old great-granddaughter will be playing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"  at the ballpark this Friday.

Perhaps this promotion was a mere figment of my imagination, and only exists in my frazzled mind. Nonetheless, between mascot beatdowns, historic organ performances, and re-located childhood residences, it is clear that attending a game in Mobile is anything but your average day at the ballpark.

When we last checked in with our friends in Vero Beach, it was to highlight their "Revolutionary War Night" promotion. In that post, it was mentioned that one of the club's upcoming promos would be "Anti-Doping Night". This special evening was strategically scheduled two days before "Olympic Night", and was expressly designed to "promote healthy living and a drug-free lifestyle."

Also on the Anti-Doping Night agenda was the distribution of 200 urine sample cups, a humorous nod to the standard drug test procedure. D-Rays Communications Manager Christa McElyea reports that not everyone "got it" when it came to the urine sample cups. Take this woman, for example:

Last week, the six Minor League clubs operated by Mike Veeck's Goldklang Group staged "Bobblection 2008." The premise behind this promotion was simple, according to my Promotion Preview column from two weeks ago:

"Bobblection is very simple at its core," I wrote informatively. "Upon entering the stadium, fans will select a bobblehead doll of either Barack Obama or John McCain. The first candidate to run out of dolls (there will be 500 of each) is declared the winner."

The people have spoken, and the leader they prefer is bobblin' Barack Obama. Here are the results:

GOLDKLANG GROUP BOBBLECTION RESULTS 

TEAM                                  OBAMA                McCAIN

Hudson Valley, NY      750  (51.3%)      713  (48.7)

Brockton, MA              500  (52.3%)      456  (47.7%)

Charleston, SC           500  (58.1%)      360  (41.9%)

St. Paul, MN               1250  (58%)        906  (42%)

Sioux Falls, SD            500  (55.2%)      405  (44.8%)

Fort Myers, FL             500  (54.4%)      419  (45.6%)

TOTALS                   4,000 ( 55.1%)    3,259 ( 44.9%)

Astute observers will note that three of the teams listed above (Sioux Falls, St. Paul, Brockton) are from the Independent Leagues, that wild and wooly bastion of the Minors that is officially outside of the Ben's Biz Blog jurisdiction. For one shining moment, Bobblection was able to unite these normally isolated factions of professional baseball.  As a candidate of HOPE and CHANGE and UNITY and other buzzwords that signal a NEW ERA, Barack Obama  would certainly approve.

In other news: I will be out of the office over the next several days, for two exceedingly good reasons. Blog content will most likely be sparse, but do not think I have abandoned you. I would never do that.

Last Thursday, I provided the world with an in-depth post on the B-Mets' nightly Spiedie Race. Toward the end of this mighty display of my journalistic prowess, I included the following photo, and asked readers to provide a caption:



My vast cadre of loyal readers once again kept a rigid adherence to the "never, ever comment" school of blog readership. But that is of no matter. Because I received something better than a caption. I received a first-hand account from an individual who was a direct participant in the above chaos. Take it away, Mr. Santino R. Thomas:

You asked for a caption for one of your spiedie race pictures so I'll tell you what went on in that picture. First, however, I will tell you that I am a B-Mets intern and, yes, I am the chef! It was mascot mania night at the ballpark and we asked all of our visiting mascots to join in the spiedie race fun...A mascot at the end of the line tripped and started a domino-effect of mascots tumbling to the outfield grass. This ultimately ended with a pile-up of mascots on top of the poor marinade, but not before "Tux" the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins mascot took a flying leap at the marinade, knocking the bottle to the ground.

So, there you have it folks. For those who may be curious, here is a photo of the aforementioned "Tux" (leave it to a hockey mascot to take things too far):



If anyone has any stories regarding Tux's volatile behavior, or if anyone would like to defend his despicable act of marinade-tackling, then please get in touch.

milbbusiness@yahoo.com
benjamin.hill@mlb.com

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs held their "Inaugural Wedding" promotion this past Friday, in which a young couple from the Allentown area got hitched at Coca-Cola Park as part of an all-expenses paid wedding extravaganza.

I wrote an article about the event as part of last week's Promotion Preview column, and yesterday IronPigs director of community relations Sarah Marten was kind enough to send along some pictures. Now, I am hardly the romantic type, but I must say that these photos are pretty amazing. Enjoy the following shots, which I will not cheapen with my usual snarky commentary:

In lieu of, you know, actually providing new content, I will wrap up this blogging week by directing you elsewhere.

CNBC's Darren Rovell maintains a consistently interesting sports business blog, and yesterday he caught up with former track star Carl Lewis in Beijing. Most of Rovell's conversation with Lewis revolved around his infamous rendition of the National Anthem at a Nets-Bulls game in 1993 (which can be listened to, in all its glory, here).

Rovell wraps up his post with the following exchange between himself and Lewis:

Me: Will you ever sing the National Anthem again?

Carl: I don't know. It may happen again one day. Trust me, there's a lot of things in life I said

I'd never do and somehow people convince me to do it.

Me: But don't you think you have to sing it again to prove you can, you know, start on the right key?

Carl: People know me know my past, what I stood for, what I did for the sport. As far as the Anthem goes, people know where to find me. They know how to get me to do it again. (Lewis rubs his fingers together as if to say it would take money.) 

Minor league teams... start the bidding! Carl Lewis Anthem Night would be a sure sellout.

Carl Lewis Anthem Night is an excellent idea, and it would generate a ton of publicity for the team that makes it happen. Any concerns over the evening's possible lack of respect for the National Anthem could be mitigated by including a bevy of overtly patriotic elements as well. Just make sure Roseanne doesn't show up.

And speaking of patriotism...the Gameops.com Editor's Blog has a great post today, featuring video of an incredible event that took place at a Dayton Dragons game. As part of a "Hometown Heroes Celebration" of local members of the military, the club helped orchestrate a very touching reunion between a deployed serviceman and his family.

I don't want to give anything anyway, but Dragons' are to be commended for staging such a well-orchestrated stunt. It would be hard to top this one. 

Hopefully George Clooney will see this and it will inspire him to stop talking trash.

Without a doubt, the most well-known and beloved food delicacy that Binghamton has to offer is the "spiedie" -- tender meat cubes that are marinated for days in a special sauce and then grilled. Even writing about them makes me hungry.

Naturally, the Binghamton Mets serve this regional specialty at their concession stands, but they've taken things a step further than that. Introducing the Spiedie Mascot Race:



Eric Long, the B-Mets director of video production, reports:

"The race is sponsored by a local company that produces the marinade and features a giant spiedie sandwich, a marinade bottle, and a chef character who is part of the company's logo. This year Marinade has yet to win a race, much to the chagrin of many of our fans. It's by far our most popular on-field promo with the fans, players, and even the umpires. Last homestand the ump crew wanted to intervene to help the Marinade win his first race. A few weeks ago a Connecticut relief pitcher ran as Sandwich."

Additionally, the B-Mets have become adept at incorporating stand-alone theme night promotions into the nightly race. As the following photos illustrate, a veritable who's who of pop-culture powerhouses have joined in on the action.

Not even the Wicked Witch or the Cowardly Lion can contain Sandwich:

Last week, I blogged about the State College Spikes' epic "Night of 100 Promotions", and wondered if any other teams would soon follow suit.

One has: the Jamestown Jammers.

The Jammers have toned the concept down a notch while also adding a unique hometown twist. The club is currently in first place in the New York-Penn League's Pinckney Division, and just 14 wins away from a franchise-record 42 victories. In honor of this march to immortality, tomorrow will be "The Night of 42 Promotions."

Utilizing the hard-nosed investigative journalism skills that I have built my reputation upon, I was able to secure a complete list of the Jammers' promotions (thanks to Director of Baseball Operations Scott Eddy). Tiny font, activate!

1.  Answer some fun and exciting trivia and win a small prize that will last forever!

2.  Through out the game so you do not forget the stats or your favorite players, we will be giving away colorful post-it notes!!!

3.  Free Bubba Hugs

4.  Learn the Robot Dance with Bubba!

5.  Receive 100 of this special prize and you will have a $1.00 aka Penny Giveaway!

6.  Number 1 music hits from around the world on the PA all night long

7.  Meet the wonderful Jamestown Jammers staff of 2008!!!

8.  Attempt to start the largest Wave in Chautauqua County history

9.  Join in while we do the Macarena

10. Bull-pen player name game

11. You have been wondering? Ask the GM one question of your choice!

12. Salute to the chia pet

13. Watch your Jamestown Jammers interns take on one another in the Intern Olympics

14. 42 bugle calls

15. 15% of a non-sale item in the Gift Shop

16. Salute to the Yodel

17. Jammers Card set toss into crowd

18. Electric Slide on the field

19. Look out for flying peanuts! Catch them if you can!

20. Wrestling theme music

21. Tribute to 42^nd President Bill Clinton

22. Pay tribute to your hometown girl by doing I Love Lucy impressions!

23. J-E-L-L-O toss on-field

24. Kids bring your muscles to join in on a tug of war challenge

25. Test your running skills by running in clothes backwards

26. Anyone who throws 42 at Speed Pitch wins a prize!

27. Water balloon toss

28. Salute to our manager, Darin Everson

29. Salute to baseball caps

30. Meet the grounds crew

31. Meet outfielder Ray White

32. Moment of silence for our troops

33. Come to the game with your blue tooth and win a small prize

34. Salute to the Eggplant

35. Free high fives

36. Spend a fun filled inning with Bubba!

37. Jr. PA Announcers

38. Free T-shirt toss

39. Salute to Boy Bands

40. Salute to the 42^nd state, Washington

41. Free stadium tours

42. Free pocket schedules

I will now elaborate on a few of these most-exciting innovations.

#3: Bubba is the Jammers' mascot, whose full name is the quite awesome "Bubba Grape the Baseball Ape". It is fitting that he shares a name with 42nd President Bill "Bubba" Clinton, who the club will be paying tribute to that evening (see promo #21).

#6: In addition to playing #1 hits, the club might wish to consider playing the song that is currently #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart: "Realize" by Colbie Caillat.

#10: RIght-hander Wayman Gooch should be a lock to win the bullpen name-game.

#19: This sounds more like a threat than a promotion.

#22: Lucille Ball was indeed born in Jamestown.

#25: This is obviously preferable to running naked backwards.

Meanwhile the aforementioned State College Spikes are running full speed ahead with more innovative promotions. The club's on-field play has left much to be desired this season (the Spikes are 18.5 games behind Jamestown in the Pinckney Division), so the front office has declared Friday's game as "We Win, You Win" night.

If the Spikes win that evening, fans receive a ticket voucher for an upcoming game against Staten Island. But if they lose, then "General Manager Rick Janac and Director of Ticket Sales Chris Phillips will walk around the bases on Saturday for the equivalent amount of hours as runs the team is beaten by." The full press release is located here.
 

One of the greatest aspects of Minor League Baseball is the extent to which teams establish identities based on the history of the cities in which they play.

Case in point: The Williamsport CrossCutters. The team's name is a reference to Williamsport's history as "The Lumber Capital of the World", and their logo features a bat and log-wielding lumberjack. Recently, the club celebrated this heritage with a "Pre-game Wood Cutting Demo", which I imagine was the only pre-game wood cutting demo to occur in the Minor Leagues this season (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Crosscutters VP of Marketing Gabe Sinicropi sent along the following photo, featuring himself (in the jersey) and GM Doug Estes displaying their formidable sawing skills. These skills were not formidable enough, however, as they were defeated in this sawing contest by (horror) two members of the local media.

As regular readers of the blog are aware, I make it a point to occasionally highlight the ever-growing world of mascot racing. The last post on this subject dealt with Toledo's "Racing With the Stars" series, featuring Kitty Holmes, Jamie Farrmadillo, and Jim Flealand.

Today, we shall transition from the Midwest all the way to Vancouver, where the hometown Canadians feature racing sushi on a nightly basis. Ever-ebullient GM Andrew Seymour reports:

"In a market where there's a huge Asian population and many an Asian restaurant the Sushi Race has become our Hallmark promo. Canadians fans always make a point of catching the Sushi Race - even if they're in the midst of ordering a Sapporo Beer and a Sushi Dog at our Concession stands - and cheer on Chef Wasabi!"

In addition to the lovable (albeit winless) Chef Wasabi, the other two combatants are Ms. BC Roll and Mr. Kappa Maki:


While Ms. BC Roll is always up for some fan interaction:

According to the fine folks at Guinness World Records, the largest pillow fight ever occurred at the University of Albany in 2005, and featured 3,648 combatants.

Last season, the Kane County Cougars attempted to break this record by staging a "World's Largest Pillowfight" promotion. They made a good show of it, but ultimately fell short as they were able to entice "just" 3,085 fans to engage in post-game cushion combat.

In a display of the indomitable spirit that characterizes those from the great Midwest, the club simply decided they needed to try a little harder this season.

"After coming so close last season and seeing the tremendous response towards the event, there was no doubt in our mind that we were going to take another crack at breaking the world record this season," Cougars Assistant General Manager Jeff Ney said in a press release announcing this year's feather-filled battle royale.

And break the World Record they did, as 3,872 fans took part in a post-game pillow fight on July 19th. The aforementioned fine folks at Guinness have not officially confirmed the Cougars' triumph over the University of Albany, but hopefully they will legitimize the proceedings in the very near future.

In the meantime, the Cougars' website features a video of the event as well as a post-fight wrap-up. Click here.

If Guinness confirms the record and the Cougars achieve pillow fighting immortality, it will be interesting to see if they can break their own record next year. Perhaps they could generate further interest in the event by snagging an endorsement from Speaker of the House Nancy "Pillow"-si.

It's worth a shot.