Saturday, August 23rd, was a very special day in the world of baseball -- and not just because it was Julio Franco's 50th birthday. For it was on this day that the Huntsville Stars strolled into the hallowed pages of the Guinness Book of World Records.

Their accomplishment? Starting at 12:01 a.m. and ending right before that evening's 7:05 p.m. contest against Carolina, a startling 11,689 first pitches were thrown from the mound of Joe Davis Stadium.

It may take a logical leap to accept the fact that each one of these pitches was a "first", but this was nonetheless a very impressive accomplishment. The previous "First Pitch" record of 8,304 was set earlier this season by the Brevard County Manatees, and there is in fact a significant connection between these two franchises. Prior to re-locating to Huntsville this past offseason, Stars GM Buck Rogers served in the same capacity for the Manatees. It was Rogers, in fact, who instituted the first "World Record First Pitch" promotion in Brevard County.

Here's an excerpt from a press release sent out by Rogers after the Stars broke the Manatees' record.

"Gates opened at midnight and fans began throwing for the record books one minute later.  Stars Manager Don Money threw pitch number 10,715 and the game's umpires were included in the final 25 pitches.  Only two of the umps could find the strike zone, but that's no different than any other day in baseball so why worry about it now?"

Further research on my part resulted in me finding this blog post, which alleges that these umpires took part in the promotion at approximately 4:30 in the morning, driving straight to Joe Davis Stadium after working a game in Mobile the night before. And still, they are ridiculed. Anyways, back to Rogers' report:

"The youngest pitcher of the night was six-month old Maddux Welch, son of Stars Pitcher David Welch. Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer came out and helped the cause as well.  The final pitch, the ultimate world record throw, was raffled off for the Muscular Dystrophy Association Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon."



Congratulations to the Stars on achieving this prodigious feat, one which will be remembered forevermore as one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of humankind.

Bold Font Indicating a Change in Topic: Over the past month or so, more and more teams have been sending me photos and recaps from promotions that were staged this season. Keep 'em coming! I am a huge proponent of symbiotic relationships between Minor League franchise and blogger.

And let me reiterate the fact that I appreciate hearing from everyone who reads this blog, no matter who you are or what you have to say.
 
benjamin.hill@mlb.com

Thanks.

This past Thursday, the Giants played the Patriots in a pre-season Super Bowl XLII rematch. Inspired by this gridiron pairing, the Jamestown Jammers staged "Salute to Imperfection Night" at beautiful Russell Diethrick Park.

I included this event in my final "Promotion Preview" column of the season, summing it up thusly:

"On this special evening, the club will pay tribute to the 2007 Patriots and other "imperfect" teams (such as the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 1976-77) in a variety of ways. Every fan wearing NFL gear receives free admission, and mascot Bubba Grape will take part in a re-enactment of Eli Manning's famous completion to David Tyree. Also taking place will be a "wide right" contest, in which fans will attempt to miss field goals in a fashion similar to the Bills' Scott Norwood in Super Bowl XXV."

I am happy to report that I have received a most amusing recap of the evening from Jammers director of baseball operations Scott Eddy, who breaks it all down in a succinct, point-by-point fashion:

"There was absolutely nothing perfect about this night at Diethrick Park in Jamestown as A) The home team was down 6-0 after two innings and as much as 15-0 at one point before finally losing 15-2 to Auburn."

 

After a memorable final season that included war re-enactments, drug test tomfoolery, and prominent bobblehead placement, the Devil Rays' time in Vero Beach has come to a close. The club has been purchased by the Ripken Baseball ownership group, and will re-locate to Port Charlotte in 2009.

These are obviously sad times in Vero Beach, made even sadder by the fact that the D-Rays final homestand was marred by horrendous weather. But the most upsetting aspect of the franchise's demise is that Squeeze, the team's loyal and very popular mascot, is out of a job. Fortunately, the D-Rays' front office is working hard to find him a new home. Communications Manager Christa McElyea reports:

"Instead of putting Squeeze out to pasture, or 'taking him to a farm where he can roam free' we have decided to instead put him up for public adoption. We have invited local teams, fellow Florida State League teams, church groups, children's organizations, not-for-profits, and pretty much anyone else who feels they can give Squeeze a loving home, the opportunity to take him in as one of their own."

All  the info regarding this unprecedented offer of mascot adoption can be found here. Whomever ends up with Squeeze will end up with an extremely talented and multi-faceted individual.

He is skilled at leading Senior Citizens in the Chicken Dance:



One of the stars of the Big-Headed Grapefruit Bowling League:

Last month, I did a post on the Binghamton Mets' nightly "Spiedie Race", in which a Spiedie Sandwich, a Chef, and a bottle of Marinade engage in a race across the ballpark in a battle for costumed character supremacy.

A follow-up post soon occurred, in which "Chef" shared a shocking tale of unprovoked mascot violence.

But even more shocking than this was the fact that, going into the last day of the season, Marinade had yet to win a Spiedie Race. As fans poured into NYSEG Stadium for the B-Mets' last home game on August 24, they were certain that history was going to be made. That, somehow, someway, Marinade was going to find a way to emerge victorious. This young fan, decked out in a pro-Marinade t-shirt, summed up the the mood at the ballpark:

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: