From the Desk of the GM - Archive - Feb. 17, 2009

(Note: This post first appeared on the Goldeyes.com blogs)

A huge thank you to David, Ingrid, Kevin, Angie, Keith, Lorraine, Donna, Judith, Loretta, Edna, Rick, Lorraine, Charlene, Grant, Loretta, Daniel, George, Martha, Wayne, Sandee, Ken, Sandi, Troy, Janice, Doug, Ronda, Karen, Florence, Edna, Bernice, Kenn, Joyce, Robert, Dorothy and Robert T. These are all the fine folks who joined me, my wife and kids on the Goldeyes Cruise through the Eastern Caribbean at the end of January. It was an fantastic collection of casual fans, long-time season, mini-pack, skysuite ticket holders and corporate sponsors.

A few highlights….

Keith Micklash and his wife Lorraine, from Magnum Oil, were kind enough to provide Goldeyes hats and visors for all cruisers. Also, for the get-together on the second to last night, they brought light-up martini glasses for everyone. A huge thank you to Keith and Lorraine for that.

The Pauls family. George and Martha brought the three Pauls boys and their wives on the trip for a total of eight Pauls on the cruise. On a shore excursion in St. Maarten, the entire Pauls family went on an off-roading adventure across the island and concluded the day with the entire family, George included, getting their hair braided and beaded. It was a pleasure getting to know the Pauls family. Here are photos of the Pauls family prior to getting on the boat and at the cocktail party hosted by Continental Travel.

David and Ingrid Price – for anyone who was at a Goldeyes game last summer, you would definitely know David and Ingrid, if not to see them, certainly from hearing them. They sit in Section O, row 3 and are constantly talking to the home and visiting players throughout the game. They brought as much life to the cruise as they do to the games. David’s performance in the impromptu synchronized swimming performance in the pool on the ship was something I will never forget! I will be selling DVD’s of his performance this summer at the ballpark. (just kidding David!)

Former Director of Sales for the Goldeyes, now Executive Director of the Tallman Foundation at Princess Auto, Lorraine Maciboric and her husband Rick made the trip as well. It was great to see Lorraine again. We spent most of the time reliving old war stories from her eight years with the team. Rick and Lorraine celebrated their 25th anniversary on the boat and rumour has it that the island of St. Thomas now has a whole lot less diamonds than it did before Rick was done with it.

Having half of the Collier family on board was a ton of fun. My brother Doug and wife Ronda along with my mom and dad joined Carleigh, Donavan, Olivia and me. We were able to celebrate a milestone birthday for my mom on board (I won’t say which one!).

The good people at Continental Travel, namely Daryl, Charlene and Suzanne were all fantastic from start to finish. The get-together on board was first class and enjoyed by all. All signs are pointing to there being a second annual Cruise, watch the Goldeyes website for more details.

A few parting thoughts… the first for good friends of the Goldeyes, Mickey and Judy, we’re all thinking about you and wishing you speedy recoveries. The bottom of section E and the top of section F wouldn’t be the same without you there.

And finally, my most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Scott Giffin who tragically lost his life in Portage la Prairie on February 9. My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Until next time…

From the Desk of the GM - Archive - Feb. 9, 2009

(Note: This post first appeared on the Goldeyes.com blogs)

We hope you enjoy reading the various blogs that will appear on our website. Many people with various backgrounds will blog here, from manager Rick Forney and some of the players to the voice of the Goldeyes Paul Edmonds and National Post columnist Scott Taylor.

My blog will focus primarily on off-field activities around the Goldeyes office. I’ll leave the on-field discussion to the experts, namely the players, Rick, the coaches, Paul and Scott.

Since receiving our 2009 schedule in November, we’ve been hard at work to make sure every game will have an exciting theme, fantastic giveaway or exotic trip giveaway so you leave the park entertained every time you come.

Some of the highlights of the 2009 promotional schedule are:

Celebrating 10 years at Canwest Park. It’s hard to believe we’ve already been playing ball downtown for 10 years. Seems like yesterday I was standing in a gravel lot littered with old shopping carts and broken glass. By the end of the first week of June, more than three million fans will have enjoyed Goldeyes baseball at Canwest Park.

Donnie Smith Day – we will retire the jersey of the local boy on Tuesday, July 21. As part of that evening, the first 2,500 fans through the gates will receive a spectacular canvas art print featuring Donnie Smith.

Flashback Fridays – every Friday regular season home game, one popular former Goldeyes player will return to renew acquaintances, throw out the opening pitch and sign autographs. Check out our website for who is coming and when.

Canada Day – this is a game you will want to be sure to attend. The Goldeyes will wear replicas of the jerseys worn 10 years ago by the bronze-medal winning Canadian team at the Pan Am Games. A huge thank you to Greg Hamilton and Baseball Canada for granting us permission to wear the replicas and supplying the caps. Following the game, the jerseys will be autographed by the players and auctioned off.

Entertainment acts – we will have a number of spectacular entertainment acts throughout the summer including:

• Mad Chad (May 23) – very funny entertainer, the highlight of his show is juggling three running chainsaws.
• Quick Change (June 10) – a couple that change their entire wardrobe repeatedly in front of the crowd in the blink of an eye. It will leave you saying “How did they do that?”
• Master of Illusion – Brian Glow (July 12) – Brian will bring his world-renowned act to the ballpark that afternoon. I don’t want to give too much away, but many fans will be involved along with everyone’s favourite mascot, Goldie.
• Dave the Horn Guy (July 26) – Dave has 25 horns strapped to his jumpsuit and he performs a “body orchestra”. He has appeared on Jay Leno, America’s Got Talent as well as many NBA half-time shows.

Check back weekly as we continue to confirm many more promotions. In addition to updating you on exciting activities coming up at Goldeyes games this summer, I’ll also take you inside life at the Goldeyes office and what goes on at the ballpark between the final game of one season and opening day of the next.

I look forward to writing this blog and hope you enjoy reading it.

Watch for my next blog where I talk about the first annual Goldeyes cruise….

From the Desk of the GM - Feb. 24, 2009

"The Stuff in My Office"

When a person works at a certain place for 15 years, it’s only natural they begin to accumulate "stuff". However, by the wide-eyed reaction people often have when entering my office, I am starting to think I may have a little more stuff than the average person.

Some of the items in my office:

29 items hung on the wall – some framed, some autographed. Of these, a few favourites items include:

framed photo of Don Larsen taken during his World Series perfect game that is autographed and personalized

framed photo of my son Donavan and me autographed and personalized by Notre Dame football head coach Charlie Weis. I was wearing a Notre Dame jersey in the photo

framed photo of former Goldeyes manager Hal Lanier, autographed and personalized with a very nice note

23 autographed baseballs
3 autographed footballs
3 autographed bats
10 bobble heads
1 stool made out of four broken bats and a base
1 radar gun
6 “talking mini’s” – figurines of famous people that talk when a button is pushed
1 mini-fridge under my desk (no comment on contents)
47 baseball jerseys and one football jersey – some autographed
6 pairs of running shoes
1 box of Goldeyes toques (for the players during spring training)
1 shoe shine kit
2 marionettes
50 new baseball bats waiting for the players to arrive
7 different Goldeyes caps
10 framed photos of my wife and/or kids
1 “Oscar” trophy – given to me by the staff after appearing in our Goldeyes “Spring Training” commercials
1 copy of every televised Goldeyes game (on VHS or DVD)

Probably my favourite item in my office is the “BALL GAME TODAY” sign that my wife had made for me as a present last Father’s Day. We saw these signs in storefront windows when we were in Boston a couple of years ago. Stores would put these old style signs in their windows to let everyone know when the Red Sox were at home. Last summer, Kevin Arnst and Dennis McLean were charged with the responsibility of putting the sign up in the box office every day of a home game. They may or may not know it yet, but that duty will fall on their shoulders again this summer.

Wouldn’t it be cool if every business in Winnipeg put up a “BALL GAME TODAY” sign in their window? If you are a business owner that has a street-front window and are interested in having a sign, give me a shout at the Goldeyes office and we’ll make that happen.

One parting note… Happy 40th Birthday to my long-time good friend Larry Smith. Without a doubt the biggest Boston Bruins fan in Portage la Prairie, he’s very happy this year that they are actually having a good season. He’s enjoying rubbing it in to all his friends who are Canadiens fans.

Until next time…

-- Andrew

From the Desk of the GM - Feb. 23, 2009

Way to go George! For those that haven’t heard, George Sherrill (Goldeyes pitcher 2002-2003) avoided arbitration with the Orioles and received a one-year, $2.75 million contract for 2009. The Northern League could use George as the poster boy of how, if you work hard, not just during the season but in the off-season as well, good things can happen.

George wasn’t a #1 draft pick out of Austin Peay State in Tennessee that was using the Northern League as somewhere to stay in shape while he waited to re-enter the draft so he could get drafted by a team that could pay him more. He was a guy who loved baseball and loved to pitch. In fact, George wasn’t drafted at all and thus turned to independent baseball as a way to get noticed by those that overlooked him in college.

He started out in Evansville of the Frontier League for a couple seasons, then on to Sioux Falls for one season and then to Winnipeg to begin the 2002 season. He had a good year in ’02 with 61 strikeouts in 41 innings and a respectable 3.07 ERA, but he knew he could do better than that. He came back in 2003 and was virtually unhittable. He had lost about 25 pounds and gained about five miles an hour on his fastball. After only 16 appearances that season with the Goldeyes (16 innings, 30 strikeouts, four walks, eight hits), his contract was purchased by the Seattle Mariners, and the rest they say, is history.

Following a trade last off-season from Seattle to Baltimore, George was given the opportunity to be the Orioles closer. And close he did. George saved 31 games and was rewarded at the midway mark by being named to the American League All-Star Team. Not only did George get the opportunity to suit up and take in the festivities at Yankee Stadium, he played a pivotal role in the game. Entering the game in the top of the twelfth inning , he proceeded to pitch two-and-one-third innings, striking out two, walking none, allowing one hit and didn’t allow a run. There were some (namely John Kruk of ESPN) who said after the game that it should have been George that was awarded the MVP trophy, and not former St. Paul Saint J.D. Drew.

Good for you George, you’ve made us proud and given every player that wears a Northern League uniform hope that, with hard work and dedication, anything can happen.

One parting note… Congratulations and good luck from everyone in the Goldeyes organization to Milt Stegall as he runs off into the sunset. #85 had quite a career. What will always stick out in my mind about Milt was not just his play on the field, but even more so was the way he conducted himself off the field. He is a class act. I will always remember Milt throwing an opening pitch to Kevin Glenn at our game, two days after he set the all-time CFL touchdown record. Thanks to Milt and Kevin for doing that and to Brendan Taman for setting it up. Milt’s long catch-and run-plays will be missed. I look forward to seeing him on TSN broadcasts this summer.

Until next time…

-- Andrew