From the Desk of the GM - June 25, 2009

“Upcoming Homestand – June 26 – July 1”

Some highlights of the upcoming homestand at Canwest Park:

Friday, June 26 vs. Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks – 7 p.m. – Flashback Friday #4 Brian Duva will be here wearing his familiar #5 jersey (the only number that has been retired by the Goldeyes to date. On July 21 we will be retiring Donnie Smith’s #21), throwing out the opening pitch, signing autographs and saying hello to some old and new friends. Don’t forget, that jersey that he will be wearing for the opening pitch will be autographed by Brian and auctioned off during the game. Goldeyes will be wearing the retro jerseys and hats again.

Saturday, June 27 vs. Fargo – 6 p.m. – Orville Minish will be here to throw out the opening pitch. For those of you who don’t recognize the name, Mr. Minish has twice been inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame and pitched for both the Winnipeg Maroons and the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in the late 40’s and early 50’s. It’s only fitting that prior to a Winnipeg-Fargo matchup, someone who pitched for both teams 50 years ago starts things off by throwing out the opening pitch.


Sunday, June 28 vs. Fargo – 1:30 p.m. – A Sunday afternoon at the ballpark with a jalapeno Bison smokie and a cold pop. Does life get any better than that?

Monday, June 29 vs. Schaumburg Flyers – 7 p.m. – The Flyers make their first visit of the year to Canwest Park. It will also be the first time these two teams meet in 2009. It should be an interesting series. Mike Busch (former manager of the Calgary Vipers) is now at the helm of the Flyers and has put together a good ball club.

Also on Monday we host our first team photo giveaway and on-field autograph session (another one coming later in the season). Bring that newly acquired team photo on-field, get some autographs and meet the 2009 Winnipeg Goldeyes. They are really a bunch of nice guys. If you don’t believe me, come on down, say hello to a few of them and find out for yourself.

Tuesday, June 30 vs. Schaumburg – 7 p.m. – Fireworks after the game! Archangel Fireworks will be here to show everyone why they are the best in the business. And knowing Archangel, they will definitely have a great show in store the day before Canada Day.

Wednesday, July 1 vs. Schaumburg – special 4 p.m. start time – Canada Day – this game should be a lot of fun. 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. The jerseys that are worn this day will be autographed by the players and auctioned off throughout the rest of the season.

For up to the minute information about the Goldeyes, check us out on Twitter.

GoldeyesGM on Twitter
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Until next time…

From the Desk of the GM - June 23, 2009

"Goldeyes EMS Department"

The EMS department at the Goldeyes is probably a department within the Goldeyes organization that you never want to have interaction with, but are very glad to know they are there if you need them.

In my opinion, Stef Zeuff and his staff don’t get near the recognition and accolades they deserve. At any given game, Stef and his crew could be called on to apply something as simple as a Band-Aid or a bag of ice, and as serious as the application of a defibrillator.

At yesterday’s game, there were two very serious incidents that required the immediate and skillful attention of the EMS department, both occurring at exactly the same time. A lady in Section Q had a foul ball land on her head, cutting her quite seriously. At the same time in Section S, a gentleman’s heart had slowed to a near critical rate which required a defibrillator. Both incidents were attended to and handled very quickly by Stef and the staff. It is amazing how quickly and calmly they handle things considering that people’s lives are at stake.

All of this happening a day after many of the Goldeyes EMS crew volunteered their time at the Manitoba Marathon, something they have done for many years. It was a busy day for them at the marathon with many runners suffering the effects of heat exhaustion and other ailments.

A huge thank you to Stef and his amazing team, we all feel safe knowing you are at the ballpark.

For up to the minute information about the Goldeyes, check us out on Twitter at either @Wpg_Goldeyes or @GoldeyesGM.

Until next time…

From the Desk of the GM - June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

On this beautiful sunny Father's Day, I just wanted to send best wishes to all the Dad's out there. Whether you take in the Goldeyes game today or not, I hope you get to spend some time with people that are special to you.

I am very fortunate not only to be at a baseball game today (the Goldeyes take on the JackHammers at 1:30 this afternoon), but I get to spend time with my Dad and son. After the game, the three of us will take the field with everyone else to play catch in the outfield. Three generations of Collier boys will be tossing the ball around. I know my Dad is very much looking forward to it as much as I am.

To all the Dad's in the Goldeyes office and clubhouse, and to all Dad's everywhere, a very Happy Father's Day from the Goldeyes family!

Picture of "Grandpa" Collier and Donavan engrossed in an intense chess match.


Pictures from Father's Day

From the Desk of the GM - June 16, 2009

“Upcoming home stand – June 19-22”

Here are some highlights of what’s happening at the ballpark the next four games:

Friday, June 19 vs. Joliet JackHammers – 7 p.m. – Flashback Friday #3

Carmine Cappuccio will be here wearing his familiar #7 jersey, throwing out the opening pitch, signing autographs and saying hello to some old and new friends. Don’t forget, that jersey that he will be wearing for the opening pitch will be autographed by Carmine and auctioned off during the game. Goldeyes will be wearing the retro jerseys and hats again.

Also on this night, to make up for the fireworks show that was cancelled on June 8, Archangel Fireworks will be here putting on their usual spectacular show after the game.

The ALS Society of Manitoba will be at the park raising funds throughout the game. During an early between-inning break, batting helmets will be circulated through each section and the Skysuites level to collect monetary donations. This was a great fundraiser for the ALS Society last year and knowing how generous Goldeyes fans are, I’m sure it will be again!

Saturday, June 20 vs. Joliet – 6 p.m. – Forecast is for sunshine and 25 degrees, a great night to be watching baseball at Canwest Park!

Sunday, June 21 vs. Joliet – 1:30 p.m. – Father’s Day! What better giveaway on Father’s Day than nine Caroma toilets? Our good friends at Dynasty Bathrooms have provided us with a toilet to giveaway every inning. After the game, please join us on-field and play catch with your Dad, or sister, brother, uncle, aunt…you get the idea.

Monday, June 22 vs. Joliet – Noon – Our second home weekday matinee game of the season. A great way to spend an afternoon.

For up to the minute information about the Goldeyes, check us out on Twitter.

GoldeyesGM on Twitter
Winnipeg Goldeyes on Twitter

Until next time…

From the Desk of the GM - June 10, 2009

“A Salute to the Tarp Crew”

It is something that is not often mentioned during the initial interview process, but it suddenly becomes part of just about everyone’s job description here at the Goldeyes. When it rains, the tarp needs to go on the infield. It’s a necessity. If it’s raining, and we have a game that night, the tarp goes on the field. Then, when it stops raining, the tarp comes off the field. If it is a heavy rain, and there is a lot of water on the tarp, the water needs to be squeegeed off the tarp first.

It’s a job that no one enjoys (well, maybe Blake the new guy enjoys it, but we’re not quite sure about him yet anyway - picture of Blake with his handsome conductors hat to the right),
but one that needs to get done or else we don’t play the game that night. Everyone here understands that fact. If we don’t put the tarp on, we don’t play. If we don’t get a game in, that means we play a double header at some point, usually the next night. Nobody likes double headers. A double header makes for a long night for the staff, Paul Edmonds and the visiting radio person, the players, the fans, everyone.

In the majors, they have a crew of 20 or so people whose sole job it is to be on the “Tarp Crew”. If you are on the tarp crew at a major league park, you don’t have other duties like game day production, media relations, sales, scoreboard or music operator, etc. In the minors, this job usually falls on the shoulders of the full-time staff that assist the grounds crew in getting the job done. When it starts raining during a game, we usually recruit some game day staff as well in order to get it done quickly.

I usually get to be the bearer of bad news when it’s time to put on our rain suits and hit the field. I’ve even tried to spice up my emails by saying there’s going to be a “party” on the field. It didn’t take long for everyone to realize that anytime I send out an email with the subject line saying “party”, that it can only mean one thing, and that the party will not include cake, nachos, pop and possibly and adult beverage or two. I have been told on more than one occasion that my tarp parties, well, they suck.

I think I can speak for minor league baseball teams everywhere when I say to the tarp crew, we salute you!!

With thanks and recognition to Joe Bryksa from the Winnipeg Free Press, below is a photo of the tarp crew hard at work squeegeeing the tarp in preparation to take it off the field prior to Tuesday's game.

For up to the minute information about the Goldeyes, check us out on Twitter at either @Wpg_Goldeyes or @GoldeyesGM.

Until next time…

From the Desk of the GM - June 8, 2009

“Welcome back Ron”

For those of you who attended the past three games, you would have heard two different voices on the PA, neither of which was our regular PA guy Ron Arnst. Due to a death in the family, Ron was away for the weekend and thus, Jonathan Green and I had to pinch hit on the mic. Jonathan has done this gig a number of times and he does a very good job filling in on those rare occasions when Ron is away. Jonathan did the Friday and Sunday games and I made my debut on the mic Saturday night. Having been with the organization for more than 15 years now, it was something I had never done. Everyone in the office thought it was quite hilarious that my one and only time doing the announcing, I got a 12 inning game.

My personal evaluation of the job I did was “adequate”. I got all the reads in, announced all the players and my voice only cracked a few times. However, as anyone who was at the game on Saturday can attest to, just reading a script and announcing player’s names properly, does not a good PA announcer make.

I have always had a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the job Ron does. He doesn’t just do a great job one or two nights a year, he does and has done the job 50 or so games a year for the last 15 years. However, once I was the one announcing 100 batters, multiple prize draws, between inning promos, etc., that level of respect went to a whole new level. Without a doubt, Ron is simply the best at what he does and the Goldeyes organization is very fortunate to have him as our guy. As Ron himself would tell you, he enjoys being here every bit as much as we as an organization, and the fans who attend the games, enjoy having him here.

Whether you are at the games listening to Ron over the loudspeakers or tuning in Paul Edmonds on your radio on 1290 CFRW, you can do so knowing that these two guys have announced close to 1,800 Goldeyes games combined. You can almost hear the experience every time they speak.

So, if you attended your first Goldeyes game ever on Saturday night, I apologize for the amateur act you were subjected to on the mic. Not to fear though, Ron will be back Monday night, and all will be right at the ballpark again.

We missed you Ronnie, see you tonight!

For up to the minute information about the Goldeyes, check us out on Twitter at either @Wpg_Goldeyes or @GoldeyesGM.

Until next time…

From the Desk of the GM - June 2, 2009

“Relay for Life, May 29, 2009 – A Recap”

The Canadian Cancer Society held their annual Relay for Life Event at the ballpark last Friday night. It was a fantastic event from start to finish. Everyone involved was great to work with including the organizing committee, volunteers and participants.

Kathy Joshua of the organizing committee told me that the “survivor lap” which starts the evening off was an emotional event and she was right. To start the evening off, a large contingent of cancer survivors all wearing yellow t-shirts (team members and other participants wore white shirts) started the event at 7 p.m. by making one lap around the park as a group. The group was piped around the park by the Khartum Shrine Pipers and Drums group, which included a cancer survivor as you can see in the photo below.

When one stopped to think of what this group of people had gone through, just to make that trip around the warning track, was both humbling and inspirational at the same time. Here's a few photos of the survivors starting their lap.




Just prior to the survivor lap, Cynthia Neudoerffer and Hank and Lydia Venema cut the ribbon to officially start the 2009 Relay for Life. For those of you who don’t know who they are, please read my blog from March 9. They are the parents and sister of a little boy named Harry, or “Prince Harry” to those who knew him. Harry fought valiantly but lost his battle with cancer last August. While fighting the terrible disease, Harry and his family were at last year’s Relay for Life. Just prior to the cutting of the ribbon, Cynthia spoke about Harry and the rare form of cancer that would eventually take him from her and their family. She spoke about the importance of the relay for life event and what the Canadian Cancer Society means to them. It was a very moving speech to open the event.

Not everything went perfectly smooth on Friday night, Mother Nature flexed her muscles at about 6 p.m. when a close to 100 km/hr wind blew through the outfield, launching tents and just about anything else that wasn’t pegged to the field into the air. In the picture below, you can see the two Manitoba Lotteries tents (Manitoba Lotteries was a sponsor of the event). This photo was taken before the wind hit, when the wind did blow through, these tents almost ended up in the stands!

However, when 7 p.m. came along, the sun was shining, the wind calmed down and the first lap got under way.

Here's a picture of the pre-relay warmup that took place in left field, led by the "Chemo Savvy" group of survivors.

The field looked fantastic with all the tents set up.




Congratulations to the organizers, sponsors, survivors and team members. The Goldeyes organization salutes you for your continued efforts to help eradicate this terrible disease. I know the committee is already hard at work making next year's Relay for Life at Canwest Park even bigger and better!

For up to the minute information about the Goldeyes, check us out on Twitter at either http://twitter.com/Wpg_Goldeyes or http://twitter.com/GoldeyesGM.

Until next time…

From the Desk of the GM - June 1, 2009

“Upcoming home stand – June 5-11”

Hard to believe this is GM Blog #30. When I started doing this in January, I thought I would run out of things to talk about. Well, 30 blogs later, I’m still writing and judging by the emails I’ve received, it’s more than just my Mom and Dad that are reading them!

Some highlights of what’s happening at the ballpark the next seven games:

Friday, June 5 vs. Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks – 7 p.m. – Flashback Friday #2 – Chris Kokinda will be here wearing his familiar #8 jersey, throwing out the opening pitch, signing autographs and saying hello to some old and new friends. Don’t forget, that jersey that he will be wearing for the opening pitch will be autographed by Chris and auctioned off during the game. Goldeyes will be wearing the retro jerseys and hats again.

Also on this night, we will be celebrating our 3,000,000th fan at Canwest Park. To celebrate, we’ve teamed up with the good people at Manitoba Lotteries Corporation and will be handing out 5,000 red Goldeyes hats that say “I’m the 3,000,000th fan – June 5, 2009” on the side.

Saturday, June 6 vs. Fargo – 6 p.m. – It’s Prom Night at the ballpark! Since it’s the month of graduations and proms, we thought we’d bring that tradition to the ballpark. Watch out for Goldeyes staff wearing beautiful prom dresses and handsome tuxes. I’ve got my powder blue, polyester tuxedo all ready to go, what will you be wearing?

Sunday, June 7 vs. Fargo – 1:30 p.m. – Collapsible clothes hamper giveaway to the first 2,500 fans courtesy of Boston Pizza. Not only are these good looking items with Goldie on one side and the Boston Pizza logo on the other, they are useful as well. Sorry, laundry service not included.

Monday, June 8 vs. Gary SouthShore RailCats – 7 p.m. – Fireworks after the game! Archangel Fireworks continues to provide shows full of shock and awe.

Tuesday, June 9 vs. Gary – 7 p.m. – Choo Choo Tuesday! Get out your conductor hats and scarves, and come down to the park for a chance to win a trip for two courtesy of Via Rail.

Wednesday, June 10 vs. Gary – 7 p.m. – The very entertaining duo called “Quick Change” will be here. You won’t believe your eyes as they change outfits right in front of you.

Thursday, June 11 vs. Gary – Noon – Our first regular season mid-week noon game of the year. These are always tons of fun, not only for the 4,000 or so school kids that come out, but also for the 3,000 or so people that probably should be working but have taken an “extended” lunch break.

For up to the minute information about the Goldeyes, check us out on Twitter at either www.twitter.com/Wpg_Goldeyes or www.twitter.com/GoldeyesGM.

Until next time…