From the Desk of the GM - July 30, 2009

“Upcoming homestand – August 4-9, 2009”

It’s hard to believe there are just 16 regular season home games remaining this season. The season has flown by so far. There are some great games coming up with some special guests and some great promotions. Check them out:

Tuesday, August 4 vs. Joliet JackHammers – 7 p.m. – It’s Luau Night at the ballpark with game sponsor and good friend of the Goldeyes, the Manitoba Pork Council. Everyone knows a guy who likes to wear Hawaiian shirts all the time, to pretty much any event, well, here’s your chance to bring that guy to a place where he won’t stick out like a sore thumb. Fortunately for me, I am that guy, so with my wardrobe, I’ll fit right in! The sound and fury experts from Archangel Fireworks will be here to put on their usual spectacular show after the game.

On Tuesday, August 4, several members of the Goldeyes will drop by city libraries to read to children in their annual effort to promote literacy and support the summer reading club. It’s the eleventh year for the promotion and will see players visit the following libraries:
• Fort Garry - 1360 Pembina Highway
• Louis Riel - 1168 Dakota Street
• Sir William Stephenson - 765 Keewatin Avenue
• Westwood - 66 Allard Avenue
• West Kildonan - 365 Jefferson Avenue

Wednesday, August 5 vs. JackHammers – 7 p.m. – Library Night. We will be collecting books this night to be donated to those less fortunate. Quoting a press release from resident communications guru, Jonathan Green, “Donated books can be dropped off next Wednesday (August 5) as fans enter the ballpark. The Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick will have about 60 volunteers collecting and boxing the books, including reps from the Girl Guides of Canada, the Manitoba Book Publishers Association, the Prairie Pathfinders, the Winnipeg Trails Association and the Canada/Manitoba Business Service Centre.”

Again on Wednesday, August 5, Goldeyes players will be reading to children at Winnipeg libraries. The Goldeyes will visit the following libraries this day:
• Henderson - 1-1050 Henderson Highway
• Millennium - 251 Donald Street
• St. James-Assiniboia - 1910 Portage Avenue
• St. Vital - 6 Fermor Avenue

Thursday, August 6 vs. JackHammers – 7 p.m. – Pajama Party and bed giveaway. Fans are invited to wear their PJ’s to the park this night. One lucky fan will walk away with a Queen Size Serta Perfect Sleeper bed courtesy of our very good friends at Dufresne Furniture & Appliance and Serta Mattress. All you have to do to be eligible to win is be at the game. If we draw your seat location, you win!

Game sponsor is Monart and they will be giving away three beautiful Babe Ruth framed prints and will be auctioning off a third, with proceeds to the Goldeyes Field of Dreams Foundation.


Friday, August 7 vs. Schaumburg Flyers – 7 p.m. – Flashback Friday with Chad Thornhill. Come down to the park and say hi (or hola, he speaks fluent Spanish) to former shortstop and coach Chad Thornhill. Chad will be throwing out the opening pitch, signing autographs and saying hi to old and new friends.

Also on this night, thanks to 3M Automotive and Rondex (Brett MacNeil and Bret Greenwood), Todd Scott (world famous duct tape sculptor) is going to make a sculpture of Goldie using 3M Masking Tape. It will be a departure from what he usually does because masking tape doesn't boast the same colours or pliability as duct tape. So it will be a test for him. It will be interactive. He will already have a finished product at the game and kids will be invited to help with the sculpture and colour it (with markers).

Saturday, August 8 vs. Flyers – 6 p.m. – End of the Roll is the game sponsor this night. Season ticket and corporate sponsors will enjoy a pre-game BBQ with the players and have the opportunity to watch batting practice.

Sunday, August 9 vs. Flyers – 1:30 p.m. – Tin Lunch box giveaway. The first 2,500 fans through the gates will receive a tin lunchbox courtesy of Pepsi. Anyone who has kids knows how valuable these not only fashionable but also functional items can be.

Coming up soon, more Goldeyes memories submitted by readers of this blog.

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

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Until next time…

From the Desk of the GM - July 29, 2009

"Favourite Goldeyes Memory"

In the last edition of this blog, I talked about Donnie Smith jersey retirement night on July 21 as being one of my favourite Goldeyes memories. I then invited readers to submit their favourites. I picked a few good ones and posted them below.

From Michael Elves -

“Thankfully - and unsurprisingly - I've had a lot of great Goldeyes memories over the years, but if I had to choose it would likely be Demetrius Heath's suicide squeeze last summer to win the game against our biggest rivals, Fargo. Thirteenth inning, clutch play and one that I had never seen before other than on a highlight reel. The game had gone on loooong, some of our friends had left but we stuck it out and I was so glad we had.”
- Goldeyes vs. RedHawks – August 12, 2008 – Goldeyes won 6-5 in 13 innings.

From Josh Buchholz (General Manager – Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks)

“My favorite Goldeyes memory is Game 3 of the 1998 playoffs…Sparks vs. Schmidt…even though we lost…greatest game I’ve ever seen.”







- Goldeyes vs. RedHawks – September 6, 1998 – Fish won 6-5 in 13 innings.
- George Schmidt for Fargo went 6 1/3 in relief giving up one run.
- Jeff Sparks for Winnipeg went 5 1/3 in relief giving up one hit, no runs and 12 strikeouts.

Feel free to keep the memory emails coming to andrew@goldeyes.com, I will be revisiting this theme as the summer goes on.

Next blog will feature the next six game homestand which starts Tuesday, August 4 and ends Sunday, August 9.

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 - July 24, 2009

"Favourite Goldeyes Memory"

I've been with the Goldeyes almost since day one in 1994. I joined the team about 10 games into the season that year. Using some quick math, I think I've seen over 700 home games during the last 15+ seasons. There have been so many great memories at both Winnipeg Stadium and Canwest Park, it's hard to pick one that would be at the top of the list for my favourite.

This past Tuesday, July 21 would certainly be in the top 5. The jersey retirement ceremony for Donnie Smith was an event I will remember for a long time. This night wasn't just about retiring the number of one of the best pitchers in Goldeyes and Northern League history, it was more than that. It was a night to celebrate what Donnie went through just to be able to walk out on field to take part in the festivities. Many readers of this blog know all about Donnie's health problems and the very scary moments that occurred at St. Boniface Hospital during the spring.

Seeing Donnie, his wife Tara and sons Tyler and Colson on the field that night and the joy on their faces when the curtain dropped uncovering the "SMITH 21" sign in left field, was something I won't soon forget.

Judging by the lineup for autographs, which lasted the entire game, Donnie still has a lot of fans in Winnipeg. Even with five skysuites full of friends and family waiting to visit with him during the game, he not only signed autographs for the first three innings, he came back to the concourse and signed for another three innings after his tv and radio interviews were finished in the sixth.


The entire ceremony went off without a hitch, from the Goldeyes players and baseball buddies all wearing Smith t-shirts, to the presentations of the framed jersey from Scott Neiles and Rick Forney to the presentation of a Goldeyes ring and Community Service award from Sam Katz.


Now that I've shared one of my favourite memories, I'd like to hear yours. Send me a note at andrew@goldeyes.com and I'll post some of them in my next blog. Please let me know if you would like your name posted along with your note.

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

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Until next time…