Toledo Free Press – April 7, 2013 by Toledo Free Press

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APRIL 7, 2013

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Opening Day 2013 The original angry bird returns. 84 pages of home team coverage.

A2 n Toledo Free Press

OWENS CORNING: AROUND THE WORLD... AND AROUND THE CORNER. With operations in 27 countries on five continents, Owens Corning is a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements, and engineered materials for composite systems. And for 75 years, we’ve also been proud to call Toledo home. With 1,000 employees in the Toledo area, Owens Corning is committed to supporting organizations and events that benefit our community. After all, we’re not just a business – we’re also your neighbor.

APRIL 7, 2013

Opinion

APRIL 7, 2013

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DON LEE

Not-so-angry birds Don’t tell me about the world. Not today. It’s springtime and they’re knocking baseballs around fields where the grass is damp and green in the morning and the kids are trying to hit the curveball. — Pete Hamill

e know Muddy isn’t really angry, just determined. And Opening Day opponent Louisville uses bats (the winged kind) for its mascot, not green piggies. But as illustrator Don Lee has captured on this week’s cover, Muddy’s determination can look mighty intimidating to opposing players. Opening Day at Fifth Third Field has become one of the area’s biggest events; every seat will be filled, the suites and hallways will overflow with excited fans and the Huron-Monroe-Washington streets block will hum with foot traffic and activity. Thomas F. Pounds There is truly nothing to match a clear, sunny day at the ballpark. It’s a family event; it’s a guys’ day out; it’s a girls’ night out; it’s smells and sights and emotions that no other public gathering can evoke with such clarity and impact. Baseball can be a few hours’ escape from the travails of life like no other pastime — movies, books, theater, music — can offer. That distinct crack of the ball on the bat and the undeniable thump of the ball in the glove are symphonies, car chases and page turners wrapped in one fluid, unrestrained by-the-clock afternoon. Mud Hens Opening Day rocks. The streets around Fifth Third Field are alive with excited conversation, live music and the buzz of people filled with optimism and pride. This year’s Toledo Free Press Opening Day issue, our ninth annual effort, compiled and edited by Managing Editor Sarah Ottney, positively thrums with the vibrations of a young season. We are grateful to our staff, advertisers, readers and the Mud Hens organization for helping to make this issue one of our biggest and best of the year. We take pride in our home team, and we will continue to show that by offering the best Opening Day coverage we can, this season and every season. See you at the game! O Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him via email at tpounds@ toledofreepress.com.

LIGHTING THE FUSE

Bridge over the River Maumee

bserving life is like reading a compelling novel. so it represented a goal on my way to fitness. On Good Friday, for no real reason and without thinking There is no control over the book’s chapter breaks, its starts and stops — or its ending. But there is end- about it, I did not turn west on Washington Street as I have so many times; I kept walking south on Summit less potential for imposing symbolism, theme Street, knowing I could cross on Clayton and meaning on the narrative. Street and start the walk across the bridge. As part of a healthier lifestyle, I walk 60-90 I expected the adventure to be a mild triminutes every day, which provides my brain umph, but nearly everything I saw was disa lot of time to wander and ponder. As many heartening and depressing. as three times a week, my walk follows a path The decay that has chewed into much of the through the Warehouse District in Downtown South End begins as Downtown Toledo gives Toledo, where I have studied the scenery on way just past the Owens Corning campus and Monroe, Summit and Washington streets and Summit Street turns into Broadway Street. their connecting cross streets. Each time I turn The litter of plastic Sprite bottles, glass Corona south on Summit Street, my eyes are drawn to the Anthony Wayne Bridge, or High-Level Michael S. miller bottles, crumpled Winston cigarette packages and discarded scratch-off lottery tickets Bridge as I have always called it. I knew at some point I wanted to walk across the begins at the south end of the River Walk just past Owens High-Level Bridge and back; it’s not Mount Everest, but I Corning and thickens as the sidewalk leads south. used to break a labored sweat by just changing my mind, n MILLER CONTINUES ON A4 Thomas F. Pounds, President/Publisher tpounds@toledofreepress.com

A publication of Toledo Free Press, LLC, Vol. 9, No.14. Established 2005. EDITORIAL Mary Ann Stearns, Design Editor mastearns@toledofreepress.com James A. Molnar, Lead Designer jmolnar@toledofreepress.com Sarah Ottney, Managing Editor sottney@toledofreepress.com Brigitta Burks, News Editor bburks@toledofreepress.com Jeff McGinnis, Pop Culture Editor PopGoesJeff@gmail.com

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Opinion

A4 n Toledo Free Press n MILLER CONTINUED FROM A3 The Swan Creek apartment building is a rare sign of life on the way to Clayton Street, now that the Spring Gardens Family Restaurant is closed. While crossing Broadway Street to get to the base of the High-Level Bridge, it is necessary to step over broken glass and items of clothing; I was saddened to see a child’s blue winter hat with a faded, sewn-on patch of the explorer from “Go, Diego, Go!” lying discarded and unraveling. A black bra was tangled in the barbed wire fencing protecting the Howard T. Moriarty Company, waving in the wind like a pirate flag. At the north side base of the bridge, I stared up at the long incline and the sky-blue towers reaching nearly 1,200 feet into the air. I started walking the first of the nearly 3,120 feet of the bridge’s length.

The ascent

The bridge’s concrete sidewalk is crumbling in proportion to the rust eating at its rails and steel supports. As the ascent begins its arch across the muddy Maumee River, there are endless signs of human debris; graffiti in black, white and purple paint marks nearly everywhere the eye can land. Someone placed several dozen circular orange stickers reading “2/$4.00” along the girders and columns of the bridge. I wondered if they were gang signs, left by members of the Kroger, Meijer or Aldi gangs. The first vista to the north looks at the Owens Corning parking lot, across tree tops hosting

large bird nests and strips of plastic wrapped around branches. Along the west side of the river, discarded tires and debris line the shore. The cranes, ducks, geese and gulls seem to regard this man-made topiary as a part of the landscape, like the large tree which is stuck just past the bridge. Then there is just brown water. At the center of the bridge, the purple graffiti takes the form of long wavy lines, as if Harold took his Purple Crayon and randomly dragged it along the bridge’s steel. I stopped at the center to survey the view. It occurred to me that only twice in my Toledo experience have I been higher — once when I stood on the roof of the Fifth Third building and once in a South End basement apartment with a girl named Jennifer. From the center of the bridge, on that clear Good Friday, I could see as far as the Hollywood Casino Toledo sign to the south; the University of Toledo bell clock tower to the west; and as far out across the lake as the Downtown skyline and Veterans Glass City Skyway will allow to the north. Facing east, all I could see was more bridge to walk. The dedication plaque proclaims the bridge was built in 1931, more than 80 years ago. I could drive across the bridge 10 times a day and never think about the toll more than eight decades takes on such a magnificent piece of architecture, but somehow, standing on it made me feel vulnerable and uncertain. Rather than contemplate what it would be like to fall

100 feet with an avalanche of concrete and steel into the rushing waters below, I hurried my pace. As the water gave way to Miami Street on the East Side, I approached the second stairwell leading down. I had walked right past the first stairwell, but stopped to think about entering this second one just out of curiosity. About seven steps down, a glimpse of what looked like feces-stained pants and other wadded-up clothing drove me back to the surface. I looked down on the first neighborhood under the shadow of the bridge, its houses close together and in various states of disrepair and ownership, so much like the South End Toledo neighborhood where I spent several years. Roofs sag and may be stripped of tiles, but often support satellite TV dishes. Alleys are full of litter, tires and rubble. Many backyards have kids’ toys and playsets in them. McDonald’s wrappers and plastic waste blow across the area like tumbleweeds in a Western movie.

There and back again

I reached the bottom of the bridge, then turned west and started back up. I wasn’t physically tired, but the dreary surroundings made me weary. There is plenty of rail and concrete between the road and the pedestrian section of the bridge, but it is disconcerting to have the traffic rushing up behind you as it passes. The whooshes add to the sound of the wind to make the highest point of the journey feel like an alien place, and again I felt that vertigo.

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The last interesting piece of graffiti on the north side of the bridge is a black-and-gold scrawl reading “Capitalism is slavery!” It was something to consider as I walked back to work. Nearing the bottom of the bridge, as the road curves back to Broadway Street, I was greeted by billboards. An image of Crystal Bowersox smiled down from a fading Blade billboard on the left. A colorful ad for Biggby Coffee’s Hot Fudge Brownie Latte loomed on the right. Both images looked sweet, tempting — and equally forbidden. Walking back along Summit Street and passing by the Swan Creek Apartments, I saw a woman standing up against a wall in the parking lot, one foot raised behind her, not unlike the cranes I’d seen on the waterfront. A theater-size box of candy rested on the ground in front of her. It’s rash and unfair of me to assume either the woman or the candy were being offered for public

consumption, but it occurred to me that if I were forced at gunpoint to choose sampling one or the other, I might ask if I could enter a third option and offer to drink a glass of water from that muddy, brown Maumee River. I stopped, startled by the base and crass nature of that train of thought. The Anthony Wayne Bridge is slated for major repairs soon, and will be closed for almost two years. But that might be for the best. If one walk across its crumbling structure along with the decay of the neighborhood it shadows were enough to symbolically lower me to such themes and meanings, I am better off sticking to my regular path — earthbound, familiar and relatively free of ... litter. The real and mental varieties. O Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at mmiller@ toledofreepress.com.

Community

COLUMNISTS online

Visit www.toledofreepress.com for this week’s columns — and complete column archives — by ‘Family Practice’ columnist Shannon Szyperski (at right), Dock David Treece, Ben Treece, Gary L. Rathbun, Frank Kuron, Jeremy Baumhower, Jeff McGinnis, Don Burnard, The Retirement Guys, Jim Beard, Martini Rox, Stacy Jurich and Emily Hickey.

jpmccartney@toledofreepress.com

Two weeks after more than 20 Libbey High School alumni and supporters documented 370 pieces of memorabilia stored by Toledo Public Schools (TPS), the Libbey High School Alumni Association will host a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 9. The group plans to discuss possible placement of the school’s trophies, medals, paintings, photos, portraits, plaques, newspapers, yearbooks and other assorted memorabilia. The meeting will take place in the Believe Center inside the Aurora Gonzalez Community Center, 1205 Broadway St. In response to Libbey preservation project spokesperson Sue Terrill’s comments to the Board of Education (BOE) at its March 26 meeting, board member Larry Sykes expressed his support of the alumni association’s mission. “I am sympathetic to the people of Libbey,” Sykes said. “We can work with them as they attempt to find a home for those artifacts. And I don’t want to see [Terrill] back here because she is complaining that she needs something in the Libbey High School alumni project.” Speaking directly to the superintendent Jerome Pecko, Sykes said, “Whatever she needs, let’s make sure she gets it.”

‘Too little, too late’

Preservation project volunteers said that although they appreciated Sykes’ vocal support, it is simply too little, too late. They said they needed that support from all board members in 2012 when the BOE voted to demolish the South End high school, leaving the 1200 block of Western Avenue bare. “It’s just a great big hole, a bare space,” said 1963 graduate Sharon Barton Hamilton. “It will probably grow over in weeds in a couple of years if they don’t find another purpose for it. It will become just another empty lot with weeds.” Sierra Hines, a 2010 graduate, said she is offended by the BOE’s previous lack of support. “They already got rid of our school,”

PHOTO COURTESY BRUCE TAYLOR

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer

Libbey High School’S original gym at the time of its 2012 demolition.

Hines said. “It’s adding insult to injury when you just dump the trophies into a storage room and not do anything with them. It’s like all my memories have been taken from me.” Larry Farren, a 1966 graduate, questioned where the BOE’s support was during the first two years of the preservation project committee’s efforts. “We’ve tried to save as much of the legacy as we could,” Farren said. “We tried to take as many photographs as we could. The exterior was easy. It was still up. But we had a hard time getting inside Libbey to take pictures.” Farren said he has “no idea” why committee members were required to wait more than a year before being allowed access to the shuttered building. “Maybe they were worried about insurance, maybe that we’d get hurt,” Farren suggested. “Or maybe they thought if the documentation got out there, their decision would be reversed. That is a possibility.” Jean Murphy, a 1966 graduate, called it a “disgrace” that Libbey was demolished within two years of being closed while DeVilbiss and Macomber high schools have stood for 22 years since closing. Fred Crabtree, a 1963 graduate, agreed with Murphy.

“It bugs the hell out of me that after going through all that information we went through, I couldn’t find a single reason why when they closed DeVilbiss and Macomber [in 1991], they didn’t tear them down. All these years later, both are still standing. But with Libbey, they closed it [in 2010] and they tore it down to the ground in less than two years.” Bill Albert, a 1966 graduate, was harsher in his assessment of the BOE, calling its actions immoral. “Now the South End is totally, absolutely deficient in education and everything else,” Albert said. “What they’ve done to those kids’ education down there is criminal.”

Demolition crews at the Libbey High School site on March 8, 2012.

The south Toledo site where Libbey High School stood from 1923 to 2012.

PHOTO COURTESY BRUCE TAYLOR

By John P. McCartney

PHOTO COURTESY Bill Albert

Alumni group to discuss establishing Libbey HS museum

A public display

Volunteers universally agreed that their work documenting the memorabilia should lead to the establishment of a facility where the items would be on public display. Hamilton said she would like to see a museum for all closed TPS schools “so that everything could be under one roof to make it feasible.” She suggested the South branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library at 1736 Broadway St. as a possible location. Larry Noyes, a 1963 graduate, also supports the establishment of a museum. “Those items are already re-

corded,” Noyes said. “We have documentation. I would like to see that put into some kind of museum to where somebody can go there and say, ‘Oh, yeah. My grandfather — he was part of that team.’ It would be nice. “I think that for the amount of effort that went into earning those trophies and awards, we owe something to those people that worked very hard to bring that honor to the school — not so much for themselves, but for the sake of Libbey

High School. There were a lot of them over all the years, and I think that should be preserved.” Jean Murphy, a 1966 graduate, suggested that the memorabilia could be displayed in several buildings, including the Area Office on Aging on Arlington Avenue and the Lyman W. Liggins Senior Center and the Veterans Outpatient Clinic, both on South Detroit Avenue. n LIBBEY CONTINUES ON A6

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n LIBBEY CONTINUED FROM A5 “The people of South Toledo could go and see, or take their grandchildren to see, the World War II memorial for the teachers and students lost in World War II,” Murphy said. “They could take their families to see some of the important things in their lives.” Eddie Auerbach, a 1950 graduate, said he’d like to see the City of Toledo establish and maintain a citywide Sports Hall of Fame to honor athletes from area high schools as well as The University of Toledo. “It’s just too bad that they had to do what they did to Libbey,” Auerbach said. “It’s gone now. It’s just too bad.”

Public auction

James Hines, a 1984 graduate, said he’d like to see TPS sell the memorabilia to interested citizens. “I wish there was some kind of way to auction them off,” Hines said. “I know people who they are valuable to would go after them. People would pay a lot of money just to have them. There’s a lot of people that fought with sweat and blood over trophies. “Auction them off. Give them away. Put them online for people to see them. Do something. To leave them packed up in a warehouse somewhere — and later on probably trash them — is a crime.”

‘Give people pause … ’

Farren said it’s important to save as much of Libbey’s legacy as possible. “Maybe we’re being pie-in-the-sky, but this is part of the history of Toledo,” Farren said. “We’re hoping that by saving as much as we can, we can give people pause to think about what Toledo once was and can be again.” Farren said even citizens with no connection to Libbey should take notice of TPS’s demolition of its unused buildings.

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APRIL 7, 2013

“In a way, this goes to the heart of Toledo,” Farren said. “We did not maintain Libbey the way it should have been maintained. Now we have these new schools. We’ve been to the OSFC (Ohio School Facilities Commission) Building Committee meetings, and we’ve heard about problems with the new schools. “And you have to wonder, are the people of Toledo going to repeat the mistakes of the past? Are they going to maintain these new buildings? Or in 40 years, or 50 if we’re lucky, are these buildings going to have to be replaced and millions of dollars will have to go into the process again?”

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‘A piece of history that’s gone’

Noyes said the demolition was, “kind of like they’re tearing down a part of your life. It’s a piece of history that’s gone. It’s just like a lot of other things that are gone. Eventually, it loses its impact. Time has erased a lot of that memory. “I don’t think you have to save everything. I just don’t understand why Libbey had to be the school to be gobbled up in a steam shovel. There’s a lot of feeling involved. I look at that piece of property now, and I just don’t know what to say about it. They have a big rock out there, almost like a tombstone. When I first saw it, it was kind of like a gravestone for Libbey.” Albert refuses to even drive by the site of the former high school. “That’s one part of Western Avenue. I will never go down,” Albert said. “I saw Libbey as it was, and I didn’t see it being torn down. I refused to see it, and I refuse to go onto that section of Western Avenue. “When I went that way to get to the Frederick Douglass Building for a couple of meetings, I had my left hand over the left side of my face so I wouldn’t even approach Libbey, seeing it. That’s how I am with that. I have my memory and my sight of Libbey, and that’s how I’ll look at it.” O

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APRIL 7, 2013

TFP, WSPD team to cover Bell’s Germany trip and WSPD on this trip. I will do my part to help keep Northwest Ohioans informed about Bell’s efforts and potential opportunities for this region.” Michael S. Miller, Toledo Free Press editor in chief, said, “Ottney has been to Germany before and is an insightful journalist. Her work for us on trips to Washington, D.C., and Ground Zero in New York City proved she is gifted at following unfolding events and reporting fresh angles to news stories.” Kellie Holeman-Szenderski, regional market manager for Clear Channel, parent company of WSPD, said, “1370 WSPD is thrilled to become news-generating partners with Toledo Free Press on this important economic mission for the City of Toledo. We believe together we will be able to provide valuable insight into the mayor’s trip by utilizing the immediacy of daily on-air updates on 1370 WSPD, in-depth reporting in Toledo Free Press and the ongoing strength of our combined websites, social media platforms and civic pride.” Zito has attended the fair for the past 15 years. “The Hannover Fair is the world’s largest industrial trade show, featuring 5,000 or more exhibitors from 90 countries around the world and attracting a quarter million or more visitors from around the world,” he said. “It’s a very broad industrial trade show so the sectors and the companies that are there fit very much to the strengths of Toledo and Northwest Ohio.” Sectors represented at the fair will

By Brigitta Burks

Toledo Free Press News Editor bburks@toledofreepress.com

Toledo Free Press Managing Editor Sarah Ottney will travel to Germany to cover Mayor Mike Bell’s expedition to the Hannover Fair, an industrial trade show, from April 10-15. Ottney will write about her trip for Toledo Free Press and also provide updates on 1370 WSPD, as well as social media forums for both media outlets. BELL The group traveling to Germany includes Bell, Deputy Mayor of External Affairs/ Economic Development Paul Syring, Finance Director Patrick McLean, Public Information Officer Jen Sorgenfrei, attorney Tim Greenwood, Associate Director of the University of Toledo’s Undergraduate Admission Mark Schroeder, Executive Director of Toledo Sister Cities International Susan Miko, private individual Christine Luttmann and Vice President of International Development at the Regional Growth Partnership D. Paul Zito. The group will also spend time in Toledo’s sister city Delmenhorst. Ottney said of her upcoming travels, financed by Toledo Free Press and WSPD, “I appreciate the opportunity to represent Toledo Free Press

include energy, renewable energy, automotive, industrial automation, robotics, machine tools, plastics and polymers and many more, Zito said. Meetings for the mayor have been arranged with at least six companies so far, and Zito plans to meet with more before and after the mayor’s trip. The mayor traveled to China in September 2010, May 2011, September 2011 and November 2012. He also traveled to India in April 2011 and visited Japan in May 2011 as part of his trip to China. Chinese investors Dashing Pacific purchased The Docks and Marina District after Bell worked with them. Bell said one reason for going on trips is to make companies aware of Toledo. “I believe the only way you can establish yourself with these international cities is you have to be able to make contacts there,” he said. When asked if he’d received any criticism for his travel expenses, Bell said, “It’s not that much for the amount of money, considering what we’ve gotten in return.” Bell said other major Ohio cities have attended the fair in the past and that Toledo needs to do the same to draw in new business. Representatives from Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Wapakoneta are expected to attend this year’s fair, Zito said. Ottney said, “The Hannover Fair and other events planned with Toledo’s sister city of nearby Delmenhorst will offer opportunities

for the mayor and other local leaders to be exposed to new ideas, network with like-minded world citizens and business people and form connections that will hopefully ultimately benefit Toledo and Northwest Ohio.” While the group is in one of the sister cities, Toledoans at home will have a chance to attend the fourth annual Toledo Sister Cities International Festival from noon to 8 p.m. April 13 at UT’s Student Union. Tickets are $5 in advance and available in the Student Union, at Rocket Copy, room 2525. Admission is $7 at the door for the general public and $5 for seniors (65 and older) and students with ID. Children 10 and younger can get in for free. For more information on the Hannover Fair, visit the website www.hannovermesse.de. O

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A10 n Toledo Free Press

MUD HENS 2013

APRIL 7, 2013

MUD HENS 2013

Editor’s statement

Let’s go, Hens! W elcome to the 2013 Toledo Free Press Mud Hens Opening Day special section! As the team begins its 12th season Downtown, we hope you are as excited as we are about all things Muddy and heading back to Fifth Third Field. This is our ninth year celebrating Opening Day; thanks to all of the Toledo Free Press writers, photographers, sales representatives and ad-

vertisers for working with us on this special section. Special thanks to the Mud Hens organization for the interviews, photos and insights. Please send your feedback and suggestions for next year’s Opening Day section to sottney@toledofree press.com. Now, let’s hope for warm weather and get ready to play ball! — Sarah Ottney, Toledo Free Press Managing Editor

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A11

Toledo Free Press Photo By James A. Molnar

APRIL 7, 2013

ty Board of Coun Commissioners Carol Contrada President zniak Tina Skeldon Wo Pete Gerken

Sarah Ottney, Toledo Free Press MANAGING Editor, with Muddy.

April 7, 2013 Fans, Dear Mud Hens

Mud you to the 2013 like to welcome issioners would mm Co ty un Co cas The Board of Lu home Hens season! und Mud Hens w, ily vacations aro r community. No mmers and fam ou su ir for t the n en pla nm ns s and tertai ch to the familie Northwest Ohioa er affordable en mu off so ns an He me d ld Mu o Fie led ird To Th e th Th Fif s. at me ga Hens n ever, the Mud maybe more tha County. cas Lu th recordof ren ild ch o Mud Hens wi pport our Toled at Fifth su u ar Yo ye . th try 12 un ir the the co attitude. Now in are the best in ve s -up ha fan ive ns ns r-g He He d ve d ne Mu Mu felt the nce and a heart in the country — breaking attenda seball facilities ba est fin the of e rk. Third Field — on into our great pa n 5 million fans smile brought more tha of Lucas County pride make all that ic. We’re proud ns uniform with He eth d rk Mu wo io the Oh ar st o we we s of rth red No nd d hu an d an ork e Our players wh mw Ing mark hustle, tea Puckett, Brandon er the with their trade Hessman, Kirby Hens uniform ov y Murcer, Mike orted the Mud sp ve ha rs ye players like Bobb all pla seb ba al on ssi other gifted profe th Third Field, years. blocks from Fif o Walleye, just led ent. So, it’s To nm tai the ter of dly en ton Center, home nd, family-frien rd to hot rou wa arfor ye k for loo With the Hunting be and o is the place to Fifth Third Field to er ov ad he Downtown Toled , ve e. the baseball glo -around great tim time to dust off donna and an all Muddy and Mu dogs, popcorn, let’s go Hens! And, as always, Sincerely, THE BOARD OF

Carol Contrada President

LUCAS COUNTY

COMMISSIONE

zniak Tina Skeldon Wo Commissioner

Pete Gerken Commissioner

io 43604-2259 800 • Toledo, Oh Center • Suite 9) 213-4299 (41 : Fax One Government oh.us http://co.lucas. yer plo (419) 213-4500 Em ity tun An Equal Oppor

To Ou

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Bob La Clair Presid ent an d CEO Fifth T hird B ank — Nor

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MUD HENS 2013

A12 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Vincent D. Scebbi

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer vscebbi@toledofreepress.com

The Toledo Mud Hens will open their 2013 regular season with 15 returning players and a blend of major league experience and young prospects. “We had a good spring,” said Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin. “A lot of tough decisions had to be made and when you’re putting a team together, that’s a good thing; we had to get rid of and send down some quality players and that means we should be all right.” In his third year as Toledo’s skipper, Nevin said the main priority is developing his players “for the needs at the major league level.” “Unfortunately, you go into a season and you’d love to say Detroit is only going to use their five starting pitchers and they’re going to make every start and no one’s going to get hurt and no one’s going to pull a hamstring or take a foul tip; but that just doesn’t happen,” he said. “Guys struggle, that’s just baseball, it happens. There’s moves to be made; our job is to have those players be ready to go to the major leagues and help out when those situations occur.” Nevin said one of the best ways to prepare his players is by putting them in every possible game situation. “Whether it’s a guy that never really bunts but hey, he goes to the big leagues and bats eighth and he might have to bunt; they’ll have to encounter at that level,” he said. “It’s not always about a victory at that particular day, it’s about making those guys better to play at the major leagues.” Although his main priority is to develop the players in the Tigers organization, Nevin said, “When we step between those lines at 7 o’clock at night, I want to win the baseball game.” n NEVIN CONTINUES ON A13

toledo free press photo by paul nelson

Nevin prioritizes prepping players for Major League

Phil Nevin is retURning for a third season as Mud Hens manager.

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APRIL 7, 2013

MUD HENS 2013

Visit www.toledofreepress.com n NEVIN CONTINUED FROM A12

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Although it is difficult to predict a minor league season, Nevin said his team’s defense is going to be a strong point. Twelve of Toledo’s 13 pitchers have experience playing AAA or in the major leagues, with seven of them a part of last year’s squad. “Our defense is our strength and that really starts with our pitching,” Nevin said. “It’s a veteran staff for me who understands how to pitch and they’re going to be pretty excited about the defense playing behind them.” Returning to the Mud Hens is catcher Bryan Holaday, who batted .240 with 25 RBIs with Toledo last season. Quintin Berry, who was an impact player during the Detroit Tigers American League pennant run last season, will start in center field for the Mud Hens, who have missed the International League playoffs since 2007. Berry batted .258 with the Tigers last season, knocking in 29 runs and stealing 21 bases. One new face fans will recognize is Detroit Tigers top prospect Nick Castellanos. Castellanos, who was ranked No. 21 overall according to MLB.com, batted .360 with a home run and six RBIs with the Tigers during spring training down in Lakeland, Fla. The 21-year-old prospect will play in left field despite starting his pro ca-

n A13

reer at third base. “He can really hit, he’s got a really good idea of how to hit,” Nevin said. “He’s new to playing left field still.” Despite having a younger roster, Nevin said there will be some veterans and leaders, such as Holaday and first baseman John Lindsey. “We have a very high-character clubhouse, which I like,” Nevin said. “I know they will kind of police themselves. They all play the game right, they play the game hard, they’re very professional guys and that’s nice to know going in because it makes my job a heck of a lot easier.” Nevin said one the biggest impacts on the Tigers organization has been consistency in the minor league system. The different coordinators, such as the infield coordinator, hitting coordinator and minor league director, each have different responsibilities and Nevin said the consistency has allowed everyone to be “on the same page.” “We’ve had a lot of turnover in our minor league system the last couple of years and to have some consistency from last year to this year I think is going to be beneficial to a lot of people, not just in the coaching personnel, but the players understand that as well,” he said. “Those people have all been consistent so that makes our jobs easier ... you are on the same page.” O

MUD HENS 2013

A14 n Toledo Free Press

April SUNDAY

@ Norfolk 7:15 PM MONDAY

TUESDAY

SATURDAY

4 @ Louisville 6:35 PM 11 vs. Louisville 5:00 PM

5 @ Louisville 6:35 PM

6 @ Louisville 2:05 PM

12 13 vs. Louisville vs. Louisville 7:00 PM 6:00 PM

5 vs. Charlotte 2:00 PM

6 7 vs. Rochester vs. Rochester 6:30 PM 6:30 PM

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

2 vs. Charlotte 6:30 PM

3 vs. Charlotte 7:00 PM

4 vs. Charlotte 7:00 PM

8 vs. Rochester 6:30 PM

9 vs. Rochester 6:30 PM

10 @ Indianapolis 7:15 PM

11 @ Indianapolis 7:05 PM

7:05 PM

1:35 PM

15 vs. Indianapolis 6:30 PM

16 vs. Indianapolis 6:30 PM

vs. Indianapolis

6:30 PM

18 vs. Columbus 6:30 PM

19 vs. Columbus 7:00 PM

20 @ Columbus 7:05 PM

12 @ Indianapolis 1:35 PM

13 @ Indianapolis 11:05 AM

14 vs. Scranton 6:30 PM

15 vs. Scranton 10:30 AM

16 vs. Scranton 6:30 PM

17 vs. Scranton 7:00 PM

18 vs. Syracuse 7:00 PM

21 @ Columbus 1:05 PM

22 @ Columbus 10:35 AM

23 @ Durham 7:05 PM

24 @ Durham 1:05 PM

25 @ Durham 7:05 PM

26 @ Durham 7:05 PM

27 @ Norfolk 7:05 PM

19 vs. Syracuse 2:00 PM

20 vs. Syracuse 10:30 AM

21 vs. Syracuse 10:30 AM

23 @ Gwinnett 6:05 PM

24 @ Gwinnett 7:05 PM

25 @ Gwinnett 7:05 PM

28 @ Norfolk 1:05 PM

29 @ Norfolk 6:35 PM

30 @ Norfolk 12:05 PM

26 @ Gwinnett 2:05 PM

27 @ Charlotte 7:15 PM

28 @ Charlotte 7:15 PM

29 @ Charlotte 7:15 PM

30 @ Charlotte 7:15 PM

31 vs. Louisville 7:00 PM

MONDAY

TUESDAY

MONDAY

SUNDAY

@ Indianapolis

FRIDAY

14 vs. Louisville 2:00 PM

@ Indianapolis

may

THURSDAY

7 @ Louisville 2:05 PM

june

WEDNESDAY

APRIL 7, 2013

@ Indianapolis

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

july

SATURDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

6 7 vs. Columbus vs. Columbus 7:00 PM 7:00 PM

1 vs. Louisville 7:00 PM 8 @ Rochester 7:05 PM

SUNDAY

1 @ Lh. Valley 7:05 PM 8 7 vs. Indianapolis vs. Louisville 7:00 PM 6:00 PM

2 @ Lh. Valley 7:05 PM 9 vs. Louisville 7:00 PM

3 vs. Columbus 7:00 PM 10 vs. Louisville 7:00 PM

4 vs. Columbus 6:00 PM 11 @ Columbus 7:05 PM

5 vs. Indianapolis 7:00 PM 12 @ Columbus 7:15 PM

6 vs. Indianapolis 7:00 PM 13 @ Louisville 6:05 PM

13 @ Syracuse 7:00 PM

14 @ Syracuse 7:00 PM

15 @ Syracuse 7:00 PM

14 @ Louisville 2:05 PM

15 All-Star Game

16 All-Star Game

17 All-Star Game

18 @ Buffalo 7:05 PM

19 @ Buffalo 7:05 PM

20 @ Buffalo 7:05 PM

25 @ Scranton 7:05 PM

26 vs. Buffalo 7:00 PM

27 vs. Buffalo 7:00 PM

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

2 3 vs. Louisville vs. Louisville 6:00 PM 7:00 PM

4 @ Columbus 7:05 PM

9 @ Rochester 1:05 PM

10 @ Rochester 7:05 PM

11 @ Rochester 1:05 PM

16 @ Syracuse 2:00 PM

17 vs. Lh. Valley 7:00 PM

18 vs. Lh. Valley 7:00 PM

19 vs. Lh. Valley 7:00 PM

20 vs. Lh. Valley 7:00 PM

21 vs. Pawtucket 7:00 PM

22 vs. Pawtucket 7:00 PM

21 @ Buffalo 1:05 PM

22 @ Scranton 7:05 PM

23 @ Scranton 7:05 PM

24 @ Scranton 12:05 PM

23 vs. Pawtucket 6:00 PM

24 vs. Pawtucket 12:00 PM

25 @ Pawtucket 7:05 PM

26 @ Pawtucket 7:05 PM

27 @ Pawtucket 7:05 PM

28 @ Pawtucket 7:05 PM

29 @ Lh Valley 6:35 PM

28 vs. Buffalo 6:00 PM

29 vs. Buffalo 12:00 PM

30 vs. Durham 7:00 PM

31 vs. Durham 7:00 PM

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

5 @ Columbus 12:05 PM 12

September

@ Lh Valley 1:35 PM

SUNDAY

August SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

FRIDAY

1 @ Columbus 6:05 PM

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

2 vs. Durham 7:00 PM

SATURDAY

3 vs. Columbus 7:00 PM

1 vs. Durham 7:00 PM

4 vs. Columbus 6:00 PM

5 vs. Columbus 7:00 PM

6 @. Columbus 7:05 PM

7 @ Columbus 7:05 PM

8 @ Indianapolis 7:05 PM

9 @ Indianapolis 7:15 PM

10 vs. Indianapolis 7:00 PM

11 vs. Indianapolis 6:00 PM

13 vs. Norfolk 7:00 PM

14 vs. Norfolk 7:00 PM

15 vs. Norfolk 7:00 PM

16 vs. Norfolk 7:00 PM

17 vs. Gwinnett 7:00 PM

18 vs. Gwinnett 6:00 PM

19 vs. Gwinnett 6:30 PM

20 vs. Gwinnett 6:30 PM

22 @ Louisville 7:05 PM

23 @ Louisville 7:05 PM

24 @ Louisville 6:05 PM

25 @ Louisville 2:05 PM

26 @ Indianapolis 7:05 PM

27 @ Indianapolis 7:05 PM

28 vs. Indianapolis 6:30 PM

29 vs. Indianapolis 6:30 PM

30 vs. Columbus 7:00 PM

31 vs. Columbus 7:00 PM

MONDAY

2 @ Columbus 3:05 PM

HOME GAME

AWAY GAME

All games listed local time

For more information and available seat locations, call the Toledo Mud Hens at (419) 725-HENS (4367). To purchase game plans or partial-season game plans, suite rentals, pregame picnic parties, group tickets, Toft’s Ice Cream birthday parties, youth baseball camps, sponsorships and advertising online, visit mudhens.com/seasontickets.

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MUD HENS 2013

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Welcome 2013 Hens Fans! Live Music & Tony Packo’s Single Barrel Jack Daniels Specials: Thursday, April 11

7 S. Superior St. » 419-246-1111

n A15

MUD HENS 2013

A16 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

A.J. Sager returns as pitching coach for sixth season By Dave Kubacki

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

From the mound to the dugout, A.J. Sager has been a fixture in the Toledo baseball community as a player and now a coach. At the University of Toledo, Sager played both football and baseball. On the football field, he was starting quarterback for the 1984 MidSAGER American Conference (MAC) championship squad that went 8-3-1, passing for more than 1,600 yards. As a pitcher for the Rockets, Sager had an ERA of 2.67 in his final year, fourthbest in the MAC. Following his time in Toledo, Sager pitched for 12 seasons in the major leagues from 1988-99 with San Diego, Colorado, Detroit and Cincinnati. In 123 overall major league appearances, Sager posted a 12-15 record with a 5.36 ERA and five saves. In 1996 and 1998 Sager made appearances with the Mud Hens, compiling a 2.76 ERA in 32 games. According to Sager, it was not long after leaving the major leagues that he decided to return to baseball. “I took a year after I got done

pitching and worked a normal officetype job,” Sager said. “I wasn’t unhappy doing that but I missed being in the locker room and missed baseball. Really, I missed sports more than anything. It was what I had done my entire life.” Sager had a couple of teams approach him about coming back to coach, but turned down those initial inquiries. It wasn’t until he spoke with his wife that he decided he would come back to the game. “It’s a tough job on the family, to travel and being away a lot,” Sager said. “I had just gotten married and I didn’t want to do that. My wife had been very supportive while I was playing so I thought I would spend more time around the house. After about a year or so, I had an opportunity with the Tigers to come back. I talked with my wife and she was all in. At the end of the day, that was what I wanted to do and what I had the passion to do. I gave it a whirl and that was about 12 years ago.” Sager is now entering his sixth season as the Mud Hens pitching coach. According to Sager, it is an ideal job. “I am one of the very few coaches that is able to coach where they live,” Sager said. “Most people who do what I do are far away from their house in the summer. I get to be home and still get to do what I like doing. I went to the University of Toledo, played

for the Mud Hens and have a lot of close friends in town. Everyone who has been to a game knows that Fifth Third Field is an absolute first-rate facility and our front office is great. The cherry on top is being able to coach baseball players who are a step away from performing on the highest stage in the world. It is a pretty good gig.” With spring training winding down and Opening Day 2013 rapidly approaching, Sager is in the final stages of evaluating his players. According to Sager, there are specific qualities the coaching staff is looking for at this point. “We are looking for guys who we think are right on the doorstep of being able to go up and pitch in Detroit,” Sager said. “We want to win every game we play in Toledo and hope to win a whole lot of them, but our real job is developing players. We are looking for 12 to 13 guys that we think are close enough that with a little bit more experience and coaching, that they will be that guy when the phone rings. We want to have some answers for [Tigers manager] Jim Leyland and his staff when they call.” Sager said he is happy with the group of players for the upcoming 2013 season. “I think we are going to be good,” Sager said. “With only a week left, we are getting pretty close. When I look down at what we’re likely to have, I feel pretty good about it. We will

Join us for our

Opening Day Blow-Out! April 11th

From 1-5 p.m., enjoy hot glass demonstrations and a cookout. Live music provided by ind’grass and Nathan Cogan. Hands-on glass activities in the hot shop, before the game. Visit our website GatheredArtGallery.com for future workshop and pre-game gather dates all season long.

23 N. Huron

www.gatheredartgallery.com (9; .(33,9@ :;<+06: or 419-262-5501

have good left-hand starting pitchers, which is always good to have. We have a couple of experienced guys who have spent some time in the big leagues. I feel good coming out of the gate. You never know when things will change, although they probably will. Sometimes they change for the better and you get good players and sometimes you lose your good players.” Sager said developing players is rewarding. Having a player get called up to the Tigers simply means they are doing their job, he said. “Honestly, it’s the best part of the job,” Sager said. “The best part of it is that you get to be part of the conversation when you actually get to watch someone’s dreams come true. When you tell players, especially for the first time, they are going to the major leagues you see all kinds of

emotions. It is an extremely tough thing to accomplish and I get to be there when the manager gives the news to them.” Sager said he is happy as the pitching coach for the Mud Hens, but would certainly entertain an offer from the major leagues. “I am really happy where I am,” Sager said. “I like the Toledo area and it’s a beautiful facility. Right now, it’s a great time to be part of the Tigers organization, especially coming off a World Series appearance. Hopefully, they’ll be on the short list of teams that have a chance to do really well this year. At some point, I would like to have a chance to coach in the major leagues like any other minor league coach. However, I am certainly happy with where I am and have a lot of energy to do this job.” O

community PUBLIC NOTICE

CITY OF TOLEDO MIChaEL P. BELL, MaYOr – PUBLIC NOTICE – NOTICE OF aSSESSMENT This notice is to all property owners, operators, agents or person in possession of or control of any charge of land within the City of Toledo, Ohio of their responsibility to maintain their property free of noxious weeds, high grass, surface water, refuse, litter or nuisance conditions in accordance with Chapter 955 of the City of Toledo Municipal Code and that they shall keep grass cut to a height not in excess of eight inches (8”). They shall also keep the same free and clear from all noxious weeds and rank vegetation on such lots owned or controlled by said owners, operators, agents or persons in possession or control of said property to prevent such rank growth and/or the maturing or spreading of seeds or pollen therefrom. The same applies to any charge of land abutting upon a public right of way and on the unpaved portions of the right of way. If full compliance is not made with this notice and the provisions of Chapter 955 of the City of Toledo Municipal Code within three (3) days after the date of this notice, then such grass, weeds, and other vegetation will be cut by or on behalf of the City of Toledo and the cost and expenses thereof will be assessed against the respective lots or lands. Violators will be prosecuted pursuant to the applicable provisions of Chapter 955 of the Municipal Code. By order of the City of Toledo, Ohio, Michael P. Bell, Mayor, and as approved by Toledo City Council on June 5, 2012 via Ordinance #289-12.

APRIL 7, 2013

MUD HENS 2013

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A17

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A18 n Toledo Free Press

MUD HENS 2013

APRIL 7, 2013

By Brian Bohnert

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

Three years removed from his last game in the minor leagues, the winningest manager in Toledo Mud Hens history will be one of three men inducted into the International League (IL) Hall of Fame later this year. Larry Parrish will be ushered into the IL Hall of Fame during one of the team’s 72 home games at Fifth Third Field this season. Joining Parrish in the 2013 IL Hall of Fame class are former outfielder Mack Jones (posthumously) and former third baseman Don Richmond (posthumously). All three were chosen in a vote by a selection of baseball executives, broadcasters, members of the sports media and living Hall of Famers. Parrish served as the Mud Hens’ skipper for a record eight seasons, guiding the team to backto-back Governors’ Cup championships in 2005 and 2006, and 569 total wins, the most in franchise history. Joe Napoli, president and general manager of the Mud Hens, said Parrish is an excellent teacher whose unflappable personality and ability to help develop major league talent like Don Kelly, Marcus Thames and Ryan Rayburn have placed him among the best managers in baseball. “There couldn’t be a finer example of a person that we would want to represent the Mud Hens in the IL Hall of Fame,” Napoli said. “He truly is a consummate professional.” The 2005 IL Manager of the Year began his career as Mud Hens skipper on May 2, 1994. However, his first stint in Toledo was short-lived; he left AAA baseball after leading the team to a 56-62 record. A Florida native, Parrish also had a memorable playing career, appearing in close to 1,900 major league games with the Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers. After two full seasons with the Japanese Central League, he retired in 1990 and became a full-time coach with the De-

troit Tigers organization. Parrish replaced Buddy Bell as manager of the Detroit Tigers in September 1998, guiding the team to a 69-92 record in 1999, his only full season as an major league skipper. He began his second stretch as Mud Hens manager in 2003, going 65-78 in his first full season in the Glass City. It wasn’t long before Parrish guided the franchise to its first Governors’ Cup championship since 1967. The Parrish-led Mud Hens defeated the Indianapolis Indians 8-3 in a dominant showing on Sept. 16, 2005. Napoli, president and general manager of the team since 1999, recalls the winning season and memorable moments following the final game. He said those moments perfectly represent the type of morale Parrish worked hard to establish during his time in a Mud Hens uniform. “Before that game, we had a good feeling about how the team was playing. So, I approached Larry [Parrish] and Jeff Jones, the pitching coach at the time, and said, ‘Hey, you know what, if we win tonight, would you mind if we brought a bunch of people from the front office down to the locker room for the champagne celebration?’ And they were all for it,” Napoli said. “So, we go on, win the game and we tell the staff to meet us down by the locker room and they have no idea what’s going on. So we get down there and, amongst all of the players spraying each other with champagne, everybody started doing it and it was just a great time. To this day, staff members who were down there still remember that with great fondness because you don’t see that routinely. That’s kind of the ‘we’re all in it together approach’ that our organization is all about.” Parrish left Toledo in 2011 to become the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves, but he is returning to the Detroit Tigers organization for the 2013 season as the new skipper of the Class-A West Michigan Whitecaps. “We were all thrilled for him when he had the opportunity to go to the Braves, but we’re just as happy to have him back in the Tigers organization,” Napoli said. “He certainly was missed.” O

Photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Parrish among 2013 IL Hall of Fame inductees

n Former Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish will be inducted into the International League Hall of Fame.

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A20 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Matt Liasse

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

Everyone is invited to Toledo’s biggest party. The Opening Day Bash for the Toledo Mud Hens’ 2013 season, happening April 11, will take place after a week of away games. But Manager of Special Events Michael Keedy said that will not stop the fun. “For us, it doesn’t matter either way,” Keedy said. “Opening Day is still Opening Day. It’s still the very first time we open the gates of Fifth Third Field for a new baseball season. It’s still our first home game of the year. Whether or not we’re starting at home or we’re starting on the road, it’s still the first home game of the year.” Keedy said the pregame party has gotten bigger every year and people tend to take off work to arrive Downtown early. “Opening Day itself has become a big Downtown almost festival, partylike atmosphere,” Keedy said. “We started throwing an Opening Day Bash just to kind of welcome people into a new year.” The ballpark will open at 3 p.m.

with the bash going until the game starts at 5 p.m. The bash will be at two locations, The Nest party deck (located along the first base line) and the Home Run Picnic Terrace. The band 56DAZE will play in the Home Run terrace and The Brad Berries will be in The Nest. Tickets cost $32 and include live entertainment, an all-you-can-eat buffet, drink specials and a seat at the game itself. They can be purchased at the box office, by calling (419) 725-HENS (4367) or online at mudhens.com. There will be contests and giveaways during the evening. Keedy said he enjoys the sense of community in the Opening Day Bash. “That’s what minor league sports is all about, especially in Toledo. We have such tremendous support from our community,” Keedy said. “We hope that we are very much part of our community. That’s what we try to do. With everything that we plan throughout the year, it’s very community-oriented.” The 2013 season marks the Mud Hens’ 27th consecutive season as the AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers as well as the 12th season of play at Fifth Third Field. O

toledo free press photo by joseph herr

Mud Hens welcome new season with Opening Day Bash

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By Matt Liasse

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

In addition to the Mud Hens’ official Opening Day Bash, many Downtown businesses and restaurants will also be offering Opening Day events. Gathered Art Gallery and Studios, 23 N. Huron St., will host live entertainment and demonstrations of glass blowing by professionals from 1-3:30 p.m. Following that, the gallery will host “The Pregame Gather,” which invites the public to make original paperweights and mugs. Attendees can also make a glass handprint at the event. Prices range from $25-$50. Gathered owner Adam Goldberg, a Toledo native, said he loves the Mud Hens and wanted to take ad-

vantage of the event. “We’re right across the street from the field; I guess you could say we’re trying to be neighborly,” Goldberg said. “We appreciate that the Mud Hens are in the Warehouse District.” The gallery will also have a cookout in the parking lot with Toledo band ind’grass playing. “It’s going to be a fun time down here,” said gallery manager Katherine Clemmon. “Any excuse to party on a Thursday, right?”

Bars opening early

The Blarney Irish Pub, 601 Monroe St., will celebrate Opening Day early. The bar will open at 9 a.m. with a bloody mary bar and car bomb drink station, according to an email from General Manager Bill Kline. The pub will also offer Guinness Beer Brats and

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burgers on the grill. Kline said the celebration will take place all day with live entertainment offered by Last Born Sons from 1-4 p.m. and Nine Lives from 8 p.m. to midnight. Promotions and giveaways will take place all day. When stopping by, expect to hear a song parody written and produced by the pub’s bartenders. Set to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” the lyrics include “Take me out to The Blarney/ Take me out to the pub/Pour me a Guinness from Ireland/Come and hang out with all of your friends/For it’s root, root, root for the home team/ Stop by after the game/For its 1, 2, 3 drinks with friends at the ole Blarney.” Ye Olde Cock N’ Bull, 9 N. Huron St., was not open in time for the 2012 Opening Day but now opens for lunch at 11 a.m. On Opening Day, drink specials and Jell-O shots start at 11 a.m., as does live music from Barile & May. Distant Cousinz plays a set at 4:30 p.m. and Captain Sweet Shoes will play at 9 p.m. Jim Mettler, owner of Ye Olde Cock N’ Bull, said, “Welcome back to the boys of summer! We’re happy the Mud Hens are back in town.” Ye Olde Durty Bird, 2 S. St. Clair St., will also open at 9 a.m. to celebrate Opening Day. Downtown Toledo’s gastropub will feature “plenty of food and drinks specials,” said General Manager Julie Ketterman. Live entertainment will be offered as well, featuring Ron Daniels, Kyle White and John Barile. The three artists will play during a parking lot party to benefit Project iAm, a local nonprofit that assists families whose children have autism. At 7:30 p.m., featured band Arctic Clam will play. O

Photo courtesy Gathered Art Gallery

Downtown businesses plan Opening Day events

Gathered Art Gallery will host live entertainment on opening day.

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A22 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

SHAG ON SPORTS

Score one for tradition

hen I go to a baseball game, than I’d like to admit) years ago, my be it minor or major league, first assignment was to run the Cleveas media or as a fan, there’s land Indians games on the air. It isn’t an old-school tradition that I love to that hard of a job. After each inning ends, you play a compartake in. mercial break. But acIt’s not the seventhtually listening for the inning stretch or the breaks was a little more purchasing of peanuts or difficult than you’d Cracker Jacks ... do they imagine. You could be even still sell those at the deep within a scoring park? Did the prizes get rally, think it’s safe to any better? go nuke some pizza My tradition of rolls, only to have the choice involves a pen Tribe hit into a double and paper with a 9-by-9 play and end the ingrid of squares. The only Shaggy CULBREATH ning while you’re out of way to truly follow a the studio. Dead air? Dead board-op. baseball game is to keep score. In the era of sausage races, kiss Clearly, I needed a plan. Enter the scorecard. Plot out the cams and a 7-foot-tall Dora on the concourse, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of batters and, for each at-bat, write in-stadium entertainment that actually down what happened. Show where reflects on the game itself. Heck, the they hit the ball. Tell how they got Lehigh Valley IronPigs just announced around the bases. And, more importhey installed video game consoles in tantly to me at the time, note when an the bathrooms. I don’t mean they’re off out was recorded. You can’t miss beto the side — they’re literally hooked up cause you’re tracking everything. I moved away from the Indians to the urinals, and you control it with, broadcasts and into other portions of well, your “rented beer.” All of this detracts from what the station, but the next time I went to should be the focal point of going to a Hens game, I made sure to bring one a ballgame, which is the game itself. of my blank scorecards. My daughter And nothing gets you into the game was too young to understand what I was doing, no matter how many times I tried deeper than keeping score. I didn’t learn how to keep score to show her. But there’s nothing motifrom going to games, but rather from vates you to stay in your seat more than listening to them. When I first started the threat of missing a square on your at 1370 WSPD some (number larger scoresheet and having to guess.

Building Building relationships relationships project after project after project. project.

There’s no right way to keep score, either. I’d look up the methods ahead of time, but you can track as little or Since as much data as you’d like. If you just Since 1946 1946 want to record outs and runs, you can. If you’d like, you can record if an out was a fly or a liner, that’s easy enough. Want to go down to the micro level of keeping track of balls and strikes, inGeneral Contractor cluding foul tips? You’re welcome to it. Industrial Commercial Commercial Industrial The joy of a sheet of paper is that you can scribble as little or as much as you Proudly want on it. Bonus: After you’re done, serving Toledo you have a personalized keepsake. for over I have one floating around in a box 65 years! from a game where the Hens pitcher 20 threw a complete-game one-hitter. 2015 Pickle Road | Oregon, Ohio 43616 20 Too anachronistic for you? Good 2015 Pickle Road | Oregon, Ohio9:21:47 43616AM p. 419.691.2329 | f. 3/22/12 419-691-2057 3.875x6.375_TLCPA_He#5733FB.pdf news: There are all kinds of apps that p. 419.691.2329 | f. 419-691-2057 www.aaboos.com allow you to keep score. I don’t know who has that kind of battery life on www.aaboos.com their mobile device, but the options are 1275.AABoos Blade ad.ind out there, ranging from free apps to as 1275.AABoos Blade ad.indd 1 2/3/11 6:36:54 PM 1275.AABoos Blade ad.ind high as $10. They’re not my speed, but if you’re an ultimate techhead, give it a go. 1275.AABoos Blade ad.indd 1 2/3/11 6:36:54 PM Consider it my crusade against constant, unnecessary in-stadium entertainment. Baseball might be tough to watch on TV, but it’s a joy to take in at the ballpark. Let’s not clutter things up so much that you can’t even leave the seats without having entertainment shoved in your face. Enjoy the game itself; take a scorecard before you take your seat. O

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Matt “Shaggy” Culbreath is sports director at 1370 WSPD. Email him at shaggy@wspd.com. C

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MUD HENS 2013

A24 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Jeff McGinnis

TOLEDO FREE PRESS POP CULTURE EDITOR PopGoesJeff@gmail.com

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ... OK, maybe not that long ago — just last May. And certainly not that far away — just across the street at Fifth Third Field, a stone’s throw from the Toledo Free Press offices. But on a balmy spring night, a Toledo Mud Hens home game became a grand celebration of all things “Star Wars,” as the first “May the Fourth Be With You” promotion took place. “It was first brought up by one of our ticket consultants, Kyle Moll,” said Michael Keedy, manager of special events for the Hens. “He came to me and mentioned that we had a home game on May 4, and was aware of a kind of unofficial ‘Star Wars’ holiday called ‘May the Fourth Be With You.’ And he said, ‘That’d be a lot of fun to do a “May the Fourth Be With You” promotion.’ “It’s not a unique idea — other teams have had ‘Star Wars’ nights. In fact, we’ve had ‘Star Wars’ nights in the past. But what we did differently was we branded that game as ‘May the Fourth Be With You.’ We had everything from special food offerings to costume contests. We had character appearances.

toledo free press photo by james a. molnar

‘Star Wars’ nights highlight Mud Hens promotions

n PROMOTIONS CONTINUES ON A26

• Patio Open 7 Days a Week • Daily Martini Specials • Budweiser Beer Wagon and Live Music • Game Room Upstairs • Smokers Welcome on Patio • Daily Beer Specials

Cake pops featuring ‘Star Wars’ characters such as Boba Fett and imperial stormtroopers were available on ‘May the Fourth be with you’ night in 2012.

GO MUD HENS!

SMOKING ON PATIO

MUD HENS 2013

toledo free press photo by james a. molnar

APRIL 7, 2013

Mudonna channeled princess leia and Muddy made like luke skYwalker on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;May the Fourth be with youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; night in 2012.

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

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MUD HENS 2013

A26 n Toledo Free Press n PROMOTIONS CONTINUED FROM A24 “If you came to the game on ‘May the Fourth Be With You,’ you really felt — from the time you came to the game to when you left — that it was a ‘Star Wars’-themed atmosphere the entire night.” So wildly popular was the event, in fact, that the promotions department jumped at the opportunity to revisit and expand on the conKEEDY cept this year. “We had home games this seaso on May 4, which is a Saturday, and May 5, which is a Sunday,” Keedy said. “We wanted to really expand it to the entire weekend because we had so much fun with it last year. So that’s how we came up with ‘May the Fourth Be With You’ and ‘Revenge of the Fifth.’” This year’s edition will include tons

of unique touches to make both nights a fun destination for fans of baseball and fans of the films. Everything from face-painting to a special “Star Wars”themed fireworks show, a costume parade and a kazoo-along with John Williams’ famous theme. Even the players’ headshots, displayed on the big video board, will be modified to look like iconic “Star Wars” characters. (No word on which opposition players might be Princess Leia.) “On Sunday, the ‘Revenge of the Fifth’ game, the Mud Hens team will wear Chewbacca-themed baseball jerseys. They’re really cool,” Keedy said. “Those will be auctioned off silently on the main concourse, benefiting a charitable partner.”

‘Team effort’

As anticipated as the “Star Wars” nights are, they’re just one of the many promotions that fan have to look forward to during the 2013 season. From the traditional fireworks shows and

autograph sessions to nights that celebrate the history of baseball in Toledo and the birthday of iconic Mud Hens mascot Muddy, the team’s special events staff always aims to appeal to the broadest possible audience. “We do promotions that are very much involved in the community,” Keedy said. “If there’s a big event going on, we want to be a part of that — that’s

APRIL 7, 2013

one big factor. And then the obvious one is that we always want to be unique. We want to provide opportunities for people to come out and be entertained throughout the entire event. “And we want to try and stay fresh. We have a lot of things that we try and do on an annual basis that are a lot of fun, and are very popular. But every year, we’re analyzing

the schedule and things going on, what’s going on in popular culture. How can we keep the promotions fresh and new and exciting? Those are all factors.” When it comes to developing and executing new concepts for promotional events, Keedy said it is always a collaborative process. n PROMOTIONS CONTINUES ON A27

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APRIL 7, 2013 n PROMOTIONS CONTINUED FROM A26 “Many times, they’re developed just through discussions through our very creative team,” he said. “We talk about what’s popular at the time, we talk about if a game falls on a particular holiday, or a date when something is especially celebrated, we talk about things that have become popular during the baseball season during the previous year that we really want

to grow and expand on in the following year. “I would say it’s a team effort, and a lot of ideas come from all departments, and all the individuals that work with us. You know, it’s really a group effort to come up with any unique ideas and any unique things for the future.”

Other promotions

Planned entertainment includes a country concert on June 1, “Clown

Prince of Baseball” Myron Noodleman on June 7, The ZOOperstars on June 21 and BirdZerk! on July 26. Character appearances include Millie, Geo and Bot from “Team Umizoomi” on May 19, Fred Flintstone on June 2, Tommy, Chuckie and Angelica from “Rugrats” on July 5, Dora the Explorer on July 28 and Scooby-Doo on Aug. 18. Nurses Recognition Night is May 6, Law Enforcement Recognition

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Night is May 18 and Veterans Appreciation Night is June 22. June 23 is Irish Heritage Night and July 28 is Latino Heritage Night while May 15 and June 24 are Senior Days. July 5 is “Back to the ’90s” night, featuring a visit from “The Sandlot” director David Mickey Evans and a postgame screening of the film. Muddy’s Birthday Bash is July 6-7. July 26 is Pink in the Park, benefiting the Northwest Ohio affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Toledo Baseball History Weekend is Aug. 2-4. Pregame craft beer tastings are planned for May 17, June 6, July 5 and Aug. 1. And whether fans come out for “Star Wars” nights, to see their kids run the bases or to grab that commemorative Mudonna toothbrush holder, Keedy said that the goal re-

n A27

mains the same. “We’ve got a lot of people who come out to the ballpark to see a great baseball game, and a great product on the field,” Keedy said. “But we also have a lot of people that come out to the ballpark specifically to bring their family out, bring their date out, have a night out on the town, have a lot of fun, be entertained. And they may not even have any interest in what’s going on out in the field. “And it’s our obligation to make sure they leave the ballpark feeling like they were very much entertained, and wanting to come back for multiple games.” For a full list of promotions, click on the “Promotions” tab at www.mudhens.com. Events are subject to change. O

A28 n Toledo Free Press

MUD HENS 2013

APRIL 7, 2013

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n A29

By Brigitta Burks

TOLEDO FREE PRESS NEWS EDITOR bburks@toledofreepress.com

The Mud Hens’ Helping Hens program enables the team and organization to give back to the community, especially youth, in a variety of ways. “Baseball’s a sport. You gotta keep moving so we like to encourage our local youth to do that as well,” said Cheri Pastula, manager of community relations for the Mud Hens. She added, “Toledo fans are just amazing. They’re dedicated, they’re excited and we have such great community support that we feel it’s important to be able to give back to the community in a charitable way.” The Helping Hens award grants to youth recreation and wellness-related programs and arrange for mascots and players to visit schools, camps and family centers. The Helping Hens also provide tickets and meals to underserved youth. Last year, about $30,000 in grants was awarded to nine recipients. Pastula said the Helping Hens will announce this year’s grant recipients in the next couple of months. n HELPING CONTINUES ON A30

Photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Team gives back to community through Helping Hens

The Helping Hens awarded about $30,000 in grants to local nonprofits and charities last year.

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A30 n Toledo Free Press n HELPING CONTINUED FROM A29 “We just feel it’s important to be able to give back to the Toledo-area community and we found that our fund is a way to be able to do that,” Pastula said. The Ability Center of Greater Toledo, a nonprofit center promoting independent living for individuals with disabilities, was one of the grant winners last year. “Clearly, [the Helping Hens are] a great gift to the community and I think at this point in time, any opportunity for programs for kids is a good thing,” said Tim Harrington, executive director of The Ability Center. The Ability Center will use its grant to teach individuals with disabilities about safe biking this spring. “For folks with disabilities, it can be their connection to the community. If you are unable to drive, but can ride any type of bike, that may open up opportunities for socialization, employment you name it,” Harrington said. To learn more, call (419) 885-5733. The East Toledo Family Center, which offers several youth activities, also won a grant last year. It’s using the money to purchase equipment for its summer soccer, basketball and baseball programs, said Executive Director Kim Partin.

Youth athletics benefit children in several ways, from curbing obesity to teaching them about winning and losing, she said. “Another positive thing is the social connections that are formed even with the parents that are there,” she said. Summer sports registration starts April 15. Visit http://www.etfc.org for more information. Fundraisers help raise grant money. Pastula said jersey auctions, where players wear specialty jerseys that are then auctioned off, are a popular fundraiser. A Chewbacca jersey auction is set for May 5, followed by the hot dog-themed jersey auction July 6 and the throwback jersey auction Aug. 3. A game-used equipment auction is set for Aug. 10. The Helping Hens will also give out grants on its School Celebration Days, when area schoolchildren visit the ballpark on May 15, 20 and 21. Each participating school is eligible for a $1,000 grant and a runner-up will receive a $500 Kroger gift card each School Celebration Day. “We’ve just had some great support through [the School Celebration Days] and we just thought it was a great way for [schools] to use [the money] how they see fit,” Pastula said. A transportation fund, separate from the Helping Hens chari-

table fund, for helping schools get to games is another recent addition for the Mud Hens. Mascot and player visits also mean a lot to PASTULA children, Pastula said. The visits include trips to ProMedica Toledo Children’s Hospital. “The players, who typically aren’t from around here, really enjoy [the visits]. It’s a way for them to see the city and really interact with kids and to see some of their youngest fans in the area,” Pastula said. “It’s amazing to see a child’s face light up when a player comes in the room.” Shortstop Audy Ciriaco read to Spanish-speaking children in the Teaching and Mentoring Communities Migrant Seasonal Head Start program in August. The reading along with a book distribution, was organized by the group Books 4 Buddies, which collects and distributes new and gently used books to disadvantaged youth with a focus on literacy for young men and boys. Pastula said she hopes the Helping Hens are involved with Books 4 Buddies again this year. President and co-founder of Books 4 Buddies Laneta Goings said, “Were

APRIL 7, 2013 [the children] ever happy to receive the books! I don’t know if they were more happy to receive the books or more happy to see Audy. … We were so impressed that he took time out of his busy day.” This is the second year of Books 4 Buddies, which has collected about 30,000 books, Goings said. There is a book drive slated for noon to 4 p.m. June 29 at Westfield Franklin Park Mall. Volunteers are also needed for sorting and distributing books. To

volunteer, call (866) 944-1119. Toledo Walleye players visited the East Toledo Family Center about a year ago when the center set up an indoor hockey rink, Partin said. “[The children] were so excited and just kind of in awe of them, that they got to actually interact with them and the players were just so kidfriendly,” she said. For more information, click on “Team Info” and then “Helping Hens” at www.mudhens.com. O

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A32 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Michelle Zepeda

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER mzepeda@toledofreepress.com

It’s all about the kids. If you are already worried what you will do to keep the kiddos busy this summer, don’t be; the Mud Hens have you covered. “We are constantly trying to come up with new ideas to get families out and bring the kids Downtown,” said Mud Hens Special Events Coordinator Emily Croll. Croll’s job is to make sure the organization offers plenty of activities for families, even when the team is away. “We are very focused on family,” Croll said. “That is a huge demographic that we try to hit and the major demographic we try to bring out to our games. We really offer a lot of family entertainment. We offer a lot of events that range for all ages.” Home games are loaded with entertainment that caters to the whole family. Mascots, contests and dancing keep the ballgame moving along and makes it fun for all ages, Croll said. n KIDS CONTINUES ON A33

photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Hens offer wide variety of kids’ activities

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n KIDS CONTINUED FROM A32 “Kids get so excited,” Croll said. “They love the mascots and they love the contests, but not only that, we love to offer many social experiences for them, like being on the field and meeting the players and doing things on a personal level instead of just watching the game.”

Muddy’s Buddies Club

Registration is already under way for the 2013 Muddy’s Buddies Kids Club for kids age 12 and younger. Parents can sign their kids up for this free program at a game, online at the www.mudhens.com or at most local McDonald’s locations. Club members get perks like free Happy Meals, discounts at the Swamp Shop and an exclusive invitation to Muddy’s Buddies Field Day.

Pitch-Hit-Run

On April 13,, the Mud Hens will host their annual Pitch-Hit-Run contest. It is open to kids ages 7-14

years. The free contest is run through Major League Baseball and participants must preregister. “It is a way for kids to compete against kids their age in a pitch, hit and run portion and then the winner will go on and compete in the season,” Croll said.

Chicklets

An program that has been gaining steam the past three years is the Chicklets, the official dance team of the Toledo Mud Hens. The team is open to girls of all skill levels, ages 5-12. Team members get four hours of dance instruction and do not need to have any prior dance experience. They also will receive the Chicklets uniform to keep, two tickets to the game that they perform at and two tickets to the final performance at the Aug. 10 game. Chicklets instructor Nikki Khuong said she has been dancing her entire life. n KIDS CONTINUES ON A34

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photo courtesy toledo mud hens

APRIL 7, 2013

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the 2012 toledo mud hens chicklets — the club’s official dance team.

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Baseball camps

Five baseball camps will be offered this summer at Fifth Third Field. There is a special needs camp, one day camp and an adult-child camp as well as two separate three-day camps. Register online at www.mudhens. com/camps.

Youth Team Nights

Little League teams and youth baseball teams have the opportu-

nity to watch a minor league game together. The Mud Hens offer discounted tickets and, before the game, teams get to stand on the field during the national anthem. “That has been extremely popular,” Croll said. “They get to wear their uniforms and stand by the players and see themselves on the video board. It’s something that has grown over the years.”

Scout sleepovers

This year the Mud Hens will host eight scout sleepovers. It is a chance for Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops to come out and see a game. Afterward,

toledo free press file photo

“As a kid I did a lot of these,” Khuong said. “I danced around the country and danced at a lot of sporting events and I think that being able to share that with the kids is very rewarding for me.” Khuong said the dance team is a great experience for the girls involved. “The kids benefit a lot from it,” she said. “They get socialization skills by meeting the other Chicklets and spending time with other dancers, but they also get the experience of being out on the field and having that mo-

ment to shine.” Registration is taking place now and practices start in May.

APRIL 7, 2013 scouts run the bases, set up sleeping bags on the field and settle in to watch a movie on the big screen. It is an extremely popular program that fills up fast, Croll said.

Muddy’s Birthday Bash

On the weekend of July 6-7, the Mud Hens will be celebrating Muddy’s birthday. “We have a big ice cream bash,” Croll said. “Muddy gets gifts from the other mascots and that’s something we started a couple years ago, but it is already growing. Kids want to show up and celebrate with Muddy and sing him ‘Happy Birthday,’ and we have a whole special party for that.”

Character appearances

Again this year popular characters will be guests of honor at Fifth Third Field. Millie, Geo and Bot from “Team Umizoomi” will appear May 19, Fred Flintstone on June 2, Tommy, Chuckie and Angelica from “Rugrats” on July

5, Dora the Explorer on July 28 and Scooby-Doo on Aug. 18. “The days we have Dora we always sell out,” Croll said. “We have lines around the ballpark waiting to see her.”

CROLL

Running the bases

Children can feel like a true baseball great when they hit the field and run the bases. It is a free event that happens at every home game that falls on a Sunday. “We start lining kids up during the seventh inning and the line usually is wrapped halfway around the ballpark by the time they start running,” Croll said. For more information on any of these events, visit www.mudhens.com and browse the “Promotions” or “Fan Center” tabs. O

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A36 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Brandi Barhite

TOLEDO FREE PRESS COMMUNITY OMBUDSMAN bbarhite@toledofreepress.com

The Mud Hens pregame show, “Around the Bases,” will continue to rival other minor league broadcasts this season. The 30-minute live show began in 2012 with the unveiling of a newly renovated lounge and viewing area for club and suite-level ticket holders. The makeover dressed up the media digs and allowed fans to see right into the press box. The biggest addition was the state-ofthe-art television studio that enabled those dining and drinking on the upper level to watch a live pregame television broadcast with Matt Melzak and Jim Weber. “We got a full working set,” said Andi Roman, show producer and Mud Hens communications director. “We have a 30-minute pregame show where we do interviews with coaches, players, fans and sponsors. We do fun features about things happening in the ballpark. We give a whole new perspective to the ballgame.” n BROADCAST CONTINUES ON A38

toledo free press photo by joseph herr

Mud Hens boast rare full-fledged TV studio in minor leagues

n ‘Around

the Bases’ producer and Mud Hens Communications Director Andi Roman at the Fifth Third Field media studio.

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tweeting in questions for the players to answer via TV. This feature will continue. “We have so much flexibility on what we can do,” Roman said. “We have a roving camera that can go into different places. The field reporter is downstairs welcoming people in. The show gives us the opportunity to showcase our team in a more real way. They can learn a little more about who they are.” Plus, the show allows people watching from home to learn about the stadium and consider coming

down to watch the game from the BirdCage Bar & Grill, she said. The bar was expanded this year. “It adds a fun element for our fans that are up here,” Roman said. “People stand and they watch, and we have three 60-inch monitors for people to view while eating.” Melzak, who calls the play-byplay for games with Weber, said the show is popular because it is not a typical pregame show. He and Weber aren’t just offering thoughts on the players and then announcing the lineup. Unlike radio, they can get

photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Roman said she isn’t making any major changes to the show because it went so well last year. This is one of the only full-blown TV studios in the minor league, Roman said, and what the Mud Hens organization is doing is high-tech and innovative. She should know since she is a former television news producer. One of the most memorable shows last year was a prerecorded segment about how to make your lawn look like the grass at Fifth Third Field, Roman said. Fans also enjoyed

Matt Melzak during a broadcast of pregame show ‘Around the Bases’ from the media center at Fifth Third Field.

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into a player’s past and offer some history before each game. “There is no doubt about it, this is the best ballpark in the minor league and then add in the TV show,” he said. “Andi does a great job producing. We could even rival major league shows. The show changes almost every game. It is like the game itself … every game is different.” Weber’s expertise adds to the success of the show. He will call his 5,000th game in mid-August. “There is just a little bit of knowledge with Jim,” Melzak said, laughing. “I am in awe. “I just love listening to him, his knowledge, his professionalism and how he carries himself on the show. He does a world-class job.” Roman said Weber’s contribution to the TV show has been vital to its success. “His depth of knowledge is noncomparable,” she said. “He might kill

me if I tell this. He was a little anxious at the beginning about the TV show, but at the end of the first season, he was very comfortable and even carries around his makeup bag.” Weber said he plans to stay with the TV show. It has worked out well and he is impressed with “the money up there.” Roman did not have a figure for the cost of the 2012 renovation. “The technology of today has made it possible for virtually anybody to connect with us,” Weber said. As for his 5,000th show, he isn’t making a big deal out of it. Weber remembers when some teams didn’t even have radio. Then there were the days when the stats had to be done by hand. “No one thought about having TV in the old days,” he said. “My 5,000th show just means I am getting older. You never know when you start something like this that you will last this long,” he said. O

MUD HENS 2013

APRIL 7, 2013

Loma Linda Celebrating 58 years.

ince opening in 1955, Loma Linda has been serving the most authentic Mexican cuisine in the area. It was the first Mexican Restaurant when it opened, and we continue the fine tradition to this day, in the same location we have been for over 58 years. Come join us as we continue the fine tradition to this day in the very same location with the same family inspired recipes.

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MUD HENS 2013

TARTA resumes Muddy Shuttles

APRIL 7, 2013

photo courtesy tarta

A40 n Toledo Free Press

By Duane Ramsey

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER dramsey@toledofreepress.com

TARTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Muddy Shuttle buses will once again take fans Downtown to Toledo Mud Hens games, beginning with the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home opener, set for 5 p.m. April 11 at Fifth Third Field. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re glad to provide this service to fans. We have a lot of families and regulars that ride the buses to and from the games. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part of the experience,â&#x20AC;? said Steve Atkinson, director of marketing for TARTA, who said he and his family ride the bus to games from Sylvania. n SHUTTLES CONTINUES ON A41

TARTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Muddy Shuttles run to and from Fifth Third Field from 10 Park-N-Ride locations around the Toledo area.

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2012 Report to the

Community

At the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities we talk a lot about creating connections and inspiring possibilities. What is it we mean by that? Simply put, our Mission is to ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities, who are some of our most vulnerable citizens, will be connected to their communities in ways that allow them to enjoy the same opportunities and life experiences as all other citizens. It means our staff will demonstrate the commitment to inspire possibilities within each and every individual for a lifetime by helping to provide opportunities for housing, transportation, health and safety, financial services and more. During 2012, the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities provided services and supports to approximately 4,000 individuals, from infants to seniors. And we will continue our pledge to be a sound steward of our public funding. Multi-million dollar reductions in local and state funding were unforeseen at the time our last tax levy was approved in 2008. This revenue loss was more than $10 million over the past five years. But the need for services continues and the waiting lists grow.

Highlights of 2012: • Adjustments were made in the service delivery model to account for declining funding from state and local sources, at the same time addressing a growing waiting list; • Hundreds of young adults made a successful transition from school life to adult life and employment; • Individuals with developmental disabilities found more and more opportunities to live, work and socialize in our neighborhoods; • More and more a collaborative planning process was utilized in which the person served, family, provider, community, and system work together to find creative ways to support the person’s desired outcomes by using a variety of resources, many of them already in place in the community; • Lott Industries continued to provide employment and on-the-job training to hundreds in its own production facilities and through mobile work crews in the community; • Now with 490 units in its inventory, Preferred Properties celebrated its 20th anniversary of providing affordable, high quality, accessible housing; • Infants, young toddlers, and their families through Early Intervention learned how to minimize effects of developmental delays and disabilities so a child could be more ready for pre-school; • Professionals in the disabilities field and teachers were able to attend educational and training programs, such as the Accessible Community workshops co-sponsored with the Ability Center of Greater Toledo; and • The Board was again accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, an international non-profit accreditation organization for health and human services. This accreditation recognized the Board’s commitment to improving the lives of persons served.

John J. Trunk, Superintendent

www.lucasdd.org

2012 Receipts Local Taxes 62% Federal Funds 20% State Funds 17%

2012 Expenditures Direct Service 92% Administration 6% Quality Assurance 2%

2012 Direct Service Expenditures Medicaid Match 28% Direct Service 72%

Last year, 14,983 people rode the Muddy Shuttle buses to Mud Hens games. TARTA began offering the service in 2002 when the stadium opened Downtown, Atkinson said. “It’s been a good relationship for TARTA with the communities, fans and Mud Hens,” said Atkinson, who said TARTA has no formal arrangement with the team. The busiest shuttle location is the one that is furthest away, the Kroger store on Swanton Road in Waterville. The next busiest location is the Miracle Mile Shopping Center stop in Toledo, Atkinson said. The fare for the Muddy Shuttle is $1 per person each way, payable upon boarding at the Park-N-Ride locations and after the games at Fifth Third Field. Children younger than 6 ride free with a limit of two children per adult. Reduced fares are available for seniors and disabled persons. Fans can use their monthly TARTA pass, which costs $40 per month for unlimited trips, to ride the Muddy Shuttles, Atkinson said. “It’s an opportunity for people who don’t usually ride the bus to experience it and find out how easy and affordable it is,” Atkinson said. TARTA Muddy Shuttles leave one hour before each scheduled game time from 10 Park-N-Ride locations in the Toledo area and depart from Fifth Third Field 20 minutes after the conclusion of each game. If fireworks or other events occur after a game, buses will leave 20 minutes after the scheduled feature ends. Fans can board the shuttles after games on Washington Street, along the first base side of Fifth Third Field. Muddy Shuttles leave from the following Park-N-Ride locations: St. Luke’s Hospital and the Lucas County Recreation Center north lot on Key Street in Maumee; All Saints Catholic Church on Lime City Road in Rossford; Centennial Terrace on Centennial Road in Sylvania; the Alexis Road Meijer, Miracle Mile Shopping Center, Southland Shopping Center on Glendale Avenue, Westfield Franklin Park at the parking area behind Old Navy and at bus shelters on Royer Road, and Westgate Shopping Center west of Sears on Central Avenue in Toledo; and Kroger in Waterville. TARTA no longer offers shuttle service from two former locations in Perrysburg because that community ended its service with TARTA. It also eliminated the UpTown stop on Adams Street in Toledo due to lack of ridership. TARTA also provides shuttle bus service for the Toledo Walleye hockey games at the Huntington Center Downtown and for the “Music Under the Stars” concerts at the Toledo Zoo. For more information, call TARTA at (419) 243-7433 or visit www.tarta. com. O

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MUD HENS 2013

Sports bar The Fort among new eateries By Jay Hathaway

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

Mud Hens fans have been treated to a variety of nearby dining choices since the team relocated Downtown in 2002. This season is no different, and several new restaurants have opened for business within walking distance of Fifth Third Field since last year’s Opening Day.

The Fort

The Fort is a new restaurant/sports bar located at Fort Industry Square, 136 N. Summit St. Many Toledoans will recognize the spot — it was Murphy’s Place, an iconic jazz club, from 1996 until 2011. The same dark and cool atmosphere that made Murphy’s a comfortable and happening spot remains at The Fort, with several sports-themed additions, such as a game room. The Fort opened its doors on March 23. George Watts, manager of Fort Industry Square, has been working hard to prepare the pub for its first wave of hungry and thirsty Mud

Hens crowds. “We’ve got an excellent menu,” Watts said. “We have burgers, sandwiches and wings. We also have food challenges.” The food challenges include an “extreme burger and fries,” which must be eaten completely within a certain period of time. Details of the size of the plate and the time limit are still being hashed out, but Watts emphasized that it will be a challenge indeed — with some added incentive. “If you do it within the time limit, you get a shirt and we pay for it. If you don’t, you still get a shirt, but it says, ‘Loser,’ and you have to pay for it. It’s the Hall of Fame or the Hall of Shame.” Like Murphy’s, The Fort will feature live entertainment. Watts said keeping things local is one of his main focuses. “We pride ourselves on shopping locally and local entertainment, not that we won’t have some outside entertainment,” he said. “We try to keep everything local and help out with Downtown, and do our part down here.” n RESTAURANTS CONTINUES ON A45

The Fort, a new restaurant/sports bar at Fort Industry Square, opened March 23.

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2038 S. Byrne

APRIL 7, 2013

photo by george watts

A44 n Toledo Free Press

419-389-9900 • www.caperstoledo.com

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n RESTAURANTS CONTINUED FROM A44 Watts added that rock, Southern rock and outlaw country will be the main genres of live music. “We have a killer sound system here. Come in, plug in and play.” The Fort will also feature game day specials on food and drinks, as well as specials for other events in the area. “Any big event that’s going on down here, we’re going to stay open and work with them,” Watts said. The Fort opens at 11 a.m. MondaySaturday, and is open until 11 p.m. every night except Friday and Saturday, when hours will extend later into the night.

Jominic’s Trattoria

Brothers Joe and Dominic Prestia opened Jominic’s Trattoria, 612 Adams St., in September and have been building a reputation for serving fresh Italian meats and breads ever since. Upon entering, one immediately

notices the alluring aroma of a classic Italian deli. Joe said freshness as what sets the eatery apart from others. “Our bread is actually handmade in Detroit, and shipped to us every day especially for our store,” he said. The menu features a variety of delistyle subs, like the Spicy Sicilian (pepperoni, capicolla, sopressata), paninis, wraps, soups, salads, breads, cookies and, of course, cannolis. Working with meat and bread is a bit of a family business, the brothers said. Their family was in the food business even before immigrating to the United States from Italy in the 1930s. “We are just kind of carrying the mantle onward and upward,” Joe said. The name of the restaurant may seem like a simple combination of Joe’s and Dominic’s names, but Joe explained there is more to that story, dating back to before they entered the restaurant business together.

“When we were young, and our parents or family members were really mad at us and didn’t know whose fault it was, they would just scream, ‘Jominic!’” Joe said. Jominic’s is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, but may have extended hours for some Mud Hens games. “For the late games, we will be open later,” Joe said. “We’re going to offer 25 percent off for those with a ticket stub.” Jominic’s is small, yet intimately comfortable — that atmosphere was one of the primary reasons for opening on Adams Street, along with the appeal of joining the Downtown business community, Joe said. “We chose this location because it has this old-school feeling to it, and we really believe in Downtown,” he said. “We believe it’s up and coming. It just seemed like it made sense. n RESTAURANTS CONTINUES ON A46

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toledo free press photo by jay hathaway

APRIL 7, 2013

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A46 n Toledo Free Press n RESTAURANTS CONTINUED FROM A45 “And since we are just starting from scratch, we see the opportunity to grow with it.”

Lazeez Mediterranean

toledo free press photo by jay hathaway

Brothers Nader and Sam Salami opened Lazeez Mediterranean last spring at 337 N. St. Clair St., the former site of Andrew Z’s Pizzeria Express. Their father, Jawdat, is the chef. In fact, the father and sons were raised in the restaurant business. “My grandfather had a restaurant

overseas, and we all helped out with that when we were growing up,” Sam said. “I love cooking.” Though the name of the restaurant suggests Mediterranean fare, Sam said it has much more to offer diners. “It’s actually a mix of Mediterranean and American,” he said. “We have the title Mediterranean so that people know we have the food they are familiar with, so that they know what to expect when they walk in.” Diners will indeed find a wide range of dishes at Lazeez. For example, the eatery serves classic Medi-

terranean platters like the Mix Kabob and the Shawarma Combo. American choices include a cheeseburger with fries or a barbecue chicken wrap. Appetizers and lighter choices include fried kibbe, grape leaves, hummus, soups, salads and falafel. Hours for Lazeez are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. During the summer, Lazeez may have some extended hours for game days, and will feature specials as well.

Café Focaccia’s

Local restaurateur Ed Beczynski, owner of The Blarney Irish Pub and Focaccia’s Delicatessen, opened a new café on the first floor of the Hylant Building, 811 Madison St., in November. Though the eatery is

APRIL 7, 2013 open only for breakfast and lunch, attendees of Mud Hens matinee games may be interested in stopping in before heading down to the field. Those familiar with Focaccia’s Delicatessen on Summit Street know very well that Beczynski and his crew have mastered the art of sandwiches. Manager Elizabeth Sorge said some of the delicatessen’s menu items are also available at the café, but the real appeal of the new site is its ever-changing selection. “We rotate soups and salads,” she said. “The specials change every day. Customers like the variety instead of a traditional menu. We take customer suggestions as well. [It’s] an all-around corporate café. We have a mix of healthy foods and comfort foods. It’s a good blend.”

Hours for the café are 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Sorge said that while there are no plans to extend hours during matinee game days, they may be willing to consider it. “We will if the business warrants it. We’re in a corporate building, so unless there’s word of mouth, some people may not know we’re here.”

Ye Olde Cock N’ Bull

Although Ye Olde Cock N’ Bull — located directly across from the home plate entrance of the ballpark at 9 N. Huron St. — opened last summer, this will be its first Opening Day in business. Owner Jim Mettler is planning many specials during the coming baseball seaon. n RESTAURANTS CONTINUES ON A47

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Visit www.toledofreepress.com n RESTAURANTS CONTINUED FROM A46 “We will have sangria (a Spanish blend of wine, liqueurs and fresh fruit) and special martinis,” Mettler said. “We have a lot of nice things for summertime. We have fresh salads and wraps. They’re not so heavy with bread, so they are great for summer.” Mettler said the tavern’s head cook will bring back her popular freshmade guacamole for the season. “It’s a very secret recipe,” he said. In addition to the specials, the Cock N’ Bull has extended its hours. The eatery now opens at 11 a.m. Monday-Friday and at noon on Saturday and Sunday. It is open until 2 a.m. daily. Happy hour is from 3-7 p.m., during which most drinks are $1 off. The menu features an assortment of appetizer dips, specialty nachos, a variety of sandwiches and gourmet pizzas and a kids’ section. On tap is a large selection of craft beer, as well as bottled brews, wine and cocktails. Mettler said Cock N’ Bull is supportive of Toledo’s music scene and features live entertainment every night. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday are primarily acoustic nights. Bobby May and John Barile play an early set every Friday, and bands begin at 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Wednesday night is open mic night, but a full band, Breaking Ground, hosts the weekly session. “They do an opening set, and they turn it over, and someone might play an acoustic, or with the full band,” Mettler said. “It’s a lot of fun. It almost becomes an open jam sometimes.”

Registry Bistro

Erika Rapp, head chef and owner of Registry Bistro, described her menu as contemporary American, inspired by different regional cuisines. The Bistro is happy to accommodate Mud Hens fans seeking a fine dining

n A47

experience before or after the game, but quiet and intimate dinners may be occasionally interrupted. “If you’re dining here in the summer when the games are going on, you have a front-row seat for the fireworks,” Rapp said. “We actually have to go around to the tables and let them know the fireworks are about to start, because it’s just so loud.” Registry Bistro is located in the Secor Building, 144 N. Superior St., and offers RAPP valet parking to its guests. Rapp’s menu changes with the seasons, but her offerings are often a reflection of the food she personally enjoys. “One of my favorite dishes is the ham and brie ravioli,” she said. “It tastes like a little ham sandwich in each ravioli. It’s super light, but very hearty as well. It’s fantastic.” A large portion of the menu is made up of shared plate options, as well as lighter choices, for people who do not want to be weighed down by a huge dinner. The drink list is a throwback to a time long past, when cocktails were a work of art and beer was brewed fresh. It includes an assortment of American craft beers, a boutique wine list and “Prohibition craft cocktails.” Rapp said Registry Bistro is not slated to host any special events tied to the baseball season, but said she is excited about her upcoming menu change. “We have some fun things that are coming up this spring. We’ll have escargot, a Parker House roll stuffed with brisket and a vegan dish, quinoa cake, which is also gluten free,” she said. Registry Bistro is open for dinner service 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, and 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended. O

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A48 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Dave Willinger

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER dwillinger@toledofreepress.com

When the Mud Hens take the field April 11 against the Louisville Bats for the 2013 home opener at Fifth Third Field, those boys of summer will be running on a turf that blends Kentucky bluegrass with six varieties of rye, all of it meticulously groomed and mowed to a uniform height of 15/16 of an inch. The man responsible for Toledo’s field of dreams — arguably the Glass City’s best-looking front lawn — is Mud Hens Sports Turf Manager Jake Tyler, who leads a crew of 20 groundskeeping employees during the season. Tyler will sit in the dugout with the team for a few innings each game. But while he may be watching with the same intensity as a manager, Tyler is not focusing on a pitcher’s delivery or a hitter’s swing. Instead he is straining to see “the way the ball plays” and “to check out imperfections” in the field, he said. The only signs of wear and tear he will accept are cleat marks. Tyler, a congenial journeyman of the turf trade, has been with the Hens for nine seasons. He is a Tennessee native who began his career fresh out of high school as a walk-on groundskeeper for the Jackson Diamond Jaxx, then the AA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. From there, Tyler worked his way up to AAA, learning the laborintensive baseball landscaping business and perfecting his own methods along the way. Although he doesn’t mention it, since he has been with the Mud Hens Tyler has twice been named AAA Sports Turf Manager of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association. n GROUNDS CONTINUES ON A50

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MUD HENS 2013

n GROUNDS CONTINUED FROM A48 Instead, Tyler will tell you with an easy smile that “any idiot can grow grass.” The groundskeeper knows such talk might irk some colleagues around the league, but his point is that 90 percent of the job, as he sees it, is the dirt. Tyler builds the base paths to a corkboard consistency, he said, so that the baseball bounces on them with the same consistency as it does on the grass portion of the field. That consistency is the groundskeeper’s holy grail. Tyler said his labors ensure a safe surface for players. Safety is the No. 1 concern, before aesthetics, said Tyler, who explained his job is first and foremost “to make sure guys can play the field not having to worry about fielding a ball and breaking their nose” due to a bad bounce and to be able to run the outfield without risking a sprained ankle or worse due to uneven areas. Especially at the AAA level, where player development is a high priority, he said, the consistency of field conditions is an essential factor for aspiring major leaguers.

APRIL 7, 2013

toledo free press photo by joseph herr

A50 n Toledo Free Press

Turf management

Turf management starts with the raw materials. The grass is a mixture of 30 percent bluegrass and 70 percent rye. Tyler combines different varieties selected for their durability and resistance to disease. Here in Toledo the lake-fueled humidity can make his turf prone to a disease known as Pythium blight, Tyler said. To stave off that potentially fast-spreading patchy disaster, Tyler applies fungicides twice a month during the season. He holds a Class III pesticide license as is required, he said. For the base paths, batter’s box and pitching mounds, including both bullpens, Tyler uses a signature mix of sand, silt and clay he has shipped in from Alabama. The dirt along the base paths goes 8 inches deep and in order to make sure it drains properly and to maintain its overall corkboard consistency, Tyler applies 4-6 inches of water on game days. There are 72 home games in the season. Tyler said he typically puts in up to 18 hours a day at the field during home stands, depending in part on the time of the first pitch as well as the hurlers’ alacrity on the mound. Tyler and his grounds crew — on a game day there are 8 to 10 workers — walk the field early each morning looking for signs of stress. They water the base paths, patch the pitching mound and begin mowing the field once the dew has dried. Then the infield gets another watering and the grounds crew sets up the equipment for batting practice.

Jake Tyler is sports turf manager for the toledo mud hens.

After practice, the groundskeepers break down the equipment, chalk the foul lines and “hard rake the problem spots,” Tyler said. The grounds crew also grooms the field several times during a game. And afterward Tyler’s crew sweeps the edges of the infield grass for dirt and scoops up the white chalk and disposes of it so it won’t affect the consistency of the dirt mixture, Tyler said. Home games make for long hours but they are also marked by a rigid routine. Tyler said he knows to the minute when he must water the infield, for example, in order for the field to be ready when the players jog onto it from the locker room to begin their pregame stretching and warm ups. On the other hand, when the Hens are on the road, Tyler said his crew tackles the macro side of turf work, including such tasks as aerating the outfield and “top dressing a coat of sand on the grass.” The latter practice helps maintain the ballpark’s prodigious drainage capacity. n GROUNDS CONTINUES ON A51

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APRIL 7, 2013 n GROUNDS CONTINUED FROM A50 Fifth Third Field was last resodded in 2005, according to Tyler, who said another resodding is tentatively planned for 2015, after the first-ever Winterfest, which will culminate with a Walleye ice hockey game played on a rink set up within the confines of Fifth Third Field. The home of the Mud Hens

doesn’t typically host nonbaseball events like concerts. Tyler said that’s due to the stadium design, which offers little access to roadies wrangling huge stage components. The lack of concerts removes a significant source of wear and tear to the turf, but Tyler said he misses concerts, which he experienced while working in AA, because as turf

manager he would get an all-access pass to meet the performers. Still, special events and Pythium blight take a backseat to weather when it comes to the banes of turf managers. Tyler makes no bones about his artisanal approach to groundskeeping but he is no Luddite when it comes to the maintenance of his field.

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

Tyler subscribes to an Internet weather service that provides updated meteorological data, allowing him to calculate the evaporation rate of water on his field, for example, and other esoterica essential to proper turf management. Tyler maintains that what he does is the same as big league turf managers. The only difference is the major league ballparks “have more seats.” So is he hoping

n A51

to be called up to the majors one day? Tyler, who will mark his 17th minor league opening day this year, said he has already had offers from major league clubs but is happy here in Toledo. He didn’t rule out an eventual move to the big leagues but was clear he would need a better reason than just getting to the major league level to leave his team and the Glass City. O

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A52 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Fans entering the concourse at Fifth Third Field this season will notice some major changes as all eight concessions venues have new names, new signs and renovated facades. The goal of the face-lift was to evoke the feel of a downtown streetscape, said Craig Nelson, president of A Cut Above Catering, the official catering group of Fifth Third Field. “The whole concept originated with asking how can we upgrade all our dining stations and make it feel like you’re walking down this downtown street, trying to choose where to have dinner or where to get dessert,” Nelson said. To achieve that effect, the large signs hanging in the middle of the concourse were replaced by smaller signs on the sides, Nelson said. “The original signs are probably 12-14 feet wide and hung in the middle, so if you came out of the seating bowl and you wanted to look right or left that’s all you saw,” Nelson said. “Now you can look all the way down and you’ll see the different restaurant signage and you’ll be able to identify where you want to go.” The new names for the concourselevel eateries are Farr Out Funnels, Mudzarella’s Little Italy, Suds & Wieners, Gilhooley’s Sports Bar & Grill, Hen & Hound Eatery & Pub, El Burrito Misterio, FrŌzhen and Pub 315. “I’m really excited about it,” Nelson said. “Each one has its own brand, its own unique storefront. It’s really neat the way it turned out.” Gilhooley’s was named after late broadcaster Frank Gilhooley. Farr Out Funnels references Toledo native Jamie Farr, who often wore Mud Hens and Toledo apparel while appearing on “M*A*S*H.” “He’s done as much as anyone to put the team on the map,” said Rod Frysinger, president of Lesniewicz Associates in Perrysburg, which designed the new look. “They ran it past him and he was happy as could be to lend his name to it.” Hen & Hound, whose new look debuted last April, was the first venue to be updated. Renaming and rebranding all of the concourse eateries was planned, but originally Hen & Hound was going to be the only venue to get a new facade, Frysinger said. “They really saw an increase in sales there and said, ‘Wow, maybe we should do this for all of them,’” he said. “They realized, yes, the names and new logos helped, but adding that

extra effort of the facades takes it to the next level.” The BirdCage Bar & Grill, located on the club level, also opened last season with the renovation of the media broadcast area. The venue, which offers table service, features a newly remodeled bar, three new 60inch television monitors and a view of the media broadcast area where fans can watch the pregame show live. Reservations are available. “A lot of this renovation we’ve been doing over the course of a couple seasons, but we’re just now coming to conclusion on a lot of it,” Nelson said. “And there are still going to be more things added. We’re always trying to refresh things and keep moving new things in even throughout the year.” Several other local companies also played roles in the upgrade. Rudolph|Libbe managed the project, Lakeside did the restaurant construction and Harmon Signs provided the sign work, according to a news release from the Mud Hens.

toledo free press photo by joseph herr

Mud Hens debut new foods, concourse face-lift

New food

Every season the Mud Hens try to introduce 10-15 new food items to keep options fresh, said Casual Dining Manager Corey Pleasant, who oversees the concourselevel restaurants. “We’re always looking at adding new items. We try to get a lot of feedback from our fans over the season to get their ideas,” said Pleasant, who said his favorite part of the job is interacting with guests and “putting a smile on people’s faces by way of food.” This season’s new offerings will include the Sudzie Wiener, a beer brat topped with sautéed onions in a fresh sausage roll, and Sweet Chili Chicken Chunks. “We used to have chicken chunks a few years ago,” Nelson said. “People asked for them over the last few years so we brought them back.” Corn dogs are a ballpark staple, but mini corn dogs, known as Mini Hounds, will be added this year. “They’ll be more like an appetizer, easy for people to eat and share,” Nelson said. “That’s what we’re all about when you come to the game. We want people to be able to share food with each other, try different tastes and have fun.” A Cajun burger — a one-third pound grilled Black Angus beef burger topped with housemade Cajun seasoning, bacon, pepper jack cheese and signature chipotle ranch on a fresh kaiser bun — is another new addition along with Cajun fries. n FOOD CONTINUES ON A54

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toledo free press photo by joseph herr

APRIL 7, 2013

Mud Hens executive chef dusten Brown, left, and casual dining manager Corey Pleasant with some of the new food offerings for 2013.

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A53

MUD HENS 2013

n FOOD CONTINUED FROM A52 A chicken quesadilla was also added and chefs are experimenting with a steak quesadilla that could come later this season, Nelson said. For dessert, new offerings will include deep fried chocolate chip cookie Dough tossed in powered sugar and the FrŌzhen Flurry, featuring M&M’s or Oreo cookie pieces blended with Toft’s vanilla ice cream. Toft’s will debut two new ice cream flavors: Mud Hens Sea Salt Slam, featuring salty caramel variegate swirled in vanilla ice cream with chocolate-covered peanuts, and Peanut Butter Pretzel, featuring chocolate variegate swirled in peanut butter ice cream with chocolate-covered pretzel bits. New funnel cake flavors include Farr Out Funnel Cake (topped with vanilla ice cream, fudge, whipped cream, sprinkles, nuts and a cherry on top), Apple Pie Funnel Cake (topped with cinnamon apples and whipped cream), Cookies & Cream Funnel Cake (topped with Oreo cookie pieces layered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce) and the Strawberry Shortcake Funnel Cake (topped with strawberries and whipped cream). For fans looking for ballpark fare on the healthier side, there’s a new caprese salad, featuring fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil tossed in signature balsamic dressing, or a turkey club wrap featuring fresh sliced turkey, crispy strips of bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo rolled in a tortilla and

served with sticks of celery. New options at The BirdCage include green beans with wasabi ranch, a Reuben panini, summer salad, homemade chips and dip, fried portabella mushrooms with wasabi ranch sliders and turkey, bacon and Swiss panini. All the most popular dishes will remain on the menu, Nelson said. Suds & Weiners, for example, which resembles a 1950s diner, was named after beer and hotdogs, two of the most popular baseball concessions items, Nelson said. An average of 200,000 hot dogs is sold at Fifth Third Field each year, he said. Inspiration for new food items comes from anywhere, including fan comments and employee experiences, said Executive Chef Dusten Brown, who is starting his first season with the Mud Hens. The Grand Rapids, Ohio, native has worked mainly in the hotel industry, including the Bellagio in Las Vegas and Hilton Garden Inn at Levis Commons. He oversees the club- and suite-level kitchens as well as the picnics. “My dad and everybody’s always been big into baseball and I grew up watching and going to games, so it’s kind of fun actually being able to work at the stadium and being a part of it,” Brown said. “I’m excited about getting into the season and seeing if everybody likes the new food.” Pleasant agreed. “We’re extremely excited about Opening Day and our fans seeing the new [look of the] ballpark,” Pleasant said. “We’re excited about the new baseball season and can’t wait until April 11.” O

APRIL 7, 2013

toledo free press photo by joseph herr

A54 n Toledo Free Press

Craig Nelson is president of A Cut Above Catering, the official catering group of Fifth Third Field.

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The unwritten rules of baseball

hen it comes to life there are many “unwritten” rules. When it comes to baseball, there are so many unwritten rules they are often referred to as “The Code.” The Code has been documented by many authors trying to give baseball fans an inside look at the unwritten laws that govern the sport. The Code is vast and mostly created to keep players from showing up other players, both because of superstitions and to preserve sportsmanship. Just like from the movie “Fight Club,” where rule No. 1 is you don’t talk about Fight Club, players do not talk about The Code. The brushback, beaning, plunking, chin music and head hunting are the methods often used by players to regulate the sport among themselves. If you have ever watched a random “beaning,” where a batter is purposely hit by the ball, and were confused as to why it happened, please check the list below. In no particular order: O Never talk to or taunt a pitcher during a no-hitter. Also, bunting to

an immediate beaning get on base late in a noto the next batter or hit bid is a surefire way yourself during your to get a ball thrown at next at-bat. your head during your O Stay off the pitchnext at-bat. er’s mound. Infielders O Never steal a base should go around the if your team has a big circle of raised dirt both lead. This rule also often while coming on and applies to a team losing going off the field. badly because it embarO Walk around the rasses your teammates. catcher when it’s your O Please do not Jeremy BAUMHOWER turn to bat. If you want work the count if your team is winning or losing by a lot. to go home without a bruise on your Ssimply swing at anything close and back from a beanball, walk behind and not in front of the catcher while let’s end the game. O If their pitcher hits one of your walking up to the plate. Bonus: Do batters, simply return the favor. This not stand in the batter’s box while the tactic is one of the common reasons pitcher is still warming up. O Do not rub the spot where for brawls in baseball. The order to hit a player may come from a veteran or you were beaned. This action makes the hitter appear to be weak and the the coach himself. O Don’t admire your home pitcher strong. O Do not help the opposing player run. Baseball is a game of respect make the play. If there is a play in your and sportsmanship. If the opposing pitcher or any dugout and the other team is on the other opponent feels you celebrated field, players are not to catch, brace or too much after a hone run, expect help any falling opposing players un-

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less there could be an injury. O Removed pitchers are to stay in the dugout until, at the very least, the inning is over. Bonus: Pitchers are not to show up their infielders. Please do not give a dirty look if your infielder makes an error. O Do not steal the catcher’s signs. If you get caught, expect to get dirty once or twice your next at-bat. These are just some of the more known “unwritten” rules of baseball, and there are plenty. There is no official handbook given, but these are passed on from generation to generation, from veteran to rookie. The longer you play or follow the sport, the more rules you will learn. These rules help keep the sport of baseball a game of sportsmanship and integrity. They are part of the very fabric that continues to make baseball America and Toledo’s favorite pastime. O To follow Jeremy Baumhower, friend him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @jeremytheproduc.

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A56 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Yaneek Smith

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

For many high school baseball players, playing in a stadium like Fifth Third Field is a dream come true. For the past 10 years, the ballpark has served as the site for a number of area high school baseball games. The stadium, which seats 10,300 people, provides many young players with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play on a professional field. This year, there are 12 games scheduled for schools in Northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Oak Harbor senior A.J. Cecil, who has twice played at Fifth Third Field during his career with the Rockets, spoke about the experience of playing in such a big stadium. “It’s cool to be able to play at a field where you go and see thousands of people every night,” said Cecil, a three-time Sandusky Bay Conference first-team selection. “It was nice to see everybody there last year. The turnout was pretty nice. We almost had the entire lower bowl filled from first base to third base. It’s special being out there.” Cecil, who recently committed to play baseball at John Carroll Univ. ersity outside Cleveland, talked about the challenges that come with playing on a field much larger than high school players are normally accustomed to. “We’ve still got to take care of business and get the win,” he said. “It’s cool to play on the bigger field and it does change things. My freshman year, I hit a shot to left center that hit the wall and would’ve been a home run in any high school stadium. Being an outfielder, it’s different — I have to play a little farther back because if anything gets over my head, it will keep rolling. I have to play a little bit deeper there.” Oak Harbor will face Lakota at Fifth Third Field at 7 p.m. April 27. Emily Croll, the special events coordinator for the Mud Hens, said the ballpark has been hosting area high school baseball teams since it opened in 2002. She also spoke about the relationship the organization is working to cultivate between itself and area schools. “The teams are really excited to play here,” Croll said. “It’s always very different playing at a stadium like ours. Just for a day, it’s a way for the players to feel like they’re in the minors, and they’re certainly at the age where they’re starting to think about playing at the next level.” Croll said the participating high

schools are given 300 vouchers to raise funds for their baseball programs. The vouchers must be sold for a minimum of $9, but they’re usually sold for somewhere between $10 to 12 with the school keeping the extra revenue. It’s a win-win situation for both sides in that the schools are able to raise funds for their baseball programs and the Mud Hens are able to host events at their home park while the team is on the road. “The teams will bring out buses of kids and fans and they’ll get a lot of representation for their school,” Croll said. “If we can get people to come Downtown and see how great the stadium is, how easy it is to park, they’re likely to come back for some games during the summer.” Oak Harbor manager Rob Schimmoeller, now in his ninth season at the helm, spoke about the experience. “To play at Fifth Third is always one of the highlights of our season,” said Schimmoeller, who in the past two seasons has led the Rockets to a league title and an appearance in the Division II Regional Finals. “The players’ excitement level on that night will be at a high point. From taking batting practice to lining up for the national anthem to playing under the lights, it’s fun to see the guys behave like little kids on Christmas. “The past few years we’ve played there, we’ve had a few hundred people at each game — that’s very good for a high school baseball game. And I think, for the Mud Hens, it creates fans who will continue to enjoy baseball for the rest of their lives.” O

photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Area high schools gearing up for games at Fifth Third Field

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n A57

By Brian Bohnert

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

Just in time for the first pitch on Opening Day, the Mud Hens have introduced new fanwear that brings a dose of the past to Fifth Third Field. Roughly 50 new styles of Mud Hens-themed fanwear are available for the 2013 baseball season, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys and caps. Craig Katz, director of merchandise and licensing for both the Mud Hens and Walleye franchises, said while there are core items considered best-sellers, almost everything this season is new and different. “The last thing we want is for our fans to see the same stuff they saw last season,” Katz said. “If you’re coming in looking for a ball cap, you’re going to see a lot more than four different ones. You’re going to see closer to around 70.” Katz said the headwear drawing the

most attention is one that features the likeness of the club’s former mascot, Mortimer, the predecessor to Muddy. “Last season we unveiled a jersey with the Mortimer patch on the sleeve, so this year we’re unveiling the new onfield cap that goes with that,” Katz said. “To be able to have a brand-new cap style this year that fans can see players wearing on the field is very exciting.” All Mud Hens caps are specifically designed to the highest quality by New Era Caps, the official onfield cap of both major and minor league baseball clubs. Dan Royer, manager of creative services and graphic design for the Mud Hens, worked to design the new Mortimer cap and said one of the biggest selling points is its tie-in to the team’s long history, dating back to 1896. “We know where we come from and we’re not going to forget that,” Royer said. n FANWEAR CONTINUES ON A58

toledo free press photo by brian bohnert

New fanwear brings dose of past to Fifth Third Field

There are about 50 new styles of Mud hens fanwear available for the 2013 season.

n FANWEAR CONTINUED FROM A57 “History is a big part of baseball and this refreshes it and connects fans to our past. It’s a big part of our history and we’re not going to let that go.” With demand for vintage apparel growing, Katz said the organization also plans to introduce a line of jerseys later this summer featuring not only old team logos, but popular names of Mud Hens from the past.

Women’s fanwear

Sales for both the kids’ and women’s lines of Mud Hens fanwear have grown exponentially over the past few years, and Katz said he attributes the high demand to marketing strategies aimed at families and couples just as much as the individual baseball fan. “Traditionally, back maybe five or 10 years ago, women thought if they wanted to get a Mud Hens T-shirt or a Mud Hens cap, they’re getting a unisex fit, unisex look,” he said. “Women’s fashion, over the last five years or so in sports, has really become a substantial part of the business where we’re seeing women coming in asking for shirts for their fit, designs and colors specifically for them.” One aspect of the club’s women’s department Katz is especially proud of is its use of specific colors and styles not normally tied to the Mud Hens name, he said. “The colors that are popular in fashion, we’re bringing them in and putting a Mud Hens logo on them so our female fans can see shirts similar to what they’re seeing at the mall,” he said. “Except now they’re seeing them here with a Mud Hens logo on them.”

In addition to modernizing the Mortimer logo for the new cap, Royer played a vital part in designing a series of T-shirts bearing the classic “Holy Toledo” phrase, a saying now trademarked by the Mud Hens organization. Each variation of the new T-shirt features either Mortimer Mud Hen or the Toledo Walleye mascot, Spike. “Anywhere you go, people all over the world know about the Toledo Mud Hens, and ‘Holy Toledo’ is a very common phrase,” Royer said. “So, this is a way to give the brands a little life and connection with the city of Toledo.” While Mud Hens merchandise is available throughout the year, Katz said the organization sees a surge in purchases during the months leading up to Opening Day, the unofficial start to summer in Toledo. “When our fans come to see the Mud Hens on Opening Day, it turns something on in their brains that summer is here, and it’s a huge party,” he said. “And adding Mud Hens fanwear to that just makes the party even better.” All Mud Hens merchandise and apparel can be purchased online at www.swampshop. milbstore.com or at one of the Swamp Shop’s two locations at Fifth Third Field and the Huntington Center. During baseball season, both locations are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. New items can also be viewed daily at the shop’s Facebook page. O

Craig Katz is the Mud Hens’ director of merchandise and licensing.

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Mud Hens: Preseason ticket sales ahead of last season By Joel Sensenig

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

It’s Erik Ibsen’s business to make sure Fifth Third Field’s plastic seat bottoms are in the horizontal position once the Mud Hens season begins. Business has been good. Since the ballpark opened in Downtown Toledo for the 2002 season, yearly attendance has consistently hovered around 550,000. Prior to the team’s move from Ned Skeldon Stadium in Maumee, annual attendance struggled to reach 300,000. The 2013 season looks to be no exception to that recent success, according to Isben, the assistant general manager of ticket sales for the team, which he’s been with for 17 years. “Overall, ticket sales are going extremely well,” Ibsen said. “We’re ahead of where we thought we would be in most categories, and slightly ahead of last year. We feel like we’re in a good spot entering the season.” Historically, a significant part of the team’s tickets are sold prior to the first brushing off of home plate. “Usually about 50 to 60 percent of our final attendance is sold prior to the season even starting,” Ibsen said. “That’s a huge part of our emphasis — the season tickets and group outings.” Last year the team sold 3,000 season tickets,

or game plans, as the Hens prefer to call them. “The game plan sales are going extremely well,” Ibsen said. “We’re comparable to where we were a year ago, but think we’ll end up ahead of where we’ve been the last couple years.” The Mud Hens continually rank in the top half of attendance for teams in the International League, despite hailing from the thirdsmallest metropolitan area in the league. “When you look at the fact we’re drawing from a smaller market size, we’ve IBSEN basically got the best market penetration in terms of attendees and the support we’ve received from the community,” Ibsen said. He is grateful for the Toledo community’s willingness to support the Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers’ AAA affiliate since 1987. Of the Mud Hens’ 72 home games in 2012, 33 were official sellouts, with receipts accounting for all 8,943 seats. Additional spaces such as the Home Run Terrace beyond the outfield wall and standing-room-only tickets push the stadium’s capacity to about 10,300. On Opening Day, when unlimited standingroom-only tickets are sold, up to 13,000 fans pass through Fifth Third Field’s turnstiles. “Of course, Opening Day is a huge event,” Ibsen said. “Then it slows down a bit until we

start to see kids getting out of school and the weather starts to warm up. The bulk of those sellouts we see are in the months of June, July and August.” Ibsen seems proud of the support the ballclub gets from the community. “It’s just been fantastic since the ballpark opened,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to do the things we do without the community involvement, whether it’s a family of four coming out for their one annual game or a game plan holder who’s supported us since the park opened.” While the Hens put an emphasis on preseason ticket sales, there are plenty of options for the more spontaneous fan, whether they’re looking for a suite or individual tickets. Of the stadium’s 32 suites, 26 are leased by companies via multiyear agreements. These have largely been filled since the park debuted more than a decade ago, Ibsen said. With one suite used exclusively by the team, five suites are available to rent on a per-game basis, an option that has become increasingly popular. The suites include 18 tickets and offer a variety of catering options. Last year, the team sold 232 of these units, a Fifth Third Field record. Sales of these suites — which start in the $1,200-1,500 range — are 30 percent ahead of last year’s pace, Ibsen said. “These are for companies or organizations that don’t have the need to have a suite for multiple games,” Ibsen said. “They can use it for entertaining employees or prospective customers.”

“

It’s just been fantastic since the ballpark opened. We wouldn’t be able to do the things we do without the community involvement, whether it’s a family of four coming out for their one annual game or a game plan holder who’s supported us since the park opened.”

— Erik Ibsen, Assistant General Manager of Ticket Sales

For individuals, partial-season game plans are available in a multitude of sizes. “We have a ton of options that fit all schedules and budgets,” Ibsen said. “We can find the right kind of plan that works for just about anybody or any situation. Just let us know what your schedule allows.” For more information on Mud Hens tickets, go to www.mudhens.com or call (419) 725HENS (4367). O

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A60 n Toledo Free Press

APRIL 7, 2013

By Michelle Zepeda

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

For many of us, social media has taken hold and hasn’t let go. For the Toledo Mud Hens, this love affair with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is helping them connect with their loyal fans. “It really bridges that gap between the fans and the team. It gives the fans an inside look and allows us to communicate really easily and very timely,” said Nathan Steinmetz. Steinmetz is the manager of online marketing for the Mud Hens. It’s a position he’s held since 2008. Shortly after starting the job, he decided to get the Mud Hens on Facebook. “We were early adopters to Facebook and Twitter compared to other teams in the league and our following grew very quickly,” Steinmetz said. It grew so quickly that other minor league teams can’t catch up to the fan support the Mud Hens have on Facebook. “It’s almost double what the other teams have in minor league baseball,” Steinmetz said. “So we are way out in front, which is really a testament to our fans’ support here in Toledo. Toledo

loves the Mud Hens. There is a lot of pride when it comes to the team.” The Mud Hens’ Facebook page has more than 57,000 fans. The next highest team is the Reno Aces, with just under 30,000 fans, according to SportsFanGraph.com, which tracks social media followers of sports teams. Steinmetz said the success comes from knowing who their fans are and what they want. “We learned early on a good percentage of our fans maybe don’t care about the sport, they care more about coming to the games or maybe it’s just that Toledo pride,” Steinmetz said. “Or maybe they are families and they want to know about activities at the park their kids can participate in.” Posts include statistics for those diehard baseball fans, but most activity consists of photos, talk about what’s new in the Swamp Shop or concessions area and conversation starters. “We put out a photo of Ned Skeldon Stadium, where the team used to play and we asked fans if they remembered going to those games and I think we had over 1,000 likes on that post and hundreds of comments from fans that just talked about the first time coming to a Mud Hens game,” Steinmetz said. The page is also a great resource

for baseball fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite player. “During the baseball season there is a lot of player movement. For example, the Tigers will assign a player to Toledo,” Steinmetz said. “Before social media was around the best you could do is put it on your website and hope fans saw it or maybe put together an email, which takes time, just to say that we have this player in Toledo playing tonight. Now you can put that out on Facebook or Twitter and get the message out instantaneously and people can share it and talk about it.” The team is also big on Twitter, with more than 13,000 followers. That puts the team in seventh place among minor league teams. New this year, the team is also on Instagram, with a growing audience of more than 300 followers. “What we want to do with Instagram is give a behind-the-scenes look of the team and the stadium,” Steinmetz said. “Give the fans the inside look at what’s going on.” This year, when fans head out to a Mud Hens game they will be able to interact with other fans using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It is something that started at Walleye games this winter and was a huge

hit, Steinmetz said. “At the Walleye game we had a social media night where we tried to repost all the fans’ messages on our video board during the game and that was a lot of fun because we had fans posting who they were at the game with and saying happy birthday to friends,” Steinmetz said. “We have also been using hashtags on Twitter and Instagram and asking fans wearing gear to take pictures of themselves and then we repost those pictures on our Instagram page.” Besides the social media sites, apps are huge, now that more than 50 percent of the population has a smartphone, Steinmetz said. Though the Mud Hens do not have their own app, minor league baseball just released a free app fans can download that will feature Mud Hens stats, scores and news. “While we do not have a teamspecific app, we are looking into building one in the future,” Steinmetz said. “Fans who visit www. mudhens.com on their mobile devices will be taken to a mobile-formatted site. We encourage fans to use the mobile site for all their Mud Hens news and info when they’re away from their computer.” O

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APRIL 7, 2013

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

A slip-on mesh tattoo sleeve featuring Mud Hens imagery is popular at the Swamp Shop — but some fans take their devotion to another level. Toledo native Tim Marshall, 32, has a tattoo on his right calf depicting mascot Muddy driving a Jeep. “Some people might say it’s kind of ridiculous to put a Mud Hen driving a Jeep on your leg, but when I think of this place it’s an exact representation of that whole idea,” Marshall said. “If you don’t think of the Mud Hens when you think of Toledo, you probably don’t know much about where you live.” The tattoo also incorporates other iconic Toledo images, including the High-Level Bridge, the Glass City skyline, a dockside chain fence and a scale from Toledo Scale with the company’s slogan “No strings, honest weight.” The tattoo, which took about 20 hours over four sessions, was finished about two months ago, Marshall said. Toledo native Tony Touch, a tattoo artist at Infinite Art Tattoo on Secor Road, inked the design, which was a collaborative creative effort between Marshall and Touch. “It was his idea to do the old-school portside chain link fence,” Marshall said. “Toledo Scale and the ‘No strings, honest weight,’ was also his original idea, which was a great touch. He had the idea of putting M*A*S*H on the license plate.” Touch, who has been tattooing for 10 years, said he posted a photo of Marshall’s tattoo on Instagram that got

150 likes in three hours and more comments than any other photo he’s posted. “I love it. I’m actually a little jealous he has it and I don’t,” Touch said, laughing. “It was just a fun piece.” Marshall said the tattoo was motivated by Toledo pride, the same reason Marshall and his friend Brandon Erickson started Glass Wear, a business making Toledo -themed T-shirts. “For me it’s just about not being afraid of saying I love where I’m from,” Marshall said. “Whether I live here forever or I don’t, it’s always going to be my home and where I’m from and I’m proud of it.” Touch agreed. “When I was in high school there was not a lot of hometown pride; everyone just wanted to get out of Toledo. But I think the younger generation is making Toledo our own,” Touch said. “The Mud Hens have a lot to do with Downtown being alive again.” Marshall, who has many other tattoos, including a full back piece and two arm sleeves, said the Toledothemed tattoo started with a black outline of the state of Ohio he got several years ago. As he noticed more and more people getting a similar tattoo, he wanted to make his stand out. “If you go to the Attic [on Adams] on a weekend night, you’ll see six people with them,” Marshall said. “That’s why I kind of added to mine. It was becoming too much like everyone else. I just wanted to take mine to the next step.” Ohio tattoos are more common than Mud Hens tattoos, Touch said. n INK CONTINUES ON A64

toledo free press photo by sarah ottney

Toledoan displays love of city, team in ink

Ryan Pollauf of Permanently Scarred once inked a Mud Hens tattoo for a Toledo native who was joining the military. A photo hangs in the shop.

MUD HENS 2013

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

photo courtesy tony touch

APRIL 7, 2013

Tim Marshall of Toledo has a calf tattoo inked by Tony Touch of Infinite Art Tattoo featuring Muddy the Mud Hen driving a Jeep and other iconic Toledo imagery.

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MUD HENS 2013

n INK CONTINUED FROM A62 “There seems to be a lot of Ohio tattoos, but that’s the first Mud Hens one I’ve done,” said Touch, who said he’s touched up a Mud Hens tattoo for a customer before but has never seen one as elaborate as Marshall’s. “We get some sports teams. A lot of [Detroit] Lions. [Detroit] Red Wings once in a while. When the Steelers won the Super Bowl we were doing about three a week, but that’s faded out.” Marshall, who drives a Jeep when he’s not riding his bike, is an avid Tigers fan and enjoys seeing Detroit players rehabbing with the Mud Hens. “They come down and you get to see the guys you might not be able to see if you can’t afford $60 a ticket in Detroit,” Marshall said. “I just like the atmosphere and the convenience and the value. “Downtown is always alive when there’s a game,” Marshall added. “I love the after part just as much as the game. Any establishment you go to afterward is packed. It’s awesome to see that.” Marshall’s fondest Mud Hens memory is catching a ball during a game at Ned Skeldon Stadium with his dad. “It was the coolest thing,” he said. “I didn’t let it out of my sight for a solid week. I still have it 25 years later.” Marshall, who got married in August, went to a Mud Hens game as part of his Toledo-themed bachelor party — where he almost caught another ball. His wedding reception was held at The Roost. “[My wife] Becky and I go whenever we can, which is quite often,” Marshall said. “Every year we do an annual bike to the Hens ride, riding from my house to the stadium. This will be the third year we do it. Last year we stopped at Manhattan’s for Sunday brunch and then went to the game. We always try to incorporate something local in the ride as well.” Ryan Pollauf, a tattoo artist at Permanently Scarred on West

Sylvania Avenue, said he’s done one Mud Hens tattoo, for a Toledo native who was joining the military. A photo of the tattoo, featuring the old-fashioned Mortimer Mud Hen swinging a nail-studded baseball bat, hangs at the shop. “The Mud Hens is one of the most, if not the most, well-known and popular minor league teams in sports. It represents Toledo,” Pollauf said. “He wanted to change it up so Muddy looked really mean, so that’s why he’s holding a bat with nails in the end.” Pollauf, a Toledo native who has been tattooing for almost 12 years, said he plans to get a Mud Hens tattoo himself, but hasn’t decided on the exact design. He also has several friends who have been talking about getting Mud Hens tattoos, but so far none have followed through. “I don’t think it’s super common, but I am supposed to do it on some more people, so it’s just a matter of time,” Pollauf said. “I was eventually going to get one myself.” Pollauf said he likes the history and strategy of baseball. “Most people find baseball completely boring, but I see it like a chess match. There’s a lot more going on than what it looks like,” Pollauf said. Pollauf ’s fondest Mud Hens memory also took place at Ned Skeldon Stadium. “The first game my dad ever took me to, at the Rec Center, we were walking in and a foul ball came over the stands. I got the ball just by walking in,” Pollauf said. Marshall said not a lot of people have seen his tattoo yet because it hasn’t been warm enough for shorts, but he expects it to be a conversation piece. “Soon enough, when the shorts come out, I will wear it with pride,” Marshall said. For fans not interested in permanent ink, the Swamp Shop’s tattoo sleeve is available online or in the Swamp Shop. It costs $6.95 and is especially popular with teens, said Craig Katz, Mud Hens director of merchandise and licensing. O

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APRIL 7, 2013

New sign heralds new season

workers remove the old sign.

The New Signage reflects fifth third bank’s new branding colors.

Fifth Third Bank signage around Fifth Third Field, including signs at each gate and the large revolving sign on the top of the stadium, was removed in February and replaced in March. The signs’ colors were updated to match bank branding, which changed its color scheme from red and black to blue and green several years ago. Signage at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, home of the Single-A Dayton Dragons affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds, was also updated for this season, said Carla Nowak, vice president and affiliate marketing director at Fifth Third Bank. “We updated all the banking centers over the course of a few years, which took some time, and this year updated the remaining collateral such as the ballparks,” Nowak said. O

Wishing the Mud Hens a great 2013 Season!

MUD HENS 2013

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Visit www.toledofreepress.com

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By Matt Liasse

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

The Swamp Squad gives away so many prizes every Mud Hens game, Game Day Promotions Coordinator Kyrsten Kachmarik can’t keep track. The part-time promotional staff of 20-25 people is in charge of throwing prizes into the crowd, KACHMARIK setting up on-thefield contests and coordinating pregame activities. “They just have fun, basically, as a job,” Kachmarik said. The Swamp Squad sets up a contest every half inning during each game. With these, every participant walks away with a prize, Kachmarik said. She said it’s hard to say how many prizes they give out. “We don’t really let anybody walk away empty-handed,” she said. The Swamp Squad works for the entire game and then some, coming in two hours before each game and sometimes hosting postgame activities. Including cleanup, team members work around five or six hours per game, Kachmarik said. “They’re basically there to make sure fans are having a great time from the time they walk into the ballpark [to] the time they leave,” Kachmarik said. Swamp Squad member Lindsey Witmer, who is also a member of the Toledo Walleye spirit squad, said she likes the excitement of being with the general public. “It’s all about the environment,” Witmer said. “They always tell us that half the time people don’t realize what the scores of the games even are.

photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Swamp Squad spreads spirit during Mud Hens season

The Swamp Squad’s job is to entertain the crowd with on-field contests, activities and prizes.

They’re there for the experience.” Rain delays are a challenge for the Swamp Squad, which has to entertain the anticipating crowd. “That’s kind of when we go and entertain for an hour, two hours, depending on how long the delay is,” Kachmarik said.

New members are hired by applying online or attending a live audition, which the team hosted a couple of weeks ago. During the audition, applicants have to show how they would entertain a crowd while music plays. Kachmarik said she also looks to see

if applicants are comfortable in front of crowds. Kachmarik became a Swamp Squad member after graduating from college. She started in April 2010 and became full time by the end of that season. She said her favorite part is watching the fans have fun.

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“[I love] the fan interaction … and knowing that they are having fun because I am having fun at my job,” Kachmarik said. Kachmarik said the current staff is ready for a great season and that they have some fun things planned, including themed nights. O

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MUD HENS 2013

APRIL 7, 2013

THE BACK NINE

Several former Mud Hens will start season on Tigers roster

hroughout the years the Mud Hens have been affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Milwaukee Braves, St. Louis Browns and New York Giants. Since 1987, the team has been the AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers and has provided a plethora of talent that helped the Tigers make it to the World Series in 2006 and 2012. Last year, 14 former Mud Hens made it to the “Big Show” and helped the Tigers play their way into the World Series. Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones is a former Mud Hens player and Tigers bullpen coach Mike Rojas was a Mud Hens manager. Nine former Mud Hens were part of the Tigers 2013 starting day roster when Detroit opened its season April 4 in Minnesota. Catcher Alex Avila has been with the Tigers since 2009 and earned an AllStar start in 2011. He does a masterful job handling the starting pitchers and is a solid force behind the plate. Avila gives manager Jim Leyland a coach on the field and is one of the key players on the team. Avila played a few games in Toledo last season while on the 15-day disabled list for the Tigers.

Doug Fister holds The pitching rotadown the No. 3 spot in tion was one of the best the Tigers starting rotafeatures of the 2012 Tition. He began his progers team. This year, fessional baseball career four former Mud Hens with the Seattle Mariwere on the opening day ners in 2009. The Tigers pitching roster. traded for him in July Drew Smyly gave the 2011. Fister came out of Tigers a lefty to bring out of the bullpen in Fred ALTVATER spring training last year with a strain in his rib match-up situations. He appeared in 99.1 innings in relief in cage and had a rehab start in Toledo 2012. Smyly is only 23 years old and on April 7, 2012. In 2012 Fister was 10-10 for the Tiwill probably make it to the starting rotation in the future, but with the gers, appearing in 26 games. At 6 foot, announcement last week that Rick 8 inches, he is one of the tallest pitchers Porcello was named the fifth starter, in the majors and had an ERA of 3.45 it looks like Smyly will have to spend last year. In 161 innings pitched, he some more time in the bullpen, at least gave up only 15 home runs, 37 walks and struck out 137 batters. for the beginning of the season. Al Alburquerque spent 30 days Max Scherzer came to the Tigers in 2009 from the Arizona Diamond- with the Mud Hens in 2012. Surgery backs. He began 2010 with the Mud to his elbow after the 2011 season Hens but was called up to the big team required a six-month rehabilitation. in May of that year and has been a fix- Albuquerque joined the Mud Hens in ture in the Tigers starting rotation. In early August and was moved back up 2012 he pitched in 32 games and fin- to the big club at the beginning of Sepished the regular season with a 16-7 tember. He did appear in two games in record. In 187 innings he collected 231 the Divisional Series versus Oakland and made a single appearance in the strikeouts and had a solid 3.74 ERA. Scherzer will begin the year in the 2012 World Series. Austin Jackson came to the Tigers second spot for the Tigers pitchers.

at the end of the 2009 season from the New York Yankees. He was ranked as one of the best prospects in baseball and has become the Tigers center fielder and leadoff batter since the departure of Curtis Granderson. Jackson suffered an abdominal strain in May 2012 and did a rehab stint in Toledo in June before moving back up to Detroit. In 2012, Jackson played in 137 games for the Tigers. He batted .300, stole 13 bases and had 16 home runs. He brings speed at the top of the lineup, with some major pop in his bat. His legs also help him patrol that huge cavern that is center field in Detroit. Omar Infante is a 10-year veteran from Venezuela who broke into the majors with the Tigers in 2002. After stints in Atlanta and Miami he returned to the Tigers in July 2012. He did two tours with the Mud Hens, first in 2002-03 and then again in 2007. Playing primarily at second base, he brings experience, steady glove work and a .276 lifetime batting average to the Tigers infield. Andy Dirks was drafted by the Tigers in 2008 and has spent several years bouncing around the Tigers farm system. He has been plagued by various injuries that have kept him off

the major league team’s roster. He was with the Mud Hens in 2010, 2011 and again in 2012 before being called up to Detroit. He played in only 88 games for the Tigers in 2012 but had a .322 batting average and eight home runs. Leyland will be looking for some offensive production from the left fielder in 2013. Don Kelly first played with the Mud Hens in 2005 before breaking into the big leagues in 2007 with the Pirates. He is a versatile utility player. Kelly was optioned back to Toledo at the beginning of the 2012 season to make room for Andy Dirks with the big club. On Sept. 1, the Tigers called Kelly back up and put him on the postseason roster. Every year the Mud Hens coaching staff grooms young talent and provides an excellent situation for a veteran to rehab from injury. Much of the Tigers’ continued success over the years can be traced to the players who have spent time in the Mud Hens organization. 2013 will be no different. Many of the young players who can be seen at Fifth Third Field in Downtown Toledo will be wearing the Olde English D before the season is over. O

MUD HENS 2013

APRIL 7, 2013

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MUD HENS 2013

Game days start early, end late for Hens staff By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

The first crews start arriving at Fifth Third Field up to 14 hours before a typical evening game and the last ones don’t leave until three or more hours after it’s over. “There are times when there’s not anybody here, but it’s not very often,” said Greg Setola, manager of game day operations. “For a typical 7 p.m. game, the day really honestly starts around 6 and 7 a.m. for some departments. Actually, the cleaning crew is usually here at 5 a.m. The grounds department gets here next along with food service. Tickets and fanwear start between 8 and 9 a.m., then everything falls in on an hourly basis. “[After the game], we don’t lock anything down until every single fan is out of the ballpark,” Setola said. “Then there’s a variety of shutdown procedures. It’s not just locking the gates and everybody go home. Most departments are here at least an hour

Olde

and a half postgame. Depending on the promotions, it could be as late as midnight. When there are postgame events, with scouts for example, it’s been known to run past 1 a.m.” For morning games, such as school day games for students, the whole schedule gets shifted even earlier, Setola said. “There’s a little bit more prep that goes into those days based on the sheer number of kids and making sure it’s a safe environment,” he said. “Shutdown on those games also takes a little longer, with 6,000 to 9,000 kids to get counted and safely on buses. But those are the nice days because you get out while the sun is still shining.”

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toledo free press photo by joseph herr

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Cleaning crews

The first to arrive on a typical game day is the cleaning crew, which comes at 5 a.m. to clean the stadium, finishing around noon, Setola said. Afterward, staff members start setting up any concourse displays needed for that night’s game. n GAME DAYS CONTINUES ON A69

Greg Setola is manager of game day operations for the Toledo Mud hens.

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APRIL 7, 2013 n GAME DAYS CONTINUED FROM A68 The box office and Swamp Shop are open all day, but extra game day staff start arriving around 4 p.m. Ushers, ticket takers and security personnel arrive about two hours prior to game time, Setola said. A pregame meeting with staff happens around 5 p.m. with gates opening between 5:30 and 6 p.m.

Groundskeeping

Sports Turf Manager Jake Tyler is used to working long shifts during the season, but Opening Day is especially drawn out. For evening home games, Tyler is normally on the job for 16-18 hours, he said. On April 11, Tyler, whose seasonal crew of 20 turf tamers has been working since mid-March to perfect the playing surfaces, plans to arrive at the field at 4 a.m., three hours earlier than normal, to accommodate the TV news people who traditionally file reports from the playing field for

morning news shows. But he doesn’t seem to mind. Like many baseball fans, Opening Day is a hallowed annual milestone for Tyler, his 17th since he started work as a groundskeeper. “It feels like summer is around the corner,” Tyler said.

Food

Craig Nelson, president of A Cut Above Catering, the official caterer of Fifth Third Field, said crew members start arriving at 7:30 a.m. to receive deliveries and distribute inventory so it’s ready for game day staff. Stand managers arrive around 2 p.m. and the rest of the staff arrives by 4 p.m. Workers start spinning cotton candy and popping popcorn early to have enough in stock by game time. Walking vendors start at 5:30 p.m. Opening Day is one of the busiest business days of the season, Nelson said. “Typically Opening Day starts real early just because we want to make sure things are just right and in place

Visit www.toledofreepress.com consultant and box office manager. “I’ve had the ability to basically work throughout each department, which is rare,” Setola said. Setola said working behind the scenes at a ballpark has changed the way he watches sports. “When I visit another ballpark or arena, it usually amounts to me getting there early, which was never the case before. Now I have a list of things I want to check out,” Setola said. “I’m looking at the way the ballpark is set up, the kind of entertainment they’re providing, what they are doing with the video boards, how are they interacting with fans, what are they providing for guest service, down to the concessions experience. “I look at it as we’re always in the business of being better and if we can find something out there that we can use to improve what we have, we need to do it.”

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practice at 3:15 p.m., clubhouse staff tidies the locker room and lays out a spread of food. Sarkisian used to cook the food himself, but the catering department handles it now, although he said he occasionally makes his special Mexican lasagna. Between 5 and 7 p.m., players eat and relax before the game. “[Sixteen years ago], everybody had pagers; now everybody sits around with an iPad,” Sarkisian said. “It was Nintendo 64; now it’s PS3 or they sit on their iPad. But we still have a lot of guys who play cards.” After the SARKISIAN game, Sarkisian’s staff serves a postgame meal and starts doing laundry. Clubhouse staff stays about two hours after the game, with one person staying later in each clubhouse to wait on the last load of laundry. Sarkisian, a Maumee High School graduate, never played and had only watched a few baseball games before he got a job in Ned Skeldon Stadium visitor’s clubhouse 16 years ago. “I always thought that was kind of a good thing because I just treated everybody exactly the same because I had no idea who they were, as far as prospect or not prospect,” Sarkisian said. The most stressful part of the job is when things go wrong or schedules are tight, Sarkisian said. “Maybe there’s a player transaction and we’ll have a guy coming in from the airport at 5:30 p.m. and we have to make sure he has all his stuff, but we have no idea what sizes he is until he walks in,” Sarkisian said. “There’s a lot of details that go into making sure everything’s running right. It’s just like putting on a show every night at 7 o’clock.” Travel days are also stressful, loading the bus and making sure everyone has everything they will need on the road. Buses from road games may get back at 4 a.m. and staff must meet them to unload and do laundry. The best part is the camaraderie, Sarkisian said. “You get to meet a lot of different personalities. You make friends with them,” he said. “These guys are living their dream and playing a game for a living, which is amazing to me and I just get to be a part of it.” Opening Day is always electric, Sarkisian said. “You just feel like you’re shaking off the winter when Opening Day comes around,” he said. “It’s just cabin fever at this point and you’re just kind of waiting to go.” O

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and be able to have time to correct anything that may pop up after being closed down for five months over the winter,” Nelson said.

Focus on fans

Making sure all the departments are running smoothly is Setola, who usually arrives around 1 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game. “A lot has changed over the years. It used to be 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. or midnight,” Setola said. “We all used to do the long shifts and that’s kind of the norm for minor league baseball.” He starts by answering emails and voicemails and checking the weather. Then he checks attendance numbers and adjusts staffing levels. He does a walkthrough of the ballpark, making sure everything is set up correctly. “My main focus on the day is to make sure the fans are getting the experience they are paying for,” Setola said. “That’s to a whole new level to what it was even five years ago. It really is about the fact that we draw so many nonbaseball fans and how do we make that experience just as good [for them] as the people who actually come to watch the game.” Issues that arise could be anything from misprinted tickets to a spilled soft drink, Setola said. “Our philosophy is basically ‘We fix it now,’” Setola said. “The last thing we want is the fan to walk away with a bad taste. It’s very, very, very rare that we can’t turn a negative situation into a positive.” Setola is also the guy who makes the call on rain delays or cancellation. “Those are usually coming from me,” Setola said. “It’s the one part of the job that’s probably the most stressful, but we have a system that allows us to make good decisions.” Setola, a New Jersey native, has been with the Mud Hens since 1997, starting as a part-time cashier in the Swamp Shop. He’s also served as the Swamp Shop’s assistant manager, a ticket sales

Clubhouse

Game days for Home Clubhouse Manager Joe Sarkisian usually start with running errands, such as grocery shopping. He gets to the ballpark by noon, where he checks that laundry was finished, works on paperwork and handles any player issues that arise. “Somebody might need a car detailed, somebody needs you to pick this up, somebody’s wife needs to get picked up from the airport — there’s just a million little things the players could need,” Sarkisian said. “The way we’ve always looked at it is the players need to come here and focus on their work, so we try to provide an environment where they won’t have to worry about those outside things as much as possible,” Sarkisian said. For morning games, the clubhouse opens at 8 a.m. to serve breakfast. For evening games, players start arriving around noon to eat and relax. After players hit the field for batting

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MUD HENS 2013

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2013 Roster Toledo Mud Hens

COACHING STAFF

PHIL NEVIN MANAGER

Born: Jan. 19, 1971 (42) Resides: Poway, Calif. Managing Career: Returns for his third season with the Mud Hens and fourth in the Tigers organization … managed AA Erie in 2010 and Orange County of the independent Golden Baseball League in 2009. Playing Career: Drafted No. 1 overall in 1992 by the Houston Astros out of Cal State Fullerton … Most Outstanding Player in 1992 College World Series ... played 12 seasons in the majors with seven teams including Detroit (1995-97) … played with Toledo briefly in 1995 and 1997.

LEON ‘BULL’ DURHAM HITTING COACH

Born: July 31, 1957 (55) Resides: Cincinnati Coaching Career: Returns for his 13th season with the Mud Hens and his 18th season overall in coaching, including five seasons with the LA Angels of Anaheim. Playing Career: Spent 10 seasons in the majors with three different teams, mainly the Chicago Cubs.

A.J. SAGER

PITCHING COACH Born: March 3, 1965 (48) Resides: Perrysburg Coaching Career: Entering his sixth season with the Mud Hens and 12th in the Tigers organization … pitching coach for AA Erie in 2007 and Single-A West Michigan 2002-06. Playing Career: Played baseball and football at the University of Toledo ... Pitched for 12 professional seasons, five in the major leagues, including Detroit … pitched for the Mud Hens in 1996 and 1998.

MATT RANKIN

CASEY CROSBY

Born: Aug. 1, 1971 (41) Resides: Toledo Coaching Career: Beginning his 13th season with Mud Hens and 17th with the Tigers organization … spent two years with Single-A Lakeland.

Born: Sept. 17, 1988 (24), in Maple Park, Ill. Height: 6’5” Weight: 218 Bats: Right Throws: Left Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the fifth round of the 2007 draft. Bio: Was ranked the Tigers’ No. 5 prospect by MLB.com entering the 2013 season ... Named the Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2009 after posting a 10-4 record, 2.41 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 104

ATHLETIC TRAINER

KYLE BERGMAN

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH Born: June 16, 1986 (26) From: Chicago Ridge, Ill. Career: Beginning third season with the Mud Hens and fifth with the Tigers organization … spent one year with the Single-A West Michigan and one year with the AA Erie.

PITCHER

APRIL 7, 2013 2/3 innings for low Class A West Michigan ... Compiled a 6-2 record, 0.88 ERA and 92 strikeouts as a high school senior in 2007. 2012: Tied for Toledo team lead with seven wins and finished tied for second with 112 strikeouts ... Made his major league debut June 1 against the New York Yankees and got his first career strikeout against former Tigers player Curtis Granderson.

KENNY FAULK PITCHER

Born: May 27, 1987 (25), in Kennesaw, Ga.

Pitchers

JOSE ALVAREZ PITCHER

Born: May 6, 1989 (23), in Barcelona, Venezuela Height: 5’11” Weight: 180 Bats: Left Throws: Left Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a free agent Nov. 8, 2012. Bio: Signed by the Red Sox as a nondrafted free agent July 2, 2005. 2012: Played for the AA Jacksonville (Fla.) Suns where he led the Southern League starters with 1.66 walks per nine innings and tied for the lead with three complete games.

DUANE BELOW PITCHER

Born: Nov. 15, 1985 (27), in Britton, Mich. Height: 6’3” Weight: 218 Bats: Left Throws: Left Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. Bio: Attended Lake Michigan College ... tabbed the Tigers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year and West Michigan’s Pitcher of the Year after leading the Midwest League with 160 strikeouts in 2007 ... missed most of the 2009 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. 2012: Made the opening roster for the Tigers for the first time, earning wins in relief against the Boston Red Sox during his first two appearances.

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Height: 6’0” Weight: 235 Bats: Left Throws: Left Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the 16th round of the 2009 draft. Bio: Was ranked the Tigers’ No. 15 prospect by MLB.com entering the 2013 season ... Finished fourth in the Florida State League with 20 saves in 2011, while he tied for fourth with 48 appearances ... Third among all Midwest League relievers with 12.03 strikeouts per nine innings in 2010.

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MUD HENS 2013

APRIL 7, 2013 n ROSTER CONTINUED FROM A70

KENNY FAULK (cont.) PITCHER

... Tied for fourth in the New York-Penn League with 21 games finished in 2009. ... Earned All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors as a senior in 2009 after going 7-4 with a 3.16 ERA (42.2IP/15ER), four saves and 56 strikeouts in 26 outings. ... Went 1-0 with a 3.34 ERA (29.2IP/11ER) and 40 strikeouts in 19 games (one start) as a junior. 2012: Played for AA Erie SeaWolves, finishing second in the Eastern League with 10.61 strikeouts per nine innings.

SHAWN HILL PITCHER

Born: April 28, 1981 (31), in Mississauga, Ontario Height: 6’2” Weight: 225 Bats: Right

Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a free agent Oct. 24, 2012. Bio: Selected by the Montreal Expos in the sixth round of the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. ... Played for Canada in the 2004 Summer Olympics. 2012: Signed by Toronto in June and played one game with the Blue Jays ... Granted free agency in October.

MATT HOFFMAN PITCHER

Born: Nov. 8, 1988 (24) in Owasso, Okla. Height: 6’2” Weight: 225 Bats: Left Throws: Left Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the 26th round of the 2007 draft.

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Bio: Was ranked the Tigers’ No. 14 prospect by MLB.com entering the 2013 season ... Went the distance in his first outing with Class A Advanced Lakeland in 2009, tossing a six-hit shutout in the second game of a doubleheader on May 21 at Tampa ... Pitched a three-hit shutout in 2007 to lead Owasso to a 1-0 win over Edmond Memorial High School and its ninth Oklahoma state championship. 2012: Played 43 games with Toledo.

by Detroit as a free agent on Jan. 20, 2013. Bio: Giants’ seventh-round selection in 2003 draft ... attended Western Michigan University ... was fifth-round selection by Houston in 2002, but did not sign ... nonroster Spring Training invitee to Giants’ Major League camp in 2005.

LUIS MARTE

Born: Oct. 12, 1988 (24) in Caja Seca, Venezuela Height: 5’11” Weight: 185 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a nondrafted free agent on July 3, 2006. Bio: Tied for the club lead with 25 appearances for Class A Short Season Oneonta in 2009 ... Led the Venezuelan Summer League Tigers with 23 appearances during the 2008 season. 2012: Finished second among International League relievers with 9.77 strikeouts per nine innings.

PITCHER

Born: Aug. 26, 1986 (26) in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic Height: 5’11” Weight: 200 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a nondrafted free agent on Nov. 16, 2005. 2012: Named to the Tigers roster in March, but hamstring injury had him start the season on the disabled list. Played 13 games for Detroit.

PAT MISCH PITCHER

Born: Aug. 18, 1981 (31), in Northbrook, Ill. Height: 6’2” Weight: 200 Bats: Right Throws: Left Obtained: Signed

JOSE ORTEGA PITCHER

LUKE PUTKONEN PITCHER

Born: May 10, 1986 (26), in Wheaton, Ill. Height: 6’6” Weight: 215 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the

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third round of the 2007 draft. Bio: Drafted out of University of North Carolina. 2012: Made his Major League debut in April for the Tigers, in relief against the New York Yankees. Played 12 games, but optioned back to Toledo in May when Luis Marte was cleared from the disabled list.

BRUCE RONDON PITCHER

Born: Dec. 9, 1990 (22), in Valencia, Venezuela Height: 6’3” Weight: 275 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a nondrafted free agent Sept. 12, 2007. Bio: Was ranked the Tigers’ No. 2 prospect (No. 92 overall) by MLB. com entering the 2013 season ... Led the Gulf Coast League with 15 saves in 2010, while he tied for the lead with 22 games finished and finished second with 24 appearances. ... Topped all GCL relievers with a .133 batting average against in 2010. 2012: Named Tigers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year ... Finished third among all minor league pitchers with 29 saves.

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JESS TODD PITCHER

Born: April 20, 1986 (26), in Longview, Texas Height: 5’11” Weight: 210 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit on Nov. 26, 2012. Bio: Selected by the St. Louis Cardinals out of the University of Arkansas in the second round (82nd overall) of 2007 draft. ... Acquired by the Cleveland Indians on July 26, 2009, to complete the trade that sent Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals for Chris Perez. 2012: Played for AAA Memphis Redbirds.

ROB WAITE PITCHER

Born: Jan. 9, 1987 (26) in Fresno, Calif.

Height: 6’3” Weight: 210 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Drafted by Detroit in the 17th round of the 2008 draft. Bio: Played for University of California, Riverside. 2012: Played part of the season with AA Erie and 31 games with the Mud Hens.

granted free agency in November and signed with the Tigers. Bio: Selected by the Marlins in the fifth round of 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of Long Beach State University. 2010: Signed as free agent with San Diego in January and released in July. Signed as free agent with Miami in July. Played with the AAA Tucson Padres, AAA New Orleans Zephyrs and 15 games with the Mud Hens.

Catchers

CATCHER

BRAD DAVIS CATCHER

Born: Dec. 29, 1982 (30), in San Diego, Calif. Height: 6’1” Weight: 190 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Acquired by Detroit from Miami in exchange for cash considerations July 25, 2012, then

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Born: Nov. 19, 1987 (25) in Dallas, Texas Height: 6’0” Weight: 205 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the 6th round of the 2010 draft. Bio: Won the Johnny Bench Award, given to the top college catcher, at Texas Christian University. ... Led TCU to the College World Series in 2010. ... Also played at North Central Texas College. 2012: Started the season in Toledo, where he batted .248 with no home runs and 10 RBI. Promoted to Detroit in June due to injured starting catcher Alex Avila. Played six games with the Tigers.

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Born: Feb. 12, 1987 (26) in Guatire, Venezuela Height: 6’0” Weight: 190

Visit www.toledofreepress.com Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a free agent Dec. 22, 2010. Bio: Signed with the Boston Red Sox as a nondrafted free agent on July 22, 2003. 2012: Played with Toledo all season.

DANNY DORN INFIELD

Born: July 20, 1984 (28), in San Dimas, Calif. Height: 6’2” Weight: 205 Bats: Left Throws: Left Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a free agent on July 16, 2012. Bio: Selected by the Reds in the 32nd round of the 2006 draft out of Cal State Fullerton. ... Finished third in the Southern League in home runs (21) and fourth in slugging percentage (.539) in 2008. ... Led the Pioneer League with a .354 batting average in 2006. 2012: Played with AAA Louisville Bats and Toledo.

JORDAN LENNERTON INFIELD

Born: Feb. 16, 1986 (27), in Langley, British Columbia Height: 6’2”

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Weight: 217 Bats: Left Throws: Left Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the 33rd round of the June 2008 draft. Bio: Played for Oregon State University ... Was an All-Pac-10 Conference selection as a sophomore in 2006 after batting .416 with 14 doubles, 10 homers and 63 RBIs in 55 games ... Selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 41st round of the 2005 draft but did not sign ... Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 50th round of the 2004 draft but did not sign. 2012: Played for AA Erie.

JOHN LINDSEY INFIELD

Born: Jan. 30, 1977 (36), in Hattiesburg, Miss. Height: 6’2” Weight: 255 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit during the 2012 season. Bio: Selected by the Colorado Rockies out of Hattiesburg High School in the 13th round (347th overall) of the 1995 draft ... Signed with the Mariners as a free agent in 2002 ... Signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in 2007. 2012: Started the season with the Vaqueros Laguna in the Mexican League, then came to Toledo.

n ROSTER CONTINUES ON A74

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MUD HENS 2013

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GUSTAVO NUNEZ INFIELD

Born: Feb. 8, 1988 (25), in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic Height: 5’10” Weight: 170 Bats: Both Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a nondrafted free agent May 3, 2007. 2012: Played with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Pirates, Class A Advanced Bradenton and AA Altoona.

KEVIN RUSSO INFIELD

Born: July 8, 1984 (28), in West Babylon, N.Y. Height: 5’11” Weight: 190 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a free agent Nov. 26, 2012. Bio: Selected out of Baylor University by the New York Yankees in the 20th round of the 2006 draft ... Earned Junior College World Series all-tournament honors at San Jacinto Community College in 2004 ... Graduated from Fairview High School in Boulder, Colo., where he was a first-team all-state honoree as a senior and a twotime first-team All-Centennial League and first-team all-region selection. 2012: Played with the AAA Empire State Yankees.

DANNY WORTH

Height: 6’1” Weight: 185 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft. Bio: Played for Pepperdine University. 2012: Played 60 games with Toledo.

Outfielders

QUINTIN BERRY

Born: Sept. 30, 1985 (27) in Northridge, Calif.

BEN GUEZ OUTFIELD

Born: Jan. 24, 1987 (26) in Houston Height: 5’11” Weight: 180 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the 19th round of the 2008 draft.

Bio: Drafted out of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. 2012: Played with both AA Erie and AAA Toledo ... Batted .308 for Erie over the course of 26 games, including three home runs and 11 RBI ...Appeared in 82 games with Toledo, posting a .284 average, six home runs and 37 RBI. Source: milb.com and baseball-reference. com O

OUTFIELD

Born: Nov. 21, 1984 (28) in San Diego Height: 6’0” Weight: 175 Bats: Left Throws: Left Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a free agent Dec. 6, 2011. Bio: Selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round (157th overall) of the 2006 draft. 2012: Started with Toledo but went to Detroit at end of May. Led the major leagues in stolen base percentage with a 100 percent success rate (21 for 21 in the regular season, 2 for 2 in the playoffs). Participated in the World Series against San Francisco Giants.

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NICK CASTELLANOS OUTFIELD

Born: March 4, 1992 (21), in Davie, Fla. Height: 6’4” Weight: 210 Bats: Right Throws: Right Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the first round (44th overall) of the 2010 draft. Bio: Was ranked the Tigers’ No. 1 prospect (No. 21 overall) by MLB.com entering the 2013 season ... Topped the

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MUD HENS 2013

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

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PEOPLE BEING CURIOUS IS HOW THINGS GET DONE. IT’S THE SAME FOR BANKERS. Anything that ever got accomplished began with people asking: “What if?” Challenging themselves. Challenging the system. At Fifth Third Bank, “What if?” is one of our favorite phrases. As a proud sponsor of the Toledo Mud Hens and Fifth Third Field, we support those who aren’t afraid to reach, try and ask.

Fifth Third Bank. Member FDIC.

QFRC2053000_CuriousBaseball_4C_MuddyTimes(10x10.5).indd 1

4/3/13 8:56 AM

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community

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

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By Brandi Barhite

Toledo Free Press Community Ombudsman bbarhite@toledofreepress.com

When clients visit the new digs of an IT firm in Toledo’s Warehouse District, they won’t have to breathe through their mouths. Nemsys’ new headquarters is in the former location of the Toledo Police Department’s mounted patrol unit at 122 S. St. Clair St. “There is no horse smell at all,” said CEO Katie Rofkar. But before it was renovated the smell was so intense, Rofkar thought, “We can’t bring people in here.” The building sat vacant for a few years, and although the horses were gone, their smell remained. Rofkar said hay and water had seeped into the walls and all the studs and drywall had to be replaced. “It had even infiltrated into the ceiling tiles,” she said. Before moving into the space around the holidays, Nemsys was at 321 Perry St., near Fifth Third Field. From the office, Rofkar could watch the grounds crew work on the baseball field. Being near the stadium meant a lot to her. When the high-tech firm had to move for lo-

gistic reasons, she still wanted to be Downtown — and not too far from the stadium. Nemsys started in a house in the Old West End in 1999. It then moved to the location on Perry Street, across from Fricker’s. “Nemsys was built on being Downtown,” Rofkar said. “We were there for 10 years. We had really built a foundation with businesses down here. “We did not want to move out of Downtown Toledo, but it is hard to find a place with enough parking and a place on the first floor,” she said. “We get deliveries, and in our old building we were on the third floor. Rofkar worked with the building’s owner, Dave Ball, to stay Downtown. The stalls for the horses were turned into an open room of work spaces. Hopefully, the pasture will one day become a community garden, she said. During Opening Day for the Mud Hens, invited guests will tour the building and see how much it doesn’t look like a horse stable. “I love being down here. It is kind of like a neighborhood,” Rofkar said. “You walk around and everyone knows each other.” For more information, visit the website nemsys.com. O

toledo free press photo by joseph herr

IT company Nemsys refurbishes former horse stable

n Katie Rofkar is CEO of Nemsys, an IT company located in the former police stables on SOUTH St. Clair Street.

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APRIL 7, 2013

Air America is frequent flyer during baseball season

Photo courtesy Jim Miller

Air America Aerial Ads stays busy flying banner ads during baseball season, said owner Jim Miller. The company, which flies planes towing banners, has worked in every major league baseball stadium in the region. The area they work in includes Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Western Pennsylvania. They also fly during minor league games, including at Fifth Third Field. “There’s an event going on almost every day that we have the potential of flying,” said Miller, whose business does about 5,500 flights per year. Air America also flies during car shows, fireworks displays, concerts, football games, boat races and other outdoor events. They have done events in New York and North Carolina. Miller’s father was an Air Force mechanic and also built experimental aircraft.

Miller enjoys the personal stories he encounters on the job — like while flying birthday and proposal banners. Miller said Air America helps with about 50-75 proposals per year and that no one has said no

that he knows of. “I love the marriage proposals and happy birthdays,” he said. “Marriage proposals are always a good feeling because the guys depend on us getting there on time. You can’t see the ner-

vousness [from the air], but you can feel the nervousness in the air and you can see the lady jumping up and down and pointing.” For more information, visit airbanners.com. O

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WCM MAUMEE WINE TASTINGS

Normal tastings are under $15. Premium Tastings are more (but totally worth it!). Every tasting allows paying "by the sample." * Denotes Premium Wine Tasting

Saturday, April 13th JOE MOSIER PRESENTS NEW WORLD WINES

Our new full-time Wine Consultant Joe Mosier will host an exciting wine tasting, featuring wines from the ‘New World’ – North & South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Joe has over a decade of experience in the wine business and will be an awesome addition to the Walt Churchill’s Market Wine Team. Please come and make him feel welcome.

Saturday, April 20th THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST – THE SUPERSTARS!* The states of Oregon and Washington aren’t nearly as well known at the big C-state to their south, but in many ways their wines are much more interesting. And the prices are superb. We will pour some of the finest wines of the Pacific Northwest in many different styles and flavors. We’ll taste incredible Pinot Noirs, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Riesling, and more.

bburks@toledofreepress.com

“I was raised around the airport,” he said. Miller worked for his family’s air banner company from 1986-96 before starting his own company. He now employs 15-18 people during his busy season. Air America has six planes and is based at the Toledo Executive Airport and at the Oakland/ Troy Airport, north of Detroit. Aerial advertising offers a unique spin on normal, everyday ads, Miller said, adding that his ads reach thousands of people “at pennies per impression.” Steve Grabke of Steve Grabke’s Body Shop in Holland said he’s been a client of Miller’s for 30 years and makes sure to have a banner flying at big events. “It’s worked very well for me,” he said. “People are going to pay more attention to an airplane banner than a TV commercial.” Rates vary, but in the Toledo area, a 10-lap performance costs $325. The performance would include about 25-30 minutes of time Downtown and 10-15 minutes traveling.

Toledo Free Press News Editor

Saturday, April 27th RED BLENDS – A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE n

A 25-30 minute Air America Aerial performance downtown costs $325.

CALL FOR NOMINEES Join the American Cancer Society as we celebrate our 100th year and honor the “Faces of Cancer” at our CAttle BARon’S BAll to be held Saturday, September 7 at Centennial Terrace, Sylvania, Ohio.

TTLE BARON’S BALL CELEBRATING 100 “FACES OF CANCER”

We are looking for people in our community that represent the faces of cancer. ________________________________________________________________________

This includes physicians, health care professionals, caregivers, researchers, survivors, ________________________________________________________________________ memorials, volunteers and supporters of those dealing with cancer. We would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate those in our community that ________________ State__________________________ Zip______________________ have made a difference in the lives of those fighting this disease.

__________________ email________________________________________________

Please help us by sponsoring someone to be one of the “Faces of Cancer”. Each nominee will be recognized with a picture in our “Faces of Cancer” display.

onal Caregiver For Researcher Survivor please Memorial Supporter more information, contact Beth

Stutler at 888-227-6446, ext. 5212, email beth.stutler@cancer.org or visit our web site www.cattlebaronsball.org. You

son may also access the nomination form at toledofreepress.com. Return nomina_______________________________________________________________________ tion form to the American Cancer Society with your payment of $100.00 by ________________________________________________________________________ April 30, 2013. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Media Sponsor ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Very few wine drinkers realize that majority of wines worldwide are red blends. We’ll taste some of the most common and some of the most exotic. If you are into red blends, be sure to check out this tasting. You’ll discover how to find the best red blends and how to know what they’ll taste like – even when the grapes aren’t listed on the label.

Joe WCM Maumee Wine Consultant

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Hours: Mon-Sun 7 a.m.– 10 p.m.

Hours: Mon-Sat 7:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun 8 a.m.–9 p.m.

Effective 4/8/13 - 4/14/13 | We reserve the right to limit quantities. | No sales to vendors. | Not responsible for pictorial or typographical errors.

By Brigitta Burks

TV Listings

APRIL 7, 2013 Sunday Morning ABC 13 CBS 11 FOX 36 NBC 24 PBS 30 A&E BRAVO COM DISN ESN FAM FOOD HGTV LIF MTV TBS TCM TNT USA WTO5

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