Toledo Free Press – April 10, 2011 by Toledo Free Press

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A2 n Toledo Free Press

april 10, 2011

Opinion

april 10, 2011

Opening Day 2011

here have been some strong sports celebrations leading up to the April 14 doubleheader that will kick off the 2011 Toledo Mud Hens season. Coach Brian Kinsella and the St. Francis de Sales hockey team won the state championship March 13 in an amazing 2-1 overtime victory against Lakewood St. Edward. It is the school’s first state hockey title, and the school is to be congratulated for the win and for the way its young men conducted themselves throughout the season and playoffs. On April 2, head coach Tricia Cullop led the Lady Rockets to a national basketball title, winning the Women’s National Invitational Tournament by vanquishing Pac-10 powerhouse University of Southern California. Thousands of basketball fans packed Thomas F. Pounds Savage Arena during the final few games of the run, which created a moment in history that will be savored for many years. Off the field, University of Toledo legend Chuck Ealey is working on a foundation that is focused on establishing mentoring programs in Toledo-area schools. Ealey, who was an undefeated 35-0 during his UT career, is giving back to the community in ways that further enhance his legacy. All this good news creates high expectations and excitement as the Mud Hens enter the season under the direction of new manager Phil Nevin. Nevin is a former Detroit Tiger as well as an Erie SeaWolves manager. There is no day as exciting and full of optimism in Downtown Toledo as Opening Day. In this issue, Toledo Free Press offers the region’s most comprehensive and entertaining coverage of the season’s beginning, from Nevin’s debut to the schedules, rosters and behindthe-scenes stories that make local baseball so intriguing. There is one sad note, as this will be the first season in nearly six decades without the presence of announcer Frank Gilhooley. But there is no doubt that Frank will watch this season from a grand seat, talking stats and trading stories with Jim Thorpe, Moses Fleetwood Walker, Casey Stengel, Hack Wilson, Kirby Puckett and the other heavenly all-stars of Mud Hens lore. So enjoy this 92-page mega-issue, soak up the stories and let’s hope for warm weather. It’s Opening Day 2011, and I can’t wait to see you at Fifth Third Field for the first pitch and the first two Hens wins! O Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

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LIGHTING THE FUSE

Publisher’s statement

A publication of Toledo Free Press, LLC, Vol. 7, No. 15. Established 2005.

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

And many more ...

here were two birthday parties to attend April 3; together, the celebrations offered insights on time, friendship and the common threads of life.

Nolan

Nolan’s party was in the crowded city, in Downtown Toledo. Nolan roamed the room, greeting his visitors warmly with no aversion to the attention. John Nolan is not a chatterbox; he measures his words like a boy counting a secret collection John’s party was in the wide-open of candy coins. country, in Morenci. The drive to the party There were dozens of people on hand to took on a somber tone as we passed the celebrate, each offering Nolan handshakes, scores of faded yellow ribbons tied to trees hugs and pats on the back as they mingled and posts in honor of the town’s missing and filled plates. There was a space for cards boys — 5-year-old Tanner Skelton, 7-yearand presents, a comforting level of room old Alexander Skelton and 9-year-old Anchatter and of course a big frosted birthday drew Skelton. cake on the center table. But once we arrived at the party, good Not all of Nolan’s blood family was feelings ruled the day. John stood at the Michael S. miller present, but plenty were, and there was so door, greeting his visitors warmly but with a clear aversion to the attention. John is not a chatterbox; much love being expressed, everyone may as well have been he measures his words like a man counting a secret collec- a direct relation. Nolan’s special lady, Liljana, sat aside and watched tion of rare coins. He has always been an example of stoic grace and moderation, and even as the center of attention, with a knowing smile as Nolan received the attention the he retains an air of gravity and dignity missing from many occasion merited. There will be other days to say so, but without Liljana, Nolan’s life and special day would be unpeople’s characters. There were dozens of people on hand to celebrate, each fathomably different. Our sons Evan and Sean found a corner shelf of toys offering John handshakes, hugs and pats on the back as they mingled and filled plates. There was a basket for cards and and books and kept busy as the party buzzed around them. One of life’s great fascinations is the ripple effect each greetings, a comforting level of room chatter and of course person has on others. A birthday party is a microcosm a big frosted birthday cake on the center table. Not all of John’s blood family was present, but plenty snapshot of that impact; it is amazing to think about our were, and there was so much love and respect being ex- friends and family and how time can strengthen or erode those bonds. pressed, everyone may as well have been a direct relation. John’s special lady, Peggy, sat aside and watched with a knowing smile as John received the attention the oc- The dash casion merited. There will be other days to say so, but Many poets and philosphers have fixated on the tombwithout Peggy, John’s life and special day would be un- stone dash that connects the year of our birth with the year fathomably different. of our passing. The dates aren’t the important part, they Our sons Evan and Sean, who will soon celebrate insist; it’s that dash and what it represents that defines our their own 5th and 3rd birthdays, found a corner shelf legacy and what we do with the gift of life we are given. of toys and books and kept busy as the party buzzed John is 90; he has seen nearly a century of life and its many around them. ups and downs. Nolan is 3; he is just beginning his journey. One of life’s great fascinations is the ripple effect each Celebrating their birthdays on the same day emphasized person has on others. A birthday party is a microcosm how much we all have in common. There may be an infisnapshot of that impact; it is amazing to think about our nite number of paths and destinations, but our vehicles have friends and family and how time can strengthen or erode enough organic similarities that we should never feel alone. those bonds. Observing the birthday rituals of singing, eating, cut“Happy Birthday” is more than a 30-second song; it is ting cake and sharing presents erased the 87-year difference an affirmation that everyone in the room lives and breathes between John and Nolan. and is grateful for the fleeting privilege. It is the opposite of Both are friends, both are loved; both are. asking for whom the bell tolls; we know the answer to that. Happy birthday, John. Happy birthday, Nolan. “Happy Birthday” wards off that bell with its simple melody And many more … O and simpler words. It is fitting that the tune was written by a kindergarten teacher; its universality is due as much to its Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toease of assimilation as it is to its musical resonance. ledo Free Press Star. Email him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com. Thomas F. Pounds, President/Publisher tpounds@toledofreepress.com

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Opinion

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SHREDDING THE CURTAIN

The force in enforcement

fter my divorce in 1999, my and earn an income,” Torsok said. The other side of the argument encounters with the child support enforcement system in support of jail as a last resort for were limited. I was proclaimed one those who do not pay child support of the lucky ones by friends who re- can be summed up from Turner vs Rogers, a South Carolina Supreme ceived little or no support. When my former husband lost Court decision that is now before the U.S. Supreme Court: his job, it began a se“We hold that Apries of other employpellant does not have a ment and periods of constitutional right to no reported employappointed counsel bement. Our child supfore being incarcerated port case joined the for civil contempt for other 605,072 cases in nonsupport. Because Ohio that have a past Appellant may avoid due amount, which in the sentence altogether child support language by complying with the is — with arrears. Lisa Renee WARD court’s previous support My youngest daughter is one of the more than 1 million Ohio order, he holds the keys to his cell children who are supposed to benefit door and is not subject to a permafrom child support, medical coverage nent or unconditional loss of liberty.” However, when payment is not and a portion of their medical bills made when the person is apprepaid for by a noncustodial parent. Children still need to be fed, hended, the question of sentence clothed and housed, with their ex- length is a valid one. In the Turner penses not ending when the pay- case, Michael Turner was jailed sevments stop. According to Benjamin eral times, including one 12-month Johnson in the Office of Com- sentence. Chances are, had he truly munications for the Ohio Depart- held the “keys to his cell door,” he ment of Job and Family Services, would have used them. “We’re looking for there to be a as of February there were 459,819 noncustodial parents with arrears right size order, it makes no sense — with a total arrearage owed of to have an unrealistic order because the order can’t be met,” Torsok said. $4,798,042,406. Imagine the impact the arrearage “It’s more realistic to have one that owed to children in Ohio could have. can be paid.” Torsok said the federal tax inCompare that to what was collected and allocated in child support for the tercept program is huge this time of fiscal year 2010: $1,833,255,698. An year, more than $2.5 million was coladministrative fee is collected from lected just in March. The child support caseload has child support payments — in fiscal year 2010, $34,712,666 was allocated. changed over time. “Over 10 percent are women that The Lucas County Prosecutor’s office has two full-time prosecutors owe support, the biggest growing assigned to child support. In 2010, caseload is grandparents or other 127 cases were referred to them for third parties that are owed support,” action, 101 of those cases were ac- Torsok said. “Health insurance is one of the biggest concerns, that’s cepted, 84 were indicted. “In 2010, 974 warrants were ex- now been brought to the forefront.” Staffing has been reduced during ecuted, some of the warrants were from previous years, 191 of those the past decade; with the reduction, were felony warrants. From these one way people can help is to make apprehended individuals in 2010, use of the Internet and the 1-800 $13,098,748.59 was collected,” automated system, especially when Maricarol Torsok, director of Lucas checking to see if a payment has been County Child Support Enforcement posted. Torsok encourages people to make use of the email contact system. Agency (CSEA) said April 5. “We have a one-day turnaround Several states, including Ohio, will seek a jail term for nonpayment in emailing statements and histoof child support. Gov. John Kasich ries,” Torsok said. The key to child support is held is among those calling for rethinking laws that send people to state prison by the noncustodial parent, but there are ways that CSEA can help. O for not paying child support. “Instead of incarceration, having the first option to be community Toledo Free Press Web Editor Lisa control makes sense if you have Renee Ward operates the political blog someone who has the ability to work GlassCityJungle.com.

April 10, 2011

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Downtown is dead

I was listening to Michael S. Miller host “Eye of Toledo” April 4 on WSPD, when his question was, “How can we bring business back to Downtown?” Downtown Toledo is dead. We have the Mud Hens Stadium, the new arena and the convention center; we have the same thing Detroit has and what did those three venues do to revive downtown Detroit? Mind you, Detroit had those entertainment venues before Toledo did. You want to save Downtown Toledo? You’re chasing a dream; it’s not going to happen. I think you’re caught up in creating a Utopian society here for the young professionals, and you are losing focus that’s it’s the working middle class that feeds the economy. Toledo will never return to its “Hey Days,” and you can thank the Demo-

GUEST COLUMN

cratic leadership for the last 20 years for that. They are the ones who destroyed this city. O Mark O. Teaderman East Toledo

Housing bust

Since the housing market crashed, all you hear is, when is it going to come back? We need to stop and look at why it crashed in the first place and what a realistic new market should be for the future. One factor that created the housing problem was getting too many people into mortgages and continuing to build more new homes. We have to deal with those that already are struggling to stay in their homes with the obligations they have in place. High mortgages, living expenses, debts that were manageable before the recession and are not now.

IBD

What can be done to ease this situation for millions who right now the only option seems to be foreclosure? Besides all the other creditors easing their interest rates (credit cards, personal loans, business loans) why can’t the home mortgage lenders either adjust the mortgage rates on existing mortgages or change the loans to a lease-to-purchase option. This option would allow the homeowner to stay in their present home and give them time to dig out of their personal credit nightmare. If the banks and other mortgage holders are looking for a way to cut their losses, they should work with those people they extended the credit to when times were good to continue their dream of home ownership into the future. We all need a win-win option. O Chris Cremean Toledo

was always an athlete. Growing up I played and excelled spect to gender or race. Having ulcerative colitis increases your risk of colon in many sports — football, track, and wrestling — just to name a few. I thought of myself to be healthy. I’m not over cancer. About 25 to 40 percent of ulcerative colitis patients weight. I never smoked, never did drugs, and I don’t drink. must eventually have their colons removed because of massive bleeding, severe illness, rupture of the colon At the age of 34, I should be in the prime of my or risk of cancer. Sometimes the doctor will reclife ... but then IBD hit. ommend removing the colon if medical treatI began to have unexplained abdominal ment fails or if the side effects of corticosteroids pains, loss of appetite, weight loss … and then or other drugs threaten the patient’s health. the inevitable happened. Bleeding … and lots Unfortunately, ulcerative colitis can lead to of it. IBD hit. death if symptoms develop into toxic megaAfter having a colonoscopy and biopsy colon. Toxic megacolon is an acute form of done, my life was changed in a flash. As it says colonic distension. It is a complication of ulin James 4:14, “Why, you do not even know cerative colitis. With toxic megacolon, there what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? is usually an elevated white blood cell count. You are a mist that appears for a little while Stephen WARD Severe sepsis may present with hypothermia or and then vanishes.” IBD hit. leukopenia. You ask, what is IBD? IBD is short for inRecently, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America flammatory bowel disease, a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine. The major types of launched a Crohn’s disease caucus to promote awareness of inflammatory bowel disease. IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Congressmen Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and Jesse L. Recently, IBD came knocking at my door. I have been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I have decided to go Jackson Jr. (D-IL) created the Congressional Crohn’s and public with my diagnosis, to help bring awareness to this Colitis Caucus in order to expand research and improve debilitating disease known as ulcerative colitis. Before insurance coverage for the 1.4 million Americans affected being struck with this disease, I had never heard of it. I am by IBD. The caucus will work to expand research at the Nacertain that many of you reading this article also have not tional Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control heard of ulcerative colitis. I think it is important that we and Prevention for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, educate ourselves, and in the midst of having this disease, two of the main forms of IBD both affecting the intestines. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America is a nonI want to help you. So what is ulcerative colitis? Ulcerative colitis is a profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding disease of the intestine, specifically the large intestine or the cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Take colon, which includes ulcers, or open sores in the colon. Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis is CCFA’s largest fundraising It comes with many symptoms including constant diar- event. Participants raise funds and awareness throughout rhea mixed with blood, abdominal pain, weight loss and the year and come together to celebrate the steps that have much more. It can be treated with medication and/or been taken towards a cure. Since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, it has not surgery, but there is no cure. Ulcerative colitis occurs in 35-100 people for every 100,000 in the United States, or been easy for me. I take 20 pills per day, and I have good less than 0.1 percent of the population. It has no known and bad days. But, I am holding on to God’s unchanging cause and while dietary modification may reduce the dis- hand. This summer, I will be taking steps to finding a cure comfort of a person with the disease, ulcerative colitis is for ulcerative colitis by taking part in a walkathon sponsored by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. If not thought to be caused by dietary factors. Ulcerative colitis can occur in people of any age, but it you are interested in learning more, contact me by email at: usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30. It has no re- pastorsmward@yahoo.com. O

Opinion

April 10, 2011

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

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GUEST COLUMN

By Clinton Longenecker and Cindy Breese Longenecker Special to Toledo Free Press

Congratulations to The Lady Rockets for their WNIT championship win against USC, 76-68. What a team, to take defeat in the MAC Tournament and turn it into a history-making championship run! Now, Coach Tricia Cullop is being described as one of the “hottest coaching talents in the country” — but what are the keys to her success? We have followed the Lady Rockets for more than 25 years, have had close relationships with many players and had the chance to address the 2011 team. Back in January we had the unique privilege of being the “6th Man” (as a couple) on the Lady Rockets bench, a wonderful opportunity to see, feel and hear the inner workings of a team that had something very special going on. Here are several observations about what makes Cullop a great coach. O She is a tireless and effective recruiter. While it is obvious that she has recruited outstanding basketball

talent, she has surrounded herself with an exceptionally talented and motivated coaching and support staff that operates with great passion and professionalism. And if you hadn’t noticed, she recruited all of Toledo for each tournament game and has already recruited us for next season. O She has staked out a strong, positive identity for her team. Coach constantly says, “This is who we are ... ” and then fills in key virtues and qualities that are her team’s identity: “Blue-collar,” “family,” “serious in the classroom,” “a buzzer-to-buzzer team,” “don’t finish ugly,” “demonstrate character” are but a few of the encouraging and elevating comments that are repeated and reinforced. This identity has created a lifestyle and mindset that leads to high performance. And when performance falls below expectation, she reminds her team, “This is not who we are.” O She has a real talent at connecting with people. Coach has the uncanny ability to make people feel like the center of her attention. She demonstrates great emotional intelligence and a genuine talent for com-

municating with everyone regardless of the stressfulness or loudness of the situation. She also has great listening skills that are frequently found wanting in strong leaders. Catch her eye one minute before tip off and she focuses her attention on you as if she has all the time in the world. O She understands the power of synergy and family. When you look at the talent and athleticism of UT’s WNIT opponents, it is apparent that we won because of team play. Coach creates synergy, making as the whole of the team’s performance was far greater than the sum of its parts. Everyone in the stands knew that they were witnessing a group of individuals that were playing and winning synergistically. This team is a family “by design” as team-building on and off the court has created a family with intangible qualities that few teams ever achieve. O Coach is always coaching. Players will tell you that Cullop sets very high, clear expectations for everything: academic performance, practice, travel, game preparations and the games themselves. She and

her staff then do everything in their power to equip players to meet those expectations. This is where she truly shines by providing continuous situational feedback. When each player returns to the bench they receive immediate feedback. A player is not left guessing as to her quality of play on or off the court. Watching Cullop on the floor after winning the championship was a delight as she fought her way through the crowd to personally congratulate each player and to hug them and to whisper some personal and private comments. One can only imagine her feedback ... but the smiles on the players’ faces revealed they knew they were valued. O Coach demonstrates humility and that it is not about her. Finally, our coach has been quick to give credit for our national championship performance to the fans, her players, her staff, the UT Athletic Department, the administration and Toledo. Somehow all 7,301 of us felt like we were the “6th man.” When she told us that the team could not have won these games without us, the fans, we

Profile of Excellence: Kyle Leppelmeier Owens Community College Alumnus Kyle Leppelmeier grew up in Edgerton, Ohio. After graduating high school, he attended Owens Community College. He chose Owens because he was looking for a school where he could play baseball and take turfgrass classes. “I was so interested in the classes I was taking and I wanted to know more; it made learning the materials easy. I picked it up right away and loved learning, working and playing baseball,” said Leppelmeier. He was taking up to 20 credit hours per semester, working around 30 hours a week and playing baseball. He had a great time and thought he could have been bored in college if he hadn’t have been so active. Leppelmeier even had time to meet his wife, Monica Sims, at Owens. She played softball at the College. After graduating in May 2004, he began an internship with the Cincinnati Reds. He worked there until November and then moved home to figure out his next move. Sims was attending Saginaw Valley State College and encouraged him to try out for the baseball team. Kyle Leppelmeier 2004 Graduate Assistant Sports Turf Manager, Mud Hens

He did and received a full scholarship. He pitched for the team and took classes, but they didn’t have a turfgrass program and he found he missed the work. So he moved to Atlanta to work full-time for a private high school.

toledo free press photo by john pollock

Thanks for the life lessons, Coach Cullop

Tricia Cullop cuts the net.

truly believed her and felt like we had done our part for the team. Humility pays dividends! Thanks for the life lessons, Coach, and for the championship! O Clinton Longenecker, Ph.D., is the Stranahan Professor of Leadership and Organizational Excellence at The University of Toledo. Cindy Breese Longenecker is a homemaker, teacher and community servant.

Come Join The Fun Join the Alumni Association today and experience cultural events, community service, legacy scholarship opportunities and more. Reconnect with Owens online at www.owens.edu/alumni.

In March 2007, he accepted a job as the Assistant Sports Turf Manager with the Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Club, Inc. He loves his job and looks forward to going into work everyday, despite the long hours.

Summer Fun

“As hard as we work on the field here at Fifth Third Field, I love my job. It really has to be a passion and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else,” said Leppelmeier.

Mud Hens Alumni Night July 29

Whitewater Rafting Trip July 15 - 17

Call (567) 661-7876 for more information.

He attributes his success to his start at Owens. “Our class was tight knit and still keeps in touch. The faculty were involved and really wanted the best for their students,” said Leppelmeier. He has even helped a current Owens faculty member teach a class. “I wouldn’t mind coming back to Owens to teach once I have a few more years experience under my belt,” said Leppelmeier.

“I was so interested in the classes I was taking and I wanted to know more; it made learning the materials easy.”

For a complete calendar of events, please call Laura Moore at (567) 661-7410, e-mail alumni@owens.edu or go to www.owens.edu and click the Alumni and Donors link.

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Community

Local food topic of April 15 conference “Local Food: Strategies for Jobs and Health” will take place April 15, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Dana Conference Center on The University of Toledo’s Health Science Campus. The event will address several topics related to the growing local food movement. Cost is $20 and $5 for students and includes lunch. For information, contact Paula Ross at paula.ross@utoledo.edu or (419) 530-3595. O

EDUCATION

By Emily B. Gibb

Toledo Free Press News Editor egibb@toledofreepress.com

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, toured Libbey High School on April 4 with members of the Toledo Public Schools board, Owens Community College, University of Toledo and Libbey preservation supporters, including City Councilman D. Michael Collins, to visualize how the site could be used as a community hub for education and to continue brainstorming where to find the funding. “My hope is that the goodwill of this community will wrap around this neighborhood and this set of buildings to help find a transformational use,” Kaptur said. “Libbey forms the heart and soul and identity of this community. We have to think hard about how to transform the use … to something greater than before.” Kaptur invited the group to walk through the building to begin envisioning its potential, she said. Renay Scott, executive vice president/provost of Owens, said the site remains a possibility as they try to assess how they can address the educational shortcomings of the area and where it would fit into that. “The most important thing we can do right now as a group of community partners is define what the specific needs are, how we can meet them and then we’ll be able to answer if the potential is here,” she said. Collins said a group coordinated by Owens, UT and Kaptur will try to find a consensus as to what makes the most sense for the property and the community, as well as work with Toledo Public Schools (TPS) on extending the timeline for making a decision. “I would hope, since they planned in less than a year ago to do this, they would give us a reasonable amount of time in which to accomplish what should be accomplished—what morally should occur for this neighborhood,” Collins said, “and that is to keep this institution and the value it once had and

toledo free press photo by emily B. Gibb

Marcy Kaptur tours Libbey with Owens, UT

Supporters of the effort to save part of the Libbey campus greet rep. marcy Kaptur April 4, before her tour of the facility.

restore it to that value.” TPS board president Bob Vasquez is still focused on the looming budget crisis that the board is facing. “Hanging on to this building is very costly for us a school district,” Vasquez said. “There are two things that are really going against us. One is OSFC’s participation and the other is the elements that are having their impact on these facilities.” If TPS loses the Ohio School Facilities Commission’s (OSFC) financial help, it would have to pay all of the estimated $1.5 million demolition costs. If TPS continues with the decision to demolish Libbey by Dec. 31, Vasquez

said, it only pays 23 percent—roughly $345,000. “I think the folks that are here today have very good intentions. They’re very passionate about Libbey. It has quite a history, so that is significant but the reality is, for us as educators, we have a huge deficit,” Vasquez said. But Collins says the deadline doesn’t have to be Dec. 31 because the OSFC granted the board a two year extension in writing last month. “All they have to do is ask the OSFC to extend the deadline and it will happen,” Collins said. Kaptur agreed with Libbey preservation supporters that the facility

is vital for education and job training inthe area, and has ideas of how it could be used as a multipurpose facility, as well as where to find funding. Kaptur also pointed out the historical roots of Libbey High School and why preserving its heritage is important. “It was built during the depths of the Great Depression, so the fact that we have new challenges shouldn’t diminish our hope that the future can be better than the past and that working together we can accomplish jointly what none of us can accomplish alone,” she said. Despite all of the grand ideas for

the space, the biggest factor that remains that right now there is not enough money to save it from demolition. Kaptur has several ideas for grants and other resources. The Promise Neighborhoods grant is available through the Department of Education and is designed to help develop educational opportunities in under-served areas, according to information from Kaptur’s office given out on the tour. In 2010, the Department of Education granted 21 Promise Neighborhoods awards of up to $500,000 to various nonprofit and higher education institutions. n LIBBEY CONTINUES ON A7

community

April 10, 2011 n LIBBEY CONTINUED FROM A6

Steven Freeman, MD

Physician FOCUS

Get Moving! A good exercise program has three components: aerobic, strength and flexibility. To begin a healthy exercise program, start small. Walking – even short distances – is a good way to increase your aerobic activity and condition muscles for strength and flexibility training.

Kaptur said Lynne Hamer, an associate professor at UT, applied for a Promise grant in 2010 to form a community learning program that would serve the South End. Her application was not chosen, but neither were any applications from the more than 300 national applicants. A majority of the 21 recipients were located in larger urban areas with a private-sector partner providing matching funds, among other resources, Kaptur said. The reviewers of Hamer’s grant applications decided that while the proposed neighborhood was an excellent candidate for assistance because of the low employment, income levels, education rates and high crime, the grant lacked specificity in its functions, goals and structure. It included smaller institutions as partners, but it was unclear to reviewers how linking them together would directly impact specific goals,

such as graduation rates, according to Kaptur. Hamer was unable to be reached for comment. Another grant possibility is the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant program from the U.S. Department of Labor. This is the first year of the program that will provide at least one $2.5 million grant to each state to create new educational programs with course times and locations that are uniquely situated to impact the targeted population, Kaptur said. Final applications, however, are due by April 21. Other federal opportunities include the Youthbuild Program Grants, Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block grants, Juvenile Delinquency Prevention grants, Gang-Free Schools and Communities grants and Juvenile Mentoring Program grants. There are also numerous private foundations that the group can look

Check with your primary care physician before beginning an exercise routine. At any fitness level, consider working with a certified personal trainer for an individual, customized program. Working with a trainer ensures a balanced workout. He or she will help ensure that you’re doing the exercises correctly, to reduce the chance of injury.

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through a $10 million grant from Jobs for the Future that Toledo Early College High School was funded. The General Motors Foundation encourages applications from nonprofits, higher education institutions and local governments to provide financial support for community development and educational programs. The Charles Mott Foundation was founded in Flint and recently put an emphasis on its Improving Community Education grants program and its Vulnerable Youth grant program, which focuses on leading at-risk and nontraditional students to future employment, Kaptur said. As the battle surrounding Libbey High School’s fate continues, Kaptur is remaining positive, asking, “Do we just let a part of our community lose part of its soul or do we try one more time to try to mobilize people with good intentions across our community to envision a transformational future for this set of buildings?” O

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MARCY KAPTUR to for assistance. One of the foundations include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has a history of supporting groups in Northwest Ohio. It was

n A7

This simple, outpatient surgery will free you from worry.

In the event of an injury, remember “I.C.E.” – Ice, Compress and Elevate. Ice the effected area for 15 minutes, three times a day, for the first day or two. Icing can help decrease the extent of the injury. Compression and elevation help to reduce the swelling. For pain, try an over-the-counter pain reliever. See a doctor if the pain lasts longer than five days, or if it becomes unbearable. Water and nutrition are very important. Water is the best supplement to a healthy, balanced diet and good exercise plan. Avoid excess coffee and cola (more than two servings per day). Too much caffeine can be dehydrating. Eat frequent, small meals throughout the day with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products.

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To register, call Linda Barita at 216.391.7766 or e-mail Linda.Barita@magnetwork.org by Monday, April 11.

community

A8 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

EDUCATION CHAMPIONS

By Vincent D. Scebbi

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

in Northwest Ohio. Because students at Maumee Valley receive an education, he believes there is no limit as to what they can accomplish. “If he can do that, what can our kids do? They have a new $10 million building we just opened upl. We have one computer for every two or three students; they’re getting the best education in Northwest Ohio,” he said. “If William Kamkwamba can build a windmill for his village, certainly our students have the capacity to make change in their own lives and families and communities and we want them to feel empowered by that.” O

A+

Education Champions

Bryan Mealer is the author of ‘the boy who harnessed the wind.’

When he first read of William Kamkwamba’s story, Bryan Mealer was inspired. However, it wasn’t until he visited he village that he was sincerely moved. “It was a really inspiring story that anyone can read it and it went against the grain of what was normally coming out of Africa,” Mealer said. “It’s like a story that every human being loves to read. When I made my first trip there in March that I was like, ‘wow, this is a fantastic story.’” Mealer will be speaking as part of the Maumee Valley Country Day School Global Education Program April 13 in the Millennium Theater. Kamkwamba, a teenager at the time, is the focal point in Mealer’s book “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” which tells the story of how Kamkwamba built a windmill out of scrap metal in order to power his family’s home. Kamkwamba’s family was pushed near the point of starvation in 2002 when one of the worst famines in Malawi’s history struck. His father, a maize and tobacco farmer, was unable to afford school fees, causing Kamkwamba to seek an education through the small, rundown public library. In an old British science book, Kamkwamba was able to teach himself physics with the diagrams and photos. His windmill included parts such as tractor fans, shock absorbers, a plastic pipe and bicycle parts which yielded 12 volts of electricity. Jarin Jaffee, co-director of Maumee Valley’s global education program, said Mealer was asked to speak because his book has a “very powerful message” that any individual can make a contribution to improve their community. The theme this year addresses environmental issues. The first speaker Michael Maniates, a professor of political science and environmental science at Allegheny College in Meadville, Penn., discussed cutting the U.S.’s dependence on foreign oil. Mealer’s lecture is to help show the impact of an individual’s work and the third speaker, M. Sanjayan, the lead scientist of the Nature Conservancy, will talk about the environmental challenges are being addressed on the macro and micro levels. Jaffee said the book, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” was assigned to all grades above fifth because of its message and the variety of topics the

book discusses while focusing on Kamkwamba’s story. “This isn’t a book about the environment or alternative energies, but it teaches that,” he said. “It’s not a book about poverty, but it teaches about it in third world countries and famine. It talks about survival and community. There are so many areas this books touches and it focuses on a teenager. It’s not only very readable and accepted throughout our school, it’s also a very powerful message.” Jaffee said he hopes students and members of the community feel empowered to make strides toward improving the quality of their lives

photo courtesy maumee valley country day school

Author Bryan Mealer to speak at Maumee Valley

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A10 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

STORMING BACK

Editor’s note: Toledo Free Press will follow the Blank family of Millbury for one year as they rebuild their lives after a June 5 tornado destroyed their Main Street home. By Brandi Barhite Toledo Free Press Associate Editor bbarhite@toledofreepress.com

In the immediate days after the tornado, the baseball field became a getaway for the Blank brothers. Now, with the anniversary approaching, BLANK baseball is once again becoming an escape from the tornado talk. But this year, Wes Blank isn’t coaching his half brother, Casey. Wes took the junior varsity coaching job at Otsego High School. Last year, he helped coach Casey who played on the Lake High School JV team. “It is exciting, but part of it is sad,” said Wes, a 2004 Lake grad. “I don’t

live with him, so this is a brotherly bond. The other day we got canceled and Lake played, and I went to watch him and it was weird to not be coaching him.” Casey, who is pitching and playing center field for Lake’s JV team this year, said baseball is the favorite of the three sports he plays at Lake. “I get to be outdoors and in the fresh air. I just like baseball because it is calming,” the sophomore said. After the tornado destroyed his home June 5, FAMILY: Casey was back on the field for summer ball in less than 48 hours. Wes was his summer coach. Wes said baseball reminds him of the tornado because the summer baseball season coincided with that fateful June 5 night. He remembers talking to his team about the tornado. He started to cry. “The reason I love baseball is it is a getaway, you don’t have to think about

STORMING

back

problems of everyday life. Baseball was a good help for me to get away from the situation,” Wes said. Although that travel league wasn’t a Lake team, most of the players were from the Lake district and play JV ball for the school now. “We bonded together. We didn’t have Lake on our chest, but we played for the school,” Wes said. Casey said baseball makes it seem like his life has come full circle since the storm. Despite the tornado, he associates baseball with only good things. The only thing that would make this season perfect is if his brother was at Lake. “It was fun having him as a coach because he knows what he is talking about,” Casey said. “It was disappointing that he went to Otsego because I like having him around. It will be kind of hard not having him.” But Wes said being a part of rival teams won’t affect their relationship. He will still offer tips, minus the two days Lake competes against Otsego, at home April 28 and at Otsego on May 16. “I will always be a brother first,” Wes said. O

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From left, brothers wes and casey blank.

April 10, 2011

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n A11

Toledo Christian hosts ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ auction

Toledo Christian Schools will host its annual fundraising auction April 15. “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is the theme for this year’s benefit auction, which supports the school and the school’s scholarship fund. The free event, which features both

live and silent auctions, is open to the public. It will take place at Gladieux Meadows, 4480 Heatherdowns Blvd. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the live auction starting at 7:15 p.m. WTOL’s Jerry Anderson will serve as auctioneer. The top auction item is a 2003 Cor-

vette, a 50th anniversary collector’s edition in mint condition, said Development Director Kim Gibson. Other items include tickets to the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament, a Toledo Zoo Family Membership, a six-month YMCA family

max membership, a complete set of braces, an opportunity to be a special guest of “The Front Row” on ESPN Radio 106.5, home and garden items, tickets, sports memorabilia, restaurant gift certificates, professional services and more. For a full list of auction items, visit www.toledochristian.com/auction. About 500 people attended last year’s event, which raised $70,000, Gibson said. “We really appreciate the support from the community because it really makes a difference to our families, having their kids here versus not having their kids here,” Gibson said. “The bottom line is they are supporting this school and helping us provide for our families.” Optional dinner reservations, which must be made in advance, are $35 per person or $350 for a table of 10. For more information or to make dinner reservations, call (419) 3898700, Ext. 152. O — Sarah Ottney

Honor Flight starts April 13

The first Honor Flight of 2011 takes off April 13 with several special highlights. Honor Flight Northwest Ohio is a volunteer organization dedicated to flying veterans to see the memorials in Washington, D.C. Flights are funded through donations so that transportation, meals and other amenities are provided to veterans at no cost. The Northcoast Jobs Connection Honor Flight will accommodate 80 World War II veterans on a 160-seat A320 Airbus chartered from Aircraft Logix. The flight, sponsored by the largest single donation in Honor Flight’s history, will allow the veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Corps and Marines who served in Europe, the Pacific and at home during World War II to experience their “trip of a lifetime.” One of the veterans, Minnie McCarthy of Lambertville, will celebrate her 90th birthday on the flight day. As well as visiting the World War II Memorial, the veterans will tour the nation’s capital, visiting the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Marine Corps Memorial and the Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. As the veterans step off the bus at the World War II Memorial, 29 students from All Saints School in Rossford and Immaculate Conception in Bellevue will be cheering and waving American flags. The students will be in Washington, D.C., for their annual eighthgrade field trip.

“To see their faces at the end of the night, they just have smiles from ear to ear,” board president Lee Armstrong said. “Unless you have no feelings at all, you can’t help to feel emotional about it.” Armstrong, a retired Navy veteran, said he receives many comments from veterans who say it was one of the best days of their lives. For more information, visit the website www.honorflightnwo.org. O — Emily B. Gibb

Series addresses blindness

“Finer with Age,” a monthly video series produced by the Ohio Department of Aging, will focus its April episode on blindness. In the segment, Bonnie KantorBurman, the new director of the Ohio Department of Aging, talks with Kira Baldonado, director of marketing and community services at Prevent Blindness Ohio, and Larry Leguire of Nationwide Children’s Hospital about Ohio’s Aging Eye Public-Private Partnership and how to protect eyesight. The half-hour program will also commemorate the 13th annual Red Hat Society Day, which is April 25. Kantor-Burman will talk to Carmela Criswell and Jane Hartman, two Red Hat Society members who explain what it means to have “HAT-itude” as part of the international social organization for women typically age 50 and older, according to a news release. A recent national survey by Prevent Blindness Ohio indicated that glaucoma and age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) affect nearly twice as many Ohioans as previous national estimates, with the numbers only expected to grow as the population ages. Half of all blindness is preventable, said Baldonado, who hopes the segment will remind people they need to pay attention to their vision. Nearly 150,000 Ohioans suffer from visual impairment or blindness, including an estimated 5,586 people in Lucas County and 1,454 in Wood County, according to Prevent Blindness Ohio. About 43,000 Ohioans are blind, including an estimated 1,636 in Lucas County and 426 in Wood County. The number of Ohioans whose vision will be affected by age-related eye diseases is expected to double by the year 2030, Baldonado said. The most common causes of vision loss are AMD, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, according to Prevent Blindness Ohio. For more information or to register for the summit, visit www.pbohio.org or call (800) 301-2020. O — Sarah Ottney

seniors

A12

AG’s office warns grandparents of money scams

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The Delaware attorney general’s office is joining local authorities in warning residents about a scam targeting grandparents in which callers posing as a grandchild ask for money. The office says seniors from around the country have recently reported receiving phone calls from people who pose as a grandchild and claim to need money to help them in an emergency situation. The callers can get family information from social networking sites, marketing lists or obituaries. Authorities in Ohio, Michigan and New Jersey say the scam artists have bilked their residents out of thousands of dollars this year.

ACTIVE LIFESTYLES

By Blair Bohland

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

Springtime means gardening time, and whether you’re brand-new or an experienced gardener, there are always extra tips to help out that green thumb. The earliest date to plant is the “frost-free” date of May 15, but there are a few other ways to get a head start on your garden. “The earliest things you can plant are pansies,” said Mike Abernathy of Whiteford Road Greenhouse. “They’re real tough and frost-tolerant. They can actually be frozen and still survive.” But growers aren’t limited to only planting frost-tolerant plants like lettuces, kales and alpines this early in the season. Sun-loving plants can also get an early start. “You can always buy early and take them into your garage at night,” said Mary Machon of Bensell’s Greenhouse. “Usually you want to water weekly or every few days if you start this early. Then later in the season you can water up to twice a day.” Flowers like geraniums can take up to two months to bloom. “There are certain dates people have in mind. In order to have a really nice basket for Mother’s Day, you have to think ahead so the plants have time to bloom,” said Eileen Creque of Creque’s Greenhouse. “And geraniums are one of the biggest fertilizer hogs of all the plants we grow.” Creque also warns to watch for lime green colors on leaves. If lime green appears, the plant is robbing nutrients from its older leaves and won’t feed the newer ones, so caretakers would need to give the plants extra nutrients. “You have to be careful what fer-

tilizer you buy,” Creque said. “You should look to make sure it’s going to last as many months as you need for growing. Some will say two or three months, but that’s based on natural rainfall. Other fertilizers are released every time you water them. So many times the fertilizer gets used up sooner than the package says it will.” Machon also advises to water plants slowly and deeply. The roots will follow the water, and short roots mean a weak plant. “You don’t want a wimpy plant,” Machon said with a laugh. “You want a tough plant. You have to condition them.” Some plants don’t require much maintenance. For growers with long work hours and not enough time in the day, there are plenty of options to enjoy foliage without a lot of upkeep. “People are turning from annuals to plants like succulents, which are very drought-tolerant. You don’t have to water them all the time because they’re used to heavy sunlight,” Machon said. “You can even pinch them and keep them growing, or put them in a pot and bring them in and out. There isn’t a lot of upkeep and they all look great together — it doesn’t matter which ones you choose. They also work well with all sorts of soil and even bloom in the wintertime. They’re so easy.” A lot of other plants perform double duties too, which keeps costs down. Corn plants can be used as spikes for spice gardens, and potted xenias can be taken outside during warm months and inside during the winter. These are all great options for busy parents, the growers said. And for kids? “Sunflowers, bush beans and marigolds are great for kids. They start

toledo free press photo by BLAIR BOHLAND

Warm up by getting a head start on your garden

Eileen Creque of Creque’s Greenhouse advises gardeners to be careful of which fertilizers they use.

sprouting after a few days and are pretty tough. They grow quickly, too, so kids can see the progress,” Machon said. “If we could get every person to

plant just one plant, then that would be wonderful.” From care-free succulents to attention-craving vegetables, there seems

to be a plant for everyone, no matter what type of gardener you may be. You only need a little nudge with your green thumb. O

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April 10, 2011

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A13

GUEST COLUMN

Choosing home-care services that meet your needs

he decision to hire a homecare service to provide care for your loved one is an important one and can, at the same time, be very difficult. If an illness or recovery from surgery requires nursing care or physical therapy, a physician may order skilled home-care services that provide both skilled providers and personal aides. Your decision is then based on the obvious medical determinations made by the doctor. Your decision can, however, be limited by the providers covered by your medical insurance. The chosen skilled home-care agency will look into the billing before that would become a problem, and ensure that their services are covered by your insurance. But what if you as the family caregiver must determine the extent of care needed without the help of a doctor? Each home-care situation is unique. In the beginning, family or friends step in to help with simple tasks and support for aging seniors who want to stay in their homes. As long-term care needs progress, more time is required to manage those

needs. Physical and mental conditions change with aging, making usually routine hygiene and daily living activities difficult for an aging individual. Even with the healthiest of seniors, tasks like driving a car, shopping for groceries or doing general housekeeping eventually need to be relinquished to the responsibility of another person. In one example, Karen would stop by her parents’ home on Debra her way to work every morning and again on her way home from work in the evening. She checked in the morning to see that they were up and ready for the day and Karen would take a shopping list for things they needed. In the evening she delivered the needed items she had purchased during her lunch break and sometimes she fixed a meal when her mother did not prepare one. This worked well until Karen began to notice her father did not shave or dress during the day and both parents were forgetting their medications. Karen felt more time and supervision

was needed in their care but with her own family and job, she could not do it. Nonmedical or personal homecare services would be a good option for Karen to consider. Before starting your search for a nonmedical or personal home-care company, determine what the care needs are and how much time each week will be required for assistance from the company. You may want to consult Roidl with the family physician and other family members as well as experienced social workers or care managers to determine needs. Most home-care companies, as well, will help you do an assessment at no charge. With your care needs in hand, you are ready to begin your search. The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (www.nahc. org/home.html) gives the following guidelines and checklist in searching for a home-care company. O How long has this provider been serving the community?

O Does this provider supply literature explaining its services, eligibility requirements, fees, and funding sources? Many providers furnish their home-care clients with a detailed “Patient Bill of Rights” that outlines the rights and responsibilities of the providers, clients and family caregivers. O How does this provider select and train its employees? Does it protect its workers with written personnel policies and malpractice insurance? Does it protect clients from theft or abuse by bonding its employees? O Does this provider assign supervisors to oversee the quality of care clients are receiving in their homes? If so, how often do these individuals make visits? Who can the client and his or her family members call with questions or complaints? How does the company follow up on and resolve problems? O What are the financial procedures of this provider? Does the provider furnish written statements explaining all of the costs and payment plan options associated with home care? O What procedures does this provider have in place to handle emergencies? Are its caregivers

available on notice? O How does this provider ensure client confidentiality? If a home-care company has not previously been recommended to you, ask for a list of previous clients and call for their experience with this provider. Following up on these guidelines can help you determine the quality of personal care that is given. Many states license nonmedical home-care companies and require both legal and health standards to be maintained. If all of this is overwhelming to you at a time during which you are already stressed, a private geriatric care manager can assist with these decisions and take much of the guessing out of it. To find a care manager in your area and find out more about how this valuable professional can help with your unique situation, go to www. caremanager.org. O Debra Roidl, MSW, member of the National Care Planning Council, is a certified care manager in the Toledo area. Read more at www.independentcaresolutions.com. You can reach her by calling (419) 367-8835 or emailing debra@independentcaresolutions.com.

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seniors

A14 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

COMMUNITY

Church to give away food on April 16 By Emily B. Gibb

Toledo Free Press News Editor egibb@toledofreepress.com

Crossroads Church in Ottawa Lake is hosting a free food giveaway

from 10 a.m. to noon April 16. Last year’s food giveaway brought more than 300 cars, said Becky Fielder, office manager of Crossroads. “We’re hoping it will help people with an Easter meal,” Fielder said.

They buy the food in large pallets from a food bank in Detroit and also collect food donations. The pallets are placed around the parking lot so people can drive their cars through while volunteers hand

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them the bags of food. “It is so much fun and the people that serve get so much more out of it than the people that receive,” Fielder said. “It’s really, really fun to help people and just come together.” Other churches involved with the food giveaway include Whiteford Wesleyan Church, St. Michael’s Lutheran Church and Lighthouse Church — all located in Ottawa Lake. There are no requirements to receive food, but the church welcomes people to call ahead if they would like. For more information, call Crossroads Church at (734) 854-1301. O

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SPORTS

By Mike Bauman

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

The Lady Rockets were the toast of Toledo April 2. The basketball team defeated USC 76-68 in front of a packed house at Savage Arena to capture the 2011 Women’s National Invitational Tournament title, the first postseason tournament championship in school history. The city was captivated by the improbable run Toledo made to win the WNIT, and by the dazzling play of junior guard Naama Shafir, who shredded the Trojans’ defense with a career-high 40 points in the final game. The victory was indicative of how far the Rockets have come under head coach Tricia Cullop, and how far Shafir has come on her journey from a small-town girl in northern Israel who loved basketball to a collegiate star in Northwest Ohio. “I remember that I was looking for schools, and I knew, I had confidence that I’m good enough at basketball to play in this level,” Shafir said. “I just didn’t know how people were going to take my religion, if they would be able to help me and to let me practice my religion and still be part of the team. I remember after we heard from Toledo and Coach Cullop, they heard about me and we said, ‘OK.’ I was like, ‘I’m interested, but there’s some things that we need to talk about.’” An Orthodox Jew, Shafir and her family told the Rockets about her Jewish faith, about the T-shirt she had to wear underneath her jersey, about the kosher food she had to eat and the stipulations surrounding games on Saturdays, which is part of the Shabbat observation in Judaism. “They said, ‘Oh, that’s not a problem,” Shafir said. “I was like, ‘Oh, really!?’ So I was definitely happy, and it was good to know that people will respect my religion.” Shafir said when she arrived on the Toledo campus, her new teammates were immediately supportive and respectful of her beliefs, making her feel comfortable. “I can’t even imagine how it would be without their support,” Shafir said. It didn’t take long for Shafir’s opponents to respect her. She earned MidAmerican Conference All-Freshman Team honors and was honorable mention All-MAC in her first year at Toledo, averaging 11.7 points, 4.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. As a sophomore, those averages jumped to 14.3 points, 6.7 assists,

3.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals as Shafir earned Second-Team All-MAC and Academic All-MAC honors. This year, Shafir progressed and had arguably her best season yet. Shafir averaged 15.3 points, 5.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in 2010-11, receiving First-Team AllMAC honors as she helped the Rockets capture the MAC regular season title and No. 1 overall seed in the MAC Tournament. After a disappointing 61-55 loss to Eastern Michigan in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament March 11, Cullop made sure her team didn’t dwell on the defeat. “She just said, ‘OK. We have another opportunity to do something big,’” Shafir said. “It took us like two days to recover from that loss and start to think about the NIT, but she said, ‘We can still do something special.’” Shafir and her teammates delivered, taking out Delaware, Auburn, Alabama, Syracuse, Charlotte and USC en route to the WNIT title. Shafir averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in the WNIT to garner MVP honors, saving her best for last against the Trojans. “We all knew that we were going to give everything that we have,” Shafir said. “I just tried to help the team and do whatever it takes. I didn’t feel like I had 40 points. I actually felt like I’m missing a lot of layups and free throws.” A native of Hoshaya, Israel — a small town of about 350 families roughly 30 minutes north of Nazareth — Shafir has made significant strides in her growth as a basketball player and a person while in the United States, all the while bringing more attention to her family back home. “I just talked to my parents and they said, ‘Oh, my God. We feel like we’re celebrities because everybody is calling us and saying congrats and good job and tell Naama that,’ so it’s fun. It’s fun to have a lot of people who support you.” This August, the team will accompany Shafir on a trip to Hoshaya. “That’s amazing,” Shafir said. “I can’t wait, and I’m sure they’ll have lots of fun. They might think it’s a little bit different because it is different. That’s how I felt when I came here, but again, I’m happy they have the chance to meet my family, to see where I’m from and learn a little bit more about where I’m from.” With a bright future on the horizon for Toledo, Shafir’s story and the Rockets’ success is a constant reminder to take a chance on the unknown and always dare to dream. O

toledo free press photo by TJ IRWIN

Hoop dreams: Shafir helps Rockets make history

Jessica Williams, Left, and Naama Shafir join Rocky the rocket after defeating USC to win the WNIT championship.

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April 10, 2011

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mud hens 2011

April 10, 2011

mud hens 2011

Editor’s statement

Let’s go, Hens!

Welcome to the 2011 Toledo Free Press Mud Hens Opening Day special section! As Fifth Third Field looks back on nine successful years and looks ahead with a new manager, we hope you are as excited as we are about All Things Muddy. This is our sixth year celebrating Opening Day; thanks to all of the Toledo Free Press writers, photographers, sales representatives and advertisers 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!

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

Toledo Free Press Photo By James A. Molnar

April 10, 2011

— Sarah Ottney, Special Sections Editor n

Sarah Ottney, Toledo Free Press Special Sections Editor, with Muddy.

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April 10, 2011

Toledo’s ‘field of dreams’ celebrates 10 years By Lisa Renee Ward

TOLEDO FREE PRESS WEB EDITOR news@toledofreepress.com

In the late 1990s, the idea of creating a Downtown stadium for the Mud Hens moved from words to planning. After several years of debate, ground was broken on Oct. 20, 2000, with the first game played on the 8-acre site April 9, 2002. April 14 will open the 10th season of Mud Hens play at Fifth Third Field. In 1996, one of the first estimated price tags for the project was about $15 million, which increased to $25 million and was $37 million at the time of the groundbreaking. On May 21, 2002, it was reported the total project cost was about $100,000 under its final $39.2 million budget. Constructing a baseball field was not a new topic of discussion in the ’90s; it was first raised when the Mud Hens played at Swayne Field in Toledo the 1950s. The Mud Hens left the area for a time and when they returned, a former harness racing track at the Lucas County Recreation Center became Ned Skeldon Stadium, the home of the Hens for almost four decades. While many clamored for a Downtown ball field, some fans and elected officials believed the stadium should remain in Maumee and that renovating Ned Skeldon Stadium was a more cost-effective option. Initial plans aphs n Jamie Farr signs autogr e gam called for the ball t firs the ing dur field to be comat Fifth Third Field. pleted in 2000, but in May 1998 Lucas County voters said no at the ballot box to a proposed sales tax increase to assist in funding the ballpark and a proposed $9.4 million waterpark at the Lucas County Recreation Center. This led to the funding of the arena without a tax increase, but nixed the plans for the recreation center. The almost two-year Fifth Third Field construction project employed 200 workers during

the peak construction period, with both direct and indirect economic benefits. Thirteen companies were involved in the construction, nine of which were locally based. An average of 120 to 140 construction workers were employed daily on the site, according to the Mud Hens organization. The stadium is made up of 1,100 tons of steel, 8,100 cubic yards of concrete and 94,000 square feet of grass. The ballpark building is 150,000 square feet. The playing field is 14 feet below ground level with the excavation of 90,000 cubic yards of dirt needed as part of the construction. The ceremonial first pitch for the first game at Fifth Third Field on April 9, 2002, originally planned for 11 ceremonial pitchers and 11 ceremonial catchers. Actor and Toledo native Jamie Farr and then Gov. Bob Taft were among those on hand to throw out the first pitch. Toledo resident Sara Weaver performed the National Anthem. The ballpark has seating for n Oh io Go 10,300, but a standing-room-only Joe Napoliv.atBob Taft and Mud Hens Genera l the first game at Fifth Third FieManager crowd of 12,143 watched the Hens ld. take on the Norfolk Tides that day. Fifth Third Field has The Mud Hens took the field first, and scored the first hit from Jarrod Pat- received numerous accolades. In 2002 it was named terson, who earned the first run. One of the first songs played to get the “Best Ballpark in Minor the crowd pumped up during the game League Baseball” by Newswas “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob week and has drawn record atSeger. Seger was recently back in To- tendance. The most recent reledo, where he wore a Mud Hens jersey cord for attendance was set on May 14 when “American Idol” during his March 26 performance. That first game lasted two hours and runner-up Crystal Bowersox 16 minutes. The Hens started with a sang the National Anthem to two-run lead. They hit a few rough spots a crowd that numbered 13,200. when the Tide scored five runs, It was the 241st sell-out at Fifth but held on and won the Third Field. O first game in their new roost, 7-5.

A souvenir baseball from the first game at Fifth Third Field and a ticket to the April 9, 2002 game.

thrown on e first pitch

Opening Day,

All photos courtesy Lucas County Commissioners

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April 10, 2011

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Book now to catch some serious early bird savings from Toledo! The sooner you book, the more you save. *Valid between Toldeo and Tampa Bay. Seats are limited. Fares are one-way and not available on all flights. Must be purchased by Apr. 27 , for travel between Aug. 17- Nov. 15. Prices do not include PFC, segment tax or Sept. 11th security fee of up to $10.70 per segment. A segment is one take-off and one landing. A convenience fee of $16.99 per passenger will apply when booked on allegiant.com. A convenience fee of $16.99 per passenger, plus $14.99 per segment, will apply when purchased through Allegiant call centers. Purchases made at any Allegiant Airport Ticket Office will not incur a convenience or call center fee. For ticket counter hours of operation, please visit www.allegiant. com . When purchased at the time of booking, a checked bag fee of up to $29.99 per bag will apply per person, per segment. If purchased at flight check-in, a fee of $35 per checked bag, per person, per segment will apply for the first two bags checked. Additional higher fees will apply for three or more checked bags. Fare rules, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice. Restrictions apply. $20 savings based on a two-night, air+hotel purchase; valid at select Allegiant hotels.

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April 10, 2011

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By Chris Schmidbauer

Toledo Free Press Sports Editor cschmidbauer@toledofreepress.com

It’s funny how history repeats itself. Nineteen years ago Phil Nevin was a rising prospect in baseball after the Houston Astros selected him as the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. This season, Nevin is once again considered a rising prospect by some in baseball. That’s because the now 40-year-old will manage the Toledo Mud Hens after beginning his managerial career in baseball just three seasons ago. “When I started managing, I never thought I would be where I am [with Toledo] now,” Nevin said. “I guess I am just in the right place at the right time.” After retiring in 2006 — having played 12 years in the major leagues with seven different teams, including the Tigers — Nevin was a bit lost on what to do with his newfound free time. “I was without baseball every day in my life for the first time in awhile,” he said. After trying his hand at a broadcasting career, Nevin still felt like there was a piece missing. “I missed the coming to the ballpark every day and putting on a uniform,” he said. “I missed the camaraderie you get being with 24 guys in the locker room every day. I felt like there was a hole in my life.” Nevin’s journey as a manager began in December 2008, after he

agreed to take over the Orange County Flyers of the independent Golden Baseball League. “Getting the job happened by accident really,” he said. “I was actually going to do it as a favor to a friend. But once I got out there and started working, I realized that this was what I was missing.” The biggest challenge for the Fullerton, Calif., native was learning how to manage. He admitted that while some things translate, playing the game and managing it are sometimes two different things. “When you’ve been in the game you know there are always adjustments that need to be made, and managing is no different,” Nevin said. “I just come to the park with the mindset of just learning the game. If I learn something new every day, I think I will be successful at [managing].” The Detroit Tigers took notice of Nevin, and the organization took a chance on a former player to manage its Double-A club, the Erie SeaWolves. “Our former director of player development, Glenn Ezell, hired Phil on,” said Dan Lunetta, director of minor league operations for the Tigers. “We knew what he was about, and everyone here was pretty confident in Phil’s abilities.” Nevin guided the SeaWolves to a 66-76 record in 2010. When assessing his performance with Erie, Nevin was frank. “We fought through a lot of ad-

“

I was very interested when the position opened up. The Hens are an organization steeped in tradition ... ”

photo courtesy toledo mud hens

New manager Nevin eager to prove he’s worth the risk

— Phil Nevin versity last season,” he said. “We dealt with injuries, and we only won three games in the entire month of June. I thought we played well at times and not so much at others. I am not going to make any excuses. We wanted to be in first place at the end of the season, and we weren’t.” When the Mud Hens job came open after longtime manager Larry Parrish became the hitting coach with the Atlanta Braves, Nevin threw his hat in the ring, despite having only two years of managerial experience under his belt. “I was very interested when the position opened up,” Nevin said. “The Hens are an organization steeped in tradition, and it was definitely something I wanted to be a part of.” After going through a rigorous interview process, Nevin was offered the job. “It was definitely a great feeling to get the job,” he said. Lunetta said the Tigers have al-

2011 marks Phil Nevin’s first year as mud hens skipper.

ways looked at internal candidates first when trying to fill a vacancy and Nevin was one on the top of their list. “The organization always looks at the people we already have on staff and whether any are qualified to do the job,” Nevin said. “The front office had several discussions about the opening in Toledo and we kept coming back to Phil. We had confidence in him and that a promotion was warranted in this case.” Despite Lunetta’s confidence — and his own — in his managing abilities, Lunetta said he can see why hiring him could be seen as a risk. “I understand why people see this as a risky hire,” he said. “But I just have to go out and do my very best.” Nevin is also tasked with replacing legendary Larry Parrish, who managed the Mud Hens for seven seasons and became a constant in the organization during those years. Nevin is also balancing working with coaches A.J. Sager and Leon “Bull” Durham. The Mud Hens’ new skipper said that while many might have some reservations, the transition has gone extremely well. “I am fortunate to be working with a great staff in Toledo,” Nevin said. “Bull, A.J., and Matt [Rankin] have all been great to work with so far. We are all alike in a lot of ways.” He said Parrish has provided him

guidance as well. “LP and I have talked quite a few times since he took the job in Atlanta,” Nevin said. “He has given me some advice, and he has been a great friend to me.” Lunetta said those used to Parrish’s style of managing will notice a difference between the new guard and the old. “We used to love to say [Parrish] was a good old country boy. Phil’s not like that. He’s not as laid-back. He’s more intense than Larry was,” Lunetta said. “One thing that won’t change is that they both have a strong desire to help players get better and succeed.” When talking about the on-field prospects for this season, Nevin said it is difficult to predict exactly how a team will look come game time. “There is just so much that can happen during the course of a season,” he said. “I will say that we will have some pretty talented guys with us in Toledo, and I love the talent that is in the Tigers organization.” Whatever transpires this season, Nevin couldn’t be happier with where he is at in his career. “I think it is great that I got to this level so fast,” he said. “I am excited to work for a great organization with the Tigers, and I can’t wait till I set foot in Fifth Third Field for that Opening Day doubleheader. It is going to be really special for me.” O

mud hens 2011

A24 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

The Mud Hens have gone mobile. A new Mud Hens iPhone app has had about 2,000 downloads and 50,000 interactions since it launched in October — and that’s during the offseason, said Nathan Steinmetz, manager of online marketing and ticket sales. “It just shows how far ahead of the curve we are in social media. We’re way out in front and it says a lot about the fans, too. The numbers here show how excited fans get and how much a part of the team they want to be,” Steinmetz said. “We were one of the first teams to get onboard with the iPhone app and our downloads were the highest number of downloads for a minor league team, so again it’s our fan base really reacting to the technology we’re giving them. We expect these numbers to go way, way up once fans are at the game.” Mobile is the next frontier of social media, with predictions that 2012 will see more Web traffic through phones than computers, Steinmetz said. Steinmetz said he sees the app, which features access to news, schedules, stats, ticket information, a seating chart, social media feeds and more, serving as a companion piece for fans. “When you come to a game and you want to know where to get a hotdog, where the playground is at or the bathroom, or what promotion is going on that night, that’s kind of how we see it being used,” Steinmetz said. “We’ll find out.” The new Walleye iPhone app didn’t see the level of in-game usage that Steinmetz expects to see with the Mud Hens app.

“Hockey moves so quickly we didn’t see quite the activity with the app during the games because people are watching,” he said. “Baseball is perfect for an app because you have time to look up the batter’s stats and there’s breaks between all the innings so you’re going to get up and move around a lot more than you would at a hockey game. It’s kind of taking the computer and bringing it to the ballpark. So it’s exciting.” Also new this season, Mud Hens radio affiliate WCWA 1230 was added to the app iheartradio. Android, BlackBerry and iPhone users can download the free app, which will allow fans to stream Mud Hens gamecasts from anywhere. One direction Steinmetz hopes to go is more interactivity with fans, whether it’s surveys during games or featuring a Twitter Fan of the Game. Keeping up with advances and innovation in social media is a full-time job these days — which is where Steinmetz comes in. “It’s hard to believe just a few years ago no one was really in charge of the website,” said Steinmetz, who worked in sales for the Mud Hens before taking his current job, which was newly created two years ago. At first, the Mud Hens wrongly assumed active social media users would tend to be young and single, but research has shown seniors are active online as well, said President and General Manager Joe Napoli. “Our whole message changed, knowing that we’re not only talking to people that are single, we’re talking to family members,” Napoli said. “So that’s a real-world example of how research flipped our entire thinking about how we market and promote.”

Facebook and Twitter is all about promoting two-way conversations with fans. “It really kind of gives ownership to the fans in a way,” Steinmetz said. “We put the news out there and people react to it and share the information with other people. We’ll ask questions and they’ll respond – in droves sometimes. So it’s really about connecting and it’s been incredible for us so far. The growth has been astronomical the last couple years. It has become one of, if not the most effective way we can communicate with our fans.” The Mud Hens have 34,348 Facebook fans, up from 15,000 at the start of last season, and gain about 50 per day, Steinmetz said. That’s more than double the number of Facebook fans for any other minor league baseball team, according to the website SportsFan Graph.com, which ranks sports teams by number of social media fans and followers. On Twitter, the team went from a few hundred followers when it joined during the 2009 season to 4,115 followers now. Toledo ranks 11th for the number of Twitter followers. “We got in early and we’ve kind of grown up with it,” Steinmetz said. “My job was very, very new when I started. I was really the only one in the country. Now teams are hiring people like myself in every city, in every level of minor league baseball because they see the importance of it. So we were in

toledo free press photo by lisa stang

Mud Hens go mobile with iPhone app, gamecast

nathan steinmetz is manager of online marketing and ticket sales.

really early with Facebook and Twitter and that’s a big reason our numbers are so big.” Steinmetz said the Hens take pride in staying ahead of the curve. “A lot of that speaks to management, to Joe [Napoli] and the executive team, where they let us spread our wings a little and see what’s out there and be ready to take advantage of those opportunities as they come,” Steinmetz said. “There are

some minor league teams that are just getting into Facebook right now. We’ve been doing it for years and it’s become a huge part of the way we communicate with our fans. I can’t imagine how we would get the word out about anything without it.” For more information, visit the Mud Hens on Facebook, Twitter or at www.mudhens.com. Click on Multimedia and then Mud Hens Mobile. O

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mud hens 2011

Doubleheader sparks April 14 home opener By Mike Bauman

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

In addition to the usual promotions, contests and fireworks that Mud Hens fans have grown accustomed to at Fifth Third Field, the 10th anniversary this season will bring about new excitement with the introduction of an Opening Day doubleheader on April 14 against Columbus. The doubleheader will consist of two seven-inning games, with the first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. and the second contest slated for 7 p.m. What’s more is that fans will need just one ticket for both games. “We hatched this idea over a year ago,” President and General Manager Joe Napoli said. “We talked to the Tigers about it. We’ll see if this was the wisest idea or not. We think it’s going to be great. We think it’s going to be great for the Hens, for the fans, for Downtown. We’d like to think that it’s a great way to celebrate the 10th anniversary with a doubleheader. So from that perspective, we’re really excited.

“The only thing we need to have happen now is for it to be 70 degrees and sunny, and Downtown will be happening for the whole day. That’s the beauty of it.” With the Mud Hens reaching a historic mark in the franchise this season, both Toledo and the Tigers organization thought it would be fitting to do something different. “We look back historically, [and] we’re not aware of any club having a doubleheader on opening day,” Napoli said. “So from that perspective, we thought it was novel. The other perspective is that Opening Day is a holiday in town, so from that perspective we thought, ‘How do we capitalize on that? How do we make it even that much more fun?’ And we said, ‘Well, why don’t we play two?’ “We’ll take it a day at a time. The last thing that we would want to do is ruin a good thing, so I don’t know that we would do a doubleheader every year. But when the opportunity presents itself, maybe it would be an opportunity to do another doubleheader.” n OPENER CONTINUES ON A28

April 10, 2011

toledo free press photo by lad strayer

A26 n Toledo Free Press

The 2011 Mud hens home campaign opens with a doubleheader against Columbus on april 14.

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mud hens 2011

n OPENER CONTINUED FROM A26 The Hens can plan historic Opening Day activities now, but 10 years ago, the club was floundering. One of the most storied and recognizable franchises in all of minor league baseball struggled to compete and draw fans at Ned Skeldon Stadium in Maumee, home to the Mud Hens from 1965 to 2001. A converted harness racing track, Ned Skeldon Stadium lacked many of the modern amenities that help draw players and spectators, and it was evident in the team’s performances throughout the years. In 37 seasons at Ned Skeldon Stadium, the Mud Hens finished with a winning record just eight times, the last of which came in 1991. In its final nine seasons at the ballpark, Toledo amassed a 566-713 overall record. This included a 65-79 mark and 12th place finish in the International League in its last year at Ned Skeldon Stadium in 2001, when it drew just 300,079 fans. Both the community and franchise knew that change was needed to revitalize baseball in the city. After years of planning, that process finally came together with the opening of Fifth Third Field in Downtown Toledo on April 9, 2002. “It’s interesting because people tend to only remember all of the fond

memories around opening Fifth Third Field,” Napoli said. “It took us the better part of five years to persuade the community that this might be a good idea.” Through a public-private model with private dollars coming in through sponsorships, naming rights, founders’ suites and season tickets, and public money coming in through county-issued bonds, the Hens had a strong financial plan in place to fund the building of a new ballpark. Entering its 10th season Downtown, the franchise and Fifth Third Field have reached tremendous success, silencing the people who were not supportive of the new ballpark. “Since then, the county borrowed $20 million,” Napoli said. “We’ve almost paid half of it back after just nine years. We anticipated it would take us 25 years to pay the bonds back. We’re ahead of schedule. We’re very proud of that. That controversy disappeared, especially after the first five years where we had some terrific success, and here we are going on year No. 10 and I can’t believe it. It’s been a blur.” To say that Fifth Third Field has been a hit from the get-go would be a huge understatement. Fifth Third Field was named “Best Ballpark in Minor League Baseball” by Newsweek in its inaugural season in 2002, when 547,204 fans came out to see the Mud

toledo free press photo by melissa gRaden

A28 n Toledo Free Press

NAPOLI Hens and contributed to 27 sell-outs. It has become the centerpiece of Downtown Toledo, helping revitalize the once downtrodden Warehouse District with a host of restaurants and pubs, including Fricker’s, The Blarney Irish Pub, Jed’s, Tony Packo’s and PizzaPapalis. During the first nine seasons at

April 10, 2011

Fifth Third Field, there have been a total of 268 sellouts as 5,027,539 fans have attended 646 regular season games. That is an average of 7,783 fans per game in a stadium with a seat capacity of 8,943. In comparison, Ned Skeldon Stadium drew just 2,744,014 fans in its final nine seasons. According to Napoli, the stadium alone is not responsible for that success, but also constant research through companies like Scarborough Research and Great Lakes Marketing to continue to connect with the Mud Hens fan base. “When you look at it, we spend a fair amount of money on research,” Napoli said. “And what we’ve learned is that a very small percentage of people — less than 10 percent — come out solely for the baseball. So there’s roughly 8 to 10 percent that are diehard baseball fans. The other 90 percent come out for the same reasons that motivate families to go see any family show. “What we do is we constantly survey our fans to find out if we’re doing the right things, and they continually tell us that we are. And when we fail they tell us that, too, so we can respond to it, and that’s why the club continues to be successful; we listen to what fans have to say.” The combination of the tireless work ethic of Napoli, the Mud Hens front office and the Tigers front office

Spend

with the strong support of the Toledo fan base has translated into great success on the baseball diamond, as well. The Mud Hens have compiled a 676-613 overall record with just three losing seasons out of nine total Downtown, including back-to-back Governors’ Cup championships in 2005 and 2006. Toledo was also selected by Baseball America for the 2005 Bob Freitas Award, an award given annually to the best operation at each minor league level in baseball. Napoli’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, either, having received International League Executive of the Year honors in the 2002, 2005 and 2006 seasons. As far as the next 10 seasons go, for Napoli it’s about continuing to attract a wider audience and build on the Mud Hens tradition. “I think what’s happened is that it’s a tradition now,” Napoli said. “It’s an annual tradition for people to come and see the Mud Hens game. What we have to do is persuade all of those other people that think it’s about the baseball and persuade them that it’s not about the baseball. We think there’s still a lot of upside to the Hens. “Believe it or not, there are people in our community that still have not come out to see the Hens, so we’ve got to persuade them to give us a try.” O

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Chicklets dance for Hens

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teams once practices begin. “It will be a very upbeat jazz routine to get the audience going,” Khuong said. Nafziger initially contacted Khuong to let her know about The Chicklets registration and the partnership fell into place from there, Khuong said. “I did stuff like this when I was young so it’s neat that I will be able to do it with them now,” she said. — Emily B. Gibb

Making its debut this season, The Chicklets — the official dance team of the Toledo Mud Hens — will entertain audiences during the period between the end of the game and beginning of the fireworks. Around 60 girls ages 5 through 12 registered and will begin practicing in May, said Heidi Nafziger, assistant manager of souvenir sales and services. O r i g i n a l l y, girls were going NAFZIGER to learn the routine on the same day as the registration in March, but there was not enough practice space for all of the girls that showed up. “I know the kids are really excited, and it will be exciting to see them practice,” Nafziger said. Teams of 10 to 20 girls will dance at around 12 games, but the performance dates are not scheduled yet. The team will be sponsored by Root’s Poultry, Nafziger said. Rising Stars Dance Academy owner Nikki Khuong is choreographing and will teach the routine to the various

Five millionth fan

Overall attendance in the history of Fifth Third Field surpassed 5 million last season during the Sept. 4 game against the Columbus Clippers, topping off at a total of 5,027,539 by the end of the season. The ballpark hit the 1 million milestone on Aug. 7, 2003, 2 million on July 21, 2005, 3 million on June 24, 2007, and 4 million on Aug. 29, 2008. “To provide some perspective, it took 30 years before the five millionth fan walked through the gates at the Lucas County Recreation Center/Ned Skeldon Stadium,” said President and General Manager Joe Napoli in a news release at the time. — Staff Reports

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mud hens 2011

A30 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

Helping Hens give back to Toledo community By Joel Sensenig

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

ball from Dad personally. It was so important to him to create an extraspecial lasting memory of a night at the park with Toledo Mud Hens for as many children as he could.” At the end of the day, Pastula

maintains it’s all about giving back for the Hens. “We try to do that through a variety of ways, whether it’s a player visit, tickets for needy kids or by making donations,” she said. “It’s so important for

toledo free press photo by melissa graden

Some of the Mud Hens’ biggest plays take place outside the chalk lines of Fifth Third Field. The ball club is well-known for its efforts to help the community that regularly pushes game attendance near the top of the minor leagues. To reciprocate the love it gets from fans, the Mud Hens donate thousands of tickets, visit schools, host baseball camps and help raise money for nearly 1,000 area organizations. “The Mud Hens as an organization feels it is important to give back to the Toledo area community,” said Cheri Pastula, community relations manager for the Mud Hens. “We receive such tremendous support from our fans that come to the games and support the Mud Hens. We feel it’s only right and appropriate to give back to the community that has been so kind to us.” All of the Hens’ charitable campaigns are operated through the Helping Hens Charitable Fund, an effort established in 2005 that provides a means for donors to make gifts to the club’s numerous charitable programs. One of the most prominent ways the team gives back to fans is through its Muddy’s Knothole Club, which provides tickets to underprivileged children from Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. The Mud Hens develop partnerships with local businesses and individuals to purchase tickets. Families can also donate toward the cause in memory of loved ones who have passed away. During the past 16 years, the team has helped 16,000 young Hens fans make it out to the old ball game to root on the team from Toledo. “We feel it’s important to get these kids to come to a game because we know many of them would never be

able to,” Pastula said. Sometimes, the Mud Hens wear their charitable side on their sleeves — literally. For three games this year, players will wear specially-designed jerseys made with a particular local charity in mind. The game-worn jerseys are then auctioned off to fans, with proceeds going back to that charity. This year’s jersey auctions are: O June 10: Patriotic jersey night, with auction proceeds going to Heroes in Action, which sends care packages to soldiers deployed overseas. O July 17: Latino jersey night, benefiting a Latino scholarship fund. OAug. 20: American Cancer Society jersey day, which will raise money for the organization’s Relay for Life campaign. The auctions typically raise up to $6,000 each, Pastula said. Some of the Mud Hens’ goodwill does take place on the playing surface at the stadium, however. Each summer, the team hosts the Gene Cook Foundation Baseball Camp for Kids, which allows 100 underprivileged children to attend a two-hour baseball camp, learning the finer points of the game from Mud Hens players. After being schooled on their pitching techniques and batting stances, the youth take their seats in the stands for a game that night, as well as receiving a baseball and T-shirt. The camps are a tribute to Gene Cook, former general manager of the team. After his death in 2002, his family created the foundation as a way to help children in Toledo participate in athletics. This year’s Cook Camp is June 23, and the team is working with four different organizations to select children to participate. The Cook family stated in a press release, “So many Toledo area children (now adults) have a fond memory of receiving their first Mud Hens base-

Cheri Pastula is community relations manager for the Mud hens.

us to give back because we receive such good support from our community.” For more information on making a donation to the Helping Hens Charitable Fund, contact Pastula at (419) 725-4367. O

April 10, 2011

mud hens 2011

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

Welcome 2011 Henâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fans! Open for the game Easter Sunday 7 S. Superior St. Âť 419-246-1111

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mud hens 2011

St. Pierre catching on with Hens By Chris Schmidbauer

Toledo Free Press Sports Editor cschmidbauer@toledofreepress.com

Canada’s national sport of choice is hockey, and no place embodies Canada’s love for hockey like Quebec. The province has produced 754 NHL players since the league’s inaugural season in 1917, according to HockeyReference.com. But hockey has never been Mud Hens catcher Max St. Pierre’s favorite sport. He has always been drawn to baseball. “I played a lot of sports growing up,” St. Pierre said. “There was just something about baseball that caught my attention. There was just something about the game that was so intriguing. I took it up and got pretty good at it.” St. Pierre was better than pretty good. Scouts soon heard about the young catcher from Quebec City and started coming to watch him play locally. His performance was good enough to get him drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 26th round of the 1997 MLB Draft. “I knew I was going to get drafted, and it was actually kind of a relief

when I was finally picked,” he said. Not everyone was relieved by St. Pierre’s newfound career however. The then-16-year-old St. Pierre said many people told him it would be a tough transition to life in America. “Several people advised me not to go, but I didn’t care about any of that stuff,” he said. “When they told me that I could get paid to play baseball, all I thought was ‘Where do I sign?’” The first bump in St. Pierre’s raod to a successful baseball career was when he found out he was not going to start playing with the Tigers. “I thought I was going to the major leagues right away. We didn’t have all of these leagues like Single-A, DoubleA and Triple-A. I just figured I was going to start playing in Detroit.” There were other struggles along the way while trying to adjust to the lifestyle of a professional baseball player. St. Pierre didn’t speak English when he was first assigned to the Gulf Coast League Tigers in 1997. Plus, he was dealing with the culture shock of living in America. “It was really tough those first couple of seasons,” he said. “I didn’t speak the language, and I wasn’t used to the life.”

There were problems on the diamond as well. The Canadian was contending with a higher level of talent than he had faced before. “When I left home I was the best at everything in my town when it came to baseball. All of a sudden, I was playing against guys who were the best in their towns or schools at baseball.” For the next 14 seasons, St. Pierre would toil to hone his skills in the minor leagues. He admits they were difficult times, but throughout the ordeal, St. Pierre tried to maintain a positive attitude. “I learned quickly that this was a business,” he said. “There is a lot of politics involved with it, and I didn’t let doubters get me down. I just tried to stay upbeat.” For all but one of those 14 seasons, St. Pierre was with the Tigers organization. While others might have sought greener pastures, he said there was a mutual respect built between the two. “I like being with the Tigers,” he said. “I know everyone and I feel comfortable where I am at. I am a winner and they are winners, and that is what I like about this organization.” n ST. PIERRE CONTINUES ON A33

April 10, 2011 photo by lad strayer/courtesy toledo mud hens

A32 n Toledo Free Press

Max St. Pierre was drafted by the detroit tigers in 1997.

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Sunday, May 15, 2011

Rain or Shine! at the Toledo Area Humane Society building 1920 Indian Wood Circle, Maumee 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

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Just when it seemed like St. Pierre might never be called up to Detroit, all of his loyalty and hard work paid off. After nearly a decade and a half in the minor leagues, St. Pierre was called up to Detroit in September of last season. “I got pulled out of the game early and I couldn’t figure out what was going on,” he said. “[Manager] Larry Parrish told me that I had been called up to Detroit, and I didn’t register it at first. Then I started thinking of all the years of hard work and sacrifices I made to keep my dream of playing major league baseball alive. I just sat there with tears in my eyes on the end of the bench. “Then LP told me that I had to get it together because I had to be the bullpen catcher. We only had two catchers on the Mud Hens at the time, and he told me not to get hurt. I said, ‘OK, I won’t get hurt’,” St. Pierre said with a chuckle. The dream finally became a reality on Sept. 4, 2010, when St. Pierre made his major league debut after 3,314 games in the minor leagues. Making the night even better was collecting his first major league hit as well. “It was an unbelievable moment,” he said. “The whole organization

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I love Toledo. I love the fans and the people.” — Max St. Pierre

treated me like I was an All-Star. I felt important, and it was first-class all the way [in Detroit].” Unfortunately St. Pierre’s dream was short-lived. After the season was over, the Tigers removed St. Pierre from the 40-man roster and re-signed him to a minor league deal for 2011. But the 30-year-old is not giving up on making Motown his permanent baseball home. “I am always going to work hard and keep moving forward,” he said. St. Pierre isn’t putting any expectations on this season either. “I just want to stay healthy,” he said. “I have broken my hand and wrist a few times, and I just want to stay healthy. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” He also said spending the start of the season in Toledo is a nice consolation too. “I love Toledo,” he said. “I love the fans and the people there. Everyone is so friendly, and they know baseball too, which is great. Plus the Mud Hens organization is great too. It is a great place to play.” O

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A34 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Longtime Mud Hens staffer Scott Jeffer could count on one hand the job offers outside the Toledo franchise he would have seriously considered. When his phone rang last fall, it was one of them calling. “If the New York Yankees call, and they want to create a position especially for me, and it’s a position that I’m interested in, that’d be one,” Jeffer told Toledo Free Press while en route to New York in March. “No offense to even some of the local major teams — Cleveland, Cincinnati — with the same offer I’d probably still stay in Toledo. But the Yankees are on another level.” Growing up on Long Island, Jeffer never thought one day he would work in the hallowed halls of Yankee Stadium. “No, I thought I was going to be the second baseman,” Jeffer said, laughing. “But then I never got above 5-5, so to me this is the closest thing to it. I guess I hoped, but I never did think it would actually happen and

now here I am in Pennsylvania three states away, so it’s pretty exciting. But if I hear one more George Costanza joke from ‘Seinfield’ ... ” Jeffer came to the Mud Hens in 1993 as an unpaid intern while majoring in sports management at the University of Michigan. He was hired after graduation and has been in Toledo ever since, most recently as assistant general manager of marketing, advertising and sales. His work with Customer Relationship Management (CRM), a targeted marketing strategy the Mud Hens has been utilizing for at least six years, caught the attention of the Yankees, who recruited him to launch a similar initiative in New York. “The Yankees are a top brand. They’ve been around for 100 years, moved into a $1 billion new stadium a couple years ago, but this is an area they haven’t done a whole lot with yet and they enlisted me to do it from scratch,” said Jeffer, whose first day was March 25. “I’ll be doing the same things I’ve done in Toledo and taking the same philosophies to New York — just with a lot more dollars on the line. n JEFFER CONTINUES ON A35

photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Yankees call up longtime Hens staffer Scott Jeffer

Scott jeffer started with the mud hens in 1993 as an unpaid intern. he has been hired by the new york yankees.

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April 10, 2011 n JEFFER CONTINUED FROM A34 “We’re used to selling $9 a ticket; they’re selling hundreds per ticket and that jumps to thousands in suites. I feel like I’m going from the most famous minor league team to the most famous major league team.” With a newly created title — manager of CRM and database strategist — Jeffer will work to develop and implement a companywide CRM and database system for the Yankees, who coincidentally hosted Detroit, the Mud Hens’ major league affiliate, on March 31 to open the season. CRM is basically a highly sophisticated “electronic rolodex,” allowing the Mud Hens to track the interests and preferences of fans and potential fans in order to market as efficiently as possible, Jeffer said. “The bad systems just track names and addresses,” Jeffer said. “Ours integrates with accounting and ticketing. All the systems talk back and forth. Our goal is to know as much about our fans as possible, every time they attend a baseball game, every time they call us on the phone.” That information allows the Mud Hens to create targeted marketing campaigns by searching customers by criteria such as ZIP code, baseball camp attendance or those who bought tickets for an Opening Day game, Jeffer said. “CRM is an emerging area in

business in general,” Jeffer said. “I’m looking forward to taking business practices that have worked successfully in Toledo and bringing them into a larger scale. I just want to help a franchise that’s already the top franchise and make them even bigger.” But Jeffer said the biggest lesson he’ll take with him from Toledo is how important it is to have a personal relationship with fans. “You can do all the marketing in the world, but there’s nothing like getting feedback from hometown fans,” Jeffer said. “In New York, I won’t be able to walk around and meet 44 million people, but as a staff, if we can gather as much information as we can, it’s going to help us to provide services for fans and sell them what they want to purchase. Especially when the economy is down, we want to know as many details as possible. The more information you know and the more personal emotional connection you can make with fans, the better your product will be. And I learned that on a smaller scale in Toledo.” Despite growing up in New York, Jeffer said he isn’t a die-hard Yankees fan. “The truth is, I was a Mets and a Yankees fan — I was one of those people who rooted for both,” Jeffer said. “I probably went to more Mets games because it’s easier to get there on the train from Long Island.” He was at Game 6 of the 1986 World Series when the Mets, down

“

You can do all the marketing in the world, but there’s nothing like getting feedback from hometown fans.” — Scott Jeffer to their final strike and about to lose to the Boston Red Sox, pulled off an improbable comeback at Shea Stadium. The win tied the series, forcing a Game 7, which the Mets would win two days later to clinch the title. “The ball went through Bill Buckner’s legs and the Mets guy came around and scored the winning run,” Jeffer said. “At the time it was a real historic moment — still is for sports fans. It was wild. That was probably the best moment of my life at the time.” Jeffer said his favorite Mud Hens memory is how Toledo fans impressed the visiting coach at a 2006 playoff game at Fifth Third Field. “Here was this game, the final game of ’06, and we just had a screaming 10,300 sell-out crowd and the GM of the Rochester Red Wings said ‘Being here and seeing this atmosphere almost makes me want to root for Toledo,’” Jeffer said. “And it was like a

Visit www.toledofreepress.com tingling feeling: Look at what we built up. At the old stadium, we couldn’t sell out games — ever. Out here was a playoff game and everyone was there and everyone was screaming. It was something special.” That game is also memorable because Jeffer caught a home run ball. “Off the net, I actually caught a Dustan Mohr home run ricochet,” Jeffer said. “I’d never caught a ball in my life, but I happened to be in the outfield in the outdoor picnic area. It bounced once and I got it. I gave it to a little kid, who just took it and never said a word. That’s the only thing bad about the memory. But I’ll always remember that, the only fair ball I ever got. I probably won’t have a good chance to catch a ball at Yankee Stadium.” Jeffer said he will miss his coworkers in Toledo. “Our staff is a very humble group. There’s not a lot of egos. They’re easy people to talk with and it was never about us on the staff, it was always about the team,” Jeffer said. “The average fan doesn’t want to see people in a suit. They want someone just like they are — a fan who understands what it means to have a good time at the game. We’ll see how that works in New York. All I can do is try.” Jeffer will be missed for a long list of reasons, said Mud Hens President and General Manager Joe Napoli. “He’s been with us for 20 years so

you leave your mark on an organization,” Napoli said. “His personality, his enthusiasm. He clearly loved the Mud Hens, the Walleye and Toledo, met his wife here, had children here, the whole package. He was extremely dedicated, worked extremely hard and was with us from the days back at Ned Skeldon Stadium when the thought of even having a marketing initiative or a marking department, we couldn’t even fathom the thought. That marketing department was maybe a sliver of somebody’s time when there was only half a dozen of us in the front office, so he’s been extremely valuable over the last 20 years.” Although he’s moving on, Jeffer hopes Toledoans don’t lump him into the “brain drain” category — just another guy leaving for the big city. “I wasn’t looking to leave Toledo for anything,” Jeffer said. “I’ve enjoyed every second from the first day of being in Toledo and me leaving has nothing to do with not enjoying the Mud Hens or the Toledo Walleye or the great things that those teams are going to continue to do, but just trying to not turn down a lifetime career opportunity. I love Toledo. I love the midsized town. I would be happy in Toledo for the rest of my life. But I’d always wonder what could have happened if I hadn’t turned this down. Where could I have gone with my career? I thought I had to at least try it.” O

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Pitcher Andy Oliver focused on the present TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPORTS EDITOR cschmidbauer@toledofreepress.com

Being Andy Oliver can’t be easy, especially these days. After all, when Baseball America ranks you as the third best prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization, you are bound to turn a few heads when you walk into a room. During the annual Mud Hens media day, Oliver was the event’s star attraction. Every news outlet in town was pounced in prime position, waiting to speak with the 23-year-old. “It kind of comes with the territory,” Oliver said. “There’s been a lot of attention because expectations for me are what they are.” The left-hander has been on the baseball radar for quite a while now. Originally drafted in 2006 by Minne-

sota, Oliver turned down the Twins to pitch at the collegiate level for Oklahoma State, where he was an AllAmerican for the Cowboys. “The biggest thing for me was becoming more experienced,” Oliver said about why he chose college. “I think there were plenty of moments and things I got to take part in at Oklahoma State that I wouldn’t have been able to in the minors.” The Vermilion, Ohio, native would be drafted again in 2009, this time in the second round by the Detroit Tigers, who thought of him highly enough to assign him to their DoubleA affiliate Erie for his first full professional season. Oliver rewarded the Tigers for their faith in his abilities by going 6-4 with a 3.61 ERA in 14 starts with the SeaWolves. What was even more impressive was Oliver’s 70 strikeouts in

77.1 innings pitched. The Tigers liked what they saw so much they purchased Oliver’s contract from Erie so they could see where their budding superstar was at. But Oliver’s time in the majors was not nearly as successful. In five starts, he was 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA. “I learned a lot about what I needed to work on in Detroit,” Oliver said. “I think I learned that my approach to the game needed to be better. There was a lot more I could get away with in Double-A that I couldn’t get away with in the big leagues.” He was demoted and sent to Toledo, where he worked on perfecting his craft for the remainder of the 2010 season. He had moderate success in Triple-A, making nine starts for a 3-4 record with a 3.23 ERA. Heading into this season, Oliver was expected to compete for a spot in

the Tigers starting rotation. Despite a strong spring, the Tigers front office opted to have him start the season with the Mud Hens. While starting in Toledo may not have been Oliver’s first choice, he isn’t acting like it. When speaking with him, it’s clear his focus is on getting himself and the Hens off to a good start. “I am excited to start the season, and I am just trying to help this team win some games. I think I have what it takes to pitch in the major leagues, but right now I am going to focus on pitching well and being a leader in the locker room.” Try as he might, it’s hard to deny the grand plans the Tigers and their fans have for Oliver. To say the expectations are high is a bit of an understatement. If any of the current starting pitchers struggle or get injured, the consensus is Oliver will get

photo by paul nelson/courtesy toledo mud hens

By Chris Schmidbauer

Andrew oliver on the mound for the mud hens.

the first crack at filling the vacancy. But whatever the expectations might be, Oliver isn’t paying attention. “They are always going to be there, but you just can’t think about that stuff,” he said. “If you dedicate any time to thinking about them, it will start affecting your performance. I have such a higher set of expectations for myself anyway. “It is all about getting a good start. I worked on my slider in the spring and that needs to get better. My consistency needs to get better, and I need to keep working hard.” At the end of the day, Oliver knows that no matter what the timetable for his return to Detroit, he can only control one thing — how he plays. “My mind is here. I am here to help this team win, and if and when I get called back up to the Tigers, it will happen when it happens.” O

mud hens 2011

A38 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

By Mike Bauman

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

Relationships are a lot of work. Whether it’s personal or professional, both sides need to be on the same plane of communication and willing to compromise with one another in order to make the relationship succeed. Success can only be achieved if both parties can come to a mutual understanding more often than they disagree, and if their intentions and decisions are made with each other in mind. When it comes to the affiliation of the Toledo Mud Hens with the Detroit Tigers, the relationship couldn’t be better between the two organizations. This year, Toledo enters its 25th consecutive season as the Triple-A affiliate of Detroit, having been with the Tigers every year since 1987, the fourth-longest relationship in TripleA baseball. “The Tigers have always been very good to the Mud Hens,” Mud Hens President and General Manager Joe Napoli said. “The decade of the late ’80s through the ’90s, the relationship was really based on proximity to Toledo because as a Triple-A baseball fa-

cility, unfortunately Ned Skeldon Stadium was a converted harness racing track. Through the decade of the ’90s, they were very patient with us toward the tail end when we all knew we needed a new ballpark.”

Turning point

While Napoli has served as Toledo’s GM since 1999, he has seen the franchise from both ends of the spectrum. Napoli first held a sales position with the Mud Hens organization about two decades ago before leaving for jobs in Chicago and Detroit, serving as corporate sales and promotions manager for the Bulls and assistant director of marketing and sales for the Tigers, respectively. When he returned to Toledo 12 years ago, Napoli brought years of business savvy and experience to help lead the Mud Hens in the right direction. “The turning point, really, was when Dave Dombrowski got hired as the Tigers’ president/GM,” Napoli said. “He has changed the franchise dramatically.” Dombrowski was hired as the Tigers team president on Nov. 5, 2001, assumed the role of general manager April 8, 2002, and now serves as president, CEO and GM for Detroit. When

Dombrowski came to the organization, Napoli said he told himself and Toledo Board of Directors Chairman Mike Miller that quality, hardworking people would be hired and that they wouldn’t be outworked. “Even when they have a lack of success on the field, it’s typically not because they’ve made a series of bad decisions,” Napoli said. “It’s typically because you have things outside of your control. Guys are going to get injured. Guys are going to get older, and you can’t control those factors. The fact is that they won’t get outworked.” Together with Tigers Vice President and Assistant General Manager Al Avila, Dombrowski began rebuilding the franchise and helped make Detroit into a contender by the 2006 season. That year, the Tigers finished with a 95-67 record and reached the World Series for the first time since 1984. With the addition of Dan Lunetta as Detroit’s director of minor league operations on Dec. 8, 2004, both franchises had the front office pieces in place to bring great success to each club. “The relationship has never been better,” Napoli said. “The entire staff — Dave Dombrowski, Al Avila, Dan

TOLEDO FREE PRESS PHOTO BY JOHN POLLOCK

Mud Hens mark 25th season as Tigers affiliate

Joe Napoli has served as Mud hens General manager since 1999.

Lunetta — we work with Dan Lunetta on a regular basis. He oversees all the minor league operations. He’s terrific. I know that there are other franchises at the Triple-A level that are envious of our relationship with the Tigers. That’s how good it is.”

Why it works

Lunetta said the most critical com-

ponents of any partnership are the relationships between the individuals involved in maintaining that working partnership, adding that the relationships between Napoli, Miller, the Mud Hens board members, Dombrowski, Avila, Tigers Director of Player Development Mike Rojas and himself work extremely well. n TIGERS CONTINUES ON A39

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April 10, 2011 n TIGERS CONTINUED FROM A38 “If the relationship doesn’t mesh, if those relationships don’t mesh, then the partnership ultimately will have a difficult time succeeding,” Lunetta said in a phone interview with Toledo Free Press. “In our case, the relationships work extraordinarily well, and that’s what allows our partnership to thrive in the manner that it does. I can’t say enough positive things about the Toledo organization, about how our relationship works. “When a relationship works extraordinarily well — as ours does — there really isn’t a lot that you can say underneath that. We understand each other very well. We understand what’s important to one another.” Couple that cohesiveness with the fact that there is a large contingent of Detroit fans in Toledo, and the Tigers and Mud Hens are practically a perfect match. “Southeast Michigan, Northwest Ohio, it’s a great region for sports in general — all sports — but even better for baseball,” Napoli said. “When you look at baseball in this community and you tie in both Cleveland and Detroit, what could be better? From that perspective, there’s a lot to be pleased about, a lot to be thankful for.” Along with the shared fan base is the added bonus of the proximity of the two clubs, which gives both teams

the ability to interchange players without much hassle. “Beyond how things work on a personal level, the greatest advantage for us as a parent club obviously is that when the Toledo club is at home and there LUNETTA is a need, we can arrange for somebody to be at Comerica [Park] almost on a last minute’s notice,” Lunetta said. “Sometimes that last-second call-up, that lastminute call-up because of our proximity to Toledo might make a difference in a game being won or lost. One never knows.” In 2006, the same year Detroit made it to the World Series, Toledo won its second straight Governors’ Cup Championship. Former Mud Hens Brandon Inge, Curtis Granderson and Craig Monroe all played key roles for the 2006 Tigers as the three combined for 430 hits, 74 home runs and 243 RBI that season, with Monroe setting a franchise record with five homers in the postseason.

Impact of Fifth Third Field

Aiding in the resurgence of both clubs was the opening of Fifth Third Field in Downtown Toledo

on April 9, 2002. “It can’t be measured, it’s that valuable,” Lunetta said of Fifth Third Field. “For us from a baseball standpoint, when we evaluate those critical areas in the relationship with an affiliate club, there are three components: the ownership/front office organization of the affiliate club, the facility and the geographical proximity to Detroit. When you examine those three components in our relationship with Toledo, one can easily see that creates a perfect match for Detroit and Toledo. “The Mud Hens are run in a major league fashion in every sense of the word, and when we are signing veteran-type free agents during the off-season, it’s not difficult at all to present to a player the advantages to playing in Toledo.” Until Fifth Third Field was built, it was difficult to get players to sign with Toledo. “When we were out at the [Lucas County] fairgrounds at Ned Skeldon Stadium, players would reluctantly play at that ballpark, and it had nothing to do with the City of Toledo, it had nothing to do with the City of Maumee, it had nothing to do with the community,” Napoli said. “It had everything to do with the playing facilities, and no matter how we dressed it up, it was still a converted harness racing track. Now

Visit www.toledofreepress.com today, we have guys who would love to come to Toledo.” Lunetta added that in his seven years with Detroit he has never heard one negative word from a player who has played for the Mud Hens, and that guys who leave the organization on their own accord often comment how they’d love to come back to be able to play in Toledo. “The guys love playing in Toledo,” Lunetta said. “Players rave about playing in Toledo, and they always have since I’ve been here.” Even though fans are sometimes doubtful about how much their support means to the players, Napoli said the feedback he gets from both current and former players about fans is outstanding. “Our players, they’ll be the first to tell you that if they have to play at the Triple-A level, that they would play in Toledo,” Napoli said. “It would be a first choice. The fact of the matter is, is that again there’s some fans out there that might be skeptical and might think that their support or cheering for a player, they may think it doesn’t motivate them. It clearly does, and we hear that consistently. “When you mention Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge, Joel Zumaya, Craig Monroe and all these guys that have passed through Toledo, they comment about that all the time, and they’re very genuine about that.”

Staying competitive

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Now that the Tigers have become a team that’s built to compete year-in and year-out, the task of acquiring quality, veteran minor league players has become a greater challenge because of that success. “Anytime a player reaches that veteran status as a minor league free agent, a guy who has had some service time in the major leagues, he’s looking to get back to the major leagues,” Lunetta said. “He’ll go to Triple-A with the understanding that he’s going to be playing there, but we look at that type of player as somebody who could fill a need for us at the major league level when the need arises. That part of signing a veteran-type player becomes a little more challenging when you don’t have as many opportunities at the major league level as we did seven, eight years ago. “If Al [Avila] or myself, if we are out trying to sign a player, a veteran-type player who’s had success at the minor league level, who’s had success at the Triple-A level and we know he can help us win in Toledo, if we’re selling him only on the value of playing in Toledo and we do not expect that there will be any opportunity for that player at the major league level, chances are we’re not going to sign that guy.” n TIGERS CONTINUES ON A40

mud hens 2011

A40 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

By Mike Bauman

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

While most of Toledo couldn’t wait until the clock struck zero on the life of Ned Skeldon Stadium as home to the Mud Hens in the early 2000s, a young, hardworking, up-and-coming prospect from Lynchburg, Va., was enjoying the ballpark’s final days as he began his journey to the big leagues. That player was Brandon Inge, now 33 years old and in his 11th season in a Tigers uniform. At the age of 23 in 2000, Inge made his debut as a catcher with Toledo after being called up from Double-A Jacksonville. “It took me back to my roots,” Inge said of Ned Skeldon Stadium in a phone interview with Toledo Free Press. “It felt like old-school baseball where I grew up. I grew up in Lynchburg, Va., and it just felt like good, old country baseball. I had a great time playing there, and everyone used to talk about, ‘Oh, that stadium is a little different. It’s old.’ I loved it. I loved it.” At 5 feet, 11 inches and 190 pounds, Inge was not the biggest of prospects, but the Virginia Commonwealth University product played with a yeoman’s work ethic and toughness out on the diamond that soon won over fans. Inge was drafted by Detroit in the second round of the 1998 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft and continued to parlay that toughness all the way to the big leagues, making his major league debut with the Tigers on April 3, 2001. Now Detroit’s longest-tenured player, Inge credits his time with the Mud Hens and games at Fifth Third Field as playing a vital role in his sucn TIGERS CONTINUED FROM A39 Since both organizations are focused on winning, the franchises are also selective about who they sign to play in Toledo. “If we just wanted to go out and sign any kind of player to play in Toledo, there wouldn’t be much of a challenge in doing so because it would be very easy to sign any type of veteran-type player to go to Toledo, but we want to win in Toledo,” Lunetta said. “The Toledo organization wants to win, so our challenge is twofold — to sign the right kind of player who can fill a need for us at the major league level when it arises and to help the Toledo club win.”

No end in sight

When it comes to the future of the partnership between Detroit and To-

cess at the next level. “It helped my career more than anything [I] could say, playing there,” Inge said. “The competition, just the way they run the game and the stadium there and keep the fans interested. I had a blast. It was probably one of the most crucial steps into making my career out as a big league player.” Inge quickly became a fan favorite in Toledo, garnering a popularity that carried over to the Motor City when he started to see major playing time with the Tigers. In 2006, Inge played a key role in helping Detroit reach its first World Series since 1984. Inge batted .253 as he established career highs with 27 homers, 83 RBI and 83 runs scored in 159 games at third base that season. “Anytime you have fan support it is absolutely flattering,” Inge said. “Take anyone in their everyday lives. If you know that you have the support of the people around you, it makes life so much easier and so much more fun, so I thoroughly enjoyed playing in Toledo for particularly that reason.” Even though Inge is in his 11th season with the Tigers and one of the oldest players on the team, fans are still as appreciative of him now as they were during that historical year back in 2006. For Inge, the feeling is mutual when it comes to both the Detroit fans and the Mud Hens faithful. “You want to be nice to them, sign autographs for them and take care of them, and so being able to have that translate and go up into Detroit, the same fan support was there as well,” Inge said. “Tiger fans are Toledo fans, Toledo fans are Tiger fans. That’s the way it goes in Michigan and in Ohio, too. “It was really cool to be able to

“

We see nothing on the horizon that could deter us or prevent us from being together ...” — Dan Lunetta ledo, Lunetta sees no reason why the Tigers and Mud Hens can’t keep the affiliation going for as long as they want. “I think it’s safe to say in speaking on behalf of both organizations, we see nothing on the horizon that could deter us or prevent us from being together for the next however many years,” Lunetta said. “There has never been a conversation to consider changing affiliations. Our conversations always center around how long

put something on the field in Detroit where they could kind of follow a former Mud Hen player, and once you play for the Mud Hens you’re always going to be a Mud Hen. That’s a brotherhood there, so I was very flattered.” After a 2010 campaign in which he surpassed 1,000 career hits, recorded 10 or more home runs for the seventh straight season with 13 homers and was tops among all American League third basemen with a .977 fielding percentage, Inge was rewarded with a new contract from the Tigers in October. The two-year, $11.5 million deal will keep Inge in Detroit until at least the remainder of the 2012 season with a club option for a third year in 2013. “Respect from your peers is the most important thing you can ever have in this game,” Inge said. “I’ve seen all the organizations. I’ve never played for them, never played for any others, but I know all the guys now. I know most of the coaches, players. I mean, I know everyone in Major League Baseball at this point, and I respect all the other teams. I just don’t want to play for them. “I want to play for Detroit because like you said everyone in the front office, everyone that’s come up through Toledo, it’s a big family that we have here with the Tigers, and they take care of their players. I want to take care of them by playing hard and putting a good product on the field for them. I’m glad and very fortunate to be there.” And even though Inge is one of the old dogs in the clubhouse, he’s still playing with the same energy and passion for the game that got him where he is today, adding that the Tigers can win the World Series if the team stays healthy.

will we extend the next agreement.” For Napoli, it all comes down to the people working for each team, and right now both organizations have the same mindset on how they want to run their clubs. “As far as a relationship for the next 25 years, I think it really boils down to who’s involved, the relationships that they develop, and if they’re in sync, and if they see eye-to-eye and they have the same philosophies, and it’s clear that we do,” Napoli said. “We want to present baseball to our fans in the best possible way, and by that I mean make sure our fans have a great experience, and our relationship with the Tigers is the same thing. “We want them to feel the same way our fans do about the franchise, that they enjoy working with us, that it’s not just because we’re 60 miles away.” O

photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Inge finds second home with Mud Hens, Tigers

Brandon Inge is in his 11th season with the detroIt tigers.

“There’s no reason why we can’t go all the way, and that’s the goal,” Inge said. “There’s no other goal that we have. We’re here to win it all this year, and it’s not like we’re saying we are. It’s not like we’re being cocky doing it, but that’s our mentality. We’re positive this year.

“We’re going to play hard, and if we don’t win a game, we’re going to come back the next night and we’re going to win that game. I love the attitude in the clubhouse. I love the talent that we have on the team. I mean, this is going to be a fun, fun year. We’re going to have fun with it, too.” O

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mud hens 2011

A42 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

Shuttles offer ‘convenient, affordable’ ride option St. Joseph’s Church will no longer serve as a Shuttle stop By Sarah Ottney TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

More than a dozen Park-N-Ride locations in Toledo and the surrounding area offer area residents the option to catch a bus ride to or from games at Fifth Third Field on one of TARTA’s Muddy Shuttles. It’s an option worth checking out, said Steve Atkinson, director of marketing for Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority ATKINSON (TARTA). “It’s very easy to use, very user-friendly,” Atkinson said. “You go to the nearest Park-NRide location and park for free and it’s a direct trip from where you park your car to just outside the gate. So it’s kind of a worry-free way to get to the ballpark — not to mention saving money on gasoline, saving money on parking. It’s a safe, convenient, affordable and worry-free way to travel.” There are 13 Park-N-Ride locations in Toledo, Maumee, Ottawa Hills, Perrysburg, Rossford, Sylvania and Waterville where Muddy Shuttles stop.

One change this season is St. Joseph’s Church in Sylvania will no longer be a stop as it is no longer a Park-N-Ride location, Atkinson said. The route from Sylvania’s Centennial Terrace will continue to run. Muddy Shuttles are regular TARTA buses with “GO HENS” displayed on the digital marquee, Atkinson said. After the game, each marquee will display the name of its Park-N-Ride destination. The buses leave from each location one hour before home game start times and go directly to Fifth Third Field. Return trips leave from the firstbase side of the field on Washington Street 20 minutes after the end of the game. For games that feature postgame fireworks, buses leave 20 minutes after the display. “We have supervisors out there to make sure everybody gets on the right bus and to assist with questions,” Atkinson said. Cost is $1 per trip ($2 for a round trip), the same as regular bus fare. In 2010, there were 21,692 passenger boardings on Muddy Shuttles, counting trips both to and from games, Atkinson said. Waterville Plaza had the highest ridership in 2010, with 3,686 passenger boardings, Atkinson said. Next most popular was the Lucas

County Recreation Center in Maumee with 2,622, followed by Perrysburg’s River Place Shopping Center with 2,390. St. Joseph’s in Sylvania had the fourth-highest number of boardings, with 1,876. No. 5 was Toledo’s Miracle Mile with 1,680, No. 6 was Toledo’s Southland Shopping Center with 1,666, No. 7 was Perrysburg’s Country Charm Shoppes with 1,466, No. 8 was Toledo’s Alexis Road Meijer with 1,196, No. 9 was Sylvania’s Centennial Terrace with 1,184, No. 10 was Ottawa Hills’ Westgate Sears with 1,182, No. 11 was Rossford’s All Saints Catholic Church with 1,100 and No. 12 was St. Luke’s Hospital in Maumee with 986. Westfield Franklin Park had the lowest ridership in 2010 with 658. Muddy Shuttle ridership statistics are not kept for the Adams Street stops because, unlike the others, it’s part of a regular TARTA route, not a special route for game days, Atkinson said. Muddy Shuttle ridership numbers have remained fairly consistent since the service started in 2002 when Fifth Third Field opened, Atkinson said. O

2011 Muddy Shuttle stops

O Maumee: Lucas County Recreation Center (2901 Key St., north lot ) O Maumee: St. Luke’s Hospital (5901 Monclova Rd.) O Ottawa Hills: Westgate Sears (3473 W. Central Ave., west of Sears) O Perrysburg: Country Charm Shoppes (106 W. S. Boundary, near shelter ) O Perrysburg: River Place Shopping Center (26597 Dixie Hwy., at stop sign near Walt Churchill’s Market/Charlie’s) O Rossford: All Saints Catholic Church (628 Lime City Rd., near Schreier Rd.) O Sylvania: Centennial Terrace (5773 Centennial Rd., main parking lot) O Toledo: Alexis Road Meijer (1500 E. Alexis Rd., main parking lot) O Toledo: Miracle Mile Shopping Center (1727 W. Laskey Rd., near shelter) O Toledo: Southland Shopping Center (3320 Glendale Ave.) O Toledo: Westfield Mall (4121 Royer Rd., shelter across from Kohl’s) O Toledo: Uptown on Adams (1815 Adams St., three stops between 14th and 20th streets) O Waterville: Waterville Plaza (1320 Michigan Ave., near shelter at Kroger)

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mud hens 2011

April 10, 2011

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A43

By Mike Bauman

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

Baseball is often referred to as America’s pastime, a sport that is woven into the fabric of American culture. It’s produced iconic athletes like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Cy Young, among others. Families create lifelong memories with baseball, from a son’s first catch with dad, to playing Little League to attending games together, watching the local team under the bright lights of a professional ballpark and imagining what it would be like to play in that atmosphere. This year, teams from 24 area high schools will get the opportunity to experience that feeling when they take the diamond at Fifth Third Field in Downtown Toledo. These games are part of the Mud Hens’ dedication to promoting baseball within the community through its “Play a Game at Fifth Third Field” fundraiser program. “We had a very good experience,” said Woodmore head coach Todd Bringman in a phone interview with Toledo Free Press. The Wildcats played at Fifth Third Field for the first time last season, defeating Port Clinton on a squeeze play in the final inning. “The atmosphere is just great,” said Bringman, who is in his third season as Woodmore’s head coach. “It’s

something the kids don’t get to experience. Of course, they go there with their family and friends to see the big time guys play on the nice field there. You can see as soon as they walk in they’re kind of in awe, and the surface is so nice.” To play at Fifth Third Field, each team is given 300 undated Mud Hens ticket vouchers, which are $9 apiece and good for any regular season home game in 2011 except for Opening Day. Since the vouchers are issued on consignment, there is no out-of pocket expense for the teams. Each team can mark up the price on the voucher and keep the difference, thereby fundraising for their programs. Couple that with the fact that there is no facility or field rental fee for the participating schools and free admission to anyone who wishes to attend, and the opportunity to play at Fifth Third Field is a unique and virtually seamless process. “We didn’t have those types of opportunities,” said Bringman, who grew up in the Woodmore school district and graduated from Woodmore in 1985. “The Mud Hens do a great job just to support the local communities and the kids. It is something special to see the expression on the kids’ faces. They’re just wired the whole game, and that does put something special on it.” The Wildcats’ experience at Fifth Third Field last year was a memorable one for Bringman not only because of

the heart-stopping finish, but also because of the people involved. “I grew up with [Port Clinton head coach] Tracy Bodi, just a couple houses down,” Bringman said. “Jeff Rospert helps coach over there also, and he’s a lifetime friend of mine from Woodville. We played ball together since we were little. So that was special in itself, and then we also honored Vic Welch. “Vic Welch was all of our high school coaches. We also honored Gary Zajac. He was a high school coach for a few years, but he was our youth coach as well, so that made it extra special. It was a good crowd.” Playing at Fifth Third Field is also special because it’s the ballpark that Bringman’s and the other participating schools’ players have grown up with, having opened in 2002 when they were just kids. “That’s all they’ve ever known,” Bringman said. “If they’re anything like me, because of the setting of the ballpark I’d personally rather go there than up to Detroit or to Cleveland. This is all they’ve ever known, and to many of them it’s the biggest ballpark that they’ve ever been in.” Woodmore will play Oak Harbor on April 16 at 10 a.m., the first of 12 high school games currently scheduled at Fifth Third Field this year. For more information on the games, visit the Mud Hens website at www.mudhens.com and click on “Promotions.” O

photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Area high school teams compete at Fifth Third Field

A woodmore high school player rounds the bases at fifth third field.

High school games at Fifth Third Field O Oak Harbor vs. Woodmore — April 16 at 10 a.m. O St. Mary Catholic Central vs. Monroe — April 16 at 1 p.m. O Lakota vs. Gibsonburg — April 28 at 4:45 p.m. O Fremont Ross vs. Tiffin Columbian — April 28 at 7 p.m. O Camden Frontier vs. Erie Mason — April 30 at 10 a.m. O Archbold vs. Stryker — April 30 at 1 p.m. O Hopewell-Louden vs. New Riegel — April 30 at 4 p.m. O Perrysburg vs. Rossford — May 2 at 4:45 p.m. O Tiffin Calvert vs. Mohawk — May 2 at 7 p.m. O Anthony Wayne vs. Springfield — May 3 at 4:45 p.m. O Genoa vs. Liberty Center — May 3 at 7 p.m. O Defiance vs. Start — May 16 at 4 p.m. Schedule subject to change

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A44 n Toledo Free Press

FAMILY PRACTICE

mud hens 2011

April 10, 2011

Family night at Fifth Third Field

ast season we finally made it split her time between sucking down to our first Mud Hens game as vast amounts of Sierra Mist and a family of five. It was an al- climbing up and down every visible together different experience than set of stairs the stadium had to offer. the first time we went as a family of My husband and I took turns between three. Instead of fretting about foul watching the game and watching Lucy. We fended off the ocballs coming toward casional fellow fan not our precious cargo, we expecting to cross paths wondered if we would with a child utilizing ever make it to our Fifth Third Field as a seats to even worry makeshift StairMaster, about such a thing. while Lucy fended the With three young chilrest of us off from trying dren in tow, we spent a to take our rightful turn fairly high percentage sharing in the oversized of our time debating soda. Lucy surfaced unour food selection, peShannon SZYPERSKI scathed from her conrusing the Swamp Shop crete cardio workout and playing in Muddy’s Marsh. Through no fault of its own, but was a sugar-coated shell of her the game itself seemed to take a back- former self by the time she reached the seat to Fifth Third Field’s amenity list. bottom of our souvenir tumbler. Watching my 1-year-old very While the personified version of ESPN that lives in our house, also publicly parade around the perimknown as our 7-year-old son, is more eter with a very obvious and enorthan happy to go to a game for the mous vessel of carbonated syrup game’s sake, our 4-year-old artistic, water reminded me of the first time fashion-minded homebody-type is my oldest inadvertently downed his lured more by the food and the shop- first sips of pop at 3 years old. I nearly ping. Our talents-and-interests-yet- leapt across a restaurant table when I to-be-determined toddler, Lucy, bases discovered I had accidentally offered her family outing happiness on just him some of my ginger ale while being included and along for the ride. preoccupied in conversation. What might as well have been an arsenicOr so we thought. Once we finally opted for the laced hemlock drink for my first largest noncaffeinated beverage avail- child somehow, for lack of my own able to quench our thirst on a fairly better judgment, became accepted warm evening at the ballpark, Lucy’s hydration for my third child a few happiness quickly began to revolve years down the road. On the subject of a lack of better around said beverage. Actually, she

away with, but actually stood in line for, a duck whistle. I’m not sure if it was the heat or the euphoric buzz from my coveted helmet sundae, but,

judgment, my middle child emerged a victor from our mother-daughter time wading around in The Swamp Shop. We somehow not only came

yes, I somehow agreed to a souvenir that allowed my child to loudly imitate the sound of waterfowl. n FAMILY CONTINUES ON A45

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mud hens 2011

n FAMILY CONTINUED FROM A44 Noisy souvenirs and sugary drinks aside, our night out with the Mud Hens was one for the books in a sweet and memorable way. I momentarily took pause from Lucy duty not to watch the game, but to watch my husband and my son contentedly watch the game together. As we stretched and sang our way into the bottom of the

seventh inning, the temporary joy brought on by concessions and duck whistles and jungle gyms faded into the simple delight of family togetherness. A calm settled in as the sun graciously bowed out on that warm summer night while the lingering radiance of stadium lights stood firm to lend a certain importance to the occasion. The night then ended with a

literal bang as we rang out the evening cuddled together under a fireworkfilled sky. Some might reach for the insolent and cliché sentiment that it momentarily didn’t even feel like Toledo, but such warmth and wonder feel just like Toledo to me. O Shannon and her husband Michael are raising three children in Sylvania. Email her at letters@toledofreepress.com.

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n .A45

photo by Steve France

April 10, 2011

HITMAKER: During his March 26 concert at the Huntington Center, rock and roll hall of fame member bob seger wore a mud hens jersey to help fire up the hometown crowd. Seger’s “Old TIme Rock and Roll” was one of the songs heard during the very first game played at fifth third fiELd on april 9, 2002.

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A46 n Toledo Free Press

mud hens 2011

April 1

10, 2011

mud hens 2011

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A47

mud hens 2011

A48 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

Fans can cheer in style with new Mud Hens gear By Emily B. Gibb

TOLEDO FREE PRESS NEWS EDITOR egibb@toledofreepress.com

The Swamp Shop inside Fifth Third Field offers men, women and children several new options for looking sharp while supporting the Toledo Mud Hens this season.

Youth

Some of the exciting new items for kids this season include interactive T-shirts, said assistant manager of souvenir sales and services Heidi Nafziger. One of the shirts has a scoreboard on it and comes with a piece of chalk so kids can keep up with the score on their shirt. Afterward, they can wipe it off and be ready for the next game. There are also two new mascot bobblehead T-shirts. The body of the mascot is on the front of the shirt so the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head acts as the mascotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head, giving the â&#x20AC;&#x153;bobbleheadâ&#x20AC;? effect the popular figurines have, Nafziger said. The bobblehead T-shirts come in both Muddonna and Muddy styles. Also new is a youth line of Mickey Mouse Mud Hens apparel that attracts both the Disney and the baseball fan, Nafziger said.

Unisex

With unpredictable spring weather,

track jackets are always a popular item, Nafziger said. The Swamp Shop typically sells around 500 track jackets each year. Various styles, colors and logos for both men and women keep fans warm and hip. Another option for any Mud Hens devotee is a customized jersey. Fans can order jerseys personalized with their name, as well as purchase jerseys with the moniker of their favorite player.

Women

The Swamp Shop has many new products for women, Nafziger said. Fan gear more on the feminine side, such as handbags, scarves and three-quarter-sleeve shirts, is available this year. There are also various hats in â&#x20AC;&#x153;fashion colors,â&#x20AC;? Nafziger said. Women can find both hats and shirts in pink, among other colors.

Men

As the stereotype generally goes, men do not seem to be too picky about their clothing, Nafziger said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Really just the Banner stuff is probably our best-selling for men,â&#x20AC;? she said. The clothing company offers many retro, vintage-looking T-shirts in a soft material made to feel like a wornin shirt for both men and women. Other top-selling items for men are the fitted hats that come in dif-

ferent team colors and with various logos, Nafziger said.

Kids at heart

Kids â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or just kids at heart â&#x20AC;&#x201D; can cheer loudly while wearing a foam hot dog hat. Just one of the Swamp Shopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many novelty items, the hat celebrates both a love of the popular game-time food and the infectious energy of a true Mud Hens fan. The Swamp Shop, located at 406 Washington St., is open yearround 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. During baseball season, the shop is also open noon to 3 p.m. Sunday and during all games. Fans can also shop online at swampshop. milbstore.com. O

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mud hens 2011

April 10, 2011

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A49

By Paige Aten

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

When most people think of baseball game concessions, hot dogs, peanuts and beer come to mind. At Fifth Third Field, the options go far beyond the basics. This season, the food and beverage department has added 10 new items to the concessions menu, including nachos, burgers, fries, sandwiches, ice cream and more. Craig Nelson, assistant general manager of food and beverage, said the department does extensive research when deciding which items to add. “We get a lot of feedback throughout the season, so we always revisit that. We also look at what other ballparks are doing, which helps us see what’s trending,” he said. The department also considers what has been popular in the past. Because of that, Greek Nachos were added to the menu at the portable cart located in Section 113. Nelson said that is always one of the most visited concessions spots in the ballpark. It is so popular, in fact, that Sports Illustrated included its hummus and pita

sandwiches, gyro sandwiches and fried bologna sandwiches among its Top 10 Minor League Ballpark Foods last year. The new Greek Nachos are made up of fried pita chips topped with gyro meat, onions, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce. Nelson said the fried pita chips can also be topped with hummus on request. Another of the ballpark’s most popular stands, Gilhooley’s Grille, boasts two new menu items. The Double Play Burger is onethird pound of Black Angus beef topped with Philly steak, green peppers, onions and provolone cheese on a Kaiser bun. The burger, which Concessions Manager Corey Pleasant called his favorite new menu item, can be ordered on its own or as a combo with fries and coleslaw. The Bloomin’ Bacon Burger can also be found at Gilhooley’s Grille. It is also one-third pound of Black Angus beef on a Kaiser bun, but this one is topped with bacon, onion rings, American cheese and bistro sauce. Nelson said the decision to add two burgers to the concessions menu is on point with what’s current in the world of ballpark food choices. n FOOD CONTINUES ON A50

Browning

toledo free press photo by lisa stang

Greek Nachos, two burgers among new concessions options

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mud hens 2011

April 10, 2011

toledo free press photoS by lisa stang

A50 n Toledo Free Press

the double play burger, available at fifth third field.

n FOOD CONTINUED FROM A49 “Burgers are definitely trending right now,” he said, adding that the Bloomin’ Bacon Burger is one of his favorite new items. The process of selecting these new items began last season, Pleasant said. “We started going over new ideas last season and finalized them around January or February,” he said. Another new menu item is the Bases Loaded Fries, which are available at the Triple Play Grille. These French fries are topped with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, scallions and sour cream. For ballpark patrons with a sweet tooth, several new treats from Toft’s Dairy will join an already lengthy list of items. The Strawberry Slugger, with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, hot fudge and Oreo cookie pieces layered twice and topped with whipped cream and a cherry will be served at the Toledo Treats stand.

The Brownie Slugger boasts a brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and chopped nuts and is now on the menu at Casey’s Creamery and Home Run Hot Dogs. Red Velvet Rush, a new flavor from Toft’s, is also available. A new drink offering will be a Lipton blend of half iced tea/half lemonade. New items available only in party suites include Deep-Fried Pickle Spears, Boursin Cheese Potato Skins, a gourmet sandwich tray of 16 sandwiches and wraps, and The Texas Twist, a hand-twisted soft pretzel measuring a foot across. Nelson said he’s happy with the new additions to the concessions menu at Fifth Third Field. “These new items round out our menus,” he said. For more photos, map and more information about new food items available at Fifth Third Field’s concession stands, visit www.mudhens.com and click on “Food & Beverage.” O

concessions manager corey pleasant and assistant general manager of food and bevereage craig nelson.

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mud hens 2011

A52 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

By Duane Ramsey

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER dramsey@toledofreepress.com

Two new eateries will join the growing restaurant scene in Downtown Toledo this month around the Mud Hens home opener April 14. Quimby’s At The Park plans to host its grand opening April 14 while Fine Things Bistro is scheduled to open April 29. Quimby’s At The Park is located at 25 S. Huron St., less than one block south of the main entrance for Fifth Third Field. Fine Things Bistro is located at 38 S. St. Clair St., in St. Clair Village near the ballpark in space formerly occupied by Spike and Muddy’s Sports Bar and Grill. Quimby’s is an Irish-themed restaurant that will serve the traditional fare of burgers, steak, pasta, seafood, salads and soups with a full-service bar featuring imported beers and microbrews, said General Manager Tony Murawski. “We’ll offer the same menu as Quimby’s in Lambertville except on game day when we’ll have a ballpark

menu of appetizers, sandwiches and a giant pretzel as big as a medium pizza,” Murawski said. Quimby’s will feature live entertainment and music on weekends. Local band Skoobie Snaks will perform there on Opening Day. “It will be my eighth Opening Day Downtown,” said Murawski, who served as general manager for the former Avalon restaurant in the same location. Murawski was involved in the hands-on remodeling of the bar and spacious restaurant that will seat more than 100 patrons indoors and more on the outdoor patio in back. The back bar will serve patrons both inside and outside with a garage door opening to the patio, he said. Quimby’s will open for lunch at 11 a.m., serving food and beverages until 2:30 a.m. It will feature live bands on Thursdays and Fridays with a DJ on Saturdays. Murawski expects to employ about 20 full- and part-time positions at Quimby’s. The establishment is owned by John Bates Jr., co-owner of the original Quimby’s location in Lambertville.

Fine Things Bistro

Fine Things Bistro is planning a grand opening celebration April 29 that will be a “Who’s Who of Toledo,” said Daryl Schmitz, co-owner and general manager of the new lunch café with a European flare. The bistro café will open daily at 10:30 a.m., serving lunch, appetizers and fine wines until 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It will be open after all games at Fifth Third Field, Schmitz said. Fine Things Bistro will feature a variety of “stuffer” sandwiches, including a Reuben, Philly Cheesesteak, tuna melt, barbecued chicken and others. “The stuffers are my own creation for my first restaurant,” Schmitz said. “I roll the dough out, put the fillings in the center, seal and bake it. They look like a large hamburger bun.” The café will seat 30 to 40 people, mostly at high-top tables for two with some seating for larger parties. The décor will feature a black and white tile floor with white walls and a black ceiling, Schmitz said. He said the eatery will sell artwork, collectibles, European blown glass and its own line of scarves handmade by a

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General Manager Tony Murawski at Quimby’s At the Park.

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mud hens 2011

April 10, 2011

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n A53

By Blair Bohland

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

As baseball season begins, Toledo Mud Hens fans seem to have no problem finding game day fun. As adults celebrate the excitement of spring ballgames by attending tailgates and cookouts, kids can have just as much fun. The Muddy’s Buddies Kids Club offers tons of excitement for baseball lovers 12 years old and younger. Members receive $1 off their tickets to seven Mud Hens home games, three free McDonald’s Hamburger Happy Meals and a free Muddy’s Buddies Souvenir just for joining. “Kids 12 and under can join at participating McDonald’s locations and at Fifth Third Field,” said JaMay Edwards, manger of promotions. A quick and easy signup form is also available on the Mud Hens website under “Kids Zone” or “Muddy’s Buddies Kids Club.” “The souvenir item they receive just for signing up and the discounts that McDonald’s offers for members is something kids and parents look forward to every year,” Edwards said. “We receive applications year-round.” Members also get to have fun and party with Muddonna for her

birthday April 21. On the Muddy’s Buddies website, there’s a kids coloring contest where members have the chance to win prizes or have their winning picture shown on the Muddy’s Buddies Kids Club page. But the membership perks follow the kids to the ballpark, too. Participating children have the opportunity to dirty their cleats and run the bases after each Sunday home game, and participate in the Muddy’s Buddies Kids Club On-Field Clinic, where young baseball fans can hone their pitches and swings. Kids can also attend an autograph day where they can get the signatures of their favorite players. There’s also a chance to try out the Mud Hens microphone and announce an inning during a kids’ Sunday game. Club members can also show their membership card at The Swamp Shop souvenir shop to receive 10 percent off selected items. The best part is everything is free, Edwards said. That seems to be enough encouragement for more than just a few Toledo Mud Hens fans. “We had more than 4,000 kids participate in the Kids Club,” Edwards said. For more information, visit www. mudhens.com and click on Fan Center. O

photo courtesy jamay edwards/Toledo mud hens

Muddy’s Buddies caters to youngest Hens fans

Muddy’s Buddies kids club members particIpate in an on-field clinic at fifth third field.

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mud hens 2011

A54 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

By Brandi Barhite

TOLEDO FREE PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR bbarhite@toledofreepress.com

Mud Hens radio and TV announcer Jim Weberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family decided a long time ago to accept his rule, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disturb the streak.â&#x20AC;? Each of his two daughters married in the offseason, per his request. They even managed to bring his grandchildren into the world when it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t baseball season, although that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly planned; it just worked out. And this is going to sound horrible, but when his wife landed in the hospital because of a heart issue, he went to see her â&#x20AC;&#x201D; after the game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He knew it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t serious and it was under control,â&#x20AC;? said daughter Christine Bailey, with a laugh. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He would have come if it was.â&#x20AC;? But â&#x20AC;&#x153;in sickness and in healthâ&#x20AC;? takes on a new meaning when it comes to the Mud Hens. He and his wife, Kay, long ago came to that understanding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We went through that 25 years ago and now it is a way of life,â&#x20AC;? the 65-year-old said. The streak is up to 4,567 consecutive games. That is the longest streak of an announcer in the International League. He has never missed a scheduled game that was supposed to be broadcast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is no goal. It may go to 7,000. This is one of the things that you do not retire from,â&#x20AC;? Weber said. It all started in 1975, although a streak was never planned. People would write into The Blade to complain about the Mud Hens games not being on the radio. Weber, who had experience broadcasting high school games, negotiated a deal with WTUU

to get the Hens on the air. In 1976, he negotiated to be on WSPD, which was a huge deal because the station had always refused the Mud Hens, Weber said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I never thought I would be recalling back this far,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you start doing stuff, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize you are going to be doing it that long.â&#x20AC;? The radio job started out as a parttime gig, which Weber kept as he worked at Jeep. In 1983, Weber went full time with the Hens and added team travel director to his duties. His time with the team has generated memories, including many with broadcaster Frank Gilhooley, who retired in 2007, but returned for a special appearance each summer up until his death Nov. 19. A blunder happens every now and then, like when Weber called a homer in his early days, only to see a player â&#x20AC;&#x153;flip the ball in.â&#x20AC;? When heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcing, he has learned to â&#x20AC;&#x153;go right with it.â&#x20AC;? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to see what happens; broadcasters have to say it as it is happening, if not before. When in doubt, he usually makes the right call when he watches the fielder. Weber tries to talk less and let the camera tell the story when he is on television. On the radio and Web, listeners need that extra description. At certain times, stats show that more than 53,000 people might be listening to the game, he said. Bailey said one of the neatest things about her dad is that he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go to school or train for a career in broadcasting â&#x20AC;&#x201D; his passion paved the way to his career. Bailey remembers when she was 4 or 5 and her dad would say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am

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Jim Weber, left, with the late Frank Gilhooley in the Mud Hens broadcast booth at fifth third field.

going over to the park.â&#x20AC;? She thought he meant the park with swings and slides and she would say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to go to the park.â&#x20AC;? Every morning, he would have his stats â&#x20AC;&#x201D; almost like his homework. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We lived it right along with him. As children, we were all over at Ned Skeldon Stadium every night. We lived a mile from there. On summer nights, depending on the way wind was blowing, we could hear the [stadium] announcer.â&#x20AC;? Her mom isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as media-friendly as her dad, and did not want to be inter-

viewed, but told Bailey to share how even the pets know that dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job is important. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had a pet domesticated rabbit that roamed free in our backyard and in the evenings in the summer, my mom would go outside to listen to the game. That rabbit could be anywhere in the yard, but when she turned on the game and my dad was on, that rabbit would cross the yard and go investigate â&#x20AC;&#x201D; then knock over â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the speaker. If my dad wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t on, the rabbit would leave again, and when he came back

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on, over went the speaker.â&#x20AC;? Weber said he appreciates his familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support, especially since his career is bound to continue because of his young-sounding voice â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and his dedication to the streak. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I sound like I am 40 on the air, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything to take care of [my voice],â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t smoke, which probably helps. I have been sick here and there over the years â&#x20AC;&#x201D; almost lost my voice, but I still fought my way through it. There was one or two games where I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do much, except garble the words for an inning.â&#x20AC;? O

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mud hens 2011

A56 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Richard Buchholz of Lambertville says he and his wife, Evelyn, are a match made in heaven. “She lost her husband, I lost my wife, we got together and for seven years we’ve been married and having a great time,” Richard said. “I asked God for another wife and one of the things I wanted was she had to be a good baseball fan and boy did I get a good baseball fan. We just love baseball, both of us.” The couple’s second date was to a Mud Hens playoff game in 2002 and they have been season ticket holders since they married the following year. “I told [God] 10 things I wanted and I said ‘You gotta ring the bells.’ I took her to the Ohio Theatre on New Year’s Eve 2003 and when I gave her a kiss, the bells rang,” Richard said. “The next morning, I got up and said, ‘Oh my God, yesterday you gave me a sign.’ So I called her up and I said ‘You didn’t know this, but I’ve got a deal with God and he says I oughtta marry you so I’m going to ask you. What do you think you’ll say?’ and she said ‘Oh, I’ll say yes,’ and she did.” Evelyn and her first husband used to own a winter home in Lakeland, Fla., where the Mud Hens’ major league affiliate Detroit Tigers go for spring training. One year, they collected the signatures of Tigers players, including Alan Trammell, on a bat. “We probably worked on it maybe a week. I’d go over every day. I’ve been a Tigers fan more or less my whole life,” said Evelyn, who owns the Lambertville Do It Best hardware store. Seeing Evelyn’s bat made Richard decide he needed one of his own. “I thought ‘Well now gosh, she can’t have the only one, I’ve got to get one myself,’” he said. Richard, who began speaking professionally after retiring from a career as a Toledo teacher and administrator,

toledo free press photo by lisa stang

Season ticket holders love ballpark atmosphere

Evelyn and Richard Buchholz of Lambertville hold bats autographed by Detroit Tigers and Toledo Mud Hens players.

arranged a speaking engagement with the Mud Hens in exchange for a bat signed by the players. “The power within your mind — if you think you can, you can do anything. I always give that talk,” Richard said. “I’m up to 3,450 talks and I think that was probably at 200 or so.” Richard attended the last game at Ned Skeldon Stadium and the first game at Fifth Third Field in 2002. “What I remember about the first game was the line went all the way around the corner,” Richard said. “I about froze to death going there, but

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at least I made it. There were a lot of people there. To sit in that new stadium, that was great. There’s not a bad seat in that whole place.” Another memorable game was Crystal Bowersox’s “American Idol” hometown visit last season, which broke Fifth Third Field’s all-time attendance record. “It was packed. Everybody wanted to see her. They drove around with her in the car. It was really nice,” Evelyn said. “But the games are all good. We have fun at all of them. It’s just such a nice place to go to. We have a good

time every time.” Evelyn said her favorite part of games is seeing friends and fellow season ticket holders. “You get to know everybody. We always see somebody we know,” she said. They also like ballpark food, especially popcorn and ice cream. A few years ago, Richard threw out a ceremonial first pitch. The couple, who sit along the first base line, said they still sometimes attend games in Detroit, but prefer Fifth Third Field. “It’s like this house,” Richard said.

“I grew up in North Toledo and I never thought I’d have this nice of a house. When I went to the games in Maumee, I never thought we’d have such a beautiful stadium, but we do.”

Tiger Stadium seats

A piece of Detroit Tigers history resides with Tom and Becki Bialy. The Perrysburg couple and longtime Mud Hens season ticket holders have two sets of seats from Tiger Stadium, one set from the 1930s and the other set from the 1970s. n FANS CONTINUES ON A57

Wishing the Mud Hens a great 2011 Season!

mud hens 2011

n FANS CONTINUED FROM A56 The seats are part of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;mini baseball museumâ&#x20AC;? in the Bialysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; basement, which includes jerseys, autographed baseballs,

posters and dirt from Ned Skeldon Stadium and Tiger Stadium, Becki said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a Tigers fan for 50 years, since I was 10 years old,â&#x20AC;? Tom said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a Tigers fan through and through.â&#x20AC;?

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Can you hear the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, your grandchildren laughing?

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Amazingly, Tom got the 1930s seats for free when the stadium was refurbished in the 1970s. He thinks they came from left field. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just wrote a letter to, I think, the general manager and they said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have them waiting for you.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; From what I understand, they had stacks of them out there. If I would have known that, I would have brought a semitruck in and loaded it up,â&#x20AC;? Tom said, laughing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nowadays they wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do something like that. I know those seats are worth a couple thousand dollars, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not why I got them.â&#x20AC;? By the time he inquired about the next set, when Tiger Stadium was being torn down in the late 2000s, the Tigers were charging for the seats. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted the last two seats my Dad and I sat in, but I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pick,â&#x20AC;? Tom said. Despite his love for the Tigers, Tom said he prefers going to Fifth Third Field, where he and Becki have held season tickets for 15 years. Their aisle seats are in front of the dugout. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a beautiful view,â&#x20AC;? Tom said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the price that we pay, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s phenomenal. We can see players just below the major league level. Not to mention basically all the players that are up there in the major leagues now, we got to see them. Here weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on top of the action. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really close to everybody. You know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of fun, whereas the major league is just a little different.â&#x20AC;? The Bialys remember watching several future Tiger standouts when they were Mud Hens. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Brandon Inge played with us for a while here. Will Rhymes. Kevin Hooper â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he played all nine positions in one game,â&#x20AC;? Tom said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the homerun hitter, Mike Hessman. He was fascinating to watch. It just goes on and on. And theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up there now. A lot of them are going to start on opening day.â&#x20AC;? The Bialys have two grown daugh-

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toledo free press photo by lisa stang

April 10, 2011

Tom and Becki Bialy have two sets of seats from Tiger Stadium.

ters and six grandchildren. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I used to go to games with my dad. Then we took our daughters. Now we take our grandkids,â&#x20AC;? Tom said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the most part we go, but we like to share it with them too.â&#x20AC;? Their youngest daughter took wedding photos inside the ballpark.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some of me running around the bases in my tuxedo and the group in the dugout with sunglasses. It was a hoot,â&#x20AC;? Tom said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were just gracious about the whole thing.â&#x20AC;? The Bialys like the casual atmosphere of Mud Hens games. n FANS CONTINUES ON A58

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April 10, 2011

n FANS CONTINUED FROM A57 “What I like is how with both the Walleye and the Hens, the team can be in last place and the place is still packed. People support their teams. That’s what I like,” Tom said. “Baseball is a game where you can sit talking and can glance over. You’re not going to lose track and nobody cares if you’re talking. A lot of times I like walking around the concourse, grabbing a beer and standing in the outfield. I love doing that.” The Bialys were hesitant at first about a Downtown stadium. “You get attached out there [in Maumee] and you think now you’ve got to go Downtown, but then we came down there and saw it and it was just awesome,” Becki said. “It actually takes less time to get here and get parked and get to the stadium than it did to go from Perrysburg to Maumee.” However, Tom said they knew sev-

eral people who refused to switch to Fifth Third Field. “They were just stubborn, but we gave it a shot,” Tom said. “I figured we’d get season tickets and if we didn’t like it, we just wouldn’t come back. But that’s not been the case. It was emotional, but once we got down here, it was just awesome. It’s beautiful. Just the way it looks, You don’t even have to be a fan of baseball to enjoy it.” Becki attended the final game at Ned Skeldon Stadium. Tom had to miss it because of work, but experienced it through a scrapbook his wife and daughter made. “There were a lot of people saying ‘We’ll see you next year Downtown’,” Becki said. “Out there, there were less vendors so you got to know them more. We got used to the people that were there, but it didn’t take long to find them out here.” As season ticket holders, the Bi-

alys have gotten to know the people who sit around them year after year, including some from the days at Ned Skeldon. “There’s a group of older gentlemen and last year we started keeping track of them because we knew they were getting kind of sick,” Becki said. “This past winter, one of

them passed away so it’s going to be sad not to see him down there in the front row.” The Bialys were at Fifth Third Field for its inaugural Opening Day in 2002 and will be there on April 14 for the doubleheader to kick off the ballpark’s 10th season. “It’s a social event,” Tom said.

“After we get in, I probably won’t even see her. I’m up yakking with everybody. We’re all catching up from the winter. Even the ushers we became friends with over the years. I can’t wait. I can’t wait for Opening Day. Nothing supersedes Opening Day. I don’t care what it is. We’re at the ballpark.” O

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A60 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

From singers to sports stars to politicians, Fifth Third Field has seen its share of famous faces. “American Idol” runner-up Crystal Bowersox of Elliston, who visited on May 14 during the show’s hometown tour portion for top finalists, drew a record-setting crowd of 13,200, the largest crowd in Fifth Third Field history. Strategizing actually started eight to 10 weeks before, as Mud Hen staffers tried to determine if she would make the top three and what a hometown visit could mean for the ballpark, said Scott Jeffer, who until recently served as assistant general manager of marketing, advertising and sales for the Mud Hens. He left in March for a job with the New York Yankees. “When she made the final three, she told the ‘American Idol’ folks, if you’re going to do something in Toledo it has to involve the Toledo Mud Hens,” Jeffer said. “And that was our ticket to get things done. From there it snowballed.” Numerous conference calls between Mud Hens staff and FOX producers in California followed, said Mud Hens Director of Public Relations Jason Griffin. “Obviously, that was such a big deal,” Griffin said. “It was a lot of work but all very exciting. We knew going into it we wanted to put on a good show for ‘American Idol.’ We all knew going in all this work would only get six seconds on the show, but it was -worth because Heartland Holly itGlen Heartland - Holly Glen very you don’t get those chances Proudly Announces: often. When theAnnounces: day arrived, we Proudly

were all on adrenaline. It was neat to see so many people out there that weren’t Hens fans and had never been to a game.” Jeffer compared the electricity in the air to the Mud Hens championship seasons of 2005 and 2006. “It was along the same lines of excitement, but really only the sports fans cared about that and local fans got behind it too, but it’s wasn’t a national story,” Jeffer said. “Because of her, we really got a boost in the arm for national publicity. That was definitely the biggest media circus, but it was a real fun time.” The “Idol” producers were amazed by Fifth Third Field, Griffin said. “They said, ‘This is unbelievable. We’ve been on the field at Dodger Stadium and it doesn’t look this good,’” Griffin said. “It’s obviously a lot smaller but they said it was beautiful. That was quite a feather in our caps.” The organization tries give Mud Hens apparel to any celebrities coming through town in the hopes they will wear it onstage somewhere, Griffin said. It paid off on March 26 when Bob Seger performed in Toledo wearing a Mud Hens jersey. “That was fantastic,” Griffin said. “Sometimes we hit a home run like Seger and sometimes I’m sure they probably throw it in a bag and move on. Bret Michaels wore one when he was here too.” Most celebrities don’t ask for much, but one of the few who did was Michaels, Griffin said. “What he wanted to do more than anything was play catch on the field,” Griffin said. “He said he’d wait till after Our cardiac recovery services use an Our usehim an down thecardiac game,recovery so we services escorted individualized approach to delivering

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photo courtesy toledo mud hens

Fifth Third Field has history of drawing celebrities

Toledo native katie holmes and actor chris klein during a 2002 visit to fifth third field.

there 45 minutes after the game ended and he and his band were out there playing catch on the field. He got a real kick out of that.” Another exception was Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds. “He wouldn’t go anywhere without a security guard, even to the restroom,” Jeffer said. “They’re usually more humble than that. He’s the only

one who’s requested that.” Sports author and columnist Rick Reilly wore a Mud Hens cap on the cover of his 2010 book “Sports From Hell: My Search for the World’s Dumbest Competition.” Actor Lucas Neff recently wore a Mud Hens shirt on the FOX network show “Raising Hope.” The most famous Mud Hens name dropper is Glass City native and

“M*A*S*H” actor Jamie Farr, who frequently wore Mud Hens jerseys and talked about Toledo during episodes of the hit TV show. Farr, a yearly staple for at least one Mud Hens game, loves to show off Fifth Third Field and often brings golfers or other celebrities along when he’s in town for his LPGA golf tour, Jeffer said. n CELEBS CONTINUES ON A61

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n CELEBS CONTINUED FROM A60 Farr is a true Mud Hens fan. “Jamie is fantastic. Obviously he’s a huge cheerleader for the City of Toledo, but he’s a great Mud Hens fan too. He’s so gracious with his time when he comes to the ballpark,” Griffin said. “And sometimes I’ll be doing a broadcast and all of a sudden I’ll get an email from Jamie saying ‘Go Hens’ so I know he’s watching the game and following online.” Celebrities come to Fifth Third Field for a variety of reasons and the Mud Hens front office may or may not know about the visit, Jeffer said. “Sometimes it’s the morning of and you catch wind that somebody’s in town or a suite holder says ‘Hey, I’m bringing so-and-so to the game’,” Jeffer said. “Sometimes they just show up.” One who has a tendency of just showing up — at least in the past — is Toledo native Katie Holmes, Griffin said. “I know of three visits she made to Toledo ballgames,” Griffin said. “She came with [ex-fiancé] Chris Klein in 2001, the last year of Ned Skeldon. Nobody even knew. She wasn’t a big star then, but now she’s a mega, mega star. To be honest I think one of the female front office members noticed him first and word spread. “She came again in 2002 with Klein, just came up to the box office and bought an $8 ticket, like no big deal,” Griffin said. “We asked if they wanted to come to a suite and they did come for a while. They wanted to enjoy themselves but they certainly didn’t call ahead and say we need an escort or security.” At the time, she was on “Dawson’s

Creek” and starting her movie career, Griffin said. “Everybody that comes no matter how big of a star, they are really cool,” he said. “There haven’t been really any prima donnas. It’s usually been us that try to go out of our way to offer things so that they have security and are not being bothered.” NASCAR driver Kurt Busch also made a surprise visit to Fifth Third Field in 2006. He was racing at Michigan International Speedway and had been childhood friends with Mud Hens outfielder Ryan Ludwick, Griffin said. “We had no idea he was coming,” Griffin said. “It was ‘Wait a second. Is that Kurt Busch in the crowd?’ It was a totally unannounced surprise visit.” Usually celebrities offered a suite will take it, but sometimes they decline, Jeffer said. Ken Griffey Sr. declined because he was scouting for the Reds and wanted a closer view. The Goo Goo Dolls also declined, Jeffer said. “They had seats behind the dugout and they were just big baseball fans — they didn’t care to come upstairs. They didn’t want to lose their good seats,” said Jeffer, who also recalls the group’s drummer wearing a Mud Hens jersey on “The Tonight Show” years ago. “That was out of nowhere. We didn’t give it to them,” Jeffer said. “I guess they had come to the old stadium and picked up a jersey. We got all these nice calls about it.” Sometimes it seems the Mud Hens benefit from having an unusual and memorable moniker, Griffin said. “The Mud Hens are such a unique name and brand, it’s kind of a neat

thing to wear,” Griffin said. “I think that’s one of those examples of we just have a unique name and that worked out for us.” Golfer Phil Mickelson created a stir when he came to Fifth Third Field in 2004 to try out for the team, Jeffer said. “Somehow Phil had a dream to be a major league pitcher for some time,” Jeffer said. “He spent four days with the Mud Hens in full uniform and he was trying to get where they would let him pitch just one inning in a Mud Hens game. His agents were beside themselves and didn’t want him to do it. I mean, he could have gotten hit by one line drive and lost millions. But Phil was determined. He wanted to do it. The publicity was insane.” Mickelson was “dead serious” about the effort, Griffin said. “The Tigers were brutal that year — well on their way to losing over 100 games,” Griffin said. “I think a lot of people thought it was a joke or a publicity stunt, but he came to us. It was pretty wild.” A new venture for the Mud Hens came last summer when a film crew set up at Fifth Third Field. Directed by Oz Scott and tentatively titled “Home Run Showdown,” the movie featured Matthew Lillard, Dean Cain, Barry Bostwick, Annabeth Gish and Wayne Duvall and used locals as extras in several scenes. The location scouts for the film toured at least half a dozen stadiums within a couple hours drive of Detroit before choosing Fifth Third Field, Jeffer said. “They said this was by far the best stadium for what they were trying to do, which was trying to pose as a

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Crystal bowersox and her son tony at a 2010 game.

major league ballpark,” Jeffer said. “They’re adding an upper deck by computer. Apparently it was the closest to looking like it could pass for major league so that was nice to know that that was the reason they chose Toledo as the location.” Another movie in 2010, about a family moving from Toledo to Chicago, requested Mud Hens shirts, hats and pennants to use as part of the storyline, Jeffer said. The biggest movie lately to reach out to the Mud Hens was “Moneyball,” starring Brad Pitt and based on the book about baseball economics by Michael Lewis. The subject is Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane, who played on the 1986 Mud Hens team, Jeffer said. “The other two would be considered low-budget, but this will be a major movie coming out,” Jeffer said. “We shipped the Muddy mascot costume to Los Angeles to be used for a flashback scene in the movie about the

1986 Mud Hens team. The rumor is that Muddy won’t make the final cut, so we’re not holding our breath, but we’re hoping there’ll be references to the Mud Hens somewhere in the film.” Other celebrities to have visited Fifth Third Field include Toledo native Tom Scholz of the band Boston, Toledo native sports columnist and commentator Christine Brennan, politician Joe Lieberman and actors Gregory Harrison and David Lander. Many baseball players have visited as well — often as traveling spokesmen for various products — including Sparky Anderson, Ernie Harwell, Hall of Fame pitchers Jim Palmer, Bob Feller and Rollie Fingers, Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn and Hall of Fame infielder Mike Schmidt. To see a gallery of famous Fifth Third Field visitors, visit www.mudhens.com and click on the Fifth Third Field tab and then Fifth Third Field Photos. O

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‘Hens and Hogwarts,’ ‘Royal Wedding’ among promotions By Blair Bohland

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com

Many fans show up to Mud Hens baseball games for more than just the sport itself. With special appearances, theme nights and giveaways, crowds don’t keep their distance from Fifth Third Field for long. “I get weighed down with all of my classes and work during the actual weekdays,” said Catlin Willard, a University of Toledo student. “So me and my friends like to just have fun on some weekends and go to Mud Hens games.” School Celebration Days let younger scholars enjoy the games too. Each spring, more than 25,000 kids attend games with their classmates on those days, said Erik Ibsen, assistant general manager of ticket sales and operations. “School Celebration Days are always great because you see kids that come from as far as an hour and a half away that might not get to see many games,” Ibsen said. “It’s just great to see thousands of screaming kids.” The Mud Hens even established a curriculum guide with baseballthemed lessons that teachers can incorporate into lesson plans. Many schools use the game as an end-ofthe-year reward, so the guide adds an educational component, Ibsen said. Other popular youth events are the scout sleepovers. There are various Boy Scout and Girl Scout sleepovers throughout each season, with about 7,000 scouts attending in all. They

watch the game and then camp out on the field afterwards. They can use the game to work toward different scout badges too, Ibsen said. Willard said she especially likes the fireworks, one of the many recurring attractions offered at the games. But this season will bring some newer additions to go along with the EDWARDS fiery displays. “New this year, we have The Amazing Christopher and The Bucket Boys,” said JaMay Edwards, manager of promotions. “We’re excited to offer the funnier theme nights too, like Hens and Hogwarts Night, which is a tribute to the Harry Potter books and movies.” Hens and Hogwarts Night, set for July 9, will feature in-game movie trivia, “Potter glasses” and magic wand giveaways, a magician and the “Potter-ization” of player headshots, Edwards said. The Amazing Christopher (June 26) is a puppeteer while The Bucket Boys (July 16 and 17) create musical rhythms using buckets, garbage cans and more. Some other quirky themes include the Royal Wedding Rehearsal Night (April 23), several Spring Cleaning Giveaway Nights, featuring items from seasons past, and a Cinco de

Mayo Celebration on May 5. The Royal Wedding event will include giveaways of crowns and imported commemorative royal engagement stamp sets as well as wedding cake sampling at select concession stands, Edwards said. “We are also searching for a real ‘Kate and William’ couple to recognize during the game and win prizes,” she said. Other themes include Catholic Youth Organization Family Night (May 6), Relay for Life Night (Aug. 20) and Veterans Appreciation Night (June 10). Fans can also get directly involved in the entertainment. Those with singing voices are able to show off their talent and sing the National Anthem. Another attraction is Autograph Sundays, where players sign autographs from an hour before the game starts until the half-hour countdown. The ceremonial first pitch is usually a big hit, too, Edwards said. This opportunity is usually reserved for a fan representing a group of 100 or more at the game. The pitch also helps charity, as $150 is donated to the Helping Hens Charitable Fund. The first pitch ball is also autographed by a Mud Hens player. Yet another way to contribute to the Helping Hens Charitable Fund is with a $1 donation that buys fans the chance to send a message across the scoreboard. During the fifth inning they get to see their messages in bright letters, whether “Happy Birthday” or

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even “Will you marry me?” “We are also paying homage to Toledo’s rich baseball history with our annual Moses Fleetwood Walker Tribute Night,” Edwards said. “That night will also include a bobblehead giveaway.” Walker, an Ohio native, played for the Toledo Blue Stockings in the 1880s and is credited as the first AfricanAmerican to play professional baseball. His tribute night is set for June 23. Giveaway seems to be a popular word with fans. “Fans love free stuff,” Edwards said. “Who doesn’t? The most popular promotions usually include a free giveaway item. Any special entertainment that visits Fifth Third Field can also be a crowd-pleaser. People love to come out to Mud Hens games, and the promotions definitely play a part.” Jessica Marquis, a UT student and

Mud Hens fan, agreed. “It’s fun to go to games because my siblings love the free stuff,” Marquis said. “If I ever happen to get anything, I usually give it to them. They love it.” As warm-weather sports have finally arrived, Marquis plans on attending a few more ballgames herself. “Me and my siblings have fun at Mud Hens games,” Marquis said. “It’s always part of the summer we look forward to. I think it’s something we’ll always be able to remember, too.” For a full schedule of promotional events, visit www.mudhens.com and click on Promotions (all promotions are subject to change). O Toledo Free Press News Editor Emily B. Gibb and Toledo Free Press Special Sections Editor Sarah Ottney contributed to this report.

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By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Next time you’re sitting in the stands at Fifth Third Field, take a look around you. There’s a roughly 50-50 chance the person sitting in front or behind you is not remotely interested in minor league baseball. It turns out people love Mud Hens games even when they don’t like baseball. That’s what the ballpark’s marketing staff discovered when they began in-depth research into Toledo-

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area fan demographics around 2003, said Scott Jeffer, who until recently served as assistant general manager of marketing, advertising and sales for the Mud Hens. He left in March for a job with the New York Yankees. Scarborough Research, a division of Nielsen, regularly surveys the 13-county region around Toledo, asking hundreds of questions about consumer preferences and behavior. Roughly 49 percent of game attendees in the Toledo market indicated they were very interested, somewhat interested or a little interested in minor league baseball, according to

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Scarborough’s most recent numbers in September, said Mud Hens President and General Manager Joe Napoli. A fourth option, chosen by 51 percent of game attendees surveyed, was not at all interested. “Basically half the people in the whole crowd are completely not interested in the game of baseball,” Jeffer said. “People are coming out because it’s affordable family entertainment. They’re there because the hot dogs are tasty, the beer is cold, the prices are affordable and it’s a fun night out where they can see their neighbors. If you ask why people haven’t been to the stadium, they always say, ‘Oh I’m not a baseball fan.’ That’s usually the No. 1 answer. They just assume you have to be a baseball fan to go to a baseball game and, at the minor league level, that’s dramatically not the case.” Avid fans — those who say they are very interested in minor league baseball — make up only a small percentage of overall game attendees, about 11 percent in the most recent survey, up from 8 percent in recent years, Napoli said. “For years, teams would promote the hockey and the baseball and what we’ve learned over the last 10 years is that’s not what prompts people to make the decision (to attend a game),” Napoli said. “Is it affordable? Is it fun? Can I get a good meal? Can I get great souvenirs? All of those things factor in, and then they get around to interest in the baseball and the hockey.”

toledo free press photo by sarah ottney

Fan demographics help club direct marketing efforts

Joe napoli and Tammy esper near a wall of Mud hens market research.

Research has shown that most people who visit Fifth Third Field — which had 30 sellout games last season — are happy whether the Mud Hens win or lose, Napoli said. “You’d be surprised that even people on the way out can’t tell you who won the game. They won’t know the score. There are folks that can’t even tell you who we played,” Napoli said. “It speaks volumes about the people that work here — our seasonal staff and our fulltime staff — and about how hard they work to provide a good experience.” Another research firm, Great Lakes Marketing, polls residents on

why they choose to attend Mud Hens games. Typical top answers include affordability, family-friendly entertainment and cleanliness, Jeffer said. At the bottom is win-loss record, affiliation with the Detroit Tigers and the chance to see future major league stars or get autographs. “What we’ve come to learn is that it is truly about the experience,” Napoli said. “When we market the Mud Hens and Walleye we’re coming from this perspective that what motivates a family to come out are the same things that motivate a family to see ‘Disney on Ice’ or the Harlem Globetrotters.” n MARKETING CONTINUES ON A64

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A64 n Toledo Free Press n MARKETING CONTINUED FROM A63 That’s why Mud Hens pocket schedules feature far more photos of fans than photos of players. “People don’t even know who players are usually. They’re rooting for the Mud Hens, but they’re not losing sleep if they lose,” Jeffer said. “People who are diehard baseball fans, they’re coming anyway. Not that we’re ignoring them, but it’s the casual fan that’s deciding what to do — that’s the person we try to reach.” It turns out these findings are fairly typical for minor league teams. In fact, Toledo consistently ranks among the top markets in the nation for interest in minor league baseball, Napoli said. When surveying the area’s population as a whole, 26 percent indicted interest in minor league baseball, said Mud Hens Marketing Coordinator Tammy Esper. “That’s off the charts, believe it or not,” Napoli said. “Scarborough surveys the top 75 markets and Toledo continually comes in at either the No.

1 or No. 2 slot as far as the interest level in minor league baseball.” The most recent numbers put Toledo tied for No. 2 with Rochester and Roanoke, Esper said. No. 1 was a tie between Des Moines and Providence with 27 percent. The average percentage for the cities surveyed was 16 percent. “The point of all that is even though a little over half of our attendees have no interest at all in minor league baseball that still leads the country in interest level,” Napoli said. Those results are a point of pride for the Mud Hens. “Basically what that is saying is we have very good market penetration,” Jeffer said. “The Mud Hens are a big part of the public consciousness.” When Great Lakes Marketing asks residents about other events they attend in the area, Mud Hen game attendees are apt to list high school sporting events, the Toledo Zoo and the Toledo Museum of Art, Napoli said. “Major league sports, believe it or not, are at the bottom of the list. Our fans surprisingly do not attend a lot of

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“If you look at our message mix, it’s major league sporting events,” Napoli said. “When you look at our prime au- not heavy on the stats,” Steinmetz said. dience, which is families, it all begins “It’s more about what’s going on at the ballpark and how you can have fun at to make sense.” Seniors are another major demo- the ballpark. We realize a mom who graphic of game attendees, Napoli said. wants to bring her kids out to a game Nathan Steinmetz, manager of looking on Facebook doesn’t care how online marketing and ticket sales, many homeruns so-and-so has. She uses information culled from the de- wants to know ‘Can my kids run the mographic research to guide what he bases after the game?’ So the research 2845 Devers_Audi_TFP_410 4/6/11 1:20 PM Page 1 works its way into all our marking efposts on Facebook and Twitter.

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A66 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

Hens face strong competition in IL By Chris Schmidbauer

Toledo Free Press Sports Editor cschmidbauer@toledofreepress.com

Each season at Fifth Third Field is filled with exciting action, great food and a chance to watch the rising stars of baseball play. And some of those future stars aren’t playing for our hometown team. Here is a look at each of the teams in the International League, how they stack up and some players to watch.

upon the Windy City for parent club Chicago White Sox, and that means the Charlotte Knights’ roster will look a little different than originally thought. That doesn’t mean the Knights are devoid of talent though. One player to watch for in Charlotte is Eduardo Escobar. The Venezuelan shortstop reminds many White Sox fans of another native Venezuelan, former Sox shortstop and now manager Ozzie Guillen. Escobar needs to work on his plate performance, but the 22-year-old’s fielding is major league ready. One of last year’s top prospects, Tyler Flowers, is back with the Knights for the start of 2011. Still thought to be the catcher of the future, Flowers will also be looking to work on his offense after he hit just .220 last season with Charlotte. Former Mud Hen Freddy Dolsi will start the season in the Charlotte bullpen as well.

Top Player: Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B The Columbus Clippers, last season’s Govenors’ Cup and Triple-A champions, look to repeat this season with another talented crop of players in Ohio’s capital city. The man to watch is Lonnie Chisenhall. The third baseman is thought to be the future at the hot corner for the Tribe, and his development in Columbus will determine how soon that happens. Chisenhall has all the offensive tools but he is with the Clippers for one reason: to improve his defense. The Clippers also will have top prospects Jason Kipnis, a second baseman, and Nick Weglarz, an outfielder. The Clippers appear to be stacked pitching-wise too, having several players with major league experience and some talented prospects.

national League, it might just be the Durham Bulls. The Bulls have either participated in or won the Govenors Cup series eight of the past 13 years and Durham appears poised to make a similar run once again in 2011. Desmond Jennings will start the season in the blue and orange with the Bulls. Thought to possibly be taking over for Carl Crawford, who left parent club Tampa Bay Rays for Boston, Jennings was sent to minor league camp rather early this season after the free agent signings of Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon by the Rays. Anchoring the Bulls’ starting rotation is left-hander Alex Torres. Torres, who was traded to Tampa Bay in 2009, is a rising starting pitcher.

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2010 Record: 72-71 (2nd in IL South) Top Player: Mike Minor, pitcher The Gwinnett Braves are looking to build off a solid showing in 2011. When Atlanta announced pitcher n IL CONTINUES ON A67

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BUFFALO BISONS 2010 Record: 76-68 (3rd in IL North) Top Player: Jenrry Mejia, pitcher The Bisons received a big surprise when New York Mets top prospect, Jenrry Mejia, was assigned to minor league camp. Mejia spent time in the big leagues at the beginning and end of last season, and his demotion most likely means Mejia will be the Bisons pitching ace. The only question is how long will Mejia be in Buffalo while the Mets struggle to fill out its starting rotation. If the right-hander has a solid start to the season, he may find himself back in the Big Apple rather quickly. Some other top prospects that will likely be assigned to Buffalo are outfielders Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Fernando Martinez. Both could help the Bisons assemble what might be the best outfield in the International League.

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April 10, 2011 n IL CONTINUED FROM A66 Brandon Beachy won the job for the fifth spot in the big league rotation, it meant Mike Minor would start the season in Gwinnett. Minor pitched well enough to play in the majors, but Atlanta could only pick one. Minor was dazzling during a late season callup to Gwinnett. He made six starts and finished with a 1.89 ERA. If he starts the season in a similar fashion and Beachy struggles, Atlanta could swap the two. The Braves also have former Mud Hens Wilkin Ramirez, Brent Clevelen and Jay Sborz. All three were big contributors in Toledo.

Hurdle liked Lambo’s defensive skills and gave him a nice endorsement out of spring training. He does need to improve on his offense though. Lambo hit just .250 this spring, and he needs to work on his patience at the plate. Top pitching prospect Bryan Morris may end up in Indianapolis by the end of the season, but he will most likely start the season in Double-A Altoona.

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2010 Record: 71-73 (3rd in IL West) Top Player: Andrew Lambo, OF The Indianapolis Indians finished a game ahead of our beloved Mud Hens last season in the West division. With major league affiliate Pittsburgh Pirates using an influx of young talent, it means there will be few prospects to play in Indy this season. The Indians will have outfielder Andrew Lambo in uniform to start the season. Lambo is an intriguing prospect to the Pirates. Current Pittsburgh manager Clint

(PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES) 2010 Record: 58-86 (5th in IL North) Top Player: Domonic Brown, OF The IronPigs look to rebound after a dismal 2010 season in the IL. With the parent Phillies spending a bunch of money on free agents and trading away prospects for established talent, Philadelphia has severely depleted its farm system. Unfortunately that means slim pickings for the IronPigs at the Triple-A level. Domonic Brown seems to be the consensus choice as the best prospect in the system, but with a broken wrist, it is hard to know when he will be back. Plus there is no guarantee Brown won’t start in the big leagues when healthy enough to return. Former Hens Dane Sardhina and Nate Bump are supposed to be with the squad come opening day, so there will be some familiar faces playing

with Lehigh Valley this season. (CINCINNATI REDS) 2010 Record: 79-64 (1st in IL North) Top Player: Devin Mesoraco, C The Bats are looking to win the IL North for the third consecutive season in 2011. Louisville will be led by a talented mix of veterans and prospects. One guy Hens fans should keep their collective eye on is Devin Mesoraco. The 23-yearold catcher spent 14 games with Louisville during a late season callup after playing well in Double-A with the Carolina Mudcats. Mesoraco is thought to be the backstop of the future for the Reds and his development this season might be huge for the Bats.

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will be with Rochester this season. The 2009 draft pick had an impressive first season in the Twins system. He made 26 starts between all three minor league levels for a combined 2.96 ERA and 11 wins. Former Hens Mike Hollimon and Phil Dumatrait will be familiar faces for Toledo fans when the Red Wings are in town.

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2010 Record: 66-78 (4th in IL North) Top Player: Jose Iglesias, SS Pawtucket is one of the teams that has fallen victim at times to its big league club’s lofty aspirations, with top prospects being traded away for established talent. This season, all eyes will be on Jose Iglesias. Iglesias rocketed through the Red Sox minor league system last season after starting in Single-A. The Cuban shortstop held his own at the plate and in the field, batting .295 with 12 doubles in 70 games last season. He played well again this spring and according to several reports the Red Sox had a fierce debate on whether Iglesias was capable of being Boston’s starting shortstop this season. Boston’s loss is Pawtucket’s gain. Former Hen and Triple-A All-Star Brent Dlugach will suit up for the PawSox this season.

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(MINNESOTA TWINS) 2010 Record: 49-95 (6th in IL North) Top Player: Kyle Gibson, pitcher The Red Wings were the worst team in the International League last season, but they, much like Pawtucket, will have a top prospect in camp. Kyle Gibson, ranked as the best starting pitcher in the Minnesota farm system,

(NEW YORK YANKEES) 2010 Record: 87-56 (1st in IL North) Top Player: Jesus Montero, catcher The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees got an early gift this season when prized prospect Jesus Montero was sent to minor league camp. Montero was thought to be a shoo-in as the backup catcher with the NY Yankees, but the front office brass in the Bronx felt Montero would better serve in Scranton. He was an IL All-Star last season and should have similar results again to start the year. The Yankees were the best team in the IL during the regular season. Former MLB All-Star Kevin Millwood will be in the Yankees’ starting rotation this season. It will be interesting to see if he has anything left in the tank at the age of 36. The Yankees might be the best team in the league on paper this season.

SYRACUSE CHIEFS (WASH. NATIONALS)

2010 Record: 76-67 (2nd in IL North) Top Player: Cole Kimball, pitcher Syracuse should have another solid core of talent assembled this season, and the top prospect to watch is Cole Kimball. Kimball projects long-term as a relief pitcher, tallying 18 saves and a 2.17 ERA combined in Single-A and Double-A ball. This is the second season in a row where the Chiefs can expect the top prospect in all of baseball in a Syracuse uniform. Bryce Harper was assigned to the Nationals Single-A squad to start the season. Former Hen and fan favorite Jeff Frazier signed a minor league deal in the offseason, and he should be with the Chiefs to start the season. O

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A68 n Toledo Free Press

2011 Roster LEON ‘BULL’ DURHAM

2010: Spent the season with Double-A Erie in the Eastern League, going 7-12 with a 4.93 ERA in 28 games (all starts)...struck out a season-high 10 batters April 27 at Bowie ... gave up 17 HR on the year. Career: 2006: Gulf Coast Tigers, Oneonta; 2007: Single-A West Michigan; 2008: Single-A Lakeland; 2009: Lakeland, Double-A Erie before out with left elbow sprain.

A.J. SAGER

BROOKS BROWN

MATT RANKIN

Born: June 20, 1985 (25) Height: 6’3 Weight: 212 Bats: Left Throws: Right Born: Statesboro, Ga./Lives: Portal, Ga. Obtained: Acquired by Detroit in trade with Arizona on April 2, 2009

Toledo Mud Hens

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PHIL NEVIN MANAGER

HITTING COACH

PITCHING COACH ATHLETIC TRAINER

KYLE BERGMAN

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH

Pitchers

ALBERTO ALBURQUERQUE

PITCHER Born: June 10, 1986 (24) Height: 6’0 Weight: 195 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born/Lives: San Pedro de Macoris, DR Obtained: Signed by Detroit as free agent Nov. 19

2010: Spent the year with DoubleA Tulsa in the Texas League, going 2-4 with three saves and a 4.98 ERA in 25 games (all relief) ... struck out a season-high three batters twice and allowed just one HR all year … has struck out 9.86 batters per 9.0 innings during professional career. Career: 2005: Signed as nondrafted free agent by Cubs, but got injured; 2006: Rookie-level Arizona League Cubs; 2007: Shortseason Boise, Single-A Peoria; 2008: Injured; 2009: Single-A Daytona, traded to Colorado, Double-A Tulsa.

DUANE BELOW PITCHER

Born: Nov. 15, 1985 (25) Height: 6’2 Weight: 205 Bats: Left Throws: Left Born/Lives: Britton, Mich. Obtained: Selected by Detroit in 19th round of 2006 draft

with Single-A Lakeland in the Florida State League, going 4-5 with a 3.39 ERA in 13 starts ... struck out 10 or more batters four times with Lakeland including a season-high 13 May 10 vs. Charlotte ... promoted to Double-A Erie on June 26 ... struck out 11 batters on July 6 vs. Bowie ... promoted to Triple-A Toledo July 22 ... went 3-4 with a 6.29 ERA in nine starts in the International League ... had seven or more strikeouts in 16

April 10, 2011 of his 27 starts. Career: 2007: Gulf Coast Tigers and Single-A West Michigan; 2008: Injured (left elbow sprain); 2009: Single-A Lakeland.

RAMON GARCIA PITCHER

Born: Oct. 30, 1984 (26) Height: 6’2

Weight: 165 Bats: Left Throws: Left Born: Yamasa, DR/Lives: Santo Domingo, DR Obtained: Signed by Detroit as non-drafted free agent May 24, 2004 n ROSTER CONTINUES ON A70

PITCHER (DL)

2010: Spent the year with Double-A Erie in the Eastern League, going 12-9 with a 4.15 ERA in 28 games (18 starts) ... struck out a season-high nine batters May 27 at Trenton ... threw a four-hit complete game shutout on July 3 at Richmond...threw a six-hit complete game shutout Aug. 6 at Reading...went 1-3 with a 12.05 ERA in seven starts in Surprise in the Arizona Fall League following the regular season. Career: 2003: Selected by Atlanta in the 21st round (did not sign), attended University of Georgia; 2006: College World Series, drafted by Arizona between first and second round, SingleA Yakima; 2007: Single-A Visalia, Double-A Mobile; 2008: Mobile; 2009: Double-A Erie, Triple-A Toledo.

CHARLIE FURBUSH PITCHER

Born: April 11, 1986 (25) Height: 6’5 Weight: 215 Bats: Left Throws: Left Born/Lives: South Portland, Maine Obtained: Selected by Detroit in fourth round of 2007 draft 2010: Moved up through the minor league system quickly in only his second full season … his 183 strikeouts were the second most in all of the minor leagues ... started the year

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RAMON GARCIA (cont.) PITCHER

2010: Split the season between Single-A Lakeland, Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo ... spent the most time with Erie, going 0-5 with one save in 27 games (7 starts )... allowed four HR in a start June 23 vs. Trenton ... struck out a season-high seven batters July 30 vs. Binghamton ... made three relief appearances with Toledo in late August Career: 2004: DSL Tigers; 2005: Gulf Coast Tigers; 2006: SingleA West Michigan before injured (left shoulder strain); 2007: West Michigan, Single-A Lakeland, DL two months; 2008: West Michigan, Lakeland; 2009: Double-A Erie.

LUIS MARTE PITCHER (DL)

Born: Aug. 26, 1986 (24) Height: 5’11 Weight: 170 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born/Lives: San Cristobel, DR Obtained: Signed by Detroit as non-drafted free agent Nov. 16, 2005 2010: Spent most of the year with Double-A Erie in the Eastern League, going 2-2 with seven saves and an ERA of 5.06 in 38 games (all relief) ... longest outing of the year was 3.1 innings Aug. 15 vs. Bowie (earned the win), struck out a season-high five batters in the same game ... pitched in one game for Toledo (Aug. 18) ... was hit by a batted ball in the forearm and was placed on the disabled list, missing the rest of the season. Career: 2006: DSL Tigers; 2007: Gulf Coast Tigers, Single-A West Michigan; 2008: Gulf Coast Tigers, Single-A Lakeland, Double-A Erie, started six games for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League; 2009: Erie.

FU-TE NI PITCHER

Born: Nov. 14, 1982 (28) Height: 6’0 Weight: 176 Bats: Left Throws: Left Born/Lives: Pingtung County, Taiwan Obtained: Signed by Detroit as free agent Jan. 13, 2009. 2010:

Opened the season with

Detroit, appearing in 22 games before being optioned to Triple-A Toledo for the remainder of the season June 30 ... compiled a 1.54 ERA over an 11-outing stretch with the Tigers April 25-June 4 ... established a career-high with five strikeouts April 25 at Texas ... worked 3.0 innings of relief June 22 at New York’s Citi Field against the Mets to establish a career-high ... posted a 3.38 ERA in his first seven appearances with Toledo July 2-19 ... sidelined July 31-Sept. 1 with left elbow impingement syndrome. Career: 2007: China Trust Whales; 2008: China Trust Whales, Taiwan Olympic Team; 2009: Triple-A Toledo, Detroit.

2010: Started the season with Single-A West Michigan in the Midwest League, going 0-3 with one save and a 4.56 ERA in 18 games (all relief) from April 9-June 10 ... promoted to Single-A Lakeland in the Florida State League, going 2-1 and a 0.95 ERA in 10 games (all relief) from June 17-July 18 .. .struck out a season-high six batters July 14 vs. Palm Beach ... promoted to Double-A Erie, going 1-0 with a 3.04 ERA in 15 games (one

start) from July 19-Sept. 5 Career: 2007: Tigers (Venezuelan Summer League); 2008: VSL Tigers; 2009: Single-A Oneonta, Venezuelan Winter League.

CHRIS OXSPRING PITCHER

Born: May 13, 1977 (33) Height: 6’0

Weight: 190 Bats: Left Throws: Right Born: Ipswich, Australia/Lives: Rouse Hill, Australia Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a free agent Dec. 7 n ROSTER CONTINUES ON A71

ANDREW OLIVER PITCHER

Born: Dec. 3, 1987 (23) Height: 6’3 Weight: 210 Bats: Left Throws: Left Born/Lives: Vermilion, Ohio Obtained: Selected by Detroit in the second round of 2009 draft 2010: Started with Double-A Erie before seeing action with both Triple-A Toledo and Detroit ... selected to participate in the Futures Game held prior to MLB All-Star Game in Anaheim, but called to the Tigers ... made his MLB debut June 25 at Atlanta, taking the loss in the start as he allowed two runs in six innings ... suffered the loss in all four of his decisions with the Tigers before he was optioned to Toledo for the remainder of the season July 19 ... equaled a season-high as he struck out 10 batters for the Mud Hens Aug. 24 versus Columbus ... posted a 2.61 ERA in six starts for Toledo during August … Rated one of Detroit’s top pitching prospects coming into the 2011 season. Career: 2006: Drafted by Minnesota in the 17th round (did not sign), attended Oklahoma State University; 2009: Arizona Fall League with Peoria.

JOSE ORTEGA PITCHER (DL)

Born: Oct. 12, 1988 (22) Height: 5’11 Weight: 165 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born: Caja Seca, Venezuela/Lives: Palmarito, Venezuela Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a non-drafted free agent July 3, 2006

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CHRIS OXSPRING (Cont.) PITCHER

2010: Injured (elbow) Career: 2000: Signed with Cook County in independent Frontier League, then by San Diego as a free agent; 2001: Single-A Fort Wayne, Lake Elsinore; 2002: Lake Elsinore (injured right shoulder), Double-A Mobile; 2003: Mobile; 2004: Triple-A Portland (injured right elbow), Australia Olympic Team (silver medal); 2005: Portland, MLB debut with San Diego at Milwaukee; 2006: Hanshin Tigers in Japan, signed by Milwaukee as free agent; 2007: Triple-A Nashville, LG Twins (Korea); 2008: LG Twins; 2009: Injured (elbow).

ZACH SIMONS PITCHER

Born: May 23, 1985 (25) Height: 6’3 Weight: 200 Bats: Left Throws: Right Born: Mountain Home, Idaho/ Lives: Glenns Ferry, Idaho Obtained: Acquired by Detroit in trade with Colorado April 30, 2008

2010: Spent most of the season with Double-A Erie in the Eastern League, going 3-4 with three saves and an ERA of 2.36 in 34 games (all relief) from April 9-July 30 ... tossed a season-high 3.1 innings April 15 vs. Altoona ... struck out a season-high six batters July 1 at Richmond ... promoted to Triple-A Toledo and appeared in 10 games (all relief) from Aug. 6-Sept. 4, compiling a 3.78 ERA … matched his season-high with six strikeouts Aug. 27 at Indianapolis. Career: 2003: Selected by Oakland in the 38th round (did not sign), attended Everett Community College; 2005: Selected by Colorado in the second round, Single-A Tri-City; 2006: Single-A Asheville; 2007: Asheville; 2008: Single-A Modesto, Single-A Lakeland, Mesa in the Arizona Fall League; 2009: Double-A Erie, Triple-A Toledo, Bravos de Margarita (Venezuela).

THAD WEBER

Obtained: Selected by Detroit in 16th round of 2008 draft 2010: Spent most of the year with DoubleA Erie in the Eastern League, going 9-12 with a 4.08 ERA in 25 starts ... threw complete games July 23 and Aug. 10 (both wins) ... struck out a seasonhigh 11 batters Aug. 15 vs. Bowie ... promoted to Triple-A Toledo and went 2-1 with an ERA of 1.64 in three starts from Aug. 26-Sept. 5 ... led the Eastern League with 167.2 innings pitched ... finished year with a 4.08 ERA (14th best in the EL) ... 22 of his 28 starts were 6.0 or more innings. Career: 2007: Selected by Cincinnati in the 35th round of the 2007 draft (did not sign), attended University of Nebraska ; 2008: Gulf Coast Tigers, Single-A West Michigan; 2009: SingleA Lakeland, Double-A Erie, Peoria in the Arizona Fall League (relief).

PITCHER

Born: Sept. 28, 1984 (26) Height: 6’2 Weight: 200 Bats: Right Throws: Left Born: Lincoln, Neb./Lives: Friend, Neb.

ROBBIE WEINHARDT PITCHER

Born: Dec. 8, 1985 (25) Height: 6’2 Weight: 205 Bats: Right

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the season (struck out). Career: 2007: Selected by Houston in the 38th round of the 2007 draft (did not sign), attended Hill Junior College and Oklahoma State University; 2008: Gulf Coast Tigers, Single-A Lakeland; 2009: Lakeland, Double-A Erie, Peoria in the Arizona Fall League.

Throws: Right Born: Chicago, Ill./Lives: Pearland, Texas Obtained: Selected by Detroit in 10th round of 2008 draft 2010: Assigned to Triple-A Toledo before he saw his first major league action in two separate stints with Detroit ... did not allow a run in 13 straight outings with Toledo from April 23-July 5, tossing 19.1 scoreless innings ... sidelined May 25-June 30 with a right shoulder strain … appeared in three games for Single-A Connecticut as part of injury rehab June 23-30 ... contract purchased by Detroit July 7 and made his MLB that night vs. Baltimore ... established a career-high with 2.2 innings of work July 19 vs. Texas ... earned his first MLB win on July 30 at Boston as he established a career-high with three strikeouts… matched the high with three strikeouts Sept. 7 vs. the Chicago White Sox...optioned to Toledo Aug. 20, surrendered only an unearned run in seven innings over his five outings with Toledo before being recalled by Detroit for remainder of the season Sept. 1...posted a 1.54 ERA in 10 outings during September and October for Detroit....had one at-bat on

ADAM WILK PITCHER

Born: Dec. 9, 1987 (23) Height: 6’2 Weight: 181 Bats: Left Throws: Left Born/Lives: Buena Park, Calif. Obtained: Selected by Detroit in 11th round of 2009 draft 2010: Tigers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year … spent most of the season with Single-A Lakeland, going 9-5 with a 3.01 ERA …climbed to Double-A Erie by the end of the season, where he went 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA. Career: 2009: Single-A Oneonta, Single-A West Michigan. n ROSTER CONTINUES ON A72

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BRENDAN WISE PITCHER

Born: Jan. 9, 1986 (25) Height: 6’2 Weight: 190 Bats: Left Throws: Right Born/Lives: Perth, Australia Obtained: Selected by Detroit in eighth round of 2005 draft 2010: Started the season with Double-A Erie in the Eastern League, going 2-0 with four saves and an ERA of 1.44 in 15 games (all relief) from April 8-May 24 ... promoted to Triple-A Toledo and appeared in 28 games (all relief) from May 28-Sept. 6, going 4-2 with two saves and an ERA of 2.08 … picked up three wins in his first seven outings in Toledo ... pitched a season-high 3.0 innings twice with Toledo and struck out a season-high four batters June 7 at Rochester ... did not allow a run in his final 7 outings with Toledo (13.2 IP) ... went 0-1 with a 6.57 ERA in 11 games (all relief) with the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. Career: 2005: Gulf Coast Tigers; 2006: Single-A Oneonta; 2007: Single-A Lakeland, Double-A Erie; 2008: Lakeland, Erie; 2009: Lakeland, Erie, Team Australia at World Baseball Classic.

Catchers

JOHN MURRIAN

CATCHER Born: June 15, 1988 (22) Height: 6’2 Weight: 215 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born: Knoxville, Tenn./Lives: Goose Creek, S.C. Obtained: Selected by Detroit in ninth round of 2009 draft. 2010: Single-A Lakeland, DoubleA Erie. Career: 2009: Single-A Oneonta.

MAX ST. PIERRE CATCHER

Born: April 17, 1980 (30) Height: 6’1 Weight: 200 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born: Quebec City, Quebec/Lives: Albuquerque, N.M.

Obtained: Signed with Detroit as a free agent Nov. 5, 2009 2010: Saw action with Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo before joining Detroit in September for his first MLB action ... sidelined June 3-July 15 with a finger fracture on his left hand while at Toledo ... hit .378 (14-37) in 11 games during July ... connected for two home runs Aug. 30 at Louisville to match a season best ... contract purchased by Detroit from Toledo Sept. 1 ... made his MLB debut on Sept. 4 at Kansas City ... at 30 years and 141 days old, he became the oldest Tigers position player to make his MLB debut since Mike Roarke made his debut at 30 years and 162 days old April 19, 1961, at Cleveland ... first MLB hit Sept. 4 at Kansas City, a single in the eighth inning off Dusty Hughes. Career: 1997: Selected by Detroit in the 26th round, Gulf Coast Tigers; 1998: Gulf Coast Tigers; 1999: SingleA Oneonta; 2000: Single-A West Michigan; 2001: Single-A Lakeland; 2002: Lakeland, Double-A Erie, Triple-A Toledo; 2003: Erie; 2004: Erie; 2005: Erie; 2006: Toledo; 2007: Double-A Huntsville; 2008: Erie, Toledo; 2009: Erie, Toledo.

OMIR SANTOS CATCHER (DL)

Born: April 29, 1981 (29) Height: 6’0 Weight: 213 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born: Bayamon, PR/Lives: Orlando, Fla. Obtained: Signed by Detroit as a free agent Dec. 6. 2010: Started the season with Triple-A Buffalo, hitting .194 (7-36) in 10 games from April 10-May 3...assigned to Double-A Binghamton in the Eastern League, hitting .138 (8-58) in 17 games from May 7-June 22. Career: 2001: Selected by the New York Yankees in the 21st round, Single-A Staten Island; 2002: Single-A Greensboro, Staten Island; 2003: Gulf Coast Yankees, Battle Creek; 2004: Battle Creek, Tampa; 2005: Trenton; 2006: Trenton; 2007: Trenton, Triple-A Scranton; 2008: Triple-A Norfolk, MLB debut with Baltimore vs. Oakland, Puerto Rico Winter League All-Star team; 2009: Triple-A Buffalo, New York Mets, Puerto Rican Winter League, Topps All-Star Rookie Team.

INFIELDERS

ARGENIS DIAZ

SHORTSTOP Born: Feb. 12, 1987 (24) Height: 6’0 Weight: 190 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born/Lives: Guatire, Venezuela Obtained: Signed as free agent by Detroit on Dec. 22, 2010 2010: Spent most of the season in Triple-A with Indianapolis … hit .248 in 80 games with the Indians … spent parts of April and all of August in MLB with Pittsburgh Pirates … first MLB hit came on Aug. 1 against St. Louis. Career: 2004: Ciudad Alianza (Venezuelan Summer League); 2005: Signed by Boston as nondrafted free agent, Venezuelan Red Sox; 2006: Gulf Coast Red Sox; 2007: Single-A Greenville; 2008: Single-A Lancaster, Double-A Portland; 2009: Acquired by Pittsburgh, Double-A Portland, Triple-A Indianapolis.

CALE IORG SHORTSTOP

Born: Sept. 6, 1985 (25) Height: 6’2 Weight: 182 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born: Toronto, Ontario/Lives: Knoxville, Tenn.

April 10, 2011 Obtained: Selected by Detroit in sixth round of 2007 draft 2010: Spent almost entire season with Double-A Erie … hit .211 with 10 HR and 33 RBI. Promoted to Toledo on Aug. 20 and hit .242 in 16 games with the Mud Hens …. went 3-5 with 2 RBI against Indianapolis Aug. 27. Hit .304 with the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League after regular season. Career: 2004: Selected by Tampa Bay in the 16th round (did not sign), attended University of Alabama; 2007: Gulf Coast Tigers, Single-A Lakeland; 2008: Lakeland; 2009: Double-A Erie.

SCOTT SIZEMORE

SECOND BASE

Born: Jan. 4, 1985 (26) Height: 6’0 Weight: 185 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born: Virginia Beach, Va./Lives: Chesapeake, Va. Obtained: Selected by Detroit in fifth round of 2005 draft 2010: Started the season as the Tigers starting second baseman before being optioned back to Toledo May 15 … collected his first hit in the majors April 9 and his first HR April 30 … had a 13-game hit streak between

May 23 and June 5 … Called back up to Detroit for six games after being sidelined for a groin pull … optioned back to the Mud Hens July 29 …recalled by Detroit for the remainder of the season Sept. 7. Career: 2006: Single-A Oneonta; 2007: Single-A West Michigan; 2008: Single-A Lakeland before breaking hamate bone June 2; 2009: Double-A Erie, Triple-A Toledo.

RYAN STRIEBY

FIRST BASE

Born: Aug. 9, 1985 (25) Height: 6’5 Weight: 235 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born/Lives: Seattle, Wash. Obtained: Selected by Detroit in fourth round of 2006 draft 2010: Spent the entire season with the Mud Hens … hit .245 with 10 HR and 45 RBI … spent two stints on the disabled list (wrist) … went 4-5 June 4 at Rochester … had four RBI June 11 at Lehigh Valley … committed only two errors while playing 1B and OF Career: 2004: Selected by Los Angeles in 29th round (did not sign), attended Edmonds Community College, University of Kentucky. 2006: Single-A Oneota; 2007: Single-A West Michigan; 2008: Single-A Lakeland; 2009: Double-A Erie. n ROSTER CONTINUES ON A74

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SCOTT THORMAN FIRST BASE

Born: Jan. 6, 1982 (29) Height: 6’3 Weight: 226 Bats: Left Throws: Right Born/Lives: Cambridge, Ontario Obtained: Signed by Detroit as free agent Dec. 2, 2010 2010: Spent the year with Triple-A Omaha (Kansas City) … hit .280 with 22 HR and 85 RBI in 125 games … hit .340 during the month of June … forced to pitch in two games last season (2.0 innings, 5 earned runs, one strikeout) Career: 2000: Selected by Atlanta in first round, Gulf Coast Braves; 2001: Injured (left shoulder surgery); 2002: Single-A Macon; 2003: Single-A Myrtle Beach; 2004: Myrtle Beach, Double-A Greenville; 2005: Double-A Mississippi, Triple-A Richmond; 2006: Atlanta Braves, Richmond; 2007: Atlanta; 2008; Richmond, Canada Olympic Team; 2009: Signed minor league deal with Texas Rangers … played for Triple-A Oklahoma City before being released … signed with Kansas City and assigned to Triple-A Omaha

DANNY WORTH SHORTSTOP

Born: Sept. 30, 1985 (25) Height: 6’1 Weight: 185 Bats: Right Throws: Right Born: Northridge, Calif./Lives: Valencia, Calif. Obtained: Selected by Detroit in second round of 2007 Draft 2010: Started with Toledo but did have two stints with the Tigers … hit .287 with two HR and 18 RBI in 45 games with the Mud Hens and .255 with two HR and eight RBI with the Tigers … first MLB hit was May 16 against Boston and first MLB HR was July 7 vs. Baltimore … sidelined with bruised heel Aug. 4 and spent the remainder of season on the disabled list. Career: 2007: Single-A Lakeland, Double-A Erie; 2008: Erie, Triple-A Toledo before season-ending shoulder injury in July; 2009: Toledo, Erie.

OUTFIELDERS

ANDY DIRKS

OUTFIELD Born: Jan. 24, 1986 (25) Height: 6’0 Weight: 195

Bats: Left Throws: Left Born/Lives: Hutchinson, Kan. Obtained: Selected by Detroit in eighth round of 2008 draft 2010: Started the year with Double-A Erie before being promoted to Toledo Aug. 3 … hit .278 with 11 HR and 46 RBI in 98 games and .375 with four HR and 17 RBI in 22 games … hit .333 in the month of June with Erie … reached base safely in 20 of 22 games with Toledo Career: 2008: Gulf Coast Tigers, Single-A West Michigan; 2009: Single-A Lakeland, Double-A Erie.

TIMO PEREZ

OUTFIELD

Born: April 8, 1975 (36) Height: 5’9 Weight: 180 Bats: Left Throws: Left Born: Bani, DR/ Lives: San Cristobal, DR Obtained: Signed by Detroit as free agent Jan. 10

April 10, 2011 2010: Started the year with Triple-A Albuquerque (Los AngelesNL) … hit .296 in 41 games with the Isotopes … pitched one inning May 7 … released by Los Angeles and signed by Philadelphia in July … spent rest of the season with Double-A Reading … hit .255 in 43 games with Reading Career: 1994-99: Japanese League; 2000: Signed by New York (NL), SingleA Port St. Lucie, Triple-A Norfolk, New York (NL); 2001: New York, Norfolk; 2002: New York, Norfolk; 2003: New York, Norfolk; 2004: Chicago (AL); 2005: Chicago (AL); 2006: Triple-A Memphis, St. Louis; 2007: Triple-A Toledo, Detroit; 2008: Toledo; 2009: Rojos del Aguila (Mexico)

CLETE THOMAS OUTFIELD

Born: Nov. 14, 1983 (27) Height: 5’11 Weight: 195 Bats: Left Throws: Right Born: Jacksonville, Fla./Lives: Tampa, Fla. Obtained: Drafted by Detroit in sixth round of 2005 draft 2010: Played in just 21 games before sustaining a knee injury in

May … stole three bases April 13 against Indianapolis … underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee in June Career: 2002: Drafted by Minnesota in fifth round (did not sign), attended University of Auburn; 2005: Single-A Oneonta; 2006: Single-A West Michigan, Single-A Lakeland; 2007: Double-A Erie; 2008: Triple-A Toledo, Detroit; 2009: Toledo, Detroit.

CLAY TIMPNER OUTFIELD

Born: May 13, 1983 (27) Height: 6’2 Weight: 195 Bats: Left Throws: Left Born: Lakeland, Fla./Lives: Oviedo, Fla. Obtained: Signed as a free agent by Detroit December 16, 2010 2010: Played for Double-A Richmond (San Francisco) … hit .290 with four HR and 51 RBI Career: 2004: Single-A SalemKeizer, Single-A San Jose; 2005: San Jose; 2006: Double-A Connecticut, Triple-A Fresno; 2007: Fresno; 2008: Fresno, San Francisco; 2009: Double-A Richmond. O

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The 401(k) revolution

etirement was more serene in decades past. Before widespread global manufacturing and commerce, employers and employees were gifted with a sense of loyalty to one another. To be sure, there were problems: labor disputes, antitrust lawsuits, government intervention, wars and taxes. Overriding all these difficulties, many fortunate workers had what was known as a “defined benefit” program. These retirement programs were sponsored by the employer and provided a stable retirement income for retired employees. The thorny problem was that these pension plans were complicated Robert for employers to administer and represented a liability for the sponsoring corporation. These multiple problems, coupled with the perceived need to demonstrate profitability to shareholders on a quarterly basis, led to the establishment of Internal Revenue Code Section 401(k) plans. This new approach was termed a “Defined Contribution Plan” which, like the “adjustable rate mortgage” concept (that transferred much of the loan liability to the borrower), the new 401(k) plan placed the investment decision on the shoulders of the employee. Unfortunately, the average employee had little or no training that would enable them to determine which investment selection might be appropriate at any given time. Worse yet, the employee had little control over the internal costs of mutual funds within the plan or the costs of administration of the plan.

The dilemma/good news

DALBAR Research points out that 72,000,000 401(k) plan participants and their families, in addition to 483,000 employers, will demand lower plan fees. The focus of all investors will

be on examining the apparent and internal costs of virtually every investment and all financial products. That’s a healthy event.

New regulations are key

The Department of Labor has promulgated regulations that should level the playing field between retail stockbrokers and fee-only, licensed investment advisers. In the longterm, the breath of fresh air the new regulations bring should please plan sponsors as well as employee/participants. In the shorterm however, the new regs Kneisley will entail procedural adjustments for both sponsors and plan providers. This is so because of the following disclosures and deadline dates mandated by the Department of Labor and outlined by DALBAR Research: The Department of Labor is encouraging plan 401(k) participants to shop for lower fees; new ERISA Rule, Section 408(b)(2) requires detailed plan fee disclosure ... effective for plans from July, 2012; and ERISA Section 404(a)(5) requires that all plan expenses appear on employee/participant’s statements for plan years beginning in November, 2012. The new regulations are a positive step toward enhancing 401(k) plan performance and greater employee/participant satisfaction. The result should enhance employee participation, leading to greater satisfaction in retirement. I am certain that these goals are mutually shared by all parties. O Bob Kneisley is a licensed investment advisor, financial historian, the author of “The Wall Street Casino” and president of the Indicator Advisory Corporation, 3061 Shoreland Ave., Toledo. Email: wealth@indicatoradvisory.com.

TECHNOLOGY

Ugly Data undergoes transition

By Duane Ramsey

TOLEDO FREE PRESS SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER dramsey@toledofreepress.com

Ugly Data Inc. is undergoing a transition that involves a change in ownership, relocation of a data center and the possible expansion of its staff in Toledo. Amy and Dan Miller founded the business in 2006 and relocated from the Chicago area to Toledo in 2007. They found a new home for their startup company in the Clean & Alternative Energy Incubator at the University of Toledo in May 2007. The couple has operated and grown the information technology business from that incubator and another one on UT’s medical campus for the past four years. Amy assumed sole ownership of Ugly Data as part of the couple’s divorce settlement, which became final March 4. She continues to serve as president of the firm and said that Dan continues working as part of the team at Ugly Data. She reported one of the firm’s two data centers will relocate to Columbus within the next two weeks. All of the equipment housed in the data center on UT’s medical campus will be moved to incubator space at Ohio State University. “It provides our clients with a better solution for their data needs,” she said. Ugly Data will contract with Platform Lab, a former UT incubator tenant now located at the OSU incubator, to manage the facility for them at this time. Miller said she may hire staff for the data center in Columbus from that area and possibly expand the firm’s team. Miller said their strongest client base is located in Northwest Ohio but they have numerous clients nationwide and internationally. Ugly Data is a managed service

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toledo free press photo by duane ramsey

The Wall Street Casino

A77

FROM LEFT, Margie Traband of UT works with Amy Miller of Ugly Data.

provider that supplies dedicated and virtual servers for running applications, data bases and other hosting requirements for clients, which include academics, small-to-medium businesses, city, county and township governments. The firm also provides virtualized server hosting, backup services, disaster recovery and data archiving for those customers. Ugly Data provides an outsourced solution for companies that require control of their applications but insist on 100 percent uptime reliability from their hosting environments. Based in Toledo, they operate mirrored redundant data centers with an uninterruptible power supply and battery backups, Miller said. She said the firm understands its clients have businesses to run and need to focus on their customers, employees and business development, not the daily administration of the company’s data and servers. Miller knows Ugly Data must maintain the applications, databases, hosting requirements and servers for their clients throughout the transition of the business. “Friends who are business owners and professionals have provided mentoring and support for me

Call us for your business needs – Ken Connell 419-259-5945 Rich Heck 419-259-8530 Member FDIC

during this transition,” Miller said. Sources at the UT incubator have been helping her with strategic planning, programs and services to keep her business operating through the transition. Megan Reichert-Kral, director of incubation in the office of research development at UT, has been an excellent resource for her, Miller said. She has received business and moral support from staff of the Center for Family & Privately Held Business at UT. Miller also credits Todd Ovall, owner of the CrossFit LifeSport group fitness facility located in Downtown Toledo, for helping her mentally and physically during her recent life transitions. “Todd is very positive, yet he pushes you to test your capabilities. They provide an accountability and support system at the gym to make sure you reach your fitness goals,” Miller said. “We try to change the lives of our members in a positive way with fitness and nutrition that affects every aspect of their lives,” Ovall said. “It’s a different kind of model and philosophy we use here. There is a social aspect of the group training that is an effective method of achieving mental and physical fitness,” he said. O

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A78 n Toledo Free Press

April 10, 2011

THE RETIREMENT GUYS

Investment styles to get on base

pring is here and baseball season is going into full swing. Opening day is always a great time for folks young and old. The winter is getting behind us and it is time for some enjoyment with friends and family. For players and coaches it is a chance to try out new ideas and a time to improve on what has worked in the past. Training, Education, Action, and Monitoring are important ingredients into winning baseball games. The same can be true when it comes to investing in today’s stock markets; it takes a TEAM approach to keep moving ahead financially. Winning the game usually involves getting players on the bases and not just on one guy hitting home runs, although, seeing a player hit one out of the park is always exciting. Diversification, doesn’t guarantee against loss, yet it is a method used to reduce risk and help an investor keep in the game. Just like baseball, the goal is to have different approaches to get on base with hopefully a couple home runs along the way. Knowing and using the different approaches of investing can also help an investor avoid too many strikeouts. Asset allocation is one of the most common investment approaches used today. The principles are sound and can be a great core strategy. Asset allocation involves diversifying investments among large, medium, small, and international stock, bonds, and cash. Depending upon an investor’s risk level, an asset allocation mix

can be used to try and meet an investor’s risk level and long-term goals. The positive is history has shown that stocks and bonds go up in value over time. This strategy can work well for long-term investors, and those buying on an ongoing basis. The problem is defining the definition of time and long-term. Asset allocation doesn’t always work, such as times when the stock market just goes up and down. Cash flow investing is when investors are looking for a targeted rate of income from Mark their investment accounts. The overall goal would be to purNolan chase solid long-term investments that would have a goal of being held for the long-term. Usually with this style of investing there is less a concern on the current price as long as the investment is meeting income goals. Josh Peters, editor of Morningstar’s DividendInvestor newsletter says, “Dividends can rise and fall with economic conditions, but in general, if the market drops 200 points tomorrow, chances are that a portfolio of dividend-paying stocks is going to have the same income if the market were to go up 200 points.” Then certain potentially higher current income-generating invest-

ments such as dividend-paying stocks, REITs, high yield bonds, and annuities are purchased to meeting current and future income needs. Technical analysis is an investment style that involves active money management based upon a study of the trends of the economy. Investments are usually made when the trend, based upon past market data, are positive and risk is lowered or investments are moved into cash when the analysis turns negative about the future. One way to look at technical CLAIR analysis is like having circuit breakers on your house. If BAKER conditions or the risk gets too high, the power gets turned down or off until it appears safe to turn the switch back on. The positive of technical analysis is it is designed to limit losses and protect the financial house. Having an exit plan and not staying fully invested all of the time can make a lot of sense for many investors. The negative of technical analysis is statistically it is impossible to use the past to predict the future of the stock market every time. That means an investor can miss out on opportunities by not staying fully invested. So which style of investing is the right one

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