Christmas Time...yikes!

As stated in a previous post, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for various reasons. Another reason is that we have more time to get ready for the upcoming season. A lot of people ask me, "What do you do in the offseason." Of course I then go into specifics about day to day activities in the office. Some people are just interested and some others really question baseball operations during the winter. I respect their questions and understand where they are coming from. But sometimes I want to say that a 56 game season doesn't happen overnight. It certainly takes a lot of time and patience. In fact, I probably consider the offseason to be a busier time than the season itself. It's a matter of putting the pieces in place for the season. If it's done right, then everything should work itself out.

I certainly enjoy Christmas as well, but I know once I step foot back in the office, the clock starts ticking until May 31, the first game of the season (on the road). And boy does time fly by. The good thing is that, 1) we now have a full offseason to get things ready and 2) we saw what worked and what didn't last season. I started in February last year and it definitely was a learning experience trying to start this organization from scratch. I think we did a pretty darn good job too. We have a foundation now and we have established ourselves in Carteret County. Now it's time to build on top of what is already in place. We are constantly looking for more support and this support can come in many different ways. All in all, it's what I enjoy doing. I like the daily challenges and certainly enjoy meeting new people.

But Christmas is fun too. My family is scattered all over the United States and this year, we'll all be together. I can't wait and hope all of you have a wonderful holiday as well.

Kinston Indians to Cease Operations in 2012

When I woke up yesterday, that was the first thing that I heard. This situation, of course, might have a direct impact on our organization. And to be honest, I am not knowledgeable enough about the decision to really comment. I do know however that Kinston has a rich baseball history and the city certainly has benefited from the operation of the Indians franchise.

I have always enjoyed minor league baseball, and actually prefer going to these games instead of major league games for various reasons. Old minor league ball parks hold a special place in my heart and Kinston is surely one of them. The game of baseball was the same back in the day, but the meaning was different in my opinion. The rich history in places like Kinston will always be remembered. You can't take away fans' experiences. That's the most important thing.

It's unfortunate but these things happen. Minor league parks change affiliates all the time. It's all business. If it's not working out at the current time then something has to change. All in all, Kinston is losing a great thing for its city. I know the direct economic impact and social interaction that will be lost. I know many are saying, "What will the Marlins do now?" Truth is we are not going to change what we do here with this organization because of what is happening with Kinston. We are continuously growing each day and we'll be very fortunate to reach what the Indians have become in the Kinston market. We are very saddened by the events that have unfolded and Buddy and I have friends that work with the Indians. We are going to keep up our same marketing efforts and offer a great, family fun atmosphere.

As stated in the previous post, a good friend of mine, Ben Jones has assumed the General Manager position this year. I certainly wish him the best of luck again and if anyone can handle such responsibility, it's him. He'll put together a fantastic year for the fans, whether it's their last year or not. We all do the same thing...we think of new ways to entertain the fans while fielding a competitive team. He'll have my support and I'll have his. Simple as that.

The Baseball Fraternity

Working in such a competitive field, you tend to meet a lot of different people. I was fortunate enough to work with and for a great individual by the name of Benjamin Jones. Mr. Jones allowed me to get started in the world of baseball. We both started in the CPL with the Wilson Tobs in 2007. After four seasons as General Manager of the Tobs, Mr. Jones decided to move on and accepted the same position with the Kinston Indians. He certainly was the perfect fit for this organization. No doubt he'll do a wonderful job in Kinston and I wish him the best of luck.

Tough Offseason

The Marlins lost another member of it's family. A dear friend of ours was lost in a car accident just over a week ago. This friend and her family have been huge supporters of the Marlins since day one. In fact, Hannah's mother Lee was the first person I met when I came to Morehead City back in February. It's very unfortunate that things like this happen to such great people. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lee and her family and we'll certainly won't forget the impact Hannah had on peoples' lives.

Holiday Gifts

The Marlins still have plenty of merchandise and ticket packages available for that special someone during the holiday season. We just unveiled the newest member of the Marlins line...a hooded sweatshirt. I must admit that I do prefer the cold weather as I grew up in NJ, so naturally I have been accustomed to wearing cold weather apparel most of my life. Hooded sweatshirts are one of my favorite things to wear and our new one is quite comfortable.

Also, season ticket packages can also be bought for the 2011 summer season. Along with season tickets, we are now offering a flex ticket book which contains 12 undated tickets for the regular season.

All of these Marlins items would make great gifts for the holiday season. We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. You get to eat as much as you want, and when your done, you get to eat some more. You don't feel ashamed because you know everyone else is eating as much as you are. What's Thanksgiving without a little football also? The Lions and their annual blowout appearance usually doesn't do anything for me. That's a great game for nice nap.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to spend the holiday with my family this year. But that didn't stop me from attempting to cook Thanksgiving dinner myself. I'm not Rachel Ray, but I was certainly impressed with the turnout. I made enough to eat leftovers for five days! I'm not too keen on leftovers, but how can you go wrong with holiday food?

I hope all Marlins fans had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Christmas is right around the corner which gives us another excuse to eat as much as we can. Oh, how I can't wait.