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Ben's Biz eats: From Tennessee to Ohio

Nashville, Bowling Green, Louisville, Indianapolis and Columbus
@BensBiz
December 8, 2023

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. Subscribe HERE.

Ben's Biz eats: Best of NY and PA

Most delightful Empire eats and Keystone concessions
@BensBiz
December 1, 2023

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. Subscribe HERE.

Ben's Biz eats: Best of the South

A taste of Biloxi, Birmingham, Montgomery and Pensacola
@BensBiz
November 17, 2023

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. Subscribe HERE.

Ben's Biz eats: Best of the Pacific Northwest

Tasty delights of Eugene, Hillsboro, Tacoma and Vancouver
@BensBiz
November 3, 2023

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. Subscribe HERE.

Clippers gameday mainstay got his start in '67 

Marvin Dill began his journey with the Columbus Jets 56 years ago
@BensBiz
November 2, 2023

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If you’ve attended a Minor League Baseball game in Columbus, Ohio, at any point over the last 56 years, then one thing is almost certain: Marvin Dill was there in the ballpark with you. In 1967, Dill began working for the Columbus Jets, assisting in the visitors'

How Bats' Galiette went from intern to team prez

Salesman's 'idiotic decision' opened the door to career in baseball
@BensBiz
October 16, 2023

LOUISVILLE, KY -- How long has Greg Galiette worked for Louisville’s Minor League Baseball team? Let’s just say it’s been a while. “A lot of people joke that I was dropped off as a baby at the doorstep of Cardinal Stadium,” he said with a laugh. Galiette was assuredly past

Remembering the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons 

Original PA announcer John Davies reflects on Triple-A team's years as Philadelphia affiliate
@BensBiz
September 8, 2023

MOOSIC, Pa. -- April 26, 1989 was an auspicious day for northeast Pennsylvania baseball fans, as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons played their first home game at Lackawanna County Multi-Purpose Stadium. This marked the return of Minor League Baseball to the region after a 35-year absence, and 11,000 fans packed the

Wahoos' Kirby came for vacation, found dream career

Road to long-term professional fulfillment began with visit to family
@BensBiz
September 4, 2023

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- One of the most enduring clichés associated with working in Minor League Baseball is the "wearing of many hats." Donna Kirby, longtime member of the Double-A Pensacola front office, embodies this jack-of-all-trades mentality. Kirby has pretty much done it all over the course of her Blue Wahoos

From field to screen: IronPigs stringer explains job

Cory Chryst transmits game data from Coca-Cola Park press box
@BensBiz
August 31, 2023

ALLENTOWN, PENN. -- Within a ballpark press box, many of the job titles are self-explanatory. The broadcasters broadcast the game, the scorers score it and the writers write about it. Similarly, the stringers string it. This last position, crucial and therefore ubiquitous, isn't as widely understood as the press box's

Biscuits' fan there for every pitch in 1,300 games

Richard Chamberlain was first in line for Rays' Double-A affiliate
@BensBiz
August 17, 2023

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Prior to the 2004 season, when Montgomery's new Minor League Baseball team announced they would be named the Biscuits, Richard Chamberlain was the first in line to buy team merchandise. When season tickets went on sale, he was, again, the first in line. "I tend to overdo

Tylicki fosters team mentality in baseball, military

Following army deployments, ops director returned to Binghamton
@BensBiz
August 10, 2023

BINGHAMTON, New York -- Working in a Minor League Baseball front office is a world away, sometimes literally, from serving in the military. Richard Tylicki, director of stadium operations for Double-A Binghamton, nonetheless finds similarities between the two pursuits. "I think in Minor League Baseball you work a lot --

'Such a gem:' Nat Bailey Stadium's enduring appeal 

Historic park occupies unique space in Vancouver sports landscape
@BensBiz
August 1, 2023

When you think of baseball in the year 1951, Rookie of the Year Willie Mays might spring to mind. Or his teammate, Bobby Thomson, hitting the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" to propel the the New York Giants to the World Series. A lesser-known baseball event from that year, but

Travel ball: Kaleb Bowman's overseas odyssey

Shuckers reliever improved his game in Canada, Australia, Germany
@BensBiz
July 18, 2023

BILOXI, Miss. -- Kaleb Bowman, a long-haired and compactly built right-handed reliever who pitches from various arm slots, is in the midst of his debut Minor League season. The now-26-year-old, a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, began the year with High-A Wisconsin, and after six weeks, was called up

From Brooklyn, with love: Tacoma's favorite usher 

Chester Rito connects with fans via old newspapers, surprise gifts
@BensBiz
July 12, 2023

TACOMA, Wash. -- Like the beloved baseball team of his childhood, Chester Rito started out in Brooklyn before heading westward across the country. His eventual destination was not Los Angeles but Tacoma, Wash., home of the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A affiliate. Over the past 14 seasons, Rito has been a fixture

Zoom, zoom: Mendez focuses on Blue Wahoos

Pensacola team photographer creatively captures the big moments
@BensBiz
July 10, 2023

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- In 2018, Nino Mendez attended a Pensacola Blue Wahoos game that happened include a fireworks show. This seemingly innocuous occasion turned out to be the start of a new professional journey, and he is now in his fifth season as team photographer for the Double-A Miami Marlins

Biscuit rises: Adams-Wall gets callup to Tampa Bay

Promoted broadcaster looks back on seven seasons in Montgomery
@BensBiz
June 22, 2023

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- After a long stint with the Double-A club, Chris Adams-Wall finally got the call: He's going to The Show. He's going to the pre- and postgame show, to be exact, hosting both as the newest member of the Tampa Bay Rays broadcast team. Adams-Wall is a homegrown

Hippidy Hops Guy brings the noise in Hillsboro

Superfan brings cheer, trinkets, rubber chickens to Ron Tonkin Field
@BensBiz
June 16, 2023

HILLSBORO, Ore. – It’s a beautiful afternoon at the ballpark, and the ambient noise is delightful. The soothing sounds of the game gently intermingle with the buzz of the crowd, the enthusiastic exhortations of the PA announcer and the atonal, overlapping bleats of dozens of miniature rubber chickens. Wait, what?

The hole story: Hudson Valley's Cider Donuts

Renegades' alternate identity features local flavor, scented merch
@BensBiz
June 13, 2023

WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. -- A light breeze wafted through Heritage Financial Park on June 3, complementing an overcast sky, temperatures in the mid-60s and, later, a rain shower. The calendar may have indicated otherwise, but the vibe at the ballpark was decidedly autumnal. How apropos, then, that this was the

It blew up: Eugene embraces Exploding Whales 

A deep dive into an identity with Oregon roots and global appeal
June 7, 2023

EUGENE, ORE – On March 23, when the Eugene Emeralds announced their Exploding Whales alternate identity, they figured it would create some regional buzz. Those expectations were immediately blown out of the water. The Emeralds, High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, sold out their first batch of Exploding Whales

Spain goes from US hockey to Canadians baseball

Blue Jays prospect grew up on ice, now takes the field in Vancouver
@BensBiz
May 30, 2023

Garrett Spain grew up playing hockey in the United States, where baseball is the national pastime. These days, he's playing professional baseball in Canada. It's funny how life works out. Spain, an outfielder selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2021 Draft, is currently in

Have bat, will travel: Mike Ford's tumultuous '22

Veteran slugger played for four MLB teams, four MiLB affiliates
@BensBiz
May 25, 2023

TACOMA, Wash. -- When Mike Ford told his current manager, John Russell, about his 2022 season, Russell had an apt response: "That's not a season. That's a career!" That about sums it up. Ford, a heavy-hitting first baseman and designated hitter, is currently a member of the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.

Hops' Grammes, Ray talk fave video games

Pac-Man? Rocket League? Hillsboro teammates have opinions
@BensBiz
May 22, 2023

HILLSBORO, Ore. -- Dylan Ray and Conor Grammes have a lot in common, at least superficially. They're both right-handed pitchers in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization who currently play for the High-A Hillsboro Hops. They both occupy a spot on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 D-backs prospects list. And, most importantly for

From heckler to PA announcer: Cole's unique path

Amplifying the improbable story of Eugene Emeralds' ballpark voice
@BensBiz
May 17, 2023

EUGENE, OREGON -- Jill Cole didn’t apply for the job and had no prior experience. So how did she end up as public address announcer for the Eugene Emeralds, spending her evenings behind a microphone in the PK Park press box? It's kind of a weird story. “I came here

Going, going, Oregon: Previewing a ballpark trip

Traveling writer's itinerary includes Exploding Whales, Canada
@BensBiz
April 27, 2023

This article is excerpted from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, which you can subscribe to HERE. Each Thursday brings a new installment filled with Minor League Baseball business and culture news.

Picking the best mascots in the Minors

Costumed characters that'll make you feel warm and fuzzy
@BensBiz
April 25, 2023

In Minor League Baseball, the players come and go. The mascot remains. Mascots are beacons of stability and bringers of joy, and the combination of these two durable traits make them universally beloved. Picking favorites is a thankless task, and while no one has to do it, this writer will