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Artist’s nostalgic sculpture ‘Who’s Up?’ is big hit at Fifth Third Field

By
Toledo Free Press
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“Who’s Up,” a sculpture outside Fifth Third Field by Bowling Green artist Emanuel Enriquez, who modeled three of the children after grandchildren of friends. The boy on the right is modeled after himself. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney.

Emanuel Enriquez delivered a striking pitch to the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo: Picture it, 1927, the year the Toledo Mud Hens won the AA pennant.

“I thought of what baseball meant to the kids, and I happen to be old enough to remember ‘The Little Rascals.’ So I thought 1927, and I decided to do a sculpture with young kids,” the Bowling Green artist said.

“I knew most of the class AA baseball teams had old fences around them, so I decided to make the kids peering through the wooden fence,” Enriquez said.

“Who’s Up?” has delighted baseball fans since the bronze sculpture was unveiled on St. Clair Street outside Fifth Third Field in September 2002. The life-size figures — three boys and one girl — and fence weigh in at about 3,000 pounds.

“I thought [the sculpture] would relate to the young kids, and the old-timers would remember when they played baseball as kids,” Enriquez said.

After his design was selected in 2001, the sculptor read Mud Hens historian John Husman’s “Baseball in Toledo” and pored over historical accounts. He dug for details.

“I went to the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, and I picked out some old Sears catalogs and tried to get some reference to the period of dress,” Enriquez said.

“I did research on the little girl’s bib overalls, the boy’s pants with the leather strap in the back for tightening. I did research on the shoes, the cap the barefoot boy is wearing; it goes to that period.”

Even the hair had to be perfect.

“A lady friend helped me design the little girl’s braids,” he said. “She told me they would use strings; they didn’t have rubber bands in those days.”

He hunted down vintage wood in Pennsylvania and cast each side and welded the pieces together so the fence would be authentic.

And the Pemberville, Ohio, native  hit the road to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

 “They had a 1927 period glove in the showcase; I took a photo of that and I put it on the little girl,” he said, adding he picked up a souvenir — a baseball stick like one of the youths is holding.

Three of the kids are based on grandchildren of his friends.

“The tallest kid on the right I modeled after me, back when I was 50 pounds lighter,” Enriquez said and laughed. “There’s a mole on his right cheek, a light dimple on the left cheek. Very few people know this.”

The artist had a ball working on the project — and knocked it out of the park.

“It was a lot of fun,” Enriquez said.  “I’m really pleased with the sculpture; people enjoy it a lot.”

Not that he hangs around to watch people looking at his work when he drives up I-75 for a Hens game.

“I go to watch the baseball game, eat a hot dog — that’s part of Americana, you know?”

The art of ‘I Got It!’: How three bronze kids get in to every home game

By
Toledo Free Press
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'I Got It!,’ a sculpture at Fifth Third Field, was designed by Vermont artist Frank C. Gaylord II, who also designed the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney.

Installed in and around the eight-acre baseball campus are works of art and artistic components that give the ballpark its “unique distinction,” in the words of Marc Folk, executive director of The Arts Commission. The inclusion of this public art — from home plate gate flourishes and manhole cover designs to freestanding sculptures — anchors forever the populist sensibility of Toledo’s county-owned and corporate-named ballpark.

‘I’ve Got It!’

Nowhere is that wondrous link to the common man (and child) more evident than behind section 101 where, just steps inside the Third Base Gate, a bronze sculpture depicts three boys reaching high in the sky for a home run ball. That artwork is entitled “I Got It!”

“It captures the youthful exuberance of so many kids,” said Folk, who added that the sculpture “really connects” with just about everybody who ever played around with a bat and ball. So many times has Folk seen people posing with that sculpture that, in his estimation, “I Got It!” is probably the ballpark’s No. 1 photo op. (Sorry, Muddy.)

When the ballpark was being built back in 2002, Folk was in charge of The Arts Commission’s Art in Public Spaces initiative. The Arts Commission set up a partnership between the city, the county and private donors with the goal of incorporating public art into the ballpark, Folk said. With funding in place, a national call to artists went out. Folk does not recall the exact number of entries but said there were about 80 submissions from around the country.

The artist

Vermont sculptor Frank C. Gaylord II was one artist whose design, the aforementioned sculpture of the three boys, garnered approval by a review board comprised of area stakeholders.

“The ‘I Got It!’ sculpture is a tribute to your fine city and its rich baseball history,” Gaylord told Toledo Free Press in an email sent by his son-in-law, John Triano. Gaylord, now 89 years old, is renowned for such public artworks as the national Little League monument in Williamsport, Pa., a policeman’s memorial in Jacksonville, Fla., a fireman’s memorial in Eugene, Ore., and the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

After the “I Got It!” sculpture was complete, it was decided in Toledo to install the work on a rotatable mount so that it can be swiveled to face the sidewalk and street outside the gate when the Hens are not on the field.

“I thought it was a great idea to put the artwork on a turntable,” Gaylord said. “I create all my sculpture on a turntable but never before has it been displayed on one.”

The artist also had kind words for Toledo’s Arts Commission when recalling his efforts from more than a decade ago.

“Everyone was fair and polite. They let me create,” Gaylord said. “That was not the case in some of my other commissions.”  

Folk, who earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Toledo, shrugged off any praise, saying merely that handling artists is integral to the nature of the business of The Arts Commission.

It’s the commission’s job to “empower their design,” he said.

Gaylord explained his own evolution as an artist by saying he is “a big fan” of French sculptor Rodin “and of course Michelangelo. That led me into sculpture.”

Now approaching 90, Gaylord continues to create art.

“I am working on abstract drawings and enjoying every bit of the creative process,” he said. “Art to me means leaving the world a little nicer than when I found it.”

Folk echoed that sentiment in a separate interview.

“I’m very lucky,” he said. “I can work to make my city a better place.”

Folk credits the success of the public art at Fifth Third Field with helping subsequently to bring art to the Huntington Center. But Folk knows art at Fifth Third Field was only a qualified success. Originally, five initiatives were slated for inclusion. The fifth, a mural, never came to fruition. Funding for it dried up in the economic downturn following 9/11, Folk said.

As for one of the designs that did get funded, Gaylord calls his Mud Hens sculpture “one of my best works. Better than Washington D.C.”

Today, with the ballpark nearly paid off and expansion plans on the drawing board, who can tell, perhaps the county will decide to re-commission that mural.

Helping Hens strive to give back to community

By
Danielle Stanton
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Members of the Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee participate in a Drug Awareness Day last season. Photo courtesy Toledo Mud Hens.

The charitable arm of the Mud Hens — the Helping Hens — organize the distribution of Mud Hens tickets to underprivileged kids, arrange player visits, auction jerseys for charity and donate Mud Hens memorabilia and tickets to local charities.

“Helping Hens is the official charitable fund of the Toledo Mud Hens and is administered through the Toledo Community Foundation,” Mud Hens Communications Director Andi Roman said by email. “It was established to provide financial support to local non-profit organizations with an emphasis on education and development of local youth.”

Last year, the Helping Hens Foundation donated $50,000 to local nonprofits. The fund

   

contributes in-kind and monetary donations to nearly 1,000 organizations every year. The in-kind donations include jerseys, tickets, appearances and merchandise, which alone raised thousands of dollars for charity, Roman said.

This year’s season of giving kicked off Jan. 23 with the Helping Hens’ “Tiger Talk,” an evening with Detroit Tigers’ new manager Brad Ausmus and right fielder Torii Hunter. The night raised more than $3,000, Roman said

Helping Hens partners with local organizations to help underprivileged kids.

This year will be its ninth year partnering with local drug enforcement agencies for its Substance Abuse Prevention Program, which teaches “positive choices” to underprivileged youth, she said.

Underprivileged kids who can’t afford tickets can be a part of Muddy’s Knothole Club, which partners with area businesses.

For schools and local nonprofits that want their students or clients to attend a game but who may not have transportation, the Helping Hens Foundation offers a transportation grant.

This year will also see its share of jersey auctions. A Ghostbuster jerseys, two Christmas in July jerseys and a pink jersey for Susan G. Komen for the Cure are some of the jerseys to be auctioned for charity this season.

Rob Wiercinski, a Toledo native and former reporter with WTOL News 11, is the new community relations manager for the Mud Hens and will join Roman working with the Helping Hens Foundation. Wiercinski and Roman also worked together at 1370 WSPD and WTOL.

Wiercinski had developed a relationship with the Mud Hens organization as a reporter covering the Walleye for WTOL. When the communications position opened up, the Mud Hens asked if he was interested, Wiercinski said. He worked for WTOL for eight years and started with the Mud Hens three weeks ago.

“I went to many Hens games at the Lucas County Rec Center and saw a lot of hockey at the old sports center,” Wiercinski said, adding that he covered the groundbreaking of Fifth Third Field as a radio reporter.

“I’m joining the organization that helped make Toledo the No. 1 minor league sports market in America,” Wiercinski said, referring to the title of Top Minor League Market Toledo earned last year in a ranking of 235 minor league sports cities by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal. “I’m joining an outstanding organization and I want to be a part of the team.”

Hens office manager with team for three decades

By
Jay Hathaway
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Carol Hamilton has been office manager for the Mud Hens for 30 years. Toledo Free Press photo by Joseph Herr.

The ultimate career goal for many is being able to do something you love, get paid for it and keep that job for many years. Carol Hamilton is the epitome of that reality.

Hamilton is the office manager for the Toledo Mud Hens and the Toledo Walleye. For 30 years, she has been a vital part of the Mud Hens organization. Her career in Toledo baseball began when the team was still grinding out games at Ned Skeldon Stadium in Maumee.

“I was just basically hired as someone to assist filling out the Mud Hens season ticket envelopes,” Hamilton said. “Then I just stuck around and started doing more and more and more.”

Over the years she has handled the team’s payroll, performed a lot of secretarial work and answered many, many phone calls.

Hamilton, a polite and quiet yet amiable woman of small frame with a welcoming smile, was raised in Toledo and raised a Mud Hens fan, as well. She recalled her memories of the Ned Skeldon years with fondness.

“It was a ballpark that needed a Band-Aid, but it was homey, and it served its purpose for a long time,” she said.

When the team moved to its current home at Fifth Third Field in 2002, many Toledo baseball fans rejoiced at the idea of a Mud Hens makeover. Hamilton was thoughtfully cautious in her initial response.

“I was skeptical, because [at first] I didn’t really care for the Downtown setting, but once we arrived down here, it was an incredible fit,” she said.

Hamilton said the most noticeable difference about her job between the Skeldon years and the present is the number of people now on the office staff and working in the ballpark.

“When I started, it was just a handful of people, and now we have 58,” she said.

Hamilton described her daily responsibilities as a hodgepodge of getting done whatever needs done.

“I’m one of the first people in here to get the machines ready for the day’s work, I answer the phone, I do all of the ordering of office supplies,” she said.

Though the players seldom visit the offices, which are usually pretty low-key and don’t see much “craziness,” Hamilton does recall an occasion when excitement levels rose and phone calls got a bit out of hand.

“When [professional golfer] Phil Mickelson tried out for the Mud Hens — that was probably the craziest time. People were calling as they got wind of it, and asked, ‘Is Phil Mickelson really trying out for the team?’”

Aside from the Mickelson incident, Hamilton said her career has been fairly tame. However, in 2009, Hamilton had a front row seat for a major shift within the organization as well as in Toledo sports.

In 2007, Toledo Arena Sports, a subsidiary of the Mud Hens ball club, purchased the rights to run hockey in Toledo, which was then the Toledo Storm. Two years later, with a new Downtown arena and a new mascot, the everyday operations of the Toledo Walleye fell in the laps of Hamilton and her Mud Hens coworkers.

“Before, we’d be taking a deep breath after baseball season and rest up, and [then] start focusing on the next season,” she said. “With the Walleye, it made it more of a year-round event. We had down time with just baseball. Now when baseball ends, hockey is getting ready to start, so it’s just a complete circle.”

Hamilton’s work space at Fifth Third Field recently received a makeover. The reception area was reconstructed to resemble a hockey arena, complete with circles and blue lines on the floor. Hamilton’s desk sits behind what hockey fans would identify as “boards and glass,” just like the protective walls that enclose the ice. Hamilton jokingly referred to it as “the penalty box.”

As coworkers passed by, it was obvious they held her in high esteem — and that she is probably the last person one would expect to find in a penalty box. That fondness is reciprocated by Hamilton. She cites the people she works with as the aspect of her work she loves most.

“They keep me young. It’s a wonderful bunch, and it’s enjoyable to come to work and be with them,” Hamilton said. “Everybody is supportive of each other. It’s a great place.”

Welcome home, Mike. Welcome back, spring

By
Jeremy Baumhower
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I can feel the cold in my bones. For the first time in my 38 years, a winter told my body that I am getting old. My joints ache from my new extra pounds as it appears my body was fully in hibernation mode.

The weather the last four months has been so terrible that Toledo finally received No. 1 status on a list; the Weather Channel ranked the Glass City as having the worst winter in 2013-2014. Yay? We’re No. 1?

The last winters have spoiled Toledoans with their mildness. This year we were reminded of who we are and where we live.

On April 4, we’ll see the first definitive proof that time is moving forward and the cold winter days are in our rearview mirror. Our Toledo Mud Hens and the game of baseball return to Fifth Third Field.

Mud Hens’ 2014 Opening Day will feel very different than any other first day of baseball we’ve ever enjoyed. This city has changed. The citizens have changed. We’ve all grown an extra layer of skin. We’re tougher than we were a year ago.

The game scheduled against Louisville will be proof the city of Toledo survived the past 120 days.

Fifth Third Field will feel like something out of the Wizard of Oz. We will all experience the same emotions as the munchkins did when Aunt Em’s house landed on the wicked witch — for us it was the wicked winter. Blizzards and vortexes and cold … no more! Blizzards and vortexes and cold … no more! Our yellow brick road begins at the corner of Washington and Huron and we will follow it through the spring and summer in hopes of getting to Oz/ playoffs in early September.

On Opening Day, 12,500 Toledoans will stand and sit in complete awe while staring at the green grass, wondering why their own lawns are still brown. It won’t be just the fresh air, the ironically ice-cold beer and the sound of a ball hitting a wooden bat that makes us feel better, but rather that handshake and embrace from friends you have not seen since last season. There will be no way around it — the topic of weather will be discussed more than the Tigers’ off-season maneuvers on that first Friday in April.

Growing up Catholic, we were required/encouraged to attend a weekend Mass. The “accepted times” were anything after 4 p.m. Saturday through Sunday night. My family attended the Sunday morning 9:30 service at St. Clement. During a Mud Hens home stand, Friday and Saturday nights become a different kind of must-attend, near-religious event. Instead of Father Kirkland leading the congregation with “amens,” we have Manager Larry Parrish leading the way with “hit and runs.” I am a Saturday night guy; that’s what game my family attends.

The Mud Hens are not just a pastime in Northwest Ohio. They are part of our extended family. Like many grandparents who spend the winter abroad in warmer states like Florida and Arizona, they return for the spring just as our baseball heroes do.

The names of players change every year, but their stories rarely do. The Mud Hens’ roster is filled with grown men chasing their dream of making it to the major leagues. Some players, like the city of Toledo itself, are working on their comeback, trying to reclaim a spot on the Tigers team through hard work and dedication. These men may be rehabbing some injury, fighting Father Time and in some cases figuring out a way to lay off the slider or learn when to throw one.

This comeback player is normally the guy who will come out early to sign a ball, a glove or a baseball card, the athlete who learns the names of the fans who never miss a game. These players are the ones who always receive the loudest cheers from us, the fans. When they succeed they have a magical way of making us spontaneously stand on our feet, yell their name and clap. When they fail, we seem to be the ones shouting some encouragement to them as they make their way back to the dugout.

Toledo has always loved the underdog, because that’s what this city has become. This year we will be cheering again for Mike Hessman.

Hessman, the now 36-year-old alltime Mud Hens home run king is returning to Toledo after signing a minor league deal with the club. The Tigers’ brass needed a seasoned veteran to help guide their young talent through the ups and downs of the game, the Mud Hens needed an everyday fan favorite. They made the perfect choice. It could be an even better story.

Hessman is believed to have zero chance at making it to the big time once again. Baseball writers are saying there is no way: Mike’s too old and strikes out too often. Doesn’t that sound like the very way critics describe the city of Toledo?

If Mike has a pulse and a bat, he has a chance.

And when the city of Toledo remembers how to swing for the fences, so do we.

Welcome home, Mike. Welcome back, spring.

Let’s play ball!

Jeremy Baumhower can be found in section 108 at Fifth Third Field during Saturday night home games. Instead of emailing him at [email protected], leave your comment or a note with the usher. If you want him to receive it, make sure you properly tip.

Hens parent club Tigers still chasing World Series win

By
Camereon K. Kaiser
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Opening day is upon us and once again the Detroit Tigers have a World Series on their mind.

Although the Tigers have made it to three straight American League Championship Series (ALCS), they have yet to bring a world championship back to the city of Detroit and to owner Mike Ilitch. The last time a team made it to the ALCS four years in a row was the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2001. Making it to four league championship series in a row is not easy, but the Tigers have an extremely talented roster and are in very good shape to make another run.

The Detroit offense is led by the reigning AL MVP Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera has won two AL MVP awards in a row, three batting titles in a row and a Triple Crown in 2012. Joining Cabrera is newcomer Ian Kinsler, who was acquired in the Prince Fielder trade and will play second base. Kinsler is a three-time All-Star who brings tremendous versatility on offense and a good glove on defense. Another newcomer to the Tiger offense is rookie third baseman Nick Castellanos. Castellanos has been the organization’s top prospect for the past two years. He hit 18 homers and 37 doubles with the Toledo Mud Hens last season. Mix those three with the always dangerous Victor Martinez, the veteran leader Torii Hunter and the ever-improving Austin Jackson, and the Tigers offense is going to be fun to watch this year.

On the other side of the game is the pitching staff. Even with the departure of Doug Fister, the Tigers’ starting rotation is still one of the best in Major League Baseball (MLB). Justin Verlander is a perennial All Star and is coming off of a somewhat uncharacteristic season. Knowing Verlander’s competitiveness and his pure ability, I would not be the least bit surprised to see him come out and be the most dominant pitcher in baseball. Max Scherzer is the reigning AL Cy Young winner, and is entering his last season before free agency. Expect Scherzer to come out and have another big year. While JV and Max are the two stars of the rotation, you can’t forget about how good Anibal Sanchez was last year. Sanchez signed a five-year deal with Detroit after the 2012 season and led the AL in ERA (2.57) in 2013. To round out the rotation, the Tigers have two solid starters in the young Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly.

The bullpen is still a question mark going into the season, but the acquisition of closer Joe Nathan will surely provide the Tigers an edge late in games. Losing the flame-throwing Bruce Rondon for the entire season will undoubtedly hurt, but hopefully former Yankee Joba Chamberlain can bounce back to his pre-Tommy John surgery days and dominate hitters with his slider. Both Phil Coke and Al Alburquerque will need to have bounce-back years too, and newcomer Ian Kroll is going to have to show everyone why Detroit traded for him. If the bullpen struggles out of the gate, don’t expect Dave Dombrowski to sit around and let it work itself out. Dombrowski is one of the better general managers in MLB and is not afraid to make bold trades that will help the team win now.

This is a big year coming up for the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera is in his prime and isn’t getting any younger. Due to his impending free agency, Scherzer’s future in Detroit is uncertain. The time to win is now, and the window isn’t going to stay open forever. Rookie manager Brad Ausmus has taken over an extremely talented team, though not without their own fair share of problems. The Tigers lost Fielder and Fister to trades in the offseason, and this spring have lost Jose Iglesias, Andy Dirks and Bruce Rondon to injuries. However, situations like those are part of baseball, and that’s part of what makes it such an interesting sport. Each season is a new puzzle, and the Tigers are going to have to find a way to piece theirs together. The Tigers are good. Everyone knows that. But are they good enough to win a World Series? We’re just going to have to wait and see — so sit back, strap in and enjoy the ride.

The Tigers open their season at home against the Kansas City Royals at 1:08 p.m. March 31.

Cameron J. Kaiser is a senior at St. Francis de Sales High School. He blogs about the Detroit Tigers on his website, ttowntiger.com.

Rival IL clubs ready to challenge Mud Hens

By
Matt Culbreath
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Each season at Fifth Third Field gives fans another chance to experience exciting action, eat great food and watch the rising stars of baseball play — but some of those future household names aren’t playing for the hometown Mud Hens.

The 14-team International League (IL) is full of talent from top to bottom and ready to entertain area fans who visit Downtown Toledo this year.

Thirteen teams, including the Hens, will be looking to dethrone the Durham Bulls, last season’s Governors’ Cup champions.

Here is a look at the IL’s Western Division teams and how they stack up.

Indianapolis Indians

Major League Club: Pittsburgh Pirates

Record Last Year: 80-64

The back-to-back Western Division title winner are in a phenomenal situation: not only do they have some legitimate talent on the team itself, but the players from the Pirates system are really going to help this team as well. OF Gregory Polanco is considered the top prospect in the system after spending last year mostly with AA Altoona. He played in 44 games in the Dominican Winter League and hit for .331, leading the league in both RBI (28) and on-base percentage (.428). RHP Jameson Taillon returns for another go with the Indians: he made his first appearance with the team on Aug. 5, and managed to strike out 37 batters in 37 innings.

Columbus Clippers

Major League Club: Cleveland Indians

Record Last Year: 71-73

Despite 227 roster moves last year, the Clippers managed to finish second in the division thanks to first year manager Chris Tremie, who returns for his second season in the dugout. Names like Preston Guilmet, Trevor Bauer, T.J. House were the stalwart pitchers who kept the Clip Show above water, and they’ll be called upon to do it again. Interestingly enough, their IL All-Star catcher Omir Santos now plays with the Indianapolis Indians. If the name sounds familiar: he played with the Hens in 2012. Dude loves him some Western Division.

Louisville Bats

Major League Club: Cincinnati Reds

Record Last Year: 69-75

The Bats will be missing more than a few big parts of last year’s roster: Billy Hamilton has a lot of hype surrounding him (despite only decent numbers with the Bats last year), and it’s looking like he’ll be the leadoff guy for the Redleggers. Their best pitcher, Greg Reynolds, has decided to go throw in Japan instead. And Mike Hessman is once again back in a Hens uniform. Still, they’ve already decided that Henry Rodriguez, Felix Perez and Neftali Soto will be back in Louisville, which means they’ll have some punch.

Other teams in the International League include:

  • Buffalo Bisons (Major League Club: Toronto Blue Jays)
  • Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Major League Club: Philadelphia Phillies)
  • Pawtucket Red Sox (Major League Club: Boston Red Sox)
  • Rochester Red Wings (Major League Club: Minnesota Twins)
  • Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Major League Club: New York Yankees)
  • Syracuse Chiefs (Major League Club: Washington Nationals)
  • Charlotte Knights (Major League Club: Chicago White Sox)
  • Durham Bulls (Major League Club: Tampa Bay Rays)
  • Gwinnett Braves (Major League Club: Atlanta Braves)
  • Norfolk Tides (Major League Club: Baltimore Orioles)

— Matt Culbreath

Under Armour among new gear

By
Torrie Jadlocki
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Ball caps are always a popular selling item at the Swamp Toledo Free Press photo by Christie Materni.

The Swamp Shop recently unveiled its new merchandise for fans looking to support the Mud Hens this season.

“About 90 percent of the merchandise is new,” said Craig Katz, director of merchandise and licensing for the Toledo Mud Hens.

The new rotation of merchandise includes new hats, as well as 15 new T-shirts and 25 new sweatshirts, which are all listed on the store website, swampshop.milbstore.com.

“The new merchandise is already ready to go. It’s already in the store as well as the online store,” Katz said. “We expect the sweatshirts to sell well this year with it being as cold as it’s been.”

The women’s and children’s merchandise has also been completely redone to include the new merchandise.

“Almost the entire kids and ladies line is brand new items,” Katz said.

The Swamp Shop will be selling Under Armor clothing for the Mud Hens this season. Photo courtesy Toledo Mud Hens.

Another new addition to the shop is the line of Under Armor products. Katz projects this line of apparel will sell well this season.

“They are a well-known brand that fans have been looking for,” Katz said. “This is the first year being licensed with Major League and Minor League Baseball.”

Under Armor is a popular brand among athletes as well as fans.

Another line of apparel projected to sell well is the ‘Holy Toledo’ line. The line consists of four T-shirts at the moment, but there is potential for expanding at a later date, Katz said.

“It appeals to all Toledo natives, not just baseball and hockey fans,” he said.

A staple that sells well is typically the baseball caps, a necessity for many baseball fans, Katz said.

“This year we’re introducing a new flat-bill snapback,” Katz said. “And our batting practice caps always sell well.”

The flat-bill snapback style caps are becoming popular with many sports fans, and come in a variety of styles.

Some merchandise has already sold well, both online and in the store locations.

According to Katz, items such as the youth Nike Henley jersey, the red Pep Rally zip hoodie, the heather grey Diner hoodie, the official logo T-shirt and the New Era batting practice Diamond Era cap have all sold well recently.

Hours for the Swamp Shop at Fifth Third Field is 11 a.m.to  5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The Swamp Shop at Huntington Center will be open until hockey season is over. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Other Swamp Shop locations — Swamp Shop Express and Tackle Box at the Huntington Center and the Hen Hut at Fifth Third Field — are open only during games.

Toledo Mud Hens league affiliations

By
Dock David Treece
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1987-present — Detroit Tigers
1978-86 — Minnesota Twins
1976-77 — Cleveland Indians
1974-75 — Philadelphia Phillies
1967-73 — Detroit Tigers
1965-66 — New York Yankees
1953-55 — Milwaukee Braves
1952 — No affiliate
1949-51 — Cleveland Indians
1940-48 — St. Louis Browns
1936-39 — Detroit Tigers
1932-35 — Cleveland Indians
1914-31 — New York Giants
1907-13 — Cleveland Indians
1905-06 — Cincinnati Reds
— Source: Toledo Mud Hens

Jim Weber honored by IL HOF induction

By
Danielle Stanton
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The Mud Hens will honor longtime broadcaster Jim Weber with a bronze statue at a home game May 29. Toledo Free Press photo by Christie Materni.

Longtime Toledo Mud Hens broadcaster Jim Weber said being inducted this year into the International League Hall of Fame is humbling.

“Anytime you get inducted into any hall of fame you’re either retired or dead,” said Weber during a phone interview from Florida. “And I’m neither of those.”

Weber is certainly alive and shows no signs of slowing down. He’s headed into his 40th season with the Mud Hens.

“It takes seven years to get 1,000 games in so I tell everybody I’m going to take [future games] 1,000 at a time,” Weber joked. “There’s no goal. Fifty years would be nice. And it’s a job that you don’t mind going to every day.”

Indeed, Weber called his 5,000 consecutive game in his 39th season last year, the longest tenure of any announcer in the International League.

Team historian John Husman found that no other announcer could match Weber’s record. The closest he could find were Detroit’s Ernie Harwell, who missed two games between 1960 and 2002, Harry Caray, who called more than 6,000 consecutive games between 1945 and 1987 but for four different teams, and Toronto’s Tom Cheek, who had 4,306 consecutive games from 1977 to 2004.

“It is very likely that Jim Weber has done more consecutive scheduled broadcasts, for the same team, than anyone else ever has, major or minor league,” Husman said in a news release. “Comparisons are difficult, especially for the minor leagues, but it appears that Jim Weber’s streak is unmatched.”

Just because he never missed a game doesn’t mean he was never sick, Weber said.

“I had sick games when I could barely make it through,” he said. “I’d get a throat infection and couldn’t talk too well and muscle it out. I did a doubleheader in Denver just above a whisper.”

Weber was raised in South Toledo and attended Bowsher High School. He dabbled in radio in 1969 and then started helping a friend announce high school football and basketball games. By the mid-1970s, he helped arrange radio agreements for the Mud Hens and in 1975 became the team’s play-by-play announcer.

Weber has been a constant with the franchise. Since 1975, 18 managers and more than 1,000 players have passed through the organization.

In addition to his radio duties, Weber broadcasts on TV and has been the team’s traveling secretary since 1984. He has also covered games for Bowling Green State University.

“The things that make Jim so amazing as a broadcaster is his passion for the game,” said Mud Hens broadcaster Matt Melzak in an email.  “You can tell it in his voice how much he cares for the sport, its players and fans. It comes through each and every broadcast.

“One great thing that I have learned from Jim is the timing in a broadcast. He has such a great feel of how to work in a story to a broadcast. Whether it is through something historical about the team, its players, the ballpark or the city, he is able to weave that into the game without losing what is going on in the game itself.”

Weber is the first announcer to be inducted into the International League Hall of Fame. Joining him this year are infielder/outfielder Jeff Manto and manager Dave Miley.

Weber considers the Mud Hens’ back-to-back Governor’s Cup championships in 2005 and 2006 his career highlight.

“I never thought I’d see one, but I saw two in a row,” Weber said. “It was in my 31st  year. It took that long before we won a championship. Lots of those guys are in the major leagues now. That was the highlight. Now I have two rings to show for it.”

Weber said he’s most proud of the fact that he hasn’t missed a game in his career and that he’s a local guy in a franchise that sees a lot of employees from outside Toledo.

“I think if you looked at all our organization there’s not a lot of people from our area,” Weber said. “They have careers, they move on, they come from other places. There’s not a lot of natives in there — there are some but a lot of them are from somewhere else.”

He’s also seen two generations of employees grow up – the league president, Randy Mobley, was an intern for Columbus when Weber was broadcasting years ago. If he sticks around a few more years, he’ll see a third generation, he said.

Weber has lived in Perrysburg for the past eight years. He has two daughters and two grandchildren.

The Mud Hens will honor Weber with a bronze statue at a home game May 29. He said he doesn’t necessarily like the attention and can’t wait for the ceremony to be over so he can focus on his announcing.

“After this year, things will quiet down and get back to normal,” he said.

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