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Area Hens, Tigers fans gear up for exhibition game

By
Erin Holden
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Lowell and Shirley Hinkle have been collecting baseball memorabilia for nearly six decades.

Their massive collection started in the 1950s with programs Lowell collected from Toledo Sox games at Swayne Field.

“When we got married, I said, ‘If you’re going to keep all this stuff, we’re going to display it.’ And it just grew and grew and grew,” Shirley said.

Today the collection includes a couple thousand signed baseballs — which line the walls of their Perrysburg home nearly floor-to-ceiling — as well as signed bats, posters, photos, ornaments, magazine covers, baseball-themed record albums, bobbleheads, menus from restaurants named after famous ballplayers and much more.

They focus mainly on collecting autographs from minor leaguers, studying stats to try and gauge which players will make it to the majors.

“We evaluate the minor league players as a scout would,” Lowell said. “We say, ‘Yeah, we want him,’ and then we try to get him. It’s fun doing. It’s a hobby.”

Sometimes they guess wrong. One case in their collection is devoted to balls signed by players who never made it to the majors.

“We still keep them,” Shirley said. “You never know. Sometimes it’s amazing and a couple years later, they’ll come back.”

Shirley keeps a meticulous inventory of their collection, which fills several notebooks.

“Mainly we like to follow the players,” she said. “When we get their autograph, I keep a list of where they go. It’s a lot of work, but knowing all these names, I think that keeps our brains moving.”

The Hinkles, who are members of the Society for American Baseball Research, have been to 10 induction ceremonies at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and have visited the spring training camps of numerous teams. They spend their summers touring ballparks and have been to about 130 so far.

“We’ll take a five-day trip and see four stadiums,” shirley said. “We’ll keep doing it as long as we’re able.”

Lowell is retired from a 45-year career with the Bostwick-Braun Company, where he served as vice president and director of transportation. Shirley is a retired office manager at Harbor Behavioral Healthcare. They have four children and eight grandchildren.

“We don’t go to Mancy’s for dinner; we’ll get two autographs instead,” Shirley said. “Everyone has a different way of looking at things. Whatever you do to have fun.”

For the Hinkles, fun is scouring antique shops, flea markets and garage sales in search of baseball treasures.

Meeting Whitey Ford

Once, they found a poster for the 1955 Brooklyn dodgers vs. New York Yankees World Series, which they later had signed by Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford and dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe.

“Whitey Ford was amazed. He said, ‘Where did you get that at?’ I said, ‘I picked it up at a flea market,’” Lowell said proudly.

Another discovery was two framed 1931 Toledo News-Bee articles about the Mud Hens, including quotes from manager Casey Stengel, who would go on to become a legendary Yankees manager.

Friends from across the country also donate to their collection.

A former Mud Hens bat boy gave them several bats after taking a tour of their “museum.”

“He said he just had them up in the attic,” Shirley said. “We’ll donate them all back to the Mud Hens someday.”

The Hinkles have held Mud Hens season tickets since the mid-1990s.

“We loved Ned Skeldon stadium,” Shirley said. “It was more personal. Our seats were near the [players’] wives, so we talked to the wives and saw their children. It was just a totally different atmosphere. It was a close-knit group.”

They were in the crowd at the Maumee ballpark in 2000 when Detroit last visited Toledo, and they have tickets to the Tigers-Mud Hens exhibition game April 4.

“We’re looking forward to the game because it’s been so long,” Shirley said. “They’ve promised every starter will at least go to bat one time.”

Detroit’s Prince Fielder is one they are especially looking forward to seeing. They got the first baseman’s autograph years ago when he played in the minors, but have never seen him play in person.

For Shirley, the most memorable part of the 2000 exhibition game, which the Tigers won 6-3 in front of a crowd of 7,150, was how available the Tigers players were.

“I remember how the players hung out afterward and signed autographs. They were so nice about it,” Shirley said. “This time, my gosh, they are selling standing-room only tickets. I don’t know. It’s going to be a zoo.”

Both Lowell and Shirley attended their first Toledo baseball games at Swayne Field. Lowell’s first was in 1948, where the highlight was watching one-armed former major leaguer Pete Gray play first base.

“That was a beautiful park,” Lowell said.

A standout pitcher for Anthony Wayne High School, Lowell was a member of the first All-Ohio baseball team along with classmate Larry Morrison, now commissioner of the Northern Lakes League.

Sometimes after baseball practice in Monclova, he and a friend would hitchhike into Maumee, where they would catch the bus into downtown Toledo and walk to Swayne Field. Then Lowell’s father would pick them up on his way home from work.

“That was quite a hike, but worth it,” Lowell said. “One night, we had a couple neat little girls we were running around for and missed our ride home,” he added, grinning as his wife protested the story. “We walked from Swayne Field to Maumee where the Trail comes in, and here comes my dad and my mother. Oh golly, was he mad. I’ll never forget that.”

After high school, Lowell played for a year in the independent Ban Johnson league. A few years later, he got the chance to work out with the Tigers at Briggs stadium.

“I worked out in the outfield and then pitched along the side,” Lowell said. “If you’ve ever been in that stadium and looked at that green background and looked at the ball coming off the bat, it was just unbelievable. I’ve never been in anything like that. That was the most awesome thing I have ever done.”

“He’s still mad no one was there to take his picture,” Shirley added, laughing. “So we only have his word for it he was there.”

Lowell, an Indians fan, was at Municipal stadium in Cleveland in 1959 when the White Sox beat the Indians to clinch the American league pennant, its first since 1919 and what would be its last until 2005.

Cleveland had the bases loaded in the ninth inning with one out when the White Sox made a double play to win the game.

“Bedlam broke out,” Lowell said. “We went down by the locker room and it was just awesome, just unbelievable.”

One autograph missing from the Hinkles’ collection is Babe Ruth’s. Lowell had the chance to get the famous slugger’s signature as an 11-year-old batboy for a Monclova legion team, which heard Ruth speak at Detroit’s Briggs stadium shortly before he died of cancer in 1948.

“I could see him so plain,” lowell said. “He had his hat and his collar up. He was so hoarse talking that day, but he did it. some guy came down and asked a couple of kids if they wanted to get his autograph. I could have went with them, but I was shy then.” Lowell said.

Perhaps his favorite ball in their collection is one signed by Willie Mays. The legendary outfielder helped the New York Giants defeat Cleveland in the 1954 World Series, in which standout Indians pitcher Bob Feller did not play.

“I asked him, ‘Willie, if Bob Feller would have pitched against you in the ’54 World series, would he have beat you?’” Lowell said. “He said, ‘He lost those fastballs, curve ball wasn’t breaking; we would have hit him all over the place.’ Then he said, ‘If you see Bob uptown don’t tell him I said that.’ That was my favorite. That was awesome.”

One of shirley’s most memorable autographs came from major leaguer Nomar Garciaparra. “We were up in Detroit and I was standing there all by myself. He was there doing calisthenics and he walked over and signed a ball,” Shirley said. “Immediately I had 50 people on top of me, rushing over. But I was standing all alone and he came over and I thought that was so neat.”

Gazing around the room at their collection, Lowell said he ought to write a book.

“There are so many stories,” Lowell said. “Every ball has a story.”

“We have definitely run out of room,” Shirley added. However, they don’t plan to stop anytime soon.

“It’s an amazing hobby. We just love it,” Lowell said. “I don’t know what we would do if we didn’t do this.”

The Ringleins

Jane Ringlein has been a diehard Tigers fan from a young age.

“I remember going to bed with a little transistor radio and every night I listened to the Tigers games and scored them. Every night I went to sleep with the Tigers,” said Jane, who saw her first Tigers game in fourth grade.

She remains as devoted today as she was as a girl growing up in Toledo.

“I’d be at the Tigers every day if it didn’t take me an hour to get there and back,” she said. “I don’t drink; I’m not there for the food. I go for the game. When the Tigers lost 100 games in a season, I would still go. You always go with who you grew up with.”

When she heard Detroit would be coming to town to play an exhibition game with the Mud Hens, she snapped up the maximum number of tickets allowed.

“I knew the tickets were going on sale at 11 a.m. [Jan. 7],” Jane said. “I got on my iPad and got four tickets. I talked to someone else who got on right after me and didn’t get any. I think they sold out within 15 minutes, so I was fortunate I got them.”

After season ticket holders were given the opportunity to purchase tickets, a limited number was released to the general public on Jan. 7 and all 1,000 did indeed sell out within 15 minutes, said Erik Ibsen, Mud Hens assistant general manager of tickets and operations.

Standing-room only tickets went on sale March 3 and there are a limited number still available, he said.

‘I have to be at this game’

Thanks to supportive co-workers at New Jersey-based Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, where she works as a medical science liaison in oncology, Jane was able to arrange her work schedule to be free for the game.

“I said, ‘I have to be at this game,’ and they said, ‘We’ll work around you,’” Jane said.

“If it gets rained out and doesn’t happen, I’m going to be really disappointed.”

Ringlein’s husband Paul, their daughter Chelsea and Chelsea’s fiancé will join her at the April 4 game, which will be broadcast by FOX Sports Detroit.

Jane said she is most excited about seeing the Tigers’ newly acquired first baseman Prince Fielder, son of legendary Tigers player Cecil Fielder.

“Our seats are on the first-base side, so I’ll get to see a lot of Prince,” Jane said. “I was a huge Cecil Fielder fan.”

Her husband is also curious to see Fielder play.

“He’s like a modern Babe Ruth in terms of his swing and his power and just his personality,” Paul said.

Paul, a project manager with Toledo’s Division of Code Enforcement, said he is more of a Mud Hens fan than a Tigers fan. He was at the inaugural opening day Mud Hens game at Fifth Third Field in 2002.

“I remember the weather was cold and almost ready to rain, but it was fun to be there,” he said. “Everyone was there. They didn’t want to turn anyone away.”

High fives with fans

Both Paul and Jane were at the 2005 and 2006 games when the Mud Hens won their International League titles.

They recalled Fifth Third Field erupting with excitement, with players lapping the field, giving high fives and interacting with fans.

“The players who did not understand the culture of Toledo were like, ‘My God, these people love us,’” he said, adding that most Detroit fans also back the Mud Hens.

“When Detroit people see you with anything that says Mud Hens, they always give you a nod and a cheer,” Paul said.

The Ringleins enjoy visiting major league stadiums, especially if the Tigers are playing. They’ve had great experiences, but traveling has also made them appreciative of Toledo.

“I don’t think Toledoans realize how good they have it,” Paul said of Fifth Third Field. “If you could hit the easy button and [let people visit another stadium], I think they would be surprised at how good we have it in terms of the quality of the game, the players, the food, the parking, the price and really how good the stadium is. They’d come back and say, ‘My god, we’ve got a great deal here,’ and I’d say, ‘Well, no kidding!’”

Jane said she most enjoys going to Mud Hens games when Detroit players are rehabbing with the team.

“Like when they sent Brandon Inge down last year — that was bad for him, but cool because we got to see him play all the time,” Jane said.

The couple attended a 2006 World series game in Detroit when the Tigers played the St. Louis Cardinals. “We were up in the nosebleed section, but that was really cool,” Paul said. “I love going to live games.”

Upset to be missing it

The Ringleins’ younger daughter, Maureen, follows the Tigers like her mother, but will be out of town for the exhibition game.

“She is so upset to be missing it,” Jane said.

The two once took a trip to Detroit’s spring training camp in Lakeland, Fla.

“It was awesome because you can get right up there with the players,” Jane said. “Mo has a picture of herself with Justin Verlander. She was happy.”

Chelsea’s wedding this spring will include at least one Tigers touch — the ring bearer’s pillow will feature Detroit’s logo.

“He’s a Tigers fan, too. That was the first connection between my future son-in-law and my wife. When I heard that, I said, ‘Well, I don’t have to worry about that relationship,’” Paul said, laughing.

No matter what happens at the exhibition game, Jane is just happy baseball season is starting again.

“It’s so boring in the winter without baseball,” she said.

 

Social media drives Mud Hens’ marketing game

By
Caitlin McGlade
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Thanks to modern technology, you can get your fill of Mud Hens anytime, anywhere — as long as you have a smart phone.

More than 48,500 people “like” the Mud Hens on Facebook while nearly 9,000 people follow the team on Twitter. This allows the Mud Hens to not only connect with fans on a regular basis, but it also allows for fans to score some hot deals.

The team recently opened up a block of opening day tickets to Facebook fans only, a marketing tool that sold a few hundred tickets quickly, said Nathan Steinmetz, manager of online marketing for the Toledo Mud Hens and Toledo Walleye.

The Mud Hens have more than twice as many Facebook fans as any other minor league baseball team, according to sportsfangraph.com, which tracks and ranks the social media usage of sports fans. The Mud Hens rank No. 8 in number of Twitter followers.

Other tools steinmetz wants to use in the future at Mud Hens games are already active at Walleye hockey games.

With a goal of fans interacting with each other as well as with the team, Facebook and Twitter posts from fans have been featured in-game on the big screens. Fans can also win prizes by answering trivia questions via the two social networks and are encouraged to take photos of themselves in their Walleye garb so the team can post the shots to its Facebook page.

“We’re looking to take that online conversation and bring it into the arena,” Steinmetz said. The Mud Hens had an “app” for the iPhone last year, but will not this season because the business conducting the app backed out. Steinmetz said he wants to reinstate a new app for future seasons, but it is unlikely to happen in 2012.

An exciting new piece of social media that might hit the market will include the ability to log in with a Facebook account to see where other people are sitting in the park and whether they have checked in yet, Steinmetz said. That is still in the dream stages. But until then, the Mud Hens’ mobile site works just as well.

At the site, fans can check the latest headlines and stats. Steinmetz said the mobile site is run by the minor leagues and he did not have a measure of how many hits it garners. However, he expects that popularity is similar to the Walleyes’ mobile site, which represents 15 to 20 percent of Internet traffic to the site.

But what if you’re old-fashioned and you just want to sit back and soak in the nuances of a ball game — the clap of the ball as it hits the glove, the smell of peanuts and Cracker Jack or the slow, drawn-out nature of the sport?

For those fans, Steinmetz points out that the Mud Hens are one of the only minor league teams with two high-definition score boards.

“While there are fans that appreciate the romance of baseball and all that it is, there is a big percentage of people that get into the bells of whistles of going to a game in the modern age,” he said. “Fans don’t have to get on their mobile phones and look up stats if they want to have a conversation and just enjoy the game.”

Mexican hot dog, garlic fries among new food options

By
Joel Sensenig
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Mexican Hen Dog, among the new concession options for Fifth Third Field in 2012.

Although the Mud Hens sell almost 200,000 hot dogs each season, the organization is not about to rest on its laurels when it comes to eating options at Fifth Third Field — not without spicing up the sausage-on-a sliced-bun recipe a little, anyway.

The Mud Hens are rolling out six new items in the concession stands at the ballpark this year, including the Mexican Hen dog.

The brainchild of 13abc meteorologist Jay Berschback, the Mexican version of the American standby is essentially a heaping pile of nachos on a bun. It’s a hot dog topped with nacho cheese sauce, chili, diced onions, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream.

Craig Nelson, assistant general manager of food and beverage at Fifth Third Field, said the dog was the winner of a “Create Your own dog Night,” where local celebrities chose from more than 30 toppings — including unlikely options such as guacamole, baked beans and bacon — to create their dogs, which were then put to a vote. Berschback’s south-of-the border creation was the winner.

Another new sandwich this year will be the We Are Ribs pulled chicken sandwich, from We Are Ribs Catering on Wenz Road in Toledo. The sandwich features slow-smoked chicken, hand-pulled and mixed with We Are Ribs’ award-winning barbecue sauce, served on a Kaiser bun.

Those looking to vary their side-dish options will be interested in checking out the new garlic fries.

“They’re the French fries we’ve been serving at the park with a garlic sauce we added for a new option,” Nelson said. “It’s been popular at other ballparks. Fries are a popular item already at the ballpark, so this is just a variation on one of our more popular items.”

For when it’s time to cool down after a few innings in the sun, Fifth Third Field is adding six new flavors to its already stellar lineup of Toft’s Ice Cream. Available in pints, the new offerings are: Cherry Amaretto Fudge, Butter Pecan, Cookie dough, Mint Chocolate Chip, Blueberry Waffle Cone and Black Raspberry Bugaboo Fudge.

“Our number one dessert item in the ballpark is hand-dipped ice cream and ice cream sundaes,” Nelson said. “We now have 14 flavors of ice cream at the park.”

The third most popular item (hot dogs and popcorn take the first two spots) at Fifth Third Field is the giant pretzel, so the Mud Hens are adding pretzel braids to complement the traditional offering. It’s a 7-ounce braided piece of dough, buttered and topped with salt or tossed in cinnamon sugar or Parmesan cheese and garlic. Cheese sauce, marinara and sweet cream cheese sauce are available for dipping.

Those with a sweet tooth in need of a fix will want to dig into the Mini Apple Pie Bites, which are deep-fried pieces of apple tossed in cinnamon sugar. To sweeten the already sinful deal, hot fudge for dipping and vanilla ice cream for a topping will be available.

The new offerings aren’t limited to food, however. The team is in talks with Toledo’s own Maumee Bay Brewing Company to develop a special beer for the Mud Hens faithful this season, possibly in time for opening day. While details and the name of the brew are still being worked on, Nelson said the beverage will be a summery, German-style beer perfect for warm afternoons and evenings at the ballpark.
Nelson said the club always has a running list of new food options, which it develops from going to trade shows or browsing Facebook and the Internet to see what other ballparks are having success with. The desires and eating habits of Mud Hens fans drive the culinary direction of dining services at the park.

“We’re seeing a lot more fans wanting to come down early and want more of a meal, more of a sandwich with a side,” Nelson said. “We try to pick items with that in mind. One of our philosophies, and it’s worked well for us, is we like to have a lot of choices. That’s what people enjoy. They don’t want to have only one kind of this, one kind of that. What we’ve heard from fans is they like to have choices in picking their menu items.”

For more information, visit www.mudhens.com and click on Food & Beverage.

Mud Hens official scorers call it like they see it

By
Jason Mack
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Just like long snappers in the NFL, baseball’s official scorers work a thankless position where they’re only recognized if something goes wrong.

Nobody knows this better than Toledo scorer Ron Kleinfelter, who splits his time between the Mud Hens and the Detroit Tigers. He was on duty in Detroit last year as Brad Penny went for a no-hitter.

“In the seventh inning, Brent Morel from the White Sox hit a chopping ground ball down the third-base line,” Kleinfelter said. “Brandon Inge is one of only a couple third basemen that could even get to that ball. He stabbed it into foul territory and almost into left field. Inge tried to set himself to make the throw across the diamond. He didn’t really make a good throw, but it was a tough chance and Morel was safe. I called it a hit. A lot of people believed it was a hit, but as soon as they put that on the scoreboard, 37,000 people collectively booed me.”

One fan went beyond booing and threatened Kleinfelter on Facebook.

“My name was in the papers for making that call,” he said. “This guy took the time to look me up on Facebook and send me a message. It said, ‘That was the worst call ever. You should never be allowed to score another Major League game. You are a clown and should be killed.’

“I still remember it word for word. That’s why they’re called fanatics, I guess.”

He was also booed in 2007 when he temporarily cost Detroit’s Placido Polanco his error-less streak. After conferring with umpires the next day, he charged the error to Marcus Thames.
Polanco went on to set an MlB record as the first everyday second baseman to play an entire season without an error.

“Every year there are a couple calls that somebody isn’t going to be happy with,” said Guy Lammers, another Mud Hens scorer. “You just try to make the best call you can and go with it.”

Kleinfelter has scored with the Tigers since 2005 and joined the Mud Hens in 1999 after Lammers alerted him to an opening. They might have both missed out on the opportunity to be scorers if Lammers hadn’t been listening to a radio broadcast in 1995.

“I was listening to the Hens on the radio in 1995 and Jim Weber said they were looking for an official scorer,” Lammers said. “I called the Mud Hens and talked to someone in the front office. They said they had found somebody but put my name on file. In 1996 I got a call before the season started that they were looking for somebody. It was luck that I fell into this position. I was just a fan who watched and listened to a lot of games.”

At every Mud Hens game there is one official scorekeeper and one data caster who provides live stats for MlB.com. Lammers and Kleinfelter rotate between the positions with three other employees.

“The more you do it, the more you get a feel for the game and what kind of calls should be made,” Lammers said. “There isn’t too much pressure because I’ve been doing it for a while.”

Kleinfelter has played baseball his entire life and has been coaching his son’s teams for the past four years, but he cautions it takes more than that to be an official scorer.

“A lot of people play baseball and know a lot about it, but not a lot of people could sit down and be an official scorer or do data casting,” he said. “You have to have a feel for the game and understand how to apply things like ordinary effort in determining hits and errors. You have to watch the game with intense concentration.”
Another advantage to scoring games at Fifth Third Field is the quality of the field itself, Lammers said.

“Ron and I have the perspective of having been official scorers at Ned Skeldon stadium,” Lammers said. “The field at Fifth Third Field is in immaculate condition. There are rarely any bad hops. Back at Skeldon, the field wasn’t in as good of shape. You’d have to decide if it was a bad hop. It was more difficult being an official scorer there.”

High School teams compete at Fifth Third Field

By
Erik Gable
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Twenty-two high school teams from across the region will play on the same field as the Mud Hens in the 2012 season as they take part in the club’s “Play a Game at Fifth Third Field” promotion.

“It’s very popular,” said Michael Keedy, manager of special events for the Mud Hens. “We get teams from both Ohio and Michigan, and depending on how many dates we have
available, we typically have 20 or 30 teams per year.”

Due to a heavy concentration of home games in the Mud Hens’ schedule for April and May, Keedy said Fifth Third Field won’t be able to host as many games as the club would
like.

But 22 teams will still get the opportunity, playing 11 games on six different dates. Keedy said the high school games started several years ago with just a few teams, but grew quickly.

“The feedback is always incredibly positive,” he said. “The kids get to come in, get to use the dugout, the facilities that they’ve been seeing since they were kids, and they get to come out and play on a professional baseball diamond.”

Anthony Wayne High School baseball coach Mark Nell will be bringing his team to Fifth Third Field for the third straight year. The Whitehouse team will face Sylvania Southview High School on May 9.

“If you’re a baseball person, to have an opportunity to play on a Triple-A field — not only a Triple-A field, but from my understanding one of the best Triple-A fields — they’re just thrilled,” Nell said.

Nell said play seems to move a little faster because the grass is so short and the field so well-groomed.

“We have a nice facility ourselves, but nothing like that,” Nell said.

Sylvania Southview baseball coach Ed Mouch said many players are used to watching games at Fifth Third Field from the stands, so it’s a fun experience to get to play on the field instead.

“It’s a great experience for the kids, being able to play at a facility like that,” Mouch said.

Mouch said his team played Defiance High School at Fifth Third Field in 2010. The students who were underclassmen two years ago and didn’t get much playing time are now seniors and will have their chance to come out of the dugout and take the field, he said.

Playing at Fifth Third Field doesn’t cost the schools any money up front. The only requirement is that they sell 300 ticket vouchers, which are good for any regular-season Mud Hens game except Opening Day, Keedy said.

The teams can either sell the vouchers at face value, which is $9, or they can add a markup and use it as a fundraiser. Admission to the high school games is free.

“Nobody needs a ticket to enter the high school games at all,” Keedy said.

For more information, visit www.mudhens.com under Promotions.

High school games

  • April 14: Erie Mason vs. Woodmore, 1 p.m., North Central vs. Montpelier, 4 p.m.
  • April 16: Liberty Center vs. Patrick Henry, 4 p.m., Mohawk vs. Tiffin Calvert, 7 p.m.
  • April 18: Fremont Ross vs. Oregon Clay, 4 p.m., Kalida vs. Hopewell Loudon, 7 p.m.
  • April 24: Whiteford vs. Ida, 4 p.m., Oak Harbor vs. Lakota, 7 p.m.
  • May 9: Anthony Wayne vs. Sylvania Southview, 4 p.m.
  • May 10: Defiance vs. Start, 4 p.m., Danbury vs. Old Fort, 7 p.m.

Stainbrook: Batboy job not glamorous, but good teaching tool

By
Dock David Treece
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Yeah, I was that “lucky kid.”

I was a batboy for the Toledo Mud Hens from 200710, and it was a great experience I highly recommend to anyone who is willing to put in a lot of work from April to September.

And I am serious when I say work.

Contrary to popular opinion, being a minor-league batboy is not a glamorous job.

Retrieving bats at Fifth Third Field was by far the least strenuous part of my eight-hour day, and wearing the home uniform in 100-degree temperatures is not all it’s cracked up to be.

But what my time as a batboy taught me has served me well as a journalist and as an employee. It’s easier to appreciate the game when you are a part of the preparations, which begin hours before the first pitch.

For a 7 p.m. game, I arrived at Fifth Third Field by 3 p.m. and had plenty of work to do immediately. Hundreds of towels in the laundry room needed to be folded. Chewing gum, several varieties of sunflower seeds, 10-gallon water jugs, plastic cups, batting helmets and medical supplies had to be delivered to each dugout before batting practice.

There were errands to run, food to pick up, items to restock and sometimes personalities to avoid.

My favorite part of the job was shagging home runs during batting practice. After I stopped playing in eighth grade, that was as close as I got to taking part in live action. On a cool day with few homers, I would simply enjoy the relative quiet of the empty ballpark compared to the busy clubhouse.

Other times, I would prepare the game balls instead of helping out with batting practice. The baseballs are coated with rubbing mud to take out any imperfections in the balls and to give them a consistent feel for the pitcher. Lighter balls are easier for the batter to see, while darker ones benefit the pitcher. On an average day, we used about seven dozen but prepared 10 or 11 dozen just in case.

After the game came my least favorite part of the job: cleaning the cleats. Warm, sunny days were the best. But on some rainy days, the cleats were so dirty I could not see the spikes on the bottom of the shoes. That was the difference between ending my day at 11 p.m. or well past midnight.

If a team was leaving town, we were responsible for making sure everything from the trainer’s equipment to each batting glove made it onto the team’s bus. That added another hour to the end of the workday.

I was paid for my work, but after taxes took home less than minimum wage. It really was not a glorious job. But it was worth it.

At times, the job was monotonous, but every day still had some unique element that set it apart from all of the others. A batboy has to be around the players to take care of any needs, but he is almost never with the players. Autographs are prohibited. Also prohibited is talking to a player unless he approaches you first. We were not allowed to take home any souvenirs from the clubhouse — though it would be hard to tell if a baseball disappeared here or there.

By the end of the season, I had memorized each player’s batting average and knew his tendencies in the batter’s box. Not many of them even knew my name.

But working with the Mud Hens was still a great experience. It taught me to take a positive attitude in everything, even repetitive work such as folding towels or cleaning shoes.

I met some great friends and have some amazing stories to tell. I had no idea what the job involved when I took it as a 16-year-old. But the friends, stories and work ethic I
gained were much more valuable than having the best seat in the house.

Michael Stainbrook is a former Toledo Free Press staff writer. He is a graduate of St. John’s Jesuit High School and a student at Ohio University.

From little to big: Below fulfilling childhood dream

By
Dock David Treece
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Duane Below. Photo by Paul Nelson

Growing up in the small town of Britton, Mich., Duane Below was the little brother with big dreams.

The youngest of seven with four brothers and two sisters, Below was the baby of the family who was seldom indoors growing up, an active child who frequently played on the fields and stayed in the gym until they kicked him out when it was time to lock up. He managed his brother’s junior high basketball team as a third-grader and always talked about wanting to pitch in the big leagues.

On July 20, 2011, Below wasn’t so little anymore; it was the day the baby brother made his big league dream come true, taking the mound as the starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, his favorite baseball team growing up.

“As soon as I took the mound the first time, I felt like I belonged,” Below told Toledo Free Press from spring training in Lakeland, Fla., recounting his major league debut against the Oakland Athletics.

“But my mind said as I threw my first pitch, I was like, ‘Just don’t throw it to the backstop.’”

Though the Tigers lost 7-5 that night, Below didn’t throw his first pitch to the backstop. Instead, he recorded a no-decision in a solid outing against Oakland. In five-plus innings,
Below threw 51 strikes in 77 pitches, allowing three runs (one earned) and five hits as he struck out two batters and walked another for an ERA of 1.80.

When Lester Oliveros came in to relieve Below in the sixth inning after he surrendered a homer to Hideki Matsui, the Detroit crowd — which included many family members and friends — gave him a standing ovation as he left the field.

“It was exciting. I’ll never forget it,” Below said.

While that day marked the culmination of a lifelong journey to play in the majors, Below is not content to let it be his only day in the sun. Not after how hard he’s worked to have the chance to be a mainstay on the Tigers roster. Below was a three-sport athlete back home in Britton, a town of approximately 700 people that sits off M-50 between Tecumseh and Dundee.

But the 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefty was not heavily recruited out of Britton-Macon High School in 2004 and did not have any college offers. He ended up playing for Blissfield American Legion, where he was discovered by Lake Michigan College (LMC), which offered him a scholarship.

“I liked it out there, so I ended up going out there and having two good years,” Below said of the school in southwest Michigan. “It was my freshman year when I realized that there’s a possibility [of going pro].”

Following his freshman year at LMC, Below signed to Central Michigan University in the early signing period. After reaching the regionals in a solid sophomore campaign at LMC, however, his big league dreams started to come to fruition and, by June 2006, CMU was in the rearview mirror.

“In June, my brother [and I] went to Chicago for the Tigers-White Sox game because that was the second day of the draft,” Below said. “We knew I was going to get drafted, we just didn’t know what round and what [pick]. But my brother was like, ‘You’re not going to go in the first day, so let’s go to the Tigers game on the second day.’

“We were just driving in downtown Chicago, and I got the call while we were in the car.”

Detroit drafted Below in the 19th round of the 2006 amateur draft. By 2007, he was the team’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year and Single-A West Michigan’s Pitcher of the Year after he tied for a Midwest League-best 13 wins and led the league with 160 strikeouts.

As he was working his way up the ranks of the Tigers organization, however, Below’s progress came to a halt in 2009.

Just 10 days after being assigned to Double-A Erie from Single-A Lakeland on May 15 of that season, Below landed on the disabled list for the rest of the year. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm and required Tommy John surgery.

“That was actually the first time I’ve ever been hurt to miss a game,” Below said. “The only time I missed a game was [because of] my mom’s rules for the grades, and I missed one week; that was during football season. But I never missed a game due to injury.”

Before he left to have the procedure done, Below received some words of encouragement from teammate Mike Hollimon.

Hollimon told Below to make the best of it and work his tail off. That way, if he didn’t come back at least he would know he tried, and if he did, he’d be that much better.

“I’ll never forget it,” Below said of Hollimon’s words. “I’ve got to give him credit as well.”

Comeback

Below came back strong in 2010, finishing second on the Erie roster with 103 strikeouts. His big break came last season, when he started 18 games with the Mud Hens before Detroit called him up in late July.

At the time of his callup, Below had a 3.13 ERA and was tied for second place in the International League with nine wins.

“It was great,” Below said of his time with Toledo. “The fan base is unbelievable there. They come out and support you. Just being able to have a park of that caliber and the fans that support you no matter what, and being able to be that close to home and having support in my family.”

Below credited the combination of that atmosphere along with the tutelage of Mud Hens pitching coach A.J. Sager for helping prepare him for the majors, where he started two games for the Tigers in 2011 and spent the rest of the regular season as a reliever.

Since December, Below has been in Lakeland preparing for the upcoming season, where he is competing for the fifth starter spot in the rotation with the Tigers. It just wouldn’t be like Below to not get a head start on spring training.

Below made it to the big leagues, but he’ll always be the active little brother from Britton.

“I just figured getting down here early, giving myself the best opportunity to make the team, I felt it was to be here in Lakeland and working with the staff that’s here,” Below said.

“It’s mainly from my rehab. When I was here, I was working out and I was in the best shape, and [the] arm’s ready to go to start the year.”

 

 

Mud Hens ticket sales returning to pre-recession levels

By
Brandi Barhite
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Erik Ibsen is assistant manager for ticket sales for the Mud Hens. Toledo Free Press photo by Joseph Herr.

Mud Hens ticket sales are keeping pace with last season’s, according to Erik Ibsen, assistant general manager of ticket sales and operations.

Approximately 285,000 tickets have been presold for the Mud Hens season so far — slightly ahead of the past two seasons.

“It had been higher before the economic downturn, but we are heading back to those ranges we were in previously,” Ibsen said.

By Opening Day, 300,000 tickets are expected to be bought, which is consistent with last year and includes everything from game plan ticket packets to group reservations.

“Ticket sales are really going great. You can tell the season is around the corner,” he said. “The weather hasn’t hurt, probably has people thinking about it.”

Ibsen said the 27 suites leased on a multiyear basis are sold out. Last year marked the 10th season in the ballpark, so many of the suites were up for renewal.

“Just about every organization did come back to us,” he said. “We are in a great situation. The corporate community has supported the ballpark since before it was built.”

The four party suites that can be rented on a game-by-game basis are also keeping pace with previous seasons. These suites are used for surprise parties, reunions and when companies want a suite for their employees, but don’t need it every game.

“In the course of a season, we rent out more than 200 times per year. We still have availability if people are interested in that,” Ibsen said.
Last year, 214 were rented, a suite record, and 99 percent of the suites were filled after Memorial Day.

Speaking of records, Ibsen would like to set a new one.

Elliston native and “American Idol” runner-up Crystal Bowersox helped set an attendance record of 13,200 when she performed at a game on May 14, 2010. The second largest attendance record was made Opening Day on April 16, 2009, with 13,100 fans. Many of the 10 games with the highest attendance are from Opening Days, Ibsen said.

“We are hoping to be right in line and the fact that Opening Day is on a Friday this year, [attendance] should be in that 13,000 range,” he said.

Justin Hemminger of Columbus, who graduated from St. Francis de Sales High School in 1997, is returning to Toledo to see the home opener. He has attended every Opening Day game since 2002 when the new stadium opened. “My family’s from Toledo originally,” he said. “It is a heritage thing, a hometown pride thing.” The stadium seats 8,943, in addition to picnic areas and standing room-only locations. Most Fridays and Saturdays, the ballpark attracts at least 10,500 people, Ibsen said. In 2011, the Mud Hens ended the season with a total attendance of 549,438 and have boasted 5.5 million in the first 10 years at Fifth Third Field. One reason the organization does so well with ticket sales is its commitment to affordability, Ibsen said. Opening Day tickets are $13 for seats and $10 for standing room. Regular season tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for children 12 and younger. On fireworks nights, tickets are $9 for everyone. Ibsen said the regular season ticket price has increased just $1 in the past decade.

“Minor league baseball prides itself on family fun entertainment. There are a lot of activities for family, friends and companies,” he said. “The blueprint has to be affordable.”

Attendees range from families, younger friends and teens and empty nesters on date nights.

“We really run the whole spectrum as far as people, which is another reason the affordability is so important,” he said.

Last year, the team attracted 139,296 attendees through group sales, down from the record of 143,226 established in 2007. The largest groups in 2011 were ProMedica, YMCA, First Solar and HCR ManorCare.

Online ticket sales keep growing as well.

“The technology makes that a huge part of our business. We sell about 60,000 tickets online and that has increased each year,” Ibsen said.

New for this year are mobile apps for iPhones and Droids to purchase tickets.

“The idea with the technology is to make the purchase easier,” Ibsen said. “Not having to wait to get to the ballpark to see if it is a sold-out game, not even having to wait to get home to your computer.”

For more information, visit www. mudhens.com and click on Tickets.

Famous Chicken, country musician among special nights for Hens in 2012

By
Erik Gable
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Famous Chicken and a host of other mascots were among the added attractions at Hens games in 2012.

Baseball may be what draws crowds to Fifth Third Field every spring and summer, but it’s far from the only attraction that will be offered during the 2012 Mud Hens season.

Michael Keedy, manager of special events for the Mud Hens, said fans of country music will want to turn out on June 2, when Jonalee White and the Late Nite Drivers will perform before, during and after the game.

The following week will bring the Zooperstars to the field June 8. Dubbed the “Sultans of Silly” by BusinessWeek, this troupe of inflatable mascots includes wackily named characters like Alex Frogriguez, Clammy Sosa, Nolan Rhino, Cow Ripken Jr. and Donovan McCrabb.

Rockin’ Ray and the Amazing Skyy Dogs, a troupe of canine entertainers, will perform June 23.

This will be followed on June 24 by Team Autograph Day, in which the whole team will be available to sign autographs for fans before the game.

“Pink in the Park,” in which players wear pink jerseys that are auctioned off to raise money for the Northwest Ohio affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure returns July 20.

Then, on July 22, fans who show up early can have their pictures taken with Mud Hens players before the game.

The Famous Chicken

The Famous Chicken, a traveling mascot, will perform Aug. 5 during the Mud Hens game against the Rochester Red Wings. Ted Giannoulas has been playing the chicken since 1974, when he agreed to don a rented suit as part of promotional gimmick for a San Diego radio station. Keedy said the chicken has been performing in front of Toledo crowds for more than 20 years, but this will be his first visit to Fifth Third Field.

“He has really become an icon as far as entertainment at sports games,” Keedy said. “He has traveled and performed at every level, for nearly every sports team. He’s very sought after to have an appearance. People are going to be very excited to see him. He’s still a very big draw for people.”

Honoring Casey

The Famous Chicken’s visit will coincide with a weekend devoted to Toledo baseball history. The first 2,000 fans through the gate on Friday, Aug. 3, will receive a bobblehead of Casey Stengel, who managed the Mud Hens before his Major league career, most notably with the New York Yankees.

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the 1927 Mud Hens championship team managed by Stengel, Keedy said.

“We really wanted to celebrate our history and we knew the 1927 championship team would be having a significant anniversary,” Keedy said. “With Casey Stengel being one of the most famous managers in baseball history to have his start in Toledo, that’s something we thought was really cool and a nice way to kick off the baseball history celebration.”

The following night, the team will play in replicas of 1883 jerseys from Toledo’s first professional baseball team, the Toledo Blue Stockings, which existed for only a few years in the 1880s. The jerseys will be sold in a charity silent auction during the game.

Animal acts

Some unusually talented simians and canines will perform Aug. 30.

Keedy said the act, called Team Ghost riders, consists of monkeys riding dogs and herding sheep.

“It’s a lot of fun and people genuinely enjoy seeing them,” Keedy said.

Three heritage nights will celebrate different cultures, with Polish Heritage Night on June 23, Latino Heritage Night on July 22 and Irish Heritage Night on Aug. 12.

Senior days will take place on May 21, June 25 and July 31, all of which are day games. discounted tickets are available for groups of senior citizens.

Veterans Appreciation Night, honoring both veterans and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces, is Aug. 25, with a pregame ceremony, discounted tickets for military personnel who place their orders in advance and other recognitions during the game.

Back by popular demand

In addition, some popular features will return. As in past years, kids can run the bases after every Sunday home game and the traditional post-game fireworks shows after each Friday, Saturday and Sunday game will start May 18.

“That’s something that happens year after year that fans really look forward to,” Keedy said.

Throughout the season, area youth will have chances to learn about baseball from Mud Hens players during the club’s baseball camps. Aimed at youth ages 7 to 14, the camps are part of the Mud Hens’ efforts to work with local groups to give back to the community. other such programs include Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts campout nights, when local scout troops spend a night on the outfield.

“We are a big part of the community, so reaching out and working with these groups is important to us,” Keedy said.

Five camps are scheduled:

  • May 19: A one-day camp will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • June 2: A clinic for children with special needs is scheduled for noon-1:30 p.m. “That camp has really grown over the past four or five years,” Keedy said.
  • June 24: An adult-and-child camp is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • June 19-21 and Aug. 2-4: Keedy said these three-day camps are usually the most popular ones. Jeff Barton, founder and president of Miracle league of Northwest ohio, a baseball league for kids with special needs, said the clinic is a fun experience for the children who take part.

“They love it,” he said.
Barton added that Mud Hens players often volunteer at the Miracle league field during the season.
“They look up to the Mud Hens players and they admire them,” he said.

Participants in all of the camps will receive a T-shirt, a souvenir baseball for autographs and a ticket to a future Mud Hens game.

Register online at mudhens.com/ camps.

For more information, visit www. mudhens.com and click on promotions. All theme nights and promotions are subject to change.

Second-year Hens manager putting pieces into place for 2012

By
Dock David Treece
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Mud Hens Manager Phil Nevin. Photo by Paul Nelson.

The Mud Hens are looking to improve on a tough 2011 season as the team wraps up spring training in manager Phil Nevin’s second year on the job.

“It’s been a great camp,” Nevin said. “We have new leaders in place as far as our minor league director and field coordinator, and they’ve done a heck of a job. The preparation and attention to detail has been smooth for camp. The players have been very receptive to everything and working hard. I really enjoy the people involved here. everybody has come to camp in great shape and ready to go. We’ve added some pieces that will help our Triple-A roster out, mostly on the offensive side, guys like Jerad Head and Quintin Berry.”

Nevin said he is excited about additions to the roster, but there are still some questions about who will be with the team.

“We still have some major decisions going on with the roster,” he said. “Quintin Berry is still with the Major League team and you don’t know what’s going to happen. Jerad Head, Eric Patterson and Matt Young have already come down. Those are quality players that have had success in Triple-A in the past and for the time being will help us out quite a bit in Toledo.”

Second nature

Adjusting to an ever-changing roster is second nature to Nevin after last season.

“We have an idea of when things are going to happen,” he said. “You can’t account for injuries on any level, but we have an idea of who is going to be where, and we have from the beginning of spring. It’s just a matter of getting pieces in place toward the end and getting everybody ready for the season.”

The Mud Hens went 67-77 in Nevin’s first season with the team. First baseman Ryan Strieby paced the offense with team highs of 19 home runs and 76 RBI, but Toledo finished with only 586 total runs, the third-fewest in the International league (IL). With the Detroit Tigers two deep at first base, Strieby should be a mainstay with Toledo in 2012.

Left-hander Duane Below led the pitching staff last season, with nine wins, finishing 9-4 in 18 starts with a 3.13 erA in 115 innings. The team finished 21 games back in the division behind Il champion Columbus. In its attempt to close the gap with the Clippers, Toledo will rely on a young pitching staff and veteran leadership on offense.

“Columbus always has a veteran mix with sixth-year free agents and prospects,” Nevin said. “That’s along the lines of what we’re doing this year. Most of our younger guys are on the mound, and having veterans in the lineup is really going to help our offense.”

Opportunity to expand Nevin said he is eager for the opportunity to expand on his first season.

“For me, it’s the familiarity with different people,” he said. “It’s going to be nice going back to the same place for the first time. I won’t have to learn new names, whether it’s in the front office, umpires or clubhouse people throughout the league. It will be more familiar for me. It makes the season start off a little smoother.”

Despite the advantages of another year on the job, Nevin is not ready to speculate about how it will translate on the field.

“It’s hard to predict championships and rosters and records and things like that until you go throughout the league,” he said. “I’m excited going into the season. I think we have a chance to be pretty good. There’s a good mix of veteran guys on offense, and we’ll have some solid young starting pitching and a good bullpen. It’s our job to have them prepared to play every day and we’ll see where it goes.”

Tigers tune-up

Toledo will tune up for the season with a charity game at Fifth Third Field against the Detroit Tigers at noon April 4.

“It’s an exciting time for the city,” Nevin said. “It will be an exciting atmosphere the first time you get into the stadium and see a packed house. It will be neat for the players to get a taste of Toledo before we start our season a couple days later.”

The Mud Hens open the season 5 p.m. April 6 at home against division rival Indianapolis, which went 76-68 last season.

“This is about the time where you’re starting to count down the days,” Nevin said. “Guys are getting antsy to get out of spring training. A lot of guys have been here over a month now and are ready to get the season started.”

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