The Good Stuff
What day is it? What month is it? I haven’t talked to anyone but my co-workers in weeks! I find myself frequenting such thoughts as any Front Office employee would. Sometimes in Minor League Baseball, time just runs together. That being said, it is impossible for any Front Office to go through a 70 game season and not drive each other crazy every once in a while. After all, our Legends family is all we have from April to September. We spend more time together in one week than we spend with our family during a Christmas vacation! We are a family.
The truth is we have a great time. We all roll our eyes when we need to pull tarp but we have fun doing it while entertaining the masses with our tarp slides. We have dance parties during our lunch breaks. We hang out after work, even though we just spent the previous twelve hours together! We have ALL been in the mascot costumes. We definitely make each other want to pull our hair out sometimes! The hope for anyone that works in baseball is that when things go wrong, the fans have no idea. Have you ever tried to maneuver your way through a crowd of 6,000 with two inflatable ponies on your shoulders? We are the only ones who know we messed up and that is exactly how it should be.
The thing that people who don’t work in baseball need to understand is we all do this because we cannot imagine working, living, or breathing in any other industry. Baseball is in our blood. The game, the production, the fans, long hours and manual labor all amount to a passion. Not a job, a passion. We are in the business of creating memories. Our ultimate goal is to put on the best show possible. Once you get into this business, it’s hard to leave; not because you are working in a professional sports atmosphere, but because you become addicted to the atmosphere. The change of pace that happens daily and all of the smiles that leave your ballpark created by the efforts of your entire staff. The best memories I have so far from my short stent in baseball are of kids and families, who could not be more thankful, for all that our staff did to create an unforgettable Legends game experience. A wise friend once told me, “It’s always someone’s first game”. The words of Nick St. Pierre instilled in me were so big and I carry them with me to each day at work.
Our staff is one in a million. Of course I’m biased but I truly believe it. I have never met a group of more passionate, detail oriented people in my life. We are all united behind a common goal and that is to be the best possible experience in all of Minor League Baseball.
To the Legends family, I could not imagine working with a better group of people. There are big things happening at Whitaker Bank Ballpark and I am thrilled to be a part of them. To our fans, we could not do this without you. You make our jobs what they are and we are proud to have you on this adventure with us!
I’ll leave you with some pictures from the first few homestands!
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My week with the Adams Family/Astros Family
My Weekend with the Adams Family and the Astros Family
As I was sitting in the Bluegrass Airport, putting my thoughts together and thinking about the adventures that lie ahead for me, I knew this St. Patrick’s Day weekend would be one for the books. Accompanied on my impending trip by three VERY excited and lively teenagers, and one of their fathers, I was not disappointed.
At the ripe old age of 23, I have a bucket list as do most people. See the Parthenon, go skydiving, swim with the dolphins, drive cross country with my girlfriends… participate in Spring Training for a Major League Baseball team! The sheer reality that I get to work in this type of environment on a daily basis never ceases to amaze me. I’m continually reminded of just how blessed I am, and what a privilege it is, to be able to do something I love.
My new friends, Nolan Adams, Connor Powell, Nicholas Turner, Doug Adams and I set out to Orlando, Florida for a weekend of baseball and sunshine. Nolan was the proud winner of our “Hurl the Pearl” promotion benefitting The Ronald McDonald House Charities last year and won the trip as his prize. With some minor hiccups in attempting to depart from LEX, we were finally in the air and on our way! The great thing about young teenagers is that they are open to new people, new possibilities. The boys embraced me like I was one of their own. It only took about 20 minutes for me to be able to crack a joke with them. If you know me at all, you know sarcasm is the name of the game! I knew I was in for it. Between heated debates of the proper pronunciation of “Hyundai,” my phone getting hit by a foul ball, getting lost in Orlando too many times to count, and a proper sunburn souvenir for yours truly, it’s safe to say we had every ounce of fun there was to be had!
Upon our safe arrival, Friday came and reminded us that business can be mixed with pleasure! I made my way to Osceola Heritage Park, home of the Astros Spring Training in Kissimmee, Florida. It is here I would make myself quite comfortable for the rest of the weekend. Being able to soak in the atmosphere, weather, and people was important as I knew I had a lot to observe and learn. Having two teams playing simultaneously, two single A teams one day and AA and AAA the next, recouped my multi-tasking skills; keeping track of who was playing where, who I needed to catch up with, etc. Luckily, I had back-up on the way in Legends Community Relations Director, Sarah Piester.
Sarah joined me for the weekend and we hit the social media networks together. We flooded the internet highway with interviews, tweets, photos and anything else an avid baseball fan could ask for and love! I was fortunate to catch an interview with new Legends hitting coach for 2012, Josh Bonifay, who had some good things to say about Lexington and the 2012 Legends team:
“We’ll have a good group of young guys; they’re going to mesh well together. So far spring training has been very productive, just working on some timing issues and certain aspects of their hitting. I’m pumped about Lexington; I came through with Charleston, West Virginia and really enjoyed the city.”
The excitement is definitely building around the 2012 baseball season, in the Legends front office and in Kissimmee, Florida. If you spend a weekend, week, or month at Spring Training and come home not pumped to the core about baseball, you are not human! I hope this is an experience I get to repeat for many years to come. The next few weeks will fly by leading up to Opening Day. Until then, I will go to work every day with a smile on my face knowing that “The Boys of Summer” will be at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in just 24 short days. Play Ball!!
***For more pictures, videos and more coverage on Astros/Legends Spring Training follow us on Twitter @Lexingtonlegend and “Like” us on Facebook www.facebook.com/LexLegends.
More Hours in the Day
I don’t generally like to do this kind of post, where I just update you on things that’ve been going on. I’d rather give you a story, or an interview. However, it’s the time of year in a Minor League Baseball front office that makes our headspin. Days are getting shorter, or so it seems and the countdown is going WAY too fast ..32..31..30 Days until Opening Day. Whew…we have a lot to do! With that being said, here’s a little of what you’ve missed the past few months as we prepare for the 2012 season at Whitaker Bank Ballpark!
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Lots of things going on here at Whitaker Bank Ballpark and in our surrounding counties! You saw some photos from National Anthem Auditions, and some other fun things the Legends have been involved with during the off-season! We still have a TON to do before April 12th when the boys of summer take the field. However, I am going to be taking a small trip to Kissimmee to see what kind of insider info I can get for our fans! I’ll be taking our “Hurl The Pearl” trip winner(Nolan Adams) and a few of his friends on Thursday and we’ll be there through Sunday night. Be sure to follow me on Twitter while I’m there @LexingtonLegend and ask all kinds of questions! The next post will be from sunny Kissimmee!
All for now!
99 Days and Counting!
Alright folks! We are OFFICIALLY 99 days away from Opening Day here at Whitaker Bank Ballpark! It has been quite an eventful off-season thus far and I know I promised you a contest or two last month, but things got a little crazy and I will certainly make up for them in the next month of two! First I’ll tell you to be sure to follow the Legends on Facebook because everyday until Opening Day we’ll be giving you a reason to love the Legends!! www.facebook.com/lexlegends if you don’t have it!
Second, the Houston Astros announced the coaching staffs for the farm system yesterday. Ivan DeJesus will manage the Legends in 2012. DeJesus was with the Legends in 2004 and we are thrilled to have him back! Joining him in Lexington is newcomer Josh Bonifay, who will coach the hitters. Josh is a former player in the Astros organization and was the hitting coach at Greeneville in 2011. Returning as pitching coach is Dave Borkowski, who we are also thrilled to have returning to Lexington for another season!
Next, some important dates to remember!
-National Anthem Auditions: Feb. 11 & 12 @ Fayette Mall. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/documents/2012/01/03/26256812/1/2012_NationalAnthemForm.pdf For more information
-FanFest: March 10th @ Whitaker Bank Ballpark–Individual tickets on sale!
-Opening Day! April 12th 7:05pm Poster Giveaway, Thirsty Thursday, AND a Fireworks show! It doesn’t get much better than that people!!
Finally, I’ll leave you with our 100th and 99th reason to love the Legends, in case you missed it!
Reason #100 to Love the Legends – “Fun & Games”
If you didn’t already know why Lexington Herald-Leader readers voted the Legends as number one in family entertainment, it’s okay …just come out to Whitaker Bank Ballpark and see for yourself!
Reason #99 to Love the Legends – “A First Class Facility”
A fixture on North Broadway and Legends Lane since 2001, the charmingly inviting Whitaker Bank Ballpark is arguably among the finest stadiums in Minor League Baseball!
That’s all for now! Keep checking back in (more frequently now) for the latest happenings for everything Legends!
-Lauren
Off season thus far..
I apologize for my delayed absense in keeping you updated on all things Legends!! We are in full swing of the off-season, getting things prepared for a spectacular 2012 season! Since my last post some pretty crazy things have been happening in the sports world!! Tell me what you think is the most shocking sports event in the past 3 months!
As the off-season continues, I will have more contests and events for you, the followers of everything Legends! I’m going to start off December with a “Guess the cube..” contest, where you guess which front office staff member resides in the workspace. Each winner will receive a special prize from the Legends! We are counting down the days until April 12th, 2012! We can’t wait to see all of the fans again!!!
Questions? Email me at lshrader@lexingtonlegends.com
Thank you!!
Thank you to everyone who made the 2011 season such a success! The players, coaches, staff, sponsors, and especially the fans!
I’ll still be blogging in the off season about various topics! So stay tuned!! See you next season!
Who’s Next?
After doing the player interview with Jason Chowning, I decided to ask our twitter followers @lexingtonlegend who they wanted to hear from next between three of our guys. In a land slide vote, Legends catcher, Ben Heath was the winner. If you’ve ever spent any time around the ballpark or around the guys, it’s not hard to figure out who the quiet one is (I believe this is the reason fans wanted to hear from him). He’s a man of few words unless spoken to, unless you know him personally, or you can get him talking about his family and baseball. Which is exactly what I did, with a few fun ones tossed in there. So here ya go!
I started the interview just by telling him to talk about where he grew up, family, etc.
“I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, went to high school in Charlotte. I lived in Virginia and North Carolina my whole life. I have two older brothers, Matt and Brad. One of them is in the military he’s an Army Ranger, the other one works in construction in Charlotte. They are 28 and 25. “
How old are you?
“I’m 22.”
So you all are really close?
“Yeah, we’re pretty close, I’m looking forward to going home. We spend a lot of time together. I actually lived with my oldest brother last off-season, but I probably won’t do that again. Matt’s moving to Destin for a job.”
What are your plans for the off-season?
“Probably just work-out and work part-time but I’m not really sure yet.”
Has your family been up to a game yet?
“My parents have, my brothers havent’ been to Lexington but they’ve seen me a little bit when we were closer, like Hickory or Charleston. Places like that. Matt was overseas all last year, when I was drafted and all that so I’m really looking forward to going home and spending time with him.” (Two things, Matt and Brad need to get their tails to Lexington and Matt, thank you from all the Legends fans for your service!)
What is your favorite baseball memory?
“My last year in college I made 2nd Team All-American, it was really cool for me and even cooler I think for my dad. Especially coming from a smaller baseball school (Penn State).”
Most embarrassing baseball moment?
“Forgetting how many outs there are. I’ve caught the last strike of an inning before and tried to throw to 3rd. We try to blame it on the scoreboard was wrong or something, but I was really just checking out. It happens to everyone so you don’t feel to bad, but it’s still kind of embarrassing.” -–I saw one of his teammates mock Ben during Batting Practice last week for the way he was walking, I imagine this walk would be similar after something like this. Like he meant to do it.
If you could listen to any song on repeat right now what would it be?
“Oh wow, I’m a big country music guy so, probably anything by Eric Church, but i’ll listen to anything.”
You are stranded on a deserted island, you can take three things with you, what would you take?
“That’s tough, (he really had to think about this one) probably my iPod, my bible, and probably a friend to have someone to talk to.”
Who is your dream hollywood wife?
–also a REALLY tough one–
“I like a lot of them so…I think her name is Kate Mara, she’s in Shooter, We Are Marshall. It could be any of them, they’re all the same to me.”
Favorite Food?
-Probably barbeque. (Immediately after answering, I said you’re a country boy aren’t ya?) His response: ” I try to be, I trick people sometimes. ” Me: “Noo, I don’t think ya do.” (It’s fairly evident if you’ve ever met Ben that he’s a country boy. Even if you’ve heard his walk-up song..Pickin’ Wildflowers by Keith Anderson, that’s a dead giveaway)
Favorite team growing up?
“Being from North Carolina we didn’t really have a team, I pulled more for individual players, being a catcher I really liked Jason Varitek. The Braves were on TV a lot growing up and they had some good teams so we watched them. But I more pulled for individuals.”
I'd cheer for this guy too..
Were you a single sport athlete growing up?
“I played basketball through middle school, along with baseball. I realized in high school I had a better shot at baseball so I just did that. Our basketball team was really good and I wasn’t that good. I’m tall but not that tall.”
A BIG Thank you to Ben Heath for taking a few minutes to sit down with me. We all now know a little bit more about the quiet one! In Lexington this season Ben is batting .232 with 4 HR, 17 RBI, .276 OBP and .371 SLG. On the year (Lancaster and Lexington) Ben is .247 with 9 HR, 40 RBI, .305OBP, and .405 SLG. I’ll leave you with a few pictures of Ben from the season:
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Questions? Email me at lshrader@lexingtonlegends.com
Jason Chowning. . .”You think you know…
But you have NO idea..” We all remember that adage from the old MTV Diary show that highlighted famous musicians and celebrities and their lives. The show started out with the celebrity saying the above quote, and then we’d dive into the story of their lives from early stages of childhood, to present day! I must admit, I did NOT know a lot of things about the featured guest. Fast forward 13 years later and shows like VH1′s Behind the Music continue to suck me in to countless hours of dramatic and melodramatic details of celebrities I didn’t know I cared about!
Well, today I am pleased to give you an inside look at one of our Legends players for the 2011 season. The boys are on the road right now, but Legends RHP and 23 year-old, Louisville, KY native, Jason Chowning was kind enough to answer a few of my questions via e-mail! Now if you’ve never been to the ballpark or you aren’t quite sure who Chowning is, here’s a quick preview of what we’re working with, he’s number 21 on the far right:
Not sure that I need to preface this interview with much more than that. Here ya go!
1.You are somewhat local to the Lexington area. Being from Louisville, do you still experience the, “homesick” feeling that some of the other guys may experience?
–”You know anywhere you go your going to be homesick. I’ve been gone from home a long time but I’ll still admit, I miss my mommy!”
2. What’s your all time favorite food?
–”Favorite food would have to be a tie between many things. Pizza and steak are way up there. But I do love me a good brat.”
3. What’s your most embarrassing moment?
–”I’ll be honest I’m pretty out going. It’s pretty hard to be embarrassed with my personality.” <—–this should be hard for NO ONE to believe after that video
4. What is the coolest thing about being a professional baseball player?
–”The fans would have to be the best part to pro baseball. Along with getting paid to play a game!”
5. Everyone knows bullpens have a very strong connection/bond, why is that? What is the mood like in the Legends bullpen?
–”Being in the bullpen we do share a good bond and connection. I would say it is like this because you could say we are segregated from the rest of the team. We are always around one another everyday, every hour. If you can’t have a good connection with your teammates you will never succeed.”
6. Who was your childhood hero in sports?
–”You know I have never been much of a fan of sports. I enjoy playing most of them but I do not like to watch them. So my childhood hero would be my father. Without him I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
7. If the Legends handed out superlatives (most likely to succeed, class clown, best smile, etc.) which one would you be awarded and why?
–”If there would to be an award given out it would most def be class clown. I love having a good time with my boys. That’s what I live for. “
8. How does the game change between high school to college and college to pros?
–”I’d say that the game changes in one aspect. Speed changes alot from level to level. “
9. What is your favorite baseball memory?
–”Favorite memory would have to be my no hitter against Ballard my junior year. My other great memories would be those with the guys over the years. The life long friends you make that will be there forever.”
A BIG thanks to Jason for taking the time out of the road trip to answer some questions for us! Jason Chowning is 4-4 with a 2.06 ERA with 2 Saves and 60 Strikeouts in the 2011 season. More pictures below! Thanks Chowning!
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If you haven’t been out to Whitaker Bank Ballpark yet this season, there is still some time left! The Legends return home August 22-25 and again September 1-5! Questions? E-mail me at lshrader@lexingtonlegends.com
While the Legends are away…we can STILL play!
I know that everyone gets really upset when the Legends go out of town. Where are we supposed to get our fix of family entertainment? Well, have no fear! While the Legends are away, we here at the Legends front office are hard at work making sure that you can still get your Legends fix! Our Whitaker Bank Street Tour will be out in full force in the coming weeks as we come close to wrapping up the season. See the scheduled dates for August below:
Now, if you’ve been to a Street Tour stop before, you know that there are giveaways, inflatables to bounce in and play on, Big L makes an appearance, a baseball card maker, it’s just an all-around good time! So make sure you pencil in one of these stops on your calendar!
And stay tuned to Legends Looseleaf for a cool interview next go round!
20 minutes
20 minutes is all I have to catch you up 0n the past few days here at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. During this 8 game home stand, we’ve had three games go into extra innings, a Santa Clause at the ballpark in July, a different public address announcer every night, talented and not-so talented people perform, kids and players eating ice cream…together and our clean-up team had to work overtime to clean up all of the drool from the visiting team’s (Rome) dugout after the Laker Girls put on quite a show. . .whew. . .and it isn’t over yet!
The Legends have one 3 of 5 so far at home this home stand and are proving to play much better at home than anywhere else. Saturday night was no exception. Now, maybe it was the extra smell of perfume, or hairspray, or maybe their purple and yellow LITTLE uniforms that caused the guys to swing the bat just a little better than normal? The Laker Girls were in town for the evening, and I found myself apologizing to managers for the distraction (I was hardly sincere. To quote the Rome dugout, “It takes less than that to distract them..”) hmmm… Anyhow, SALLY League All-Star Mike Kvasnicka swung the bat particularly well this night, and also had quite a few (why hasn’t this guy been called up yet?) defensive plays. He went 4 for 5 with a walk, 2 doubles, 2 runs scored, and 1 RBI. See Legends Radio Broadcaster Keith Elkin’s interview with Kvasnicka below:
With 3 games left until the team hits the road for a few days, we still have more antics to add to the aforementioned list! TONIGHT is 34 Cent Hot Dog night AND the Countdown to Kindergarten Rally. If you don’t have your tickets for this game, it is sure to be a good one. A good one for baseball and a GREAT one for entertainment value. See pictures of the home stand thus far (Christmas in July, Laker Girls, Lexigton’s Got Talent, JIF Kids Club Ice Cream Social) below:
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