Touring The Bases With…Kelly Hallquest

Kelly Hallquest is the Food and Beverage Director for the Eugene Emeralds located in Eugene, Oregon. They have been an Affiliate of the San Diego Padres since 2001 and are in the Northwest League. Check out Emeralds on Facebook. www.-ems.com Seamheads.Com: What are your responsibilities for the Emeralds? Kelly Hallquest: I am the Director of […]

Rob Nelson on the Future (and Could-Have Been Past) of Pro Baseball in Portland

I recently talked with Rob Nelson, the co-creator of Big League Chew shredded bubble gum, Portland Mavericks pitcher (and pitching coach) in the mid-1970s, and all-around fixture of Portland’s baseball scene. Our conversation centered on Big League Chew and the Mavs, but we also eventually got around to the plight of pro baseball in Portland […]

Touring The Bases With…Julia Janssen

Julia Janssen is the Director of Marketing for the Lansing Lugnuts located in Lansing, Michigan. They have been affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays since 2005.  They are in the Midwest League.  Website: www.lansinglugnuts.com SEAMHEADS:  When did you discover your love for baseball? How did you wind up on your team? Julia Janssen: I’ve always […]

Touring The Bases With…Molly Radcliffe

Molly Radcliffe works in Ticket Sales and Alumni Relations for the St. Louis Cardinals. SEAMHEADS: What was your first job working in baseball? How did you obtain the position? How did that first job help you get to where you are today? Molly Radcliffe: I started working in baseball in 2007 when I was hired […]

Touring the Bases With Peter Bock of the Coastal Plains League

College baseball is set to go off this week.  Wood bat leagues like the Coastal Plain League will be evaluating college talent before their start-up in late May.  Here is a behind-the-scenes look at that league with one of the league founders, Peter Bock. The Coastal Plain League operates in three Atlantic Coast states.  The […]

Part II of the Rob Nelson Interview: Playing for the Portland Mavericks, a Game Called Boku, Et Cetera

I earlier posted the portion of my talk with Rob Nelson in which he talks about co-creating Big League Chew and his 30 years managing one of the legendary bubble gums. In this part, Rob Nelson describes how he came to be a Portland Maverick, what it was like to be on the team, and […]

Talking With Rob Nelson About Big League Chew

The story of the creation of Big League Chew in the Portland Mavericks’ bullpen in 1977 is told in shorthand on the back of every package of “the ballplayers bubble gum,” and Rob Nelson, the co-creator, along with Jim Bouton, has told the longhand story on a few occasions. I talked with Nelson recently about […]

Touring The Bases With…Lisa Fegley

Lisa Fegley is Ticket Sales & Promotions Director for the Jupiter Hammerheads, an affiliate of the Florida Marlins.  She also works for the Palm Beach Cardinals – which is an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.  They play in Roger Dean Stadium, the only Stadium in the country with two minor league teams sharing a […]

Touring The Bases With…Jackie Kampf

Jackie Kampf is the Marketing Assistant for the Montgomery Biscuits located in Montgomery, Alabama.  They have been an Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays since 2004 and are in the Southern League. SEAMHEADS: What does your job consist of? What are your responsibilities? JACKIE KAMPF: My title is Marketing Assistant for the Montgomery Biscuits.  My […]

Touring The Bases With…Mike Vaccaro

Mike Vaccaro is the lead sports columnist for the New York Post and the author of  The First Fall Classic: The Red Sox, The Giants, and the Cast of Players, Pugs, and Politicos Who Reinvented the World Series in 1912, 1941: The Greatest Year in Sports and Emperors and Idiots.  He has won more than […]

Touring The Bases With…Courtney White

Courtney White is the Group Sales Account Executive for the Oklahoma City RedHawks located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  They have been an affiliate of the Texas Rangers since 1983 and are in the Pacific Coast League. Their website is: www.oklahomaredhawks.com SEAMHEADS: What does your job consist of?  What are your responsibilities? COURTNEY WHITE: Currently, I […]

Touring The Bases With…Doug White

Doug White, the Pitching Coach of the Johnson City Cardinals talked with Alfonso Tusa about his pitching philosophy, great satisfaction in the 2010 season, how baseball has enhanced his life and his everyday work with the pitching staff. Alfonso Tusa: The JC Cards hadn’t won the Appalachian League Championship since 1976. Were you aware of […]

Touring The Bases With…Doug Gladstone

Doug Gladstone is the author of A Bitter Cup of Coffee: How MLB and The Players Association Threw 874 Retirees a Curve, in which he champions the cause of former major league players who don’t qualify for a pension because they didn’t meet the required service time.  An excerpt from an article Doug wrote for […]

Touring The Bases With…John Castino

John Castino was selected co-rookie of the year (with Toronto’s Alfredo Griffin) in the American League for 1979 after batting .285 with eight triples. Due to the tie, the voting process (and point system) was changed in 1980. Castino hit .302 in 1980 and led the American League in triples in 1981, but back problems […]

Touring the Bases With…Dick Bosman

Dick Bosman is the minor league pitching coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rays, rated the best young organization in the game.  Much of that is derived from the unbelievable pitching talent Dick has the pleasure to work with.  Here are his thoughts on his pupils. TL.  The Rays have the lowest runs per game allowed […]

Touring The Bases With…Anna Petersen

Anna Petersen is the Community Relations Coordinator for the West Michigan Whitecaps located in Comstock Park, Michigan. They have been a class”A” Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers since 1997. Seamheads:  Did you ever expect to have a career in baseball? Anna Petersen: In all honesty, I was probably the last person expected to have a […]

Touring The Bases With…Brent Mayne

Catcher Brent Mayne was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round (#13 overall) of the 1989 amateur draft and made his major league debut only a year later, rapping an RBI single off Twins pitcher Scott Erickson in his first major league at-bat.  Mayne spent 15 seasons in the big leagues with […]

Touring The Bases With…Ken Henderson

“The press started to build me up pretty heavily, and the thing that they used to write quite often was that I was the next Willie Mays, which I don’t think was the right thing to do. I don’t care if a player is black or white, it doesn’t make any difference, there was nobody […]

Touring the Bases With…Milt Wilcox

Milt Wilcox, a righthanded hurler from Hawaii, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1968 amateur draft, a draft that included Tim Foli, Thurman Munson, Bobby Valentine, Greg Luzinski, Gary Matthews, and Bill Buckner.  Coming straight out of high school, Wilcox began his career in the Rookie League before moving […]

Talking With Jack Perconte About Comiskey Park, Municipal Stadium, and the Kingdome

Last year I looked up the story of the first game at the original Comiskey Park on July 1, 1910. Months later I talked with Jack Perconte about his time playing for the Mariners in the mid-’80s to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Kingdome’s implosion this March. I realized that Jack closed his career […]

Touring The Bases With…Heather McKeating

Heather McKeating is the Group Sales Director for the Norfolk Tides located in Norfolk, Virginia.  They are an Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. SEAMHEADS: When did you start working for the Norfolk Tides? HEATHER: I started working for the Tides when I was sixteen.  I went to my first baseball game, an afternoon game with […]

Touring The Bases With…Bob Bruce

Bob Bruce was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers at the age of 20 but it took him six years to make his Major League debut.  Bruce went 18-8 with a 3.20 ERA in his first professional season with the Wausau Timberjacks of the Wisconsin State League in 1953, then went […]

Touring the Bases with…..Craig Wright

Craig R. Wright was the first of what today would be called a “Sabermetrician” to be hired by a major league baseball team. He was the primary author of “The Diamond Appraised” (1989), and with Texas Rangers play-by-play announcer Eric Nadel has done a radio pre-game show called “A Page from Baseball Past” since 1984. […]

Touring The Bases With…Randy Jones

Former major league hurler Randy Jones spent only 10 years in the bigs and lost more games than he won, going 100-123 for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, but for two magical seasons, he was among the best pitchers in the game.  After leading the National League in losses with 22 in […]

Touring The Bases With…Kristyne A. Haver

Kristyne A. Haver CPA, is the Controller for the Reading Phillies located in Reading, Pennsylvania.  They have been an Affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies since 1967.  They are in the Eastern League. SEAMHEADS: What does your job consist of?  What are your responsibilities? KRISTYNE: My job title is Controller.  Mainly, I’m in charge of all […]

Touring the Bases (Again) With…Jack Perconte

After batting .334, .322 and .326 in three of his first five minor league seasons, second baseman Jack Perconte made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 13, 1980.  He was back in the minors in 1981 where he batted .346 for Albuquerque, then was traded to the Cleveland Indians, with […]

Touring the Bases With…Melanie Levy

Melanie Levy is the Senior Group Events Executive for the Sacramento River Cats Baseball Club, Sacramento, California.  They are an Affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. SEAMHEADS: What does your job consist of? MELANIE:  I am a Senior Group Events Executive for the Sacramento River Cats. My job in particular involves working closely with schools K-12 […]

Touring the Bases With…Craig Breslow

Relief pitcher Craig Breslow has been referred to as “the smartest man in baseball” because of his degrees in molecular biophysics and biochemistry earned at Yale University, and his performance on the field has been equally impressive, boasting a 2.78 ERA in 172 career games.  Breslow was drafted out of Yale by the Milwaukee Brewers […]

Touring the Bases With…Janell Bullock

Janell Bullock is the Assistant General Manager of the Kinston Indians located in Kinston, North Carolina. They have been an Affiliate of the Cleveland Indians since 1987. SEAMHEADS: How did you get your start in baseball? JANELL:  I was in college and majoring in accounting and as I was going into my 3rd year, I thought […]

Touring the Bases With…Roger LaFrancois

Boston Red Sox catcher Roger LaFrancois spent only eight games at the Major League level but made the most of it, batting .400 with a double, a run, and an RBI in 10 at-bats in 1982.  Drafted by Boston in the eighth round of the 1977 amateur draft, LaFrancois spent most of his nine professional […]

Touring the Bases With…Juliana Paoli

Juliana Paoli is Chief Marketing Officer of the San Jose Giants located in San Jose, California.  They are an Affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. SEAMHEADS: You spoke at the Baseball Winter Meeting in Indianapolis last year and Las Vegas in 2008. You also said you were not comfortable as a public speaker.  Do you […]

Touring the Bases With…Darryl Hamilton

Darryl Hamilton was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the 1986 amateur draft and spent seven seasons in Milwaukee before signing as a free agent with the Texas Rangers in 1996.  After only one season in Texas, Hamilton played for the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets, with […]

Touring the Bases With…Carlos May

Carlos May, brother of major league slugger Lee May, was selected 18th overall in the 1966 draft, which also featured Reggie Jackson, Gary Nolan, and Richie Hebner.  He spent parts of three seasons in the minors, batting .311 from 1966-1968, before making his big league debut on September 6, 1968 with the Chicago White Sox.  […]

Touring the Bases With…Tout Wars

Not long ago the Society For American Baseball Research (SABR) announced that it had partnered with Tout Wars, a fantasy baseball league founded in 1998 that pits the top fantasy baseball experts in the industry against each other.  On March 26, F.X. Flinn, a long-time member of SABR’s Board of Directors, awarded the very first […]

Touring the Bases With…Ron Kittle

Right-handed slugger Ron Kittle belted 90 homers, drove in 247 runs and batted .337 between Double-A and Triple-A from 1981-1982 before settling in as the Chicago White Sox’s full-time left fielder in 1983.  His pyrotechnics display continued in the majors when he slammed 35 homers and drove in 100 runs in his rookie season, earning […]

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