We're off to the Baseball Winter Meetings in Indy. Ginormous trade show...league business meetings...seminars. The Tampa Bay Rays host a reception for all of their Minor League affiliates, and the MLB honchos gather for trades and transactions. The latter adds considerable drama to the annual off-season convention. We don't participate in those decisions. That's the province of the Major League club, but we do get to rub elbows with the big dawgs.Baseball America, our industry bible, announces a slew of recognitions and awards in its Winter Meetings issue. The Bulls are basking in BA glow...
Charlie Montoyo is the magazine's Minor League Manager of the Year and the Rays are ranked as the number two farm system by editor John Manuel.
1 - Rangers
2 - Rays
3 - Giants
4 - Phillies
5 - Indians
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On the home front, the Bulls' staff spent Friday afternoon working on a Habitat home near the ballpark. Our team has helped Durham Habitat raise over $75K this year...and our front office volunteers helped to raise a house. I won't make any snide comments about their construction skills because their hearts are in the right place. Plus, they were closely supervised, and no one was taken to the ER.
Our Habitat Home (about 50% of it)
Sales staff at work: Chris Overby, Mike Miller, Ryan Tuttle, Ashley Giovenco
Bulls PR chief Matt DeMargel and GM Mike Birling
Head Groundskeeper Scott Strickland
Molly Boyce of sponsorship services
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...and finally:
I attended Phantom of the Opera Thursday night at the Durham Performing Arts Center. I've seen Phantom several times, and this national tour is undoubtedly the best. The production is opulent! DPAC GM Bob Klaus tells me it took 22 tractor trailers to deliver the sets, costumes and associated gear. The lead performances and music soar! The special effects are impressive. The theater acoustics are superb. Phantom runs through December 20th. You gotta see it!
The Durham Bulls are a proud sponsor of the DPAC's Broadway Series.
