New Intern Number 1 – Nicolette Gene Keller
Hello Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association Fans!
My name is Nicolette Gene Keller and I am 20 year’s old from Grand Rapids, Michigan (about 3 hours away from Detroit). I am going to be a senior at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) majoring in Sport Management in the School of Kinesiology. At the UofM I am currently a member of the Sport Business Association and an officer of the UofM Club Tennis team in charge of the website and communications/alumni relations. My previous internship experience includes working with the Traverse City Beach Bums as a Promotions/Operations/Community Relations intern and working at Yost Ice Arena (Ann Arbor) as a Facilities Management intern. Being that I am from Michigan, I am a huge Detroit Tigers fan and my Tiger is last year’s Cy Young and MVP winner Justin Verlander!
I am very excited to begin working with the MLBPAA because I really believe in and support their mission to raise money for charities and set positive images for active children, all while promoting America’s favorite past-time and the legends who played the game. Today is actually my first day of the internship and the office staff could not have done a better job to make me feel comfortable and welcome. I think their eagerness to offer a helping hand or a thought of the day proves why the MLBPAA has had so much success and growth in the past couple years.
I am the first to arrive out of the three new interns that the MLBPAA has acquired for the summer season. This should be a very enthralling summer in which I hope to learn a lot about the MLBPAA and the positive effects it has on the people and communities it comes into contact with!
- Nicolette
Another Season Is Upon Us
Posted by Sam Lovstad, MLBPAA Spring Intern
With Spring Training is behind us and the MLB regular season underway, our focus at the MLBPAA has shifted from preparation for the season to approaching events in the Spring and Summer months. Currently, we interns have been working on upcoming events in San Diego, Milwaukee, Houston, Cincinnati and Maryland, and also just finished up coordinating fights and follow-up information for Alumni attendees at a Gala in Boston, which took place this past week.
In addition to planning the coordination of events, we have also been working on an aid for the upcoming Alumni Association interns, the intern binder. Our Summer interns will be reporting for duty in May, and to help with the ease of their acclimation, Ryan and I have put together a MLBPAA Intern 411 binder. Included in this binder is information and how-to’s on assisting in event planning from start to finish, navigating through the extensive MLBPAA hard drive, working with the database, as well as helpful day-to-day tips and advice to help with their internship here at the MLBPAA.
The MLBPAA has recently implemented a Pinterest account, which allows us to reach out and inform the public on who we are, and what we have to offer as far as Legends for Youth Clinics, fundraisers, as well as auctions where we have memorabilia for sale. Check it out here, and feel free to follow and repin us!
In closing, I would like to post a few thoughts after the first week of the MLB regular season. First off, although it’s still early, Yoenis Cespedes may be the real deal in Oakland and worth the price of admission. The Cuban Rookie has been turning heads with a strong start and monster home runs. Secondly, my World Series winner pick, the Detroit Tigers, are who we thought they were. With a strong offensive lineup 1 through 9 and a solid pitching staff lead by MVP Justin Verlander, they will be a challenge for any team going forth this season. Lastly, it doesn’t appear that the St. Louis Cardinals miss Albert Pujols in their lineup. Thus far, the Cards are atop the MLB in almost every offensive category; first in hits, home runs, RBIs, on base percentage, and slugging percentage, and second in batting average and runs scored.
Opening Week
The opening week of baseball has come and gone, so I thought I would reflect on what we’ve seen.
1. Miami Marlins Park – Opening Night on ESPN let us see the new look Marlins; new name, new players (Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, Mark Beuhrle), and their new spaceship/cruiseship, I mean stadium. There are four things to note about this stadium… 1) That vibrant neonish green color they used for the walls and backstop. 2) That thing in left-center field. 3) The fishtanks behind home plate. 4) The field is huge. The two dimensions to note are center field (418′) and left-center, or “The Bermuda Triangle” as I just learned (420′). The field looks nice, but definitely large. I feel they didn’t learn from Citi Field, where they had to shorten right-center from 415′ to 390′. But when I really noticed the field was big, was when Giancarlo (formerly Mike) Stanton, CRUSHED a ball to straight center, and it barely made the warning track. I thought to myself, “if I’m a Marlins fan/management member, and my young power hitter crushes a ball like that, I want to see it leave the park, especially on Opening Night, so we can see that Thing go off in celebration”.
Just to make sure you’re with me, the “Thing” I’m referring to is this:
I think it was Buster Olney via Twitter who said we should call it “The Thing”, and since I can’t come up with something better right now, that’ll do. It certainly is…neat. But as a Mets fan, I definitely am partial to the Home Run Apple. The artistic detail and creativity of this thing is fantastic, though.
And then there are the fish tanks around the backstop. I’ve heard they used double-paned bulletproof glass, but I am just nervous for the first time a ball smacks against it, sending the fish inside into shock or something. Another thing to note is I think you’d only find something like this in Florida, a distraction for the fans if they get bored from the game…because there certainly wouldn’t be a crab or lobster tank at Fenway, and the only other place I know of a tank is in Tampa.
2. The Red Sox and Yankees both start the season 0-3, the first time since 1966.
Remember last season, when the Red Sox started 0-6 (the first time since 1945), and then were in playoff contention by July? The season is 162 games, so don’t panic, I just wanted to note these two powerful teams getting swept. The Yankees did answer getting swept with one of their own against the Orioles.
3. Some interesting stats to note after a week of games:
Josh Willingham leads the league with 4 HRs.
JP Arencibia has 11 strikeouts in 22 at-bats (on my fantasy team, of course).
Chase Headley has walked 8 times in 7 games.
Josh Beckett gave up 5 HR in 4.2 IP.
Also, as a Rockies fan, I thought I’d throw in a few other side notes:
On Thursday 4/12, Madison Bumgarner pitched against Jamie Moyer and the Rockies. Madison Bumgarner and his catcher Buster Posey are a combined 47 years old. Jamie Moyer is 49.
Rafael Betancourt puts his fingers to his hat 3 or 4 times between every pitch. And he throws about 40 pitches in an inning, so it gets painful to watch.
Thanks for reading, your comments about the week in baseball are welcome!
Posted by Ryan Modica, MLBPAA Spring Intern
MLBPAA Event Planning
Posted by Sam Lovstad, MLBPAA Spring Intern
With Spring approaching in the coming months, the MLBPAA has many special events and youth clinics on the schedule, and we interns have been responsible for the planning process for several events.
For example, on May 4th through May 6th in San Diego, the Alumni Association will be taking part in the 19th Annual Legends and Military All-Star Weekend. The weekend includes a baseball and softball clinic for kids, golf tournament, dinner and silent auction, and a alumni/celebrity baseball game. In planning this event, I have to determine who the local MLB alumni are that could possibly participate during the weekend, create an agenda, invite, and RSVP, and get in contact with the alumni either through mail or e-mail. Closer to the event taking place, I will communicate with the former players who will be attending the event to verify their attendance and answer any questions that they may have. Overall, there is a lot that goes into planning an MLBPAA event, and more often than not we are in the process of planning multiple fundraisers or clinics at any given time, so being able to keep track of each and multi-task in order to plan an event is definitely a skill that has progressed for me during my tenure with the MLBPAA.
As an intern at the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, each day’s responsibilities and tasks differ. Whether it be the event planning, public relations, membership, memorabilia, or any other assignments that may arise, every day is different than the last, which has been beneficial to me thus far with the MLBPAA.
A Typical Day
Posted by Ryan Modica, MLBPAA Inten
Last week, Sam and I had the opportunity to sit in on phone interviews for the summer 2012 internship. It was really different being on the other side of the interview, as I have only been the interviewee before, and really only once on the phone. After sitting through the six interviews, I came away with some good questions that would be useful to ask in future interviews, from both sides of the table.
The one question that almost all of the candidates asked us, the interns, was “what do you do in a typical day?” or “what is a typical day like for you?” and after a few times I had to laugh, because the answer is there is no such thing as a typical day. I got that line from Nikki, but it’s true. When they asked us that, I found that I was rattling off too many things to be done in just one day.
This is a good explanation as to why the week goes by so fast. While two or three days may be similar in agenda, there are always new things that come up during the day. Between events, memorabilia, memberships, and public relations, it makes for a busy week, and you may even find that you’ve covered all of those in just one day. It’s all part of the fun here at MLBPAA.
At the Movies
Posted by Ryan Modica, MLBPAA Intern
Since the Academy Awards were just a few weeks ago, I thought it would be fitting to talk about a few baseball movies, especially with the most recent, Moneyball, being nominated for 6 Oscars.
We’ll start with a movie that I’d say a vast majority of the kids of the ’90s remembers, The Sandlot.
What makes this movie so great is it appeals to all ages. It takes place in the sixties, and while I can’t personally tell you what it was like “back then”, the movie does a good job at accurately representing some elements of the decade. For example, Benny Rodriguez wears PF Flyers, the kids go to Vincent Drug to buy the baseballs, and the equipment they play with is older. The younger crowd will enjoy The Sandlot because of the main characters and the adventures they get into. Baseball fans will enjoy the movie because of the passion and excitement the boys get from playing the game.
“I’d never seen any place like it. It was like their own little baseball kingdom or something. It was the greatest place I’d ever seen anyway. …I found out that they never kept score, they never chose sides, they never even really stopped playing the game. It just went on forever. Every day they picked up where they left off the day before. It was like an endless dream game.” - Smalls
Next is a comedy that as Baseball Almanac puts it, “you’ll find just as many people who hate this movie as love it, but just about everyone who has seen it remembers it”. Major League is definitely one that I love, and manage to watch right around Opening Day every year. 
What you have to realize about this movie is that it’s not to be taken very seriously. The story is about the Cleveland Indians, made up by their owner of has-beens and never-will-bes, who hopes the team will lose enough to relocate them. The players find out, and decide to go all out the rest of the season, eventually winning the AL pennant (spoiler alert!). Major League is filled with great lines and little scenes, with funny and dramatic baseball moments, and of course the sappy side story between the star catcher and his ex.
Just a reminder, fans, comin’ up is our “Die-hard Night” here at the stadium. Free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won a pennant. – Harry Doyle
Other baseball movies that deserve recognition, and may get more than this soon.
Moneyball
2012 MLB Season Predictions
It’s never too early to start throwing out season predictions, and here at the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, we have gathered several from members in our office in Colorado Springs. The predictions for the 2012 Major League Baseball season include division winners, League MVPs, League Cy Young Award winners, ALCS/NLCS matchups, and the World Series matchup and winner.
Geoff Hixson, Chief Operating Officer
- AL EAST: Red Sox
- AL CENTRAL: Indians
- AL WEST: Rangers
- AL WILD CARD: Angels
- AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
- AL CY YOUNG: Jared Weaver
- NL EAST: Nationals
- NL CENTRAL: Cardinals
- NL WEST: Giants
- NL WILD CARD: Diamondbacks
- NL MVP: Ryan Zimmerman
- NL CY YOUNG: Adam Wainwright
- ALCS: Angels over Rangers
- NLCS: Cardinals over Diamondbacks
- WORLD SERIES: Cardinals over Angels
Mike Groll, Director of Special Events
- AL EAST: Rays
- AL CENTRAL: Tigers
- AL WEST: Angels
- AL WILD CARD: Red Sox
- AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
- AL CY YOUNG: Jared Weaver
- NL EAST: Phillies
- NL CENTRAL: Cardinals
- NL WEST: Diamondbacks
- NL WILD CARD: Reds
- NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki
- NL CY YOUNG: Cole Hamels
- ALCS: Red Sox over Tigers
- NLCS: Phillies over Diamondbacks
- WORLD SERIES: Red Sox over Phillies
Tyler Kourajian, Special Events Coordinator
- AL EAST: Rays
- AL CENTRAL: Tigers
- AL WEST: Rangers
- AL WILD CARD: Red Sox
- AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
- AL CY YOUNG: Jared Weaver
- NL EAST: Phillies
- NL CENTRAL: Brewers
- NL WEST: Rockies
- NL WILD CARD: Braves
- NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki
- NL CY YOUNG: Roy Halladay
- ALCS: Rangers over Rays
- NLCS: Phillies over Braves
- WORLD SERIES: Phillies over Rangers
Michael Obyc, Special Events Coordinator
- AL EAST: Yankees
- AL CENTRAL: Indians
- AL WEST: Rangers
- AL WILD CARD: Angels
- AL MVP: Albert Pujols
- AL CY YOUNG: C.C. Sabathia
- NL EAST: Phillies
- NL CENTRAL: Brewers
- NL WEST: Giants
- NL WILD CARD: Braves
- NL MVP: Jose Reyes
- NL CY YOUNG: Tim Lincecum
- ALCS: Yankees over Angels
- NLCS: Giants over Phillies
- WORLD SERIES: Giants over Yankees
Greg Thomas, Memorabilia Coordinator
- AL EAST: Red Sox
- AL CENTRAL: Tigers
- AL WEST: Rangers
- AL WILD CARD: Angels
- AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
- AL CY YOUNG: Dan Haren
- NL EAST: Phillies
- NL CENTRAL: Reds
- NL WEST: Giants
- NL WILD CARD: Marlins
- NL MVP: Hunter Pence
- NL CY YOUNG: Roy Halladay
- ALCS: Tigers over Red Sox
- NLCS: Phillies over Reds
- WORLD SERIES: Phillies over Detroit
- AL EAST: Yankees
- AL CENTRAL: Tigers
- AL WEST: Angels
- AL WILD CARD: Indians
- AL MVP: Robinson Cano
- AL CY YOUNG: Ubaldo Jimenez
- NL EAST: Phillies
- NL CENTRAL: Reds
- NL WEST: Giants
- NL WILD CARD: Marlins
- NL MVP: Joey Votto
- NL CY YOUNG: Roy Halladay
- ALCS: Tigers over Angels
- NLCS: Phillies over Reds
- WORLD SERIES: Tigers over Phillies
- AL EAST: Red Sox
- AL CENTRAL: Tigers
- AL WEST: Angels
- AL WILD CARD: Rays
- AL MVP: Jacoby Ellsbury
- AL CY YOUNG: James Shields
- NL EAST: Phillies
- NL CENTRAL: Reds
- NL WEST: Diamondbacks
- NL WILD CARD: Marlins
- NL MVP: Matt Kemp
- NL CY YOUNG: Ian Kennedy
- ALCS: Tigers over Angels
- NLCS: Phillies over Diamondbacks
- WORLD SERIES: Tigers over Phillies
Outdoor Baseball
Posted by Sam Lovstad, MLBPAA Intern
The impending 2010 MLB season was an exciting time for Minnesota Twins fans like myself, as it was the inaugural season of the Twins’ new ballpark, Target Field. Prior to the 2010 season, the Twins had played their home games in the primitive, dilapidated bio-dome that is the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Many of you may recognize it from the video here. Yeah, that’s the one. Anyway, gather round and let me tell you about my first Target Field experience and one of my greatest baseball memories…
I don’t particularly remember what led up to this conversation, but on April 1st, 2010, my sister sent me a picture message of four Twins tickets to the following day’s exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals, which would also be the first Twins game to ever be played at Target Field. In the message, she also told me how the company she worked for had tickets to the game but nobody was able to go, so I immediately told her to hold on to the tickets until the end of the day for me, as I would try and summon my roommates to attend the game with me.
Getting my roommates, Chad and Jordan, on board was a lofty expectation, but I figured it was worth a shot. They both worked full-time day jobs at the same company and would have to take the following day off from work at literally the last minute. My sister lived in Fargo, North Dakota, so we would have to take off immediately from Duluth, Minnesota, drive to Fargo to get the tickets and stay the night, and head to Minneapolis in the morning for the game. I remember my text conversation with Chad going something like this:
Me: What are the chances you can get tomorrow off?
Chad: No chance
Me: I have tickets to the Twins game.
Chad: I’ll see what I can do…
In the end, by some miraculous stroke of luck, Chad and Jordan were both able to get out of work for the next day. When they came home from work that evening, we wasted no time and hit the road to Fargo. The drive from Duluth to Fargo takes about four hours normally, but naturally it took us about five and a half hours. Once at my sister’s apartment in Fargo, we crashed on the couches for the night and took off first thing in the morning for Target Field.
Not a minute after we arrived in Minneapolis an hour or two prior to the game, it started pouring rain, and I remember thinking about how much of a waste this trip was going to be if this game is cancelled. About thirty minutes before the game, luck was on our side again as the rain stopped and the gates opened. Once inside the stadium, we circled the concourse checking out every concession stand, souvenir shop, and sight along the way before settling into our seats. During our pre game tour of the stadium, I was fortunate enough to run into Kent Hrbek and have a few words with him.
As far as the game itself, I actually don’t recall too much other than Denard Span leading off the game and following up with a home run in his next at bat, as I was too caught up in the experience of seeing Target Field and the atmosphere of outdoor baseball in Minnesota. When all was said and done, the Twins fell 8-4 to the Cardinals, but as it was only an exhibition game, I wasn’t too bummed. The whole experience itself and fact that for the rest of my life I will be able to say that I was at the first ever Minnesota Twins baseball game at Target Field weighs heavier than one in the win column ever will.
October 1, 2007
Posted by Ryan Modica, MLBPAA Intern
With some down time on a Friday, I was on baseball-reference.com, and found they have box scores from every game since 1919. The first game that came to mind to look up was Game #163 of the 2007 season. The NL Tiebreaker game between the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres. It is the most memorable game I have ever attended. 13 innings, 4 hours and 40 minutes of great baseball. Most Colorado Rockies games I sit on the first or third base side, in the first concourse. This game, tickets were hard to come by, so my dad and I sat way up in Section 332, above home plate.
One thing I remember about being at the game is that it was the most people I have seen at any Rockies game I have been to, the official attendance at 48,404. I was used to being at games in the middle of a summer week, drawing maybe 30k, usually closer to 20k. I remember standing along the first base side before the game, and thinking this is the biggest game I’ve ever been to, the one with the most importance. And you could really feel it. The first play I remember is Yorvit Torrealba hit a home run in the 2nd inning. I had my camera on right after he hit it for the crowd reaction, and that is when I sat there and just said “Wow. There are so many fans here and everyone is so excited for this game right now.” I can’t tell you much more play by play until Scott Hairston hit the go ahead home run in the top of the 13th. It was like someone took the air out of the stadium. The next thing I remember is sitting in my seat between the top and bottom of the 13th, it was pretty quiet around me. But my eyes were fixed on the scoreboard. “They’re gonna do it” I thought, “the Rockies can really come back.” What didn’t help their chances, was that Trevor Hoffman was coming in to close the game. But right away there was hope. Kaz Matsui doubles to center. Troy Tulowitzki doubles, Matsui scores.
The next batter was Matt Holliday, who was in a tight MVP race with Jimmy Rollins that year. He comes to the plate with his music playing, and the loudest chant of “MVP! MVP! MVP!” I have ever heard. I got out my camera again because I did not want to forget what was about to happen, whatever it was. I think it was a 1-1 count, Holliday rips one to right-center field, and Tulowitzki scores, tying the game. Coors Field erupts, and now the story is quite different from the one at the top of the 13th. Tie game. No out. Winning run on 3rd. Todd Helton at the plate, and he is intentionally walked to bring up Jamey Carroll. All he needed to do was hit a deep fly ball or base hit. The play that ensues is one many many Rockies (and Padres) fans will never forget.
Carroll pops one to right field, deep but not that deep, and you know Holliday is tagging. Giles catches the ball and sends it home, Holliday charging for the plate, he dives head first and beats the tag, barely. The Rockies win the game and are NL Wild Card Champions, going to the playoffs for the first time since 1995. To describe the emotion and elation from the crowd as soon as Holliday was called safe is tough, one of those “you should have been there” kind of things. I remember just being so happy and satisfied, I hugged my dad and high-fived a few people around me, and down on the field the players were going nuts. It was cool to see in person, rather than on camera. The one player it had to matter most to was Todd Helton, getting his first playoff appearance. ***
I hope it was as exciting reading the recap as it was writing it…now just imagine if you had been there! You can see the video of Matt Holliday I shot with my camera here.
I’d love to hear some other “most memorable games” from anybody, you can comment, reply, or email me at ryan@mlbpaa.com
Ryan Modica
Sam Lovstad
Nikki Warner
nickikeller
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