Madison Mallards

You know you're a Madison Mallards' intern when:

2010-06-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

You know you’re a Madison Mallards’ intern when:

-You paint everything green, well, “Old Virginia Green” to be exact, and by the first week you’ve changed the words to an LL Cool J song, saying, “You down with OVG? Yeah, you know me.”

-You’ve done three complete circles around the ballpark’s perimeter in trying to find one of the team’s two drills for your project. When that fails you paint something green.

-You’ve named the team’s four-wheeler, “Tammy,” and often use walkie-talkies to sing out phrases like, “Has anyone seen Tammy?” and “I hope Tammy isn’t cheating on me.”

-You move so many kegs that you tweak muscles you never knew existed in the human body. But knowing that so many thousands of people depend on you, and your frothy beverages, you no longer feel pain. “Go on beer man, do your thing,” the people chant.

-You lock your keys in your car prior to donning the Maynard G. Mallard costume for eight hours to go business-to-business with a local radio station. Now that’s a predicament where having a mascot head nearby is handy. Moreover, it’s much less embarrassing when a human-sized duck locks his keys in his car.

-You’ve driven the rented mechanical lift so much that you fantasize about taking it through the Culver’s drive-through just down Northport Drive.

-You’ve had the opportunity to experience home openers for two different baseball organizations.

-You wake up in cold sweats after hearing someone whisper “Hex Head Bit” over and over again. Then you realize it was just you.

-You now love ballpark food, whether you like it or not. And you now know how to make a chicken sandwich 42 different ways. Ever try a Cuban Chicken Sammy?

-You’ve sprayed the ballpark’s pavement enough times that you A) could draw the park’s drainage patterns blind-folded, and B) probably have athlete’s foot. I’d probably be concerned about the former.

-You laugh at your so-called “9-5” friends and family members, as they don’t know that the fun really begins at 7:05 p.m.

-In your first month you bought a cape; went to a craft store; drove to Wisconsin Dells in a 1985 Dodge Minivan, aptly called “Big Blue”; taped a little league game; made an appearance as Maynard in a John Deere commercial; and drove to 170 miles to Wausau to catch a glimpse of the Mallards.

-You probably have bled on the job or have had near severe sunburn. Hey, you win some and you lose some.

Stay tuned Mallards fans...

2009-09-01T09:47:00.002-05:00

Ahh, the off-season...that time of the year during which our beloved Mallards baseball season is ripped from us & we're left in a state of shock until we begin planning (already started) for the next round of fun in 2010.

Alas, we do have good news to report; the next round of blogs by the Mallards front office is set to return in a few weeks to provide a look into all of the happenings that are taking place at the "Duck Pond," including a German-themed Octoberfest dubbed "Ducktoberfest" that will take place at the ballpark on Saturday, October 3rd from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the ballpark. This special event will include a mix of live music, cold beer, soda, brats, and tons of kids activities in the outfield!

Also, the Mallards annual Fantasy Football Draft is just around the corner & we'll be glad to provide the occasional bantor & zings at each other as we trudge through the football season.

Be sure to stay tuned to Mallardsbaseball.com all off-season as well, as we recap the 2009 season and look ahead to all of the exciting projects in the works for next summer. Your input is always appreciated, so please shoot us a comment if you feel moved.

We'll be in touch soon!

Kelsey Van Ackeren - Merchandise Intern - Blog

2009-07-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

So I guess it’s my turn to try and figure out what to write for my blog and I am little late past my deadline but today just seems like the perfect day for me to finish it and get it done and over with. We had a game last night and we ended up losing to Battle Creek 5-3. The guys are away playing in Duluth today and activities around the duck pond aren’t as busy as they normally would be as compared to game days so I have some time to do finish it. First off I will let you know a little bit about myself and who I am before I begin to ramble on about who knows what because I usually have a tendency to do that from time to time. My name is Kelsey Van Ackeren and I am from St. Cloud, Minnesota and I go to the University of Minnesota-Crookston and my major is Sport and Recreation Management. No one really knows where Crookston is except for Dogger because of course he has been there and he knows where everything is, but for those of you that do not know where it is it is way up in the northwestern corner of Minnesota. I map quested it just out of curiosity to see how far it was from Madison and it says its about 9 hours and 22 minutes from Madison, give or take. There is another Kelsey in the office who was an intern from last year so in the beginning of the summer we quickly figured out that one of us was going to need a nickname. We tried a few different ones until we settled with the perfect one for me which is K-deuce or K2. I decided that I wanted to venture out this summer and see what the Madison Mallards were all about and luckily got an internship as the souvenir/merchandise intern. I soon came to realize that the Mallards are way above and beyond anything that I had expected. The team and organization is on a totally different level then any other team in the Northwood’s league and it is probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever had or I think will ever have and I love being apart of it.

I was a little nervous come out to Madison all by myself not knowing anyone or knowing where anything was. And after getting lost about a million times, running out of gas on my way to work, using map quest I am starting to figure out where everything is and what streets are which, or I at least know how to get to and from my apartment and to the malls of course. As far as not knowing anyone, that is definitely not the case. Everyone that works at the ballpark and especially the Mallards staff have become kind of like a second family. This internship requires you to be at the ballpark a lot and when you have people that you can laugh with and love to be around it makes the time go by ten times faster. I know that I have met some pretty cool people and will continue my relationships with them when the summer comes to an end.

As far as the internship side of things, I work a lot on my own folding, and cleaning, and organizing, as well as taking inventory on all the merchandise and making sure everything is ready to go for game time. You can either find me in the main souvenir stand or the Duckwear Depot jamming out to the radio as loud as it can go on a country station which everyone loves so much, especially Nick. Nick is my supervisor and I definitely keep him on his toes and he keeps me in line. I can tell you pretty much everything and anything about the style, size, and color of any t-shirt, sweatshirt, or hat. I usually take care of online orders every morning which is one of my favorite parts of the day so that I can be around the people that are in the office and get my daily Mallard gossip in for the day.

I am so happy that I am in Madison for the summer. It’s been the best summer of my life. This internship has taught me so many things that I am going to be able to use in the future. I have learned a lot about what it takes to run a baseball team and seeing everything that goes into it, it’s pretty amazing.

Here are some highlights so far:
Driving the hot pink and lime green jeep around when I went to go run errands and try and find office depot and the vacuum store.
Going to Lacrosse on a road trip and then Ryan hitting Dan in the nose with the ball when he wasn’t looking or ready and breaking it.
Girls trip to Green Bay with John.
Listening and singing to country EVERYDAY, and everyone hating it which makes me do it even more.
Tarping is always a fun time.
Mallards TMZ
pressing numbers and names on the back of shirts…NOT
always trying to make Amie snort
answering is always a good time and trying to take ticket orders

Kelsey Golackson's First Blog - The best softball player in the world (err, La Crosse)

2009-06-27T15:20:00.004-05:00

As I sit here thinking about what in the world I could possibly write a blog about, I think it’s fitting that I start with an introduction. With Jerrad on my back about getting this blog in, I suppose I should just get right to it. I’m Kelsey Golackson, the box office manager for the Mallards this season. I’m beginning my second year here with the Mallards, my first being spent as a Souvenir/Operations Intern last summer. This year, I suppose you could say I’m moving up in the world and into the ticket office. I must say, at first the promotion seemed daunting, but I’m beginning to come to grips with it and really enjoying my work. It doesn’t hurt that I have fellow UW-LaCrosse softball alum in Liz Kern as a boss. We’re still trying to convince the boys that softball is a pretty good sport too.

Overall, the ticket world is much different than my experiences from last summer. Instead of getting a tan, moving boxes, and folding t-shirts, I’m answering phones, mailing tickets, and helping in the air conditioned office wherever I’m needed. Needless to say I don’t get outside as much as I did before (as you can see from my pasty skin). I’m also realizing just how much work it takes to run a ball club like the Mallards. The front office staff does an incredible job of keeping this place running smoothly. Vern is a great guy to work for. He always has all of these different ideas on how to make the ball park a better place. I wish I were that creative. Liz is a pretty great person to have as a boss. It’s amazing how she is constantly aware of everything that is happening in the ticket system. I just do the best that I can to keep up with her and have learned that she doesn’t like Post-its as much as Mike and I do. I can’t believe she can put up with my incessant questioning, but somehow she does it all with a smile on her face.

I’m still trying to learn the intricacies of the ticketing system, but so far the fans have been great at putting up with me. We’ve had a lot of fun and interesting promos and events here at the stadium that I’m still getting used to. Right now we’re trying to prepare for Rhythm and Booms. It should be a fun night…busy, but fun, nonetheless. Kyle (our tickets salesman/souvenir vendor/beer mover extraordinaire), Liz, suite Intern Amie, and I have been working hard to make sure that we have all the tickets we need ready and where they are supposed to be. Hopefully we can pull this off without a hitch.

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost July already. Wow, the summer is flying by. Everyone around the office is busy with their respective duties and are constantly in motion. We have a good group of interns this year who keep the place running smoothly. Having another employee named Kelsey (as in this year’s souvenir intern) keeps me on my toes and keeps things interesting. I never knew if everyone was talking to me or not until we gave her the nickname K-deuce. That cleared up some of the confusion. We’re lucky to have such a great group working for us this year.

Well, I guess I’ll wrap it up. Hopefully you weren’t bored to tears by this entry. I think the interns are up next for blog postings, so you’ll get to hear their version of events. I hope to be seeing you at the ballpark soon.

Go Mallards!

J-Rod's 7th Post: A Quick Sneak-peak at the upcoming season (with a random head shot of Asst. Coach Jason Immekus)

2009-05-25T23:08:00.005-05:00

It is hard to believe that Opening Day is less than one week away. I must say the Operations Interns & their respective managers have really done a nice job getting everything ready seemingly earlier than usual, even with the number of ballpark improvements increasing at a high-rate this year. We hope ballpark improvements have a positive correlation with our fans' overall satisfaction upon visiting the "Duck Pond" during the summer as they give you experiences you never thought you'd be able to enjoy while watching a baseball game.

I mean, we're installing a beach (yes, a beach) just outside of the left-field corner to serve as just another means of enjoyment for kids during games when they're not bouncing in "Big Maynard," trying to show up dad at the speed pitch, or hitting the "floating" baseball at the t-ball machine.

On top of that, if you can text (or parents; have your kids teach you) and find yourself hungry at the ballpark, you'll love another addition to 2009: the ability to text your orders to Maynard's from any location in the ballpark & only have to show up once your order is ready. Why should you have to miss any part of the game while waiting for your food? Simply text your order (according to codes posted in the ballpark) to 608.622.EATS (3287) and we'll respond back with an approximate wait time, which averages less than 15 min. Once you've paid for your food at the window, it's time to enjoy the freshest and biggest portions in all of the park. Eat up!

Moving to the Great Dane Duck Blind, the addition of 200 actual seats should put a smile on a lot of people's faces. The key three words we keep stressing is that "capacity is unaffected" because it's important to note that we're not just adding more seating to allow more people to experience the Duck Blind. This area is constantly evolving, and your suggestions are always helpful. If you're able to grab a spot in the field-level addition, you're going to want to bring a glove because it feels like you're standing behind the first baseman.

Switching gears, about 15 players reported today, which further means that the baseball season is upon us. It's always fun to see the guys' first reactions when they step onto this field for the first time. In talking to them year after year, the cool thing they're most excited about is usually playing in front of 6,000-plus fans and the electricity that surrounds Mallards baseball. To be honest, they could care less about the team's 2004 Northwoods League Championship, or how this team has been ultra-competitive the past 4 seasons. They want to experience minor league baseball in a major league playoff type atmosphere. And yet, we're neither of those things.

This Wednesday, the Mallards will host the Swedish National Baseball Team at 6:05 p.m. at the Duck Pond. It'll be interesting to see how their style and the American style of baseball are both alike and yet different. We hope to see you out there...and if not, remember, Opening Day is THIS Monday against the Rochester Honkers. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.! Great seats are still available too I'm hearing.

Here's to a great season! And by the way, beginning in mid-June, we're going to turn Maynard's Musings over to the interns to get their thoughts on working for the Mallards and share a story or two. Consider it to be a glimpse into a facet of the team that is certainly underrated at times.

Vern Blog #7: How the show REALLY goes on

2009-05-18T12:58:00.003-05:00

The preparation for every Mallards season always presents a unique set of challenges. Those challenges are exactly why I love my job so much, no matter how much we plan or dream, we never quite know what obstacles may be right around the corner. The main challenge as we prepared for 2009 was pretty easy to identify: the economy. We decided to do what we do best, stay positive. The biggest thing I worried about was how a potential drop in support from our sponsors would impact our ability to put on as entertaining of a show as possible. From Bobble-Heads & Fireworks, to Celebrity appearances & ballpark improvements, none of it happens without the support of our sponsors. As we planned our events for 2009, we set the bar high: a Bobble-Head series for the first time, more ballpark renovations, Paul Molitor at the Alumni Game & more. To dream these ideas up was easy; the prospect of finding someone to pay for them to actually happen was scarier than ever.

Well, I’m happy to report that our sponsor support for 2009 is better than ever. Because of that support we’ve been able to assemble, in my opinion, the best promotional schedule in all of baseball. This story isn’t really about the specifics of what the promotions or ballpark improvements are, it is about the people that make these things happen – our sponsors. In these difficult times the businesses & fans that step up to the plate every year to support us deserve as much recognition & thanks as possible. I like to think that the importance of community is becoming even stronger all the time & that the Mallards have become an important part of that community. Our sponsors see value in not just connecting their brand with ours, but also in being a part of the unique & vast community of Mallards fans that has developed over the years.

So, what does this all mean for our fans? Well, beyond hopefully just having a great time at the park again this summer, I’d like to ask just one more thing. Don’t forget the people that make these summer nights as entertaining & comfortable & affordable as they are. Next time you are going out to eat stop by the Great Dane, not just because they offer great food, but because they are a vital part of making the Mallards happen. Or remember that Charter loves the Mallards next time you are thinking about switching cable providers. Stop out & say “hi” to Jerry over at Stoddard’s Market in Cottage Grove next time you need some Mallards-style Brats. Say “thanks” to your American Family Insurance agent for their support, pull into Stop-N-Go next time you have a choice to fill up your gas tank. Union Cab, Duluth Trading Co., Verizon, Jay Hazen Dentistry, Pepsi, Schoep’s, West Bend Insurance, Budweiser…the list goes on & on. These businesses & their employees are not just a part of the same community that we all care so much about, they are actively investing in making sure you have nothing less than a great time at the Duck Pond every night.

Thanks again for your support as we get ready for what is sure to be the most exciting summer of baseball Madison has ever seen & I look forward to seeing you around town supporting Mallards sponsors for years to come!

Guest Blog Entry - Mr. Michael Schroeder (Media Relations Intern '08)

2009-05-07T16:03:00.003-05:00

It’s time for another guest blogger to grace the pages of Maynard’s Musings. I’m Michael Schroeder, and I was the media relations intern for the Mallards last summer. I’m guessing the hard-working front office staff needed to get some more things done around the ballpark as Opening Day approaches, so they went to the bullpen for today’s Musing.

Last summer in Madison was probably the most fun summer of my whole life. You might think that having about five days off the whole summer and working 12-15 hour days sounds awful, but when you realize that you get to spend your summer at the ballpark there really isn’t anything better. With all that time together, the people in the front office and the other interns start to feel like your family. I’m from central Illinois, and after we got past all the “flatland” jokes (I think they finally stopped about the first week of August) that really became the case.

One of the many things I loved about being an intern with the Mallards was that every day brought something different. A new team came to the ballpark, a new promotion was happening and new people were coming to experience a game at the “Duck Pond.” My major duties revolved around helping the media with interview requests and whatever else they needed, plus writing game previews, post-game stories, feature stories and press releases to send to the media and post on the website. I also did a lot of work with statistics and other miscellaneous things for the coaching staff and players. It really solidified in my mind that sports media relations is what I want to do for a career.

If you’ve ever been to a game at the “Duck Pond” (and if you haven’t, you definitely need to this summer), you already know about what a great environment it is to see a game. That’s more of a marketing, promotions and operations thing, so I wanted to talk a little bit about the quality of the team that you’ll see on the field.

I spend the school year as the team manager for the University of Illinois baseball team (home of current Mallards Brandon Wikoff and Nick Chmielewski, and former Mallards Joe Bonadonna and Mike Rohde, among others). I’ve been looking through the roster for this year’s team, and once again, Vern and Coach Thieleke have done a great job of getting quality players from great baseball schools. Some of these guys are dominating the headlines with their performances so far this year, and many of their teams are competing for conference championships and the postseason. It’s quite an assortment of talent from all across the country, so I’m sure the fans will love watching these guys play on a daily basis this summer. It should be another quality Mallards team taking the field and competing for a championship.

I guess I’ll wrap it up for this entry. It was a nice surprise to open my email and see another “assignment” from Jerrad. It brought back memories of last summer and getting one of the tasks that needed to be done or media requests that needed to be handled. I know the “Duck Pond” is going to be rocking again this summer with great family fun and great baseball. Let’s try to get back to the championship series and bring one home this time.

Liz's Entry: Only a week late!

2009-05-05T10:28:00.003-05:00

So it is time for my next blog…well actually my blog was due last week but my kind co-worker Steven Stewart filled the gap for me. It is May, wow, I can’t believe it. The spring has flown by and summer is right around the corner. The day’s move pretty fast right now.

Vern is busy learning the ins and outs of twitter, the newest online craze. I don’t know that much about it however it sounds like it can be a little addicting.

Jerrad is busy running from room to room to the press box and back again. Good thing he has 2 interns in working for him now, it should make his plate a little less full.

Meanwhile Kevin is doing all that he can to help local schools complete their reading programs. This is the first year of the reading program and it has been well received. If you’re interested in learning more about the reading program, contact Kevin, he’s your guy.

Nick and John are busy preparing for the season; Nick is working on getting the souvenir stand up and running well & John is working on getting signage for the ballpark and getting things organized for Opening Day. Mike is busy setting up mascot appearances, delivering pocket schedules and not emailing us messages in the office. You see, he is old school and likes to put post-its on our desks. Ask Nick how much he likes post-its on his desk!

Steven, well, he is busy doing everything. He takes care of everything outside of the office from growing grass to painting. And when it rains he makes trips to Sports Impressions to pick up merchandise or he spends time working on getting us equipment for the summer. Steven really is pretty handy and helps us out a lot, I am pretty sure we don’t tell Steven that enough, so thanks Steven!

I have been busy doing a little bit of everything. Single game tickets are on sale now so we are busy taking ticket orders, printing tickets and finalizing orders. We recently received the rest of our ticket stock so I have been busy trying to organize the ticket office so it is not complete chaos.

Well now that you have the update of everyone in the office, I thought I would end with a few of the things I am looking forward to this summer.

1) The Trek Bike Blind. Many of you may not know but I am a closeted cyclist. I got hooked when I lived in Green Bay and still continue casual road-riding when I can. Having a more exclusive area for bikes this summer is something I am looking forward to.
2) The double header on July 12th, that is something that I am looking forward to. We will have a lot of fun packed into that day with a BBQ in between games. Nothing goes better with a double header then BBQ!
3) The Duck Blind Club level. The Club level includes unlimited ballpark food, drink, a nightly food special, separate food and beverage stations in the Club level and reserved picnic tables for 8! Not to mention one of the best views of the ballpark!
4) The Evergreen tree seedlings give away. We are going green and I couldn’t be more excited! There is something about giving out 2,000 trees that puts a smile on my face.

Well now you know what I am looking forward to... what are you looking forward to??

Steven Stewart's First Blog - The day has finally come...

2009-04-30T12:58:00.004-05:00

After “somehow” missing the message the last time I was supposed to write a blog and getting tired of other people bugging me about it, here it is! The excuse of it not being in my job description just doesn’t cut it. Plus, I figured that if I wrote one of these every once in a while, it would give them a little more time between their blogs so they can think of something to write.

I will give you all a brief background about myself. I graduated from UW-LaCrosse in the summer of 2007 after I finished my Operations Internship with the Mallards, with a degree in Recreation Management. The following summer I was offered a Seasonal Position to try and help out the rest of the office get the park ready for the season, as well as help with managing the main concession stand. I am back again this summer to try and make it even better and easier for everyone. In the off-season, I have had the pleasure of helping out Chef Boyer by cooking at Rookies.

I am just like everyone else and like to relax with some friends and enjoy some refreshing drinks. Which brings me to my topic of my blog……………Local Taverns. I would like to know where people like to enjoy these beverages and why? Some people like going downtown Madison to the college bars because that is where “everyone” goes and you will see a lot more people. Others like to go to the National Chain Bars because they are a little better known for a wider range of age groups. And then there are the local bars that you see all over, but never really know what is going to be inside. Truthfully I kind of like the local “hot spots” because you tend to get better service than the other bars, plus it won’t cost you an arm and a leg for the night. But, what is the best part about the local taverns? It has to be the BAR BURGERS. You get that urge where you want to get a nice thick burger at a decent price, and the only thing that comes to mind is a Bar Burger. Usually the tavern is owned by brothers, a husband and wife, or it has been in a family for generations. That creates a nice family friendly atmosphere -which can be hard to find these days. If you are at a local tavern, you are more than likely still able to watch a particular sports game on the television. If it is busy at the tavern you are at, then you also have a better chance of getting the game you want to see on the television than if you were at a “college bar.” It is always interesting to think “Who came up with that or why is it called what it is called?”

Because each place is so unique, that is what makes them so different. Whether it is the jokes and stories from the bartender or locals, specialty drinks, no running water in the bathrooms, or even the “Jumbo Burgers,” each place has its own followers. Yes, I can say that I have been to a bar with no water in the bathrooms and all I have to suggest is make sure you go during the summer and also during the day.(Don’t worry, it did have outhouses for customers to use.) So if any of you want to go there, let me know and we will go. Just make sure we don’t go on the last Wednesday of the month because it is their infamous “Stinky Cheese Night.” I have never been there for it, but I heard that it is standing room only and something that will just amaze you.

So I want to know……..what are some of the good local taverns in the City of Madison? If I can find a free night here or there this summer or am on my way home from the park, where is a good place to stop for a beverage? Well, I hear Vern calling my name (he must have thought of something for me to do around the park) so I better get going and I look forward to hearing your suggestions!

P.S. For those who were wondering, Tony is my cousin.

Kevin's 6th Blog: Just Dance!

2009-04-23T13:07:00.003-05:00

With it being the 4th week of the month, that can only mean one thing, Kevin Caloia is back on the blogisphere scene. I apologize for missing/side stepping my blog during the month of March. Unfortunately, I was mentally preparing for a 12 hour van ride down to Alabama for a golf / bachelor party trip. . . .which I had a very good time on, as the weather was beautiful both days and the golf courses were great.

I will share one quick highlight with you from the trip before we dive into the meat of this week’s blog, MUSIC! It had rained for about 12 days in a row while we were down there so everything was really wet and there was a lot of standing water. We were on our way to the third hole which we needed to drive through a tunnel (under the road) to get to. Well some water had collected just before the entrance to the tunnel and I did not think it was more then a couple of inches so I didn’t think twice before the individual riding in the cart with me said, “floor it”. . . . It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen; the water was at least one if not two feet deep and we hit it at top speed 8 mph) and created a pretty amazing scene. Water shot up over the whole cart, we got completely soaked, but didn’t care because we were laughing so hard because we created such a big impact that the water cascaded over the top of the golf cart like a title wave. Note: If you are going to be as stupid as I was that day you will want to make sure your cart has a windshield, you have a couple of adult beverages before and after, and you put your phone in a waterproof bag. . .

Baseball is in full swing and the Brewers have had a couple of home games so what is the juice talk around the office, what song is playing when Braun, Hart, and Prince walk up to bat? What is the hot new track that they are blasting at Miller Park? Well I couldn’t tell you but I am sure numerous Brewer fans have already download it to their iPods. I could tell you every song which the Cubs players walk out to, the beautiful organ! This got me thinking and I thought I would ask all of our loyal readers a question, what do you like better, each player having their own music or stadiums just playing the same type of music for each batter?

Now I think that a lot of people could go both ways on this issue thinking that it is nice to hear an organ every once in a while for all of the players but they also think that it is nice for a player to have their own song to pump them up before the at bat. I am torn on this issue as I could go either way (a switch hitter). I love the idea that they are a team, not a bunch of individuals. That the players “walk up song” (I believe Liz or Rod coined this phrase in our office), which is the music being played as the player walks to the plate, should all be the same or played by the same instrument. They are one team, one group united, with a common goal and purpose to play their best and win the game. (Editor’s note: bla bla bla)

However, I know if I was the one walking out in front of 40,000 screaming fans in the bottom of the 9th with runners in scoring position and two outs, with everything riding on my bat I would want to hear some AC/DC, maybe a little Hells Bells, Thunderstruck, or TNT! I would want something to get me jacked up and excited for the at bat. A song that would give me the confidence to look the pitcher right in the eye and let him know that this is not going to be his day.

I know that the baseball purest prefer just a simple organ being played for the whole game and just the players names being read. While the kids nowaday want the latest rap track from Flowrida, T-Pain or JT! Or possibly the latest Nickelback or Hurt song. I think the two questions which have to be answered by the stadiums though,
1) Is the music going to help or hurt my player’s performance during his at bat?
2) Is the music going to get the crowd involved, get them excited, or is it going to put them to sleep, bore them, or annoy them?

Until next time, keep your chin up because Mallards baseball is just 39 days away!!

Go Bulls! Go Hawks! Get well soon Fridge! R.I.P. “Tired Bill”

Nick's 6th Post: Rubbing's Racing

2009-04-21T09:37:00.004-05:00

So I would like to dedicate this blog to a sport that is held very dear to Steven Stewart’s heart….NASCAR! (Steven is my roommate and a current seasonal staff member who also runs the main concession stand. During the season ask Steven how he is related to Tony Stewart)

I have never really had any interest in NASCAR prior to 2003 when my brother, Kevin, left his position as an auto mechanic in West Bend, WI to take a position working for Matt Kenseth and the #17 DeWalt team. He currently builds the transmissions for Kenseth’s cars and travels with the pit crew on race days. I do not watch the sport religiously but if I am sitting around on a Sunday afternoon I will flip back and forth between NASCAR and whatever else I am watching. I do follow it more closely than year's past and try to catch a glimpse of my brother on tv after Kenseth would win a race.

I have visited my brother who lives in Concord, NC, which is about 20 minutes north of Charlotte. This area is also home to many NASCAR teams. It amazes me how much the way of life differs down there from here. First off it is God’s country down there. I have never seen so many churches in rural areas and they are just packed on the weekend…maybe praying to the NASCAR gods?!?! Second, you cannot buy liquor in any old store. You have to go to what they call an “ABC” store. This is a store that is owned by the government whereby you cannot purchase liquor on Sundays. Lastly, I have never seen so many people crazy about NASCAR. I happened to be there for a week and wanted to find a place to watch the Packers game on Sunday so I headed to the Dave and Busters. Of course they had the satellite package that could pick up every NFL at the bar, but most of the patrons were complaining that most of the tv’s had football on and made the bartender turn on the race.

Anyways to get back on track (no pun intended) I was mentioning that the area surrounding Charlotte is home to many NASCAR teams. I was lucky enough to go to the shop where my brother worked on all of the #17 cars. This was not your ordinary shop that you and I are used to. This was a glass palace. I was amazed to how big these buildings were and that they were all tinted glass buildings. You could not see inside but you can definitely see everything going on outside. The shop was very pristine there was not much that was out of order. You could have licked the floor that’s how clean this place was.

I was also amazed at the number of race cars in the building. They were just lined up row after row. I never realized they have different styles of cars they use either. They have certain cars they use for short track races and roads races and usually have a new car for every race, which is not cheap because they cost right around $400,000-$500,000 per car. My brother also said they sell cars that are kind of banged up or they won’t use again to individuals who race in lower levels.

Also while I was there I visited the DEI Museum (Dale Earnhardt Incorporated). This was actually a pretty cool place. They had all sorts of memorabilia and career highlights of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. The thing that amazed me the most was in the center of the museum they had a large glass enclosure with a bunch cars that Sr. had driven throughout his career. It was quite remarkable to see the differences in the cars they drive today to one’s they drove 20-30 years ago.

I have been told attending a race is unlike any other event. People travel in RV’s from all around the country to attend the races. The Phillip Morris Company in Concord actually owns fields surrounding Lowe’s Motor Speedway and they charge people to park in their fields on race weekends. It is quite the scene! I also have been told that the young women who attend these races are phenomenal. My brother has also said "if you ever want to go you let me know," so maybe one of these years I’ll take a trip to a race somewhere.

I don’t have much insight on the sport in general and probably could tell you very little about any of the drivers, but I do respect what these guys do for a living. As for Steven he is such a huge fan of NASCAR he actually purchased NASCAR 09 for his Playstation 2. I have a little advice for you: easy on the left hand turns and slow down coming out of the pits! Well Steven good luck on your quest for the Nextel Cup Championship!

Only 41 Days Until Opening Day!

J-Rod's 6th Post: "State of the Brewers: It's a long season..."

2009-04-16T20:42:00.006-05:00

Calm down Brewers fans, we're only 81 innings into the 2009 season.

Of course a 3-6 overall record and 2-4 mark at home isn't exactly the position we had hoped to be after nine games, but, considering that we're only 0.055% into the season, it's hardly the time to panic.

Consider this:

1)Apart from the 7-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants on April 9, the Brewers have had a legitimate chance to win every game. The Crew could easily have two more W's minus a blown save by fill-in closer Carlos Villanueva on April 11 against the hated Chicago Cubs and a six-run third inning meltdown by Yovani Gallardo this past Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. While a 5-4 record would look nice...peek around the rest of the league and you'll see the Boston Red Sox sitting at 3-6, the Minnesota Twins at 4-6, the defending American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays at 4-5, and the Arizona Diamondbacks at 3-6. Come October, I still expect at least two of these teams to be sitting atop their respective divisions.

2) Our starting pitching has been pathetic. It's hard to believe we're only third-to-last in the Major Leagues in walks allowed with 43 (only the Braves & Indians have been worse!). It's one thing to put guys on base, but when you start walking consecutive batters with the bases loaded, now we have a problem....*cough* Jeff Suppan. But once this bunch starts pounding the strike zone and gives the team a better chance to win ballgames, things will get interesting.

3) We rank #28 in hitting! Really, if Mike "I swear I'm off the juice" Cameron hadn't gotten off to the start that he has, we'd rank dead last. Check out these batting averages: Prince Fielder (.200), JJ Hardy (.156), Ryan Braun (.212), and Jason Kendall (.120). Manager Ken Macha said it best before yesterday's game in stating that it's evident a lot of these guys are trying to start the year off with a "bang" and are simply swinging at bad pitches. Once these guys settle down and let the game come to them, this offense will give a lot of opposing pitchers' nightmares.

I predicted before the season this team would finish with an 84-78 record, which should put them in the race for the Division (if the Cardinals come back to Earth) or Wild Card come October. Look for GM Doug Melvin to pull the trigger again this season at the trading deadline & make a move for a Jake Peavy-type impact in order to keep the fanbase excited & season attendance again near the 3 Million mark.

But more importantly, Mallards Opening Day is only 45 days, 21 hours, and 24 minutes away....

Schmeltzer's 6th Post: Couldn't have said it any better myself...

2009-04-14T13:41:00.003-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to blog this week on behalf of the man, the myth, and the legend, John Schmeltzer. My name is Vinnie. You all may remember me from such Mallards seasons as 2004 or 2005 or from State Street Brats and the beer stock exchange.

Anyway, no one cares who I am, but may be interested in what I have to say. This, my friends, is the BEST week of the year. FACT. Spring has sprung and baseball season has arrived! There is something revitalizing about the birth of a new season, the fact that for one day, everyone’s team is in first place and has a chance for THIS year to be THE year. (I feel this more than most being a die-hard Cubs fan).

I think this year is more special and more important than most for a number of reasons. We’re all sick of the make-up, break-up stories of Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels; and who really cares if a screaming Stephen A. Smith tells us that LeBron makes a better MVP than Kobe? Does anyone even watch the NBA anymore? More importantly though, in a time when so many people are making sacrifices and facing hardship, baseball shows us that there is hope.

In my backyard of Phoenix, Arizona the Diamondbacks have something going on that even caught the attention of Rick Reilly recently and will be featured in ESPN The Magazine in a few weeks. For years now the Diamondbacks have been going against the grain of what is perceived to be a money-hungry MLB, and have been giving back to their fans.

An idea came to D-Backs CEO Derrick Hall after he heard the story of a season-ticket holder who lost EVERYTHING. Another season-ticket holder went out of their way to buy her two tickets and even pick her up and take her to the games every day. After hearing this story Hall asked himself the question, why don’t we do this for our fans? So ever since, the Diamondbacks have been taking applications to put their fans on ‘scholarship.’ Families in need write in with their story, and the D-Backs give back to those most in need.

No, not with a family four-pack. With season-tickets, financial support and having the players meet with the children in these families. (I’d pull quotes from Reilly’s article, but I don’t have a strong desire to be sued anytime soon.) Imagine the joy of a kid who has had a rough go at it being suddenly able to not only go to all the games, but be able to meet and hang out with A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER! This is any kid’s dream! It just goes to show you how much of an impact baseball can have one someone, especially a kid. For these fans, baseball gives them so much more than hope of their team making a World Series, but it actually gives them hope that there is a shining light from a world that has been so difficult for them. Maybe baseball can be the thing that helps them get back on their feet, or maybe the conversation a kid has with a pro ball-player will cause them to study hard instead of do what society tells them to do and give up.

I think we can all take a page from the D-Backs play book and lend a hand to our neighbors in need. We don’t need to buy everyone season tickets, but try playing catch with the kid across the street that doesn’t have a dad. Invite someone over to watch the Cubs beat up on the Brewers, or get a kid a ticket to a Mallards game. It may not seem like a lot, but there’s something about being at the ballpark that makes us feel good. It lets us escape reality for a brief moment of time and envision the thoughts of hitting that grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, or strike someone out with bases loaded in game seven of the World Series.

Baseball lets us all be kids again. Baseball lets us dream, hope and in many instances, makes us ‘wait until next year.’ But at least we have the excitement of knowing how good it feels once baseball season is back!

So what do ya think Vern, Mallards scholarships?

PLAY BALL!

Mike's 6th Post: Potentially the greatest week of the year...

2009-04-11T18:36:00.006-05:00

You can put it on your calendars folks as this week rivals almost any other in a calendar year as the best week ever. Think about it. Major League Baseball Opening Day on Sunday night, the NCAA Basketball Men’s Championship on Monday, and The Masters started on Thursday. There is also the end of the NBA and NHL seasons fast approaching. Combine all those and SportsCenter overload is in full effect!

Being a sports nut it is great to be able to turn on the TV at the end of the day and know there are great highlights to watch every day of the week. Also, as someone who has 4 fantasy baseball teams, was in multiple NCAA tournament pools and is pulling for Sergio Garcia to win The Masters so I can get a free Taylor Made Driver, it helps to know what is going on.

Sunday I watched intently as the Braves and the Phillies matched up in the 2009 MLB debut. In one of my draft’s, which is a keeper league, somehow I was able to take Brian McCann with the first available pick and he did not let me down. Blasting a 2-run bomb into the second deck in first inning, it justified taking a catcher high in the draft and let me know he will be a force to be reckoned with this season. (shout out to Schmeltzer and the NL East).

On Monday, the Twins officially opened their 2009 campaign at home against the Seattle Mariners. With a late Opening Day starter switch last week, Fransisco Lirano got the nod and took the hill. The Mariners, now with the veteran Ken Griffey Jr back in their lineup, proved to be too much for the Twins and we lost. However, Tuesday would be a different story. (More on that later).

Also on Monday night, I was able to experience my first-ever “Itch’s Annual Basketball Bash at Rookie’s.” Making the 35 minute drive out to Rookies was well worth it to share in the comrodarere of the rest of the Mallards staff and a lot of other Mallards fans over a few beers and the first Stoddard’s Brats of the year. Also due to a couple of good-natured gentlemen’s bets, a round or two of shots came from the bar, with the last being…..Orange Whips! Orange Whips have been a staple of any type of NWL gathering or Mallards outing since their debut in Rochester in the fall of 2006. As a concoctuion that changes with every establishment we order them at, Rookie’s did a great job and should share their mix with the rest of the world.

Tuesday I came into the office only to take a fair amount of gruff on the Twins Opening Day loss, however my spirits were not broken. I knew the Twins had the heart to win and they proved it on Tuesday night. After being down two runs, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Twins mounted a comeback for the ages. Carlos Gomez, who is not known for his plate dispiline drew a walk. Then so did pinch hitter Jason Kubel followed by another walk to another pinch hitter in Brian Buscher. With the bases loaded Denard Span squeaked out an infield single to bring the Twins within one and then Alexi Casilla sent a line drive back up the box to plate two runs and give the Twins the victory! WOW! Those types of games are what make me love the game of baseball. The Twins ended up splitting the series with the Mariners and now head to Chicago for a series with division rival White Sox.

Wednesday was another day of regular season baseball but one story really stands out. A young man named Nick Adenhart was making his first start of the 2009 season for the Anelgs. As 22-year old rookie, Adenhart showed masterful control of pitches as he tossed 6 shutout innings en route to his first major league victory. Sadly, it would also be his last. Nick Adenhart was killed late Wednesday night when a car he was riding in was hit by an alleged drunk driver. Tragic. Devisatating. Painful. To see someone with such great potential, someone who had worked hard to recover from Tommy John surgery to work his way into the starting rotation of a Major League team only to have everything taken away because of stupidity is hard to understand. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Adenhart family, the Angels organization and their fans and all of Major League Baseball.

Thursday, the start of The Masters and a great weekend of golf. My Sergio Garcia pick seems to be a little bit of a stretch as he ended the day tied for 47th with an opening round 73, a full eight strokes off the lead. I guess I may have to settle for buying a new driver now instead.

52 DAYS AND COUNTING TO THE MALLARDS HOME OPENER! WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE DUCK POND

VernBlog - April 7

2009-04-07T22:23:00.003-05:00

So a couple years ago some friends of mine emailed me & asked if I’d like to sing in a reincarnation of their band that was, & still is, called the Kites. Not sure exactly what they were thinking…I don’t think any of them had seen me sing karaoke or in my church choir when I was a kid, which were basically my only vocal experiences in my life. But, not being one to back down from an interesting challenge, I accepted their offer. Admittedly it took us a while to get things in motion. We had a few meetings to discuss the concept of the band & well that took about one year, then last fall we actually started to practice consistently. After that we tweaked the lineup of the band which includes some names you may know if you are an avid fan of the local music scene:

Adam Schabow – guitar & vocals

Adam Tregre – bass guit

Harris Lemberg – keyboard & vocals (Harris is also the Mallards Organist)

Larry Braun – drums

Victoria Echeverria – baritone sax

Daniella Maria – multiple instruments & vocals

Crazy thing about the lineup of the band is that all of the people in the band have great musical credentials having either played their instrument their entire life, or played (or still play in) multiple bands around Madison & beyond. Well everyone except me that is. So I’ve been spending the last several months trying to catch up with the rest of the band & we’ve gotten to the point where we actually booked our first gig! We’ll be playing at the High Noon Saloon May 7^th^th Anniversary Party. Pretty exciting to be playing our first show at the same venue that I’ve seen Dick Dale, Stephen Malkmus & more play at…kind of overwhelming. for the Dane101.org 4

So what do we sound like? That is a good question. The blurb on the High Noon Saloon website describes us as punk rock. I’m not quite sure that is accurate. The original Kites were probably best described as punk, but the new version is pretty eclectic. In my opinion our songs range from pop rock to punk & we’ve even got one song that may qualify as a rap song. Adam Schabow described us as “multi-generational” once, which may accurately describe the bands lineup as well as our musical style.

Like I said before, I can’t say enough about the quality of the musicians in the band. So I really feel like our show will be pretty entertaining, but don’t expect to see us playing at the Duck Pond anytime soon. I don’t think our style is quite right for the park & more importantly I’m pretty confident that I couldn’t handle the pressure of a gig & a Mallards home game on the same night! On top of that the bands that typically have the best reaction at the park play more covers than we do (we actually only play originals, so far at least), so I think you’ll have to catch us around town for the time being. See ya soon!

Liz's Blog #15 ???

2009-03-31T22:12:00.003-05:00

So it is my time to blog even though I feel like I have done 15 of these things and it is becoming my monthly English paper, which reminds me how much I do NOT miss homework, tests, or school projects. Although I have always enjoyed learning, the work that came with many classes was not something I enjoyed.

So I spent my last blog comparing softball greats to baseball legends and it appears that it was read by 10 people, 7 of the 10 who were in our office so I guess it was not that exciting of a topic for most people, or maybe, everyone is just waiting for more creative blogs. With that being said I will spend most of this blog updating you on what is going on in this office.

Today, we had three meetings at the office...the meetings were all at 1pm which made it very interesting since we only have 2 conference rooms. Jerrad toughed it out and made use of the copy room/back-up office and since I sit adjacent to that room I heard most of the meeting. I don’t get into too many corporate meetings but I have to say Jerrad is becoming quite the pro. He was thinking on his feet, coming up with new ideas specific to the company needs and was ready to wheel and deal. As the meeting wrapped up, nothing was set in stone but I think Jerrad did a nice job laying the ground work for future meetings.

Also today, Kevin, who is on his first full day back from vacation, had a jammed-pack schedule. He had two school appearances to discuss the reading program and Nick was filled with joy as he was able to wear the mascot custom twice in one day! Kevin also had to run to Madison Computer Works to get his computer; we seem to have bad computer luck in this office. I am personally on my third computer, John, Nick and Kevin are on their second (remember Kevin has only worked here one full year so that is pretty impressive) and Jerrad has gone through so many computers he is using his own personal computer!!! Mike is still on computer number one, but had to get it re-hauled this fall and at that time he had only worked here a week!

John is another one that took a March vacation, just like I did. John is on his second day back from vacation and has been pretty quiet. While he was on vacation to Las Vegas John got married, at least that is what the infamous Facebook has led me to believe. He hasn’t said much about it, but based on the pictures it was a very nice ceremony.

I was in Vegas as well; I met up with some college friends and enjoyed the warm weather, expensive drinks and unlucky tables at The Mirage. I did find some luck at New York New York and Binions so it saved the trip from being a total loss!

While I was on vacation Mike celebrated his 28th birthday... I have yet to ask him what he did, I guess that means I am probably not a very good co-worker. Well, I am going to end this blog so I can ask Mike how his birthday was and add a few more things to Steven’s To-Do-List.

Until next time….

My favorite time of the year - Part II - Nick

2009-03-25T16:07:00.003-05:00

In my last entry I had went ahead and made some predictions about the NCAA Tournament. After an almost nauseating weekend of watching basketball (by the way I did take Friday off), it looks like the four teams I predicted to still be alive at this point include: North Carolina, Villanova, Oklahoma and UConn.

I have enjoyed watching most of the games so far but it is a bit disappointing to not have a Cinderella in it, I mean you could consider Arizona a Cinderella team, but I think they will get knocked out by Louisville this week. As for the Badgers, they made a great run at, but it seems they found their match against Xavier. They played a game we all became used to this year, as they could not hit a shot down the stretch. Oh well maybe next year; I am excited to actually have a big man in the post with Ian Markoff.

Another reason this is my favorite time of year is that I get to golf, well at least when I have time during the summer. The past couple summers the Corporate Sales guys have been able to set up deals with Bridges and The Oaks golf courses. This is a nice opportunity to go out after work on a non-game day, drink a few beers and be absolutely frustrated as hell, yet still have a great time.

I could never figure out why people continually go out and golf yet never really get better because they can not dedicate the time on the range and the course. Every once in a while you get in a zone and surprise yourself. I managed to shoot +1 on the front nine at the Bridges, sinking 3 birdie putts of over 30 ft., yet playing the back nine first I shot +10. How does someone manage to turn around their game in that short amount of time? It’s perplexing and I think it’s the challenge of trying to get better even though deep down you know you won’t get better.

I have actually only been golfing for 13 years. I was turned on to the game by my cousin. I rented a set of clubs and went out with him one summer day and was hooked from there. I proceeded to start to look for clubs. For all you avid golfers you know how expensive clubs can be. I skimmed the classifieds trying to find a decent set of used clubs. I finally came a across a set of clubs that included a cart, balls and tees for $50! I knew that they weren’t going to be anything fancy, but the “rents” and I decided to go look at them. It turned out to be an elderly couple selling them because they were getting too old to golf anymore. I thought this was perfect, all except for one thing... the set was actually a woman’s set! I was pretty short and had always heard that people who were shorter would actually fit better with a woman’s set. Well I did end up purchasing the set.

Going into my freshman year of high school I decided I wanted to go out for the golf team. I went to a pretty small school (Kewaskum, WI) and everyone made the team. I was just happy I got to golf for free and hang out with friends. Well in high school image is everything. I still had the women’s set of clubs and they distinctly said “Lady King” on the heads of all the clubs. I decided I would put black electrical tape on all the heads where it said “Lady King”. This worked for awhile until one day one of my friends said “What is the black tape for”? Well he decided to pull it off and saw the words “Lady King”. Well there went my image! My next birthday my parents bought me a brand new set of “Men’s” clubs. It was kind of embarrassing, but I managed to play golf all four years of high school.

During high school I was so infatuated with golf that I found jobs where I immersed myself into the sport. The summers of my freshman and sophomore years I actually worked at a golf course in the restaurant kitchen washing dishes. This was probably one of the worst jobs I had, but it had the perk of free golf. I can’t tell how many days I went out in the morning golfed 18 holes and came back in the afternoon and golfed another 18 holes…..Man those were the days!

The summer of my junior year I actually caddied at a swanky country club in West Bend, WI. Again I found any way to surround myself with golf. Most days at the club all the caddies ended up playing cards waiting to be called to go out. I learned a lot of new card games that summer! Since it was my first year I was on the bottom of the totem pole and only went out every 3 days or so. Overall it was a pretty decent summer. I made some great friends and decided that carrying someone else’s club was not for me.

So here we are years later I have moved past the women’s clubs and found a great set of Ping irons. I still can’t figure out why I love golf so much, I am probably one of the guys you would hate to play with because I get so upset with myself after bad shot, but I always find myself at the course on a day off trying to tinker with my swing or get over a case of the yips.

Only 68 Days until Opening Day!

Schmeltzer's 5th Post : Place your bets!

2009-03-19T11:57:00.005-05:00

Greetings, I hope everyone had a safe and fun St. Patrick’s Day. There really is nothing like a big plate of corned beef and cabbage followed by an ice cold pint of green drink. If I had it my way, we would have St. Patty’s Day once a week. It also didn’t hurt the weather was terrific and Spring is right around the corner! I don’t want to jump the gun too early but I would say it’s time to start packing away the jeans and boots with fur and break out the shorts and flip-flops. Summer is going to be here before you know it! My blog is going to be dedicated to the bunnies we have in our backyard. I’m going to hop around from topic to topic with no real set motive or purpose. Let’s begin…

NCAA TOURNAMENT
OK, so for those of you who have been living in a hole, today is the start of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. I have always been one for picking the upsets but this year I had a hard time trying to go out on a limb. I believe this year is extraordinary in that, there really is no clear cut favorite. Is this the year that a 16 seed takes out a one seed? I doubt it. The biggest upset I have in the tournament is Maryland over Memphis in the second round. It might be a stretch to even see Maryland beat Cal but to take out a red hot Memphis, I think that’s a stretch. As far as the home team, well, I have the Badgers one and done. They’ve let me down too often this year to give me any confidence in this team. My winner… I’ll take the Louisville Cardinals, although they have the overall top seed, they will be the underdogs in the final against UNC. I told you the creativity juices just weren’t flowing this year. I think everyone else and their mom probably has these two teams in their final four, but I just feel like they both have the easiest road to Detroit. No matter what, it’s just entertaining watching this tournament unravel.

SPRING TRAINING
Spring Training is officially in full-swing (no pun intended). I went down to Arizona last March and was able to catch my first ever Spring Training game. I thought the atmosphere was very dull compared to what you see at a Mallards game. The promotional giveaway was a plain white bandana. The margaritas were $10+ and the concessions were very limited. I’m telling you, there is nothing like the experience at a Mallards game. Although, I can say the weather was great and it was fun to see the A’s beat up on the Cubs. I love going to different sporting events. Not only because I enjoy just about every sport, but also because it’s a great opportunity to learn about what works and what doesn’t and then try to incorporate those things into what we do here. That’s just another great part of the sports business; it’s always evolving. One of our mottos around the office is, “we’ll try anything once”. Finally, the Atlanta Braves are 14-3 and in first place in the Grapefruit League. Too bad that doesn’t get you anything.

MLB/MALLARDS ALUMNI GAME
If you didn’t read Jerrad’s press release back on March 9th, you probably have no clue that former Milwaukee Brewer great Paul Molitor has agreed to headline and participate in the Fourth-Annual Mallards/MLB 2009 Alumni Game to be held on August 21 at the “Duck Pond.” For me, this is pretty exciting stuff. Even though I am not a die-hard Brewer fan, I would be crazy to say that I grew up in Madison and DIDN'T enjoy watching him play. I would have to say his number one fan is probably my mom. I still don’t get what the attraction is with Paul, but it seems that all the ladies love him. Anyway, get your tickets for this game people! They go on sale, along with single game tickets on Saturday, May 2nd.

That’s all I have for this blog. We now have less than 75 days until Opening Day here at the Duck Pond! Make sure to get Saturday, May 2nd on your calendar as single game tickets will go on sale. Mr. Staehler and Mr. Caloia are going to fight over who blogs next, so enjoy the good read. Until next time, keep your passion bucket full and red marks off the brackets.

Getting to know your 2009 Madison Mallards

2009-03-18T00:10:00.006-05:00

Here's a more in-depth look at what exactly your 2009 Madison Mallards have to say about playing at the "Duck Pond" in front of 6,000 zany fans for the very first time:

Nick Chmielewski, So., RHP, Illinois

Said the funky-named flame thrower, “Brandon (Wikoff) and (former Mallard) Joe Bonadonna have nothing but good things to say about playing in Madison for coach Thieleke, so I’m just excited to get up there and start making a name for myself.”

Joe Panik, Fr., IF, St. John's.

"I have big shoes to fill but my main goal this summer is to improve upon every facet of my game while trying to win a Northwoods League Championship for the city of Madison. I just can't wait to get started, " said Panik.

Greg Bieker, Jr., OF, Fort Hays St.

“He (referring to his brother Jeff, a former Mallard) told me that there isn’t a more rewarding and fun place to play summer ball in the country so to say that I’m excited to make the trek up to Madison is the understatement of the year, " said Bieker.

Mark Ginther, So., IF, Oklahoma St.

“He (referring to former Mallard Neil Medchill) likes to talk about how the crowds for Mallards games are much, much bigger than any college venue we’ll experience this spring. That gets me really excited to experience that atmosphere first-hand.”

Jimmy Parque, Jr., OF, St. John's.

“Will (referring to former Mallard Will Vogel) said Madison was the ultimate place to play summer collegiate baseball and he really enjoyed learning from C.J. and his staff. I know when I get up there I’ll be soaking everything in and trying to learn as much as I can just like he did.”

*I would be remiss if I didn't put some sort of closure on the Mallards MSCR basketball experience in the Cypress Hill Division. After winning the second half, the team made it to the division championship game but lost 38-34 in an epic battle of two teams not wanting to give an inch (just ask John Schmeltzer). Alas, we awarded ourselves the imaginary "Most Improved" award after recovering from an abysmal 1-5 first half record. Big thanks to Ed Sloten for his support on Monday night as well.

Schmeltzer follows this post and will blog Thursday for your enjoyment.

Playoffs?! Playoffs?! You talking playoffs???

2009-03-12T12:41:00.004-05:00

Well if you’re not talking about the playoffs you should be because that is exactly what the latest buzz in the Mallards office is all about. That’s right folks, your Madison Mallards MSCR League team was crowned as the Second Half Champions after a big win on Monday night. The Mallards now face South Bay Lounge, who handed the us our only loss in the second half, in a one-game, winner takes all contest on Monday, March 16, 2009. We are encouraging all fans to show off their Mallards pride and come help cheer us on to victory!

As a side note to those who have been following blog posts about our team, my 8-game streak of being on the receiving end of an offensive foul came to an end on Monday night. (We’re still trying to verify if that is a new league record or not.) But not to worry, I plan on getting right back on the horse and then knocked down again, (ha ha) in the championship game.

Now, onto baseball news. It’s sometimes tough to think that when you look outside and see grass and blue skies that it’s anything but baseball weather. However, lately all you need to do is take one foot out the door and quickly realize that idea is gone. I guess that is one of the joys of spring in the Midwest is to have mother nature flirt with you for one week with sun and temperatures nearing 50-60 degrees then to only have it drop to near zero degrees and a wind-chill factor that freezes you to the bone. As a die-hard Twins fans, its days like this that are the ultimate head scratcher as to why the new Target Field doesn’t have a retractable roof. What’s to say that this type of weather won’t happen again in early April of 2010 and leave Twins fans in the cold or even worse having to cancel a game due to snow. (That actually happened two years ago in Detroit). I guess either way, I know I will still be there, dressed like it were a mid-December game at Lambeau Field or in flip-flops and a T-shirt…I just hope that the rest of Twins fans are willing to do the same.

Speaking of the Twins, I think they once again have a legitimate shot of being the Central Division Champs and potentially more. This year the Twins have one of the younger starting rotations in the game, however it is one that is returning 5 of last year’s starters: Liriano, Baker, Slowey, Perkins and Blackburn. And don’t forget, they went out and acquired Luis Ayala as a great 8th inning setup man to hand the ball over to one of the most dominant closers in the game in Joe Nathan.

Offensively the Twins have five everyday outfielders to fill three spots and one DH position. Young, Span, Gomes, Cuddyer, and Kubel can all roam the outfield with the best of them and while Span and Gomes can all out fly on the basepaths, Young and Kubel can provide the long ball, Cuddyer has arm strength and veteran leadership that all make me believe in these guys. Then, look at the infield. American League Batting Champion Joe Mauer behind the plate, American League All-Star Justin Morneau at first, the speedy Alexi Casilla at second, Nick “Popeye Forearms” Punto at short, and a newly acquired 3B in Joe Crede, who if healthy could help the Twins offensive numbers.

Soon, the whole baseball world will know the words and be singing along to one of the greatest songs in the game.

“We’re gonna win Twins, we’re gonna score. We’re gonna win Twins, watch that baseball soar. Knock out a homerun, shout a hip hooray, cheer for your Minnesota Twins today!”

The Opening Day Countdown Continues: MN TWINS 25 Days, MALLARDS 81 Days! PLAY BALL

Liz's 4th post: The great baseball/softball debate

2009-03-03T11:49:00.004-06:00

As I mentioned in my last blog I am a pretty big softball fan. I am also a big baseball fan, but when it comes down to knowing stats and players, I am better versed in softball than baseball. Good thing I have the guys in the office and my roommate Jake to keep me updated on all that is happening in Major League Baseball.

Nick mentioned in his last blog that one of his favorite times of the year is March Madness, and although there is always great basketball played during the tournament, one of MY favorite times of the year is the College Softball World Series. It is game after game of great softball being played by the top teams in the nation and you get to see the top players. Although there is the National Pro Fastpitch League, the College Softball World Series is still the most watched softball tournament of the year. Even if many of you may have little interest in softball, I'd like to continue to spend the rest of the blog comparing some of the top softball players to some of the top Major Leaguers.

To start, the obvious softball standout softball player is Jenny Finch. I would compare her to Nolan Ryan. Finch has played softball since she was 5 and has been pitching since she was 8. She was a 3 sport athlete in high school, but always had her focus on softball. She spent her college years playing for the University of Arizona, playing for one of the most successful coaches in softball history, Mike Candrea, and taking Arizona to a National Championship in 2001. Finch recorded 109 wins in her college career and suffered no losses as a junior. Finch also played first base when she wasn’t pitching. In her college career she struck out 1,028 batters and topped out at 71 mph. Now remember, college softball pitches from 43 feet, so a 71 mph "riseball" is equivalent to a 100 mph fastball in baseball, which is why Finch is the Nolan Ryan of softball. She has also thrown several no-hitters like Ryan and has had her number retired! The biggest difference between Finch and Ryan is that Finch has typically been on winning teams and Ryan has often played on mediocre teams. Finch is widely known as the most famous softball player of all time and is currently pitching for the Chicago Bandits and married to free agent pitcher Casey Daigle.

Next we have Crystl Bustos who is the Prince Fielder/David Ortiz of softball. Now I must say I am comparing her to Fielder and Ortiz because in my opinion they are two of the top hitters in baseball, which is due to the fact that I am a big Brewers fans and a big fan of Ortiz. Bustos is one of the top hitters in softball history and was named the 2008 USA Softball player of the year. She plays 3rd base, but is typically utilized as a designated player. Bustos is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and one-time silver medalist. She holds the world record for home runs during a series with six. Bustos got her big shot in the 2004 Olympics when she replaced Dot Richardson at shortstop and was only 23 at the time. With Bustos at shortstop Team USA had one of the most solid infields of all time. She went on to hit .346 in the ’04 Olympics with 10 runs batted in and 6 home runs. As for her fielding, she had 9 starts with a perfect fielding percentage. Bustos on-base percentage is off the charts has she is often intentionally walked, much like Fielder or Ortiz when they are in a crucial at-bat. Like Fielder and Ortiz, Bustos is known as one of the biggest power hitters in all of softball. Bustos is currently playing for the Akron Racers out of Ohio and has retired from international play.

I know I only covered two players; however, they are two of the top players in softball. Stay tuned to future blogs as I continue to compare softball greats to baseball legends.

Oh I almost forgot, feel free to write in to the Olympics commission and tell them to bring softball back as an Olympic sport!

Thanks for reading!

Would Bobby Knight do it?

2009-02-26T22:39:00.002-06:00

This is the question we must all ask ourselves when faced with a tough decision. Just apply it to everyday questions such as: Should go to school or work today? Should I have that next drink or 15th piece of pizza? Should I pick up Derek Lee or Prince Fielder in my fantasy baseball draft? Well, would Bob Knight do it? Would Bob Knight buy his wife tickets to an opera or tickets to a Wisconsin vs. Ohio State game?

This question was posed to me the other day by a great individual, Mallards Manager C.J. Thieleke (Coach). Last year I set Coach up with a program where he went and read to a local classroom for half an hour. He was a little worried when I first told him about the engagement that I had signed him up for. However, come game day he was in stellar form and loved the experience. Ever since that day I have not hesitated to sign him up for anything and everything community related.

Some of our recent adventures have been signing Coach up to be a Big Brother, for Big Brothers Big Sisters, offering his services to do a PSA for Club TNT, and offering to have him appear at local schools to kick off Maynard’s Lil’ Ducks Reading Program, presented by The Mattel Toy Store. The program has taken off like the ball off the end of a Rob Lyerly or future Mallard big Harold Riggins bat! There has been a great amount of feedback from area schools and teachers as they are all excited to sign their students up for the program. One of the features of the program is the opportunity to have either Maynard or Manager C.J. Thieleke come to your school for a kickoff or ending celebration to help create excitement about reading and highlight the importance of reading to the youth of American. At the moment, Maynard is up two on Coach (sorry Coach). Two all-school assembly’s have been scheduled at Lake View Elementary School and Windsor Elementary School thus far! (If your son or daughter goes to one of these schools you might want to tag along with them on the day of the assembly. As the Mallards embark into the school assembly circuit, it is sure to be entertaining and informative!)

With every new school that signs up I joke with Coach and tell him that I have signed him up to read in front of 300 or 400 kids and he always gives me the same great response..he throws his hands up and says, “What?, O, Come on Kev, what are you talking about, you’re crazy, you’re crazy”…Then he goes right back to hacking away at his laptop and continues looking up stats and rumors about future and current Mallard players. Things finally came to a boiling point for him the other week, as he was living the office to go home for the day I said, “ O, Coach by the way I signed you up to speak in front of a 2nd grade class to explain the importance of reading.” Then the phrase was born, he looked right at me and said, “Kev from now on, ask yourself this question before you sign me up for anything else; Would Bob Knight do it?” He then turned to walk out, but before he could take one step, I broke out laughing hysterically and so did Jerrad and finally Coach himself joined in. I don’t know if it was because Bob Knight happened to be in town for college game day or if he over heard me talking about going to the Badger vs. Ohio State game and all I wanted to do was meet Bobby, or what compelled him to say it, but whatever it was I am glad he did.

I have tried to consider the phrase when signing Coach up for engagements and activities since this day, but each time I can’t help but crack a smile and say, Yes Bob Knight would totally do this! Bob Knight would go to work everyday; he would not have that 15th piece of pizza or extra drink. Bob Knight would totally pick Derek Lee over Prince Fielder, and we would buy this wife tickets to the opera because he got free tickets to the Wisconsin vs. Ohio State game.

Well my laundry just finished drying so that must mean the time has come for me to leave you all once again. Until next time Mallard blog fan or fans…. keep on, keep truckin’!

Extras: Since my last posting (basketball and curling spiraling downwardly out of control), we have not lost a basketball game which is awesome. Our curling team on the other hand has not shared the same fortune, but we did have a bye this week so we didn’t lose, SCORE!

Nick's Fourth Installment - My favorite time of the year!

2009-02-24T08:39:00.006-06:00

So just to retouch on my last blog entry my prediction that the Steelers would win came right, but it was a lot closer game than I anticipated. What a way to finish the game!

So we are still working at a feverish pace in the Mallards office securing sponsorship deals, selling tickets, ordering merchandise and other such goods that will be utilized during the summer. With all these activities going it makes it really hard and almost depressing to realize the season is still over 3 months away, but before you know it will be May 28th and Mallards Baseball will be back in full swing. Coach usually provides some comedic relief to make the days go by as well (You have to see his imitation of an official at a hockey game dropping the puck in a face-off).

So it’s about that time of year again...no NOT tax season, but time for March Madness! I think this is my favorite time of year, next to the start of our season. I miss the good ol’ days of being in college and skipping classes on the Thursday and Friday of the opening round and doing nothing but sitting around in sweats, throwing back some beers and then hitting up the KFC dinner buffet during the 5:00 news break to re-energize for the night cap. Vern runs a tight ship around here so I don’t think I could justify taking off two days of work.

Another favorite part of watching the tournament is CBS broadcaster Gus Johnson. I mean I have never heard a routine call in the game called so emphatically or with so much energy. Listen to my favorite Gus Johnson call by clicking Here

I am obviously a huge Badger fan and this year has not been such a great year as we have been spoiled with such great teams the past few years. I am glad to see that Bo rallied the troops after the six game loosing streak to put together a five game winning streak. I really thought we had Michigan State on Sunday. They played our type of game the first half, but in the second half we played their game and couldn’t get a good look at the basket while they weaved through screen after screen and got good looks at the basket. I really would have liked to see Tom Izzo whine and complain after the game. I can’t decide if I hate him or Ohio State head coach Thad Matta (aka Gonzo, pictured) more.

I think we have a chance to make the tournament but we need to win out to even have that chance. The trip to Minnesota worries me a little bit, as the “Barn” is always a tough place to win and you have to deal with the whole elevated floor thing. Tubby Smith has turned that program around and they will be a force to reckon with in the coming years. I think we should be able to take care of business in the friendly confines of the Kohl Center against Michigan and Indiana. I mean Indiana….I think they have a few guys from intramural teams playing for them. I think if they can make a push and win two games in the Big Ten tournament they should pretty much secure a spot in the “Big Dance”.

I am going to say the Badgers secure an 11 seed in the tournament and make it to the Sweet 16.

Here are a few teams that I like heading into tournament season:

Marquette Golden Eagles- I like in-state rival Marquette to do some damage. They probably have played one of the toughest schedules in the country and with the depth and experience of having these four guys, Dominic James, Lazar Haywood, Jerel McNeal and Madison native Wesley Matthews, watch out for them to make some noise in tournament.

North Carolina- I think the ACC is a bit watered down from previous years, but as expected Carolina should have a good run in the tournament. With Player of the Year from last season Tyler Hansbrough and a bench of young stars they should have no problem pushing their way into the Final Four.

Oklahoma- Two words. Blake Griffin. He is a freakin' man-child. I think this will be your 2009 National Champ.

Here is my Final Four: North Carolina, Oklahoma, Villanova, and UConn

Well I can’t wait for a few weekends from now when I can spend my whole weekend in a recliner laying in my own filth (I plan on not showering all weekend!), drinking beer and listening to the mellow sounds of Gus Johnson watching NCAA March Madness coverage……nothing better…OK, except for Mallards Opening Day!

Schmeltzer's 4th Post

2009-02-19T18:00:00.005-06:00

Alright folks, so by this time next week we will be right around 100 days until Opening Day here at the "Duck Pond”. It’s unbelievable how quick that day will sneak up us. Every year it seems like we prepare ourselves better, but no matter what we do there are always things we wish we could have done better. After all, he ballpark is old and needs a lot of "TLC." In order to make things “shine” the way they do each and every year we lean heavily on the group of new interns we hire each summer.

The internship position is by no means glamorous, but we look forward to giving each kid a summer experience they will never forget. One fun fact here is that most of us here know what it’s like to be an intern. In fact, five out of current eight full-time employees working in our office had an internship in the Northwoods League at one point in their career. The other three have worked as a part-time employee with the Mallards before they were brought as a full-timer.

The interns are expected to report immediately at the end of their spring semester of school, which is normally the middle of May. This gives us approximately two weeks to educate them on our organization and basically all the “ins and outs” of the ballpark. During this time they will spend the majority of their 9 AM to 5 PM day working in their respective area of concentration. After 5 o’clock everyone pitches in where they can and we work into the wee hours of the night. No one has ever been excused from painting duties. We go through a lot of Old Virginia green paint.

We hire interns in the following areas; marketing, ballpark operations, public relations (PR) and tickets/hospitality. Each spot is an extension of the front office and extremely important in helping to run and maintain a successful team during the summer. The hours we generally work during the summer can range from 60-90 hours on a given week. Although, if you make the most of this opportunity and can have some fun with it, the time really flies.

For me, I will never forget the summer of 2004. I was brought on as a Marketing/Operations Intern. During the day, I spent a lot of time moving beer and taking care of random maintenance tasks around the ballpark. When it was game- time, I was running the on-field promotions. I had a great superior/manager by the name of Eric Bjorling. He taught me all there was to know about the organization and for that, I am forever grateful. Good looking out Phil!

I ate ballpark food for just about every meal, although those meals were few and far between. One is just so busy that you are either to tired, stressed or busy to eat. Did I mention this was probably the best summer I ever had? Honestly, the friendships you make and the people you meet really do make this an unforgettable “career”. I do want to stress that this is a career and not a job. One final note, that I’m sure every intern (male, at least) can relate to is the interaction you have with the owner of the team. Steve is such a popular guy and knows so many people, that the first few times he meets you (or in my case, a month later), there is a good chance he will refer to you as being a “tough guy”. At this time I want to give you a little taste of what the internship experience was like through the eyes of a few former Mallard interns:

Vinnie Cholewa, PR Intern ’04 & PR Manager ’05: The summer internship with the Mallards was amazing, to say the least. There is one night that will forever stick out in my mind. It was the morning (2 AM) of Opening Day and we were trying to put the final touches on what was an 18 hour work day (mind you, we needed to be up and function less than six hours later). There was a load of bark that we had picked up earlier in the day that was sitting in the bed of my truck and we needed to dump it and spread it before the night was done. You can only imagine how thrilled everyone was to start this task at that time. I do know, however, that the mosquitoes loved every minute of it. These things were vicious to say the very least and almost put me over the edge. Following that daunting task was this humungous rolling Pepsi cooler that was at the bottom of a ramp by “needed” to be moved before we went home. There were probably five of us still left at the park at this time and we couldn’t budge the thing. This was the moment in my internship that sparked something in me that gave me a whole new perspective on life. I was so tired, frustrated, irritated that I took it into my own hands and just bust through this rolling cooler with all I had. I single-handedly moved it up the ramp and out of the fire lane. The look on everyone’s faces was priceless. This just proved to me that one can accomplish anything that is set in front of them. The internship in general taught me to overcome adversity and face challenges head on. I truly have the upmost respect for Vern and the organization as a whole.

Vinnie was probably the only intern ever to have a summer internship and not only one, but two jobs! He spent time working for State Street Brats & Verizon that summer as well. Not to mention, he was known to sleep at the ballpark. On more occasion than once, we would get into the office around 8 AM and sure enough Vinnie would be plugging away at his computer. He once a claimed that he had been there since 5 AM dumping garbage and on his fifth Redbull of the morning. If that doesn’t say dedication (or BS) I’m not sure what does! Anyway, Vinnie is currently living down in Arizona working for Careerbuilder.com and going to school for his MBA at ASU. Good luck pal!

Brian Dodge, Operations Intern ’05: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
Being a die-hard baseball fan, nothing made me happier than getting to go to the ballpark every day for work. The long hours and other minor factors made the position incredibly draining mentally and physically, but in the end you tend to remember all the good things and very few of the bad things. I loved the guys that we worked with that summer and I always felt like we put a good product forward for our consumers.

Aaron Reinen, Tickets/Hospitality Intern ’08: To try and wrap the entire summer into 3-4 sentences is going to be difficult. It was such a great and enjoyable experience, that I really wouldn't know where to start. However, if there is one key skill that I learned and mastered this past summer was the ability to count. You wouldn't think that a skill learned so early in life would leave you, but after many years of using a calculator to do all your math you really do lose some of those skills. For this very reason I will always be in debit to the Mallards, it was this organization that allowed me to find my math self again through counting wristbands!

On a serious note, I do believe the internship is a great starting tool to find out if a job in sports is for you. If you are able to work 938 hours from May to Aug, and still be able to go into work with a smile on your face then you may have found the career path for you. I know it certainly was great for me as I pretty much did a 180 career wise and this past summer really allowed me to get on the right track. I still would like to find a position much like mine last summer, taking care of hospitality/suites and sales. Where and when I'll find something like this is up in the air. Retired (for now) Tarp Crew Member Out!

OK, I am going to wrap up this fairly lengthy blog. I would love to go on and on, because I could write a book with all the things that go on at this ballpark. In fact, I have always wanted to do a reality television series on the Mallards organization.

To be continued…

Jerrad IV Post: Mallards win MSCR basketball barn-burner, 29-22

2009-02-17T00:05:00.005-06:00

Madison (Sherman Middle School) – In a battle for first place in the MSCR Basketball Cypress Division Monday night, the Madison Mallards upended Birrenkott Appliance 29-22 in a very-physical game in front of three people.

The game had a nightmare beginning for both squads as neither team was able to hit a shot until five minutes into the contest. Once the teams started getting lucky and were able to put the “sphere”-shaped ball through the “cylinder,” (Geometry 101) the crowd erupted with a loud roar (or cell-phone ring) and the three-person wave broke out.

A back-and-forth affair this was not. Often one team would score, followed by at least 11 or 12 empty possessions by both squads, until again; one individual would have his “stars aligned” and hit a shot. With the absence of Mallards star Nick Staehler, film crews for the taping of the “And 1” series were nowhere near Madison. However, on this night, even minus the television coverage, both teams had a lot to play for—I mean, this was for first place after all.

And just because the halftime score was only 15-13 (Mallards on top), that didn’t mean the first 20 minutes (continuous clock) were played in a laid-back “lah-dee-dah” fashion. This was hardly the case.

When it was apparent early on that the officials were going to call a very-loose game, the force of the physical punishment seemed to increase with every offensive-charge. I haven’t heard that many slaps since I fell asleep to the World Sumo Wrestling Championships on ESPN Classic a week ago. To be fair however, the referees called the game fairly for both sides (None of this Tim Donaghy stuff) and were able to exit the gym afterwards in world-record time.

No question the Mallards lunch-hour office meeting in preparation for tonight’s ballgame paid off. Manager C.J. Thieleke (aka “The Point”) drew some great circles on the erase board followed by arrows to other circles, and squiggly lines to other arrows, and so on and so forth.

Said Duck Blind Manager Kevin Caloia, “Yeah, I thought coach’s lunchtime artwork was just a mish-mash of unguided Dry Erase marker strokes, but really when you think about it, if you were to draw each person’s motion during a typical game, the ending result would be pretty close to what he scribbled.”

“Think about it,” he whispered, no doubt inspired by phone conversations with The “Dude” from the motion-picture ‘The Big Lebowski’ (set to visit the Duck Pond this summer!).

The Mallards, 2-0, 3-4 overall) had great team scoring numbers with nearly everyone scoring a point. But because exact numbers aren’t reported due to an incident last season involving a scorekeeper who hurt himself while laughing, this story can only be told through randomly placed player biographies.

General Manager Vern (“Charging Bull”) Stenman was his usual self tonight. With a head of steam, he bulldozed his way from the top of the key all the way to the basket--two points every time. Ninety percent of the time Vern is fouled hard; 12 percent of the time Vern goes to the free throw line. He matches the playing style of Mark Madsen of the Minnesota Timberwolves, fitting that if Vern indeed cared about the NBA, he’d be a T’Wolves fan.

John (“The Ove Glove”) Schmeltzer is about as tenacious a defender as you’re going to find in MSCR basketball. At least in the Cypress Division. Think Gary Payton, minus the trash talking. John is always “up in his opponents’ business” and looks more like he’s trying out for a spot on Texas Tech’s roster in Bobby Knight’s first try at reality television, “Knight School,” than he is playing time in the league. His breakaway steal and late layup tonight were huge and actually might’ve been a turning point in the victory.

Mike (“O-Charge”) Then has to be considered for the team’s 1B Defender Award to Schmeltzer. With orange shoes that scream customization, Mike is another in-your-face ball-hawker who just so happens to be involved with the two-hardest fouls in the past two weeks. For that Mike, your teammates say “whew!” Tonight, he popped a few three-pointers and picked up a key offensive charge on his opponent late in the game. Indiana Pacer-great Reggie Miller was a very underrated ball defender, and Mike is too.

Nick (“Franchisor”) Staehler received his nickname from receiving royalties from opponents who’d rather throw their money and run than play the Mallards No.1 option. His game belongs in the motion offense where he has room to flash from the top of the lane and into the paint. His next move has opponents perplexed beyond no-end. Sometimes it’s the straight glide to the rim with a guide from the backboard; sometimes it’s a pull-up jumper with an Austin Croshere-like run back downcourt; or, this is the best, sometimes it’s a circus-style scoop shot that amazingly, seems to go in more times than not.

Kevin (“Spin City”) Caloia definitely exudes an old school approach to the game of basketball. The nimble-footed forward would rather spin around you than jump over. And it’s frustrating to stop because you cannot. Although again, statistics are not official, it is believed that at this point Kevin leads the team in banked-in free throws, but Stenman is close behind. Those in MSCR basketball circles have compared Caloia’s game to that of former Sacramento King center Vlade Divac…minus the flopping, sometimes.

C.J. (“The Point”) Thieleke is of course, the quarterback of the team. He’s barking out plays upon plays, formations upon formations, numbers upon numbers, and let it be known—he sure knows when to call a timeout. Maybe he just likes calling one because his summer gig (baseball) doesn’t allow him to, who knows? Like a true leader, he demands a lot of himself and oftentimes makes self-substitutions if he thinks someone else can contribute in his place. He’s that old-school type; think of a back-in-the-day Vancouver Grizzly Damon Stoudamire and Indiana Pacer Jalen Rose combination. CJ had a quick five points tonight and later made a sweet breakaway layup to put the Mallards ahead for good.

Steven (Slippery Salmon”) Stewart, now there’s one hard to catch fish. You better keep your eye on him, or you’ll lose sight of him fast. The comparisons can be made to former Chicago Bulls star role-player Toni Kukoc. Both change the game when they’re on the court and they do the little things necessary to win ballgames. In a real-time comparison, think of Steven as being today’s most unsung NBA player, Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier.

In the end, the Mallards outscored their opponent 14-9 in the second half to close out a 29-22 win. The victory pushes the team to 2-0 in the second half, with a date with the “Comets” lurking next week.

Time of Game: Under an hour, we know for sure

Attendance: 3 (Thanks Mary!)

Injuries: Thieleke (sprained right knee, day-to-day); Staehler (flu-like symptoms, day-to-day)

Mike's 4th post: All baseball, all the time!

2009-02-13T09:56:00.006-06:00

Since my last blog entry I think I have found one of the single greatest television channels ever created…THE MLB NETWORK! For those of you who haven’t tuned in yet, it is on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and it is ALL baseball. For a baseball junkie like me, it is almost like there is no off-season. Everyday they replay some of the best games of seasons past. They have a studio where they try and re-create the greatest plays and go as far as breaking them down to show you how one little misstep or an extra pause by the pitcher would have completely changed the outcome of the play. There is a scrolling marquee at the bottom of the screen giving updates on all the trades, free agent signings and players still on the open market. One of my favorite programs is “Cathedrals of the Game” where they go in-depth for 30 minutes about historic stadiums or new-age technology taking over in the new stadiums. It’s AWESOME!

As I was flipping through the channels the other day, I noticed that the MLB Network was playing great pitching performances of the last century. Did you know that only 4 times in MLB history has a pitcher struck out 20 batters in a 9-inning game? Of the eight 19-strikeout performances, Randy Johnson did it twice in the same year (1997). Watching these games gives you an unbelievable appreciation of how incredible those feats really are. The stamina and control of the pitchers as they dominate opposing hitters blows your mind. I was mesmerized and couldn’t change the channel.

Another great segment I am addicted to is “Prime 9”. A panel of judges compile what they believe are the top 9 plays, games, or players in a certain category. It is definitely open to opinion of the judges but seeing the footage, listening to the players talk about their experiences and sometimes getting chills down your spine as you listen to how the game was originally called, makes me tune in every chance I get.

Now with spring training only days away and the first game of the spring season fast approaching MLB Network will help serve another purpose in my passion for the game of baseball: Fantasy Baseball. Last year, I played in 4 different leagues, all which required daily roster changes and were very competitive leagues. I try and do as much research as possible prior to draft days and having a resource like this channel will be great. (However, I do know just about all of the other members of those leagues are listening and watching as well). Here’s to another great year!

Switching gears a little bit, I need to give an update on Mallards Basketball 2009. After a fast start which saw the Mallards (wearing green jersey’s) win the opening game of the season, we haven’t been such “Lucky Ducks” and had dropped 4 consecutive games (all in which we wore white jersey’s). However, on Monday night, the slate was wiped clean and the second half started. Once again, we decided to break out the green jerseys and low and behold, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! The Mallards are now back in the win column and looking to keep the streak alive. We actually even had our very first fan attend a game the other night, so if there are more of you out there, let us know!

Well that’s it for now but not to worry, our very own season will be here in just over 100 days and your Madison Mallards will be back on the field making great plays of their own. Hope to see everyone at the yard.

VERN BLOG IV

2009-02-10T20:17:00.003-06:00

Today everything seems right in the world. The Mallards Basketball team got our first win since week one of the season last night, the band I’m singing in (The Kites…more details in a later post) is starting to really sound great, there are strong signs that my daughter is a Bob Dylan fan, our staff are all doing a great job &, oh yeah, the Mallards promo schedule is really starting to come together as well.

So, those of you who follow Mallards Basketball team closely know that the last several weeks have provided a series of heart breaking defeats. Every loss (5) was within a few points & we had a chance almost every game to pull out a “W” well, until the game last week at least. Last week we got beat by 12 or so & it didn’t really even seem that close. To make it worse we actually seemed to play pretty well, but the other team just appeared that much better than us. Well it would be great to say that we learned from that loss & realized what we had to do to win last night…but that would be a bit misleading. The other team had four guys. Well for the first 5 minutes or so, after that they added a fifth guy. Best part was that our nine-man team only had a four point lead 5 minutes in! Anyway, we put it together pretty quick after the first five minutes & ended up winning by 16. Still it might be unfair to say we played great…the other guys might have been a bit tired…but hey, we’ll take any momentum we can get. Seriously though, we’ve got some good signs. Jerrad is lights out from 3-point land, C.J. is providing inspiration & game planning skills, Nick is solid as ever & we haven’t had to bring in Maynard yet to completely confuse our opposition.

So if you know me well, you know I’m kind of a Bob Dylan aficionado. The Dylan/Willie Nelson show we got to host in 2004 is definitely among my personal & career highlights (we’ve actually got an autographed Dylan Mallards uniform in the office). So when Christmas time came last December I was excited to find an illustrated version of the classic Dylan song “Forever Young” for kids. So of course I got it…technically I gave it to Kallie & Chloe, but it may have been (well it was) more for me. Chloe didn’t really appear to care too much about the book until the last week or so. She has started grabbing the book & bringing it over to me & insist that I sing it to her. Can’t beat that.

Oh yeah, Mallards promotions. Here is a quick list of some of the things we’ve been working on lately (nothing is final yet, but hopefully a lot of these will happen):
• Classic Bobble Boy Bobblehead
• Adam West at the Duck Pond – yeah!
• Original Star Trek character?
• Organic T-Shirts for on Summer Time St. Patty’s Night
• Big Lebowski Night – looking more & more like a lock!
• Swedish National team vs. Mallards (pre-season)
• Laser Light Show
So, it looks like the only bad thing is that Opening Day is still 110 days away. The good news is that pitchers & catchers will report in less than a week to MLB Spring Training. Which reminds me…Kallie & I will be throwing a big Twins Opening Day party at our house on the night of Monday, April 6th. We just won a big Weber Smoker last weekend at “Grill N’ 4 Peace” & I plan on putting it to good use for the celebration of the Twins returning to the field. If you are a Twins fan, or a Mallards fan looking for the inside scoop, or just like good food & would like to come over, just send me an email sometime & I’ll send you the specifics.

Liz's 3rd Blog: "February!"

2009-02-03T11:29:00.005-06:00

Here we are on the 3^rd day of February. We have survived one month of 2009, the NFL season is over with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning the Super Bowl for the sixth time, and Jimmy the groundhog has seen his shadow so we can expect another six weeks of winter! Although I am always excited for spring, I am particularly excited this year. I am excited for warmer weather, Brewers baseball, and of course the best Mallards season yet.

However, I am also excited for spring as I have started coaching softball again. I am the assistant coach for the 12 U Xplozion Softball team. We practice every Sunday for 2.5 hours. Each week the girls are improving and learning more about the game. This past weekend we played in an indoor tournament at the Wisconsin Center in Wisconsin Dells. The tournament was great! It showed us what we need to work on, things we haven’t covered yet and gave the girls the chance to see live pitching, which is always helpful. Although I will not be able to coach all the tournaments this summer, it has been great working with the girls and being around softball again.

As for the Super Bowl, I was really hoping to see the Arizona Cardinals pull it off, but I must say it was one of the most exciting Super Bowls I have ever seen. The game was back and forth the entire time, Larry Fitzgerald had an amazing game, and Santonio Holmes was UNBELIEVABLE. The catch he had to put the Steelers ahead was spectacular. I also enjoyed the halftime show and thought Jennifer Hudson’s National Anthem was phenomenal. What a venue to make your first appearance after the tragedy of losing her mother, brother and nephew this fall. I don’t know I would have been able to do what she did, but I thought it was great!

I was also pleased with the commercials; my favorites were the Budweiser ones. The first Bud Light commercial with the guy getting thrown out the window for suggesting the company stopped purchasing Bud Light for all their staff meetings was the best in my opinion. And I also really enjoyed the one second High Life commercial. I wasn’t very impressed with the Coca Cola commercials; they were too plain and boring. I spent the Super Bowl with the guys from the office, which has become a bit of a tradition it seems. We enjoyed a nice spread of food, highlighted with homemade salsa and guacamole by Mike and John respectively. The salsa Mike made defiantly had some kick which I liked and John’s "guac" was good as usual. I made BBQ meatballs which seemed to go over pretty good; it is always a good thing when the dish you take to a pass is gone by the time you leave!

As far as the Mallards go, we are doing our best to get information out to companies, fans, players, host families and the Madison area. We are all busy making calls, setting up meetings and emailing. One new package we have put together is the Victory Plan Package. The Victory Plan includes one box or bleacher seat to the June 2^nd, June 11^th, July 7^th and July 10^th game. Each of these games that the Mallards win you will receive a FREE ticket to a future Mallards game! That means you can get up to 8 games in this package. The package is only $36 and is available now! Call the Mallards office for more information.

Thanks for tuning in for my third blog and congrats to the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Kevin's 3rd Blog - In the Year 2000...

2009-01-29T12:08:00.006-06:00

The office has a new life this month as we are re-energized from our Holiday vacations and have a game schedule to finally share with everyone. People are walking with an extra hop in their steps, maybe because of the freezing temperatures and snow outside, but I like to think it is because they are on a mission. "Yes a mission from God, we are getting the band back together." The sales band that is, everyone is excited to be making phone calls to new clients and reconnecting with friends and old clients. Things are in full swing for us around here; people are in and out of the office regularly, phone’s ringing dude ("Big Lebowski" quote), there is a new life in the New Year for the Mallards sales band.

The office moral has also been higher lately as “Coach” is back in the office for a couple of hours a day and he brings endless hours of entertainment, arguments/discussions, and crazy ideas. Right now we are really struggling as the Badgers basketball team is on a five game losing streak and I don’t know if it is going to end anytime soon (Coach is a HUGE, HUGE Badger fan in case you didn’t know). However, it is his creative and off- the-wall ideas which usually get everyone talking. You might think he is just a former baseball player, coach and focused only on sports, but he is always thinking of companies we could work with and creative ways which we can work with them. His thoughts often get the wheels turning in everyone's heads and we hit the ground running.

Take a look, it’s in a book, its Maynard’s Lil’ Ducks Reading Rainbow! Yep, that’s right kids, Maynard G. Mallard has started his first ever reading program for area kids. Hoping to encourage area kids to increase their reading skills and time spent reading, the Mallards have teamed up with area schools to allow kids to earn free Mallards tickets with completion of the program. We all know how important reading is to the future leaders of our communities and hopefully the Mallards can help to improve those leaders.

On a completely random note, yesterday in the office we somehow got started talking about Conan O’Brien and his “In the Year 2000” skits which he has on his show. If you have not seen Conan or are not a fan of his comedy then you will probably not like the following but I wanted to try and add some humor to my blog. (The skit is comprised of totally random and weird predictions which are going to happen in the year 2000, the big the millennium scare, yet they continue to do them way after the year 2000.)

In the Year 2000. . . . Mallards Manager CJ Thieleke will have a tirade and throw all of the bats, gloves and back-up catcher’s equipment onto the field to protest a called ball by the umpire to load the bases for the River Bats in a 1 run game…he is immediately ejected leaving the mess for Coach Kus to clean up. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . A certain man, let’s call him N. Staehler…no that is too obvious, Nick S. will propose to his special lady friend underneath the “Duck Pond’s” stadium lights right before the human cannonball performs. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . The Mallards will win the Northwoods League Championship after playing with an all pitcher infield due to an abundance of players returning to school, and winning by 14 straight bunts. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . The original “Dude” from the hit film “The Big Lebowski” will attend a Mallards game opening a whole new relaxed atmosphere around the ballpark and attitude by players and Coach Thieleke . . .

Last Tidbits: Mallards front office teams continue to spiral out of control, as curling has now lost 8 straight matches, and basketball is on a 3 week skid. I guess sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well… the bar eats you. . .

Nick Part III - It's a "Super" week!

2009-01-27T09:10:00.009-06:00

For this installment of my blog I had a really hard time trying to think what I was going to write about. I was thinking about work stuff, and the Super Bowl, and the Mallards basketball team, so I think between the three topics I should get to the minimum 500 word requirement.

In the wonderful world of Mallards I have been busy making cold calls, sending emails and trying to gather new sales leads to get the ’09 schedule into people’s hands. Going into this season the Sales team knew it would be difficult to get people to think about group/client outings with how the economy is, but so far most people have been receptive and haven’t really used the economy as a crutch. I mean where else can you be entertained for a whole evening for only $7!

Also during this off-season I have been busy ordering Mallards gear for the souvenir shops. Every spring Vern and I head up to Sports Impressions in the Dells and put our order in for all of our t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. We will be heading there in the next couple weeks to get all that jazz going. One of my favorite items I have ordered so far was a premium felt pennant, which you can roll up and it does not wrinkle or bend. Another one of my favorites is a Mallards wall clock. And for all of those who missed out on the Mallards foam cowboy hats last summer I will have a new shipment in for this summer!

And on to the Super Bowl. Mallards Manager (CJ Thieleke) put it best as he walked in to the office Monday morning and stated it is a “Super Week”. I am pretty sure I have my pick set in stone for the big game and here are my reasons why.

I like Pittsburgh’s tough defense (Troy Polamalu’s wins the “Best Hair Award”….sorry Kevin) and their experience having been there three years ago. They have played pretty solid all year long and as much as I don’t like Roethlisberger you have to give it to him, he is one tough SOB and can take a hit and bounce right back up. And don’t forget about “Fast” Willie Parker. When healthy he can be one of the most versatile backs in the league.

As for the Cardinals, they have never been to a Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see how they come out and play in the first couple minutes of the game. They are a young team and might have the deer in headlights look. Can “Old Man” Warner lead the Cardinals to the promised land as he did with the Rams or will he be back bagging groceries after the season is over? The thing that worries me the most is that the Cardinals have been streaky to say the least. Some games their offense would just flip a switch and take over a game and on the other hand the offense isn’t there and the “D” gives up 48, such as in the Thanksgiving Day game against the Eagles. You also have to wonder if Anquan Boldin will quit being a baby and just play already? I mean you are in the Super Bowl! I bet there are dozens of other receivers that wouldn’t mind playing a limited role and being in the big game.

Well here is my official pick: Steelers 38 Cardinals 17

Besides the game I love the commercials. I think some years it’s more fun than watching the actual game. I have searched through the archives and picked out some of my favorite commercials from the past Super Bowls. Search YouTube for the following clips:

Electronic Data Systems "Cat Herder"

E-Trade "Freaky Clown"

Bud Light "Rock, Paper, Scissors"

Career Builder "Monkeys"

Budweiser "Clydesdales Football"

I hope you enjoyed some of my favorite clips!

As for the Mallards basketball team we are 1-3 on the season. The losses have been by a combined 10 points. Last night we lost another close game by 5 points.

Until next time……Go Steelers!!!

P.S. If you ever see Kevin Caloia around ask him about his addiction to the word search in the WSJ…..He loves them so much he spends most of his “personal” time doing them!!

Schmeltzer's 3rd installment: Nobody has more fun than people!

2009-01-22T11:49:00.003-06:00

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur due to the fact that the sales season is now in full swing and life and times at the "Duck Pond” are picking up once again. The hardest part of the winter season is waiting for the NWL schedule to be released. Although, it is a great pleasure to start making calls and talking to current and potential clients about that wonderful thing we call Mallards baseball!

I had a hard time coming up with a topic for this blog, but I decided that one of the hardest decisions we make during any day, throughout the whole year, is “what we’re doing for lunch”. The North Side doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of choices, so it usually makes for a majority vote on where we eat for lunch.

There is a handful of us who bring our own lunch, but when that doesn’t happen we normally choose from places like; New Orleans Take-Out, Subway, Pierce’s Market, Culver’s, Smokey Jon’s, Jim’s Meat Market & the Mexican convenient store on Northport Drive. Obviously, there are more options but I would say these are the most popular destinations.

The Mexican convenient store is located near Culvers and is a spot we discovered this past summer, thankfully. They have the best authentic tacos at a reasonable price. When we go there the office smells for days of steak, pork and chicken but it’s worth it. If you are ever on the North Side around lunch time you have to give this place a shot!

Subway is another great story. First of all, they are a wonderful sponsor and they also have the ever popular $5 foot-long sub. I think Jerrad ate there for a month straight back in September. Anyway, there is a guy who works over there; we call him, “Bob the Builder” and he has become an icon to everyone here in the office. He has a voice that you would be able to differentiate and a certain swagger to the way he conducts his art of sandwich-making. If you are on the North side and want a cheap lunch with a good story, swing in and say hi to Bob. Tell him Kevin from the Mallards sent you.

Next is Jim’s Meat Market. They have a tremendous amount of deli products and you can’t go wrong with anything you purchase for lunch there. Their staff members are always friendly and they have some great suggestions. Personally, I like the subs but I know a lot of people in the office like their fried options. No matter what you get, it’s AWESOME!

Finally, while we are on the topic of food our office made a trip out to Rookies Food & Spirits in Mazomanie last week to sample some food options for next year. One of the things most of us really enjoyed was the buffalo blue cheese & cheddar sticks. This will be one of the new features on our appetizer buffet menu in the suites this summer. (pictured is the Glazer Bacon Cheeseburger we served last summer...minus the fried egg)

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you enjoyed it. If you are ever on the North Side for lunch and need a bite to eat make sure to think about some of the options mentioned above. But remember once June 1^st gets here the best place to grab a bite to eat is the never-ending menu here at the Duck Pond!

On this very historic day...J-Rod Part III

2009-01-20T08:00:00.002-06:00

I'm very humbled and honored to have been given the opportunity to post my third blog entry on the day that the United States of America's first black President, Barack Obama, is sworn into office. What a time of jubilation for those who have waited for change --from our grandparents to our parents; from our brothers and sisters to our friends; and from our children to our grandchildren, this is truly a day to be excited about in looking forward to correcting the problems in the present rather than pointing fingers for problems in the past. And who knows...given some time maybe President Obama will make a stop at the "Duck Pond" in the next four to eight years...

Shifting gears I want to pass along a story that GM Vern Stenman shared with us front office members this week involving former Mallard outfielder Jordan Comadena. (In my three years of working for the team my mom only remembers two players...Comadena & former Stanford standout Randy Molina...so maybe the secret to a closer connection between our players and fans is simply by drafting players with catchier names...lol.)

Anyway, without further ado here's the story we're about to break to the media (so this truly is the "inside scoop" for you die-hard Mallards fans!):

Kids, here’s a perfect example of why you should play hard because you never know who might be watching.

Enter Madison Mallards alumnus Jordan Comadena.

Comadena, who played for the Mallards from 2005 to 2007 & went undrafted out of Purdue University, was recently signed by the Houston Astros as a free agent heading into the ’09 season thanks largely in part to impressing a certain notable former major leaguer at last season’s third annual Mallards/MLB Alumni Game that saw Comadena blast two run-scoring doubles to pace Maynard’s All-Star

That major leaguer was none other than former Houston Astros outfielder Jimmy “The Toy Cannon” Wynn who enjoyed a big league career from 1963 to 1977 and opposed Comadena in the usually laid back event—that is, until Jordan accepted the Mallards invitation and took the “Duck Pond” field once again. Maybe Wynn saw a bit of himself in Comadena, as he too was signed as a free agent in 1962.

Comadena owns Mallards team career batting records in runs scored (119) and walks (89), and single-season records in runs scored (54), walks (54), and at-bats (259). He also remains the only player to play all 68 games when he reached that mark in 2006.

What a story. This tale could certainly be made into a children's book and serve as great fodder for generations of Mallards fans to read to their aspiring kids...and on and on it goes. It certainly can also apply to life outside of a ballpark. No matter what you're doing; no matter where you're going; and no matter when you're doing it, if you do things the right way (open to interpretation) and work hard, someone will notice and something special is bound to happen. Call that belief outlandish; call it aspiring; or simply call it anywhere in between; if there's one thing that springs eternal in the Mallards office each day --off-season & in-season--it's the hope that we as a staff provide the best summer entertainment for each and every one of our fans, both young and old. When you, the fans, leave the "Duck Pond" after games, we hope you're smiling; we hope you're laughing; and best of all, we hope that you're taking home memories to share with others for many years to come.

Here's to 132 days until Mallards Opening Day on June 1!

Mike's 3rd Post - Green Bay memories...

2009-01-15T14:43:00.003-06:00

So over the last few months my blog entries have been about the great years I have spent in the Northwoods League and some of the more memorable moments I have experienced. In this final installment, I would like to talk about my time with the Green Bay Bullfrogs and the 2007-2008 seasons.

In the spring of 2007, things were moving a thousand miles a minute as we tried to prepare a ballpark, a staff, and a city for Northwoods League baseball. It was crazy. I was sleeping maybe 5 hours a night. Eating once a day. I would routinely wake up in the middle of the night and write two or three pages worth of notes on things to do the next day or over the weekend. One night, after a usual long and stressful day, I woke up after I realized that I was talking to the lamp on my nightstand trying to sell it season tickets! (As good of a salesman as I thought I was, I could not get the lamp to buy anything from me.)

Thankfully through all of the craziness we had put together a great staff to help accomplish all of the things that needed to be done in trying to make people aware of the Bullfrogs, where and when we played etc, and to also refurbish a ballpark that hadn’t seen renovations in the better part of 30 years! The field needed work, and all of the buildings needed to be gutted, painted, remodeled, etc. The bleachers needed extra work, the press box needed power and internet, and the outsides of all the buildings needed paint. We were basically working off a list that as soon as one project was crossed off, three more appeared.

About a month prior to the start of the season, we had interviewed a young man by the name of Kevin. (To be honest, I think the interview was the last time he was referred to as Kevin, but more on that later). He was a young, impressionable kid, who was willing to do whatever we asked of him to help get things done. We ran on a shoe-string budget at times, so some of the things we did may not have been the safest, however we always came away unscathed with a great story to tell.

Kevin, as it turns out, was once on a basketball team in the 3^rd grade with another kid named Kevin. Somehow, it was decided that he would be called “Lenny” way back then and it stuck with him his whole life. Friends, family, etc people just called him Lenny. Now, he didn’t tell us that, but we found out and from that point on Lenny was the only name we knew to call him.

One Saturday morning, the first item on my list for Lenny and I was to pick up a portable arrow sign from a local business and bring it to the park so we could try and fix it up, make it look presentable and put it on the corner to get our message out to fans. As we got to the business to pick it up, it was made very apparent that it hadn’t been used or moved in quite some time. The legs were rusted together. The trailer lights didn’t work. The tires had air, but looked pretty sketchy. The box of letters didn’t have a bottom on it but rather was placed ever so gently next to the sign. So there we were, trying to figure out how to get this sign across town to the ballpark without injuring ourselves or anyone else on the road.

Lenny and I looked at one another, laughed about the fact the ball-hitch on my truck was smaller then what was on the sign and decided that maybe, just maybe if we strapped it down tight with tow straps we could get to the park. We hooked up the sign and began to drive out of the parking lot, only to see the sign bouncing up and down on the hitch. I told Lenny, “keep your eye on the sign and let me know if it falls off…we’re on the move and not stopping ‘til we get there.” We made our way across town, both of us laughing hysterically as with every bump we hit, we were sure the sign would detach from my truck and slowly drift away. Amazingly, it never happened and somehow we made it and in one piece. As we pulled up and showed the rest of the staff the condition that the sign was in, they too couldn’t help but laugh at what we had just gone through to get this sign across town.

At the end of the season, we brought the sign in from the corner of the city park we had parked it in, but this time I had Lenny stand on the tongue of the sign to keep it from bouncing all over the place. It was quite the site to see as we drove down the road that time.

In another of our famous escapades, Lenny and I went to Menards to pick up PVC piping as we were trying to make a drainage line from behind home plate to the dugout and needed a way to move the water. As we finished loading up the top of my truck with the pipes, we realized, there was nothing to hold them together or on the truck for that matter. One thought hit both of us at the same time…DUCT TAPE and ZIP TIES! (I think our team single-handedly kept Duct Tape and Zip Ties in business that year.) At this point in time, I think the nerves about opening day being only a few days away were starting to get to me. Lenny and I were wrapping things to the best of our ability when I had to stop. A feeling of pure nausea came over me and I couldn’t do anything about it. There I was, middle of the afternoon, crouched over next to my tire in the Menards parking lot, getting sick for no reason at all. It soon passed, I cleaned myself up and again we were headed off across town, with nothing more than Duct Tape and Zip Ties holding 30-40 pipes on top of my car. Again, in another miracle, we made it to the ballpark and everyone was A-OK.

In the end, those were just a preview of some of the other crazy things Lenny and I found ourselves involved in that year and it was one I will always remember.

I can’t wait for the summer of 2009, a new crop of interns and another chance to make some great Northwoods League memories. Baseball is only 137 days away!

VernBlog #3 - The Dude Abides, Evolution Baby, & a Twins fan for life?

2009-01-13T14:02:00.006-06:00

January: a great month to be a Mallard. From our schedule being released, the annual Dugout Club Baseball Banquet & the start of the college baseball season, to starting to really dig into our promo schedule, finalizing new additions to the park & the realization that Opening Day is only 139 days away. There are a lot of reasons to get excited this time of year.

I really like to focus on the promotional schedule this time of the year. Yesterday I had the entire front office over to my house for breakfast (I make the best popovers in town) & a brainstorming session that yielded some quality ideas that may, or may not, see the light of a Mallards game this summer. Some of the highlights include a different bobble head night for every Thursday game, maybe a laser light show on a Saturday night, Slap Shot Hockey Night (w/ a Hanson Brother!), Rock Paper Scissors Night & more. One of my favorites is a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s Birthday. We’re thinking about an evolution of Maynard Bobble Head doll (you know three figurines in a row & one is a duck, one is a baseball player/cave man & finally the resulting hybrid – the highly evolved Maynard G. Mallard all on one base), a Darwin Award reel of baseball bloopers, mistakes of evolution & maybe we’ll teach some evolution & some creationism at the park just to make sure we offend everyone equally. Or, maybe not…we’ll see.

Maybe the event I’m personally most excited about is a Big Lebowski Night. We’ve (by ‘we’ I mean Kevin Caloia, I can’t even tell you how jealous I am!) been in touch with Jeff Dowd who is the inspiration for the character “The Dude” in the Coen Brothers classic movie. Jeff tours the country giving talks about his life, is an author & producer who, based on Kevin’s description, is a fascinating character. We’re planning on bringing him out sometime in July for an appearance & possible screening of the movie. For those of you unfamiliar with the move, WATCH IT NOW, for the rest of you, here is a little something to help you get through the day:

The Dude: Yeah, well. The Dude abides.
The Stranger: The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh. I sure hope he makes the finals.

How great is it that the guy who inspired that is coming to the Duck Pond!? Check out his Youtube clip w/ Mallards favorite Bill Lee. Strange? Yes. Fun? I hope so! On top of all that we’re trying to get rights to do a Frank Lloyd Wright Bobble Head, planning on letting fans submit ideas for our Opening Night promotion (if your idea wins, you get a party for 8 on the Great Dane Duck Blind Opening Night! Stay tuned for more details), tracking down celebs all over the world for appearances & planning on doing a fishing pole giveaway sometime this summer as well. Long story short: we don’t plan to disappoint this summer when it comes to our promotional schedule!

Highlight of the week so far is that my daughter Chloe is officially a Twins fan…maybe. At almost 16 months old she has never been too fond of any kind of headgear. That all changed last Saturday afternoon when she started playing with an old Homer Hanky of mine (You know, the genius creation most well remembered as a part of the ’87 & ’91 Twins World Series’ Championships! Ask Team Owner & Cardinals fan Steve Schmitt how he feels about them some day!). I decided to put it on her head like a bandana & she refused to take it off! Like I’ve said before, like all of us she is just looking for solace to help get through the long baseball off-season & this seemed to comfort her. Well I thought it was a sign she was a Twins fan, but then later in the day she found my wife’s Yak Trax (attachments for your boots to help you walk on ice etc, pictured above) & she decided to put them on her head as well & refuse to take them off. So maybe it wasn’t the sign I was hoping for…or maybe she loves the Twins AND walking in icy conditions. Time will tell. 139 days & counting! The Dude Abides!

Boyer's 2nd Post - Now Boarding for Charleston

2009-01-08T09:52:00.007-06:00

It’s 9:15 AM EST and I’m sitting at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. At the bar. Which doesn’t open til 10:30 or whenever they find a bartender. Geez!

I’m on the way to see my new granddaughter in Charleston, SC. She was born Aug 4^th and I haven’t seen her yet. Been looking forward to this trip for a long time. Will be there for three days of fresh seafood, hanging out with my son and his girlfriend, and spoiling the heck out of Emma.

Flew out of Milwaukee at 6 this morning (correct, the bars at Billy Mitchell Int'l weren’t open either). So we left Madison last night, drove to Milwaukee and checked into the Best Western by the airport. They have a great deal. Stay there, leave your car for free and get a free shuttle ride to and from the airport. All for $89. Free parking!

Also stopped and had a Super George burger and a cup of chicken-flavored noodle soup at George Webb’s. I can’t believe there are people who haven’t been to George Webb’s.

Eating breakfast now, Chicken Hash & Grits. This restaurant has the best fried chicken ever but aren't serving it until 10:30. I wish it was 10:30.

So a little about the new food stuff at the park this year. We are having our first tasting of new products next Monday at Rookies. A couple of the food brokers/distributors are bringing in some samples of what they think they need to sell us this year. Then on the 29^th we’re going to the Sysco Complex in Baraboo for them to present us with new ideas.

Which reminds me, all you Mallards fans in need of a more substantial baseball fix than you’re getting from SportsCenter need to stop out at Rookies and see all the new stuff Steve has put up since the end of the season. And spend some money please.

By the way, thank God the BoSox signed John Smoltz.

Liz's 2nd Blog - Exciting time of the year

2009-01-06T09:33:00.012-06:00

Hello and welcome to the first blog entry of 2009! I hope the holiday season was good to everyone. My holidays were great and I will fill you in on a few more details later. I will also take some time to get you all caught up on what’s happening in the Mallards office. I hope you enjoy your first blog of the New Year!

For those of you who don’t know, I am from a pretty big family and the holiday season is usually one of the busiest for us. We have multiple Christmases with each of my parent’s sides, as well as a big family Christmas on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The most rewarding thing to see over Christmas wasn’t the lights or gifts or food, but rather seeing my 11 month old niece rip through her presents and walk around my parents house like it a was a new kingdom to discover and destroy. This is the first Christmas we had with her as she turns one in mid-January and we look forward to many more with her and our ever-growing family.

As far as the Mallards front office goes, all of us were off over the holidays, spending time with family and friends. We are back at it now and are getting really excited about the 2009 season. January is really one of the most exciting times because we get our schedule, contact season ticket holders, and put together promotional ideas to get the ball rolling for 2009. We have several exciting things planned for 2009 so stay tuned to the website to get all the up-to-date information!

One new thing for 2009 is the Great Dane Duck Blind Club! We are converting the reserved picnic tables that were added to the Duck Blind in 2008 and taking it one step further. We are adding private food and beverage stations for the Club area exclusively! In addition we will be having daily food specials in the club area as well! Picnic tables will be available for groups of 8 and are only $280 on Sunday through Wednesday games and $330 for Thursday through Saturday games. Tables are available for 8 people and available for purchase on an individual game basis.

For a final update, the Mallards front office basketball team playing in the MSCR League, and cleverly named the Mallards, are 1-0 after a 44-40 victory in the opening game last night. Stay tuned as the guys give you continued updates with more detailed stories!

P.S. The photo above is a shot of my niece getting into her uncle's gifts. She was having a hard time walking in her Christmas dress so we let her run in her onies and tights. This will make for a very embarrassing photo when she is 16!

Kevin's 2nd Blog Entry - Cue the Harp, it's Christmas!

2008-12-23T11:25:00.007-06:00

The terrible cold winter season has stalled hot-stove talks for most of the major league free agency period. The Yankees took the lead by signing anyone and everyone they could get their hands on, and showed little to no concern as to what it would cost. It seems that the treacherous winter weather has few if any people thinking about baseball at the moment. All we can do is look at the radar and attempt to prepare for our third major winter storm in as many weeks. It is tough to think about baseball with a thick 2-3 foot layer of snow over everything, but come spring it will hopefully give way to beautiful green grass and warm days!

Besides all of the white stuff, the terribly cold temperatures, and the havoc that is created on the roadways, this is one of the most wonderful times of the year, or at least that is what most people say. With numerous holiday parties, hot cocoa, warm egg nog, and giving/getting gifts, it’s truly a great time once you get past the weather. From ugly Christmas sweater parties, (which have become an annual tradition for college kids) to hot apple cider spiced with rum, the holiday season always has something fun and entertaining to offer.

It is truly a joyous time of the year as you receive gifts and presents from friends and family, attacking presents like you’re rounding third base and heading for home. Once you start to unwrap the first present there is no stopping; sure coach might be waving you home but your parents seem to be always holding you up. They are telling you to slow down and let other people open a present or too. It is tough to do, but is usually one of the most gratifying things as you are able to see the joy and pleasure others have when opening presents. That is truly the best part of the holiday season; the giving of gifts. Sure you might get a baseball glove or bat, but it is what you give that truly makes it a wonderful experience. A simple gift or a card can go a long way in brightening another individual’s day, week, or holiday season.

The joy and pleasure that you can give to another individual is one of the best things, if not the best thing about the holiday season. Everyone loves receiving gifts but there is nothing that can match the power of giving a gift. The receiver of the gift might not think it is the greatest thing in the world but the simple idea of you thinking of another individual and giving them a gift should mean a lot to that person. Oftentimes it is the thought and effort that counts, not a high-priced tag.

As I have grown older and experienced numerous Christmases with family, friends, and other individuals I have learned that the true joy is not in what you receive but in what you are able to give!

I’d like to quickly praise another Packers collapse and a wonderful win by the Chicago Bears in last night's game. The game was not pretty by any means, as Kyle Orton threw some perfect passes to Charles Woodson and Nick Collins (Packer Pro Bowl DB’s). However, once the Bears remembered that Matt Forte was on their team, and leads the team in receptions and rushing yards, they started to involve him more and he helped create a multiple (more then a 3-and-out) play drive for the Bears which they eventually ended up scoring on and tying the game with. The biggest controversy in last night’s game according to my roommate, Mallards Merchandise King Nick Staehler, was the coin toss in overtime. I thought he was going to have a heart attack as he was wildly complaining about the toss, how it should have been re-flipped, that the Bears were some how cheating and that since it hit Urlacher in the helmet it completely changed the outcome of whether it was going to be a heads or a tails. . . I just sat there and laughed, trying to explain to him that he was off his rocker because Urlacher did not intentionally hit the coin and therefore did not intentionally alter whether it was going to land heads or tails. I told him that the only reason he was freaking out about it was because they (the Packers) lost the toss (which I probably would have done if the Bears lost) but it was a random toss with a random hit off of a player’s helmet and randomly landed on the ground.

The coin toss debacle was a great laugh for me and my other roommates, however the most impressive thing which I think both Bears and Packers fans can agree on is the long snap catching ability of Bear’s punter, holder, and former MVP, Brad Maynard. He was catching long snaps one-handed and placing them perfectly on the ground during a sideline warm-up. Now that is an amazing display of skill by one of the team’s best players . . . now only if we could get him to work on his passing.

Side-note: Duck Blind Princess, the answer is yes and I look forward to seeing you next summer out on the deck!

I hope everyone has a great Holiday Season, and a very happy New Year!

Nick’s Second Post- All Work and No Play...Urban Cowboy? What??

2008-12-18T08:00:00.004-06:00

I must say that I am very impressed with all of you who have still managed to get your “Duck Wear” despite our lack of presence in the malls this holiday season. Our sales have been quite phenomenal. “Duck Wear” merchandise is even being shipped to buyers in places such as New Jersey and Arizona. You still have time to order your last minute Christmas gifts if you haven’t done so already. Looking for some help? Please call me at the office (608-246-4277) and I will personally take your order and mail the items! We also have a great ticket special running right now as well. Receive six (6) pint glasses and six (6) tickets (3 for Sun-Wed and 3 for Thu-Sat) in a handcrafted (Thanks Mike) six-pack holder for only $30! Woooooooooooo!!!!!!

So while all of you were digging out of the 6.5 inches of snow we received last week Monday and Tuesday, Vern, Mike and I were working feverishly at the baseball Winter Meetings being held in Las Vegas. We did have a little fun while in the “Sin City” but for the most part we were very focused on the tasks at-hand of planning for next season.

While there we did attend the Minor League Baseball Trade Show, which had hundreds of vendors with all types of products from promotional items, equipment, clothing, amusement rides, and much, much more. I think a few of our favorite ideas we saw were hats by a company named "Twins 47," an amusement ride (something similar you would see at a fair) for the ballpark, a new inflatable game, information regarding pyrotechnic shows, and a heat press to make customized t-shirts at the park. Much like the rest of Vegas there was so much to take in and not enough time in the day to look at everything.

We did manage to squeeze in some time to enjoy ourselves as well. The first night there we were mesmerized by the glowing lights and noises coming from the hotel casino. I told myself going into Vegas that I did not want to spend any money gambling. I fared well the first night and did not spend anything. I cannot say the same for Mike. Ask him sometime about his losses on the first day! We also had to check out one of the places Vern had looked up on-line. If you know Vern at all he has a little "hippy" in him, so naturally I kind of knew what to expect. We ended up visiting a dive bar off the Strip called Double Down. The place was very dark and had a punk motif to boot and also offered a drink called “A*# Juice”, which I was told is a mixture of all sorts of alcohol that did not taste the best. Unfortunately (or better yet, fortunately) I was not brave enough to try one.

Before heading to the meetings on the second day I gave in to my temptations and went down to the casino while Mike and Vern got ready. Needless to say I didn’t fare well on the slots and got down about $40 pretty quick. Next we headed down to the Strip and hit up most of the casinos just as any other tourist would do. As I mentioned before, there is just so much to look at and too much to take in.

During the trip Vern had mentioned he wanted to get a cowboy hat. Well it just so happened the rodeo was in town for their 50^th Anniversary. Let me tell you I have never seen so many cowboys in my entire life! Everywhere you turned all you would see is hats and boots, hats and boots. The hat Vern was looking for was a washed out tattered hat with strings on it. After a few stops in hat shops he couldn’t find anything. I asked him if he was trying to be some type of urban cowboy and why he wanted a hat so badly. I don’t think he took to that very well.

Mike and Vern both saw an ad for an event called “Cowboy Christmas,” which was a huge convention for cowboys to buy everything from hats, boots, jeans, saddles, trailers, lassos and anything else you can stereotype a cowboy to have. Before entering I told Vern it was going to be bad and he wasn’t going to find anything. We walked around in the convention center for all of about 15 minutes and Vern left disappointed (weird!!!) but we did have plenty of laughs.

Later that evening we met up with Curt Carstensen, who works in the Northwoods League office and he drove us around town in his rented car, a “big white Magnum”. We made a few stops at the Rio and another bar outside of town called the Blue Martini. For the most part we took it pretty easy.

So all in all it was a pretty decent trip. And we managed to get a “decent” amount of work done. Here are a few of my likes and dislikes of Vegas.

Likes: Lions at the MGM Grand; Water show at the Bellagio; monorail that takes you up and down the strip; Hard Rock Casino Bar; the fact you can walk up and down the strip with drinks; my amazement that everything is seriously open 24/7.

Dislikes: Seafood buffet at the Rio (way overrated for the price); Coyote Ugly bar in the New York, New York (nothing like the movie); and all the cowboys.

That pretty much sums it up from me. I recommend that everyone go there at least once in their life and spend more than two days because there is just way too much happening!

Have a safe and happy holidays!

Schmeltzer's 2nd Post: Must-see TV for the Sports Fan

2008-12-15T11:35:00.006-06:00

It’s about that time for me to step up to the plate (pun intended) and deliver my second and last entry of 2008. It’s hard to believe we are about two weeks away from the start of a new year. For me, this is one of the most exciting times of the year due to the fact that it’s college football bowl season. Now, I know for me it’s always baseball first, but what true sports fan can honestly say that he/she doesn’t enjoy a little college pigskin during this time of year?

Bowl Season: I would love to dedicate this entire post to predicting all the games, but that would probably get a bit long and wouldn’t appeal to everyone, so I’m just going to predict the winner of the first game, which will be played on Saturday, December 20^th. The game is the Eaglebank Bowl and will feature Wake Forest (7-5) versus Navy (8-4). On a side note, the names of these bowls get worse every year. The last weekend in September these two teams met up in Wake Forest and Navy was able to pull out a 24-17 victory. Although, this time around, I believe Wake will get the better of the match-up and steal this one 27-14. I just can’t give the nod to a team that lost to Notre Dame, sorry Midshipmen fans.

On the NFL: I am a big Packers fan and anyone who can say the same, would have to agree that the season has been a really tough pill to swallow. You can come up with tons of reasons why this season didn’t play out as well as one would have hoped, but in the end they just lost too many close games. Good teams find a way to win, and they just couldn’t do it when it mattered most. I do believe, however, they will come back strong next year and be considered the team to beat in the NFC North (although that’s not saying much).

On the NBA: OK, so I don’t really pay that close of attention to the NBA but from the little I do know…the Celtics and Lakers are REALLY good. With a combined record of 42-5 (as of today) and both teams winning by an average of over 10 points a game…look out. These teams will meet up for the first time this season in LA on Christmas Day. Make sure to flip over to NBC in between bowl game commercials to check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

On the Holidays: One of the biggest traditions I enjoy during the holidays is the 24 hour marathon of “A Christmas Story.” If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s the 1983 movie about the little kid (Ralph) who asks for the Red Ryder BB gun and is always told no because, “You’ll shoot your eye out”. Both my brother and I will watch this back-to-back-to-back-to-back, etc. My cousins enjoy bits and pieces of this flick, but also do their best to get the remote control and take back control of the TV. It’s a constant battle that has become a tradition.

That’s it for Blog # 2. I hope that everyone who’s reading this has a wonderful holiday season. Be safe if you are traveling and certainly enjoy the time you spend with family and friends. Make sure to get your fill of cut-out cookies and egg nog. See you in 2009!

Coach C.J.'s first blog entry - Your Wisconsin Sports Report

2008-12-11T08:24:00.008-06:00

Good morning everyone. I'm coming to you live from Iowa City, IA, where I typically spend the off-season working at a nearby company while spending time with my girlfriend.

It's been an especially frustrating fall for Wisconsin sports fans. The one thing about sports across the board is that you can either choose to make excuses, or choose to look in the mirror and face the facts. The problem with the Packers and Badgers football teams is that neither team has played smart all year. Penalties have killed the Packers to no end this season and ended up costing the game versus the Houston Texans last weekend when a drive on Houston's 25 yard line was killed after a holding penalty and sack forced the team to punt. My message to all NFL officials: Keep the flags in your pants!

The first thing I preach to every new Mallards team each summer is to play smart. Whether it's hitting with two strikes, moving baserunners over, or getting the sure out on defense, I firmly believe that the smarter teams accumulate the most wins over the course of a Northwoods League season and have a better chance of winning close games. Playing "small ball" may not be the flashiest or most exciting brand of baseball at certain times, but it does translate into victories at any level, and as coaches, wins & losses are how we're judged on a year-to-year basis.

I've been spending every single day thinking about the upcoming summer and how to put the best lineup on the field during every foreseeable situation. The most intriguing part about coaching baseball is that no two situations are ever the same...there's always some variation involved.

The 2009 Mallards should be a very exciting team. We'll be a bit younger than year's past, but the neat thing is that every one of our kids think they have a realistic shot at being a big leaguer someday. That's pretty special. Obviously, not all will advance to that level, but to have a group of collegiate athletes who are extremely self-confident while at the same time are extremely humble should translate into a very fun team to watch on the field next season. I tell the players that the NWL is an educational process and playing in this league is like having a summer internship during college.

I also think that "old school" is becoming the "new school" in college athletics. I see more and more players buying into the team concept and really pulling for each other. This is a very good thing.

Here are five observations I've made recently about our beloved Brewers, Badgers, and Packers:

1) Give the Brewers credit for doing all they could to retain big CC Sabathia. Still today, when the Yankees and Red Sox get involved in negotiations, small-market teams aren't able to compete.

2) This year's Badger hockey team reminds me of the Mallards last season...a slow start to begin...followed by a string of victories...then both sitting in first place at the halfway point in their respective seasons.

3) If the Badger basketball team can get exceptional guard play from juniors Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes, the team should finish in the top three in the Big Ten this season. Watch out for Jon Leuer as well...this will be his breakout season.

4) I like the Badgers chances of winning the Champs Sports Bowl versus the Florida State Seminoles. Even though it's been a tough season, sometimes the best cure-all heading into the following season is a hard-fought bowl victory over a storied program. It's evident that running back John Clay is the future of our football team and we should be in the running for the Big Ten title next season.

5) The Packers defensive line is the root of all of the team's problems, and the loss of DE Cullen Jenkins was too big to overcome...there's absolutely no pass rush whatsoever. And we've learned that linebacker Nick Barnett (who is out for the season with a torn knee ligament) is a little bit better than we thought too.

That's all I have for now...I'd like to wish everyone, including former players, coaches, friends, and family, a very Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. I can't wait for the grass to turn green and having the opportunity to send runners home around third base. It should be another exciting year of Mallards baseball!

Jerrad's 2nd Post: The Ups and Downs of Curling

2008-12-08T12:39:00.009-06:00

Well, I wish I had better news to report about our curling team comprised of Kevin Caloia, John Schmeltzer, Steven Stewart, and myself. We curl every Wednesday night at the Arlington Curling Club and for all of us, minus Steven (who has curled since high school), it's our first crack at the sport.

Before our very first match on Nov. 19, Steven's dad, Bill, who has been curling for 43 years, was gracious enough to offer a much-needed quick lesson on technique and strategy. To note, the source we used in preparing for our first curling competition was the sport's Wikipedia entry seen here. So needless to say, we were facing an uphill battle from the beginning, although we came into that first week confident that we wouldn't make complete fools of ourselves.

Our first competitor couldn't have been hand-picked any better. Each team is comprised of four individuals, and these gentlemen were around the same age as us and it was their first try at the sport as well. Fast forwarding to the ending result, we, or the "Ice Ducks" as we call ourselves, somehow came out on top and posted our first victory. We were relieved to know that we wouldn't lose every match and become the Detroit Lions of Arlington. As a side note, I in fact did fall on the ice (and was the only person to do so) while sweeping, and a long-time member yelled out "Man down!"...which actually was pretty funny.

The past two weeks we haven't been so lucky. You see, many of the competitors in the league are in their 40's, 50's, 60's, and beyond, and have been curling for just as many years as Bill Stewart has, so they have the touch and accuracy down-pat (the Ice Ducks are still searching for consistency in both areas).

We lost in week two to a very veteran team and this past week we were so bad the accumulated score was taken off the board in the sixth round (matches last eight rounds typically). Alas, we've learned a lot, such as the terms: "Hog Line," Rocks in the House," "In & Out Turns," and the "Hack." And no, if you're good at shuffleboard at the local tavern, that doesn't automatically make you a curling All-Star...we've learned that very quickly. All isn't bad though. After the matches the winning team buys beers (out of a classic vending machine downstairs) for the non-winning team, so being on the "short end" of the scoreboard isn't such a bad thing sometimes. But we're still having a great time and all of the members have been very nice in welcoming us to Arlington.

Thanks for reading...we'll see you Thursday for the newest edition of "Maynard's Musings" with an entry by Mallards Field Manager C.J. Thieleke! Should be good!

Mike's 2nd Post - A boy named "Doug"

2008-12-04T11:12:00.005-06:00

Well everyone, it seems my time has come to post again so I hope you’re ready for the second installment of the “Life and Times of Mike Then in the Northwoods League.” When I last posted I gave a little bit of insight to my first year as an intern in the Mankato MoonDogs office. Today, I will fast forward to the summer of 2005 and “The Story of a Boy Named Doug.”

I would like to preface this story with a little more insight into a NWL office. Due to the close proximity that we all work in, and the amount of time spent together, there is quite a bit of good-natured mocking and ridiculing that happens on a daily basis. People take it and dish it right back. It’s just the nature of the business. With that being said, I’ll continue with the story.

As the spring of 2005 rolled on, it was only my second season as an Assistant GM and Kyle and I decided we needed to widen our scope of potential intern candidates and started interviewing several from around Minnesota and Wisconsin. One candidate, from Waunakee, took the time to drive to Mankato for a lunch interview as he was that serious about getting a job in the NWL. He had also toyed with the idea of trying to work for the Mallards, as it was basically in his backyard, but after several phone conversations, one of which happened while he was on spring break in Florida, we convinced him a summer in Mankato would be a great opportunity for a career in baseball. So as soon as school was complete he packed up his car and made the trek to Kato for a summer none of us will ever forget.

Typically, every season teams in the league hire various interns for different specific tasks. Because “Doug” was a baseball fanatic and had worked in the athletic department at his school where he had written stories etc., we gave him the task of writing post-game recaps, updating the website, and sending out email blasts along with his other daily tasks. He was a great kid, who was willing to put in extra hours and do whatever it took to help out the team. “Doug” was a true team-player and was someone who obviously really wanted a job in baseball.

One night after a game “Doug” returned to the office to take care of his post-game duties. That season, we had a catcher from Elon University playing for us by the name of Drew Davis. Drew had had a great night for us and was the central topic of that night’s recap. However, being a complete Milwaukee Brewers homer, “Doug” referred to Drew throughout the story as Doug Davis (a former Brewers pitcher). The next morning as we all began to read the story online, the mistake was clear as day, and “Doug” was embarrassed. Then the email came in…it was from Drew’s mother. Now, I don’t have the exact quote but I believe it was something along the lines of “we appreciate the great write-up about our son; however his name is DREW, not Doug. Can you please make that change?” From that day forward, “Doug” became our intern’s official name. When we would introduce him to people, it was always this is “Douglas our media relations intern,” other mistakes were affectionately referred to as a “Dougie” in our office and to this day I still have his phone number saved as Douglas.

As the summer continued, Doug and I actually became very good friends and went on to have quite a few more memorable moments. At the end of his internship he even stayed in Mankato for several weeks looking for a job in baseball. Later, at an career fair put on by the Minnesota Twins, we found him a job working for the Frisco RoughRiders, (Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers) and he has been there ever since.

I have gone to visit him several times and he has traveled back to visit me. I have spent Holidays with his family and I recently attended a CD release party for his younger brother. All of this because of one summer in the Northwoods League.

One of the reasons I told this story is because we are currently searching for our 2009 interns here and want to let everyone know, that yes there are long days and trials and tribulations that go along with the job, but there is also tremendous opportunity to further your career in sports and make life-long friendships.

Oh, and Douglas, since I know you are reading this…….“MAN DOWN!”

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Vern Blog #2 - What to do during a long, cold Mallards Baseball off-season

2008-12-03T12:18:00.007-06:00

So I’m a day late in my blog posting here…I’ve got a feeling that this won’t be the last time my entry is delayed, but I’ll do all I can to make the wait worth your while. So this is kind of a crazy time of year in the life of a person who works in baseball. We don’t have our 2009 schedule yet, nobody really wants to talk baseball during the holidays & we’re mired almost exactly in the middle of the baseball off-season.

Fortunately this fall has offered me all kinds of ways to keep busy. My 14-month old daughter Chloe has been the big highlight. Already walking for a few months she has turned to new challenges, like how to trick me into holding & entertaining her every moment that we are together. To be clear, I love the attention but I can’t help but be curious how she has become so infatuated with me. My wife Kallie says it is just a phase that all kids go through…but I think it is the start of her struggling through the same thing I am. The complete lack of baseball! I’m sure she is thinking to herself, “I can’t believe it is 72 days until pitchers & catchers report to Spring Training!” It follows that the only rational thing she can do is to latch on to the closest thing she has around the house that will hopefully talk some baseball with her. Keep in mind that in her short time here on earth she has been to at least 60 baseball games (if you count in utero attendance) & it makes sense that she misses the comforting confines of a baseball field. Well I’ve been working on helping her develop some new habits to help get her through this terrible time of year.

One that we’ve focused on is music. Kallie brings her to music class once a week & at night I normally will play some classics to augment what she hears in class. Last week we listened to a lot of Beatles, Rolling Stones, Lorretta Lynn, Stephen Malkmus & others. Her favorite though appears to be a band called Blitzen Trapper that I saw at the High Noon Saloon a few weeks ago. After a pretty impressive show I picked up their CD & the next morning I looked at the CD titled "Furr" & thought to myself “man, did I just waste another $10 bucks on a CD by a band I’ve never heard of & probably never will ever listen to again after I throw it on one time?” To my very pleasant surprise it turned out to be some of the best new music I’ve heard in a long time, kind of a modern mix of Dylan & The Flaming Lips or something along that line. To make it even better whenever we played the CD (which was a lot) Chloe would start dancing all by herself! Good Stuff.

Other than that, Mike, Nick & I are heading to Las Vegas next week for the Baseball Winter Meetings. I have plenty of ideas for off-season moves my Twins should make, but as of the publishing of this blog they had not returned my phone call requesting a meeting with GM Bill Smith to review my concepts. I guess we’ll have to settle on spending most of our time at a pretty impressive trade show where we will hopefully find some great ideas for use during the 2009 season out here at the “Duck Pond.” After we’re done with that I’m not quite sure what we’ll do…is there anything fun to do in Vegas? Please feel free to send us any ideas…I don’t think we’re capable of having any fun there though…at least that is what I’m telling my wife!

Talk to you soon!

Boyer's Thanksgiving Special - 1st Post

2008-11-27T09:50:00.006-06:00

Being a very old person, I’m not sure what this blog thing is all about but we’re gonna give it the old Mallard’s try.

So Jerrad says I should talk about how some of the menu items come about.

First we look at what we did last year, what was a good seller and what wasn’t. Move some items around, look at any new areas we have for concessions, what those menus should look like etc.

The sales staff at Sysco Foods have been an awesome team helping us with dealing with distributors, suggesting new ideas and getting samples for us to try. Mike Riese, Ron Neusen and Paul Schulz are a great team that provide us with outstanding customer service.

I get all the samples delivered to Rookies in Black Earth by the end of the year. Liz and the boys come out one afternoon and we cook it all up and try it. We sit around the table talking about what we like, how the production fits into the schedule, (is it fried, grilled, or baked, etc). All of which needs to be considered so game-days go smoothly.

There’s Suite food, Tailgate, Duck Blind, and Concession menus all to be considered, revised, changed or sometimes even scrapped.

My favorite part is the daily and weekly specials. Steve & Vern have given me a lot of latitude on trying stuff, some of it sold well, some of it people looked at me like I was crazy. The White Trash Special is a good example. Fried egg sandwich sold well, PB&J didn’t.

And we steal stuff. The Glazer Bacon Cheeseburger was done by a team somewhere in Ohio. There is time spent researching this. All the front office staff are really good about shooting me emails with some great suggestions they’ve heard about.

And you fans always have some great suggestions. Big thanks to Dave Sindberg & the Hockey Guy for all of your help! We’re always willing to try something new.

So of all the stuff we’ve tried in the last 5 seasons I still think the best idea I’ve had is the Dashboard Maynard Bobblehead. Maynard in long flowing robes with a crown of thorns and stigmata.

Now THAT will make ESPN.

Liz's first entry - Tickets, tickets, and football...

2008-11-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone and thanks for taking the time to check out my blog entry. I have been working with the Mallards for four summers now and each summer is more and more enjoyable. As Jerrad mentioned in the very first blog I am the only female working in the Mallards office year-round and let me tell you; working with 6 other guys is very interesting! I have learned a lot about the guys in the two years I have been here full-time. Sometimes they tell me too much, but for the most part it is fun working with them!

For the rest of the blog I will explain exactly what I do for the Mallards. My title is Customer Service and Ticket Sales Manager. I take care of 95% of the ticket operations; the other 5% is Vern designing the ticket which will undoubtedly be based off the Minnesota Twins ticket again this year. The 95% I take care of ranges from ordering tickets and wristbands, to setting up the online ticketing system, to hiring a ticket staff to process all the large ticket orders and help people with any ticket problems or complaints. I also work with Season Ticket Holders and Host Families to make sure they get their tickets. Lastly I’m always trying to sell our hospitality areas to local businesses and organizations. I have been working in the ticket office since 2004 when I was a part-time ticket employee. The ticket operations have vastly improved since I first started with the Mallards organization. We switched over to a new ticketing system this year and it has made ordering online much easier.

Throughout the summer I also help with other areas of the ballpark. I help with the hospitality areas, accounting, and general operations to make sure everything is done and ready to go for game time. One of my favorite highlights of the 2008 season was cooking at Maynard’s Slide-In during a playoff game; it was fun doing something different and I enjoyed working with the fresh food!

I have always been a baseball fan (go Brewers!) as well as a softball fan. It has been great working for the Mallards over the years and I am very excited for what’s to come for the 2009 season. Right now we are busy crafting ticket packages so stay tuned to find out what we have created for the 2009 season!

For those of you wondering, I do participate in the office fantasy football league and even though my record is not that great I had an impressive victory this week against Jerrad’s “Low Textpectations” that extended my winning streak from 2 to 3!!

Kevin's First Blogtastic Entry - It’s Always Summer

2008-11-20T08:00:00.008-06:00

If you are a regular reader of our blog then you probably already know a lot about me, my mullet hair style (which might be coming back in style, you never know), and my inability to jump while playing basketball. I am extremely fortunate that my co-workers like me enough to include me in their blogs and even devote sections of their blogs to my hair. I am truly surprised that they have no choice but to highlight some of my other great features and characteristics; however, I feel that they are saving them for future blogs.

My plan was to focus this week’s blog on the Bears crushing victory over the Packers… but as all of America saw, my beloved Chicago Bears forgot to show up in Green Bay and got badly embarrassed. I was lucky enough to be vacationing in Knoxville, Tennessee so I did not have to receive flack from all my Packer fan roommates during the game. It was a slap in the face when Fox took the game off the air, stating that it was no longer “competitive” with about 3 minutes left in the third quarter. However, halfway through this week I lucked out, as the Cubbies were able to sign and secure another great starting pitcher giving them the best rotation in the NL Central! Yep, the gentleman who Cubs fans used to refer to as Dumpster (during his time as a reliever), is now a star starting pitcher and is locked up with the Cubbies for another 4 years.

Instead I will give you a view into my little world here at the Mallards office and my cave as some of my coworkers like to call it. I am fortunate to have one of the few cubes which does not have a window for natural light, and my cubicle walls block most of the light from our ceiling lamps. However, I am graced with some wonderful pictures which I cherish. The first one, which was a gift from David Boyer (the Concessions MGR) to the previous resident who had this cubicle is a picture frame filled with about 8 different pictures of what it would look like if this cube had a window. The frame is only 12x10 inches but it is a very accurate representation of what is on the other side of the wall. The key is the combination of the 8 different pictures to create one big picture. They are so nicely put together that I often wonder if the creator was a 3 year old or drunk. It is the thought that matters though, and for that reason it is truly a wonderful gift and a Mallards front office staple.

The next picture is a flyover from 2007, taking up most of the wall, this is a good substitute for a window. It is also nice to look at the ballpark and see how things have changed over the past couple of years, and envision the new improvements which we are going to create at the ballpark. The best thing about my cubicle, it is always summer because there is never any snow covering my view of the ballpark. The wildcard and last picture which I have on my desk is a photo of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I get the most questions about this photograph, as everyone always wonders why I have the picture, but I like to keep people guessing.

The pride and joy of my cubicle though, is the background on my computer, a large Chicago Bears logo which every Packer fan gets to look at in disgust everyday. Some of you might be like my fellow coworkers, sporting pictures of Brewers players, a family photo, or even a hot babe, but I prefer a peaceful orange and navy blue growling Bears head. The best part about my background is when I return back to the office from meetings. For some reason it always seems that the background has mysteriously changed to a gigantic Packers or Brewers logo, multiple pictures of myself with a mustache and mullet (which is always funny), or to a random fan/Mallards photo which was taken years ago and recently resurfaced on someone’s computer. It is always a nice treat when returning to the office to see what has been done to your desk, computer, or chair… but we can get into those glorious details in the future and some of the other fun games that go on here in the office. Note to readers: anything can be used as a projectile, not just baseballs in this office.

Well loyal readers, have a great rest of the week and a wonderful weekend.

(I'm also proud to note that our curling team (Team Ice Ducks) comprised of myself, Jerrad, John, and Steven Stewart won our first match last night! A big shout out to Steven's dad for giving us much-needed pointers beforehand! If you're ever bored and need a good laugh you can catch us at the Arlington Curling Club every Wednesday night.)

Nick's First Blog Entry - A little dissapointing...

2008-11-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

Thus far I must say that I am a little disappointed by the responses (or lack thereof) by our most devoted fans. I am not sure what you are doing… maybe watching the NBA…still recovering from the election…or you are simply speechless by the attempt of Kevin Caloia to grow a mullet.

Anyway, many of you may not be familiar with my role within the organization, so I will divulge a little bit and give you a very brief history.

I sent a resume on a whim and managed to be offered a position. (Note to any future intern candidate: Do NOT list “shopping” as an activity on your resume, you’ll never live it down!!!) I started in the summer of 2005 as an Operations Intern. What made this an interesting summer besides interning for the Mallards were the 45 minute drives to and from Whitewater everyday, where I attended college. So typically we would start the day at 8:30 a.m., work until midnight, and if you do the math, I wouldn’t get home until almost 1:00 a.m. and then I’d have to get up at about 6:30 a.m. to get ready and be out the door by 7:30ish. Some nights I don’t know how I survived the drive (dozing off multiple times) but thank God I managed!

Anyways, Brian Dodge (the other Operations Intern….I love you Dodge!) and I held down the fort as far as ballpark maintenance--painting, building fences, painting and oh, did I mention painting? As a point of reference, we now have FOUR Operations interns running the show. Apparently I impressed Vern enough for him to offer me a full-time spot. So here I am today in the position of an Operations and Group Sales Manager.

My main responsibility during the winter months is making cold calls to companies in and around Madison in selling tickets for group outings and to renew clients from previous summers. So if anyone is interested in holding a group outing please give me a call or you can find my email address on the contacts page and I’ll happily give you the rundown of our options. My other responsibility right now is in putting together our merchandise line for next spring. I have been handling souvenirs the past two summers and have received a lot of suggestions. I try my best to meet what the people have called for, but I am always looking for new ideas and suggestions. So if there is something you would like to see or something we no longer offer, but you would like to see again, please let me know!

I also wanted to let everyone know due to economic circumstances we will not be having kiosks at either West or East Towne malls, I do however encourage you to check out the “Duck Wear” link on the website for all your holiday gift ideas. I almost forgot we are having a great sale on all Game Day hats that are now only $14 (marked down from $20)….What a freaking steal!!!!!

That should wrap up my first post. I look forward to all the responses and suggestions that will flood my inbox like the swallows of Capistrano. Oh, I will also break the trend of throwing one of my fellow employee’s under the bus…..Cheers!

Schmeltzer’s First Blog – Bars, Cards & Maynard’s

2008-11-13T09:19:00.003-06:00

Well, it’s probably going to be a little difficult to top the last blog by fellow co-worker and PR Master, Jerrad Radocay, but I will do my best.

Here’s a little bit about myself and how I got started in the Mallards organization.

I grew up in Oregon (no, not the state) and played High School baseball with Darren Everson as my assistant coach. Some of you die hard Madison baseball fans might recognize that name and recall that he played with the Madison Black Wolf and served as Field Manager for the Wisconsin Woodchucks from 2004-05. He informed me about the Mallards and what a great organization they were, so back in 2003 I ended up doing a job shadow during the summer. It mainly consisted of running the radar gun, getting notes/stats set-up for the media, helping maintain the cleanliness of the park, etc. It was a nice start and got me interested in some of the things that go on behind the scenes of running a ball club.

In 2004 I was hired as a Marketing/Operations Intern. It was probably the best summer of my life. The amount of hours you put into this position is CRAZY! Although, if you have that love and passion for the game and enjoy the people you work with, it doesn’t seem all that bad and the days are over before you realize it. I spent a lot of time that summer with Spencer Sweet & Kyle Sullivan, whom by the way were both Operations Interns as well. At that time, no one was really responsible for moving beer during the day, so that basically fell on our shoulders. Not sure why, but when you’re an intern you don’t really ask. Like I said earlier, it was a summer I would have never changed for anything. Shout out to Mr. Vincent Cholewa, who also put in long hours that summer and will never get over the fact the Cubs will never win a World Series in his lifetime.

In 2005 I was “promoted” to the Marketing Manager. I had a great couple of interns that summer that made my life easy. Brian Ballweg and Kyle Buchmann…good lookin’ out fellas. The picture in this blog is a shot of Governor Doyle as he launches the first pitch during my ’05 Campaign as Marketing Manager.

From 2006 until this day I have assumed the position as a Group Sales & Operations Manager. My main goal is to sell private suites and other tickets packages to clients in and around Madison. I also help with the staffing around the park and other random activities that you probably would never even realize go into making this ballpark function the way it does.

One question that I get asked a lot is, “Where do you work in the off-season”?

It always makes me laugh, because some people don’t realize this is a REAL full-time job. When the season ends there is still a lot of teardown, clean-up and preparation that goes into brainstorming for the next year. Yeah, it’s slow this time of year but the schedule will be released in late November, early December and from that time on it’s a sprint to Opening Day. Get ready for 2009 folks… we have some real entertaining ideas floating around the office.

Finally, I would be remised if I didn’t recognize the Philadelphia Phillies…well, not so much the Phillies as the National League East. Way to represent! (I’m a big Atlanta Braves Fan)

Thanks for staying tuned to Maynard’s Musings. Next up on 11/18 you will hear from Nick Staehler, who is currently holding down the cellar spot in the office Fantasy Football League.

Jerrad's First Post - Caloia Mullet Countdown 2008

2008-11-11T09:00:00.005-06:00

Caloia Mullet Countdown 2008 is now at *14 days. Kevin Caloia (pictured, far right), our Duck Blind Manager extraordinaire, has taken it upon himself to prove to us office members that he indeed can sport a pre-mullet while continuing to give 110% each day and doing so with a straight face. Subtracting the distance from Caloia's current hair length to his shoulder while computing the speed of hair growth, scientists now believe a full-blown mullet is imminent in less than 14 days. Caloia has been an inspiration to us all in the rare case that we too choose to grow this hideous 1980's hair style that according to Wikipedia, thankfully died in 1993 (debatable to say the least). It is still unproven why Kevin has chosen to sport a mullet, but sources tell me he has recently become infatuated with former Pittsburgh Penguin great Jaromir Jagr (pictured, far left) and simply decided to "go for it." We'll keep you up-to-date on the latest developments...

*Unproven, it could actually be 14 weeks or 14 months...

On to slightly more serious news...

During the off-season I often write stories about former Mallards players who are performing well in Minor League Baseball or in other professional avenues. It's fun and interesting to follow these athletes everyday struggles and triumphs in trying to reach that ultimate destination; Major League Baseball.

However, this blog provides the perfect forum to share what former Mallards employees are doing post life at the "Duck Pond." It is obviously true that Mallards baseball certainly wouldn't be where it is today without the help of our countless hardworking employees each year. Consider this segment Mallards Employee Alumni Part I (creative, right?)

Conor Caloia. Yes, Conor is related to the guy mentioned above (brothers), and he worked for the Mallards for five seasons (2003 to '06), first as an intern in '03 and later as Assistant General Manager in '04. After leaving Madison to work more closely in college sports, Caloia took a job with the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) as Director of Marketing for nearly two years. Today, Conor is a partner with former Mallards Field Manager Darrell Handelsman with the Wilmington Sharks baseball club in North Carolina, and serves as the team's Director of Operations. Kevin recently flew down to help his brother prepare for a Steve Miller concert the Sharks hosted.

Spencer Sweet. Sweet was hired a year after Conor in '04 as an intern, and was later promoted to Assistant General Manager as well, mostly overseeing the team's always-improving ticket system. He is currently enlisted in the Marines after having successfully completed the first portion of office training school at the training camp in Quantico, VA last spring. Spencer injured his foot during boot camp and, in turn, overcompensated, further damaging his hip. We're excited to report he recently had successful hip surgery to correct the problem.

Ryan Casey McShane. McShane was a PR intern in 2007 and was the brains behind the "Player Ingredient" graphics you might remember seeing in his game stories. (On our homepage, click on News, then select July 30 of 2007 for an example...) Ryan, a native of Arkansas, currently works for Taylor PR in Charlotte, NC and has just signed wireless provider Alltell to provide exposure for the growing client. He just completed a nationwide press junket with former football great Barry Sanders in promoting the company. McShane said "it was the time of his life."

More alumni updates to come in future blogs!

One last quick note...We'd like to thank everyone who has sent us names for our winter MSCR office basketball team set to begin in January. Keep 'em coming!

A few of the names provided so far:
"The Quackers"
"Pond Masters"
"Flying Feathers"
"Duck Droppings"

That's all I have for now...stay tuned to Thursday's installment of Maynard's Musings to be written by Operations Manager John Schmeltzer!

Mike's First Blog Post!

2008-11-06T11:17:00.004-06:00

Where to begin?? That is the question I have been trying to answer ever since I found out I would be contributing to the Maynard’s Musings a few weeks ago and I think I finally have the answer (usually simplest is the best) I’ll just start from the beginning of my Northwoods League career. It may take a few posts to get brought up to 2009, but hopefully you will find some of my rants entertaining.

Looking back to the spring of 2003, I was a senior in college looking for an internship to not only graduate but one that would also put me in a position to have a job after I graduated. Enter the MoonDogs.

I remember going to my first interview with the MoonDogs GM, Kyle Mrozek (he had been hired about 3 weeks prior) and sitting down in a shirt and baseball tie to talk about a “great opportunity” as he put it. You see, Kyle had first-hand knowledge of the internships as he had been an intern 2 years prior to that in Alexandria when the Beetles had their inaugural season and now he was running a team. I thought to myself, wow this really could be great! I get to work for a baseball team for the summer (anyone that knows me knows of my extreme passion for the game) and maybe I could even get a full time job after the summer was done. Sure enough, after being baptized by fire (Kyle was the only full-time employee that season) which meant myself along with the other three interns had to learn on the fly and adapt to whatever the situation at-hand was, at the end of the season I was offered a job and began my career in baseball.

There are two quick stories I would love to share from that first summer of insanity. ..
#1. One of the promotional appearances we had setup that summer was to have Juan Berenguer (aka Senor Smoke to us Minnesota Twins fans) come out for a night in Mankato. About half-way through the evening, Juan asked me if I would take him downtown after the game and show him some night life, I happily obliged and got everything set. Before I get any further, you have to understand that Juan is a large, Panamanian man who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, and Mankato is a town of only 25,000 people or so during the summer. So there we are, Juan and myself having a couple of drinks when all of a sudden he disappears. Gone. Nowhere to be found! I’m thinking to myself my boss is going to kill me. I am supposed to be taking care of this guy, making sure he gets back to his hotel etc, and I can’t even find him. After searching until bar close with no luck, I finally had to give up. I went home that night starting to think of how I was going to explain this in the morning and then at 4:00 a.m. my cell phone starts ringing and ringing and ringing. Guess who…yep it’s Juan Berenguer. He just wanted to call and tell me what a great night he had and that he was safely back at his hotel and that if there was anything that I ever needed from him to just give him a call. Juan and I stayed in touch over the next few years and it was all because of one crazy night of working in the Northwoods League.

#2. I remember hearing all of these unbelievable stories about the team in Madison, the GM (as he too used to be an intern for the gentleman who owns the Mankato team), and the crowds and atmosphere that Warner Park offered. When I finally got a chance to witness it myself, it was the All-Star game and I was at a loss for words. The size of the park, the crowd, the presentation, everything was incredible. After the game, we went out to the car and on the windshield were two 11x17 posters from the Mallards marketing campaign that season. They were about the purity of the game and had a very distinct baseball feel to them. I held on to those, and actually ended up getting them framed when I got back to Mankato and they have been hanging in the bedroom of every apartment I have had since that night. And now, here I am six years later, working for the Mallards. (The All-Star game was also the first time that I had ever met Vern in person and there is a great story behind that meeting, but I will have to save that one for a later date!)

Lastly, I would like to talk about some current events in the Mallards office. As Vern had mentioned in his last post, we are starting an office basketball team and need some help from the fans. WE NEED A TEAM NAME!!! If you have a creative name that you think would work for us please send it to Jerrad@mallardsbaseball.com. We will keep you posted on the names that come in and the winning submission will receive an autographed, framed photo of our team. The contest will run from now until December 1st.

I’m excited to be a part of the Mallards organization and can’t wait for the 2009 season to begin! GO MALLARDS!

VernBlog - First Entry - Stadium Renovation Update!

2008-11-04T10:15:00.004-06:00

So Election Day 2008 I get the honor of writing my first blog entry! Election Day is always an exciting day & I was the 530th person to vote this morning in my district along with my 13 month old daughter Chloe (much to my dismay, they wouldn’t let her vote!) I’m proud to report that all Mallards full-time staff have already voted, or have plans to do so later in the day. Anyway, I suppose a day dominated by politics is a good day to discuss how things have been going on our stadium renovation plans.

We’ve been working closely with the city of Madison for a while now & last week a new lease & construction agreement were introduced to the Madison Common Council, which referred it to the Parks Commission & the Board of Estimates (BOE). It has been fascinating working with the city on this project & I’m happy to report that the Mayor’s Office, Alders Schumacher & Rhodes-Conway, & new Parks Superintendent Kevin Briski & everyone else that has worked with us on this project have been great to work with &, more importantly, we’re all on the same page about how this project will move forward! Hopefully we’ll get approval from Parks Commission & BOE in the coming weeks & go before the Common Council on December 2nd for final approval. Check out cityofmadison.com for a schedule of meetings where this will be discussed & we’d love to have you stop by & share your feelings about the project. Basically what all this means is that the major renovation we have been talking about happening at the “Duck Pond” is reaching the final stages of approval & that representatives from both the city of Madison & the Mallards have reached agreement in principal on the ballpark improvements!

As the plan stands right now we would replace all the steel/wood/aluminum bleachers that make up the vast majority of our seating & replace them with new seating structures & seats (we would re-use at least 1,000 of the existing seats, you know…saving the world one seat at a time!) The entire perimeter of the field from the edge of the Great Dane Duck Blind to the LF corner would be re-defined as well. This would provide better viewing angles of the game & actually put the first row of seats right up against the field providing an unprecedented view of the game (sorry, First Base Super Fans!) However, if you do enjoy the standing room only experience at the “Duck Pond” don’t fret…we haven’t forgotten about you & I can assure you that the final plans will have some enticing options for your consideration.

The next thing we are working on is an attempt to minimize the number of seats that are right in the line of the setting sun at the park. The hope right now is to have a few less rows in the area of the stadium on the 3rd base side & build a large deck directly behind those seats that would potentially connect to & go over the top of the existing clubhouse building. This area would become a second “Courtyard” type space featuring all kinds of food, beverages, merchandise, kids games, & more all with the added bonus of actually being able to see the action on the field while you are waiting in line or talking to friends!

Well, seeing that I’ve already written about 500 words on the new park, I think I’m going to talk about the rest of the concepts & hopes for the stadium project in future posts…STAY TUNED! The other important thing to note here is that, at this point, I feel we have about a 50-50 chance of starting & completing these improvements prior to the start of the 2009 season. There will be some important benchmarks in the coming months & by early January at the latest the city & the Mallards will make a decision about whether or not we think we can get this done for the start of the 2009 season. Hopefully we can make it happen, but if we don’t we would start construction immediately after the season is over & have everything ready for the start of the 2010 season. All in all I think this is exciting news for Mallards fans & be sure to keep checking in here for more details on the plans for the stadium renovation. We’ve got a lot more fun things in mind for the project that I look forward to sharing with you all in the near future.

Also, I can’t wait to start filling you in on the Mallards MSCR Basketball team. We start playing after New Years, but we’ve been fine-tuning our skills all Fall on Tuesday nights over at Sherman Middle School. All I’m saying is you can’t let Nick Staehler get free after a pick…the kid never misses & that I’ve only seen Kevin Caloia jump once in well over a month of playing with him. BEWARE!

"Maynard's Musings" Debut...Introductions first!

2008-11-02T17:35:00.004-06:00

Hello Mallards Fans...here's the inaugural first pitch!
(photo credit: Jim Addis)

Welcome to the debut of "Maynard's Musings," a blog devoted to YOU the fans, to be updated every Tuesday and Thursday (and sometimes more) that will cover topics such as: Stadium Improvements, Roster & Promotions Updates, Merchandise & Tickets Specials, and the latest breaking news! And, we've learned from your overwhelming votes on the poll question on Mallardsbaseball.com that you're also interested in reading about fun & interesting stories that happen at our office at the "Duck Pond" so we'll be sure to share some of these tidbits as well. (yes, we do work year-round...someone has to plan the numerous promotions, celebrity appearances, and food and ticket specials!)

But before we dive into the latest items to make news, let's detail the Mallards front office members who will be providing insight.

Vern Stenman (General Manager). As you are aware, the Mallards have plans in the works to renovate the "Duck Pond" for the 2009 season, and Vern will be your ultimate source to learn more about all new stadium developments, amongst other things. Thanks to his steady vision and undying passion to give our fans the best possible product both on-and-off the field, Stenman is the rock behind the team's increase in attendance during the past eight years, including back-to-back-to-back 200,000 + attendances from 2006 to '08. When not at the office, Vern can be found chasing around his one year old daughter Chloe Mae, with wife Kallie. (or is it the other way around...?)

Mike Then (Director of Marketing). The "new" guy, Then was hired two weeks ago to head our marketing efforts after having spent the past two seasons as the General Manager for the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Prior to that time, Then worked for the Mankato MoonDogs for four seasons--three as the team's Assistant GM, and one as a Media Relations Intern. Mike will provide insight about his experiences while working in the Northwoods League along with providing details on different promotional ideas we are brainstorming for the '09 season. Then is a graduate of Minnesota State University - Mankato, and is originally from St. Paul, Minn.

John Schmeltzer (Group Sales & Ops. MGR). Schmeltzer has seen it all in his five years with the Mallards and he'll be sure to share stories about the many people he's met and comical situations he's encountered. John helps manage the team's suites and is the driving force behind making these fans' ballpark experiences a pleasant one. If you want a good laugh, John's writings will be a must read! He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, and is originally from Oregon, Wis.

Nick Staehler (Group Sales & Ops. MGR). If a certain piece of Mallards merchandise caught your eye the past three seasons, Staehler is the person to thank. During the Fall and Winter months he's especially busy approving and dissaproving (and dissaproving some more) items in hopes that you'll find our line of clothing and trinkets both cool and useful. Nick also doubles as our manager of Human Resources, and is in charge of scheduling over 250 part-time employees each summer (now there's a task!). He'll provide insight on both of these areas. Staehler is a graduate of UW-Whitewater, and is originally from Kewauskum, Wis.

Liz Kern (Customer Service & Ticket Sales MGR). Tabbed the office "Wonder Woman," Kern is the first face you see upon entering the Mallards ticket office, and is the team's backbone in everything relating to purchasing tickets. She works very hard to provide our fans the highest level of customer service in all of baseball! Liz will provide information on ticket & suite specials, along with ways on how to cope if you're the only female in an office of six males. Kern is a graduate of UW - La Crosse, where she also played softball, and is originally from Beaver Dam, Wis.

Kevin Caloia (Duck Blind & Community Events MGR). Many times when we go out into the community to promote the Mallards the first words uttered out of people's mouths is "ohhh yeah, I've been to the Duck Blind," so you can imagine how difficult of a job Caloia has each year in trying to uphold the great tradition while always improving the Great Dane Duck Blind's overall fan experience. He will teach us how such a thing is to be done. Kevin also doubles as the team's Community Events MGR in trying to promote the Mallards at local schools, churches, festivals, and clubs, to say the least. Caloia is a graduate of UW - Madison, and is originally from St. Charles, Ill.

Jerrad Radocay (Corporate Sales & Media Relations MGR). That's me, and I'll be providing interesting stories about players we've signed for the '09 season along with information about certain promotions and giveaways we have in the works. One of the best parts about my job is in lining up local companies to sponsor giveaway items to help make your overall experience more enjoyable, so I expect plenty of comments from all of you in stating which items you'd like to receive next season. I'm a graduate from Winona State University, and am originally from Watertown, Wis.

David Boyer (Concessions MGR & Rookies Sports Bar GM). Boyer plays a big part in deciding and ordering many of the food items you enjoy at the "Duck Pond" each season, and will be discussing some of the choices we might add to the menu next year. If you've ever had a Glazer Burger at the ballpark (two beef patties in-between two Glazer doughnuts), Dave is the man to thank for that concoction. When he's not at the park, Boyer spends much of his time as the General Manager at Rookies Sports Bar in Mazomanie. He is originally from Oconomowoc, Wis.

So there you have it. For the inside scoop on everything Mallards, be sure to stop back daily to see what's new at the "Duck Pond." I guarantee you'll be surprised...

We'll see you back on Tuesday for the newest installment of "Maynard's Musings!"