Brandon is joined by Frederick Keys GM Dave Ziedelis. Dave and Brandon don't hold back in discussing the negotiations between MLB and MiLB that has Frederick on the list of teams that could potentially get eliminated prior to the 2021 season. The Keys have been entrenched in the Frederick community for decades, have been tops in Carolina League in attendance for years and still face an uncertain future. In addition, Dave goes into his transition from working in the big leagues to the minors and what he learned from his first GM experience.
This will be the last Apter Hours episode for a while. Appreciate the support to this point.
Brandon is joined by the general manager of the Norwich Sea Unicorns (Short Season 'A' Tigers affiliate), Dave Schermerhorn! Dave dives into the process that led to the Connecticut Tigers deciding to rebrand as the Sea Unicorns, how the name and logo tie into the city of Norwich and how the organization is dealing with the potential of being on the chopping block of MLB's proposal that could eliminate 42 minor league teams ahead of the 2021 season.
You can check out the Sea Unicorns at goseaunicorns.com and on Twitter @GoSeaUnicorns.
Donate to support the Altobelli family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-altobelli-family
In the second season premiere of Apter Hours, Brandon is joined by former colleague and current host of The Daily Line on NBC Sports Radio, Tim Murray. Brandon and Tim talk about the importance of preparation for a broadcast, the asinine proposal that would remove 42 teams from the minor league landscape, the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and Tim's hometown Washington Nationals winning their first championship.
You can follow Tim on Twitter @1TimMurray and find The Daily Line on NBC Sports Radio or the NBC Sports app.
It's a Throwback Thursday #TBT episode of Apter Hours. We go back to 2017, when Brandon made the decision to take a position out of minor league baseball after nine seasons. The episode details every step of his Minor League Journey, including the very difficult decisions, professional growth, stepping outside your comfort zone and being a part of an industry that is a family.
Amarillo Sod Poodles President & General Manager, Tony Ensor, joins the show to discuss Amarillo's successful season on and off the field. The Soddies sold out 23 straight games, tallied 40 total sellouts and also won the Texas League title in their first year of existence. Tony and Brandon also discuss the challenges faced, fans showing up for minor league playoffs and looking ahead to 2020.
On October 18th, 2019, Baseball America broke a story detailing a proposal from Major League Baseball that could eliminate 42 Minor League Teams ahead of the 2021 season. In this episode, Brandon is joined by Minor League Baseball's Senior Director of Communications, Jeff Lantz. Topics include the advantages & disadvantages for both sides, geographical impact, affiliate and level realignment, the proposed Dream League, MLB draft moving from June to August, the jobs at stake, limiting travel, getting stadiums up to standard and much more. At the end of the episode, Jeff answers questions from Twitter on the matter
If you want more details on the proposal, check out the Baseball America story: http://bit.ly/36UKzkh
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Rocky Mountain Vibes President & GM Chris Phillips joins the show to talk about the success of the organization's inaugural season following their name change and level switch from Triple-A to Short Season.
MiLB.com's Ben Hill joins this show this week! During his 2019 road trips, Ben visited a number of teams across the country. Brandon and Ben discuss the teams that rebranded and opened new ballparks before looking ahead to some new identities for teams heading into the 2020 season.
Bowie Baysox play-by-play voice Adam Pohl joins the show! Brandon and Adam worked together with the Frederick Keys for three seasons (2011-13). The two touch on a number of topics including pace of play, becoming a good manager and making yourself valuable as a broadcaster.
Fort Wayne Mad Ants (NBA G League) President and former MiLB executive Tim Bawmann joins the show! He discusses how he landed his first job in the 1980's, tough market challenges and how to overcome them, the differences & similarities between Minor League Baseball and the G League, the importance of being open to relocation and more!
Each season, a handful of teams change their brand. Whether it is a brand refresh or complete re-brand, Brandiose is usually the company behind it. In this episode, Brandiose partner Jason Klein joins the show to talk about how the company has grown to what it is today, the process behind creating a brand, how important storytelling is to a brand, the steps taken to initiate a branding effort and much more!
Follow Brandiose on Twitter @Brandiose!
Rob Montepare, Founder and Co-Creator of the Fur Circus and Time Out Pros, joins the show! Brandon and Rob discuss some early career mascot stories and the rewarding side of being a mascot. We also learn about how the Fur Circus (a traveling mascot circus) was created and how it has grown into a company that travels to different venues with various entertainment acts to enhance the fan experience at games.
Zach Chartrand, general manager of the Lafayette Aviators (Prospect League) joins Brandon Apter for this episode! The two discuss Zach's career path to Lafayette, the similarities & differences between collegiate summer league baseball and the low levels of the minors, playing in a historical ballpark, Lafayette's new ballpark for 2021, operating a team with a very small staff and more!
Follow the Aviators on Twitter @Lafayette_BSB and on Instagram @lafayette_aviators. Find out more information at Lafayettebaseball.com.
Lehigh Valley Ironpigs Media Relations Manager Mike Ventola joins the show. Brandon and Mike talk about his introduction into broadcasting, which play-by-play voices inspired him early in his career, the preparation that goes into a game for broadcasters, his unique home run call in Reading, transition from full-time broadcasting to a media relations role and getting to call Phillies spring training.
Fayetteville Woodpecker's play-by-play voice Matt Sabados joins the show! Matt and Brandon talk about the naming process behind the Woodpeckers which pays homage to an endangered species, baseball returning to the area for the first time since the early 2000's, fan reception of the new name and ballpark, notable Astros prospect performances and more.
Williamsport Crosscutters Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, Gabe Sinicropi, joins the show! Gabe came and spoke in one of Brandon's Sport Management classes in 2008 and that inspired Brandon to look into working in Minor League Baseball. Over 10 years later, Gabe comes onto Apter Hours to discuss the Williamsport Crosscutters' journey from Geneva, NY, to Central, PA, Major League Baseball's Little League Classic at Williamsport's Historic Bowman Field and the gigantic baseball community that has grown in Williamsport with the Crosscutters and Little League World Series.
Brandon is joined by Minor League Baseball's Manager of Special Events and Affiliate Programming, Paige Hegedus, for this episode! Paige oversees a number of MiLB's special events, including the Innovator's Summit, Winter Meetings and PBEO Job Fair. Brandon and Paige talk about the job fair experience, the opportunities it provides for both new and veteran executives, the big/small world of Minor League baseball, doing your research before interviews and much more!
