Happy Thanksgiving

A favorite day of mine for sure - I am thankful for a lot of things, and one of them is being part of the Walla Walla community.

A progress report: players are getting signed (will be announcing more in the next 10 days), we reached an agreement with Mark Michaud to be our pitching coach, and the seating manifest is almost built, meaning we can start seating those who have paid deposits on season tickets. We have a few hats remaining from the initial launch ($12 + tax, call 509.522.BALL if you want one - they will be the only hat with "Inaugural Season 2010" embroidered on the cap), and working to have a select order of golf shirts and t-shirts (men and women) for the holidays.

Check back soon! Have a safe holiday...

A quick post

So that you know I haven't checked out...we announced our first three player signings yesterday - bringing 3 Big XII guys in from the University of Kansas - a pair of solid middle infielders who can contribute offensively and a catcher who saw some significant playing time for a program that was a NCAA Regional contender out of a great baseball conference. You can read the release here: http://wallawallasweets.com/press/transactions/

We are excited to get a little Rock Chalk in Walla Walla.

And We Are Now Official...

Had a great launch yesterday. John, Jeff, Greg, Peter, and Scott flew in from Seattle, and our league president Ken Wilson joined us as we launched in front of over 500 Sharpstein Elementary School students and teachers. We are officially the Sweets, and here is a great story in the Union-Bulletin:

http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2009/11/13/sports/091113s1sweets.txt

Here is the Studio Simon-created Brand Identity:

I think we have made an onion look good!

Now we are 24/7 with ticket sales, sponsorships, and player development. I will start with player announcements early next week. Before signing off, many thanks publicly need to be sent to the folks at Sharpstein Elementary and WWPS - a dynamic public school system that was enthusiastic about being a part of this launch...

Murphy's Law...

States that when you are prepared to address 500 school-age children and the media, that you get bronchitis. Of course...

SBC Meetings In Charlotte, NC

I am in Charlotte, NC for the SBC (Summer Baseball Conference) Meetings. It is in essence the winter meetings for teams that are at our level of play, except a bit smaller of a scale. I actually like the fact that it is a little smaller because I get to really pick the brain (and share ideas with) owners and GMs of other franchises, more so than we ever did at the Baseball Winter Meetings (plus the food is better). You can read more about here: http://www.summerballconference.com/.

We are down to less than a week before our launch. We are putting the finishing touches on the press conference now, and look forward to unveiling the name and the brand there. It should be fun - we will have over 500 students at Sharpstein Elementary School in Walla Walla plus dozens of community leaders, the media, etc.

I am excited to actually start using our name and brand - it has been two months in the development process, it is time to start sharing it. I will share this: Studio Simon is the design firm we used, and you can see their work here: www.studiosimon.com. It will be fun.

Local Sponsors & Business Update

Sorry for the fluff posts recently. I am starting to get into the 12-hr a day mode, and am excited to be closing a few projects that will allow me to hire staff, finalize a roster, and start preparing the team for Opening Day in June. The reality of this as in any professional sports franchise is that Opening Day comes whether you are prepared or not, so it is nice that there is pressure in the deadline but at least it doesn't float.

Updates:

OFFICE SPACE: We are in the final stages of negotiation on a lease in downtown Walla Walla. I am excited that we will be downtown and that we will be relatively close to the stadium. It is one of the old buildings that has recently been renovated, and I think fans and community members will like how we fit in downtown. Good retail space as well, which is key...

BRAND LAUNCH: The date is official - we will launch the official team name and brand on November 12, 2009 at Sharpstein Elementary School at 2:00 PM with 450 of our closest elementary school friends. Finishing touches on the program will be put on next week, and I am excited to hear a gym full of kids cheering for the team. We will also officially announce our field manager at that time, and launch the website.

PARTNERS: We have started to finalize partners within the community, and we will start to roll those out when the team name is announced. We have some great local and regional partners that will help create an affordable family entertainment venue.

STADIUM: Finally, you are due some updates on the stadium - the dugouts are nearing completion, they have started building the new grandstand and backstop, and we are starting the plans to improve and update concessions and points of sale within the ballpark. I will have pictures for you next week.

Don't forget to enter to win season tickets...you can enter to win at our splash page: www.wallawallabaseball.com.

Yankees or Phillies?

History vs. current success? Most complete team in the majors (the Phillies) or the most expensive (Yankees)? Leave your pick and in how many games in the comment section...