Hot Diggity! Join MiLB at the Meetings

Plus, a photo tour of beautiful San Diego [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( December 08, 2022 Hello, and welcome to the 33rd edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter. This is the western-most edition of the newsletter ever produced, as I am writing to you from the Baseball Winter Meetings in scenic San Diego.  [Welcome to the Winter Meetings ] Justin Verlander to the Mets! Trea Turner to the Phillies! Fred McGriff to the Hall of Fame! These are only some of the big news stories to have emerged from the Baseball Winter Meetings, currently (as I write this) taking place in San Diego, Calif.  Specifically, these stories have emanated from the Manchester Grand Hyatt, where the Major League portion of the Winter Meetings are based. Minor League Baseball, meanwhile, is headquartered at the comparatively sedate Hilton Bayfront. It’s located just a short boardwalk stroll from the Hyatt, but a world away from its buzzing, media-drenched cacophony. Nonetheless, the business of baseball proceeds apace.   [Opening Night in San Diego]( HOT DIGGITY: GOLDEN BOBBLEHEADS HONOR YEAR'S BEST MiLB PROMOS The Minor League Baseball Winter Meetings officially kicked off Sunday evening, with an [Opening Night Reception and Awards Program](. A portion of the Awards Program was dedicated to the Golden Bobblehead Awards, a longstanding Minor League tradition awarding promotional excellence. The Golden Bobblehead, previously modeled in the likeness of an anonymous male executive, now features a canine mascot named Diggity Dog. [Meet Diggty Dog]( The winners, along with brief commentary:  Best Promotion/Event: "Marathon Sunday Runday" (St. Paul Saints) On May 8, Seigo Masabuchi, a longtime member of the St. Paul Saints entertainment team, ran an in-game marathon on the concourse of CHS Field. This feat, impressive under any circumstance, came after Seigo recovered from COVID-induced heart failure in 2020. It was the 91st marathon of his running career, and all done with philanthropic intent. When I visited the Saints in July, I interviewed Seigo about this marathon as well as his long, improbable and [wholly unique baseball career](.  [San Antonio's Uvalde Night Fundraiser]( Community Promotion or Event: Uvalde Night Fundraiser (San Antonio Missions)After a horrific school shooting took place in Uvalde, the Missions, located some 80 miles away, stepped up. The Padres Double-A affiliate partnered with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and Wilson Sporting Goods to create replica jerseys modeled after those worn by the Uvalde High School baseball squad. For more, read [Michael Avallone’s MLB.com article]( on this emotional evening at the ballpark.  In-Game Promotion/Feature: Spin to Win Saturdays (South Bend Cubs) During Saturday ballgames, South Bend fans use a QR code to sign up for a chance to “spin” a videoboard wheel of chance. Prizes included a 50-inch smart TV, gift cards and video game systems. The use of the QR code allowed the team to add thousands more fans to their customer database.  Non-Gameday Event: "Enchant Christmas" (Las Vegas Aviators) Las Vegas Ballpark was the only Minor League facility to host Enchant Christmas, a 38-day holiday event billed as the largest lighted holiday maze in the country. [Joey Chestnut in Indianapolis]( Digital Campaign or Activation: Joey Jaws (Indianapolis Indians) To promote the tasty eats on their Tuesday Dollar Menu, the Triple-A Indians turned to the biggest eater of them all: Joey “Jaws” Chestnut. The world’s greatest competitive eater appeared at Indianapolis’ Victory Field on consecutive Tuesdays, participating in a variety of one-minute eating challenges the first week and setting the all-time popcorn eating record the next. [I spoke with Chestnut]( between these two appearances, and he shared the details of his training regimen. [Tacoma's Slammin' Sam] Theme Night Collection or Specialty Jersey: Slammin' Sam (Tacoma Rainiers) The Rainiers Slammin’ Sam jersey honors salmon as a “unique and storied contributor to culture in the Pacific Northwest.” Slammin’ Sam merchandise was a huge hit in Tacoma and beyond, and the team plans to expand its efforts to swim upstream.   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TRIVIA QUESTION Congrats to Fred “Crime Dog” McGriff, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday via the Contemporary Era Baseball Committee. McGriff hit his first Minor League home run as a member of the GCL (Gulf Coast League) Yankees in 1982. For whom did he hit his last Minor League home run?     JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson hosts Ghosts of the Minors]( This is Josh Jackson, barking out to all of you in newsletter land. I host The Show Before the Show podcast’s Ghosts of the Minors segment, in which I challenge you to identify a historical Minor League club hiding among two teams with no history whatsoever -- because I made them up.  In the last episode, we buckled down with the Mayfield Clothiers. This week, I ask you which of these teams slithered about in the Minors of yesteryear:  - The Lizard Lick Iguanas - The Shanty Town Rattlers - The Pocomoke City Salamanders  For the answer, [tune in next time]( won’t you?   [A view of San Diego Bay] SAN DIEGO IS BEAUTIFUL As is so often the case while attending industry events (and while visiting Minor League ballparks), I did not have a chance to really explore the city in question. But San Diego makes a great impression every time, even if that impression is formed mostly while looking out a hotel room window, walking between hotels and/or getting something to eat at an establishment located within a 10-minute walk from the hotel.  The view of Petco Park, from the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge: [Here is PETCO Park] Looking out the hotel room window: [The view from the hotel] Trees, very gnarled and very wise, at Embarcadero Marino Park: [Gnarly trees, San Diego] I wish I could keep going, but I was operating within a very limited radius within a limited amount of time.   DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY Soon after arriving in San Diego on Sunday afternoon, I set off in search of food. I soon found it, at a Hilton-run food truck called “On the Rocks.” This was obviously not a very ambitious place to find food, but I regret nothing. I ordered Carne Asada Tater Totchos, topped with guac and a roasted pepper. They were delicious. [Ben wants to be a totchos man] In case it’s still not clear: Totchos are simply nachos, but with tater tots instead of tortilla chips. It got me thinking that I’ve never seen them on a ballpark menu, but they definitely feel like ballpark food. Have you ever eaten totchos at a baseball game? Would you?   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE TRIVIA ANSWER! McGriff hit his final Minor League home run in 2004, as a member of the Durham Bulls (then, as now, a Tampa Bay affiliate). He started the season with the Bulls and played seven games, hitting one home run, before getting called up to Tampa Bay for the final 27 games of his career. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned next week for more from the Winter Meetings. Get in touch anytime: Benjamin.hill@mlb.com.   [IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER, TELL THEM TO SUBSCRIBE HERE](   Contact [Benjamin Hill](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com) [Twitter]( Online]( © 2022 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. 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