Goodbye, Meetings. Hello, winter!

Plus, a new logo lights up the night [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( December 16, 2022 The human spine is made up of 34 vertebrae. This is the 34th edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter, a body of work whose backbone is now complete. The skeletal metaphors stop now (they need to be fleshed out a bit), but news, notes and nuggets related to the business and culture of Minor League Baseball await. Thank you for reading.    [Meet Mike Nutter]( WINTER MEETINGS CONVERSATIONS: THE VETERAN AND THE ROOKIE Last week’s newsletter, which I wrote on location at the Baseball Winter Meetings in San Diego, contained a rundown of this year’s slate of [Golden Bobblehead Award Winners](. But there were more awards where that came from, including a pair that honored Minor League front office members on an individual level:  Executive of the Year -- Mike Nutter (president, Fort Wayne TinCaps) Future Star -- Rebekah Rivette (manager of marketing and game presentation, Bradenton Marauders) [Meet Rebekah Rivette]( The day after the awards -- Dec. 5, for those keeping score at home -- I interviewed Nutter and Rivette for MiLB.com’s “Show Before the Show” podcast. These interviews, conducted separately and presented back-to-back on the podcast, offer a pair of complementary perspectives. Nutter, 50, is a baseball lifer and long-time front office leader; Rivette, 25, has found early success and now seeks to build upon it.  My interview with Nutter also formed the basis for a [recent MiLB.com article]( in case you’re partial to words over sound.  [LISTEN TO MIKE NUTTER AND REBEKAH RIVETTE ON ‘THE SHOW BEFORE THE SHOW’ PODCAST](   [Farewell, San Diego]( GOODBYE SAN DIEGO: WINTER MEETINGS ODDS AND ENDS Before bidding adieu to my 2022 Winter Meetings newsletter material, here are a few items of interest you may have missed:  My colleague Kelsie Heneghan [attended the Women in Baseball event]( where the “empowerment was palpable.”  MLB announced that all Minor League ballparks will be required to have [foul pole to foul pole]( netting by 2025, “unless the configuration of the ballpark makes such coverage unnecessary.” On this issue, [lots of people]( have [lots of different opinions](.  The Home and Visiting Clubhouse Managers of the Year were announced, giving some overdue recognition to the unsung heroes of Minor League Baseball. [The Clubhouse Managers of the Year]( [82 players were selected]( in the Rule 5 Draft (15 in the Major League portion and 67 in the Minor League portion). Jonathan Mayo says that most intriguing player in this year’s Draft was pitcher Noah Song, left unprotected by the Red Sox and selected by the Phillies.  I don’t just Noah Song -- I know a lot of them! Nonetheless, I declined to participate in a Winter Meetings karaoke outing attended by many of my co-workers. I did enjoy wandering around San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter at night, however, as there are a lot of historic buildings with interesting architectural elements. This was one of them. I assume that it’s haunted. [In the Gaslamp Quarter](     HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TRIVIA QUESTION From 1936 through 1968, San Diego was home to a Pacific Coast League (PCL) team named the Padres. What city did the PCL Padres relocate to in 1969, in conjunction with San Diego being awarded a Major League expansion franchise that assumed the Padres mantle?   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson hosts Ghosts of the Minors]( Just when you thought it was clear sailing, this is Josh Jackson, spoiling the view for 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 real historic Minor League club disguised among two frauds.  In the last episode, we took a dip with the Pocomoke City Salamanders. This week, I ask you which of these teams got their starch up in the Minors of yesteryear:  - The Aroostook County Nine Spuds - The Kennewick Taters - The Idaho Falls Russets  For the answer, [tune in next time]( won’t you?   [Explore Sahlen Field]( BALLPARK GUIDE OF THE WEEK: BUFFALO’S SAHLEN FIELD You’ve heard of Mark Ruffalo, but now it’s time to mark Buffalo … as a Minor League Baseball destination that you should visit! The Buffalo Bisons’ Sahlen Field, which I visited in September, is a stately -- Brobdingnagian, even -- facility that was originally built with hosting Major League Baseball in mind. The Sahlen Field Ballpark Guide (part of an [ongoing project]( includes information about Buffalo’s long baseball history, recent stadium improvements spurred by the Blue Jays’ two-season residency, iconic beer vendors, racing mascots, wing recommendations and, of course, much, much more. [READ THE SAHLEN FIELD BALLPARK GUIDE HERE](   [Columbia's glow-cap]( NEW LOGO OF THE WEEK: FIREFLIES LIGHT UP THE NIGHT The Columbia Fireflies have always branded themselves with luminosity in mind; this is a team, after all, with the tagline of “Let’s Glow.” The Single-A Royals affiliate recently unveiled a new alternate on-field cap featuring a mason jar logo (because mason jars are used to catch fireflies, you see).  You can see what the cap looks like during the day in the photo above. But this piece of headwear, like many of us, assumes a different personality at night. Click [HERE]( to see what it looks like when the lights are off. [Columbia aglow ]( And speaking of the Fireflies: Team president Brad Shank and broadcasting/media relations manager John Kocsis joined "The Show Before the Show" podcast a couple weeks back to discuss the laborious process of decorating the ballpark with over one million lights. Click [HERE]( to listen (and then select Episode 385).   QUESTIONS OF MINOR CONCERN This section of the newsletter did not appear last week, which I could attribute to the hustle and occasional bustle of the Winter Meetings. But the real reason is because my question of two weeks ago, regarding Minor League Baseball-themed gift suggestions, received a thoroughly muted response. “What’s going on here?” I darkly mused. “The only reasonable explanation is that no one likes me anymore, if they ever did at all.”  But I get knocked down, I get up again, etc. etc. I’m currently working up a database (read: scribbled-upon notebook page) of questions to ask in the future, and, clearly, I need your help. Therefore:  What Minor League Baseball-themed questions would you like to see asked in this newsletter?  Send your responses to benjamin.hill@mlb.com   [Cheerwine ham] DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers’ Trees of Hope event, featuring the opportunity to “enjoy a beautifully decorated Atrium Health Ballpark while viewing dozens of Christmas trees decorated by families, businesses and community organizations,” ran from Dec. 9-11.  During Trees of Hope, the Cannon Ballers offered a “festive food special”: Cheerwine-glazed ham on a ciabatta roll.  Cheerwine, for those not in the know, is a cherry-flavored soda that is made in North Carolina. I first tasted it at a Burlington (North Carolina) Royals game in 2011, as a liquid accompaniment to a forgettable tray of nachos. It was love at first sip.  [Ben's first cheerwine]   HOPELESSLY OBSCURE MINOR LEAGUE TRIVIA ANSWER! Following the 1968 season, the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League relocated to Eugene, Ore. The team became the Eugene Emeralds, replacing the Northwest League team of the same name that had been in operation since 1955.  The Emeralds played in the PCL from 1969-73, continuing a Philadelphia Phillies affiliation that began in San Diego. The team relocated to Sacramento in 1974; in conjunction with this move, Eugene regained a team in the Northwest League and continued on as the Emeralds.  Minor League Baseball history is confusing!   [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. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. [Visit MLB.com](. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Subscription required. Blackout and other restrictions may apply. Please review our [Privacy Policy](. 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