Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Ben-Smith’

The Journal Gazette’s Ben Smith recently posted a great article about Eric Wedge and his baseball camp. In addition to telling the when and where, he frames the article around Wedges experiences of a rough 2008 season that turned around just a little too late:

Eric Wedge likes to draw on his own experience when he comes back to Fort Wayne in the dead of winter to teach baseball. And so this year, the lesson will be, among other things, perseverance.

Perseverance, after all, took Wedge’s Cleveland Indians from last place at the All-Star break in 2008 to within 7 1/2 games of first by the time the leaves fell and the ballparks went quiet.

 

“You talk about perseverance and not giving in. … We ended up having the best record in the second half. That’s what it’s all about,” Wedge said from his home in Cleveland last week.

“I think that’s a great example. You go out there and you play for the right reasons. Even if you don’t have a chance to win a championship, that doesn’t mean you don’t go out there and play as if you did. I think there’s a serious lesson involved in that.”

Expect it to be imparted on Jan. 24 at the Eric Wedge Baseball Camps, which will again be conducted at the ASH Centre with Wedge, former major leaguer and New Haven High School standout Dave Doster and a host of other area college and international coaches and players presiding.

Eric Wedge Baseball Camps
When: Jan. 24
Where: ASH Centre, 1701 Freeman St.
Cost: $65 a participant for morning session; $90 a participant for afternoon session
Information: 436-1507, www.ericwedgebaseballcamp.com

Fort Wayne Sports Corp. Banquet
When: 6 p.m. Jan. 29
Where: Ceruti’s Summit Park Reception Hall
Cost: $75 a person for FWSC members; $85 non-members
Information: 420-1305, http://www.ericwedgebaseballcamp.com/

Since the official announcement, I have heard many people in favor of the Wizards’ possible name change — and I have probably heard just as many who are against it.

• Indiana News Center’s Dean Pantazi reminds us that “General manager Mike Nutter, who dropped the hint of a possible name change with the move to Harrison Square as early as last August.”
• Ben Smith takes and interesting twist on looking to history for a new name.
• Neil Kelty at Political Equinox cites the success of the organization to favor keeping the name – you’ll have to read the whole article to understand how it applies to politics.
• The New-Sentinel’s Reggie Hayes doesn’t seem to favor changing the name – OF ANYTHING!

In my humble opinion, a name change is something that the Wizards must consider. It doesn’t mean they have to change the name. However, opportunities for repositioning a brand or rebranding only come along every so often, and now is the perfect opportunity.

I have my own ideas for team names, and they are not the Kekiongas, the Generals, or even the City Lights. For that matter, we might as well consider the Lady Wayne Chocolates, the Dairymen or even Capeharts. All good names that did well to characterize teams in their respective days.

This is a new era. It needs to be new and forward thinking. It irks me when people instead take it as an apportunity to get their digs in about their distaste for Harrison Square. Okay, we get it. You’re mad and don’t approve. We hear you. It’s all well and good, but let’s support the project and hope it’s successful. Otherwise, the only fitting name might be the Summit City Apathy. Not sure what the mascot would look like, but visions of Oscar the Grouch come to mind.

But even it that were the case,  as long as you can use the ticket toget a discounted Billy Idol ticket, I’ll take it. REBEL YELL!!!