Project: Purge is a two-phase renovation project currently underway at Germantown Community Theatre at 3037 S Forest Hill Irene Blvd. Between Feb. 19-21, over 100 volunteers from the GCT community came together to sift through more than two decades' worth of stage set pieces, props, costumes and other accumulated odds and ends. Check out the video below. (Article soon to follow.)
Parallax
2.16.2011
For Redbirds, baseball isn’t all fun and games
By Cole Epley
Yogi Berra once said, “In baseball, you don’t know nothing.”
Nowadays, the adage reads more like this: “In baseball, if you don’t know business, you don’t know nothing.”
Just ask Ben Weiss, general manager of the Memphis Redbirds. Instead of concerning himself with the pitching rotation or a cleanup hitter in a slump, he’s more focused on filling empty seats and ensuring that fans continue to come back night after night.
“The fan experience is the majority of what we deal with from the front office,” the Allentown, Penn. native says.
While this may seem unusual to baseball fans, it’s a day-to-day reality in the front office of any minor league baseball club, where the foremost priority is player development for Major League parent organizations.
The Redbirds are in a doubly challenging position, however. They face a ten-year trend of declining attendance as well as a cloud of enduring financial problems stemming from the organization’s inception. AutoZone Park, known in some circles as the “Taj Mahal” of Minor League baseball, was constructed in 2000 at Third Street and Union Avenue—with an $80 million price tag.
Managing the team’s finances is the Memphis Redbirds Organization, which has very little to do with what happens on the field. The organization provides entertainment and, more importantly, a venue within which to play games, but everything else that happens on the field, including the umpires, is provided by Major League Baseball.
“The players and coaches put on the game and we as an organization have very little to do with that,” says John Pontius, treasurer of the Memphis Redbirds Foundation, which owns the team and its distinguished venue, AutoZone Park.
“The Redbirds Foundation incurred a tremendous amount of debt to build the ballpark in 2000,” Pontius points out, “and ever since, the Foundation has struggled to meet the debt service obligations.”
He says that this problem was compounded in part by the numerous bondholders of the principal debt of $72 million, which was sold to private equity firm Fundamental Advisors at 38 cents on the dollar in October. Complicating things even further, attendance figures have dropped significantly since the team was established—declining by as many as 97,000 to no fewer than 4,000 seats between any two of the last ten seasons.
“Dean Jernigan [a principal investor in AutoZone Park’s construction] was gracious enough to obligate himself to fill the gaps, and he did so for a number of years,” Pontius says.
Jernigan’s obligation included guaranteeing coverage of losses from his personal finances, but “at a certain point,” Pontius says, “he had to stop funding the organization’s shortfalls.”
Shortly after came a default on payments on behalf of the organization and the inevitable restructuring of debt.
With the debt of the organization now resting in the hands of a single bondholder, however, the price of the debt is now closer to what the team can support—a reality in stark contrast to the situation prior to the bond purchase.
It’s a reality that, in Pontius’ words, “changes the whole mindset” of the organization.
Putting aside the drama of the behind-the-scenes ownership debt is anticipated to have positive impact on the organization and its ability to better serve its patrons. For example, Weiss cites an increase in marketing dollars in 2011 that enables the front office to offer more in-game entertainment for the target family market.
Coming attractions at AutoZone Park in 2011 include the world-famous San Diego Chicken and the Zooperstars, who have performed at scores of NBA halftime shows, as well as a dozen fireworks nights.
“Fireworks nights are a cornerstone of what we do in the Memphis market,” Weiss says.
Aside from in-game theatrics, the Redbirds pride themselves on their luxurious Downtown accommodations. In fact, Baseball America voters in 2009 selected AutoZone Park as the best minor league ballpark in the nation. And although downtown-area stadiums have been trending at the Major League level, the Redbirds remain ahead of the curve with their unique location in the heart of Downtown.
That advantage also poses a unique challenge to the organization, however.
“Getting families to drive 15-20 minutes from out east to Downtown, on top of finding a place to park is a marketing focus for us,” Weiss says.
Another part of the focus involves communicating the ease of not only getting Downtown, but also maneuvering, parking and addressing safety issues.
Commenting on the advantages of having a single bondholder, Weiss anticipates more effective communication and a more productive work environment. Being in such a position, he says, puts the organization in the driver’s seat to have one of the best years in recent memory.
Pontius, too, remains optimistic about the organization.
“I believe that 2011 will be a breakout year in terms of our operations—sales, attendance, customer satisfaction,” he says. The Foundation is offered an opportunity to better manage the organization, he notes.
The Redbirds open the 2011 season on April 7 with a home series against Oklahoma City, a team the Redbirds defeated in the Pacific Coast League Championship in 2009. Memphis returned to the Championship series again in 2010, but was swept by the Tacoma Rainiers.
“The bottom line for me is that I believe baseball in Memphis, as a triple A affiliate of St. Louis, will continue to be played in AutoZone Park for a long time,” he says, “which is what the citizens of Memphis want and deserve.”
For Redbirds schedule information, tickets and real-time updates, visit www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t235
For history and in-depth information about AutoZone Park, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoZone_Park
2.14.2011
Cordova Olympian has eyes on London 2012
By Cole Epley
Every four years, athletes of all ages are inspired by the Olympic games.
Sports fans reflect on years past, conjuring up deep-seated emotions of magical performances and enduring hope.
Dating back nearly 30 centuries, the Olympics is one of the most widely-recognized and revered global events in the world. Joshua McAdams, a 30-year-old Cordova resident, plans to be in London for the 2012 Summer Games—his second consecutive Olympics appearance.
But he won’t be a spectator.
The third-year Southern College of Optometry student is currently training to qualify for the steeplechase, a 3,000-meter race featuring four hurdles per lap and a water jump, at the 2012 summer games.
“Every four years, kids dream about the Olympics,” McAdams says. “I did, too.”
With a 2-year-old of his own, he reflects on discovering running during his childhood.
The fifth child in a family of eight, McAdams grew up in Cleveland, instilled with the values, discipline and work ethic that accompanies an upbringing in a Mormon family.
“Every year in elementary school, we had to do the timed mile run. Every year, I’d set a school record for the grade level,” he says. That talent shone throughout his high school years and into his college career, which he began at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
After a year at Belmont, McAdams took a two-year hiatus to go on an international mission to Thailand as a part of an LDS Church mission before resuming his college career at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
“While some say that the mission may not be the best two years of your life,” McAdams says, “it’s definitely the best two years for your life. I got to see how a Christian experience can change a person’s life firsthand.”
He reflects on how the mission changed priorities in his life while noting that his running actually improved after the Thailand trip.
McAdams’ coach at BYU, four-time NCAA champion and two-time Olympian Ed Eyestone, says McAdams came to his office in early 2003, just after he returned from his mission.
“Apparently the families feed the missionaries very well there, because he was probably about 35 pounds over the ideal weight for a runner,” Eyestone says.
The coach says that although he was skeptical at first, it took just two weeks and a grueling 80-mile-per-week ‘diet’ that “usually will get a runner to where they need to be.”
Eyestone realized McAdams’ potential as a steeplechaser in between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
“The first time he went over a hurdle, he looked like he’d been doing it all of his life,” says Eyestone. Noting his flexibility and natural inclination to hurdling, Eyestone says, “From that moment, I told him, ‘You know what? You’re going to be NCAA champion in the steeplechase.’”
Eyestone’s prediction was realized at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor National Championships, just three weeks after ‘the runner with the Cheshire cat grin’ won his first-ever Mountain West Conference steeplechase championship. McAdams, a four-time All-American, shaved nearly 33 seconds off of his MWC-championship performance en route to fulfilling his coach’s prophecy.
After graduating from BYU, McAdams applied and was accepted to Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, one of the top clinical optometry schools in the nation. However, he postponed his scholastic goals in order to train, qualify and compete at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
He placed 27th among all steeplechasers, blogging about his Olympic experience as they occurred.
Dr. James Newman, director of academic support services at Southern College of Optometry, says that McAdams came straight from Beijing to Memphis, eager to continue his education.
“He was still feeling the euphoria of participating, but you could tell that he was a very disciplined person and he really had direction for what he wanted to do,” Newman says.
Newman relates McAdams’ Olympic quest to his professional quest to become an optometrist. Just like an Olympian has to endure the pain and challenges to reach the goal, he says, an optometry student has to endure the exhaustive efforts and challenges to become a doctor.
“He’s having to discipline himself even further to keep after his studies and to learn for the long haul,” Newman says. “But you keep your eyes on the prize and you keep on keeping on.”
McAdams’ path has been far from perfect. Two weeks before winning the 2008 Outdoor steeplechase, doctors confirmed that he had suffered a stress fracture in his right hip. The runner persevered for a few months, even competing in races in Europe, before eventually deciding to give his body a well-deserved rest.
He was out of commission for four months solid — “I couldn’t even get on an elliptical machine,” he says.
In February of this 2010, McAdams began getting back into shape and, in just four months, managed a fifth place finish at the USA Championships. Although he missed his goal of finishing top three, he remained confident in his recovery and progress.
Eyestone likes his chances of coaching McAdams at both the Outdoor World Championships as well as at the London games. “I think he will be a force to be reckoned with at the World Championship trials this year, as well as the Olympic trials next year,” he says.
Since reading a book late last year which has influenced a change in his form and stride, McAdams says he is running better than he ever has.
Lately, he’s been focused on tackling the four-minute mile, which, as any runner knows, is among the holiest of holies as far as track accomplishments go. McAdams says that it’s “75 percent fitness and 25 percent being in the right race.” Two weeks ago in Fayetteville, he missed the mark by just 1.4 seconds. He returns this week to attempt the feat again.
Of course, his family will be in tow:
“The inspiration I receive from having my wife and daughter there, watching me,” he says, “there’s really no sweeter feeling than that.”
Every four years, athletes of all ages are inspired by the Olympic games.
Sports fans reflect on years past, conjuring up deep-seated emotions of magical performances and enduring hope.
Dating back nearly 30 centuries, the Olympics is one of the most widely-recognized and revered global events in the world. Joshua McAdams, a 30-year-old Cordova resident, plans to be in London for the 2012 Summer Games—his second consecutive Olympics appearance.
But he won’t be a spectator.
The third-year Southern College of Optometry student is currently training to qualify for the steeplechase, a 3,000-meter race featuring four hurdles per lap and a water jump, at the 2012 summer games.
“Every four years, kids dream about the Olympics,” McAdams says. “I did, too.”
With a 2-year-old of his own, he reflects on discovering running during his childhood.
The fifth child in a family of eight, McAdams grew up in Cleveland, instilled with the values, discipline and work ethic that accompanies an upbringing in a Mormon family.
“Every year in elementary school, we had to do the timed mile run. Every year, I’d set a school record for the grade level,” he says. That talent shone throughout his high school years and into his college career, which he began at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
After a year at Belmont, McAdams took a two-year hiatus to go on an international mission to Thailand as a part of an LDS Church mission before resuming his college career at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
“While some say that the mission may not be the best two years of your life,” McAdams says, “it’s definitely the best two years for your life. I got to see how a Christian experience can change a person’s life firsthand.”
He reflects on how the mission changed priorities in his life while noting that his running actually improved after the Thailand trip.
McAdams’ coach at BYU, four-time NCAA champion and two-time Olympian Ed Eyestone, says McAdams came to his office in early 2003, just after he returned from his mission.
“Apparently the families feed the missionaries very well there, because he was probably about 35 pounds over the ideal weight for a runner,” Eyestone says.
The coach says that although he was skeptical at first, it took just two weeks and a grueling 80-mile-per-week ‘diet’ that “usually will get a runner to where they need to be.”
Eyestone realized McAdams’ potential as a steeplechaser in between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
“The first time he went over a hurdle, he looked like he’d been doing it all of his life,” says Eyestone. Noting his flexibility and natural inclination to hurdling, Eyestone says, “From that moment, I told him, ‘You know what? You’re going to be NCAA champion in the steeplechase.’”
Eyestone’s prediction was realized at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor National Championships, just three weeks after ‘the runner with the Cheshire cat grin’ won his first-ever Mountain West Conference steeplechase championship. McAdams, a four-time All-American, shaved nearly 33 seconds off of his MWC-championship performance en route to fulfilling his coach’s prophecy.
After graduating from BYU, McAdams applied and was accepted to Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, one of the top clinical optometry schools in the nation. However, he postponed his scholastic goals in order to train, qualify and compete at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
He placed 27th among all steeplechasers, blogging about his Olympic experience as they occurred.
Dr. James Newman, director of academic support services at Southern College of Optometry, says that McAdams came straight from Beijing to Memphis, eager to continue his education.
“He was still feeling the euphoria of participating, but you could tell that he was a very disciplined person and he really had direction for what he wanted to do,” Newman says.
Newman relates McAdams’ Olympic quest to his professional quest to become an optometrist. Just like an Olympian has to endure the pain and challenges to reach the goal, he says, an optometry student has to endure the exhaustive efforts and challenges to become a doctor.
“He’s having to discipline himself even further to keep after his studies and to learn for the long haul,” Newman says. “But you keep your eyes on the prize and you keep on keeping on.”
McAdams’ path has been far from perfect. Two weeks before winning the 2008 Outdoor steeplechase, doctors confirmed that he had suffered a stress fracture in his right hip. The runner persevered for a few months, even competing in races in Europe, before eventually deciding to give his body a well-deserved rest.
He was out of commission for four months solid — “I couldn’t even get on an elliptical machine,” he says.
In February of this 2010, McAdams began getting back into shape and, in just four months, managed a fifth place finish at the USA Championships. Although he missed his goal of finishing top three, he remained confident in his recovery and progress.
Eyestone likes his chances of coaching McAdams at both the Outdoor World Championships as well as at the London games. “I think he will be a force to be reckoned with at the World Championship trials this year, as well as the Olympic trials next year,” he says.
Since reading a book late last year which has influenced a change in his form and stride, McAdams says he is running better than he ever has.
Lately, he’s been focused on tackling the four-minute mile, which, as any runner knows, is among the holiest of holies as far as track accomplishments go. McAdams says that it’s “75 percent fitness and 25 percent being in the right race.” Two weeks ago in Fayetteville, he missed the mark by just 1.4 seconds. He returns this week to attempt the feat again.
Of course, his family will be in tow:
“The inspiration I receive from having my wife and daughter there, watching me,” he says, “there’s really no sweeter feeling than that.”
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