FSL1 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Miracle General Manager Honored By League

Published on October 17, 2008 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


FORT MYERS, FL (October 17, 2008) - Florida State League President Chuck Murphy has announced the league's nominations for the annual awards presented by Minor League Baseball. The nominees were selected by the league's Directors and General Managers.

Fort Myers Miracle General Manager Steve Gliner has been named 2008 Florida State League Executive of the Year. This is Gliner's first Executive of the Year Award from the Florida State League.

This past year marked Gliner's 21st year in professional baseball, his 19th with the Goldklang Group and his fifth year as General Manager of the Miracle.

"It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the members of the Florida State League. The Miracle are very appreciative of the incredible fan base and sponsor support we received in 2008. This award really represents an entire team effort. I am very proud of the accomplishments of our entire staff this year," said Gliner.

For the second straight year, the Florida State League awarded the Miracle with the league's nomination for the Larry MacPhail Promotional Trophy, which is given for outstanding promotional work during the season. One overall winner will be selected prior to this year's Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, NV for all of Minor League Baseball's 15 leagues.

The Miracle had an entire season of "Fun Is Good" promotions in 2008, including "Cheaper By The Gallon Days" which offered fans box seat tickets and grill items priced the same as that day's least expensive gallon of gas in south Fort Myers; An appearance and "Meet and Greet" by "Desperate Housewives" star James Denton; "Bobblection", which featured a bobblehead fan election between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. The best fireworks displays in Southwest Florida, two Education Days and the ever popular "Big Splash" day at Hammond Stadium enhance the promotional schedule. The Miracle also hosted several non-game day events, including the Ballpark Festival of Beers, a Mini Golf tournament, the Miracle Golf Classic benefiting the Storm Eye Institute, a Special Needs Baseball Camp, and our first ever Journalism Camp for kids. The Miracle also joined the rest of the Goldklang Group in honoring the inaugural class of the Topps Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame.

In 2008, The Miracle set the all-time single season attendance mark in the team's 17-year history in Southwest Florida by drawing 124,749 fans through the gates, as well as a new average per game attendance high water mark of 1,834 fans per game.

"Steve is one of the truly outstanding talents in the game. He is both a strong operator and a creative thinker, qualities which are not often found in the same individual. He and Miracle President Linda McNabb have put together an outstanding group of people who never fail to impress. The credit for these awards goes not only to Steve and Linda but, as I'm sure they will point out, to the Miracle staff that makes us look good every day. My job as owner is simply to stay out of their way," said Miracle Principal Owner/Chairman Marv Goldklang.

The Florida State League's other award winners included the Daytona Cubs as the league's nominee for the John H. Johnson President's Trophy, awarded for best overall franchise operation and Katie Siegfried, Co-General Manager of the Vero Beach Devil Rays for the Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year nomination.

This is the fourth straight year that the Miracle has been nominated by the Florida State League for a Minor League Baseball award. The club was selected for the John H. Johnson President's Trophy nomination in 2005 and 2006 and for the Larry MacPhail Promotional Trophy in 2007.

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