NYPL Hudson Valley Renegades

Hudson Valley Renegades Appoints New President

Published on February 11, 2004 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release


FISHKILL, NY - February 11, 2004 - The Hudson Valley Renegades, Class-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays announced today, the appointment of Mike Veeck as President.

According to Marv Goldklang, Chairman of the Renegades, Veeck will be "inaugurated" on February 17, 2004 at a 1:00 p.m. press conference at the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce in Wappingers Falls. All members of the media are invited to attend and lunch will be served. Veeck will be available for interviews following the press conference.

The Veeck family has been in baseball for nearly a century, dating back to when William Veeck, Sr. was the president of the Chicago Cubs. During his tenure with the Cubs, Veeck, Sr., gained fame as the person who first decided to grow ivy on the outfield walls at Wrigley Field.

Mike's father, Bill Veeck, then went on to become the owner of the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and the then-minor league Milwaukee Brewers. Veeck consistently broke attendance records with pennant-winning teams, outrageous door prizes, enthusiastic fan participation and ingenious promotional ideas. He is most remembered for signing Larry Doby, the first black player in the American League and for sending 3-foot-6 Eddie Gaedel to the plate for the Browns in a 1943 game against the Detroit Tigers. Bill Veeck was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in 1991.

Mike began his baseball career in the mid-70's, working for his father as Assistant Business Manager and Director of Marketing for the Chicago White Sox. After his Disco Demolition Night promotion for the Sox "blew up", Mike left baseball for about a decade and worked in advertising. He returned in 1990 with the Miami Miracle (now of Ft. Myers) as President and quickly returned the team to prominence, which won the McPhail industry award for promotional excellence in 1992. In 1993, Mike along with Marv Goldklang and others re-established the Northern League, an independent professional baseball league with franchises in the United States and Canada.

Mike is a founding member of the Goldklang Group and serves as President and part owner of several of its teams. The Goldklang Group is a diversified franchise ownership, sports marketing and consulting firm that works with a number of professional sports franchises and related entities.

According to Marv Goldklang, "Mike is the sort of individual who breathes energy and creativity into everything he touches. His involvement with the Renegades will no doubt reflect itself in things many of our fans have never seen before. Yes, we may get a couple of letters but, for the rest, hold on to your hats and wait for the excitement."

In addition to his baseball interests, Mike operates an advertising agency, which is affiliated with the Goldklang Group and travels the country as a sought-after speaker. Corporate groups to which he has spoken include 3M, Anheuser Busch, Land O' Lakes, General Mills, and First Union. Mike resides in Mt. Pleasant, SC, with wife Libby and daughter Rebecca.

For more information, please log onto www.hvrenegades.com or www.goldklanggroup.com. You can also contact Thomas Butkier in the Renegades Front Office at (845) 838-0094 ext. 249 or by e-mail at tombutkier@hvrenegades.com.

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