Sports stats



FL Florence Y'alls

Interview with Florence Freedom Owner Clint Brown

by Andrew Kappes
June 22, 2005 - Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls


Recently, I had the opportunity to interview new Florence Freedom owner Clint Brown.

Andrew: How does the purchasing process (of a team) in the Frontier League work?

Mr. Brown: Commissioner Bill Lee spearheads the expansion process. Typically, the process begins with the prospective owner or community applying to the Frontier League for an expansion team. The application process explores obvious issues such as the finances of the new owners and their business plan. But the League is particularly interested in the community itself, focusing on issues such as demographics as well as its geographic "fit" given our current makeup. Larger communities without affiliated baseball in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky seem to fit best. A successful new franchise must also satisfy the League that its proposed stadium is adequate. Newly built stadiums developed with a Frontier League team in mind are preferable.

I understand that there are 6-8 communities in various stages of application for an expansion team at present. Not all will end up with a team, but I think the League feels it could accommodate 16 strong franchises within 5 years or so from 12 now.

The Florence Freedom franchise went through this process 3-5 years ago with the former ownership group. I purchased the Team out of bankruptcy this past winter, but our ownership group still had to be approved by the League.

Andrew: How were you able to turn around this team around so quickly?

Mr. Brown: Let me answer this question in 2 parts. With regard to the baseball team itself, the improved play is the direct result of better players. Jamie Keefe, Field Manager and the rest of the coaching staff deserve all of the credit for the quality of our talent. Unlike affiliated baseball where the parent major league club assigns players to each minor league, independent clubs are responsible for finding and signing their own players. Jamie serves as Director of Baseball Operations as well and is responsible for recruiting players. As a former minor league player and Manager will the Chillicothe franchise, Jamie has an excellent network of contacts all over college and professional baseball to help identify possible candidates. Jamie also enjoys an excellent reputation as a "players'" manager. Players know that Jamie will help them become better players and support their dream of returning to affiliated ball if that is their goal. I believe pitching coach Will Flynt and special assistant Chris Hook have also been very helpful in securing some of our talent.

The second part of my answer to your question pertains to the franchise itself. Most clubs have 8 months in the off-season to prepare for the next season. Having bought the team in January, we had less than half the normal amount of prep time. Further, we had just 3 employees in place at that time, plus we had to complete a stadium! Our first order of business was staffing the front office. We ultimately recruited several experienced minor league staffers who know how to run a franchise. Our front office staff is smart, but they are also hard workers. A typical day in March and April meant working in the office by day selling season tickets, group outings and corporate sponsors, then moving outside to the stadium after business hours to hang plywood on the outfield wall, shingle the roof of our grill shack or paint (lots of painting!) under the stadium lights. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and hard working front office staff.

Andrew: Was there much of a process to hire a manager with a great background like Jamie Keefe?

Mr. Brown: The simple answer to this question is we got lucky! As part of my due diligence process prior to buying the Club, I attended the Frontier League annual meeting last November in Atlantic City. Morgan West (now our Director or Stadium Operations who was loaned to the Freedom last year when the League took over the franchise) accompanied me. He introduced me to a number of Frontier League people, including Jamie, who attended the conference as a part of the Chillicothe Paints group. It did not take long for me to recognize that he was exactly what we were looking for in a manager. Fortunately, he was ready for a new challenge after five years with the Paints. Fortunately, Chris Haners, who owns the Paints franchise and is also a founder and Chairman of the League, supported Jamie's decision. I have been very impressed with how supportive everyone in the Frontier League is.

Andrew: Do you think you will need to go out and get another player around the deadline to further Florence's chances of making the Frontier League play-offs?

Mr. Brown: I can virtually guarantee that we will make many roster moves this season to improve the team. Jamie and his staff constantly seek new players that can help us get better. Its not unusual for prospective players to work out for the coaches during home stands. In fact, we may sign as many as 3 new players this week alone. This is a particularly busy time of year for transactions. After a few weeks, teams in the league have a better idea of what they have and what they need, so there tends to be lots of trades. Also, the major league draft was held two weeks ago, so there are lots of undrafted and unsigned players interested in joining the independent leagues.

We also face the possibility of losing some of our better players who get signed by affiliated minor league teams. Last year, I think there were 18 players signed out of the Frontier League to minor league contracts. Of course, we don't like losing our best players, but its important to note that why independent leagues exist.

Andrew: Do you see Florence on top of a very tough Eastern Division at the end of the season?

Mr. Brown: You are correct in recognizing how tough our division is. Going into our Tuesday night game, there are five teams within one game of first place. I am pleased with our team's performance, as we have fared well against the strongest teams in the league. We really like the makeup of our team - we have 3 excellent starting pitchers in Mike Dennison, Jason Bowlin and Mark Harris. We have two exceptional professional hitters in first baseman Trevor Hall (.363, 8 HR's, 26 RBI's) and centerfielder Mike Galloway (.398, 10 HR's, 32 RBI's). We also like our defense up the middle with catcher Scott Pickens and shortstop Josh Sanchez, just to name a few. Naturally, we will need some breaks along the way and keep infusing new talent into the club, but I think we have what it takes to compete for a playoff spot.

Andrew: With Champion Window Field finally finished; do you see Florence leading the league in attendance in 1-2 years?

Mr. Brown Leading the league in attendance is certainly possible, but not within two years. Our goal is to become one of the five strongest franchises in the League within 3 years. To accomplish that goal, we need to increase our attendance to 4,000/game or so on average. There is no reason why this can't happen - we have the best stadium, location and demographics in the league. In fact, before awarding a franchise here, the Frontier League determined that Northern Kentucky represents one of the five best markets for minor league baseball in the country. We are determined to realize this potential and will continue to offer the best high value, family entertainment we can.

Andrew: It is my understanding that Mike Galloway was an opening day signing, we all know what great things he's doing now, how did you find Mr. Galloway?

Mr. Brown: Mike Galloway is clearly the team's top hitter. In fact, he has hit safely in all 25 games he has played for the Freedom and is among the league leaders in batting average (third at .398), RBI's (first with 32), and home runs (tied for first with 10). He can also run (3 stolen bases) and is an excellent defensive player, moving from right to center field recently. Clearly, he benefits from hitting in front of sluggers like Trevor Hall and Kyle Geswein, but Mike is the real deal. We obtained Mike just before the season started when he was released from the Toronto Blue Jays organization. I know Mike hopes to return to affiliated ball and if he keeps playing like this, someone will sign him.

Andrew: What exactly goes on in the Frontier League off-season, how is it different from Major League Baseball's off-season?

Mr. Brown: I think there are more similarities than differences between a major league and independent league off-season. From a player personnel standpoint, big league GM's must worry about free agency. However, Frontier League teams must find at least 16 new players every season given league caps on veteran players. On the business front, both leagues' first order of business is retaining season ticket holders and sponsors. We also both take stock of what worked and did not work so well the previous season and address the weaknesses. Almost everyone in a minor league front office becomes sales people during the off-season, focused primarily on selling season tickets, group outings and sponsorships.

Check out the Florence Y'alls Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board...

Frontier League Stories from June 22, 2005


The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Florence Y'alls Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central