PRESS RELEASE – The Lowell Spinners, Class-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, were once again named the New York-Penn League Leo Pinckney Promotional Award Winners, earning the league’s nomination for the Larry MacPhail Trophy, awarded annually by Minor League Baseball to the team with the most outstanding overall promotional effort.
The nomination means the Spinners will represent the 14-team New York-Penn League against representatives from each of the other 14 leagues in Minor League Baseball, all the way up to Triple-A leagues. The Minor League award will be presented to the overall winner at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas. this December.
The Leo Pinckney Award, named after the former editor of The Auburn (NY) Citizen and 1998 “King of Minor League Baseball,” was re-named by the NYPL in 2008 and the Spinners are the second team to earn the honor and first to earn it in consecutive years. The team has previously won the overall MacPhail Award in 2000, also awarded in Dallas.
“The 2011 season was a special year for fans at LeLacheur Park, as it was a chance to showcase ourselves to our league brethren at the 2011 New York-Penn League All-Star Game, as well a national level when footage of the first ever ‘Human Home Run’ went national,” said Spinners’ President and General Manager Tim Bawmann. “We view ourselves as promoters with 38 dates to promote. We pride ourselves on making each of those 38 shows a unique and exciting event.”
The Spinners’ 2011 Promotional Schedule was jam packed with promotions with everything from Cowboy Monkey Rodeo, with monkeys riding boarder collies on the field, to the aforementioned “Human Home Run,” when David “The Bullet” Smith Sr. became the first ever human home run when he was shot out of a cannon on the outfield over the outfield wall.
The season also featured a world record attempt for most people flossing simultaneously (June 29), a continuation of the team’s popular bobble head series, Fireworks, giveaways, charity benefit nights and more!
“Our mantra in the office is ‘Every Night is Opening Night,” said Spinners Vice President and General Manager Tim Bawmann. “We recognize whether it is game one or game 38, it is the first game for someone and we aim make each night a special night for everyone.”
Special guests at LeLacheur Park included 2004 Boston Red Sox star Kevin Millar, Boston Bruin Milan Lucic, NBA Hall of Famer Tom “Satch” Sanders, Marathon Man Bill Rodgers, New England Patriots Stephen Gostkowski and Brian Hoyer, Red Sox great Bernie Carbo, boxing legend “Irish” Micky Ward and his trainer turned Hollywood actor, Sgt. Mickey O’Keefe, Saved by the Bell’s Mr. Belding, Dennis Haskins, Sen. Scott Brown and more!
In addition the Spinners played host to the second annual Milan Lucic Celebrity Softball Classic, featuring a number of Lucic’s Stanley Cup winning teammates, TV actor Lenny Clarke, Ken Casey from the Dropkick Murphy’s and more to benefit local charities.
“We are honored to be nominated by our NYPL peers to represent the league for the Larry MacPhail award,” said Bawmann. “It is a great tribute for the organization from top-to-bottom, from our owner and full-time staff to our interns and summer game-day staff and the dedication to making each trip to LeLacheur Park a special event. We already have ourselves immersed in planning to ensure 2012 is even better than 2011!”
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