RedSoxNation.net went down to the minors to talk baseball with Jon Goode the Director of Corporate Communications for the Lowell Spinners. In charge of Public Relations for the Spinners, the Red Sox short-season A-ball affiliate, he oversees one of the most successful in-game entertainment programs in all of baseball. A native of Natick, MA, and a graduate of Merrimack College, Goode has written for the Lowell Sun, Metrowest Daily News, and was an on-line sportswriter for CBS Sportsline. He currently writes a weekly "Catching Up With" column, covering New England sports stars, which is syndicated in the Providence Journal, Boston.com, Boston Metro, and The Stoneham Independent. We talked to Jon about the job he loves, what goes into it, and Spinners baseball.


RSN: Before we get into subjects like cow-milking contests and Kevin Youkilis, let's talk about the Alumni Awards dinner coming up on December 3rd. Tell us a little about that, including who'll be appearing.

JG: The Lowell Spinners Alumni Dinner is an annual dinner we started in 2002 to raise money for charity. Over the past two years the Spinners have raised close to $50,000 for Kids in Disability Sports and the Cystinosis Research Network.

This year the dinner is to benefit the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America and is our biggest dinner to date. It is already SOLD OUT. At the Spinners dinner we will have the Red Sox World Series Trophy, Lew Ford (Minnesota Twins), Freddy Sanchez(Pittsburgh Pirates), Luis Alicea, Dick Berardino, Ben Cherington, Johnny Pesky, Rico Petrocelli, Jerry Remy and other fun celebrities including Harry Mann (Boston Red Sox movie), Jimmy Pedro (U.S. Olympian in Judo - silver medal), Mickey Ward (Boxing Champion), and Brian Worth (Finalist Average Joe 2: Hawaii).

Lew Ford is the recipient of this year’s Dick Berardino Lowell Spinners Alumni Award. Previous winners were Mike Maroth of the Detroit Tigers and David Eckstein from the Anaheim Angels.

We will also have some great silent auction items featuring four tickets to a 2005 Red Sox game where you can watch three innings from inside the Green Monster, a David Ortiz autographed bat, an Official Boston Marathon Race Number, a Porsche for a weekend and many more Red Sox autographed items.

It will be an unbelievable night and all for a great cause.

RSN: What former players from the Spinners are the most successful in the Major League today?

JG: We have quite a few players in the Majors and our most successful are David Eckstein, Adam Everett, Lew Ford, Casey Fossum, Shea Hillenbrand, Matt Kinney, and Kevin Youkilis. We also have one alumni who plays in the NFL for the Chicago Bears: Corey Jenkins.

We are still a fairly young team with our first season being 1996, but slowly more and more Spinners are making it to the Majors. Just on the horizon are Abe Alvarez (who started one game with the Red Sox this year), Hanley Ramirez, Justin Sherrod, and Chris Smith.

RSN: Ex-Spinners always seem to have good things to say about their days in Lowell. What do you think makes that experience so positive for them?

JG: First, I am very happy to hear that is the case and that's how former players feel. Anyone who plays for the Spinners is very special to the organization and we consider them a family member. We open our arms to all our players and try and make their adjustment as smooth as possible.

We like to think we treat all the players with class and try to make their experience here in Lowell very comfortable. For many this is their very first stop on their way to Fenway and hope that when they look back on their first stop they have fond memories.

I try and maintain relationships with many of them and still talk to them. I speak with Jessica and Shea Hillenbrand weekly and have spoken with Kevin Youkilis, Corey Jenkins, Adam Everett, David Eckstein, Mike Maroth, Lew Ford, and Freddy Sanchez recently. They are all great people and help us out anytime we need anything.

RSN: Which MLBers have done rehab stints in Lowell, and what have those experiences been like -- both for the players, and the fans.

JG: One of the benefits of being so close to Boston and being a Red Sox affiliate is during the summer we have had several Red Sox make rehab stints. Our most popular rehab start was Bret Saberhagen and just this summer we had our first former player make a rehab start in Kevin Youkilis.

It’s a huge thrill for the players, who are so hungry to make it to the Red Sox. It gives the players a chance to interact with a Major League player and see how they approach the game. It can be a great learning experience for them.

As far as the fans, they love it and who wouldn’t? For $3.50 fans get the chance to see a Major League player perform. Where else can a fan have that opportunity?

RSN: Speaking of Boston, any thoughts on the 2004 Red Sox?

JG: Any thoughts on the 2004 Red Sox? It’s a good thing this is on the internet and there are no space restrictions, right? I could go on and on.

The one thing I will always remember from the 2004 season is how much it meant to me personally and my family. I watched the end of Game 4 with my beautiful future-wife Lauren and we woke up our two children, Kylan, who is four and Brayden, who was two months old at the time. I was crying and one of biggest reasons I was crying was because I was able to enjoy the moment I had been waiting my whole life for with my family - Lauren, Kylan, and Brayden. We took pictures to preserve the moment.

As soon as the game ended I called my sister Danielle and called my Mom, who I actually called after every post-season game they won. I then called my cousin Greg, who is the best man in my wedding and thought about my Uncle Ricky. After that I had to release some energy and sprinted up and down the street. The funny thing was I was not alone in my sprinting on the street!

I will never forget 2004 - does it get any better? I got engaged to the girl of my dreams Lauren, had the birth of my son Brayden and the Red Sox won the World Series. Life is certainly great!

RSN: The Spinners have one of the most dedicated fan-bases in the minor leagues. Tell us about that.

JG: Our fans are simply the best and we appreciate them every single day. Without them the Spinners would not exist. Day in and day out myself and the rest of the front office work extremely hard to put on the best event we can each time for the fans.

Even though we have a standing-room crowd every game we do not take it for granted and each off-season we push even harder to try and outperform the previous season. Our fans are the reason why we all have jobs, and personally, I cannot thank them enough.

RSN: Tell us about some of the promotions you've entertained the fans with. Which have been the most successful and crowd-pleasing?

JG: We are noted for having crazy and wacky promotions and we love having that reputation. It’s a reputation that is both local and national.

Our top promotions included Birth Night, where the first woman to give birth won a year supply of diapers, Bald is Beautiful Night, Peter Gammons Look-alike Night, Skunk Racing, Cow Milking, the Janet Jackson Super Bowl Stage, and our famous bobble heads, which have included Jack Kerouac, Mike O’Malley, Peter Gammons, and Stephen King. This summer, we set the World Record for the World’s Largest Game of Duck, Duck Goose.

We have also had Joe Bellino’s Heisman Trophy, had kids throw passes between-innings to N.E. Patriots wide receiver David Givens, had the Illustrator from the Harry Potter books, Mary Grandpre, do a book signing, and had the real-life Emily Elizabeth from the Clifford the Big Red Dog series sign autographs for kids.

The list goes on-and-on, and we are always open to any new ideas!

RSN: What has been the most memorable or craziest thing you have been a part of with the Spinners?

JG: Without a doubt it was the Jack Kerouac bobble head promotion. That was insane, and we’ve never experienced anything like it. The promotion not only went national but international. Fans from all over wanted a Jack Kerouac bobble head and were willing to give anything for one.

Our phones did not stop ringing and literally I was doing interviews all over the world. I would be on a radio show in Montreal, hang up and then be on one in Wisconsin. I could not keep up with the interview requests and we could not keep up with the requests for the bobble heads, which included a letter from a prisoner in jail. They came from all 50 states, Canada, & Europe.

The demand was unlike anything I have ever seen and when the night came it was the longest line ever before we opened up the gates. I started tracking the bobble head on E-Bay and I believe the first one sold for about $400. You can still find them on-line selling for about $100 almost a year and a half later.

The funny thing is I am now associated with Jack Kerouac and still get random phone calls about him. My last one was a gentleman who wants to make a Kerouac stamp and wanted my help. I learned a lot from that promotion.

RSN: Any sneak-previews of what we can expect in 2005?

JG: We have some fun things planned, including adding to our non-baseball bobble head collection. Right now, many are in the planning stages, but fans can expect the unexpected once again.

RSN: Let's move over to other facets of your job. What are your other primary duties?

JG: I absolutely love my job and am so thankful for it everyday. Seriously, how many people get excited when Sunday night rolls around because they get to go to work? I definitely do.

As far as what I do it’s really an open book when it comes to promotions and Spinnertainment. However, that is not the only thing I do and other facets of the job include sales, which I love because I am very competitive. I also oversee the Public Relations, Media, Advertising, and many different Community Programs, such as speaking at a local rotary club to reading books to kids at local schools.

I have the ideal job. I deal with the players and baseball side, but also get to have fun on the promotional side and have played with baby tigers, brought out the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard, met the daughter of Michael Jackson’s Chimp Bubbles and have met and developed relationships with many celebrities.

How many people can say they have done the above? I really think I am one of the luckiest guys on earth.

RSN: What do you do in the off-season?

JG: I get asked that question all the time and it’s funny because people think I sit at my desk and twiddle my thumbs. Actually the busiest time of my year is from January through June. I am very busy selling and planning all the Spinnertainment and promotions for the whole season. By the time the season rolls around, yes it is time consuming in terms of hours, but at that point mostly I am just implementing what was already planned.

Even now, in November, my days can be very hectic with the planning of promotions and selling for 2005.

RSN: One word question: Dogman.

JG: The best way to describe Dogman is he is a cartoon character brought to life. He is very much a part of the Spinners and we love having him. The fans adore him and he is literally a third mascot.

He is so popular he had his own bobble head doll two years ago and fans are still asking if we have any left over. To go along with how great he is with the fans, he is just as great a person who does a lot for the community.

RSN: Who do you think are the best players, talent-wise, to come through the Spinners?

JG: I have been with the Spinners for five seasons now and there are always those certain players who just look better, play better and have that certain charisma on the field.

Offensively the best player I have seen by far is Hanley Ramirez. I seriously thought he was going to hurt someone when he took batting practice. Other standouts include Matt Murton, who I saw hit a home run over the leftfield scoreboard, David Murphy, Jeremy West and Kevin Youkilis.

Pitching wise we have had some great pitchers come through here. Abe Alvarez, Tommy Hottovy, Anibal Sanchez, and Chris Elmore were all dominating on the mound. Also, local product Greg Montalbano was downright nasty in the two games he pitched for us, but injuries have always slowed him down. If he can stay healthy I believe he could be the real deal.

RSN: Tell us about your background and how you came to work for the Spinners.

JG: Truth be told - I was in the right place at the right time and am very happy I was. I have always done sports writing for a variety of media outlets and got my start with the Metrowest Daily News. They mean the world to me for opening up the door. I have also written for the Boston Herald, Lowell Sun and had my own fantasy Football column on CBS Sportsline.com. How I got the job was Shawn Smith, the G.M. of the Spinners wanted a media person to do the media responsibilities for the team.

I feel like I owe so much to Shawn Smith and the owners of the Lowell Spinners Drew and Joann Weber. When I got the job I was only 24 years old and had very limited promotional and media experience. I am not even sure I would have given me the job, but am so appreciative they did. Since that day I have worked so hard hoping that the risk they took on me has paid off. There is a lot to be said about the opportunity they gave me and I will never forget that. Words cannot express how thankful I am to them.

RSN: Last question: What can you tell us about season tickets and ticket availability for the 2005 Spinners? Even though most games are sold out, can fans still drive up on game-day and get in to see the team?

JG: Our tickets go on sale in person at the beginning of April and on-line ticket sales begin at the end of March. As far as season tickets there is about a five-year waiting list, but anyone can call to put their name on the list.

Yes, tickets are always available on a game-day. It may not be a seat, but standing-room tickets are always available for $3.50.

David.....

The hits just keep on coming.....Another great job......And I thought you didnt have anything left in the can....

Now to the interview.....Talk about a great job.....Man, where do I sign up to be Jon's assistant?????

Here's to another great Spinner's season...


Mike