2013/2014 Player Promos

[bharmo]

Good afternoon forum members,

Over the past couple of years I have been a follower of this forum as a way to receive some valuable information regarding both our Victorian local competitions and also the national ABL. This forum provides a wide range of view's and topics to the public including valuable and current information on the pre mentioned leagues both state and national, sometimes it offers a little comedy and sometimes a few hard truths. It has also thrown up some personal judgements and/or personal attacks, of which I myself have been judged on behavioural issues on this forum. It is what it is and we are all entitled to our opinion which is one of the great things about a public forum such as this one.

As a lifelong Baseball lover I want to do everything in my power to see our game grow. It is a difficult proposition as most would know, competing against the other high profile sports here in Melbourne alone. The past 3 years of the reintroduction of the ABL has received mixed reviews from what I can tell. The fans have not come in large numbers on a regular basis, which especially here in Melbourne with such a large Baseball community, most would agree is disappointing. As a player I can however definately understand, that it's not easy to drive out to "Melbourne Ballpark" to watch our team finish down the bottom end of the ladder. However to provide a future for the youth of our sport and provide a league for the young professionals to further develop in their off-season, the simple fact is we need fans in the stands. There is no doubt that as an organisation, we need to do a better job of attracting new fans, looking after our MEMBERS and providing a spectacle for new comers to our game. It is crucial that we provide a product, a service and a level of entertainment that is sustainable and worthy of all the fans in the stands wanting to return the next night. Without the fans wanting more, this league will not survive.

This is not a plea for forum members to start calling friends and family and help push our brand (although that would be great), this is just a little information on what looks to be a massive year for the Melbourne Aces from a player's view.

We all know that the location of our stadium is less than desirable, however the fact is that purely based on facilities, it's the premier Baseball Stadium in the state if not the country, which is why the 2013/2014 ABL All Star game is returning to Melbourne. So we just simply need to accept that as an organisation we need to work harder on our promotions and entertainment to get fans in the stands.

Moving on to the reason for my first time long time here on the forum.

I would like to start taking some initiative in the promotion and development of the Aces brand. Along with the other players in the club, we would like to attempt to provide the fans and members with more access and a better insight into the club. Many of the players along with myself are active in the social media circles and I believe this is one area that must be used to expand our name and gain public attention. We all know the role social media can and does play in the promotion of brands/organisations and its time we adopt the "better late than never" attitude and jump onboard while we still have a league to grow.
If you are a fan of the team/game and want to get an insight into what it's like to play in the ABL, then please feel free to follow me on twitter @bradharman12 as the season unfolds. If not myself then perhaps some of the other players as I will be pushing all of the playing group to take an active role in the positive use of social media. I have no doubt you will get a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes and what it's like to travel as an ABL player, which hopefully adds another element to what we are trying to provide.

Thank-you to those who continue their support of the club and it appears 2013/2014 is set to be a massive season both on and off the field. For off the field information and news stay tuned to this thread and also my twitter handle along with the other player's.

[bharmo]

Didn't even sign off on my first post

Brad Harman

[emdeem]

Welcome Harmo.
Can't wait to hear more from the players.

Hope you don't wear a blindfold in the infield!

[Deleted]

Welcome to the Forum, Brad.

And well spoken.

I believe it is fair to say that the overwhelming majority of baseball people want to see the ABL become a great success. Though it is true that Forum members have been critical of aspects of Aces and league operations over the past few years, so much of that has arisen out of frustration at a perceived lack of communication between the Aces organisation, the league and the fans.

For what it is worth, some of the Aces' most devoted members and supporters are members of this Forum. Some outspoken, some less so. But nevertheless committed to the cause.

The baseball public needs to feel some "ownership" of the Aces, and of the league. In order for that to happen, all stakeholders (the ABL, Aces, MLBI, sponsors, BV, grassroots clubs, players and supporters) need somehow to stay on the same page - for we all have a common interest. We all knew that the task would not be easy. It is taking time, and it will continue to do so. We know, too, if the league falls over this time, we are not going to get another chance.

Your post raises a number of issues that Forum members might like to take up. Of those, the proposal for players to engage more closely with the fans has undoubted merit - especially given the power of social media to which you refer.

As you say, it is difficult for any minor sport to gain a foothold in the sporting market. That is why it is so important that we at least develop a strong following in the baseball community in the early, learning years - one that can only be enhanced by a closer working relationship between the Aces, Baseball Victoria, grassroots clubs and the regional associations.

In the end, we are all in this together. Shared effort will almost certainly lead to shared success.

Best wishes to the players and staff for a terrific season.

[bharmo]

Thanks KC, I won't speak on behalf of the rest of the playing group but I myself understand the views of many on this forum to be valid and full of merit. Communication is the key to any successful relationship, whether a working relationship or any other form. I know at times members of this forum have had opinions on athletes branching out through social media and the view was that its a public forum for the fans/spectators.
As you said, we all have the common goal and I hope the members of this forum welcome the idea of myself and potentially other players using this platform to promote our brand because our situation is a little different to AFL, NRL etc. whether it be via this forum or other forms of social media like twitter, I think it can have an extremely positive impact and we need to provide our fans/members with an experience that keeps everyone wanting to come out and be at the ballpark.

[Dan]

Great post Brad and I applaud the initiate that you are taking. Communication is a vital and key ingredient to promoting the game.

One suggestion I would make would be to ensure that the players (in particular the younger ones) have some training in the proper use of social media. It's a fantastic platform for engagement, but it also comes with a multitude of pitfalls for the unwary.

[rightie]

I think this is a great idea I know there are lots of embers and supporters who are interested in anything they can get regarding the Aces the players and anything to do with the club. I know there has been some negative comment on the forum but I am sure most of this is caused by the constant lack of communication and as Stu would say smoke and mirrors

[The Joker]

Oct 16, 2013 20:08:34 GMT 10 bharmo said:

Thanks KC, I won't speak on behalf of the rest of the playing group but I myself understand the views of many on this forum to be valid and full of merit. Communication is the key to any successful relationship, whether a working relationship or any other form. I know at times members of this forum have had opinions on athletes branching out through social media and the view was that its a public forum for the fans/spectators.
As you said, we all have the common goal and I hope the members of this forum welcome the idea of myself and potentially other players using this platform to promote our brand because our situation is a little different to AFL, NRL etc. whether it be via this forum or other forms of social media like twitter, I think it can have an extremely positive impact and we need to provide our fans/members with an experience that keeps everyone wanting to come out and be at the ballpark.

This fantastic initiative went quiet very quickly?

[bharmo]

[/quote]This fantastic initiative went quiet very quickly?[/quote]


Thanks TJ, I am sure you can appreciate the workload some of the players have been under juggling commitments both professional and personal. Sometimes these things take a little time to iron out the details. When the playing group go ahead with promotions it is our goal to do them well and make them a success, therefor its in the best interest to not rush these things.

I never said it would happen on the first home stand either so please be patient as we work toward providing some great things to fans and members alike.

I also hope after obviously being interested enough to spark this thread again that we will have a chance to say g'day when our events take place.

Don't be a stranger TJ, see you at the park.

[The Joker]

Nov 18, 2013 9:37:03 GMT 10 bharmo said:

This fantastic initiative went quiet very quickly?[/quote]


Thanks TJ, I am sure you can appreciate the workload some of the players have been under juggling commitments both professional and personal. [/quote]

That was an awesomely quick response.

If you have time, how about a list of your top three positives from the weekend's series?

[bharmo]

Well it's not really why I started this thread and I don't really want to get into a back and forth in what I'm sensing is becoming a rather negative conversation, however if my 3 positives from the series might change the mood I will give it a crack. I'm not sure if you are after on field or off field positives and seeing as how I can't really comment too much on off field I will give the on field a go.

1: First win in front of the home crowd for the new season is always something to be positive about and enjoy.
2: Campbell Wiggins making his debut for the club and I believe he struck out 2 batters is a huge positive and something he should be proud of.
3: The performance of Joe Burns on Saturday night was a massive positive and he is a clear leader with Hussey in our pitching staff.

As I say TJ, this is not why I put this thread together and if you would like to stay tuned for some things the players are doing then please do, we need all the support we can get for this club to grow and succeed along with the league.

[farnt]

They are positives Harmo, so thanks. Hopefully Campbell continues to throw well as he has been pretty lively at club level last 18 months.

[The Joker]

Apologies Harmo, reading your initial post I thought you were saying you'd embrace the forum as a social media channel to provide fans with feedback. I see now you were referring instead to twitter.

In either case, the three positives you mentioned above are great, and exactly the sort of thing I was expecting. Well done.

[johne]

Great to see half a dozen aces players out at Knox today to umpire the year 8 competition that was on. They did a great job standing in the sun all day umpiring 3 to 4 games each.

With 8 boys baseball teams and 8 girls softball teams totaling close to 200 players you would have thought it a perfect place for Baseball Victoria or at least one of its staff to be at and trying to channel the kids into local clubs.

[mc15]

Nov 19, 2013 15:00:16 GMT 10 johne said:

Great to see half a dozen aces players out at Knox today to umpire the year 8 competition that was on. They did a great job standing in the sun all day umpiring 3 to 4 games each.

With 8 boys baseball teams and 8 girls softball teams totaling close to 200 players you would have thought it a perfect place for Baseball Victoria or at least one of its staff to be at and trying to channel the kids into local clubs.

FYI one of the good initiatives that BV and the Aces have agreed to is that the marketing of baseball to the greater community needs to be done through the Aces brand. This is the brand that is in the public domain, and it matches the playing and marketing pathways to get more people involved (hence the re-naming of the jnr state teams as well).

The actual day is a duel project organised by BV on behalf of SSSV. By your own observations, the day went well. The Aces/BV representatives sound like the did a great job and the 200 kids seem like they had fun. A great advertisement for baseball in Victoria in my mind.

When it comes to channelling players to local clubs, I would have thought it would be the responsibility of representatives of those clubs in the area (Upway, Waverley, Knox etc...) to make the most of the opportunity

[russelledwards]

Michael, I attended part of the day to watch my Grandson play. The Aces guys that umpired are to be congratulated for giving up their time to make the day a playing success but don't kid yourself that in any way it was "a great advertisement for baseball in Victoria".
The Aces players were not introduced to the Schools as being Aces players and apart from those actively involved in our Game, no one else would have known where they were from.
There was no Aces literature or Tickets for games distributed to the Schools.
There was no Baseball Victoria literature distributed to the Schools.
There was no Club literature distributed to the Schools.
If the day was meant to be "a great advertisement for baseball in Victoria", then it was a complete bust. A great opportunity to perhaps get some new Aces/Baseball supporters was completely wasted.

[johne]

When it comes to channelling players to local clubs, I would have thought it would be the responsibility of representatives of those clubs in the area (Upway, Waverley, Knox etc...) to make the most of the opportunity

So the clubs who are run by volunteers should skip work to promote the game and their club rather than the organization (who the clubs pay money to) use their paid staff?

[mc15]

Nov 21, 2013 14:01:26 GMT 10 johne said:

When it comes to channelling players to local clubs, I would have thought it would be the responsibility of representatives of those clubs in the area (Upway, Waverley, Knox etc...) to make the most of the opportunity

So the clubs who are run by volunteers should skip work to promote the game and their club rather than the organization (who the clubs pay money to) use their paid staff?

Not the case. BV and SSSV have run the event. BV and the Aces have provided the staffing. I think the 'paid staff' have met their obligations. What else do you want them to do? We're any clubs present? How many staff from BV would you expect? We're you expecting the CEO if BV to be there? GM of the Aces?

[johne]

Nov 21, 2013 14:35:52 GMT 10 mc15 said:

Nov 21, 2013 14:01:26 GMT 10 johne said:

So the clubs who are run by volunteers should skip work to promote the game and their club rather than the organization (who the clubs pay money to) use their paid staff?

Not the case. BV and SSSV have run the event. BV and the Aces have provided the staffing. I think the 'paid staff' have met their obligations. What else do you want them to do? We're any clubs present? How many staff from BV would you expect? We're you expecting the CEO if BV to be there? GM of the Aces?

How many staff would I expect? Um how about ONE to start with.

[lonewolf75]

I would have thought if BV, SSSV and the Aces put their hand up to run the event and promote baseball then every single employee/person they could possibility get should have been there to promote the sport, the brand , the various competitions. There should have been information packs for the kids promoting the leagues, directing them to websites and their local clubs, promotions for the Aces, maybe even giveaways and comps for game tickets. I agree with Russ, it sounds like this was a massive promo opportunity missed.

Hey Rus were the umpires at least in Aces gear? I would have thought that this would have be a minimum

[russelledwards]

A couple of the guys had Aces T Shirts on and a couple didn't Wolfman. I don't think any of them wore Aces hats but I didn't take a lot of notice. The fact that they were there standing out in the sun umpiring on one of our hottest days for the year was good enough for me. All credit to them.

[lonewolf75]

Please dont get me wrong, in no way am I putting this on the players to think of this stuff. Not sure if they were told, asked or have volunteered off their own back it was a brilliant idea.

From a sport and brand promo point of view it would have been nice if someone could have organized for the guys to have team hats on, their game shirts or at the least warm up tops as it would have been a great look and a good promo op.

A kids sees all these umpires in Aces gear, never heard of them, does an web search etc I am sure you get my point. It doesnt take much.

Again not for the player to think off and organize, we have paid people to coordinate this sort of stuff.

[russelledwards]

I agree completely Wolfman.

[mc15]

So after a couple of phone calls and emails, below is how the whole day went down

SSSV insists on the organising structure and administration for the day. BV is not allowed to contribute in this area as this is the role of SSSV within the education department. For those of you who have been involved with baseball within SSSV, you'll be aware of some of the 'interesting' choices they have made in the past. As such, BV are restricted to providing umpires and sharing flyers, of which were distributed on the day.

SSSV only inform BV of the date of the state finals, not the rest of the competition. If contact is made, it is within hours of the game requesting umpires.

At the request of SSSV, players are used rather than umpires so some coaching can occur during the games.

Each player received $120 for their time on the day. "Normal" rates for elite athletes to attend such days ranges between $500-$2000 per day. BV did no pocket a cent for the day.

Apparently, BV has wanted a more active role since the Grant Weir days, so issues of structure look like they go back a while.

Clubs were informed that the event was coming up. Historically, participation from clubs in this event, which has been running for years, is non-existent

Justin Huber, the participation manager who would normally be at these events was in Sydney representing Preston/BV/Aces/ABL/ABF for the promotion of the MLB games in March. This was covered on Fox Sports and major newspapers and some other smaller outlets. Someone more media savvy than me can share the exposure value of his role in this.

/photo/1

www.smh.com.au/sport/mlb-season-opener-dodgers-and-diamondbacks-to-play-australia-in-warmups-20131118-2xrah.html

So lets say that there was a day (conservatively) spent organising the players to umpire, liaising with SSSV, and putting the required steps in place for the day to run based on the MOU provided by SSSV, the administration costs would be between $200-$250.

Add to that, six players at $120 ($720) for the day, the costs associated with BV being involved in a day which they have absolutely no control of is near $1000.

Given that the are group we are taking about is a targeted retention age group (14+ yo), rather than a recruitment age group (<12 yo), one could question whether $1000 outlay is actually a good investment. However, when you consider the fun the kids had, and the feedback on here of how the day went, it sounds like the day went well, so there is good return.

To 'invest' more money on top of this for backpacks, drink bottles, tickets etc, for 200 kids, you would be pumping in an additional 200x$15 ($3000). That is definitely not a good investment for what would be historically zero return.

Sure more continuity as to what the players are wearing would be fantastic, but for $120 paid to each, I'm not going to get picky.

I think a better reference point to work off in regards to what can happen at these kinds of days when BV are running the show under their own structure are the holiday programs. And by all reports, these have been fantastic.

[russelledwards]

A well researched and articulated reply Michael. Your efforts are appreciated.
The boys in my Grandson's Team - Mullauna College were not given any Flyers. They were given no literature what-so-ever.
I can't speak for the other Schools - perhaps they were given Flyers as you said. It would however, be a surprise if Flyers were given to some Schools and not others.

[mc15]

I can't be sure as to why they were not distributed. Perhaps emailed to SSSV to print and distribute? It's a legitimate question as to what happened/why they were not shared if provided

[stuartcapel]

Congratulations Brad on your home run this evening and to the entire team on the way tonight’s game was fought out. It would have been easy with a 2-7 record and down 2-0 in the ninth to just roll over, and perhaps last season that would have happened, but this is a different team this year – that was evident watching the Canberra series first hand.

If I may I’d like to go back to something in the original post of this thread, which read:

“There is no doubt that as an organisation, we need to do a better job of attracting new fans, looking after our MEMBERS and providing a spectacle for new comers to our game. It is crucial that we provide a product, a service and a level of entertainment that is sustainable and worthy of all the fans in the stands wanting to return the next night. Without the fans wanting more, this league will not survive.”

One thing that has been often commented on in the stands is that the players don’t seem to appreciate/acknowledge the fan support. I’ve no doubt at times the players can feel the fan frustration (last Sunday’s game against Adelaide would be such an example), but the fans are willing to share in the disappointment so long as the players are willing to share in the jubilation of victory with the fans.

In the Canberra series up at Narrabundah, after three straight losses, the Aces won game four, and for the handful of people who had made the trip north to watch the series, it made the trip all worthwhile, but while Scott Wearne gave the Aces group the thumbs up, the rest of the players acted like the group were invisible. After the win over Adelaide last Sunday evening, did any player acknowledge the crowd? It honestly felt like the crowd was an impediment to the team.

I recall season two where the team won the final regular season game, which ensured the team finished in second position – the video link of which is attached. Note the period about 2.43 in:



An acknowledgement of the crowd like that, will go a very long way towards keeping the crowd coming back and feeling a part of the club. AFL clubs do that post most matches after a win, especially the interstate ones who visit Melbourne (and I expect vice versa). Bubbie Buzachero would do it after every appearance in season two and became a favourite for it, because he made people watching the game feel a part of the club.

That game in the video saw the team end up taking a photo with the crowd after the game. Under no circumstances does that have to happen each and every victory, but just getting the team to spread out at the base of the stands and acknowledge those who have shared every pitch, hit, run and out with the players – well, I think you’ll be surprised at just how well that is received. You’ll certainly get the fans wanting more.

Good luck against Canberra this week and beyond. Go Aces!

[bharmo]

Thanks Stu in reference to yesterday's game and I'm glad you raise some of these points here which I'm more than happy to give my personal response to. Speaking strictly on behalf of myself I think your point about fan interaction is spot on. An acknowledgement to the fans travelling interstate is the least our club can do to thank those for their time and money spent, getting there and showing us support.
You make reference to sharing in our defeat as you would hope for us to share with you (the fans) our success. I will be honest here, for me to say guys don't hear the frustration being yelled from the stands when we are getting belted around a bit would be a lie. For me personally its water off a ducks back, I have travelled and played far and wide and I have been booed by 6,000 home fans after making my third consecutive error in one inning once in pro ball in my early years. So I honestly don't care if a fan hurls some abuse my way as I have heard it all before but for some strange reason which I'm sure you can understand I do remember a lot. For example last year a MEMBER yelled out "that's the worst error I have ever seen in the ABL Harman" something tells me you may know who that person was Stu. I certainly know my wife sitting in the stands watching that person yell it out knew who it was.
My point is and please understand that I am aware that this is just sports, I get it, frustration leads to the team getting whacked when we are down and pumped up when we are winning and that will never change, it is what it is. However I don't think we always "share" our defeat to be able to share our success. The Hangar are one of the best things about our organisation and are an awesome support. It may only be one or two off to the side who really dig their heels in when we lose but you must understand it may be difficult to share the success when it doesn't seem we share the failure. Even more so when individual player's and young ones at that, are personally attacked via social platforms such as this forum from those Member/s. I also note more times than not its rather quiet on here after a win, I'm not too sure why that is although the twitter circles go crazy after a good win like yesterday which is fantastic.
I hope you understand my point and realise that as frustrated as you the fan may be after a 13-1 spanking, I as a player am absolutely gutted that I had to stand out there and endure that.
Moving on to the interaction though. After all of our games at home last week I think if you were down the right field line after the game you would have seen many players signing autographs and giving their time to the fans after both losses and the win. Obviously it's a little easier after a win however the time was still given after the losses.
Don't get me wrong, I 100% agree with you and we the playing group need to embrace the fans/members a bit better, however I honestly believe interaction this year down the line at the field and also via social media is already far better than previous seasons and only hope we can keep building on that.

Cheers
Harmo

[stuartcapel]

Appreciate the response. You'll appreciate that I just had to go back to the stats page last year to check if you even made an error over the course of last season. I certainly don't remember one, and anyways, I doubt it would have come close to the comebacker that was most casually thrown into the crowd one day out at the Showgrounds in the first season. I'm still yet to see a play come close to that from any player, be they Aces or opposition.

It's my error for not acknowledging the autographs, win/lose, rain or shine, and indeed I had acknowledged that before an edit in my original post - again, my error for not finding the tie in to what I was trying to say.

In regards the matter of interaction being improved this season, I agree with you, and you, and the rest of the squad, deserve credit for the initiative.