Kirk Goodman, the energetic vice president/general manager of the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League), is leaving the team before the end of the calendar year to pursue other interests; he’ll be replaced by Stefanie Brown.
The team has scheduled a 3 p.m. press conference to discuss the departure. We hear his replacement will be current assistant GM, Stefanie Brown, making her the youngest female GM in Minor League Baseball.
Goodman, along with team owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt, has been central to the renaissance of baseball in the Quad Cities. He was one of Heller’s first hires after Main Street Baseball purchased the then-Swing of the Quad Cities. Although the renovations to John O’Donnell Stadium (now Modern Woodmen Park, after the team sold naming rights in a terrible economic environment) had been completed, the team was not living up to its potential.
Under Goodman, team attendance and revenues soared, concessions were overhauled when Professional Sports Catering was brought in, upgrades to the ballpark were made annually, and a slew of imaginative promotions (Tattoo Night, a great Midwest League All-Star Game) were implemented. All of these were team accomplishments, to be sure (it’s a lucky GM who has owners unafraid of spending money), but Kirk was the man on the ground who made it all happen. Plus, Kirk is one of the genuinely good guys in baseball; he’s the sort of person who keeps the game and the ballpark fun for everyone.
We spoke with Kirk last week about his impending departure, which is amicable; he plans on travel and tackling some projects on a contract basis. We expect to hear more details at today’s press conference.
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