This coming offseason may be the most important one ever for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League), but we’re thinking new president/GM Rob Crain will be up to the challenge.
Crain, tapped earlier this month to lead the franchise, certainly has a lot on his plate. First, he’ll need to oversee the re-opening of PNC Field after a $43-million renovation this year: it will basically be a new ballpark, but he’s had experience on this, working with Omaha Storm Chasers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) GM Martie Cordaro on the opening of Werner Park in 2011. Similarly, he’ll also be overseeing the rebranding of the franchise similar to the one performed by the Storm Chasers after the decision was made to drop the Omaha Royals moniker.
It’s a good situation: after going a year without baseball, we’re guessing the locals will be ready to come out to the ballpark in a big way, but the branding will need to be right — no, a return to the Red Barons brand doesn’t make sense from a branding perspective — and the first impressions will be key.
“What we are worried about in this office is what I call the extracurriculars,” Crain told the Citizens Voice. “It’s not so much the steak – the steak is the baseball. We’re worried about the sizzle. What was the atmosphere like? Was your hot dog hot? Was your beer cold? Were the bathrooms clean?”
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