New manager, appearances by Bench, Foster highlight new season for Florence Freedom

By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor

The Florence Freedom kicks off its season Thursday May 14, with a new manager and a host of promotions.

The Freedom play their first game of the season against the Joliet Jammers at UC Health Stadium in Florence. Game time is 6:45 p.m.

General manager Josh Anderson said this season’s lineup is the most attractive promotion schedule the Freedom have ever offered. (Click here for a full list of promotions and a season schedule).

“We have doubled and probably tripled down the investment on our part to bring in some really cool promotions this year,” Anderson said. “We have six special appearances this year, starting with Johnny Bench and George Foster on May 15.”

The team chose the 5-15 date to honor the uniform numbers worn by the superstars from the Big Red Machine era. Bench, a Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer and two-time National League Most Valuable Player, is considered by many the greatest catcher ever to play the game.

Foster, a five-time All Star, won the MVP award in 1977 when he slugged 52 home runs and knocked in 149 runners.

The Reds legends will throw out ceremonial first pitches, deliver lineup cards and serve as base coaches.

The Freedom is also offering a limited number of tickets to a private VIP meet ‘n greet sessions.

The VIP package includes a reserved seat and early entrance to the stadium, an interactive Q&A, a collector’s edition Bench/Foster T-shirt and a photograph with both former Reds. Fans will also have an opportunity to receive one autograph each from Bench and Foster on Freedom memorabilia. 

Last year, the Freedom offered a similar promotion featuring Pete Rose, which Anderson called the coolest night he has been associated with in sports.

“Our ballpark is so intimate to the field and people got to see Pete in his element,” Anderson said. “He stepped in the batter’s box, he got down in his crouch, he took two pitches. Everyone was standing on their feet taking pictures and there was just this mutual love affair going on between Pete and the fans.”

The game meant little to the Freedom’s season because the team was already eliminated from the playoff’s but minor league baseball is focused on the fan experience. The Freedom excel at that, as evidenced by this year’s promotions.

On Father’s Day, Cincinnati’s most famous baseball dad and Big Red Machine member, Ken Griffey Sr., will appear, and play catch on the field with fans who purchase a promotional package.

Other promotions include appearances by Mountain Man from Duck Dynasty, former Oakland A’s slugger Jose Canseco and former Bengal Ickey Woods. The first 1,000 fans will receive duck calls at Mountain Man’s appearance and Canseco will participate in a home run derby contest. The Woods promo features a bobbleshuffle doll that bends at the waist instead of the head, a tribute to the famous running back’s “Ickey Shuffle” dance.

On the field, the Freedom hope to rebound from a 41-55 season in 2014 that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time under former manager Fran Riordan. The team lost to the Southern Illinois Miners in the Frontier League Finals in 2012 and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs a year later.

The Freedom play in the 14-team Independent Frontier League, which means its teams are not affiliated with any Major League Baseball organization. The team has sent its share of players to Major League Baseball’s farm system, however, and last year it was Riordan who was plucked from the team.

The longtime Frontier League Manager and Hall of Famer was chosen to by the Oakland A’s to manage the Beloit Snappers, the team’s Single-A affiliate.
Veteran coach Dennis Pelfrey was chosen to succeed Riordan as manager.

Pelfrey was a coach with the Gary SouthShore RailCats for the last four years and was on the staff that won the 2013 American Association championship. Pelfrey, 37, attended Northwood University in Texas and played six seasons of professional baseball from 1999-2004 mostly in the Frontier League.

“It’s great to return to the Frontier League,” Pelfrey said in a statement. “I spent most of my playing career in this league and Florence is one of the top jobs.”

Rosters are not set, but the Freedom expects this year’s team to include some new faces, as well as several fan favorites from last year.

Outfielder Jake Luce had a breakout season for the Wichita Wingnuts of the American Association last year and was invited to the Baltimore Orioles spring training camp. Luce, 25, batted .341 in 123at-bats with the Wingnuts last year.

Mid- and post-season All Star Sam Eberle is among the players returning to the Freedom this year. Eberle, a corner infielder, batted .346 with 64 walks and led the league in on-base percentage last year.

Also returning are the team’s top two starting pitchers, Chuck Weaver and Cincinnati native Casey Henn. Weaver finished the 2014 season with a 2.65 earned run average and Henn’s ERA was 2.72, good for fifth and sixth in the league, respectively.

Freedom players know it’s a longshot that they will ever advance beyond this level, but continue to play for the love of the game with the hope they will get noticed.

Ethan Gibbons, a 24-year-old pitching prospect from California, hopes he plays well enough to catch the eye of a Major League scout.

Gibbons and catcher Doug Joyce were working out on the field together last month, prior to the beginning of training camp.

“Chasing the dream is what it’s all about for me,” Gibbons said. “You just never know who might be watching.”

After a rocky beginning in 2003, the Freedom achieved stability under owner Clint Brown, who purchased the team a year later, and UC Health Stadium is one of the league’s premier facilities.

Brown continues to invest in the team and this year purchased a new, state-of-the art fully-digital marquee at a cost of more than $200,000, that will be visible from nearby Interstate 75.

The addition of Titan Mechanical Solutions as the team’s presenting sponsor made the purchase of the new marquee possible.

“The marquee upgrade to digital is a project that’s been on our radar for a long time,” Anderson said. “It’s a game changer and … whether it’s July or January, we now have the opportunity to give our partners visibility on I-75 to the 55 million plus cars that pass our stadium each year.”

The Freedom will once again host its annual Independence Day, All-American Weekend, and has expanded one of last year’s more popular promotions, Princess Night.

Last year interns and staff members dressed as famous princesses and about 4,000 dads and daughters attended.

“If you were a little girl in Northern Kentucky, you probably came to princess night with your dad last year,” Anderson said.

This year the team has partnered with a local company to promote three princess nights, in June, July and August.

Florence city councilman Gary Winn said the Freedom are one of the things that make the city special.

“We are excited about the season starting and we’re glad to have the Freedom back,” Winn said. “We encourage all of the families in the area to get out here. If you haven’t been here before, it’s a great place for kids and adults, so come on out and enjoy the season with us.”