SWB Yanks On Air and IL Radio and PR Changes

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and Bold Gold Media will once again team up in 2012 and broadcast all 144 Yankees games on Fox Sports Radio, “The Game” Northeast Pennsylvania’s largest sports radio network.  SWB Yankee games will be heard locally on 1400 AM, 1340 AM, 1280 AM and 1440 AM.  Games can also be accessed via the internet at www.swbyankees.com as well as www.milb.com As in previous seasons, SWB Yankees coverage will began 30 minutes before first pitch each game with the SWB Yankees Pre-Game Report.

The upcoming season for the Yankees will be like none other in the team’s six seasons as the top affiliate of the New York Yankees with the team essentially playing an all road schedule for the season as the team’s home venue, PNC Field undergoes a massive $40 million reconstruction.  The rebuilt facility is expected to be completed in time to open up the 2013 International League season.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will play its 72 “home” games as six different venues in the northeast, with Frontier Field in Rochester serving as the Yankees “home away from home” hosting 37 SWB games in 2012.  The Syracuse Chiefs will play host to the Yankees for 10 games, LehighValley for eight, Buffalo for six and Pawtucket for four.  Dwyer Stadium in Batavia, New York, home of the Batavia Muck Dogs is the lone non-International League team to host SWB games in 2012.  The Yankees will play seven games at the home field of the New York Penn League team.  A complete schedule, including the breakdown of what stadium will host the Yankees on what day can be found at www.swbyankees.com

Once again in 2012, I have the privilege of calling SWB Yankees Baseball and am very optimistic about the upcoming season (as everyone at this time of the season usually is).  The NY Yankees have done a great job of signing some key minor league free agents this off season to add to a roster that should be full of some of the organization’s top prospects.  The field staff from 2011 (Manager Dave Miley, Coaches; Scott Aldred, Frank Menechino and Butch Wynegar) all return, which should help keep some stability in what has the potential to be an exciting and I’m sure at times a trying season.  2012 will be my fifth season working with Dave Miley (which is longer than any other minor league manager has had to put up with me) and he does as good a job working with top prospects and veteran players as anyone I have ever been around.

It will no doubt be another exciting season as the SWB Yankees try to get back to the top of the International League’s North Division as they did from 2007-2010.

QUICK HITS:

As I understand it the SWB “home games” will also be streamed on MiLB TV (accessed at www.swbyankees.com and www.milb.com) with the exception of the seven games played at Dwyer Stadium inBatavia,NY.

Some changes in the radio booths in the International League this season.  Aaron Goldsmith has taken over inPawtucket replacing Dan Hoard who resigned at the end of the 2011 season to become the radio voice of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.  Also Patrick Kinas is the new voice of the Durham Bulls replacing Neil Solondz who is the new pre and post game host of the Tampa Bay Rays.  Patrick and I go back to ’96 the Midwest League when he was the voice of the Clinton Lumber Kings and I was with the Lansing Lugnuts.

The IL also will see some new faces (and one familiar) one as media contacts for member teams.  Dave Lezotte in Gwinnett, Tommy Viola in Charlotte and Zach Weber in Durham are all with new teams this season.  Dave was previously in Clinton, Iowa with the Lumber Kings, Tommy was in Reading with the Phillies but had worked in Lehigh Valley for a couple of seasons before moving to the R-Phillies and Zach moves over to Durham from Gwinnett.  Congrats to those three on their new gigs.  Finally, Ian Locke who had previously been with the Norfolk Tides returns to Norfolk after a brief stint away from the game.  Welcome back Ian!