Diamond Club Meeting

February 13, 2008

Members present:  Mary Anderson, Mike Blumer, Jeff Hershey, Dan Nickols, Marquetta Nickols, Gino Villella, Terry Olson, Julie Olson, Joe Bothwell, John Hoffman, Bob Freed, Jessica Hagemann, Gordy Eicher, Ken Porten, Gary Peterson, Randy Reichert, Mark Downey, Craig Dickison, Jennifer Dickison, Kevin Stoltman, Bob Harris, Ben Gallagher, Karin Wessberg

Meeting called to order at 7:05 by Randy Reichert.  Members were introduced.  Several parents of freshmen were in attendance.

Minutes from January meeting:

Jennifer Dickison made a motion to accept the January minutes; Joe Bothwell seconded the motion.    All in favor.  Motion carried.

Treasurer's Report:

John Hoffman reported that our current balance is just shy of $13,500.  Deposits totaling $35,203 encompass the revenue from the fundraising dinner/auction as well as payments made for the spring break trip.  Payments totaling $43,425 bring us to our current balance.  The main expenditures were the final payments to Air Tran and Disney for the spring break trip. 

Coach Downey's update:  (his complete report can be found on the website)

The following items were shared by Coach Downey: season-end banquet, spring trip, mandatory Chemical Awareness meeting, website history, college baseball, summer fun program, winter youth clinic, coaching staff, new field, 16-18 yr old summer ball, captains practices, and the dinner/silent auction.                 

Season-end banquet

            The banquet will be held on Tuesday, May 20, before section playoffs. 

Spring trip

The schedule was received from Disney.  The team will have 6 practices on the field, 5 in the batting cage, and 3 scrimmages.  A meeting with players and parents will take place February 18.

Mandatory meeting

            The pre-season informational and mandatory chemical awareness meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, at 6:30 in the gym.

            Web site history

            The baseball web site has been updated and includes stats from every year since 1998, except for 2004.  Any information regarding the history of MV baseball can be sent to Coach Downey for inclusion on the web site.

            College baseball

The Minnesota Gophers will be hosting the DQ Classic games at the metrodome on February 29 - March 2.  Vouchers are available at the baseball bulletin board.  Many college teams play in February/March at the dome.  Consult the Metrodome�s Event Calendar or the college team web site for their game schedule.

Summer Fun program

The Summer Fun program will occur again this summer.  It will include all grades, 1-12.  A structured pitching program will also be offered once/week.

Winter youth clinic

There are 35 kids, ages 9-14, signed up to attend this clinic March 1-2.

Coaching staff

An assistant coach has been chosen for the sophomore team.  He is Ryan Wahlund, a MVHS Special Ed para.  With this addition, each team will have 2 coaches this season.

New field

A new ball field at the high school was approved by the school board last evening.  Construction will begin in April with the field being ready for play in the spring of 2009.

16-18 yr old summer baseball

There continues to be disagreement regarding the school(s) that can play for Tri-City Red.  Tri-City believes that players from both MV and Irondale are eligible, while both the president of the Legion and the district commissioner say that players can only come from one school.  There is ongoing discussion with SAYB to support a program for players not selected for Tri-City Red.

Captains practices

Practices are Tuesday and Thursday nights.  Not much interested around adding Saturday afternoons, but this is still an available option.

Dinner/silent auction

It was great not only to reap huge financial success at this event, but to realize the community and school enthusiasm for MV baseball.  A heartfelt �Thank you� to all who participated.

Old Business:

1.  Grocery bagging:  Our last bagging opportunity is scheduled for Saturday, March 1, at the Cub in White Bear Township.  We received a $200 contribution from the basketball booster club for their bagging efforts on February 2, which was our scheduled day.

2.  Pizza pals:  Coupons will be passed out after April 1, once teams have been selected.

3.  Banquet/silent auction:  There were 210 in attendance on January 27.  The event was a huge success, netting in excess of $16,000 (vs. $7000 last year).  It was suggested that next year it be held in a bigger venue, or if at Kozlaks, that their basement be utilized for the auction.  Everyone agreed that the "live" auction was excellent.  Thank you to all who put in a lot of time to make for such a successful event!

4.  Game day experience:  John Hoffman located the music that has been used in past years.  A volunteer(s) is needed to put together the roster sheets on game days.

5.  Captains practice:  We are pleased to have 2 former MV players assisting.  Practices continue to be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 8:30-10:00.

6.  Year-end banquet: The date has been set for Tuesday, May 20^th.  Diane Hershey and Karin Wessberg are coordinating the event.  Location and time should be finalized by the March 4^th meeting.

7.  Player apparel:  Shirts and shorts will be distributed on February 18 for players going to Florida.  Practice shirts have been ordered and will be available at the mandatory chemical awareness meeting, March 4.  The cost will be $10.  The captains each have their hooded sweatshirt and sweats which they've been wearing on occasion.  These will be on display at the March 4 meeting and available for purchase once teams are selected.

8.  Spring trip:  The final payment to Air Tran is due February 15.  This represents the final payment of major expenses.  The cost/player came to $900.  52 tickets for the Braves vs Tigers game, March 20, have been acquired.  Coach Downey, Randy Reichert, and Ben Gallagher are meeting tomorrow to "hash" out the schedule once in Florida.

New Business:

Randy Reichert brought to the group the question of how best to spend the funds received from the silent auction.  Much discussion ensued.  Several ideas were shared, resulting in the following motions:

Mike Blumer made a motion that the Diamond Club pay the airfare and hotel expenses, at approximately $900/person, for the 3 coaches making the trip.  Motion seconded by Bob Freed.  All in favor.  Motion carried.

Bob Freed made a motion that the Diamond Club set aside $1500 to cover meal expenses for the Florida group.  Motion seconded by Joe Bothwell.  All in favor.  Motion carried.

Bob Freed made a motion that the Diamond Club approve an expenditure of roughly $915 to cover the costs of additional pants as well as coaches' government expenses to bump up the salary of the sophomore coach.  Motion seconded by Jennifer Dickison.  All in favor.  Motion carried.

Bob Freed made a motion that the Diamond Club give a gift of $500 to Steve Grasely, and  $500 to Andy Peters, the former MV players who have been assisting with captains practices.  Motion seconded by Mike Blumer.  All in favor.  Motion carried.

A motion was made by Craig Dickison to adjourn the meeting at 9:20 p.m.  Motion seconded by Jennifer Dickison.  All in favor.  Meeting adjourned.

The next regular Diamond Club meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4^th, at 7:30 PM in the Mounds View Forum (this will follow the chemical awareness meeting).