New Syracuse Chiefs General Manager Jason Smorol, who lives in Liverpool, delivered a Rockne-like pep talk at the annual shareholders’ meeting last Tuesday, Nov. 18, at NBT Bank Stadium.
The excitement at the ballpark this season owed much to Smorol’s insistence on providing fans service with a smile, increased giveaways, clever in-game promotions and deals like Dollar Thursdays.
“And we actually played baseball,” he reminded the crowd of 100 or so gathered in the stadium’s Hank Sauer Room. After enduring many years of losing teams, Chiefs’ fans saw their 2014 ball club become one of the winningest teams in all of pro ball, eventually posting an 81-62 win-loss record before losing to the Pawtucket Red Sox, three games to none, in the first round of the International League playoffs.
While the primary purpose of the annual meeting is to assess the team’s financial situation (board of directors chief financial officer Jack Webb reported a $241,500 net loss as compared to last year’s loss of $973,500; and a reduced overall debt from last year’s $2,255,394 to this year’s $853,958), Smorol focused first on the product on the field as provided by the Washington Nationals.
Winning team
“Don’t forget how great the baseball was at NBT Bank Stadium this year,” he said. “We had a division winner with six all-stars, the manager of the year [Billy Gardner Jr.], the rookie of the year and MVP [Stephen Souza Jr.] and a gold glove pitcher [Taylor Hill].”
Smorol fondly recalled the team’s lone home playoff game on Sept. 5 which drew 8,269 fans all waving white rally towels. Despite that night’s frustrating 7-6 loss to the Red Sox, the 2014 Chiefs will long be remembered as one of the best teams ever fielded here.
Next year Manager Billy Gardner will welcome back all-star players such as shortstop Manny Burriss, catcher Jonathan Solano and slugger Brandon Laird. Chiefs President Bill Dutch reminded the shareholders that “You see the ballplayers of the future out here.” For instance, Dutch hopes that prospects like fleet-footed Michael Taylor will roam the NBT outfield this coming summer.
Meanwhile, Smorol and his staff are hard at work drumming up sponsorships and promotions for 2015. The ball club will stage more fireworks shows next year, 19 in all, adding pyrotechnics to follow many Saturday-night games.
“We’re in the business of creating smiles and building memories,” Smorol said. “Now the only question is: Are you on board?”
Most shares held
By the way, one of Liverpool’s best-known financiers, Crandall Melvin III, also sat at the head table at last week’s Chiefs shareholders’ meeting. Also known as Chip, Melvin serves as chief financial officer and vice president of finance at SWK Technologies Inc., with headquarters on Buckley Road. Chip is the Chiefs’ largest single shareholder.
Fury Friday at Lizard
Originally from Syracuse, rock guitarist Mick Fury has relocated to Nashville, where he seems to have taken a turn for the better. His new songs, rollicking tunes such as “Boys Night Out” and “Sunday Funday,” are highly listenable and danceable, with good grooves, hip lyrics and catchy choruses.
Fury returns to Liverpool for a solo show at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28, at the Limp Lizard Barbecue, 201 First St. Admission is free; 451-9774.
Mick himself marvels at his transformation from hot-headed head-banger to a cool Nashville cat.
“I didn’t anticipate becoming a country artist, it just sort of happened,” he said. “I used to cover a few Zac Brown and Garth Brooks songs, and the amount of fun I had playing them and the audience had singing along made me learn to play more and more and then other country artists until I realized ‘“Man, this is fun music!’ That’s the kind of music I always wanted to make!”
‘Boys Night Out’
Over the summer, Mick played a series of dates at Liverpool’s White Water Pub, where listeners compared him to Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and the Florida-Georgia Line.
Now, he’s touring in support of his new EP-CD, “Nobody Knows My Name,” scheduled for release the day before Thanksgiving. The disc’s five tracks were waxed at More Sound in Syracuse by Mick’s five-piece band, Midnight Moonshine.
On Friday, the Limp Lizard audience will hear Fury’s “country party” originals from the new CD like “Coupla Beers” and “Boys Night Out,” and older songs such as “Shotgun Girl,” “Old Man” and “Danger Zone;” mickfury.com.
