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Giorgio Varlaro
After the Little Falls Mets left the mohawk valley in 1988, the town was left without a
baseball franchise which had established greatness since 1949, when Vet’s Memorial Park was
opened. With the likes of likes Billy Beane, Dwight Gooden, Todd Hundley and J.P. Ricciardi
playing in the field, the Mets went on and won one championship in 1984 (Lewis, 2003). Soon
after, the Mets left Little Falls for Pittsfield, Massachusetts, leaving the valley without a team for
four years until the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) filled this gap with the
Little Falls Diamonds. The Diamonds went on and won three championships until the team
folded in 1994. From here, the Mohawk Valley Landsharks and Redlegs played during the
summer at Vet’s park until 2000. Six years later, baseball had another renaissance with the
forming of the Mohawk Valley Diamond Miners. That name has since changed to the Diamond
Dawgs, who were reborn as an expansion team of the same NYCBL in 2009 when current owner
David N. Dittmann took over the team (Juteau, 2010). Since that time, the ‘Dawgs’ have been
part of the East Division of the NYCBL along with the Amsterdam Mohawks, Oneonta Outlaws,
Glens Falls Golden Eagles, Cooperstown Hawkeyes, Watertown Wizards and Albany Dutchmen.
For the management audit on the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs, interviews were done
within the management office and coaching staff to get a good idea of how the team has been
running since its rebirth in 2009. This equates to three coaches (one head coach and two
assistants) and four managers (the team owner, president/general manager, chairman and
assistant general manager). Each individual went through a semi-structured interview process,
with the intensions of finding out how the team was run as an organization. From the information
gathered, a solid understanding of the Diamond Dawgs product was revealed, with seven
different perspectives to make the information saturated.
Goals and Objectives
o Strategic
To increase event staff by three this season
Obtain college educated students who have a love for baseball
Try to get athletes to do more with the community
This is hard since baseball is only played during the summer (June-
July)
Obtain more local players
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Mohawk Valley Community College, Herkimer County
Community College, Utica College and SUNY Institute of
Technology
Get better host houses for the athletes to stay at
Increase local sponsorships
By five to ten different companies
o Financial
Increase ticket sales by 10 percent
Offer more family nights
Try to get summer staff paid, which will help bring them back from year-
to-year
o Coaching
Teach athletes the right way to play baseball through technique
Teach athletes how to take care of their bodies
Teach athletes how to be safe and responsible in town environment
Win the East Division of the NYCBL
Make sure athletes enjoy their experience with the Diamond Dawgs
Core Values
o Respect each other and commit to excellence, integrity and quality in everything
that is done
o Provide fans with excellent entertainment in a clean, secure and comfortable
environment
o Try to incorporate fans in attendance, making them more than just spectators
o Help build sponsors brand image so business can grow
Processes
o Though the Diamond Dawgs baseball season is only two months, and consists of
43 games, the players are still asked to act like professionals which includes;
attending all practices, lifting sessions and games. The Dawgs usually have four
to six games a week, so practice is only heavy during the middle of June when the
players come to Little Falls. There are no cuts because these collegiate athletes are
selected by the team owner and general manager.
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Practice for the players consists of infield and outfield training, batting
practice and pitching sessions
o The new head coach of the Diamond Dawgs is Troy Gerlach. Gerlach will work
full-time with his two assistants, Justin Parrish and John Fureno, to make sure
their players get the best possible experience while playing baseball for the
Diamond Dawgs. This includes, trying to teach players that not being a five tool
player is the best way to go about being a professional. The Dawgs will try to
teach their youngster how to play their own game, thus it will be up to the coaches
to put these players in those situations so success can be established within the
baseball diamond.
These coaches do not help recruit or fundraise during the off-season. This
is done primarily by President/General Manager Travis Heiser. Heiser is a
high school teacher and coach at St. Johnsville during the Fall, Winter and
Spring, but helps run the Diamond Dawgs during the summer.
Structure
o Available in appendix
Description of NYCBL
o The NYCBL is apart if Perfect Game USA. Perfect Game USA has established
itself as the world’s largest independent scouting service and is very highly
respected in the baseball world. Nearly every highly drafted player is a client of
Perfect Game and the relationship and pipeline into a college summer league is a
natural fit. In addition to naming rights, Perfect Game will actively assist the new
league in identifying and recruiting top college and junior-college prospects. It
will also utilize various ball parks around the league to stage regional showcase
events and tournaments, the staple of Perfect Game’s traditional business model.
With more than 80 national and regional events annually, and other events it
actively scouts, Perfect Game has access to upwards of 25,000 top high-school
players each year (About Perfect Game, 2010).
Job Description
o Team Owner
David Dittmann
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Helps find sponsors
o The Diamond Dawgs currently have 78 local sponsors
Analyzes revenues and expenditures
o Finds ways to make baseball in Little Falls profitable
Stays in compliance with NYCBL
o Teams consist of colligate baseball players
DI, DII and DIII
o President/General Manager
Travis Heiser
Makes team roster
o Recruits 23 players
Three catchers, six infielders, five outfielders and
nine pitchers
Manages ticket sales
o Creates promotions with outside sponsors to create
awareness of Diamond Dawg baseball
o Gets help with designs of tickets and schedules, which are
presented to customers that go to home games
Updates Web site
o Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs official site
Team Apparel
o Jerseys, pants, long sleeve shirts, baseball coats, cleats,
bats, baseballs, etc.
Writes press releases for media about upcoming events with team
o Chairman
Tommy John
Helps promote Diamond Dawgs
o Uses baseball experience to look at athletes in the
surrounding area
o Is used to make brand image stronger
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o Assistant General Manager
Cody Rose
Assists Heiser with phone calls, e-mails, and production of the
team Web site
Helps Heiser during game-day operations, making sure everything
runs smoothly so fans enjoy their experience at Veterans Memorial
Park
o Head Coach
Troy Gerlach
Makes workout programs for specific players
Plans a baseball game
Manages both assistants
o Assistant Coaches
John Fureno
Fureno is the offensive mind of the two assistants. Fureno helps
players reach their true potential at the plate
Helps head coach with decisions during the game
Justin Parrish
Parrish is the pitching coach for the Diamond Dawgs. Parrish tries
to teach his pitchers mechanics of baseball and situations to
understand during a game
o Players
Build team morale
Build unity by socializing outside of baseball
Setting a good example on and off the baseball diamond
Create an open environment where controversy can be extroverted
Let coaches know if there are injuries or problems in the club house
Make sure discipline is enacted without bias
Work hard to make each other better every day
Staffing Procedures
o Team Owner
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David Dittmann has a wealth of experience in working with baseball.
Recently, Dittmann owned the Newport Gulls, Vermont Mountaineers and
Peninsula Pilots. Each did not have success on the field, but Dittmann was
successful in getting fans of baseball to come and watch. Before owning
the Gulls, Mountaineers and Pilots, Dittmann owned a slew of minor
league baseball teams, including the New Havens Ravens AA team (Front
Office, 2010).
Dittmann learned of the selling of the Diamond Dawgs in 2008, when old
friend and owner Miles Wolff offered him the position. Since that time,
Dittmann has been influential in changing the name from the Miners to the
Diamond Dawgs.
o President/General Manager
Discovered his current position while assistant coaching for the Diamond
Miners after the 2007 summer season. Heiser had some experience in
baseball (head coach of St. Johnsville baseball team), but never gained
field experience in running a team. Heiser told Dittmann about his
computer and coaching experience, which eventually landed him the job.
Heiser is now pursuing a graduate degree online inbetween his full-time
job and help with the Diamond Dawgs.
o Chairman
Tommy John, unlike the rest of the staff, is present at award ceremonies
and for commentary on how the team is doing. John is used as a
spokesman of the Diamond Dawgs, to create awareness of the team. John
played over 26 seasons in major league baseball with stints as a Yankee,
Dodger, Angel and White Sox. John is the fifth winningest left-handed
pitcher in major league history (Rathbun, 2009).
o Assistant General Manager
After playing collegiate baseball at Oneonta State College, Rose learned
about the Assistant General Manger position from Heiser. Rose had the
same background in baseball as Heiser did, which made Heiser feel
comfortable enough to give Rose an opportunity. Rose won his Class C
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State Championship in 2005 while in high school at Sidney Central (Front
Office, 2010). Rose has a family full of baseball players, which could help
with his position.
o Head Coach
Current head coach Troy Gerlach earned his position from excellent
experience in baseball. Gerlach came to the team after serving as the
hitting coach during the 2009 season for the NYCBL Champions,
Amsterdam Mohawks. Gerlach helped Amsterdam finish 13th in the
country with a 32-12 record (Coaching Staff, 2010). The Mohawks led the
NYCBL in homeruns (29) and team batting average of .290, which was
also best throughout the country (Coaching Staff, 2010).
Gerlach, who is in his second year at Paradise Valley Community College,
was found out by Heiser for the position of head coach with the Mohawk
Valley Diamond Dawgs.
Gerlach has an impressive resume which includes a regular season
championship with Paradise Valley and an East Sky Region Co-coach of
the Year award in 2008 when he worked for the Arcadia High School
Titans (Coaching Staff, 2010).
Gerlach played two years at Pratt Community College in Kansas before
transferring to Northwest Missouri State University (Coaching Staff,
2010). Gerlach earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and his
master’s degree in Athletic Administration from NMSU.
o Assistant Coaches
Justin Parrish has three years of pitching coach experience under his belt
at Southwestern Oregon Community College. This is what made Heiser
come to him for the responsibility of pitching coach duties.
Heiser will also ask Parrish to help with strength and conditioning.
Parrish played for the University of Charleston, West Virginia and
Missouri Western State University (Coaching Staff, 2010). Parrish
graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sports Management.
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John Fureno was asked by Heiser to join his staff because of his excellent
work with Mohawk Valley Community College since 2007.
Fureno is currently employed as an elementary school teacher in the Fort
Plain school district. Fureno has coached football, basketball, softball, and
baseball over the past 20 years.
Fureno was a three sport star at Mohawk High School excelling in
football, basketball and baseball.
o Players
The players of the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs are selected based on
their previous success on the baseball diamond. The front office looks to
find young talent from the surrounding area (mohawk valley), but will
accept any player outside of the area if they are willing to work hard to
become a better baseball player.
Last year’s roster saw players from Phoenix, AZ, Jackson, TN, New
Braunfels, TX, Laguna Niguel, CA, Lexington, KY, Glendale, AZ,
Columbia, MD, Utica, NY, Rome, NY, Nassau, Bahamas, Maybrook, NY,
Liberty, NY, Milford, CT, Cornish, ME, Littleton, CO, Phflugerville, TX
and Gloversville, NY.
Though the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs have not had recent success, the team is
taking the right steps for the future. The Dawgs are doing this by getting the proper people within
the organization to lead the team. From this, new and better practices will come about which will
help the team be successful in the community and on the field. Each individual on the baseball
team and within the organization has experience in sports and sport management. This should
give the team direction they have yet to see since their inception in the late 1980’s. These
knowledgeable associates under Dittmann should be able to move this baseball organization
from good-to-great by staying on the same page and doing the small things to make customers
and players willing to come back every summer.
Athlete Review and Reward System
o Head Coach
The head coach is paid a nominal fee by the owner to help achieve success
on the field. The reward for the coaches comes from the ability to teach
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young upcoming athletes the game of baseball, which then gains them
respect in the baseball community, thus the opportunity to further
themselves in the game they’ve played since they were children.
The work done by the head coach is weighted by the owner and president
to see if the two month season was a success.
Furthermore, if the coach does win an award for the positive play on the
field, a discussion would have to occur between the owner and head coach
on what compensation might be.
o Assistant Coaches
The same goes for the assistant coaches. They too are paid a nominal fee
at the beginning of the summer to help keep baseball in Little Falls.
Since Parrish is young, he is looking at this opportunity to be a jump-
starter for his career. Parrish knows that if his pitching staff is successful,
coach Gerlach could spread the word about his potential to other teams.
Fureno already has a position with Mohawk Valley Community College,
so adding to his credentials isn’t as important. Fureno is however from
Mohawk, which is a small village fifteen minutes away from Little Falls.
Fureno uses the opportunity of helping the Diamond Dawgs not only to
scout young talent, but also to support this local team within his small
community.
o Players
Players are rewarded with playing time. If the coaches feel that their team
has a better chance of winning a game with a specific player in the line-up
or on the mound, they will be put in spots to succeed. This results in more
experience in baseball, which could future develop their skills.
Furthermore, working with other established athletes will help players on
the team learn new ways to play baseball, which could further their
improvement as a player.
Other than team awards, players can also receive league awards for MVP,
hitting and pitching.
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Performance from the coaches and the players will be pivotal if the Diamond Dawgs
want to have a successful season. This team bases success on ticket sales and wins, like most
other teams do, but this could be one of the major reasons why this team hasn’t succeeded as an
organization.
Players usually are only around for three months, and then a new set is brought back the
following year, so long-term performance cannot be deemed to the coaches. Coaches have to
learn to incorporate tweaks, like ones they might encounter during a season (like choking up in
the bat or changing your stance slightly) to provide instant success. Because of the time
constraints, major deficiencies in form cannot be broken down by coaches.
Since rewards have not been associated with this franchise in the past, awareness has to
be taken into consideration by the team office and coaches. If this is not taken care of, both
employees and players can lose motivation and retention.
Leadership
o Team Owner
Outlines teams goals and objectives
Outlines core values
Previous experience as owner of baseball
Promotes communications from top to bottom of staff
Tries to answer all phone complaints about the team
Shows that he cares
Is invested in keeping baseball in Little Falls
o President/General Manager
Very good mediator between coaches, athlete and owner
Strong organization skills
Strong computer skills
Persistent with team success
Willing to give less experienced people a chance
o Chairman
Creates mystique around the team
Very good interpersonal skills
Creates opportunities for external revenues
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o Assistant General Manager
Hard working
Innovative ideas for ticket sales
New and inexperienced
Above average listening and thinking skills
o Head Coach
Superb motivator
Experience in outlining practice and lifting schedules
Ability to communicate with players young or old
Previous winner
Has had success in baseball which creates credibility
Calm under pressure
o Assistant Coaches
Justin Parrish
Great enthusiasm and drive for success
Ability to relate to players with young age
Unbiased in player development
Needs some direction
John Fureno
Experienced coach
Different techniques in motivating young players
Very personable
Quiet yet effective persona
o Players
Need to be supportive of other players
Have to create team-building activities
Need to find a role on the team
Need to be on-time every day
Have to have strong communication skills with coaches
Have to let go and be personable with fans
Be open-minded to every situation
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Do not intervene unless asked by a teammate
Every season the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs will get a new set of players to
contend with. This is where effectiveness by the coaches and the president will affect the way
these players treat their summer experience. In being effective with your daily schedule, it keeps
the athletes occupied and able to understand what is needed of them for success to occur. Once
an effective plan is instilled, players will become efficient in demonstrating this plan, which can
then be modified for any flaws. Once flaws are taken out, more efficiency can be achieved in
practice, which should create a positive experience for the players.
Once these players become comfortable with the daily games and practice schedule,
leaders of the team will easily arise. Once you get the leaders to buy into your concepts, the rest
of the team will. Being effective in your decision making as a coach should reflect positively to
leaders, which creates a team and organization with high self regard and self-esteem. This is
essential since it will create even more communication, thus creating a place where learning and
achievement can be obtained (by both players and coaches).
Decision Making
o Team Owner
The first priority of the owner is to find out if a business decision can be
profitable. With Dittmann’s experience as a baseball owner, he saw some
potential with the Mohawk Valley Miners. Potential can also relate to
opportunities and problems. If the surrounding area of the team has a lot of
opportunities and very little external threats, you could have a chance of
being productive.
From here, Dittmann’s daily decisions revolved around defining problems,
generating alternatives, evaluating alternatives and implementing the best
solution.
o President/General Manager
Heiser has the some of the same objectives as the owner, like analyzing
problems, generating alternative solutions, and choosing a solution, but
Heiser also has to make decisions as a social process. This means that
Heiser has to also incorporate ideas he feels that the members of his
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organization agree with, thus taking steps in getting ideas implemented for
the future.
It is also important for Heiser to find other economic benefits within the
community. This means trying to find ways to get tax money from the
surrounding area, which could alleviate costs for the organization.
o Chairman
John has the ability to influence decision makers with his experience in
baseball. John has pull with the media, which can create awareness so
debate can occur, which helps the Diamond Dawgs.
o Assistant General Manager
Rose’s daily decisions relate to
Spending money in the local community
Creating promotions to attract out of town visitors
Helps with employment opportunities within the management
office
Helps Dittmann and Heiser reduce resistance from customers and
employees
o Head Coach
Practice schedule
Batting practice
Pitching schedule
Starting line-up for games
Home and Away
If field is adequate enough to play on
Ensures safety of players
Game related
Matchups against pitchers who are right-handed opposed to left-
handed
Who should pitch and how much rest do they get in between starts
o When should a player be taken out of the game
Late inning decisions to produce runs
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o Pinch-hitter, pinch-runner and defensive replacements
o Assistant Coaches
Parrish
How to make pitching staff better
o Assist Gerlach during game with pitch counts, if pitchers
are available and when they are warmed up to be able to be
used in the game
Fureno
How to make position players successful
o Put them at positions related their talents
o Critique there hitting approach during a specific situation
o Players
Health
Tell coaches how they feel each day to prevent injury
How to deal with issues with players
Through the team or through the coach
Off-field conduct
Create curfews
Administer no drinking the day before a game
Always go out with a teammate
The decision making skills of the team, coaches and athletes is something all
organizations deal with on a daily basis. Teams have to make decisions which they believe will
profit the Diamond Dawgs, coaches make decisions which create the opportunity for success on
the field and athletes make decisions to get better or not. Each of these decision should be based
on the steps in the decision making process: Frame/define the problem, generate alternatives,
evaluate alternatives and select and implement the best alternative.
Other decisions revolve around social responsibility. A team has to follow its mission,
vision and strategic planning process, while coaches and athletes are used in the community to
create positive community relations.
Commitment of Organization
o Team Owner
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Follow strategic goals and objectives
Keep an open line of communication with every department
Implement change as a new way of business
o President/General Manager
Implements mission statement and core values
Come up with new ideas for next season
o Chairman
Create new stakeholders and sponsors
o Assistant General Manager
Keep up with feedback from stakeholders
Maintain communication
Maintain Web site
o Head Coach
Winning
Organization
Respect
o Assistant Coaches
Teach fundamentals
Help head coach be successful during a game
o Players
Playing hard every day
Improve abilities
Potential Problems
o No Team Identity
Have to set a better mission statement and core values
o Lack of power in budgetary decision-making for head coach and president
All financial decisions are made by the owner
o Lack of overall budget
All sponsors are local
Inability to attract new sponsors
16
Cannot handout team memorabilia
o Small seating capacity and parking at Vet’s Park
o Small management staff
Inexperience here also
o Backlash from fans if you don’t have enough local talent
o No innovative thinking
Use the same promotions from year-to-year
o Poor community relations
Team does not promote players at non-sports events
Parades, hospitals, restaurants, high schools or colleges
o No pull with community
Inability to get tax money to relieve extraneous costs
o Town owns field
Cannot advertise on fences or grass
o Poor drainage on field
Games can be rained out easily
Suggestionso Give head coach more decision making power
o Create better promotions
This would allow you to pay your coaches better, thus resulting in a better
coaching staff.
o More departments critiqued on performance
o Create a better reward system for the player and coaches
o Competitive ticket prices
Prices are too low
Season tickets
o $40 per seat
Single-game tickets
o Adult: $3
o Children 12-18: $2
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o Children 12 & under: $1
o Senior Citizens: $1
o Advertise in local colleges for positions on the team
During spring semester
o Think about renaming the team and buying new uniforms
Have a mascot
‘Diamond’s on the reg’ is his slogan
Have promotions revolve around this
Ex: Mohawk Valley Diamond Chasers
o Find diamonds around mohawk valley and get a free season
pass
Appendix
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ReferencesAbout Perfect Game (2010, December). Perfect Game USA. Retrieved from http://www.perfectg
ame.org/AboutPG.aspx
Coaching staff (2010, December). Head coach: Troy gerlach. Retrieved from http://www.mydiamondawgs.com/coaching-staff/
Front Office (2010, December). Team owner: David n. dittmann. Retrieved from http://www.mydiamonddawgs.com/front-office/
Juteau, Rob (2010). City approves vets park lease agreement for diamonddawgs. The Little FallsTime. Retrieved from http://www.littlefallstimes.com/highlight/x115985487/City-Approves-Vets-Park-lease-agreement-for-DiamondDawgs
Lewis, Michael (2003). Moneyball: The art of winning an unfair game. W.W. Norton &Company Inc.
Rathbun, Jon (2009). Tommy john joins diamonddawgs. The Little Falls Times. Retrieved from
19
http://www.littlefallstimes.com/sports/x1992012401/Tommy-john-joins-DiamondDawgs
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