JR Afternoon with Chris Renwick
The Great Lakes Loons
well you may not have uh... have known it but there were uh... seven count of seven former lunes former uh... uh... of former great lakes lunes uh... course the the high affiliate of the uh... l_a_ dodgers on the world series roster and it did you know here locally it's it's very exciting that that uh... that the dodgers have have that type of system where there is a tremendous amount of development yeah the shohio tannies of the world uh... it helps but but you can't have uh... a productive successful season without the development of a lot of those younger players and and they have matured into uh... uh... nous world series champions uh... and it's really cool to say see eric ramsayer is the chief operating officer with the great lake lunes and joins me here this afternoon it's good uh... good to have you thanks for coming down yeah thanks for having me excited to be here and always excited to talk baseball even uh... even in november no doubt what was that like for the organization seeing that level of success seeing that that stage that the dodgers uh... aren't now uh... you know it's it's become kind of commonplace for them to to get to that level but but seeing some of the development of those guys that played here uh... on that roster what was that like for the organization it's always so much fun like winning winning's hard it doesn't matter what level winning's hard like so when we get to see that development and then ultimately get that ultimate prize in baseball in the world series like it's always fun for us uh... we celebrate as much as i think anyone else because we get to to meet these guys see them when they're young watch them grow uh... but it's always it's always great to to see that ultimate prize being one so it was a lot of fun and some loans involved in that last out in the world series very last out yes a walker bueller he actually won a championship with us in twenty sixteen uh... striking out alix bardugo who uh... was with us in twenty fifteen so a little lunes versus lunes to finish finish out the world series this year which is pretty cool that's great it's very cool what's the off-season look like for you now yeah so we're we're already in planning mode for next season so you know everyone thinks all baseball it's the the winner what do you guys do you know what are you supposed to be in bokeh what are you doing here right so planning is already underway so for us it's it's looking at our marketing our entertainment you know what do fans get to experience and expect from us you know you're here we try really hard to make sure when fans leave the stadium the score is not the important thing is sure did i have fun and was i entertained and and so we're working out what are all those entertainment things you know looking like for next season uh... it'll be a great season we're always excited to to have fans come out and you know opening day this year already friday april fourth so we're not that far away on the baseball side of your you know exactly unbelievable to think that but yeah we're coming up fast yeah and and look um when you're dealing in any type of athletics um it's the tangibles in between the game right that make a huge difference it makes a huge difference for for for the vibe it makes a huge difference for families that are there bringing their kids or or you know having a work outing whatever it is and and it's a really important part of the atmosphere that you create yeah again uh you know we can't control the product on the field and it's great we had seven former lunes that play in the world series this year that's an awesome thing for us to say we've had over a hundred players make it to the major leagues like that's great but we don't get to control that sure but we do get to control you know what you see smell taste you know the entertainment that you get the celebrities that come out to a game if it's you know princess night and we have you know moana or you know the the snow queen or some of the other princesses that that make it we get to control those fun aspects of it and and the best you know really complement we can get at the end of a game is oh I forgot what the score was but I had so much fun right and because we we don't get to control the score very often sure we can control that fun um you got a new field in place yep and all that off-season stuff full field replacements so we'll have a new playing surface for next year final touches going on with that right now um you know excited uh to meet a major league baseball compliance that was uh something you know that changed for us that we have to have certain compliance standards through major league baseball uh so we'll be fully compliant field next year and and exciting uh you've also got this great event coming in field of frames um you know e sports and the gaming world has absolutely exploded to to becoming you know as a kid playing games I never would have thought that that it has evolved into the world it is to talk to me a little bit about field of frames and what this is and and how people can uh can experience it yeah so field of frames is is going to be uh first of its kind I think for our region and possibly even the state where it's going to be a three-day uh really festival around you know e sports gaming uh in you know technology in you know in video games so you know we're looking at four different competitive e sports tournaments to go along with industry panels tech workshops uh free-to-play areas a game jam uh a variety of different things that are are really going to be uh technology-based and tech-based you know for people to participate in um you know and and we're really excited about what that can bring to the region what that means for us um and and I think it's going to hit a demographic that isn't always you know heard seen you know around the state and around our region by the mainstream sports organizations and so you know we're excited to bring something new and different um and really excited about what it can mean for you know for really an underserved or under visible you know population in our in our area is this something that that people have been clamoring for the an event like this that uh that you're able to bring to people I mean I have been personally I think this is something that like I've seen the the explosion of this across you know digital platforms like twitch and youtube live in a variety of other places now with e-sports team correct like northwood university in midland is is a top two or three e-sports program worldwide like they're they're teams of one world championships over the prior three seasons consistently national championships and that's right here you know right here in the Great Lakes Bay region right here at home um you know to the point where they've also added in e-sports minor to one of their business programs of how to run and operate e-sports events like how to build a team like how to coach teams and how to grow that that industry so it is a growing industry um in an industry that that we feel like we can help expand and grow that within the state thanks a lot mom for telling me to get off those games I could have had a a wonderful career playing game but you know you know here's the thing is I was reading something the other day that that said you know surgeons people who are doctors that that it's um this this this when you are so immersed in something when your tunnel vision when you have to be focused on something that that some of the best gamers are like surgeons people that are that are that have these really high-pressure jobs where they have to focus on something really really carefully it's it's it's it's it it I think it's however people used to think about gaming is completely different how it's perceived today it's a completely different mindset and and and I think that we're seeing uh like you mentioned whether it's northward or or any of these universities it's uh it's a really cool atmosphere to be in right now because of of the environment that it's in and you get so many of like the team based benefits sure that maybe if you're an athlete you get because you have to work together you have to work as a team and there's competition and there you get all of those you know all of those things that you get from sports you can also get from esports which is great um you know and and for us the educational component the community component really mattered so adding in tech workshops you know different panel discussions around the tech industry how like if you want to start an esports team at your high school right like that's one of the panel discussions how you do that yeah and so you know we really we really wanted to tie in competition and esports competition with you know learning opportunities for for both parents you know potential kids and students and players potential coaches so so really it's an entertainment like and I didn't even really get into like the plan is you know live music and sure you know DJs and evening activities for networking and so it really should be an all immersive weekend for people in this industry to come together celebrate the industry learn and then have competitive esports at the college level and then a semi-pro tournament open tournament and you know really I guess I'll go through it's it's going to be a ten thousand dollar valorant college invitational there's going to be a ten thousand dollar rocket league semi-pro tournament which there will be qualifying rounds for people interested they need to reach out form fill through the field of frames fest.com website there will be an open tournament that anyone can come play for super smash brothers so if you love super smash you want to play all you need is a ticket to the tournament or ticket to the event come in sign up you want to play you're in and then there'll be a youth tournament for fortnight where it's free to enter same thing you just need a ticket to get in 17 you uh and and that'll have a thousand dollar prize pool for you know for the youth and then the the rocket league is ten thousand and then the super smash brother it opened it's going to be a five thousand dollar tournament so we'll have a twenty six thousand dollar prize pool for the esports side of it with a lot of that educational other entertainment VIP events again a full weekend of of celebration of this industry and if people want to get tickets they are on sale starting when monday january 20th so tickets go on sale monday january 20th there'll be vip ticket and then general admission tickets VIP tickets would include friday night events kick off friday night and then a vip event saturday as well and then the actual event is when so it is september 26th through 28th 2025 so it's a friday through sunday friday again just kind of VIP event yep you know live music friday of other things uh and then we're still working out which day of each tournament the rocket league will probably take place on sunday okay valorant probably with college invitational on saturday and then super smash is probably going to be big enough it'll be over both days with the finals uh on sunday the you know i think the the big thing why it's field of frames we are baseball stadium so i think the coolest thing about this is the main stage the main competition stage is actually going to be on a stage right at the pictures mound wow facing the rest of the infield and so uh you know it's going to be unique setup with uh you know with the event and the main stage on on the baseball field it's going to be a spectacle so yeah there's no doubt about it it should be really cool very cool uh eric ramsayer the chief operating officer with the great lake lunes thanks so much really appreciate the the time yeah thanks for coming down thank you so much for having me and looking forward to talking about Go lunes. Yeah, it's good lunes.
November 12, 2024 ~ Chris checks in with Eric Ramseyer, Chief Operating Officer for the Great Lakes Loons to find out how the team is doing and how we can go to a game!