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**truebluefan** · 12-08-2007, 12:30 PM

Forney Completes Coaching Staff With Return Of Vaeth And Arrival Of Arias

Goldeyes fans will see a familiar face and a new face in the coaches boxes at Canwest Park next year.

Manager Rick Forney announced today the return of coach Tom Vaeth and the signing of coach Rudy Arias. It will be the first time in Forney's three years that he will go with a three-man staff, opting to resume his role as pitching coach, a job held in 2006 by Steve Shirley and last year by Rich Hyde.

Vaeth, 35, is back for a sixth season. In his five years, Goldeyes batters were among the top three in the league in hitting, posting a combined average of .285 while banging out 392 home runs and stealing 557 bases. They finished among the top three in 11 Northern League offensive categories in 2007, including the top spot in home runs, slugging percentage and stolen base percentage.

"Bringing back Tommy was a no-brainer," Forney said. "Besides all the hard work he puts in, he's very loyal and he cares deeply about winning and losing. He's been a big, big help to me and I'm thrilled to have him back."

Arias, 51, spent the last 11 seasons as a batting practice pitcher and bullpen catcher with the Baltimore Orioles. He was the bullpen catcher for two years before that with the Yankees, winning a World Series ring in 1996 when New York dumped Atlanta in six games, and for two years before that with the expansion Florida Marlins.

"As you talk around certain circles in this game, a lot of people know Rudy and nobody will say a bad word about him," Forney said. "He's got a lot of experience and knowledge that he can share with some of the younger players and I think he's going to be an asset to the Goldeyes and the Northern League."

Having finalized his coaching staff, Forney will do double duty in 2008 as manager and pitching coach, the latter a job he held for six seasons before he was named manager two years ago.

"I didn't think it was good idea for me to be the manager and pitching coach in my first year or two out of the gate, there's a lot to learn and trying to double-barrel it can be very difficult," he said. "But having guys like Tommy and Rudy around will make my job a lot easier and give me an opportunity to get back working with the pitchers every day."

FISH FOOD: Fish fans looking for some Goldeyes gifts will want to hit the ballpark over the weekend when the team hold its annual holiday sale. It runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday and noon until 2 p.m. on Sunday. Shoppers can also sign-up boys and girls ages 8 to 13 ones for the December 22 Goldeyes skills camp. As of today, fewer than 20 spots remained.

**truebluefan** · 12-08-2007, 12:30 PM

RailCats manager Greg Tagert Discusses Goals for 2008

The 2007 Northern League Champion Gary SouthShore RailCats will see some changes to the makeup of their club as they look to 2008. Since the end of the 2007 season, five RailCats players have moved on in one fashion or another and two other players are currently free agents. The club will also see some changes on the coaching staff.

RailCats broadcaster Tom Nichols recently talked with manager Greg Tagert.

TN: Greg, what your comments on former RailCats hitting coach Andy Haines being hired by the Florida Marlins and subsequently, RailCats 2007 hitting coach Brian Nelson being hired to replace Andy as manager of the Windy City Thurnderbolts?

GT: I couldn't be happier for both Brian and Andy. I know both guys are excited. I have spoken to Andy nearly every day since he got the job and have been on the phone with Brian quite a bit and both guys, just as I imagined because of the types of personalities they are, are going to be very successful. They are ready to go to work. Brian has already started on the process with the Thunderbolts in trying to continue the great job that Andy did there. So it is a great transition for the Windy City club and the Marlins, not that the Marlins need the RailCats to have success, but they have gotten some good people with Andy and (RailCats all-time victories leader) Willie Glen and (former RailCats outfielder) Anthony Iapoce. It was a great opportunity for Andy Haines. I know it was tough for him to give up the Windy City job but it is a great opportunity.

TN: The RailCats hitting coach job is now open. Are you going through a similar search process as you did last year and do you have a profile in mind for the type of person you are looking for?

GT: The search is probably going to be a little bit more narrowed than last year. I thought last year we would have that position filled by January and it ended up taking an extra several weeks and we filled it in late February, early March with Brian Nelson, and fortunately we made the right choice. Brian was a great transition for us from Andy Haines because they had similar backgrounds, similar work ethics, similar ideas how to relate to players. Really some things that mesh well with me and (RailCats pitching coach) Jamie Bennett. It is important to me that the person take lot of responsibility and be someone I can trust with that. So the search will probably lead us to some people similar to Andy and Brian. That has been successful for us. That is not to discount anybody. Some clubs are looking for more name recognition, and that just won't be a factor for us. What works best is finding a guy who is trying to build his own career as well.

TN: Do you have any goals over the next six weeks? The search for players is ongoing, but you also have some pending trades to complete with Windy City and Sioux Falls, who still owe the RailCats players to be named later in previous deals.

GT: The priority is to wrap those deals up before the first of the year. I have been in continuing talks with Sioux Falls and now with the transition in Windy City, there is now (laughs) not a conflict of interest, but now with Brian, who went from wanting to help our club out, now he certainly doesn't want to see the Windy City roster depleted. We have some things in place and an understanding with those clubs and we also have a player coming from Rockford (Frontier League). We have some deals that we do need to finalize and get some players in here or some considerations that can help us down the road. If we can't agree on a player that we think can come in and make our ballclub, then we may look to do some things, maybe trade those rights to another club. We think we have a nucleus that we can build on for 2008 along with some people that we will acquire from these other clubs and players like Stephen Spragg and Omar Padilla who we've recently signed, and there will be several similar players that we will sign in the next few weeks.

Editor's Note: The RailCats are owed three players from Windy City as players to be named later in 2007 trades that sent Mike Coles and Ryan Brandt from Gary to Windy City. The RailCats are owed one player from Sioux Falls as the player to be named later in a 2007 trade that sent Kris Regas from Gary to Sioux Falls.

TN: Josh Habel and Steve Haake are free agents. Would you like to have those two players back?

GT: The RailCats baseball club will be a lot better if we can have Haake in the starting lineup and Josh Habel starting opening night. I have been in touch with Steve several times this off-season as he is weighing his future and what to do, and it is that time of year when players such as Steve and Josh are thinking about their baseball future and also their personal future in terms of what they are going to do in life. I would love to have both guys back. Josh Habel, what he meant to this ballclub is a little underrated just because of the success Willie (Glen) had but everybody inside the RailCats organization knows what Josh Habel means and it will make our club a lot better if we have both of those guys.

TN: When you build the roster for 2008, what fundamental difference would you like to see from 2007? In other words, would you like to see more power, or are you comfortable with the emphasis on pitching and defense, continuing to play the Steel Yard style of offense?

GT: We would love to get a guy in that lineup that is a presence, that every other club respects and has a need to worry about, especially when we go on the road to parks like Kansas City, Joliet, Fargo that are a little bit more of a hitter's park. It would be nice for us to have a guy like that and we will look for that player, just like we have every year. But I always keep in mind that with the success we've had, it would be tough to say, 'well, I want to change things this year.' (laughs) so we will continue to try to be the best defensive ballclub, fundamentals, preparation, things we always pride ourselves on here. We will continue to do those things in the same way. That usually leads to a balanced ballclub. If anything, there is a chance we will be a little younger this year. We have had a couple of (older) players that are going to move on from their RailCats career and we will be a little younger. Opportunities for players like Nate Price may come as more of an every day player. What I would love to see us do is have that high energy level from day one all the way through the post-season and try to build on the success we've had with players that will benefit their careers as well.

**truebluefan** · 12-08-2007, 12:32 PM

VanAsselberg returns to pilot Aces

Alexandria, LA; December 6, 2007- The Alexandria Aces of United League Baseball (ULB) announced today Ricky VanAsselberg will return as field manager for the 2008 season. The upcoming campaign marks his third year as skipper of the club and sixth year with the organization, having played for the Aces during the 1996, 1998 & '99 seasons.

VanAsselberg guided his 2007 club to a 60-35 record during the regular season and swept the Rio Grande Valley (TX) WhiteWings four games to none in the championship series to claim their second straight ULB crown. For his efforts, VanAsselberg was named ULB Manager of the Year, also his second straight such honor.

In two seasons as manager, VanAsselberg has compiled a 105-79 record (.571 winning percentage) during the regular season and a 9-2 record (.818 winning percentage) in the post-season.

"The opportunity to manage in your hometown, let alone win a championship there, doesn't come along often so I feel very blessed to have this opportunity," said VanAsselberg. "This organization and the Aces fans are accustomed to not just winning but winning championships and I see the same for 2008. Last year I said the only better feeling than winning a championship is to do it again...well, I guess the only better feeling than winning back-to-back championships is to celebrate a 3-Peat!"

VanAsselberg's additional coaching experience includes serving as player/coach with the Ozark (MO) Mt. Ducks in 2001 and with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings in 2002. While he was with Ozark, VanAsselberg was also assistant baseball coach at his high school alma mater, Oak Hill High in Hineston, LA, winning a state title in 2001. He then took over the baseball program at Forest Hill High School and was named 2003 Class "C" Coach of the Year by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association.

United League Baseball is an independent league of six professional baseball teams located in Texas and Louisiana. The United League is preparing for its third season this summer with teams located in Amarillo, Edinburg, Laredo, Harlingen, and San Angelo, Texas; and Alexandria, Louisiana.

**truebluefan** · 12-08-2007, 12:34 PM

Foxhounds Announce 2008 Presenting Sponsor

AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA, December 2007-The Aiken Foxhounds Professional Baseball team is proud to announce Veracity Payment Solutions as the presenting sponsor for the 2008 season. As the presenting sponsor, Veracity's logo will be integrated with the Foxhounds' logo and slogan, "It's Dog-Gone Fun!" which will be used everywhere from the team's website to tickets, programs, marketing collateral and all electronic and print advertising. Along with the custom logo, Veracity Payment Solutions will have a visible presence at each and every Foxhounds game played at Roberto Hernandez Stadium throughout the 2008 season.

Veracity, whose customer care center is in Aiken, South Carolina, offers electronic payment processing and information services, with a market focus on small to medium-size businesses. The company is opening an operations center in Aiken during the first quarter of 2008, and will employ approximately 100 people, ranging from telemarketers to field managers. The company's corporate office is located in Atlanta, Georgia.

"We're delighted to be the Foxhounds' 2008 presenting sponsor. The Aiken community has welcomed us with its renowned Southern hospitality, providing vital support and access to everything we needed to get our operations center up and running. We hope that this sponsorship demonstrates our gratitude and sincere desire to become an integral part of the Aiken community," said Joe Cohane, Veracity's chief executive officer.

The Aiken Foxhounds are entering their second season of play as a member of the South Coast League, an independent professional baseball league located in the Southeastern U.S. Unlike minor league teams that are affiliated, the Independent Aiken Foxhounds franchise will be responsible for scouting, signing and paying their own players.

"Veracity and the Foxhounds strive for exceptional customer service and a quality product," said Foxhounds General Manager Bradley Bell. "We are looking forward to a great partnership both on and off the field."

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