Apter Hours: A Minor League Baseball Podcast

Brandon is joined by Frederick Keys GM Dave Ziedelis. Dave and Brandon don't hold back in discussing the negotiations between MLB and MiLB that has Frederick on the list of teams that could potentially get eliminated prior to the 2021 season. The Keys have been entrenched in the Frederick community for decades, have been tops in Carolina League in attendance for years and still face an uncertain future. In addition, Dave goes into his transition from working in the big leagues to the minors and what he learned from his first GM experience. 

This will be the last Apter Hours episode for a while. Appreciate the support to this point. 

In the second season premiere of Apter Hours, Brandon is joined by former colleague and current host of The Daily Line on NBC Sports Radio, Tim Murray. Brandon and Tim talk about the importance of preparation for a broadcast, the asinine proposal that would remove 42 teams from the minor league landscape, the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and Tim's hometown Washington Nationals winning their first championship.

You can follow Tim on Twitter @1TimMurray and find The Daily Line on NBC Sports Radio or the NBC Sports app.

It's a Throwback Thursday #TBT episode of Apter Hours. We go back to 2017, when Brandon made the decision to take a position out of minor league baseball after nine seasons. The episode details every step of his Minor League Journey, including the very difficult decisions, professional growth, stepping outside your comfort zone and being a part of an industry that is a family.

Amarillo Sod Poodles President & General Manager, Tony Ensor, joins the show to discuss Amarillo's successful season on and off the field. The Soddies sold out 23 straight games, tallied 40 total sellouts and also won the Texas League title in their first year of existence. Tony and Brandon also discuss the challenges faced, fans showing up for minor league playoffs and looking ahead to 2020.

Rocky Mountain Vibes President & GM Chris Phillips joins the show to talk about the success of the organization's inaugural season following their name change and level switch from Triple-A to Short Season.

MiLB.com's Ben Hill joins this show this week! During his 2019 road trips, Ben visited a number of teams across the country. Brandon and Ben discuss the teams that rebranded and opened new ballparks before looking ahead to some new identities for teams heading into the 2020 season.

Bowie Baysox play-by-play voice Adam Pohl joins the show! Brandon and Adam worked together with the Frederick Keys for three seasons (2011-13). The two touch on a number of topics including pace of play, becoming a good manager and making yourself valuable as a broadcaster.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (NBA G League) President and former MiLB executive Tim Bawmann joins the show! He discusses how he landed his first job in the 1980's, tough market challenges and how to overcome them, the differences & similarities between Minor League Baseball and the G League, the importance of being open to relocation and more!

Each season, a handful of teams change their brand. Whether it is a brand refresh or complete re-brand, Brandiose is usually the company behind it.  In this episode, Brandiose partner Jason Klein joins the show to talk about how the company has grown to what it is today, the process behind creating a brand, how important storytelling is to a brand, the steps taken to initiate a branding effort and much more!

Follow Brandiose on Twitter @Brandiose!

Rob Montepare, Founder and Co-Creator of the Fur Circus and Time Out Pros, joins the show! Brandon and Rob discuss some early career mascot stories and the rewarding side of being a mascot. We also learn about how the Fur Circus (a traveling mascot circus) was created and how it has grown into a company that travels to different  venues with various entertainment acts to enhance the fan experience at games.

Zach Chartrand, general manager of the Lafayette Aviators (Prospect League) joins Brandon Apter for this episode! The two discuss Zach's career path to Lafayette, the similarities & differences between collegiate summer league baseball and the low levels of the minors, playing in a historical ballpark, Lafayette's new ballpark for 2021, operating a team with a very small staff and more!

Follow the Aviators on Twitter @Lafayette_BSB and on Instagram @lafayette_aviators. Find out more information at Lafayettebaseball.com.

Lehigh Valley Ironpigs Media Relations Manager Mike Ventola joins the show. Brandon and Mike talk about his introduction into broadcasting, which play-by-play voices inspired him early in his career, the preparation that goes into a game for broadcasters, his unique home run call in Reading, transition from full-time broadcasting to a media relations role and getting to call Phillies spring training.

Fayetteville Woodpecker's play-by-play voice Matt Sabados joins the show! Matt and Brandon talk about the naming process behind the Woodpeckers which pays homage to an endangered species, baseball returning to the area for the first time since the early 2000's, fan reception of the new name and ballpark, notable Astros prospect performances and more.

Williamsport Crosscutters Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, Gabe Sinicropi, joins the show! Gabe came and spoke in one of Brandon's Sport Management classes in 2008 and that inspired Brandon to look into working in Minor League Baseball. Over 10 years later, Gabe comes onto Apter Hours to discuss the Williamsport Crosscutters' journey from Geneva, NY, to Central, PA, Major League Baseball's Little League Classic at Williamsport's Historic Bowman Field and the gigantic baseball community that has grown in Williamsport with the Crosscutters and Little League World Series.

Brandon is joined by Minor League Baseball's Manager of Special Events and Affiliate Programming, Paige Hegedus, for this episode! Paige oversees a number of MiLB's special events, including the Innovator's Summit, Winter Meetings and PBEO Job Fair. Brandon and Paige talk about the job fair experience, the opportunities it provides for both new and veteran executives, the big/small world of Minor League baseball, doing your research before interviews and much more!

Bradenton Marauaders general manager Craig Warzecha joins the show! The Marauders, Advanced 'A' affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, play in one of the most challenging leagues to work in for front office executives -- the Florida State League. Craig and Brandon discuss the challenges of working in the FSL from the weather to the older demographic, getting to work big league spring training and more!

Brandon is joined by Minor League Baseball front office veteran, Amy Venuto. Venuto's career in baseball dates back to the 1990's, mostly with Ripken Baseball. Now, she runs her own company, Amy Venuto Team Services, which travels to different organizations and sets up a strong foundation for sales and success. Brandon and Amy also discuss the rise of women in higher-up positions in sports, the importance of networking, interview tips for young professionals, thoughts on some of the rebrandings across the industry and much more!

Hartford Yard Goats General Manager, Mike Abramson, joins Apter Hours in the latest episode. Mike talks about the challenges of dealing with ballpark development issues in Hartford, which led to the Yard Goats having to play all games on the road in 2016. In 2017, Hartford's Dunkin Donuts park finally opened and the Yard Goats have been extremely successful since. Brandon and Mike also discuss about the upcoming season in Hartford and how there's always things to improve on and make the fan experience better in the minor leagues.

Brandon is joined by Nashville Sounds Director of Entertainment, Mary Hegley, in the latest Apter Hours. Mary gives an inside look as to why the Sounds decided to change their logo after going through a logo change not to long ago. In addition, Brandon and Mary discuss the buzz around Nashville when the new stadium was built in 2015 and how its grown, the phenomenal, unique ballpark atmosphere at First Tennessee Park heading into its fifth year, some of the promotions upcoming for 2019 and more.

The topic of rebranding in Minor League Baseball continues as Amarillo Sod Poodles' President and General Manager, Tony Ensor, joins the show. Brandon and Tony discuss the minor league realignment that put baseball back in Amarillo, the naming process that led to Sod Poodles, baseball returning to Amarillo for the first time since the early 1980s, what fans can expect from the new ballpark and much more! Follow the Sod Poodles on social media @sodpoodles or visit them online at sodpoodles.com.

New Gwinnett Stripers Vice President and General Manager, Adam English, joins the show just a few short months into his position with the Triple-A Braves affiliate. Adam and Brandon discuss the potential and challenges of the Gwinnett market, Adam's journey to Gwinnett, the talented Braves prospects that could be on the roster in 2019 and what fun events are planned for season. Follow the Stripers on Twitter @gostripers and make sure to visit them online at GoStripers.com.

Rocky Mountain Vibes President & General Manager, Chris Phillips, joins the show to talk about the recent transformation of baseball in Colorado Springs. After 30+ years of being the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox, they are now known as Brewers Rookie League affiliate, the Rocky Mountain Vibes. Now dealing with a new name, affiliate and level, Chris talks about the story of how the Vibes name came to be, the advantages of having less home games and his journey to becoming President & GM of the Vibes. 

Make sure to follow the Vibes on Twitter @vibesbaseball and visit them online at vibesbaseball.com.

You can find Apter Hours on Twitter @ApterHoursPod.

In the first episode of the Apter Hours Podcast reboot, Brandon is joined by MiLB.com's Ben Hill (@bensbiz) ! Ben has covered the business and culture of Minor League Baseball since 2005, visiting teams all over the country to explore the unique atmospheres of each organization. The episode starts off with Ben's personal journey into MiLB and how his position has developed over the years. Later, Ben and Brandon talk about the topic of rebranding in Minor League Baseball and discuss the teams that changed their look and/or name during the 2018 offseason.