February 27, 2007

Mike Vanderwood - Voice of the Dayton Dragons 

Mike Vanderwood, media relations director and voice of the Dayton Dragons on ESPN Radio 1410 and Wing AM and other media stations addressed the club about his experiences as announcer for the team as he prepares for his7th season.  Prior to joining the Dragons, he also worked in Lansing and Madison as announcer for their teams.

The Dragons team is a minor league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.  The players are actually employed by the Reds organization but Dayton provides the players uniforms, transportation, the stadium, etc.  The team is comprised of players from all over the world and the move to Dayton proves to be a major cultural adjustment form some of the recruits.

The team will play an aggressive 140 game schedule in 152 days between April 5th and September 4th and travels an average of about 14,000 miles per year in a typical season.  The players are paid between $1000 and $1500 per month and are 'hungry' to make it to the big leagues where the minimum salary is $385,000 per year.

Prior to the Dragons coming to Dayton, it was the largest US city without a baseball team.  The league consists of 14 teams in 6 states including Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.  The league seeks to provide a variety of entertainment, fun and good times for all of the spectators who come out to view the games.  Mike anticipates a good season for the Dragons with 6 players moving up who had achieved all-star status in the rookie league last year.

Hosting Rotarian: Mark Winner