Dedicated to the memory of
Ralphie Onadakis,
a poor fictional match boy,
trademarked at birth, who had but one dream: To become a highly-paid and respected media relations director in minor league sports.
Sadly, Ralphie was cut down in his prime, stricken with Digitalis Slothentoza, a slowing of the fingers while typing.
Unable to perform the job he loved, he wandered the streets homeless for many years, then changed his name, and became the GM of a major league sports franchise. A sad end for a lad with boundless enthusiasm and promise.
In his name MLN presents these awards annually to the men and women who sneer in the face of deadlines, who to show no fear crabby visiting broadcasters,
who get us the scores, stats, and interviews that make the job
of this organization just a tiny bit easier.
Chosen by the editors of MLN
from amongst more than
four-score of their peers,
we salute the hard work
of the media relations staff
and broadcasters
at hundreds of teams
around the nation.
In a business where the janitorial department often gets more attention than the media relations staff, those who aren't complacent about their jobs, content to pop off a few press releases on blood drives and celebrity golf, stand out from the crowd.
That more elite corps of public relations/media relations directors is the cream of the crop. The winners of the 2004 Ralphies are the crême-dé-la-crême, the best of the best, in the front and league offices of four sports. Our survey covers over 619 teams in baseball, hockey, basketball, and football.
In league media relations for 2004, there was great improvement in the overall coverage. Even the Mexican League broke down and started communicating with the outside world via the internet. On the other side of the coin, the Gulf Coast League continues to need a computer and email (Donations will be passed on. Give generously.).
The criteria for selection in the category of best league media relations is simple. Be the best in every facet of your job. Awards are given to both media relations and broadcast personnel of the minor league teams. Our first "Ralphie" winner defines that excellence...
Nathan Blackmon is our 2004 Ralphie winner for Best League Media Relations Director. Blackmon is the spokesperson for the AAA International League. He is not only one of the most thorough people in the business; he is also one of the best writers.
His copy in press releases is well written, concise, entertaining, and engaging. All that, and he gets the players names spelled correctly too. Nathan writes the kind of dynamic, interesting copy about the up-and-coming stars of his league that attracts the attention of a national publication like MLN.
Blackmon makes sure that all of his teams are represented in his weekly briefs. Stories about featured players, left unedited, can actually make you want to go out to the ballpark and check them out. He sets up rivalries and races that bring the International League attention. A sampling of his work for July is featured in the new publication, MLN - The Raw Feed™ .
When it comes to delivering on the other things that make a great league media guy, Nathan is there. From arranging access to interviews to providing needed materials, he makes the reputation of the IL shine.
He is the kind of media relations person that we think will be going places. Blackmon may be minor league, but he has the MAJOR ATTITUDE™ that we see sending him to the big leagues.
