The Masters of Minor League Media
The 2006 MLN Ralphie Awards™

The movies have Oscar®. Television has Emmy®. Broadway has its Tony®. For media relations people in sports, there is only one coveted honor: The Ralphie™. MLN presents to you the top five out of more than 800 minor and major league media relations people in baseball, hockey, basketball and football who make their corners of sports shine. [Feature]

Writing the Great Gamer

One sentence or a whole essay, you can write more effective game highlight press releases that improve your ability to sell tickets and help the member clubs in your league do the same. [Article]

Putting a New Face on Your Media

Media and attendance go hand-in-hand. Did you know that away club players can help fill seats as effectively as your home team? [Article]

Visit the NEW MLN Media Boot Camp section for general managers (GM) and media relations (PR) staff. [Section]

Off With Their Heads!

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays put Durham Bulls skipper John Tamargo and his first mates under the blade, but the last laugh may be on the executioners as the Bad Boy Bulls become the real Devil Rays [BLOG]

RalphieDEX
MAJOR DIRECTORY of Minor League and Independent Media Relations

They're the masters of media, the voice from the booth, the name on those press releases. Meet them in the first comprehensive minor league and indy ALL-SPORT media relations directory. [New Section]

Alex in Wonderland
Alexander Wolff Wanders the Basketball Road Less Traveled

Alexander Wolff bought an ABA franchise, the Vermont Frost Heaves, to chronicle for SI. Will his experiences be typical of minor league basketball? NOT. [Blog]

The Elephant on the Court

The NBA D-League just sucked up the CBA's core franchises. Is it wiser to go the indy road without call-ups, or recognize the elephant on the court and play nice. [Blog]

Round Up The Usual Suspects

The latest ritual of baseball is not the World Baseball Classic - It's the annual serving of a few unknown faces to the media to prove that the steroids testing is really working. Yet no one who makes any jack is being jacked for 'roids. [Opnion]

The Green Cap

What screws up Major League Baseball most? It's not steroids. It's not the "dilution of talent" because major league baseball has more teams. It's the officially licensed product of moneyball... Sr. Editor Brian Ross examines how the Green Cap keeps mediocre players in the majors, and traps talented newcomers in the minors.

[Blog]

Line Call
As the minor league umpire strike continues, Major League umpires make a stop on the minor league picket lines to show their support. [Article]

Over Friggin' Nickels

In a world of $3.00 gas and $10.00 burgers, can minor league umpires live on $25.00 a day? While the Minors burn, with stats dropping and fights causing teams to be pulled from the field, Minor League Baseball and the umpires union try to make a line call on what's a living wage.
[Article]

Some Strange Umpiring

If the replacement umpires in the Triple-A are the best that Minor League Baseball has to offer, fans in the Class A leagues should be truly worried. Dan Hickling, the Guerrilla Stringer, calls 'em like he sees them. [Blog]

MLN Top Ten Minor League Ballparks

Where are the best places to watch a baseball game? MLN takes you to 10 great places to watch a ballgame, along with places to stay, and eat while in town. Pack your bags! [Article]

How Did Reading Do It?
ECHL Reading is giving fans the Royal treatment with its new facility. Why can't Portland, Maine, get its act together [Blog]

When the Message Owns the Media

Leagues and teams that cover themselves are often covering themselves in ways that protect them from an independent media. Is it money, spin control, or something more? [Blog]

Fleeing Fish
Where will the Florida Marlins go? If they leave South Florida, they will go to a minor league market. While the major league media spouts off about Vegas and Portland, MLN takes you on a real-deal tour of the towns that could make the list...[Article]