Meet The Staff - John Frey

You've seen us around the ballpark and now we want to let you know just who we are. This marks the last of our weekly installments of Meet the SeaWolves staff.

Up to this point, fans have met every member of the SeaWolves front office staff. This week's staff member has been in professional baseball for 25 years. Fresh out of college he began working for a club in Beloit Wisconsin and has never turned back.

While being well traveled in the game, this week's profile features a man who has been in the Erie community for the last nine years and is one of the most recognizable figures at the ballpark. Behind the scenes he's responsible for the entire operation of the club. Everything from overseeing the staff to making sure fans leave the ballpark happy.

Chances are, if you came to a game you've met this week's staff member shaking hands at the front gates, introducing first pitches or standing at the gates to thank every last fan for coming. While commonly known as the Mayor of SeaWolf City, this staff member prides himself on making the organization work from top to bottom. Lets meet Team President and General Manager, John Frey!

Name: John Frey
Age: 46
Hometown: Prescott, Wisconsin
College: University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse, BS Parks & Recreation Administration
Bats/Throws: R/R
Marital Status/Children: Married. 3 Children (Joe, Mary & JP)...wife (Kathy)
Years with the SeaWolves: 2009 will be my 10th season in Erie, 25th in Minor League Baseball

What are your job responsibilities? As team President & GM I am responsible for the entire business operation of the franchise. I am NOT responsible for the players or coaches on the field. If you have a bad experience at the ballpark because of the concessions, promotions, entertainment or anything else going on in the stands please come see me. If you don't like our pitching staff there is not much I can do for you!

What is the favorite part of your job? Putting on games/events. I love the planning and preparation that goes into a game. Most people have no idea how much time we spend on the little things for each game but we work for months on all details for each of our games. Every thing from give away items to fireworks to pre-game entertainment to music to video promotions...every small detail that can make the fan experience better at any of our games.

What made you want to have a career in sports? When I was 22 years old I thought working in baseball would be "cool". I still think it is pretty "cool".

What other sports teams have you worked for? Beloit Brewers (now the Snappers) in 1985-1986, Midland Angels (now the Rockhounds) from 1987-1990, the Greensboro Hornets/Bats (now the Grasshoppers) from 1991-1999, and the SeaWolves since the 2000 season.

What do you like most about living in Erie? This has been a GREAT place to raise our children. The schools are great (Go McDowell Trojans!!).

Tell us about your background? It's all baseball from a professional standpoint! Growing up in Prescott (small town of just over 2,000 people when I grew up) I worked in places like the corn fields for a seed corn company, a warehouse liquor store and a convenience store through high school. Growing up in a small town I played a lot of sports...football, basketball & baseball in high school.

How do you spend your free time? Mostly watching my boys play baseball. My youngest son (JP) is a senior at McDowell and our oldest son (Joe) is a junior playing baseball for Notre Dame College in Cleveland. I also have gotten involved with MYAA. I like staying involved with different activities to keep me busy at night and MYAA was a great place for me to do that. I'm also the backup clock operator for McDowell basketball and football.

What is one interesting fact about yourself? I make great salsa. I learned many years ago from my mother-in-law and now my salsa is better than Kathy's!

Other than the SeaWolves, what professional sports teams do you follow? University of Wisconsin sports, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers (do you see a Wisconsin theme in there??)

Who are your favorite athletes of all-time? Robin Yount & Jim Gantner from the Brewers. I was HUGE fan of Brett Favre until he left the Packers...now I'm a big fan of Aaron Rodgers.

What has been your favorite moment working with the SeaWolves? Maybe because it is so recent but the grand slam hit by Jeff Larish in the 2007 playoffs versus Akron was awesome. We had a great crowd and the reaction of the fans was the most intense I had ever felt at Jerry Uht Park. Everyone was really into the game and that slam sealed the win for us. I'm looking forward to clinching an Eastern League Championship at Jerry Uht Park sometime soon though!!

What is your favorite all-time sports moment? Attending game three of the 1982 World Series in Milwaukee. It was my first game actually in Milwaukee. I got tickets through a lottery while in college. The tickets were only $10 each back then! Second best would be the Packers winning the Super Bowl in 1997.

If you were not working in professional baseball, what career path would you have taken? Most likely either into some recreation field. I was looking into an internship with a Boys Club or YMCA before I got the baseball internship.

With the cold temperatures here, what are you most looking forward to about the 15th season of Erie SeaWolves baseball? Each and every game!! We will have more fireworks than ever before (7 shows) and I'm looking forward to that. Our new ticket packages are a GREAT value to fans and that should be very exciting for us.