Sports Organization Audit: Little Falls Diamond Dawgs

Giorgio Varlaro

After the Little Falls Mets left the mohawk valley in 1988, the town was left without a

baseball franchise which had established greatness since 1949, when Vet’s Memorial Park was

opened. With the likes of likes Billy Beane, Dwight Gooden, Todd Hundley and J.P. Ricciardi

playing in the field, the Mets went on and won one championship in 1984 (Lewis, 2003). Soon

after, the Mets left Little Falls for Pittsfield, Massachusetts, leaving the valley without a team for

four years until the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) filled this gap with the

Little Falls Diamonds. The Diamonds went on and won three championships until the team

folded in 1994. From here, the Mohawk Valley Landsharks and Redlegs played during the

summer at Vet’s park until 2000. Six years later, baseball had another renaissance with the

forming of the Mohawk Valley Diamond Miners. That name has since changed to the Diamond

Dawgs, who were reborn as an expansion team of the same NYCBL in 2009 when current owner

David N. Dittmann took over the team (Juteau, 2010). Since that time, the ‘Dawgs’ have been

part of the East Division of the NYCBL along with the Amsterdam Mohawks, Oneonta Outlaws,

Glens Falls Golden Eagles, Cooperstown Hawkeyes, Watertown Wizards and Albany Dutchmen.

For the management audit on the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs, interviews were done

within the management office and coaching staff to get a good idea of how the team has been

running since its rebirth in 2009. This equates to three coaches (one head coach and two

assistants) and four managers (the team owner, president/general manager, chairman and

assistant general manager). Each individual went through a semi-structured interview process,

with the intensions of finding out how the team was run as an organization. From the information

gathered, a solid understanding of the Diamond Dawgs product was revealed, with seven

different perspectives to make the information saturated.

Goals and Objectives

o Strategic

To increase event staff by three this season

Obtain college educated students who have a love for baseball

Try to get athletes to do more with the community

This is hard since baseball is only played during the summer (June-

July)

Obtain more local players

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Mohawk Valley Community College, Herkimer County

Community College, Utica College and SUNY Institute of

Technology

Get better host houses for the athletes to stay at

Increase local sponsorships

By five to ten different companies

o Financial

Increase ticket sales by 10 percent

Offer more family nights

Try to get summer staff paid, which will help bring them back from year-

to-year

o Coaching

Teach athletes the right way to play baseball through technique

Teach athletes how to take care of their bodies

Teach athletes how to be safe and responsible in town environment

Win the East Division of the NYCBL

Make sure athletes enjoy their experience with the Diamond Dawgs

Core Values

o Respect each other and commit to excellence, integrity and quality in everything

that is done

o Provide fans with excellent entertainment in a clean, secure and comfortable

environment

o Try to incorporate fans in attendance, making them more than just spectators

o Help build sponsors brand image so business can grow

Processes

o Though the Diamond Dawgs baseball season is only two months, and consists of

43 games, the players are still asked to act like professionals which includes;

attending all practices, lifting sessions and games. The Dawgs usually have four

to six games a week, so practice is only heavy during the middle of June when the

players come to Little Falls. There are no cuts because these collegiate athletes are

selected by the team owner and general manager.

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Practice for the players consists of infield and outfield training, batting

practice and pitching sessions

o The new head coach of the Diamond Dawgs is Troy Gerlach. Gerlach will work

full-time with his two assistants, Justin Parrish and John Fureno, to make sure

their players get the best possible experience while playing baseball for the

Diamond Dawgs. This includes, trying to teach players that not being a five tool

player is the best way to go about being a professional. The Dawgs will try to

teach their youngster how to play their own game, thus it will be up to the coaches

to put these players in those situations so success can be established within the

baseball diamond.

These coaches do not help recruit or fundraise during the off-season. This

is done primarily by President/General Manager Travis Heiser. Heiser is a

high school teacher and coach at St. Johnsville during the Fall, Winter and

Spring, but helps run the Diamond Dawgs during the summer.

Structure

o Available in appendix

Description of NYCBL

o The NYCBL is apart if Perfect Game USA. Perfect Game USA has established

itself as the world’s largest independent scouting service and is very highly

respected in the baseball world. Nearly every highly drafted player is a client of

Perfect Game and the relationship and pipeline into a college summer league is a

natural fit. In addition to naming rights, Perfect Game will actively assist the new

league in identifying and recruiting top college and junior-college prospects. It

will also utilize various ball parks around the league to stage regional showcase

events and tournaments, the staple of Perfect Game’s traditional business model.

With more than 80 national and regional events annually, and other events it

actively scouts, Perfect Game has access to upwards of 25,000 top high-school

players each year (About Perfect Game, 2010).

Job Description

o Team Owner

David Dittmann

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Helps find sponsors

o The Diamond Dawgs currently have 78 local sponsors

Analyzes revenues and expenditures

o Finds ways to make baseball in Little Falls profitable

Stays in compliance with NYCBL

o Teams consist of colligate baseball players

DI, DII and DIII

o President/General Manager

Travis Heiser

Makes team roster

o Recruits 23 players

Three catchers, six infielders, five outfielders and

nine pitchers

Manages ticket sales

o Creates promotions with outside sponsors to create

awareness of Diamond Dawg baseball

o Gets help with designs of tickets and schedules, which are

presented to customers that go to home games

Updates Web site

o Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs official site

Team Apparel

o Jerseys, pants, long sleeve shirts, baseball coats, cleats,

bats, baseballs, etc.

Writes press releases for media about upcoming events with team

o Chairman

Tommy John

Helps promote Diamond Dawgs

o Uses baseball experience to look at athletes in the

surrounding area

o Is used to make brand image stronger

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o Assistant General Manager

Cody Rose

Assists Heiser with phone calls, e-mails, and production of the

team Web site

Helps Heiser during game-day operations, making sure everything

runs smoothly so fans enjoy their experience at Veterans Memorial

Park

o Head Coach

Troy Gerlach

Makes workout programs for specific players

Plans a baseball game

Manages both assistants

o Assistant Coaches

John Fureno

Fureno is the offensive mind of the two assistants. Fureno helps

players reach their true potential at the plate

Helps head coach with decisions during the game

Justin Parrish

Parrish is the pitching coach for the Diamond Dawgs. Parrish tries

to teach his pitchers mechanics of baseball and situations to

understand during a game

o Players

Build team morale

Build unity by socializing outside of baseball

Setting a good example on and off the baseball diamond

Create an open environment where controversy can be extroverted

Let coaches know if there are injuries or problems in the club house

Make sure discipline is enacted without bias

Work hard to make each other better every day

Staffing Procedures

o Team Owner

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David Dittmann has a wealth of experience in working with baseball.

Recently, Dittmann owned the Newport Gulls, Vermont Mountaineers and

Peninsula Pilots. Each did not have success on the field, but Dittmann was

successful in getting fans of baseball to come and watch. Before owning

the Gulls, Mountaineers and Pilots, Dittmann owned a slew of minor

league baseball teams, including the New Havens Ravens AA team (Front

Office, 2010).

Dittmann learned of the selling of the Diamond Dawgs in 2008, when old

friend and owner Miles Wolff offered him the position. Since that time,

Dittmann has been influential in changing the name from the Miners to the

Diamond Dawgs.


Discovered his current position while assistant coaching for the Diamond

Miners after the 2007 summer season. Heiser had some experience in

baseball (head coach of St. Johnsville baseball team), but never gained

field experience in running a team. Heiser told Dittmann about his

computer and coaching experience, which eventually landed him the job.

Heiser is now pursuing a graduate degree online inbetween his full-time

job and help with the Diamond Dawgs.

o Chairman

Tommy John, unlike the rest of the staff, is present at award ceremonies

and for commentary on how the team is doing. John is used as a

spokesman of the Diamond Dawgs, to create awareness of the team. John

played over 26 seasons in major league baseball with stints as a Yankee,

Dodger, Angel and White Sox. John is the fifth winningest left-handed

pitcher in major league history (Rathbun, 2009).


After playing collegiate baseball at Oneonta State College, Rose learned

about the Assistant General Manger position from Heiser. Rose had the

same background in baseball as Heiser did, which made Heiser feel

comfortable enough to give Rose an opportunity. Rose won his Class C

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State Championship in 2005 while in high school at Sidney Central (Front

Office, 2010). Rose has a family full of baseball players, which could help

with his position.

o Head Coach

Current head coach Troy Gerlach earned his position from excellent

experience in baseball. Gerlach came to the team after serving as the

hitting coach during the 2009 season for the NYCBL Champions,

Amsterdam Mohawks. Gerlach helped Amsterdam finish 13th in the

country with a 32-12 record (Coaching Staff, 2010). The Mohawks led the

NYCBL in homeruns (29) and team batting average of .290, which was

also best throughout the country (Coaching Staff, 2010).

Gerlach, who is in his second year at Paradise Valley Community College,

was found out by Heiser for the position of head coach with the Mohawk

Valley Diamond Dawgs.

Gerlach has an impressive resume which includes a regular season

championship with Paradise Valley and an East Sky Region Co-coach of

the Year award in 2008 when he worked for the Arcadia High School

Titans (Coaching Staff, 2010).

Gerlach played two years at Pratt Community College in Kansas before

transferring to Northwest Missouri State University (Coaching Staff,

2010). Gerlach earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and his

master’s degree in Athletic Administration from NMSU.

o Assistant Coaches

Justin Parrish has three years of pitching coach experience under his belt

at Southwestern Oregon Community College. This is what made Heiser

come to him for the responsibility of pitching coach duties.

Heiser will also ask Parrish to help with strength and conditioning.

Parrish played for the University of Charleston, West Virginia and

Missouri Western State University (Coaching Staff, 2010). Parrish

graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sports Management.

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John Fureno was asked by Heiser to join his staff because of his excellent

work with Mohawk Valley Community College since 2007.

Fureno is currently employed as an elementary school teacher in the Fort

Plain school district. Fureno has coached football, basketball, softball, and

baseball over the past 20 years.

Fureno was a three sport star at Mohawk High School excelling in

football, basketball and baseball.

o Players

The players of the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs are selected based on

their previous success on the baseball diamond. The front office looks to

find young talent from the surrounding area (mohawk valley), but will

accept any player outside of the area if they are willing to work hard to

become a better baseball player.

Last year’s roster saw players from Phoenix, AZ, Jackson, TN, New

Braunfels, TX, Laguna Niguel, CA, Lexington, KY, Glendale, AZ,

Columbia, MD, Utica, NY, Rome, NY, Nassau, Bahamas, Maybrook, NY,

Liberty, NY, Milford, CT, Cornish, ME, Littleton, CO, Phflugerville, TX

and Gloversville, NY.

Though the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs have not had recent success, the team is

taking the right steps for the future. The Dawgs are doing this by getting the proper people within

the organization to lead the team. From this, new and better practices will come about which will

help the team be successful in the community and on the field. Each individual on the baseball

team and within the organization has experience in sports and sport management. This should

give the team direction they have yet to see since their inception in the late 1980’s. These

knowledgeable associates under Dittmann should be able to move this baseball organization

from good-to-great by staying on the same page and doing the small things to make customers

and players willing to come back every summer.

Athlete Review and Reward System

o Head Coach

The head coach is paid a nominal fee by the owner to help achieve success

on the field. The reward for the coaches comes from the ability to teach

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young upcoming athletes the game of baseball, which then gains them

respect in the baseball community, thus the opportunity to further

themselves in the game they’ve played since they were children.

The work done by the head coach is weighted by the owner and president

to see if the two month season was a success.

Furthermore, if the coach does win an award for the positive play on the

field, a discussion would have to occur between the owner and head coach

on what compensation might be.

o Assistant Coaches

The same goes for the assistant coaches. They too are paid a nominal fee

at the beginning of the summer to help keep baseball in Little Falls.

Since Parrish is young, he is looking at this opportunity to be a jump-

starter for his career. Parrish knows that if his pitching staff is successful,

coach Gerlach could spread the word about his potential to other teams.

Fureno already has a position with Mohawk Valley Community College,

so adding to his credentials isn’t as important. Fureno is however from

Mohawk, which is a small village fifteen minutes away from Little Falls.

Fureno uses the opportunity of helping the Diamond Dawgs not only to

scout young talent, but also to support this local team within his small

community.

o Players

Players are rewarded with playing time. If the coaches feel that their team

has a better chance of winning a game with a specific player in the line-up

or on the mound, they will be put in spots to succeed. This results in more

experience in baseball, which could future develop their skills.

Furthermore, working with other established athletes will help players on

the team learn new ways to play baseball, which could further their

improvement as a player.

Other than team awards, players can also receive league awards for MVP,

hitting and pitching.

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Performance from the coaches and the players will be pivotal if the Diamond Dawgs

want to have a successful season. This team bases success on ticket sales and wins, like most

other teams do, but this could be one of the major reasons why this team hasn’t succeeded as an

organization.

Players usually are only around for three months, and then a new set is brought back the

following year, so long-term performance cannot be deemed to the coaches. Coaches have to

learn to incorporate tweaks, like ones they might encounter during a season (like choking up in

the bat or changing your stance slightly) to provide instant success. Because of the time

constraints, major deficiencies in form cannot be broken down by coaches.

Since rewards have not been associated with this franchise in the past, awareness has to

be taken into consideration by the team office and coaches. If this is not taken care of, both

employees and players can lose motivation and retention.

Leadership

o Team Owner

Outlines teams goals and objectives

Outlines core values

Previous experience as owner of baseball

Promotes communications from top to bottom of staff

Tries to answer all phone complaints about the team

Shows that he cares

Is invested in keeping baseball in Little Falls


Very good mediator between coaches, athlete and owner

Strong organization skills

Strong computer skills

Persistent with team success

Willing to give less experienced people a chance

o Chairman

Creates mystique around the team

Very good interpersonal skills

Creates opportunities for external revenues

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Hard working

Innovative ideas for ticket sales

New and inexperienced

Above average listening and thinking skills

o Head Coach

Superb motivator

Experience in outlining practice and lifting schedules

Ability to communicate with players young or old

Previous winner

Has had success in baseball which creates credibility

Calm under pressure

o Assistant Coaches

Justin Parrish

Great enthusiasm and drive for success

Ability to relate to players with young age

Unbiased in player development

Needs some direction

John Fureno

Experienced coach

Different techniques in motivating young players

Very personable

Quiet yet effective persona

o Players

Need to be supportive of other players

Have to create team-building activities

Need to find a role on the team

Need to be on-time every day

Have to have strong communication skills with coaches

Have to let go and be personable with fans

Be open-minded to every situation

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Do not intervene unless asked by a teammate

Every season the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs will get a new set of players to

contend with. This is where effectiveness by the coaches and the president will affect the way

these players treat their summer experience. In being effective with your daily schedule, it keeps

the athletes occupied and able to understand what is needed of them for success to occur. Once

an effective plan is instilled, players will become efficient in demonstrating this plan, which can

then be modified for any flaws. Once flaws are taken out, more efficiency can be achieved in

practice, which should create a positive experience for the players.

Once these players become comfortable with the daily games and practice schedule,

leaders of the team will easily arise. Once you get the leaders to buy into your concepts, the rest

of the team will. Being effective in your decision making as a coach should reflect positively to

leaders, which creates a team and organization with high self regard and self-esteem. This is

essential since it will create even more communication, thus creating a place where learning and

achievement can be obtained (by both players and coaches).

Decision Making

o Team Owner

The first priority of the owner is to find out if a business decision can be

profitable. With Dittmann’s experience as a baseball owner, he saw some

potential with the Mohawk Valley Miners. Potential can also relate to

opportunities and problems. If the surrounding area of the team has a lot of

opportunities and very little external threats, you could have a chance of

being productive.

From here, Dittmann’s daily decisions revolved around defining problems,

generating alternatives, evaluating alternatives and implementing the best

solution.


Heiser has the some of the same objectives as the owner, like analyzing

problems, generating alternative solutions, and choosing a solution, but

Heiser also has to make decisions as a social process. This means that

Heiser has to also incorporate ideas he feels that the members of his

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organization agree with, thus taking steps in getting ideas implemented for

the future.

It is also important for Heiser to find other economic benefits within the

community. This means trying to find ways to get tax money from the

surrounding area, which could alleviate costs for the organization.

o Chairman

John has the ability to influence decision makers with his experience in

baseball. John has pull with the media, which can create awareness so

debate can occur, which helps the Diamond Dawgs.


Rose’s daily decisions relate to

Spending money in the local community

Creating promotions to attract out of town visitors

Helps with employment opportunities within the management

office

Helps Dittmann and Heiser reduce resistance from customers and

employees

o Head Coach

Practice schedule

Batting practice

Pitching schedule

Starting line-up for games

Home and Away

If field is adequate enough to play on

Ensures safety of players

Game related

Matchups against pitchers who are right-handed opposed to left-

handed

Who should pitch and how much rest do they get in between starts

o When should a player be taken out of the game

Late inning decisions to produce runs

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o Pinch-hitter, pinch-runner and defensive replacements

o Assistant Coaches

Parrish

How to make pitching staff better

o Assist Gerlach during game with pitch counts, if pitchers

are available and when they are warmed up to be able to be

used in the game

Fureno

How to make position players successful

o Put them at positions related their talents

o Critique there hitting approach during a specific situation

o Players

Health

Tell coaches how they feel each day to prevent injury

How to deal with issues with players

Through the team or through the coach

Off-field conduct

Create curfews

Administer no drinking the day before a game

Always go out with a teammate

The decision making skills of the team, coaches and athletes is something all

organizations deal with on a daily basis. Teams have to make decisions which they believe will

profit the Diamond Dawgs, coaches make decisions which create the opportunity for success on

the field and athletes make decisions to get better or not. Each of these decision should be based

on the steps in the decision making process: Frame/define the problem, generate alternatives,

evaluate alternatives and select and implement the best alternative.

Other decisions revolve around social responsibility. A team has to follow its mission,

vision and strategic planning process, while coaches and athletes are used in the community to

create positive community relations.

Commitment of Organization

o Team Owner

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Follow strategic goals and objectives

Keep an open line of communication with every department

Implement change as a new way of business


Implements mission statement and core values

Come up with new ideas for next season

o Chairman

Create new stakeholders and sponsors


Keep up with feedback from stakeholders

Maintain communication

Maintain Web site

o Head Coach

Winning

Organization

Respect

o Assistant Coaches

Teach fundamentals

Help head coach be successful during a game

o Players

Playing hard every day

Improve abilities

Potential Problems

o No Team Identity

Have to set a better mission statement and core values

o Lack of power in budgetary decision-making for head coach and president

All financial decisions are made by the owner

o Lack of overall budget

All sponsors are local

Inability to attract new sponsors

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Cannot handout team memorabilia

o Small seating capacity and parking at Vet’s Park

o Small management staff

Inexperience here also

o Backlash from fans if you don’t have enough local talent

o No innovative thinking

Use the same promotions from year-to-year

o Poor community relations

Team does not promote players at non-sports events

Parades, hospitals, restaurants, high schools or colleges

o No pull with community

Inability to get tax money to relieve extraneous costs

o Town owns field

Cannot advertise on fences or grass

o Poor drainage on field

Games can be rained out easily

Suggestionso Give head coach more decision making power

o Create better promotions

This would allow you to pay your coaches better, thus resulting in a better

coaching staff.

o More departments critiqued on performance

o Create a better reward system for the player and coaches

o Competitive ticket prices

Prices are too low

Season tickets

o $40 per seat

Single-game tickets

o Adult: $3

o Children 12-18: $2

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o Children 12 & under: $1

o Senior Citizens: $1

o Advertise in local colleges for positions on the team

During spring semester

o Think about renaming the team and buying new uniforms

Have a mascot

‘Diamond’s on the reg’ is his slogan

Have promotions revolve around this

Ex: Mohawk Valley Diamond Chasers

o Find diamonds around mohawk valley and get a free season

pass

Appendix

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ReferencesAbout Perfect Game (2010, December). Perfect Game USA. Retrieved from http://www.perfectg

ame.org/AboutPG.aspx

Coaching staff (2010, December). Head coach: Troy gerlach. Retrieved from http://www.mydiamondawgs.com/coaching-staff/

Front Office (2010, December). Team owner: David n. dittmann. Retrieved from http://www.mydiamonddawgs.com/front-office/

Juteau, Rob (2010). City approves vets park lease agreement for diamonddawgs. The Little FallsTime. Retrieved from http://www.littlefallstimes.com/highlight/x115985487/City-Approves-Vets-Park-lease-agreement-for-DiamondDawgs

Lewis, Michael (2003). Moneyball: The art of winning an unfair game. W.W. Norton &Company Inc.

Rathbun, Jon (2009). Tommy john joins diamonddawgs. The Little Falls Times. Retrieved from

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http://www.littlefallstimes.com/sports/x1992012401/Tommy-john-joins-DiamondDawgs

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Sports Organization Audit: Little Falls Diamond Dawgs

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