Trenton Thunder Manager, Fans, and Employees Celebrate After Winning the Eastern League Championship - and check out our Podcast interview with the Voice of the Trenton Thunder Steve Rudenstein!
[Trenton, NJ] After defeating the Akron Aeros 10-5 in Game Four of the Eastern League Championship Series on Saturday, September 15th, in Akron, OH, the Trenton Thunder achieved their first Eastern League Championship in their 14-year history.
To celebrate, the Thunder invited fans and members of the media to attend a victory party at Waterfront Park on Friday, September 21st from 12-2 p.m. The party started with manager Tony Franklin speaking at a press conference in the Yankee Club and Conference Center. Franklin spoke about the championship run, about how great the fans have been all year, and he thanked the Trenton Thunder staff and everyone who was involved in making it a great season. Franklin also announced that he will be back for next season as manager of the Trenton Thunder, which was followed by a roar of cheers and clapping by the fans in attendance. Finally, Franklin talked about how his team reached this feat, saying, “You have to commit to what you’re doing. You have to stay on the right path. And, you have to believe in yourself. So we did that, and as a result, we got a championship.”
In addition to the fans and media that attended this event, Mayor Doug Palmer from the City of Trenton, Mercer County Executive, Brian Hughes, and Executive Director of Mercer County Park Commission, Kevin Bannon, all were in attendance for the big event. When asked about the big name people that attended this event, Thunder General Manager Brad Taylor said, “We had a lot of heavy hitters here today. So, we feel pretty lucky that those kinds of people found time out of their day to come and be in the same place, and it’s related to sports. It wasn’t a tragedy that brought everybody together. It was a big happy occasion, and we’re glad that we’re the centerpiece of that.” In addition to the press conference, fans were able to get autographs from Manager Tony Franklin, and get their pictures taken with the championship trophy. Fans were also able to see a video of the championship season, and free refreshments were provided by the Trenton Thunder for their loyal fans.
In the end, the event was a success. However, the Thunder staff did not know what to expect when planning this event, which Taylor commented on: “It’s tough to plan an event like this in minor league baseball because the players haven’t been with their families all year. So, typically, the day the players get home is the day they leave after their last game, and that’s what happened here. But, we thought it would be fitting today to have a party even if they [the players] couldn’t be here. Our manager, Tony Franklin, fortunately we could have here, and we wanted to have something for the fans to just come by one more time and hug each other, relive the memory and the fun, get their pictures taken with the trophies, and just get a chance to come and grab some championship t-shirts and hats and talk about how fun this year was, because it was a special year. We’re estimating we probably had about 400-500 people here, which is phenomenal for Friday at lunch.”
With all the hoopla, there was a lot of fan reaction on the season that was, starting with one of the Thunder’s biggest fans in 92 year-old Zinnakus Nirik, who has been a season ticket holder from the beginning. Nirik, who has been a Trenton resident almost all her life, when asked about what she enjoyed most this season said, “The kids looked like they were really anxious to win, and that’s what I want, a good ball game, whether they win or lose.” Joan Farletta, also a season ticket holder for all 14 years of the team’s existence, and a resident of Trenton, NJ since 1941, remarked, about the first championship in Thunder history, “It made me feel great. We waited and waited, but stuck by them, and we knew eventually that it would happen. Thanks to Tony [Franklin] and the staff and all the fans, and especially the ballplayers; they have been great this year, really great.” When asked about the team’s chances for next season, Farletta said, “Well, I think it depends on what we get back. We’re very happy that Tony just announced today that he will be back with us, and we can do it again.”
Finally, Bob Firestone, a ticket collector at the handicap gate and security guard for six years for the Thunder, said that this year was his favorite, because “the players this year were super players, and they autographed everything for the people, and that was great. Especially little kids, they made the little kids days here, and that was great, I liked that.” Firestone went on to joke, “The only thing I didn’t care for is the Yankees taking all our good players.” However, Bob still got his wish saying, “I was hoping we’d win the championship, and we did.”
Later on, Taylor, who did a tremendous job running the whole event, was asked about the team’s championship run: “I think the way we accomplished this feat was chemistry. When you have so many guys coming and going out, and as many players as we’ve moved up this year, to Triple A and even the big league level with the Yankees, the fact that these guys always hung together, they got along, and I think they truly really wanted something more out of this season. Once they realized how good they started, they didn’t want to let that slip away for the guys that might have been here that preceded them. They were able to stay close and finish it, and convincingly, winning both series [Portland and Akron] three games to one. So, they had their eyes set on it, and they did it. It was a lot of fun to watch.”
Taylor also commented on the fans support throughout the season: “We couldn’t be a luckier bunch of people. For 13 straight years, we’ve drawn over 400,000 fans and we have a core fan base that sticks with us whether they’re winning or losing, whether it’s a championship season or not, whether it’s raining and 35 [degrees] or it’s sunny and 85 [degrees]. These people come out because they like being here. And, our staff works awful hard to insure they have a good time when they are here, and the fans just keep coming back. We’re very lucky to have that kind of fan base.” Taylor was a very proud man that day, and with the kind of season that the Thunder had, winning the Eastern League Championship and finishing third in overall attendance, why shouldn’t he be?
Overall, the victory party was a very relaxed and fun atmosphere, which everyone who attended enjoyed. Manager Tony Franklin was a true example of the relaxed atmosphere.
When asked after the press conference if a repeat performance was possible, Franklin responded, “Well, why not get another one? That’s what you begin the season to do, is to win a championship. Every year you start the baseball season, the hopes are in the end to win a championship. So, it should be easier, but my thing is, let’s go and do it. We’ve got to do it, and there are a lot of things that encompass doing it. So, hopefully we can repeat what we did this year.” That kind of attitude, which Franklin brings to the table, keeps all his players relaxed, and, most importantly, winning games. With Franklin returning next year, don’t be surprised if the Thunder winds up right back here at Waterfront Park going after their second consecutive Eastern League Championship.
