Baseball and Business – A Book and a Bar. What more could you ask for?
Saint Paul Saints owner Mike Veeck presents his latest book:
“Another Boring, Derivative, Piece of Crap Business Book: Make the First Basic Leap in Work in 100 Years, Laughing All the Way.”
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Place: Saint Paul Athletic Club
340 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN
Co-sponsored by Sub Text Books, 6 West Fifth Street, Saint Paul, MN – 651-493-2791.
Cash bar will be available.
Mike Veeck – nationally renowned speaker, entrepreneur, college professor, marketing and advertising expert, and owner of six successful minor league baseball teams (including the Saint Paul Saints) – will present his latest book “Another Boring, Derivative, Piece of Crap Business Book: Make the First Basic Leap in Work in 100 Years, Laughing All the Way” at the Saint Paul Athletic Club; 5-7 p.m.; Wednesday, July 13.
Like Mike Veeck’s approach to business and baseball, this book (co-authored by Allen Fahden) is unconventional and fun. What else would you expect from an individual wh0 has built success in baseball by having a pig deliver baseballs to the umpires, promoted “ballet” parking, staffed the ball park with “usher-tainers;” and had mimes perform instant replays. Veeck comes by this penchant for baseball, fun and even tweaking the establishment naturally.
The Veeck family has a strong (and stubborn) baseball heritage that can be traced back to Mike Veeck’s grandfather, Bill Veeck, Sr., who was president of the Chicago Cubs from 1919 to 1933 and is credited with the idea for planting ivy on Wrigley Field’s outfield walls. Mike’s father Bill Veeck, Jr. – a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame – was the owner of the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. Bill Veeck, Jr. is remembered for such initiatives as signing Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League; sending 3-foot, 6-inch Eddie Gaedel to bat in a major league game; Grandstand Managers’ Day; the first exploding scoreboard; a World Series win (Indians 1948); and an AL pennant (White Sox, 1959). His Hall of Fame plaque reads, in part, “created heightened fan interest at every stop” and the Hall of Fame gives him the title “A Champion of the Little Guy.”
Mike Veeck – A Champion for Fun and Fans.
Mike Veeck – practically raised in a ball park – has brought the Veeck dedication to baseball and to success built on fun and fans to his career in the national pastime. Veeck is known for creating a culture of fun and innovation, encouraging creative risk-taking, embracing the unconventional and delivering outstanding customer care and service. This business philosophy has earned him national attention – and appearances on such media outlets as the NBC Nightly News, 60 Minutes, HBO Real Sports, ESPN Sports Center, The Late Show with David Letterman; as well as speaking and training engagements with such organizations as 3M, The NBA, Deluxe Corporation, General Mills and NASCAR. Always entertaining, you can expect Veeck not only to share what he has learned about fun (and business success) over the years – but also some “sure-to-bring-a-grin” stories that affirm those learnings.
A couple of concepts from Another Boring, Derivative, Piece of Crap Business Book: Make the First Basic Leap in Work in 100 Years, Laughing All the Way.
- Instead of coming up with a good idea and asking what could go wrong, come up with a bad idea and ask what could go right.
- A sincere apology can go a long way. If that doesn’t work, tell people you’re going to rehab.
I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT
Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.
