BOCA RATON, FLA - Sometimes, when we contact one of our annual "Ralphie" award winners, they think that we're kidding.

After all, the job of a media relations director or a broadcaster is to showcase their players, the front office, or their league. It isn't all that often that anyone takes notice of these talented people, even though most of what you read, see, or hear about their clubs come through their office.

The Ralphie Awards were instituted by MLN Sports to give these unsung heroes of the sports world their song, a moment in the spotlight and... damn, I've run out of cliches.

All of this year's winners have made sure that we, and you, the fans, are kept up on all of the minor league goings-on of their clubs, or their farm systems.

The Story of Ralphie

Dedicated to the memory of Ralphie Onadakis,
a poor fictional match boy, trademarked at birth, who had but one dream: To become a highly-paid and respected media relations director in minor league sports.

Sadly, Ralphie was cut down in his prime, stricken with Digitalis Slothentoza, a slowing of the fingers while typing.

Unable to perform the job that he loved, he wandered the streets homeless for many years, then changed his name, and became the GM of a major league sports franchise in Boston. A sad end for a lad with boundless enthusiasm and promise.

In his name MLN presents these awards annually to the men and women who sneer in the face of deadlines, who to show no fear crabby visiting broadcasters, who get us the scores, stats, and interviews that make the job of this organization just a tiny bit easier.

Chosen by the editors of MLN from amongst more than four-score of their peers, we salute the hard work of the media relations staff and broadcasters at hundreds of teams around the nation.

 

 

Beyond that though, they go the extra mile, in one way or another.

In many ways, media relations or PR is the hardest job on any club. You have to love what you do. The hours are long. Team media people are usually at the ballpark well before everyone else, and they are one of the last to leave. Like Rodney Dangerfield, you get little respect, particularly from owners and general managers in the lower classes of sports who often don't even think that the position merits much more than a non-paid intern.

Ralphies are awarded to the best PR person of the year overall, and in each of the four major minor sports: Baseball, hockey, basketball and football. Winner of the top Ralphie comes from one of the four sports.

Winners represent the best not only in their league, or their class of minor league sports, but the best in all of minor league sports' more than 800 professional clubs.

This year one special Ralphies will be given. There was no clear Chewy Rising Star winner for 2007. Our other special Ralphie nod is to honor the major league media director who pays particular attention to their player development department. Not all clubs love to talk up their minor league operations or their players, and we salute the ones that do.

The Class of 2007

This year, our Best of the Best Ralphie winner is the Susan Lucci of Triple-A Baseball. Always on the short list, we could chalk it up to bad luck, or perhaps, as he does, bloody favoritism, but in spite of the fact that our senior editor and he share the same last name, it has nothing to do with nepotism.

And the Winners Are... (Click on the photo to see their full award).

Gabe Ross, Sacramento River Cats Media Director of the Year/ Baseball Media Director of the Year		Dustin Morse, Minnesota Twins Major League Media Director of the Year
Julie LaFrano, Albany Patroons Basketball Media Director of the Year		Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack Broadcaster of the Year Hockey Media Director of the Year