Episode 223 - Feeling Like A Tourist

Larry Hawkins is the GM of the Asheville Tourists. He's been with the team since 2005. We talk about some alternate identities of the Tourists, what to expect at the ballpark and what food options the stadium has. Larry shares about his GM position and his Proffitt & Loss.

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Asheville Tourists -

Website: https://www.mlb.com/milb/asheville

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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/GoTourists (@GoTourists)

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Curved Brim Media -

Website: https://www.curvedbrimmedia.com/

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Transcript

0:17

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of the Earn Fun Average podcast. I'm your host, Eric Prophet, coming to you from Wichita, Kansas, and with me, as always, I have Johnny Bolton, late Charles Gumbo Gator super fan, coming to you tonight from the beautiful Bayou Broadcast Center. Well, Johnny, so we're gonna talk about one of our, favorite brands out there. It's a real treat here. So we have a special guest. We have Larry Hawkins with us. How are you, Larry? I'm doing well. Thanks for having me. Yeah. So, uh, as we had mentioned, obviously one of the most iconic brands out in all of Minor League Baseball. Would you mind sharing, uh, who the team is and what you do with the team, please? Yeah. So I'm working with the Asheville Tourists. I've been the general manager here since 2005. so I've, you know, definitely seen a lot of cool things come and go through this facility. But actually been with the team now for 28 years. started as an intern, so definitely know this city and this place like the back of my hand. I love it. I appreciate you sharing that. Yeah, I've, I've mentioned off air, but I've been to Asheville a couple times now. Went about three years ago, and then went again last year, and just love the ballpark and everything. And then Johnny, it's been, what, probably three years or so, we had, ESPN's Ryan McGee on, and he had just released a book and was talking about his time working, at the ballpark in Asheville. So, really love the brain and everything. But Larry, one of the first segments is, uh, where we talk about a favorite hat. Do you have a favorite hat that, uh, you guys sell for the Tourists or an on-field hat the team wears or anything else? Any favorite hat you wouldn't mind sharing? Yeah, I mean, for us, it's... I'm more of the, traditional guy, you know, that's gonna have the thing. I can't pull off the flat bill stuff, so I... You know, the game hats, I can't really pull off. My, my head doesn't work that way, so I'm a little more of the retrofit, like the, stuff with the Tourist logos and stuff that are there. But you know, we have a lot of cool stuff that, our merchandise manager, Kaylee, does a great job keeping those things out there and keeping it fresh. I love it. I appreciate you sharing that. And speaking of a iconic, uh, well-known and, uh, long-tenured, uh, brand out there, Johnny, what's your hat today? Well, since we're talking about an iconic franchise, and sadly, Larry, I'm one of these knuckleheads that never got a Teddy Tourists hat, right? Like, what a great brand, what a great logo. Cool. Loved it forever and a day. And, and did I ever... When they were available online in the team store, did I ever buy one? Uh, no. I'm ashamed of myself for that. But, representing the iconic franchise, shout out to Klinger and Mash, little retro Toledo Mud Hens tonight. Wonderful. Yeah, I got there two years ago, I think it was, on my brother and I's trip. We got over to Toledo, so a really fun brand and love that kind of retro hat you have there. for myself, so I have probably about four or five different Asheville Tourists hats, so I was debating on, you know, when we have a guest on from a certain team and I have a hat, I like to try to honor the guest. And so I was debating which one, so I went a little, Asheville Hippies. So it's got kind of a tie-dye, got the, I guess, what you call the Moon Man logo on there and, little bit of the, I guess, older style now, 'cause I know within, what was it, maybe last year, uh, or maybe this year, it kind of did a little update on the Hippies kind of logo and color and everything. But this one's kind of the older one, got some kind of blue and orange. But yeah, I got the Asheville Hippies is what I'm wearing today Yeah, those were great hats. I mean, that was, uh, the first, you know, shot at the, the Hippies logo and everything, and pulling it together. But now we have a little more Mr. Moon, uh, with a peace sign and a little more- Mm-hmm purple-y, so it, it's cool. But that, there's a, a, a great story behind the whole Hippies evolution of how that came about too. So it's, it's pretty fun to watch those things evolve over the course of time. For sure. Well, so Larry, you had mentioned obviously you'd been with the team since '05. So kind of prior to that, did you do anything else in baseball? Or kind of what's a little bit about your background? Yeah. So I actually did my internship in Asheville in 1996. Okay. Uh, I got my first opportunity to work for the Philadelphia Phillies, in '97, '98, so that was a good one. And then I've been back in Asheville since October of '98, working through. So yeah, started out running food and beverage. took a different path than, than most to get to the GM role, but, food and beverage operations. and then, my boss, Ron McKee, gave me a call back in the day and asked if I wanted to, to get back with the Tourist, and it was a, a no-brainer. I grew up about an hour and 10 minutes from here, so to basically have your dream job and live close to home, you can't beat it. Yeah, that's wonderful, and I appreciate you sharing a little bit about that. so obviously, as I'd mentioned, I'd been to the ballpark a couple times, but for those that haven't been there, it was McCormick Field, and I think there was an update with the name this past off-season. And as much as I could try to explain it, I couldn't do it justice. So would you mind sharing, so if anybody gets a chance to get out to the ballpark to see the Tourist, can you just tell everybody a little bit about the ballpark itself? Yeah. So it's, it's now Home Trust Park. you know, with the, $40 million renovation we, we encountered there in the last couple of years, um, you know, we brought some new elements to the fan experience. So we're... It's been a great opportunity to, to really just kind of modernize everything, and of course, that comes with the possibility of a name recognition for the stadium. So that was something, as you mentioned, McCormick Field, uh, was there ever since the beginning, and, you know, synonymous with this area. So it's, it's been a little, little bit of a transition, you know, for everyone to get the Home Trust Park in their vocabulary, but overall, it's, it's been very well received. And, I think overall, people are, are happy with the, the end result Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting back there again because last year obviously you were going through kind of some construction with MLB requiring certain things. I know you guys had to make some updates and just overall general updates to the ballpark and everything. So I'll be curious to see what it looks like if I get back there now with all those updates and upgrades. But Larry, one of the things that we usually do is after one of our trips, Johnny and I come on here and kind of just discuss how the trips go, and, uh, we always talk about food and everything. So obviously the food there at the ballpark's obviously something that's, really enjoyable. So one of the things I like getting is the little ice cream helmets, and then you have, like, a churro sundae I believe that's available. But the one thing that I'd mentioned to Johnny that I think he'd really liked is the deep-fried moon pies. Right so just tell everybody just a little bit of the, the food scene you got there at the ballpark. Yeah. We're, we're always exploring options. You know, we don't have the outlandish ones, you know, where we're stacking something a mile high or anything like that. But, uh, you know, we always like to bring, you know, some new things to the ballpark. And the, of course, the deep-fried moon pie is a spin-off, you know, to the, Mr. Moon and, and that whole element that came with that. But it's basically our version with s'mores is what I tell everyone. You know, if you take a, a moon pie and you deep fry it, it's literally, you know, you have the chocolate, you have the graham stuff, and you have the marshmallow. It's all one, and it's just a big gooey mess. But Johnny, if that's your, your thing, man, it's- Oh you, you can't go wrong. It's, it's pretty strong. Phew. I love th- I don't know if there's a word in the English language that describes my love of moon pies. I don't know if there's- I don't know if Shakespeare could pen the words to talk about my love of, of moon pies. My wife's complete opposite, doesn't like them. I love moon pies. I don't eat them too often, but I do And to fry one Oh, sounds so good. wait till you come here, we'll be happy to do it for you. But you can, you take a little funnel cake batter and, and get that too so it gets that little crispiness on the outside- Mm. and the gooiness on the inside. It's a pretty solid option. Mm. Wow, I think my cholesterol score just went up 15. And o- one of the kind of unique and cool things about the ballpark, so when I remember going about three years ago, was just the, have a little bit shorter porch there in right field, but you have a tall wall out there, so it kind of reminds you of, like, a green monster type out there. So I always remember that. And then out in kind of left center there's, I guess, what, the mountains out there, and there was goats just kind of walking around up there. So it was fun getting to see those, and had my young boys with us, so they enjoyed getting to see those just kind of roaming out there past the center field fence there. Yeah. It's, it's definitely unique, and you wouldn't believe how many people ask about the goats. And, back in, when we had them here, we had fireworks shows scheduled, so everyone was in a tizzy over us scaring the goats and- whatever. So I, I literally had the owner of the, the business, come out, and she sat with the goats just to make sure they weren't, you know- impacted by, by the fireworks and, you know, we kind of put them back in there. But, but these days it, it seems like a, the discussion's more about, you know, the black bears we've had. Mm. Um, right at gates opening on Friday night we had a black bear just laying by one of the, the new pavilion areas up against the little four-foot fence, just hanging out, you know? So it's kind of, Asheville's very unique. You know, we have a, a little bit of everything. And for the first time on Saturday morning I saw a huge turkey out on the field, which is something that's, you know, not unique to the area, but it's the first time I've ever seen one on the field. So you never know what you're gonna see when you come to the ballpark here. For sure. Well, wanted to talk a little bit more, so obviously I'm wearing the Asheville Hippies. So besides the iconic tourist brand that everybody's familiar with, you guys do a few other ones. So what is there, like, the Snot Otters is one of them, and anything else you have out there that's just kind of, tell everybody about, you know, not only can they come in and see that unique and, awesome brand with the tourists, but just some of the other brands that you guys do as alternate identities. Yeah, the, the hippies and the snot otters are the two biggest ones. You know, the snot otters came about, after the hurricane. we kind of dealt with that, and you heard a lot of, chatter about all these salamanders, hellbender, snot otter, whatever, you know, that, were being displaced because as the water started to, you know, recede back, then all these salamanders were left and were gonna die. So we kind of created a partnership with the, the local nature center, so that we donated everything back that we sold on those jerseys, there to kind of just, you know, help bring awareness to the cause. So it was, it was really cool, but it also became one of the top five selling logos last year, you know, as that alternate logo. Wow. So it's one that sometimes you trip on, but you know, your, your heart's in the right place and you wanna do things that are, are great for your community and sometimes you, you trip on something people really love and, and that's it. And you know, like I say, the, the hippies is one that we've kind of gone back and forth and, had huge success with. When we do the hippies night, it's, you know, really funny to watch the, the people in their, you know, attire that they come out in and, and do that. But those are definitely two of the, the more successful ones that we've ever created. We've done, you know, a few other alternate logos like the, the Yakamas that we did- Mm-hmm for the, for that, you know, and in our area didn't quite catch on the way we'd hoped, but you know, the, those two that you mentioned are, are definitely very much synonymous with what we're doing these days. Now that you mention that, I think I do have a Yakamas hat too to add to my, collection of hats, but I think the very first one I got was the Beer City. I think that's really cool. I believe our friend Ryan Foos maybe is the one that designed that, but has the, kind of beer spilling out, looks like the state of North Carolina, so that's another one of the favorite ones that I enjoy. Yeah, I forgot all about that one 'cause it's become like our normal alternate. Mm-hmm. On a Thursday we wear the Beer City jerseys, on that and also the hats, so that's, that's one that's huge. I mean, people, didn't realize how, you know, strong Asheville is in that beer and brewery market, uh, until people really started to compare Portland and Asheville and those and, you know, we have some of the, the largest brands that created our East Coast breweries here with Sierra Nevada and New Belgium and Oskar Blues and all those that are, are right here in our back door, not to mention all the great local breweries that we have to offer. Well, you know- He's still thinking about the moon pie right now, so Yeah, I am. I am. Y'all- This attention track would not, a toy train could not- get, get my attention tracked. Yeah, I'm still thinking about, um, fried moon pies. I'm just trying to conceptualize that in my mind. funny, uh, Larry, last week, my brother-in-law's pretty recent to Charlotte, moving there, and he sent me a photo and it was a pocket schedule from the Asheville Tourists just- Wow week. He sent me pictures of hats. So he had a really good time in Asheville. He, Larry, I call him the brother-in-law I like. So shout out to Chris Williams, my brother-in-law that I like. But, now my wife has other brothers, but, but, okay, but anyway, this is the one I like. So yeah, he was just in Asheville last, I think, like, maybe Tuesday, Wednesday of last week. I wanted to ask you, as kind of being now, in the GM role, what does it mean to you to be kind of the steward of such a iconic brand? I'm, I'm blessed in, in that manner because of the fact that, you know, Ron McKee is the one, in 1980 that really took the reins and, and started converting Asheville into more of a family-oriented, you know, entertainment place and, you know, affordable family entertainment is what he would always preach. And, and, you know, I've been lucky enough to have a couple different ownership groups since Ron, uh, that believe in the same thing. So, you know, it's, it's been great. You know, DeWine family is very much about family and, and giving back to this community. And for us, that's, you know, something we pride ourselves in is And I tell people all the time that we, we don't wanna be takers in the community, we wanna be a part of it, you know, because a lot of times people get pigeonholed into, what's in it for the team and that. And, and we very much, you know, wanna do everything we can from, uh, one of the best things that we do, we do an adaptive baseball program that w- myself and another guy founded 25 years ago. and it's the most rewarding thing that we do. It's, it's awesome to watch those kids come out and play on the field and do those things. And of course, we're in the school systems all the time, and we're just trying to do anything we can to, to make people feel like that, we want to be part of this community and not just, you know, kind of invite them out to a b- to a ballgame. When the game starts, do you ever get a chance just to kinda soak it all in? Or are you thinking about, "This needs to be done, this needs to be done"? Do you ever get just to kinda be a fan during games, or are you, are you focused on all that has to get done during that game? Yeah. I'm, I'm very focused on what has to be done and, and there's like a... I mean, it's, it's a real, like, place, but, like, right up beside the press box there's a small ledge right there that one of our season ticket holders actually brought a little thing that says, "Larry's Ledge," and that's basically where I reside, because I can see pretty much every corner of the ballpark. So I can stand up there, and if I need, you know, to relay some information that, you know, a kid's in the net or whatever, you know, big or small, That's kinda where I hang out and watch. So my head's typically on a swivel, you know, most of the time up there, just making sure that, you know, it's a fun, safe environment for everyone and, you know, someone's not, overstepping their bounds a little bit because, you know, by nature, I'm not a crowd-driven person, which amazes people that I'm in a, a crowd-oriented business. But, I tell them if, you know, someone's not behaving in, in that, I can very much ask them to leave, where, you know, you can't in other places. But, uh, I'm a firm believer in, you sh- your actions shouldn't affect other people and how they do things. So, you know, my entire staff is great about it. You know, we kinda go by the motto that, it's someone's first game here. No matter what, it's always someone's first game, and we wanna put our best foot forward. And, you know, I've tried to, to preach that forever and, and luckily, you know, these, these guys buy in. and my last question What have been the major changes you've witnessed in Major League Baseball over these years that you've been involved? Because it, it has... the Barons games I went to in the '90s are not today's Minor League Baseball. Yeah. The simple trips to the Hoover Met to go watch the Barons, uh, in the '90s, it, it seems it has radically changed. What has been your experience with the changes that have happened in Minor League Baseball? Yeah. Well, everything is so analytic driven now that it, it's hard, you know, to really process it the same way. You know, these guys normally it was, you know, if they, they take a, a lay, a ground ball or something, you know, whatever it is, that it was taught to them differently, you know? catchers were taught to smother balls. Now, you know, you'll see them pick them. So, you know, it's, it's just the, the variety of that, I think the way they have approached it, the way the players have adapted, to that. You know, the, the umpires call everything based on a, what they perceive being a track man system, and how they're gonna get graded. So that's there. But, you know, overall, the, the players I think are there, they're just so much better. like even the youngest of guys are just head and shoulders above that talent 10 years ago. And it's kind of unique to watch and, and also at the same time, it's a little sad to watch because, you know, I, I'm an old school guy. I like to see guys grind it out and, you know, Juan Pierre is one of my favorite players of all time because he was a absolute no one on anyone's radar. And that guy, I would open the doors for him every morning when he got here at 8:00 in the morning, and he would grind it out for three or four hours beyond everyone else. and then, you know, lucked up and signed a $50 million deal with the Dodgers back in the day. And, you know, it's guys like that you just love to see succeed that, you know, appreciate what they have and, are willing to go out and earn it. Not that none of these other guys don't, but certain guys realize that, you know, they have to work harder than the next guy Yeah, I always enjoyed, of course I believe he's retired now, but a few years ago, I guess we saw him play about 10, wow, 10 years ago. There was a guy for the Biloxi Shuckers, Nathan Orf. And of course with that last name, that's easy for the crowd to get by. Everybody would yell out Orf when he'd come to the plate. But wasn't the biggest guy, but like you're talking about, was kind of a grinder. And he made it through I think a little bit of time with Milwaukee and I think the Athletics before he retired. But I always enjoyed watching him play along the lines of what you're saying, 'cause he just, he, yeah, probably not the greatest athlete in the world, but he loved baseball. Mm-hmm. And trying to get better and go up the ladder and to achieve his dreams. And, thankfully I, I have a baseball with his signature on it. They, uh, we were at a game where they were playing the Mississippi Braves And our daughter was just, just... Our daughter would've been 14. She's, "Let me s- try to get you some autographs. Now, Dad, I'm kinda getting too old for this, but I'll go try." You know? Yeah. Uh, you know, it was cuter when she was younger, right? You know. And so, uh, it was right before the game and she w- got close to the dugout and yelled at Nathan Orf, You're my dad's favorite player." And so he signed the ball with the great Brett Phillips, famous Brett Phillips, and a guy named Javier Betancourt. I don't know whatever happened to Javier Betancourt. the only unfortunate part of that story, the cheapest baseball was it has the Braves logo on it. So anyway, so- got signatures on there, from 2016, but it, it's on a logo baseball, which might be a collector's item now, you know? Yeah. Never know. You know? Th- those are great though. I mean, those guys that you can really relate to and, and you just know they're a good person, you know? I mean, there, there's definitely, every one of these guys are great athletes and I, I explain it to people that every single player you see on the field, whether he's batting first clean up or in the nine hole, he was the best at where he played any- anywhere across the board. But, Ron McMahon is another favorite of mine. I mean, great, you know, story. Like, he went out, you know, and the, the kid was, doing our Baseball Buddies program and had, his ragtag glove, you know, just tied together and he literally from the time the national anthem ended, ran in his locker, got this kid a brand-new glove out of his locker and gave it to him. Right. You know, and you're just like, "Some people, just a good person." And then my son and I, when we would visit Coors Field when he was with the Rockies, he would stop batting practice and come over and say hello and, you know, you just, you know, certain guys you just really appreciate what it is and, we just... I mentioned the adaptive program we just had here, and Ethan Fry came over and he's like, "We..." He's like, "These are one of my favorite things," he goes, 'cause it makes me really appreciate what I have and, what I can do to share." And I'm like, "You know, that's, that's awesome." You know, I mean, you, you wanna pat their, their parents on the back because they instilled that in them and, and stuff. But yeah, not knowing him really well, but that conversation alone definitely put me in that place where I'm, you know, I've become an Ethan Fry fan, for sure. Yes, for sure. Well, Larry, one of the segments, and that kind of leads us right into, it's the profit and the loss, and is there one specific moment you can think of, you know, just with your time with the Tourists now or, you know, you talked about Juan Pierre, anything growing up, getting to enjoy a specific player, watching them or a specific team, any profit or gain you can think of? Yeah, I think one of those things that, we're kind of going through it now, I mean, if you looked, we're, the team is on the field scuffling record-wise. I mean, we, we play hard-nosed baseball, we play hard, we score a lot of runs, we do that. but the record doesn't indicate it. And then I've drawn a blank on the year, but we had the same thing. We were the worst team in Minor League Baseball, in the first half, and almost with just a few minor changes, then went to the playoffs in the second half. And, and that's always one that stuck with me because you like to see those guys that, didn't accept being down and, down and out and, you know, they, they fought and they, they came back around and, gelled and make it work. So that's definitely one of the on-field highlights of mine. I mean, we've won a couple of championships and those are fun, but you like to see those guys that, could have just mailed it in and, moved on, but they didn't. For sure, yeah. So yeah, with that, so here in Wichita, we have the AA of the Twins, the Wichita Wind Surge, which will be changing to the Wichita Turbo Tubs next year. But, one of the things, they've won the, first half title a couple different times, and unfortunately, a lot of those guys then move up to, AAA in St. Paul, so it's not usually most of the same team going into the second half. So if you happen to win the second half, usually you have a little b- better momentum, not always, but, uh, definitely understand that. What about the flip side, the loss? Any specific moment you can think of? Yeah, I, I think those are probably more from a, a personal perspective on me, you know, things that didn't quite go the way that you, you want. And, We work through as many, different ideas and different strategies as we can, and sometimes they, they don't come to fruition and you, you do that. But, you know, I don- I don't think there's anything that just, gut-wrenching or anything like that. But, I'm always kind of partial to, those success stories. But, try not to dwell on the small things that, you know, kind of try and drag you down. But, you know, there's some... I mentioned Ron McKee, you know, the loss of Ron McKee a few years ago was really tough, you know, 'cause he was kind of my mentor and, and gave me my first opportunity. So that was... That's a tough moment, you know, when you see people, you know, pass through the, you know, what we do. And, you know, I, I joke that what we do, it's not a job, it's not a career, it's a lifestyle. Mm. You know, because you, you eat, sleep, and, and breathe what we do. And, you know, you're gonna miss family gatherings, you're gonna do things and, and that's something that, you know, if I had to do over, I would probably find a better way, you know, to make sure my kids were more involved in, in what I do. But, you know, it's... that's kinda it from a personal perspective. Well, I appreciate you sharing both the profit and the loss there. Larry, it's been an absolute pleasure having you on. Really got to enjoy, learning about you a little bit, and obviously talk about the Tourists. So if anybody wanted to go online to get the awesome merch you guys have or get tickets to a game, do you have the website you could share? Yeah, it's theashevilletourists.com. So it's a little different there with the drop in "the", uh, the asheville and then tourists plural .com. You can definitely get a full lot of merch. I always try and tell people to also make sure you have the MiLB because, you know, there's so many knockoffs out there that you'll see our tickets for 50, $60 and that's definitely not the case. So- Yeah make sure that they're definitely not getting bamboozled by someone. And then what about social media, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter? Do you have the handles on that? Yeah, I mean, they're all Asheville Tourists based right there- Okay so you can definitely find, find those. And, you know, we try and keep those as up to date without inundating people with information. So you can definitely find as much, as much information as you want to, uh, on, on the Asheville Tourists. For sure. Well, as I had mentioned since I've been there a couple times, I highly recommend to any of our listeners that if you haven't been out to Asheville, make sure you get out there. Awesome ballpark. You really enjoy the experience out there. And, make sure you guys follow us online as well. We're Earn Fun Average. Average is AVG. We're Instagram, Twitter, Blue Sky and Threads. And one more time, Larry, really appreciate it. Thank you for your time today. Yeah, thank you guys for having me on. I, I look forward to catching up a- again sometime and hopefully when you're in town, and if not, I'll, I'll definitely, add you to my list of listens. America, lower your standards. Average is what these guys do best. Is