Fogarty enjoys first year as owner
Staff report
niles
Last year, when people asked Neil Fogarty just how much of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers he owned, he’d say it was so small, he only owned the left-field fence.
“Some of my friend started calling it ‘Fogarty’s Fence,’” said Fogarty, a 1975 Warren Harding High graduate. “My regret about it? Most of the home runs hit by our fine Scrappers last year went over the opposite fence in right field, so I picked the wrong fence.”
Although HWS Baseball is the team’s primary owner, Fogarty, 54, was brought on as a minority owner last year.
Fogarty, a business professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said he’s excited about the potential of new general manager Jordan Taylor, who takes over for longtime GM Dave Smith after spending the last six years as the assistant general manager.
“I teach management at Pitt, and know that one of the best keys to success is being innovative — having a creative vision and communicating it well, and boy does Jordan do that,” Fogarty said. “He’s trying new ways to improve fan experience and one of those is bringing in some new people who, not only have baseball experience, but have an innate ‘customers come first’ focus.
SDLqI am really excited about having Jordan at the helm of our team.”
Fogarty went to most of last year’s games with his sons Sean, 14, and Kellen, 13. His wife also attended several games and while they particularly enjoyed the ice cream — “Especially ‘Scrappy’s Favorite, which no doubt added a couple inches to my waistline,” he said — he most enjoyed talking to fans and stadium employees.
“We have so many really neat fans and it was great talking with so many of them and seeing them having a fun time,” he said. “And I had a blast getting to know the ushers, ticket takers, and concession people here. They ranged from college interns to retirees, and all had really great stories to tell.
“Come to think about, perhaps my favorite part of my first season was making so many new friends.”
His biggest surprise?
“I was surprised to see how much fun the kids at the stadium were having,” he said. “I love baseball because it’s a family game, and boy did these kids show me how much the little ones love coming to our games.”