|
March 27, 2008 12:45 am
Acting Hall president has longtime baseball ties
Idelson attended his first big-league game in 1969, when he was 5 years old.
By Rob Centorani
CNHI News Service
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Jeff Idelson brings a lifetime of baseball ties to his new job as acting president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Idelson, 43, became the acting president Tuesday when the Cooperstown, N.Y., shrine announced the resignation of Dale Petroskey after almost nine years.
The Hall’s Executive Committee released a statement Tuesday saying that Petroskey’s departure was the “result of our finding that Dale Petroskey failed to exercise proper fiduciary responsibility and it follows other business judgments that were not in the best interest of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.”
“Absolutely, it was surprising,” Idelson said Wednesday, his first full day in his interim position. “By the same token, the responsibility I have is to continue to move the institution forward.”
Idelson should have little trouble adjusting to his new role.
His ties to baseball began as a 5-year-old, when Idelson attended his first big-league game in 1969. Idelson said he became a Brooks Robinson fan during that game, which featured the future Hall of Famer’s Baltimore Orioles against the host Boston Red Sox.
A native of West Newton, Mass., Idelson sold popcorn and hot dogs at Fenway Park for five seasons during his teen years. Eleven days after graduating from Connecticut College on May 25, 1986, Idelson started working for the Red Sox in their media relations department. Idelson, who earned his degree in international economics, stayed with Boston until 1988.
In 1989, he began a four-year stint as the New York Yankees’ director of media relations and publicity.
His career at the Baseball Hall of Fame started in 1994 as its director of public relations and promotions. Five years later, he moved into the position of vice president of communications and education, which he still holds despite his new appointment.
“I’ve been in baseball for 22 years. It’s been the only sport I’ve worked in other than a short stint with soccer,” Idelson said of his position as assistant vice president and senior press officer for World Cup USA in 1994. “It’s the only industry I’ve known. I’ve been at the Hall of Fame for 14 years, so I know the ins and outs of the museum.”
Idelson said his duties will include supporting the Hall’s large staff, representing the institution at major events, ensuring that visitors have a worthwhile experience and finding ways to increase attendance at the Hall.
“There’s much more that goes into it,” he said, “but those are the pressing needs right now.”
Said Sam Nader, owner of the Detroit-affiliated minor-league Oneonta Tigers: “I like the appointment. He’s a very high quality guy, very competent and loves the minor leagues. He comes to our games and we go back a long time.”
Idelson said he’s taking over for an institution that is “in great shape financially and programmatically. We’re doing a lot of great things and it’s my job to continue those great things and grow it.”
How long Idelson will act as the Hall’s president is anyone’s guess. Chairwoman Jane Forbes Clark did not return a phone message Wednesday seeking comment on the Hall’s plans to find a permanent replacement for Petroskey.
“I care so deeply about this place,” Idelson said. “My goal is to serve the institution however the board feels fit or sees it. Right now, they’ve asked me to step in and act while they conduct a national search. I’m very comfortable doing that. I’ve said from the beginning that success is based on the collective whole of an institution, and I’m thrilled to serve in any capacity.”
Rob Centorani writes for The Daily Star in Oneonta, N.Y. Centorani can be reached at rcentorani@thedailystar.com or 800-721-1000, ext. 209.
|
