We’ve said the words "Vancouver Canadians’ new GM" more times than we care to remember these past two years or so, because the position has been somewhat of a revolving door… and ’somewhat’ may be the biggest understatement since Marion Jones asked her dentist if she needed any work done.

First there was Dan Kilgras - the tassled loafer GM, who was eventually (according to unconfirmed reports) promoted to Team President to stop him from leaving.

Then there was Delany Dunn - the ‘doing the best with what we’re given’ GM, who was installed to run the team on a shoestring so Kilgras could concentrate on ad sales and sponsorships, until new owners came in with a big broom and let him concentrate on what he does best - the game day experience.

Then there was Aileen McManamon - the ‘bums on seats’ GM, who brought in the biggest crowd in ages for opening day last season, but badly miscalculated what it takes to feed such a crowd once they’re in the door, and was quickly shown same.

Then there was nobody, though Andy Dunn handled the job as a consultant for a while… but not really (shh, Immigration might be listening).

Then there was Andy Dunn - the ‘Major League experience’ GM, who would also be Team President, at least according to the info given to the press a few weeks ago.

And now there’s Andy Seymour [seen above] - the ‘fun is good’ GM, who has stepped into the GM spot that, apparently, Dunn didn’t want, nor actually agree to handle, despite what was said to the press… 

So who is Andy Seymour? Why, he’s the Vancouver Canadians’ new GM… and he’s not one to make short term plans, if his last gig is anything to go by.

From his days dressed up in an inflated sumo wrestling suit, to donning
a trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses as the mysterious “G-man,” to creating
award-winning promotional campaigns such as “Billy Donovan Night,”
Andrew Seymour has been a fixture for the Fort Myers Miracle since
September 1995. Not anymore.

The Miracle enter their 18th season as the Class A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Seymour has been there for 13 of them.

“You
know what’s rewarding, is seeing the families growing up,” Seymour
said. “This community has been fantastic down here. But I’ll get to go
north and continue to have fun.”

Get used to that word - ‘fun’.

A supporter of Mike Veeck’s
working motto, “Fun is Good,” Seymour said he has been strolling down
memory lane as his last day with the Miracle, Wednesday, Jan. 23,
approaches. Memories include:

•The Bobble-butt doll. Made
in the likeness of Riverdale High School graduate Tommy Watkins, only
about 500 of the dolls were made.

•On June 4, 2003, the day
after Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa was caught swinging a corked bat,
the Miracle announced “Sammy Sosa Night,” handing out pieces of cork to
fans.

•In July 2003, less than a week after Pittsburgh Pirates
first baseman Randall Simon swung a bat at a Milwaukee Brewers racing
sausage, the Miracle held a “Salute to the Italian Sausage Night” with
random sausage giveaways and a “Safe Sausage Race.”

•Last
season, the Miracle had “Billy Donovan Night,” at which fans who
changed their minds about attending the game could negotiate with a
lawyer for refunds, poking fun at the University of Florida basketball
coach who backed out of a contract with the Orlando Magic.

That promotion placed first in the inaugural Minor League Baseball Promotion of the Year Award.

Granted, such a promotion might not hold the crowd’s interest like a pair of three-year-olds building a giant Subway sandwich, or a ‘$1 off your next fish and chips’ voucher from Mr Pickwicks, but one would think we’re in for an interesting ride with Senor Seymour pumping out the bizarro promotions.

Pleasant side benefit: he’s not a pinball executive. That is to say, he doesn’t bounce around from team to team, like many in the minors. And by all accounts, he’s a heck of a guy.

“As
a fan, as a worker and as a friend, I’m dumbfounded to say the least,”
[Fort Myers Miracle] season ticket holder Bobby] Izzo said upon hearing the news. “Andrew’s an institution. He’s the
face of the Miracle. He has been forever… There’s not much that
the man wouldn’t do for anybody. In all the time I’ve known him, I
don’t think I’ve ever seen him have a bad day. I don’t think I’ve ever
seen a frown on his face. He’s been super… The dedication and the loyalty that I have for the Miracle comes from Andrew.”

It’s not often that when a pro sports GM leaves a town, that people are actually sad about it, and the local press writes glowing tributes of their time with the team.

Some background on the Larry Donovan promotion:

In this much-lauded promotional extravaganza, the Florida State
League franchise paid tribute to the painfully indecisive Florida
Gators basketball coach (on June 1, Donovan signed a massive contract
with the NBA’s Orlando Magic, but backed out one day later in order to
return to the University of Florida).

On "Billy Donovan Night," the Miracle did everything short of handing
out flip flops to fans as they walked through the turnstiles. But at
the heart of the evening was this little nugget of genius — any fan
who had second thoughts about attending the game was given the
opportunity to negotiate out of their ticket purchase by consulting
with a lawyer and then (in certain cases) shooting a basketball through
a hoop.

"It was like — Bam! — there it is. There’s our hook. For us, the
honeymoon continued. We put out a teaser about the promo, and the
Associated Press picked it up and ran a story. After that, everybody
jumped on it. All of this occurred during a period when there wasn’t
much happening in the sports world, so the timing worked out great."

Indeed, the Miracle’s unorthodox promotion received prominent local and
national media coverage, and resulted in a crowd that was more than
double the team’s Wednesday night average. All in all, it was a fitting
stunt for a franchise with ties to the most legendary name in the world
of sports promotions.

And finally, from Seymour’s own bio on the Fort Myers Miracle staff directory:

Often mistaken for THE ROCK, Andrew enjoys entertaining. An interest
that has served him well in his second career as a Motion Picture
action & Stunt double where Andrew has done body stand-ins for Vin
Diesel, Sean William Scott, Will Smith and Jack Black. In his spare
time, Andrew enjoys watching infomercials, organizing his fridge
magnets and speaking of himself in the-third-person. Favorite Movies
Include: Slapshot & House Party 1 thru 4. Favorite Players: Paul
Kariya, Michael Vick, Torii Hunter & Bill Bellamy. IQ:
Self-described … “somewhere yo-yo’ing between Nickelodeon and C-Span.”
Little known fact: Andrew has written songs for both Luther Campbell
& Glen Campbell.

Methinks maybe we got a good deal here.

Side note: While I’m on the ‘good people arriving’ tilt, I should also mention that a good person is leaving the C’s. Long time pleasant person, Game Day Goddess, and Ticket Mistress, Lori Bonang, is moving on to opportunities new.

One of the last remaining folks on staff from the pre-ownership change era, she will be missed (especially by guys like me, fighting opening day crowds to find someone - anyone - who knows where my press pass is).

Be happy, Loz.