Whether it’s the athletes, coaches, front office staff, athletic directors or training staff, it takes a small community to build a winning atmosphere, no matter the level of the sport.
Away From the Game profiles movers and shakers in the Wyoming Valley athletics world, this week featuring Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders president and COO Josh Olerud.
Olerud came to the RailRiders in November 2015 as the franchise’s chief operating officer before taking over as president in November 2016. Prior to joining Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Olerud spent time in the Carolina League with the Potomac Nationals and Frontier League with the Rockford RiverHawks.
DJ EBERLE: I know you came to the RailRiders in 2015, were you looking for a bigger role with a different franchise?
OLERUD: I started with the RiverHawks in 2004, and I was there until 2010, and then I went to the Potomac Nationals. I was with the Nationals for five years and did a lot of good stuff there. It was a great experience because I had always been the GM and this was the first time I got to really oversee the entire business. I was their team’s president.
There wasn’t much more that I could do there based on what we had. We were working on a new stadium and it just didn’t come to fruition, so when the season was done I saw this position was available. It was a long process, with the Yankees being part owners, and our ownership.
As soon as I went through the interview process, the first round, I was like, “This is something I really want. I see a lot of opportunity here, there’s a lot of room for growth, it’s the New York Yankees, the farm system, beautiful ballpark.” There was all these good things. The more and more I got into the process, the more and more I wanted it. I fought pretty hard to get it and I was glad when it was all said and done that the opportunity came mine.
What’s it like to be a part of the Yankees franchise? There’s so much history with it, and to be in such a big role and such an integral part so close to the major league level right at Triple-A?
You either love the Yankees or you hate them. Growing up, I’m from Minnesota and they always were the team that knocked the Twins out in the playoffs, and it was tough. So growing up I can say I wasn’t a huge fan, but as I got older and I got into baseball I recognized it’s not just a powerful brand, it is the iconic brand in all of sports all over the world.So, with that being said, it was awesome.
To work for them and to work with them, and to be a part of this youth movement — the developmental process with the rich minor league system that they have — I think it’s exciting. You don’t get to control who you get on that side. You always hope you have a winning team, and sometimes if you win you don’t have the best players. Well, we were winning and we had the best players, and I don’t think that’s going to stop anytime soon.
So you’ve been president for almost two months now. How have things changed for you in this new role?
You know, it’s good. I think when they brought me in here (former general manager Jeremy) Ruby and I had this great working relationship because I did a lot of stuff that he had done. That was really my background. So the change was easy. Not much has changed.
Some people in the front office has gotten bigger roles to take on, which is great for them because they’re developing with in the team too. I mean, it’s business as usual mostly.
I have a little bit of a different focus, but the goals have stayed the same, the staff is still going toward the same bars. As much as we miss (Ruby), I think it provided opportunity, not just for myself, but for a lot of people on staff to kind of grown within the team and move up as well. So I think for a staff, we’re going to miss the guy, but at the other time I think hopefully we get a little more out of the staff because they have more of an opportunity to show what they want to do here.
Being the president, (Ruby) was the general manager. So, you took over his responsibilities, in terms of the general manager?
I’ll be the interim GM this year. Curt Camoni is going to be my assistant GM, so I appointed him. He’s been on the baseball side for a long time, and I could see him very easily sitting as the GM some day. So the transition was good.
As a general manager, what’s it like to be a general manager of a minor league franchise per-say? It’s probably a little bit different at the major league level because — my assumption is at least — the Yankees probably give you a plan with what they want to do and it’s not like you’re making trades with other Triple-A teams.
Right. Yeah, so the difference is it varies immensely. I think the biggest role and the biggest responsibility at the minor league level is to make sure we give the coaching staff and the players and the affiliate — the Yankees — all the tools that they need at Scranton for these guys to succeed.
At the younger levels, it’s a lot different. For some of these guys, it’s there first time away from home, their first time out of college and all of these different things. Here we want to give these guys the opportunity to get as much of the things that they need, whether it’s the facility or it’s making sure their family’s good so they can focus on work, the tools in the clubhouse and all that different stuff so they can get their work done and get on the road. Then we handle their travel and league policies. We’re more of a puzzle piece to the International League too.
What was it about baseball and being in the front office? When did it click for you that this was something you wanted to make your career out of?
I played all the way up going up through college and I figured that I wasn’t going to be a major leaguer, and I decided that I’d like to work in sports. When I got the opportunity to work in baseball I was like, “Yeah, that’s awesome.” I’m competitive. It’s not for everybody. One hundred forty-four days at the minor league level, hosting 72 games. When your friends are out on the lake on Fourth of July and you’re working, it’s different commitments, but I wouldn’t change anything. You came here to see me today at work and it’s in a stadium. I don’t think you can really beat that, so I take those positives. I think it’s unique and I like coming to work at PNC Field.
So when you’re not here and you do have some time off, what are some of the things you do when you have those off days?
Um, I mean, I’m a gym rat. I used to do it a lot more than I’d like to. I love going to gym, I love to golf if I get the chance to get out, I like being active. Being from Minnesota, I hunt and I fish. That was another thing, coming to Scranton, it’s like, “Well, you can’t pick a better place to hunt and fish.” That was a big perk.
And just you know, hanging out. Like I’m in a bowling league on Thursday nights up in Carbondale. Whatever there is I’m open and I’m up for it. I have a 10-year-old German Shepard that I have to keep active, so she keeps me pretty busy, too.
OK, so I’ll start with hunting. Did you go out during deer season? What are your favorite places?
I haven’t been hunting yet in this area.
I went back to Wisconsin — I have family and friends and they hunt there. So typically I hunt deer. My dad’s been an elk guide for 30 years growing up, so I’ve been up in the mountains in Idaho and Montana and Colorado. That’s typically where I like to go. Russ Canzler, here on staff, likes to bow hunt, so he’s going to teach me to get into the bow. I guess I’m going to do my first turkey hunt.
So I’m interested in it all. I could sit in a tree stand for a weekend and I’m cool with it. Or I could see 30 deer running by and not be able to pull a trigger and be cool with it too.
Well, let me ask you, I don’t know if you have been reading the paper, but the Game Commission is supporting a semi-automatic rifle proposal. Is that something you have an opinion on as far as that goes?
I read that story, too, and I definitely understand where they’re coming from and why they’re talking about it. For me, it’s never really registered that a semi-automatic rifle or fire arm that would be used in a hunt. So I really haven’t put too much thought into it. Usually, you only you get one shot anyways; unless it’s an open field. My dad black-powder hunts, and with that you only get one shot, period.
It’s interesting, I think you can both ways with it.
So golf, have you had the opportunity to golf around here yet?
I’ve hit a lot of the courses around here. And that’s another thing; I’ve found out there’s a lot more here to offer in the area than you might think. From Glenmaura, to Blue Ridge, to Woodloch, where we host our golf tournament, I’ve gone to some pretty nice courses. I even like Pine Hills down the road there, and we’ll go and jump on there if we can get some time. Just to run out and smack a couple balls around a little bit.
What’s your favorite place around here, then?
I don’t think you can go wrong with Glenmaura. Our owners have memberships there. I don’t, so I’m up to the subject of when they want to go. I know our players will not stop talking about how great the view is there, and same with Woodloch, for our tournament. There’s like a canyon and a gorge you have to go over for one of the holes.
I think the players really enjoy the area as well because they’re always asking to get into stuff that they typically can’t get into.
OK, what do you shoot normally?
I’m typically in the upper 80s. So I’m competitive, but I’m not going to beat a guy that golfs a lot. I golf 15 times a year, so if I shot 85 in a summer, I’m pumped. If I shoot 100, I’m pretty pissed. 95, 85, whatever, I’m good.
So a bowling league, how did that come together? Is it with people that work here with you?
Yeah, just some guys in the office. We just jumped in there. I’m not going to lie, we’re in first right now. We’re the outsiders, but it’s fun.
It’s cool that we’re doing it as an office because we don’t spend a lot of time outside of talking about work, and it’s cool to be involved in one of the communities around here because I’m not from here. I’m actually getting to know some people pretty well at the alley, so It’s been a lot of fun. That rolls all the way to opening day pretty much.
You’re from Minnesota. So what your favorite memories from back home growing up? Do you see any resemblances from growing up in Minnesota to here in northeastern Pennsylvania?
I’m a die-hard everything Minnesota-biased when it comes to sports teams, but we’ve never won anything, really, so I’ll take my lumps.
But growing up in Minnesota, I do think it’s similar to here. Everything was outside. Everyone played pond hockey. I got to learn how to snowboard, and stuff like that. We played baseball inside and had to go down south and then come back up. It’s kind of eerie how close it is.
I’ve lived and worked in Kansas City and Tampa, and all of these different places, and I’m back up in the north. I think I had my memories growing up with the weather and the changing seasons and all the stuff you can do outside, and I think this is why I hope that this is a place I can call home for a long time.
As far as Minnesota sports teams, are you with Sam Bradford next year and do you want (Adrian Peterson) still?
I don’t think we have a choice now with Teddy (Bridgewater) not coming back. I know AP wants a lot of money. I would love to see him finish as a Viking, but I also know that running backs, their lifespans are short.
The only thing that I fear is if we let him go and he goes down to like Houston or something like that and just tears it up, it’s going to hurt me. It’s like when we released David Ortiz. He it 400 hundred home runs after we let him go.
I went to the new Vikings’ stadium and it was awesome. I think they have a bright future. I think Bradford’s a more-than-adequate quarterback, you just need a lot of weapons around him so he doesn’t have to do a lot on his own and he can let other guys do the stuff. We’ll see what happens.
So lastly, Super Bowl pick. Who do you think wins it? And what’s the score?
I’m rooting for Atlanta, just because I think the year that they’ve had, they haven’t took their foot off the petal at all, but I mean, I don’t know if you get bet against Brady on Sunday, let alone a Super Bowl. I know he has his losses in a Super Bowl.
If I were a betting man, I’d take Brady, but I’m going to go with what I want and my heart bet, I’m probably going to go with Atlanta. So I didn’t really give you an answer. I’ll go with Atlanta. I say Atlanta wins and everybody on Monday morning is going to talk about how it happened.