(Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series on the new management group of the Olean Oilers for their return to the New York Collegiate Baseball League in 2022.)
As soon as Brian O’Connell Jr. announced that he and his wife, René, were stepping back from the team after founding the Olean Oilers in 2012, Matt Fidurko immediately stepped up in an effort to keep the franchise alive.
The marketing director for the WNY Flash Soccer Academy had served as O’Connell’s director of operations for several years, and both wanted the New York Collegiate Baseball League team to live on.
Fidurko, the new president, set about putting together a management team for the Oilers, who will return to NYCBL play in 2022.
“THE GROUP we’ve assembled is tremendous,” he said. “Myself, J.D. (John Dry, general manager/director of operations) and Eric (Hemphill, field manager) have been part of this for awhile now and Abbie Bricker (statistician) has been part of it since Day 1.
“We look to (the Board of Directors) for guidance. They all bring a unique skill set whether it’s baseball-oriented, business-oriented … they all have their own (expertise) they can bring to our team. It’s their advice, their counsel … helping us in decisions. This was created to be a group effort, not a single effort by a president.”
Besides, Fidurko, Dry, Hemphill, Bricker and the O’Connells, a diverse group completes the Board of Directors.
Joe Beimel, who pitched 13 years in the major leagues with five teams (Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Mariners and Nationals), is part of the board, as is another Beimel from St. Marys, Pa., Mike, who pitched for the Oilers in 2019, the last season they fielded a team.
In addition, former St. Bonaventure and Oilers star Cole Peterson is part of the group, though he’s still active as starting shortstop for the Tigers’ Double-A Erie Seawolves.
Sean O’Connell, who preceded Fidurko as director of operations, and former Oiler Jimmy Webb are also members of the board, rounded out by A.J. Meeker, Jim Higgins, Cameron Myers and Nick Shembeda.
FIDURKO pointed out, “I’ve handled the recruiting (of Oilers players in the past) but we have a number of people in this new group that are really going to assist and I’m excited to have them. Whereas, the burden has always fallen on myself, in consultation with Brian, to build a team … having these guys help out with that and to identify players I might not have access to is ideal. It’s much easier to recruit people that you know than ones you don’t. In summer baseball, you don’t know what you’re getting when you sign kids you’ve never met or talked to.”
To which O’Connell, an Olean attorney, added, “For the team to exist in the league there needs to be at least some sponsorship and donation level. These board members have contributed (according to non-profit rules) to help the team go forward.
“In the past, it’s been what we received from the gate and sponsors. Now the finances are spread around among the new board members and sponsors the staff will be putting together for the 2022 season.”
He pointed out, “We know pretty much exactly what the budget is by doing this on a yearly basis. (We) have to file a tax return every year and it’s very simple math. It takes around $75,000 a year to run this team the way it’s meant to be run. You could certainly do it for a lot less, but the quality of the organization we’ve been able to build over the years really would suffer if you did. I was hopeful to find a group to run it the way that we’ve it done in the past and make it even stronger and better going forward.”
O’CONNELL admitted, “The biggest thing for me over the years is that I’ve had players come up and say, ‘You guys really do it right here in the summer.’ They’ve been to other places, but their time spent with the Oilers was second to none and it’s a testament to see some of the people on the board like Cole and the Beimels who have an absolute connection with the Oilers that wanted to step up and be part of the organization. That says something about what we’ve done.
“I told the mayor (Bill Aiello) about the transition and what our plans were for 2022 and he was thrilled. The city has invested a lot of resources at the stadium and it was our job to make sure this organization continued for the community. I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish over the last decade.”
AS FOR the NYCBL, O’Connell explained, “The league remains strong and viable because there were questions about what Major League Baseball would do, but everything has kind of gotten itself back in place. MLB has agreed to continue their support of our league which is a big plus because they cut back so much on the minor league system. A lot of those teams were trying to figure out where their homes would be.
“For the Oilers, the NYCBL is a good fit. That’s important for recruiting purposes when you’re able to tell players that we’re one of the alliance leagues with Major League Baseball. That was always a good draw for them.”
He pointed out, “The money MLB allocates helps leagues like ours because it’s not a money-making endeavor. My goal every year was to break even but we hardly ever did.”
O’Connell admitted of stepping back from the day-to-day operation of the team, “It’s bitter-sweet for me because I’ve invested 10 years of my life to the organization through different coaches and actually coaching myself. It’s difficult to take a step back.
“The sweet part is that it’s landed with this new group that can take the organization to new heights. There’s a more rounded group of individuals that are going to be part of this now as opposed to a lot of it falling on my and Matt’s shoulders. That’s a big plus. I’m really looking forward to going to a game and not having much responsibility but drinking a beer, having a hot dog and watching the Oilers play.”
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
