We are excited to start the new season...our 7th full season!  As many of you already know, we had our best year ever in 2012, adding working relationships with the top position prospect in the game (Jurickson Profar) and the top pitching prospect in the game (Dylan Bundy).  We also partnered with Chad Reineke and many of his Cincinnati Reds teammates in hosting our first "Baseball Battle Gear Auction" benefitting Wounded Warrior Project...raising almost $4000 for this very worthy cause. 

As we enter 2013, we will continue to add new prospect relationships with thop names throughout the game...beginning with our newest Starting Lineup client, Hunter Morris of the Milwaukee Brewers!  Hunter was MVP of the 2012 Southern League and was also the 2010 SEC Player of the Year.  We are very excited to work with Hunter this season and look forward to bringing our customers great items from this fast-rising prospect!

We are also working on organizing another "Baseball Battle Gear Auction" for Wounded Warrior.  We are hoping to include multiple teams in this year's effort, as we work with our Starting Lineup clients to inroduce the effort to their organizations.

Keep checking in for more exciting news.

Go Beyond!

Matt

Sat down with Jai yesterday to sign items from the past couple of seasons, including five Marucci bats used during the 2011 season...in which he hit 33 homeruns between AAA Sacramento and Oakland.  Also picked up his 2010 fielders glove and had him sign his 2006 Jupiter Hammerheads alternate jersey.

Also excited about adding Michael Choice and Brian Dozier to the Starting Lineup fold...should have their items soon.  Working on one more HUGE client announcement for next month...one of the most talked about prospects in the country.  Still have to work out the details, but first impressions were very positive!

Go Beyond!

Matt

We had a great weekend last weekend in Nashville, TN meeting with clients Jai Miller, Michael Taylor, Jemile Weeks, Jordan Brown, and our newest client, Eric Farris.  My boys were so excited to have breakfast with Michael, Eric, and Jai and to learn what great guys, in addition to great athletes, each of them are. 

The weekend helped to renew our focus on providing the best service available in the industry to both our clients and our customers.  We are excited to announce that over the next few weeks, we will work to have every item in our inventory updated both on our site and on eBay.  In addition, we will be working to bring new items to market from a number of our clients, both existing partners and new players whom we have not previously carried items for.

We are also excited to be working towards the launch of client-specific sites for two of our leading Major League clients, Drew Stubbs and Jason Bartlett.  We will be meeting with both during the next two weeks to discuss details and hope to have both sites up and running by the All-Star break.  The sites will feature game used inventory from each player, along with the opporunity to purchase limited edition signed items and other surprises down the road.

Finally, we are excited to be working on two new charitable efforts.  "Luke's Lineups" will raise funds for research into leukemia, with proceeds donated directly to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.  "Homeruns for Heroes" will raise funds for both The Miracle League, a wonderful charity funding the construction of special baseball facilities for children and young adults with disabilities, and The Wounded Warrior Project, providing funds to assist those who are injured in the defense of our great country.  We are proud to serve as the driving force between both efforts, as we believe a key part of our mission is to "Go Beyond" our day-to-day activities to make sure we make a difference in our world.

I am excited about the new focus and direction within our company and truly appreciate the continued support of our clients, partners, and customers.

God Bless and Go Beyond!

Matthew  

Happy New Year!  As we turn the page on 2010, a year which saw our company change locations and re-focus our efforts on improving the marketplace for collectors and clients, we are excited about the possibilities the new year offers. 

As I'm sure you have noticed, our site has a very different look, as we have worked hard to shine a brighter light on our Major League and Minor League clients who currently have items available in our inventory.  Additionally, after three years of mixed success from our original Player Direct concept, which provided a shotgun approach to submitting offers to any player at any level of professional baseball, we have re-focused the Player Direct concept to only field offers for Beyond The Dugout clients for whom we do not have existing inventory available.  While we will still try to assist our customers in obtaining items from players we do not have formal marketing arrangements with, we will not promote this service, as we feel it takes attention away from those players who have committed to support our efforts with their participation. 

As always, we want to extend our sincere thanks to the players, teams, and agents we work with...and to each of you for your interest in our business and our clients.  We welcome your continued suggestions as we continue to work to provide a fair marketplace for collectors and players alike.

Go Beyond!

Matt

Beyond The Dugout is proud to announce it is now a division of C³ Sports & Entertainment, a move which will allow us to work more closely with charitable ventures across the country and utilize combined resources to better serve our clients and customers.  As part of the move, we have relocated our offices to the Birmingham, Alabama area and have new contact information posted throughout the website.

Our new office address will be:

Beyond The Dugout
130 Corporate Way
Pelham, AL 35124

For now, our telephone numbers will remain the same.

We are also thrilled to announce another new Starting Lineup client, Zachary Quate with the Tampa Bay Rays organization...a phenomenal young relief pitching prospect currently overwhelming the Florida State League and poised for a late-season jump to AA-Montgomery (or higher)!

Additionally, we are excited about promotions and trades which have effected a number of our Starting Lineup clients.  As highlighted on the Welcome page, we are very excited about the overdue promotion of Jordan Brown to the Major Leagues with the Cleveland Indians.  jordan has proven himself at every level of the Minors...twice winning league MVP awards and winning the International League batting title last year!

We have also seen a number of other clients reach the Majors during the first half of the season, including Chris Nelson (Rockies) and Mitch Moreland (Rangers), and a number of clients start new phases of their young careers with new organizations, including Jai Miller (Royals), Justin Thomas (Mariners), Michael Taylor (A's), and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Red Sox).

We appreciate your continued support of our company and our clients, and look forward to continuing to bring you unique opportunities to obtain authentic game used items from today's top prospects and tomorrow's future stars.

Go Beyond!

Matt