Jamestown Tarp Skunks GM Says He Will Not Renew His 2021 Contract

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JAMESTOWN – The General Manager of the Jamestown Tarp Skunks has chosen not to renew his contract as General Manager of the ballclub for the 2021 season.

GM Frank Fanning says he plans to fulfill his July 1 Memorandum of Understanding with the team and is not aware of any new job postings at this time.

Earlier this year the team postponed their 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic concerns.





Fanning released the following statement to local media Wednesday afternoon:

“I enjoyed meeting a lot of people in Jamestown, there were some great times.” Fanning said. “I’m proud of the splash that the Tarp Skunks made. I so appreciate the renewed fan interest in baseball; every day I was here I had the fans in mind – especially the children and families.”

“Baseball is sometimes a season by season sport for players, as we all know; and sometimes it is season by season for members of the front office as well. Even when there’s no season. For the most part, I was signed for one year to turn the franchise around, and I made good on my promise. The current global climate plays a factor into my decision too, it’s time for me to return home.”





















“On January 22nd, over 3 million people saw the name “Jamestown NY” and “Chautauqua County” hit their newsfeeds when the team relaunched the brand at Jamestown Community College. #SkunkJunk merchandise has outsold the last five total years of the prior grape logo, and many more millions of impressions have been made since the relaunch. Excitement has been generated with everything from merchandise specials, to a fundraiser for the St. Susan’s Center.”

“We made Politico. That says it all. A collegiate team just crushing it. We had so many local businesses like Ecklof Bakery who got so excited about the brand – Chad just went to another level! Plus, the folks at Forte making an Oreo-skunk drink. We had fans sending in pictures of themselves wearing their #SkunkJunk. We’ve got great sponsors in PA and western New York who believed what I was talking about. It’s an easy sell when you and the client are both passionate about revitalizing Jamestown baseball and bringing it to another level.”

“The ‘Tarp Skunks’ brand is a gift to Jamestown. It is so baseball-universal, and the groundwork is laid for the management group to continue to do something special with it. It requires serious work and attention to sustain. I remember late nights in the office, 2 or 3 in the morning, drawing the uniforms and caps and researching popular MiLB designs for apparel, preparing huge orders of merchandise. I remember meeting with Brandiose in San Diego to shoot ideas around, and working with Randy at the Jock Shop weeks before release to put together a wide-ranging first line of items. Some of this experience was really fun and exciting,” says Fanning.

“There were obviously challenges, but I always felt like I could overcome anything. Now, it’s up to the Board of Directors to maintain that momentum and continue the positive trend, the goal was to give Jamestown something it never had before. Here it is. I wish them luck.”









“I cannot leave without thanking some of the wonderful people I met: Randy Anderson at the CSHOF was helping with prospecting right from the start; Mayor Eddie Sundquist – a breath of fresh air to Jamestown, he had my back the whole time; my Assistant, Kyle Hammond, worked tirelessly at his first ever sports job and is a huge part of the success; Greg Peterson was always there for me too. George Sisson at JCC always provided a great dose of reality in all of our meetings. Randy Marsh and the guys at the Jock Shop are co-builders of this brand. And of course, the golden era is still represented through the knowledge, trustworthiness, and integrity of Russ Diethrick AKA Mr. Baseball.”

 

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