Press Release - The Empire State Yankees

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE YANKEES NICKNAME FOR 2012 SEASON

WILL BE THE EMPIRE STATE YANKEES;

UNVEIL EMPIRE STATE YANKEES MERCHANDISE


March 7, 2011 -The Rochester Red Wings announced today that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, who will play their entire 2012 season on the road while PNC Field in Moosic, PA is renovated, will be known as the Empire State Yankees for the 2012 season.



The Empire State Yankees will play 37 of their home games at Frontier Field and seven home games at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia.



“With so many games to be played in upstate New York this season we wanted to make the club feel even more at home this year. We approached the New York Yankees with a few suggestions and they actually came up with the Empire State Yankees moniker,” said Red Wings General Manager Dan Mason.



“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for both the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise and the other IL clubs that will be hosting them this year and we wanted to make this as much fun for our fans and the players as possible. The Empire State Yankees merchandise and logos will only be available this season so they are sure to be collectors’ items. We appreciate the NY Yankees and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees cooperation with this venture,” added Mason.



Altogether the Empire State Yankees will play 60 of their 72 home games and 84 of their 144 games in upstate New York.



“With 60 of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team’s 2012 home games being played in the State of New York, what a fun twist to temporarily “re-brand” the team as the Empire State Yankees. As baseball fans in Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo and Batavia adopt the Yankees for the next six months this is a unique idea that will allow them to more closely identify with the team during its temporary stay,” said International League President Randy Mobley.



“The successful, temporary relocation of the SWB Yankees was made possible only with the tremendous cooperation of these four teams along with the League’s Lehigh Valley and Pawtucket teams. We are headed for another memorable year in the International League and the Empire State Yankees will certainly be a significant part of how history records the 2012 season,” added Mobley.



The Empire State Yankees will also play six home games in Buffalo and 10 home games in Syracuse.



“Moving away from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a season is a unique situation and wouldn’t be possible without the great support of our colleagues up in Rochester, along with the other clubs that will host our home games. We’re looking forward to calling Rochester and upstate New York our primary home for the 2012 season and the opportunity for our Triple-A team to play in front of so many Yankees fans across the region,” said New York Yankees COO Lonn Trost.



The 2012 season will also feature Empire State Yankees caps that the players will wear during the season.



“The New York Yankees brand is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. When we created the cap logos we tried to include some features of their brand, but not infringing on their logo, while putting a unique spin on the design for the Empire State Yankees caps,” added Mason.



Empire State Yankees caps and t-shirts, along with other Empire State Yankees merchandise is now available in the Red Wings Team Store at Frontier Field and online in the Red Wings online team store at www.redwingsbaseball.com.



“I suspect Empire State Yankees hats and apparel will be quite the common sight throughout upstate New York this summer,” added Mobley