‘Parney’ still finds joy in the job
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RICHMOND, Va -- Former Altoona Curve general manager Todd "Parney" Parnell hasn't changed since he left Altoona back in 2008.
Well, that's not entirely true seeing as he's no longer participating in any hamsterball races or competitions, but he's still the ubiquitous "Parney" with the Richmond Flying Squirrels as he was when he was with the Curve.
"As I reflect back on the 34 years in this industry, every single stop, you know has, has made a huge impact on my personal and professional life especially in Altoona," Parney said from his office in the bowels of The Diamond in Richmond where he is the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer.
If you're wondering, there is still a keg of beer in his office much like his office in Altoona and it's still the place to be after games. His larger-than-life personality endears him to fans, media, players and those who work with him on a daily basis. It's no shock there were a multitude of smiles and laughs in every interaction he had with people he experienced throughout the stadium.
"To me Altoona was as much about the people as it was anything," Parney said.
His innate ability to make memories and connections is what has made a career in minor league baseball his dream job since he was 10.
"My dad, who passed away last August, took me to a minor league baseball game in Charlotte, North Carolina, and when we were at the game I saw this dude who was just everywhere," Parney said. "You mean to tell me he wakes up every single day and this is the key and he gets to drive to a minor league ballpark. Doesn't have to, he gets to drive the ballpark. And that's how he makes a living? My dad said yes. And I'm like, 'Are you sure he gets paid?' And he's like, 'Yes.' And I said, 'Wow, that's got to be the greatest job in the history of the universe.'"
The greatest job in the universe has taken Parney to Richmond where he's continued to grow the Richmond brand, but for as much as he has gained and grown as a result of the industry, it's not been an easy route to where he's at.
"It's not as easy as everybody thinks. Right?" Parney said. "It's a lot of time. It's a lot of sacrifice, like families, and something that I learned from Altoona is when I said yes to the Altoona Curve and this fan base and started to say yes, a lot of times I said no to my family, and that ended up costing me in the long run."
Parney is now in his 15th season with the Flying Squirrels and is still committed to building relationships with those around him each and every day just like he did in Altoona.
"The best memories that I have from Altoona are all kinds of wonderful personal relationship type things that continue to this day," Parney said.
From his first few days on the job with the Curve when he didn't have the slightest clue to doing whatever it takes to get a laugh, Parney is unequivocally himself whether he's giving one of his 150 plus speeches or greeting fans in his signature “Parney Pants” as they enter the gates.
"I feel like I'm put on the earth to be a memory maker and to make people feel better about themselves and to make people just forget about whatever troubles they might have for the three hours they're at a minor league ballpark," Parney said. "Am I goofy? Yes. Do I wear the crazy pants all the time? Am I the minor league version of John Daly? 100 percent, but I've made a career out of self-deprecating humor, and I don't care what people think about me as long as they're nice about it and as long as they have fun and create memories. I'm down with all that."
Minor league baseball is not always a destination where the focus is solely on baseball. It's an environment where sometimes baseball is just happening in the background. Each game is an opportunity to prove it's more than just a game.
"We're not in the baseball business. We're not in the entertainment business. We're in the memory making business," Parney said. "Every single day of our life, whether there's a game or not, there's an opportunity for us to make memories with every interaction that we have."
It's a simple strategy for Parney and
those around him.
"Not everybody likes baseball, right? Not everybody does," Parney said. "People like different stuff, but one thing that every single person on the planet, if they're worth a cent, likes to do is make memories with their families and friends. And that's what minor league baseball does. Minor league baseball provides a very comfortable, safe, unique setting and a backdrop where families and friends can make memories on a daily basis."
That impact can be seen throughout minor league ballparks any given night and right here in Altoona at Peoples Natural Gas Field regularly. For the Flying Squirrels, they held a military appreciation night over the weekend that demonstrated the level of impact that can have on all involved.
"We had our military appreciation night with family members of soldiers who have died and died for our freedom," Parney said. "We're giving Squirrels jerseys off the back of the players and not only off the back of the players, but those jerseys had the name of the soldier instead of the player's name. To say it was impactful is like saying Roseanne Barr can't sing the national anthem is a huge understatement, right?"
It's been a driving force for Parney throughout his career in minor league baseball and it was the exact same way for him with the Curve.
"That was our deal at Altoona, too. We wanted to make a memory every single day whether it was with a manager of the team or a player on the team, a fan, or somebody that I had beers with at the Hotel Belmar. It didn't matter who, we always wanted to help people make positive memories," he said.
Making those memories is much easier in a minor league town such as Altoona, where a Gold Glove winner such as Nate McLouth could go in the parking lot of an establishment and have a catch with a patron who dreamt of having a catch with a Gold Glove winner.
"That's the kind of stuff that doesn't happen anywhere in the country, but in a minor league town like Altoona," Parney said. "When I say minor league town, I don't mean that as a derogatory term. I mean that as a special place."
Minor league cities such as Richmond and Altoona are special places where there's a true connection to the team that represents each city. The organizations become the heartbeat of minor league towns throughout the country.
Where else would a pair of pants be such a polarizing enigma? For Parney, it's all in the name of having fun and going nuts.
"If that's why it connects people to our three founding principles, which are to have fun every day, be different every day and be impactful every day," Parney said. "If the pants are what gets that going then I'm fine with it. It's crazy to me how wearing different pants brings joy to people."
That joy gets Parney noticed far beyond Richmond. It gets him spotted in airports like Atlanta where he was asked to take a selfie even if he wasn't wearing his trademark pants. For him, it's just another day in the life of Parney and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"If you do have fun every day and you walk differently, talk differently, or dress differently, if you do it right, people are going to want to be connected to that," he said. "If it brings them energy and joy, I think that's the purpose of me in this world."