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Days of Jeff Sedivy’s baseball life often unfolded away from his Elfstrom Stadium office, stretching to the ballpark’s concourse, picnic area and parking lots, or wherever else fans of the Kane County Cougars might be.
He waved spectators to their seats or their spots with a smile until, inevitably, the two-way radio attached to his belt buzzed with a message beckoning Sedivy to be someplace else.
“He had his thumb on the pulse of both sides – the baseball and the entertainment,” Oakland Athletics director of player development Keith Lieppman said, “and a real knack for being on top of things.”
Such command and versatility is what colleagues invoke most about Sedivy, who confirmed Monday his departure from an organization he served for 20 seasons – the past 14 as vice president and general manager.
“Basically, it was a mutual parting of the ways between the ownership and myself,” Sedivy said. “Twenty years is a long time, and I’m very appreciative and grateful of all the people in the organization who I worked with along the way.”
They certainly represented every rung of a professional baseball operation.
Sedivy, 43, joined the organization shortly after the Wausau, Wis., franchise relocated to Geneva to become the Kane County Cougars before the 1991 season. He opened his tenure as a group sales representative and concessions manager, and by 1997 had ascended to the roles of vice president and general manager.
The Naperville resident presided over much of the club’s heyday, including its 2001 Midwest League championship and a $10.5 million renovation project that brought a covered concourse and luxury suite seating to Elfstrom Stadium in 2009. In many respects, his rise paralleled a minor leaguer’s.
The Cougars gained notoriety as one of the low minors’ first-rate franchises during Sedivy’s tenure, attracting at least 400,040 fans every season since 1993. The club finished second to Dayton in league attendance in 2010, drawing 430,831 fans, though that figure represented a dropoff from the beginning of the decade.
Kane County set a franchise record when 523,222 spectators entered the Elfstrom turnstiles in 2001, beginning a stretch of six consecutive seasons of at least half a million fans.
Still, Sedivy – “the face of the organization” in Lieppman’s eyes – didn’t simply work to keep customers happy or fed. He traditionally visited with opposing managers and coaches once they got settled in the visitor’s clubhouse and could hold his own talking strategy with any Cougars skipper.
“Stuff off the field, life in general, baseball, business, sports,” said Aaron Nieckula, Cougars manager from 2006-08 and 2010. “He was very involved with the whole operation, and I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Sedivy said he began to ponder the move during the Christmas season and met with Cougars ownership and other club executives about his decision early last week. He cleaned out his office on Saturday.
Cougars officials could not be reached for comment Monday, but the club said in a news release it planned to maintain its existing front office management – the team has two assistant general managers, and a special assistant to the general manager – for the upcoming season.
The Cougars aligned with the Baltimore Orioles (two seasons), Florida Marlins (10 seasons) and A’s (eight seasons) before partnering with the Kansas City Royals in September.
Kane County’s two-year affiliate contract with Oakland expired after 2010. At the time, one reason Sedivy cited for the change to Kansas City was the organization’s penchant for keeping lower-level players in one place for longer stretches. Last summer, the A’s promoted left-hander Ian Krol, the club’s wins and ERA leader, to High-A Stockton (Calif.) in the midst of a playoff run.
The Cougars eventually clinched their seventh postseason berth as an Oakland farm club – their 13th overall under Sedivy – but the move remained unpopular.
Sedivy said the affiliate change had no bearing on the decision, and called not being able to work with the Royals one of his regrets about moving on. After 20 years of being a baseball jack of all trades, he hopes not to stray too far, and already has begun exploring other options.
“I’ll be in sports somewhere,” Sedivy said. “Who knows. I want to stay in baseball. Hopefully, my reputation can help me with an opportunity, but it will be soon.
“It’s been a great 20 years with the Cougars. You look at a lot of the things that had transpired there, and I couldn’t have done it without my staff. I can’t thank them enough, and the same goes for our sponsors and fans.”
Sedivy's tenure at a glance
1997: Sedivy supplants Bill Larsen as Cougars general manager; club advances to first Midwest League Championship Series, falling to Lansing, 3-2, in best-of-five set.
1999: Earns Midwest League Executive of the Year honors, joining Larsen (1993) as the Cougars' lone recipients of the award.
2001: Cougars defeat South Bend for Midwest League title, as series is shortened to one game after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Club sets franchise attendance record for season with 523,222 fans.
2008: Sedivy helps organize and promote first "Road to Wrigley" game as Cougars face Ryne Sandberg-led Peoria Chiefs at Wrigley Field on July 29.
2009: With rehabbing Aramis Ramirez and Reed Johnson in town with Cubs affiliate Peoria on July 3, a Midwest League-record 14,872 fans see the Cougars and Chiefs.
2011: Sedivy leaves Cougars organization after 20 seasons.