ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Minor League Baseball today announced its list of Top 25 teams in licensed merchandise sales for 2014, with the combined totals of all 160 teams setting a Minor League Baseball record with more than $60.3 million in retail sales.

The $60.3 million total marks an 8.8 percent increase over 2013's total of $55.4 million in retail sales, which had been the second highest total recorded since Minor League Baseball's licensing program began in 1992. The previous record was $60 million in sales, set in 1994. The totals are based on total licensed merchandise sales from January 1 - December 31, 2014, and include the 160 teams in the domestic-based leagues that charge admission to their games.

Alphabetically, the list includes: the Akron RubberDucks, Albuquerque Isotopes, Birmingham Barons, Carolina Mudcats, Charlotte Knights, Columbus Clippers, Corpus Christi Hooks, Dayton Dragons, Durham Bulls, El Paso Chihuahuas, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Indianapolis Indians, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Louisville Bats, Portland Sea Dogs, Quad Cities River Bandits, Reno Aces, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Rochester Red Wings, Sacramento River Cats, Salt Lake Bees, Toledo Mud Hens, Trenton Thunder and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

"The Top 25 list reflects the popularity of Minor League Baseball team names and logos across the country," said Sandie Hebert, Director of Licensing for Minor League Baseball. "The fact that nine of the teams on this year's list were not on the list last year shows that teams are keeping their logos creative, fresh and most of all, fun."

Online sales have also played a significant role in the steady growth of merchandise sales, as Minor League Baseball experienced a 17.6 percent increase over 2013. "Our consumers are taking advantage of the opportunity to buy Minor League Baseball merchandise online and at the ballpark," said Hebert. "Our clubs reported online sales in all 50 states and several foreign countries, highlighting Minor League Baseball's popularity across the country and abroad."

Of the Top 25 teams, 24 have online stores using the MiLB platform. Visit www.MiLBStore.com to find merchandise from the Top 25 list of teams, and other MiLB teams.
About Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., is the governing body for all professional baseball teams in the United States, Canada, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball teams through their farm systems. Fans are coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Minor League Baseball ballparks. In 2013, Minor League Baseball attracted more than 41 million fans to its ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable family-friendly entertainment to people of all ages since its founding in 1901. For more information about Minor League Baseball, visit www.MiLB.com.

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According to a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll, 94 percent of likely Republican caucus goers want candidates to talk about the budget deficit, more than any other issue. According to the same poll, 74 percent of likely Democratic caucus goers want candidates to talk about the budget deficit.

"When three-quarters of Democrats and 94 percent of Republicans agree that presidential candidates should talk about deficits, it's clear that neither party can sidestep our budget problems," said Maya MacGuineas, head of the Campaign to Fix the Debt. "Candidates should be tearing up their stump speeches and replacing them with ideas on how they plan to tackle our debt. Voters are demanding it."

Click here to view full polling results.

The poll findings buttress the efforts of First Budget, a joint initiative of Fix the Debt and The Concord Coalition to raise public awareness of the dangers posed by the nation's unsustainable budget policies and make solving this problem a high priority for the 2016 presidential candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The poll results also follow a drumbeat of activity by First Budget to raise the importance of the issue in Iowa. First Budget recently announced a Cabinet of local leaders, and in the last 10 days, First Budget leaders and volunteers have been spreading the message through media across Iowa, including in the Sioux City Journal, Newtown Daily News, the Quad City Times, WMT radio in Cedar Rapids and KXEL radio in Waterloo.

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For more information, contact Jack Deutsch at deutsch@fixthedebt.org

For more information about First Budget, please visit www.firstbudget.org

For more information about the Fix the Debt Campaign, please visit www.fixthedebt.org

MOLINE, ILLINOIS - WQPT, Quad Cities PBS is pleased to introduce its 2015 WQPT/PBS Ambassadors, an elite volunteer corps made up of college students.

Entering its 11th year, the program provides college students with the opportunity to represent their local public television station at a variety of events throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

"Our Ambassadors are an extension of the staff, and the leadership skills they acquire, as a direct result of their experiences as Ambassadors in the program, have helped them move on to jobs," said WQPT Special Projects Coordinator Bea Brasel. "This year, our Ambassadors will be focused on reaching farther out into our viewing area."

In 2013, the WQPT/PBS Ambassador program was honored nationally with the "Grassroots Advocacy Award" from the National Friends of Public Broadcasting. This year, two former Ambassadors received individual awards for their volunteer work for WQPT, as well.

The 2015 class of WQPT/PBS Ambassadors are:  Cody Hageman (Western Illinois University-QC), Iame Rea (University of Iowa), Kasey Fish (WIU-QC), Grace Brasel (Augustana College), Christopher Black (Black Hawk College); John McAfoos (WIU-QC), Rich Yerington (WIU-QC), Lauren Tague (Illinois State University), Kathryn Reed (Illinois State University), Remona Laing (St. Ambrose University), Nicolas Riojas (Augustana College); Alexandra Lenger (Iowa State University) and Katherine Williams (St. Ambrose University).

WQPT is the public media service of Western Illinois University.

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Quad Cities hits three home runs to lead the entire game and lower its magic number to eight

COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. (June 3, 2015) - Shortly after the earliest scheduled game time for the River Bandits this season, Quad Cities catcher Jacob Nottingham drove in the first run with the first of his three doubles Wednesday, and three of his teammates homered, helping right-hander Jorge Perez win his first career start in an 8-1 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps at Fifth Third Ballpark.

Designated hitter Alex Hernandez, center fielder Ramon Laureano and left fielder Jason Martin each hit home runs to help Quad Cities (37-16) match season highs of five doubles, three home runs and eight extra-base hits. The team kept the best record in professional baseball and at least a two-game lead in the Midwest League Western Division over second-place Cedar Rapids. The River Bandits' magic number (combination of Quad Cities wins and losses by the Western Division's third-place team) to clinch a first-half playoff spot is eight.

Whitecaps left-hander Trent Szkutnik (3-1) retired the first two batters of the game before walking shortstop Mott Hyde. Nottingham then hit the first pitch he saw to the left-center field gap, scoring Hyde for a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the second inning, River Bandits third baseman Kristian Trompiz hit a leadoff single to right field, and Hernandez smacked his first Midwest League home run over the left-field wall for a 3-0 lead. The next batter, Laureano, launched his second home run in three games to the left-field corner, just inside the foul pole for Quad Cities' first back-to-back home runs of the season and a 4-0 lead.

Perez (1-0) got help from double plays his teammates turned to end the first and second innings. In the first inning, after right fielder Ross Kivett hit a one-out single and designated hitter Mike Gerber drew a walk, Perez got second baseman Joey Pankake to ground to Trompiz to begin a double play. In the second inning, first baseman Will Kengor hit a leadoff single to right field, but two batters later, catcher Shane Zeile grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The Whitecaps (26-27) had their best scoring chance against Perez in the fifth inning. Zeile drew a leadoff walk, and with one out, shortstop Garrett Mattlage and center fielder Derek Hill hit consecutive singles. With the bases loaded, Perez caught a comeback line drive by Kivett and struck out Gerber - the league's leading hitter with a .370 batting average entering Wednesday - to end the inning. In a career-high five innings, Perez allowed six hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

Szkutnik retired 10 River Bandits in a row before Nottingham led off the sixth inning with his second double. Right fielder Sean McMullen advanced Nottingham with a groundout to first base, and Trompiz hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Nottingham for a 5-0 lead. Szkutnik was charged with a season-high five earned runs on five hits and one walk with four strikeouts in six innings.

River Bandits right-hander Austin Chrismon began the sixth inning and retired the first three Whitecaps. In the seventh inning, Zeile hit a leadoff triple and later scored on Hill's two-out single. Chrismon then retired seven of the final eight batters - allowing only a two-out walk in the eighth inning - to pitch four scoreless innings for his second save of the season.

Whitecaps right-hander Josh Heddinger pitched the final three innings for the home team. His high school teammate, River Bandits first baseman Jamie Ritchie, led off the eighth inning with a double and scored on Nottingham's one-out, ground-ball double down the first-base line. Trompiz then doubled off the left-center field wall to score Nottingham for a 7-1 River Bandits advantage. In the top of the ninth inning, Martin took Heddinger deep to right field for his second Midwest League home run and an 8-1 Quad Cities lead.

Quad Cities continues its series in West Michigan at 6 p.m. Central Thursday, when River Bandits right-hander Brock Dykxhoorn (3-3) is scheduled to face Whitecaps right-hander Fernando Perez (0-5).

UP NEXT: Modern Woodmen Park is hosting a Father's Day Cookout for the 1:15 p.m. game Sunday, June 21. Call 563-324-3000 to order a package that includes a game ticket and access to the all-you-can-eat buffet in the Budweiser Champions Club. The day includes a Mega Mini-Fridge Giveaway presented by Budweiser and 7G Distributing and is a Family Sunday presented by B100 and ESPN 93.5. Individual tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office and online at riverbandits.com. Ticket plans of 12 to 70 games - which include free parking, reserved seats, merchandise discounts, and guaranteed giveaways - are available by calling 563-324-3000.