ALAMO, CA -- The Roger Dorn Baseball League is thrilled to announce that Erik Nielsen has been awarded a Franchise, replacing the Idaho Taters following the retirement of Mike Friedrich this week. Nielsen, formerly the Assistant General Manager of the Maltese Falcons, unveiled the San Mateo Oppo Tacos, becoming the 17th Franchise since the league was formed in 2013.
Nielsen has served as second in command for the Falcons since March of 2017, helping oversee four Playoff berths in six seasons including a pair of Peninsula Division Titles. From 2017-2022, the Falcons never finished worse than 9th in either Pitching or Hitting, a mark of a consistent contender built with President of Baseball Operations Gary Falzon.
Reached for comment late Wednesday, Falzon expressed his gratitude for Nielsen, stating "The departure of Assistant GM Erik Nielsen is bittersweet for the Falcons organization. Eric was a key contributor to the Falcons success over the years, with Erik taking on more and more responsibilities each year. He's navigated and executed numerous trades across the years and identified strong prospects and auction values. This past season although not a banner year for us, he brought a tremendous amount of value to our farm season as well as multiple early round draft picks to set us up for success in 2024. While this is a big blow to our front office, we are thrilled for Eric to have the opportunity to run his own organization. We know he'll transform his new team into a contender quickly and Erik running his own team will only strengthen the competitiveness of the RDBL. We wish Erik success in his new role and thank him for his many contributions to the Falcons organization."
The Oppo Tacos carry on a Franchise formerly owned by Dave Adler (Adler's Man Crush) and Friedrich (Idaho Taters). The Taters played three seasons under the leadership of Friedrich, originally announcing their plans to return after the 2022 season when Nielsen was approached about the opening. Friedrich reneged on the announcement, instead coming back for the 2023 season. The Taters put together their best season, finishing as one of three Wild Card Winners before sputtering in the Playoffs.
Friedrich leaves behind a solid group of Keeper options for 2024, giving Nielsen ammunition to build around. Much work will need to be done in the Farm System which sat as the league's best in the middle of 2023 before it was stripped down in the Taters' effort to win a RDBL Title.
Nielsen met with the media Wednesday night, expressing his excitement for the challenge ahead. “I am grateful for the 6 RDBL seasons co-managing the Falcons with the Belmont legend, Gary Falzon. The opportunity to manage the San Mateo Oppo Tacos was too good to pass up. The roster has a solid big league core and we look forward to our first offseason. It’s Taco Time!”
Commissioner Greg Shelley shared his excitement about the Nielsen's addition and health of the league, stating "The health of the Roger Dorn Baseball League is evident with immediate widespread interest in the Franchise vacancy. Erik has demonstrated his value to the RDBL since his addition to the Falcons Front Office in 2017 and ranks among the most interactive Executives we have which will be a key focus for an addition moving forward. We are thrilled to welcome Erik to the Ownership group and look forward to the future of the Oppo Tacos."
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