Hello everyone! My name is Tommy Viola and I am the Chief Communications Officer for the Knothole Foundation.
Welcome to the Official Knothole Foundation Blog — The Knothole Gang CLT Blog. With the introduction of the blog, I’m thrilled to announce I will also be starting a podcast in January — The Knothole Gang CLT Podcast.
While there are a lot of things I plan to write about in the blog each week, there’s also a lot to talk about on the podcast.
Here at the Knothole Foundation, we strive to provide access and opportunities to underserved youth in our community. We’re hosting free baseball and softball camps and clinics regularly — but we plan to take it to the next level in 2026 with even more! In addition to sports, we’re also doing our best to provide educational programming. You will hear about our educational programming as part of the podcast.
Over the course of the blog and podcast, I will introduce you to key members of our staff, as well as local baseball and softball players from the area. I’ll talk with former MLB and MiLB players, youth athletes, and so many more great people in our industry!
As you read this blog each week and listen to me talk on the podcast, it helps to know a little bit about me and all of the great folks here at the Knothole Foundation.
My Background
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, and thanks to my family — especially my dad and grandfathers — I grew up a diehard Mets fan. Please don’t hold that against me, lol. Especially after what they have done this offseason — but that’s another story.
With that, I grew up going to Shea Stadium and falling in love with baseball. My favorite player was Gary Carter. I was a catcher in Little League and I may have even curled my hair to be like “The Kid” — and of course, I always wore #8. On that same note, #8 is personal for me since my birthday is on January 8th (the same day as Elvis Presley, by the way).
When I was 10 years old, my parents moved our family to the Poconos in PA. It was a great place to grow up. I played a lot of baseball and found a new place to go to games — Lackawanna County Stadium. In those days, that was home to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. I always rooted against the Red Barons — especially when the Tidewater/Norfolk Tides came to town — the then Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Some day, I’ll share stories of those games.
My baseball playing career took me to Penn State Hazleton, where I played on the college team. Traveling around on the bus with our team and playing college baseball was a great experience. I loved it. While I wasn’t able to make it a career in playing baseball — I did find a way to make a career in baseball thanks to my love of Minor League Baseball.
From 2004 to 2025, I worked in Minor League Baseball. For nearly 20 seasons, I got to live my dream of going to a ballpark every single day. It started in 2004 as an unpaid photography intern with the Altoona Curve (Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates). I loved it! I spent the games running around with a camera and capturing everything — even a young David Wright with the Binghamton Mets that season.
Although I had a few interviews and a potential job in MiLB between 2005-2007, nothing materialized and I was out of the field for a few years. Instead, I continued to take sports photos for a great company called Lifetouch. That lasted until 2008 when I got the break of a lifetime — and I never looked back!
In 2008, while living back in the Poconos, I applied for and received a job with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies) as the team’s Radio Studio Host. I worked every game (road and home) in the radio studio. I made the 90-minute drive each way for the unpaid internship of a lifetime. I loved it. It got my foot in the door. I learned a lot. And, — I made a career out of working in the minors.
A year later, I moved up to Media Relations Assistant and actually worked at the stadium this time with the IronPigs. I had an office in the press box and loved it. My first taste of working in media relations. I knew that was my calling.
I met so many great people that year and at the end of the season, I moved on to a full-time role as the Director of Media Relations for the Reading Phillies (Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies). I spent two seasons there running my own department. I learned a lot. Met some great people. Lived my dream as I was able to help out the Phillies media relations department in Philadelphia during their postseason run in 2010. I had a front row seat to Roy Halladay’s postseason no-hitter and worked the media room after the game.
I always wanted more. I wanted to be back in Triple-A. In November of 2011, I made the trek to Fort Mill, SC to interview for the Charlotte Knights (Triple-A Chicago White Sox). It was my first-time ever in the Carolinas. I loved it. My interview went well and I was offered the job on the spot. I accepted it and moved to Rock Hill, SC in January of 2012 to start my new job.
I spent 13 years with the Knights. It was my dream job. I interviewed many of my heroes. I met so many wonderful people. It was amazing. My dad got to spend time with me on the field. We even had a few special catches in the outfield. It was a dream come true.
Over the years with the Knights, I did everything to get the organization publicity. I appeared in hundreds of TV interviews. Those were a lot of fun!
During my time with the Knights, I met someone who helped change my life — Jeff Schaefer. We met in 2013 as I was putting together a tribute to Knights Stadium and Charlotte Baseball history. We hit it off and stayed in touch. Eventually, Schaef and I hosted a radio show on WFNZ here in Charlotte. It was the most fun I would have all week, sitting in that studio talking baseball. I looked forward to it.
After years of working 100-hour weeks with the Knights, and missing my two kids (Al and Tony), it was time to make a move. I left the Knights in February of 2025 and went over to work for the Knothole Foundation. It was the best decision I ever made. I can never thank Schaef enough for all he has done for me over the years. I’m blessed to be a part of something special.
You’ll hear a lot about my experiences on the podcast and in the blog each week. I can’t wait to bring in guests and talk about all that the Knothole Foundation has to offer. This is a special organization providing access and opportunities to underserved youth in our community.
Stay tuned!
