AMSTERDAM - The Amsterdam Mohawks recently announced the hiring of Bill Terlecky as their new general manager.

Terlecky comes with a wealth of professional baseball experience and has taken over the day-to-day operations of the Mohawks immediately, according to a news release.

He relocated from the Chicago area to Amsterdam in October and after 32 years in the professional baseball industry plans on making Amsterdam his final home, according to a release.

Terlecky has spent 32 years in the business of minor league baseball. He has been a general manager at the Triple-A, Double-A and independent levels of organized baseball. He started his career in 1979 as a sales executive for the Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A International League affiliate in Rochester. He spent six seasons with the Red Wings and served as co-general manager his final three seasons.

In 1984, he was hired to lead the Philadelphia Phillies new Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/ Wilkes Barre, Pa. He oversaw the opening of the $25 million Lackawanna County Stadium in 1989. During his time in northeastern Pennsylvania, he was named the International League's Executive of the Year in 1991 and he coordinated the sold-out 1995 Triple-A all-star game.

His first venture into the independent baseball ranks came in the late 1990's when he operated the Madison Black Wolf of the Northern League.

In 2001, Terlecky was named general manager of the New York Mets Double-A Eastern League affiliate in Binghamton. The Binghamton Mets enjoyed a surge in attendance and community involvement as a result of his fan friendly style of management according to a release. For his success in Binghamton he was awarded the Frank Cashen Award for Minor League Excellence presented by the New York Mets following the 2002 season. Both David Wright and Jose Reyes were members of the Binghamton team during Terlecky's tenure there.

In 2007, he returned to independent baseball as the general manager of the Gary SouthShore RailCats in Gary, Indiana. Under his leadership, the RailCats recorded the two highest attendance figures in the history of the franchise. Following the 2007 season, he was named the Minor League General Manager of the Year by the Chicago Pitch and Hit Club.

"We have gotten to the point with the Mohawks that we really needed an industry pro to help us lead our efforts of further expanding our product and our stadium," Amsterdam Mohawks President Brian Spagnola said in a release. "I am proud of what we have accomplished so far with the Mohawks, but adding a person to our staff who has had experiencerunning teams who average over 7,500 fans per night, truly professionalizes our franchise and will assist in our future growth. The Mohawks and the community alike, will all benefit from this."

Terlecky also was featured in the book "Getting in the Game" written by former Cubs broadcaster, and current Texas Rangers broadcaster, Josh Lewin. The book chronicled the trials of landing a job in baseball and the lifestyle that those in the game lead.

"I am thrilled to be back in Upstate New York and look forward to building on the outstanding success that the Mohawks have had," Terlecky said in a release. "Their reputation in this industry is growing and they have really helped put Amsterdam on the map".

For more information about the Amsterdam Mohawks, visit the team's Web site, www.amsterdammohawks.com.