With the theme “The Next Big Thing,” the Eastern League All-Star Game lived up to the hype — and then some. Everything seemed big, bigger, biggest. Even the event’s star promoter, Todd “Parney” Parnell, “grew” for the special occasion.

Officially, Parnell is vice president and chief operating officer of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the official host team for the four days of All-Star events.

On July 9, Parney transformed into the “world’s tallest centerfielder” during the event’s Celebrity Home Run Derby at The Diamond. Wearing an oversized fielder’s glove, Parney towered above the crowd in a 25-foot scissors lift in short centerfield. From his eye in the sky, he exchanged friendly barbs with hitters, waving his glove, daring them to hit his way and “buzz the tower.”

The crowd ate it up.

“We wanted to do something crazy out there,” Parney said, deflecting credit to his diligent staff. “We had a bunch of ideas and that’s where we landed.”

Fans couldn’t help but smile at the tower and the many other attractions during four full days brimming with family fun. Call it “Parney’s Party.” There were events all around the city — from music and games on Brown’s Island, to country music at Richmond Raceway, to celebrations at the James Center in Downtown and all up and down Arthur Ashe Boulevard where The Diamond left the welcome lights on for fans who came from many states. There was even a gala pep rally normally seen at a college football game.

The schedule was big on entertainment. For visitors who came from far away as Maine and New Hampshire, planned events included raft rides on the James River, trips to Kings Dominion and to watch Virginia Commonwealth University basketball practices and a tribute to late Richmond native, tennis star and humanitarian Arthur Ashe Jr.

“We put our heart and soul into it. I am exhausted,” Parney said afterward.

In the past, the EL All-Star Game has been a two-day affair with a home run contest followed by the game. Thinking big, as always, Parney doubled it to four days. This wasn’t just a baseball event; it was more of a Richmond showcase.

“If you only go to The Diamond, you’ll be missing 95 percent of Richmond,” Parney explained. “We wanted to show off the entire city.”

The game, featuring pre-game sky divers, wasn’t forgotten either. The game on July 10 drew a sellout crowd of 9,560, the biggest ever for the event. This was to be expected. Since coming to Richmond 10 years ago, the Flying Squirrels have been at or near the top of AA minor league attendance. The Flying Squirrels have averaged more than 6,000 fans per game since the team’s inception.

It has been said, only partly in jest, that Parney could sell 6,000 tickets to watch The Diamond’s infield grass grow. He’d mix in some great music, games and lots of good food and drinks and fans would leave with smiles on their faces, looking forward to a return.

Parney puts the “pro” in promoter. Richmonders have known all about that for a decade. Now the entire Eastern League has gotten the message. “The Next Big Thing” will be a hard act to follow.