This joke never gets old. Fisher Cats bat boy Steve Delahanty, a 17-year-old from Auburn, worked a few minutes without realizing there was a huge chewing gum bubble on his helmet tonight. Take a look at the video, and it’s guaranteed to make you smile. Not sure which player was behind the prank, although David Smith can be seen smiling in the video.
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– At least six major-league scouts attended tonight’s Fisher Cats game. Typically, a scout will file a report on every player in the Eastern League. It’s always interesting to listen to them chat in the press box before heading downstairs with their radar guns. Some of overheard comments:
– “Dustin Pedroia is the most confident player I’ve ever seen.”
– “Manny Ramirez can be scary good in left field.”
– “The chowder here (at Merchantsauto.com Stadium) is the best.”
– “Ricky Romero hit 94 (on the radar) last night.”
– “It’s amazing to think Johan Santana was a Rule 5 Draft pick.”
Among the teams represented Thursday night were the Brewers, White Sox, Phillies and Red Sox.
– Scott Britton from Scout.com was also at the game last night. Britton’s work can also be found at www.insidethedome.com.
It can be a long season in the minors, so when an opportunity for a good joke presents itself, all hands are on deck. Enter Chris Gutierrez. The light-hitting shortstop homered in the fourth inning of New Hampshire’s 9-6 win over Connecticut on Wednesday night. When he returned to the dugout, everyone was gone except the bat boy. I’ve heard of silent treatment, but this was something extra. Wish I’d gotten that on video. However, here’s the postgame interview with Gutierrez, a four-year pro with six career homers.
Checked in with Nick Botelho, the Fisher Cats clubhouse manager, and got some inside scoop. Like Botelho does 12-15 loads of laundry per day.
Who is the most generous tipper?: Brian Jeroloman. “Also very friendly.”
Generous tipper, visiting player: Ben Davis, Bowie catcher. “Great guy. Real superstitious. Had a very strict pregame ritual and ate two hot dogs before every game.”
Best video gamer: Brett Cecil, Daryl Harang, Jamie Vermilyea or Seth Overbey.
Odd request: Some pitchers requested Lucky Charms cereal last year; Jeroloman likes Celeste pizzas.
Shopping: Botelho, who supplies the clubhouse spread, buys his food at Shaw’s and BJ’s.
Wednesday night’s dinner: pulled pork, baked potato, vegetable medley.
Work schedule: starts the day at 11 a.m. and ends at about 2 a.m. When the team is on the road, Nick returns home to Boston and waits tables at Uno’s.
Fisher Cats RHP Brandon Magee looked unbeatable for the first five innings (two hits) against Connecticut tonight. Then things quickly spiraled out of control, and Magee took the loss in a 7-2 win for the Defenders.
– Connecticut tagged Magee for six runs in the sixth inning. Pitching coach Dave LaRoche: “Once the inning got going, it was like he tried to throw harder and harder and got frustrated. The inning was prolonged by him letting the game get away from him a little bit, not slowing down and saying, ‘OK, let’s minimize damage.’ When you get mad or frustrated, you become a thrower instead of a pitcher. That happens sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s what happened tonight. I wish I knew.”
– The legend grows. Travis Snider homered with a semi-cracked bat on Monday night. He later discovered the bat had a small crack near the handle. Remember when Snider snapped the bat over his knee against Bowie? I asked The Franchise if he’d ever done that before, and he said yes, a couple times.
– The Tampa Bay Rays are in first place of the AL East.
Check out Aaron Mathews’ wristband in this shot from Sunday (and the “Gamer” doubled for Mom):
Anthony Hatch, who leads the Fisher Cats with five home runs, makes a throw from third base:
– The New Hampshire Fisher Cats have won six of seven at home. Today’s 5-3 win over New Britain featured a three-run homer from Travis Snider.
– Fisher Cats manager Gary Cathcart and front-office “Don” Brian Cronin will be celebrity bartenders tonight at the Wild Rover Tavern in Manchester. Mike Murphy and Rick Brenner will be slinging drinks in July, while The Diva and Morgan Crandall will take their turn in August.
– Moms will receive pink hats at the gate on Sunday.
Friday night’s Fisher Cats game might be the most entertaining contest of the year.
– New Hampshire blew a five-run lead and came back to win, 12-11.
– Scott Campbell (3-for-5) had the winning hit in the eighth, knocking in two runs.
– Aaron Mathews was ejected by the home-plate ump. Mathews then tomahawked his bat in the dirt, breaking it in half.
– Ryan Patterson homered off the Sam Adams Bar and Grille. The ball came within inches of going inside the pub.
– New Britain’s David Winfree homered twice against Ricky Romero, including an opposite-field shot that was a no-doubter.
– While talking with manager Gary Cathcart, you can feel the importance of this victory. A loss would’ve been crushing.
– All this on Greek Night, which was a lot of fun. “Huge success,” Fisher Cats President/General Manager Rick Brenner said. “We had lamb on the spit. Everything from the anthem to the people and pastries was phenomenal. We owe a big thank you to the Greek community for coming out and sharing their culture with us tonight.”
Saw that headline and immediately thought of Sergio Santos of the Syracuse Chiefs. Nope. It’s quarterback Ricky Santos and the Kansas City Chiefs. Anyhow, the headline got me wondering about the 2007 Eastern League All-Star Game Home Run champ. Sergio Santos is having a dismal year with Triple-A Syracuse, batting .183 with no homers and four RBI.
Cavaliers and Celtics at 7 p.m., followed by Hornets and Spurs at 9:30. The NBA Life with Matt Bonner will taped tomorrow in Concord. If you would like to ask Matt a question, send me an e-mail or post a comment on the blog.
