Is there a Subway in Baltimore?
BIG NIGHT for ex-Fisher Cat Josh Banks, taking the mound at Baltimore in front of hometown family and friends tonight. Banks always ate a Subway sandwich before pitching for New Hampshire in 2004.
Live from Fenway
WELL, so much for that interview with Jacoby Ellsbury. I arrived at Fenway Park nice and early and scheduled a pregame interview with the Red Sox rookie, but he bolted into the clubhouse after batting practice, and they locked the door. Big meeting today to decide the disbursement of playoff shares. I’ll try to catch up with Jacoby after the game.
– Today Ellsbury was named Defensive Player of the Year/Baserunner of the Year among all Red Sox minor leaguers. He batted .323 with 82 runs, 2 homers, 41 RBI, and 41 steals in 48 attempts over 104 games with Portland and Pawtucket.
– Fans gave Manny Ramirez a LOUD ovation before he stepped to the plate in the first inning. Manny has shown no lingering affects from the oblique strain that sidelined him for 24 games.
– Everyone always talks about J.D. Drew’s beautiful swing, and, sure, it looks stylish, but I wasn’t overly impressed watching J.D. take batting practice. He seemed to rush too much instead, almost lunging, instead of allowing the ball into his wheelhouse. As a result, he hit a lot of balls with top spin and didn’t have many homers.
– The A’s have mentally checked out for this game. Left fielder Shannon Stewart must’ve forgot David Ortiz was running from the third base on a sac fly in the third inning. Instead of making a throw home on the medium-hit pop up, Stewart simply tossed to second base. Red Sox, 3-1. Drew picked up an RBI on the sac. Ortiz, gimpy knee and all, slid at home and seemed surprise there wasn’t a throw.
– Mike Lowell now has three RBI in the game. No third baseman in Red Sox history has more single-season RBI than Lowell, who ran his total to 114 ribbies tonight. Butch Hobson (112 RBI) previously held the record among Boston third basemen, a mark set in 1977.
– This just in. Both starting pitchers are having off-nights. Mike Piazza’s homer has tied the game, 5-5, and Lester would be in danger of his first loss if reliever Kyle Snyder allows the inherited runner to score.
–Dustin Pedroia’s homer has given the Sox a 6-5 lead … Just noticed Ian Browne at RedSox.com has all the interesting playoff scenarios here.
– Nick Swisher couldn’t catch a towering fly ball off the bat of Drew, and official scorer Chaz Scoggins didn’t hesitate to rule it an error after watching the replay. Moments later, Drew was watching the video board when “E-8″ flashed on the screen. These are the things you always miss when watching the game at home.
– Lowell has 5 RBI. Ch-ching. He leads the team with 116 RBI. Ch-ching. The career year will translate into a mega-contract in the off-season. The 33-year-old is finishing up a four-year, $32 million deal, and now has the luxury of testing the free-agent market if he desires.
– Boston is mopping up the emerald grass with Oakland. Now everyone in the starting lineup has at least one hit as Boston leads, 11-5, in the seventh.
POSTGAME HIGHLIGHTS: Pedroia handled the first wave of media in the clubhouse. He gave props to Lowell. The highlight came when a reporter asked him, “How nice is it go get things rolling again for yourself? He said, “I don’t really get too down if I don’t get a hit in a couple of at-bats. I know I’ll put good at-bats together. I’m not worried about that.”
I had a casual conversation (no recorder, no notebook) with Clay Buchholz and asked him about that standing ovation he got in Manchester this season. The kid was still really impressed with Manchester fans, saying it was the biggest ovation he ever received before playing at Fenway Park.
I also asked Jonathan Papelbon if he heard about his father’s role in last week’s Fight to Educate event in Manchester. John Papelbon served as a judge for women’s pillow fighting. It was not something the father will be bragging about. And, no, Jonathan hadn’t heard about it. “I’ll be sure to ask him,” he said.
Another Granite Stater named GM
THE PIRATES hired Neal Huntington as their new general manager today. Huntington, who grew up in Amherst and graduated from Milford Area High School, joins a growing list of New Hampshire natives in big-league front offices. More in Tuesday’s paper.
– In other news, Fisher Cats outfielder David Smith has been named recipient of the R. Howard Webster Award, which recognizes the top player for each of Toronto’s minor-league teams. Smith will be honored during a pre-game ceremony at Rogers Centre in Toronto prior to the Blue Jays/Devil Rays game on Sept. 29.
Smith, 26, batted .276 with a team-leading 24 home runs and 70 RBI, which tied for the team lead. His 35 doubles, 60 extra-base hits and 85 runs scored all established single-season franchise records, and he also led the club in on-base percentage (.359) and slugging percentage (.512).
“David exemplified what it meant to be a Fisher Cat both on and off the field, and we congratulate him on being named the Blue Jays’ top Double-A player this year,” said Fisher Cats President/General Manager Rick Brenner.
– Fisher Cats Nation is growing, and it’s time to get your Toronto spring training season tickets for 2008. Come watch Adam Lind compete with John-Ford Griffin, Wayne Lydon and others for a job in the Toronto outfield.
– Former Fisher Cats hitting coach Gary Cathcart won a franchise-best 78 games with the Lansing Lugnuts in 2007. “Cat” won the Bobby Mattick Award as the Toronto’s top player development instructor. Cathcart and Kenny Joyce are strong candidates to become the fourth Fisher Cats manager in club history.
The other Brian Wilson
THE KID from Londonderry High officially has been named closer of the San Francisco Giants. Brian Wilson, a 24th round pick out of LSU, is now 6-for-6 in save opportunities and owns a 0.84 ERA. Check out his stats and stretch of recent games here.
Jed Hoyer interviews with Pirates
FORMER Plymouth Area Little League All-Star Jed Hoyer, currently assistant GM of the Red Sox, interviewed for the vacant general manager position with the Pirates. Hoyer didn’t get the job, according to moles working for buccoblog.com.
Oh, well. Hoyer must’ve been smiling Friday night as Josh Beckett secured his 20th win. It was Hoyer and fellow Granite Stater Ben Cherington who helped land Beckett in a controversial trade that sent Hanley Ramirez to Florida. Remember, that was back in the fall of 2005 after Theo Epstein briefly stepped away from the BoSox.
Newsflash: Brady trailed!
FRIDAY NIGHT at Memorial Field in Concord was high school sports at its best. Two unbeaten teams, Bishop Brady and Newport. Two terrific coaches, Greg Roberts and Larry Carle. And two-point conversion by Shawn Schofield settled the score as Brady won, 14-12, extending to 25 its winning streak. (Plymouth High will have the state’s longest winning streak at 26 after beating Milford on Saturday.)
Newport took a 12-6 lead in the third quarter as Brady fell behind for the first time since the 2005 season-opener. Both quarterbacks were sensational. Brady’s Zach Chaisson threw the winning TD pass to Chase Phaneuf, and Newport’s Jon Searles kept making plays while running for his life … I have to say Happy Birthday to Brady cheerleader Meaghen Kenney, a future host of Good Morning America, who turned 17. The cheerleaders were passing out large chunks of birthday cake, and, yes, I upheld the sports writer tradition and got some free food.
Now batting … Sam Fuld
DURHAM native Sam Fuld finally got his first at-bat with the Cubs and grounded out to pitcher Kevin Hart in today’s game against the Pirates. Fuld, as I wrote about in today’s editions, had been enjoying the ivy walls of Wrigley Field and waiting for his first major-league plate appearance.
Fuld attended Phillips Exeter Academy and played legion ball for Dover Post. His father, Kenneth, is chair of the psychology department at UNH. When I spoke with Sam on the phone Thursday, he was cracking me up with a self-deprecating sense of humor.
When I asked him about the standing ovation he received after catching his first fly ball, he said, “I don’t think they knew who I was. They were chanting, ‘Let’s Go, New Guy!”
— Fuld’s promotion led to a great e-mail from Val in Londonderry, who is THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE BASEBALL FAN in Southern New Hampshire.
“Great opportunity for Sam Fuld. This is the second time this fall I have read that kids are making the most of being ready and running with their opportunities. Ryan Hannigan (Andover), Rollins College, was called up by the Reds last week and it has been reported that Hannigan was next in line after one of their players was suspended by MLB for Drug Prevention and Treatment violation. Fuld, it seems, was next in line, when the Cubs demoted September call up, Eric Patterson, for reporting late on gameday for the second time. This is strong evidence that so much happens in the game of professional baseball that most of us have no idea about. Good Luck to Sam. Whether he ever makes a plate appearance or not…there is plenty to learn up with the big club and he seems like just the right person to take advantage of his time at Wrigley.”
How the mighty have fallen
Here is a teaser from my upcoming Sunday story on the freefalling Red Sox:
The state of Red Sox Nation could be summed up Thursday night as Jonathan Papelbon gave up a grand slam to sudden Sox killer Russ Adams. On the same night, Papelbon’s father, John, attended the Fight to Educate in Manchester and served as emergency judge for women’s pillow fighting.
The elder Papelbon, attending the charity event with Ted Williams Hall of Fame Executive Director David McCarthy, found himself ringside at Verizon Wireless Arena while “Eiffel Power” and Ursula “Anvil” exchanged blows with fluffy pillows. The women fell to the canvas and grappled in Twister-like fashion.
There was nowhere to hide for Papelbon, sitting in the front row, hardly the most distinguished seat in the house. Nonetheless he remained a good sport and crowned Anvil the winner.
Fans could only wonder how a Papelbon got there.
“I got rail-roaded, you know. They said you’re going to do it,” he said, jokingly.
Olmo Rosario vs. Sergio Santos
I HAVE SEEN Olmo Rosario play for the Nashua Pride, and let me tell you, he would give Sergio Santos of the Fisher Cats a run for his money at shortstop.
Santos has more power, but Rosario is a better fielder with a similar laser-arm. Santos is three years younger, but Rosario is faster on the bases.
After watching Rosario play one game in the Can-Am League championship, I had one question: Why isn’t this guy playing in Double-A or higher?
Well, Olmo’s time has come. The 27-year-old has been picked up by the San Francisco Giants along with reliever reliever Steve Palazzolo.
Rosario, of the Dominican, was in the process of obtaining his green card when I spoke with him before Game 2 of the finals. The paperwork was the last thing holding back before joining an affiliated organization.
He was the Can-Am League Player of the Year for the 2007 after leading the league with 133 hits. He ranked second with a .362 average, third with a .550 slugging percentage. He had 12 home runs.
More from the Pride:
In the 2007 postseason, Rosario was among the leaders in almost every statistical category. The former Tampa Bay Devil Ray minor leaguer was first with 13 hits, tied for first with 2 stolen bases, tied for second with 6 runs scored, third with a .419 batting average, tied for third with 2 home runs, fourth with a .472 on-base percentage, and fourth with
a .645 slugging percentage.
Palazzolo was arguably the Pride’s top setup man out of the bullpen in the 2007 season. He led the team with a 2.14 ERA and a .208 opponents batting average. The North Reading, MA native was tied for third in the league with 43 appearances. In 54.2 innings pitched, the
6′10″ righthander allowed only 41 hits while striking out 63 batters.
Palazzolo and Olmo will be the second and third players to have their contracts bought by Major League organizations in the 2007 season, and they are the fifth and sixth players sold to affiliated teams since the Nashua Pride joined the Can-Am League in 2006.
Give it up for Nazzy
THIS VERY MINUTE, a radio guy named “Nazzy” is atop a scissor-lift at the State House Plaza in Concord — about 25 feet in the air — and he’s not coming down until he raises $25,000 for the WJYY Children’s Fund, which benefits Kristen’s Gift and the Dartmouth Children’s Hospital. Wicked cool idea and great cause. Check out the details here, and stop by Concord soon to help get Nazzy down from there!
