Tag Archives: Red Sox affiliate

Sea Dogs Opening Day Postponed Due to Rain

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Portland, Maine- Thursday’s Portland Sea Dogs Opening Day game against the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field has been postponed due to rain.  The Sea Dogs are now set to open the season on Friday, April 7th at 6:00 PM against Reading.
Thursday’s postponed game will be made-up as part of a single admission doubleheaderPortland Sea Dogs Opening Day on Friday, May 5th at 5:00 PM.  The doubleheader will consist of two seven inning games.
Tickets for the April 6th postponed game, can be exchanged for tickets of equal or lesser value to any 2017 Sea Dogs home game, subject to availability.  Any questions regarding rained out tickets can be directed towards the Sea Dogs Ticket Office at 207-879-9500 or tickets@seadogs.com.
This is the fifth time in the Sea Dogs 24-year history that Opening Day has been postponed but the first time due to rain.  The previous four postponements (2001, 2003, 2007, & 2015) have been due to snow or field conditions due to melting snow.
“It’s disappointing to have Opening Day postponed,” stated Sea Dogs General Manager Geoff Iacuessa.  “However, I’m very proud of the job that our grounds crew and front staff did preparing the field and stadium to open.  We were ready, despite having eight inches of snow on the field on Sunday morning.”
Kevin Youkilis was scheduled to throw-out the ceremonial first-pitch in honor of the Sea Dogs’ 15th season as a Red Sox affiliate.  His appearance at Hadlock Field will be rescheduled for a date later this season.
Tickets are available for all 2017 Sea Dogs home games.  Book your nine inning vacation by calling the Sea Dogs ticket office at 207-879-9500 or online at www.seadogs.com.

Portland Sea Dogs: Kevin Youkilis to Throw Out the Ceremonial First Pitch

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Portland, Maine – The Portland Sea Dogs have announced the details of the Opening Day ceremonies set for Thursday, April 6th at 6:00 PM when the Sea Dogs host the Portland Sea Dogs Opening DayReading Fightin Phils.  The 2017 season marks the Sea Dogs 15th season as an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, to commemorate the occasion, former Sea Dog Kevin Youkilis will throw out the ceremonial first-pitch.
On his way to a nine-year career with the Boston Red Sox, Kevin Youkilis made stops in the minor leagues, including the Portland Sea Dogs. In 2003, Youkilis appeared in 94 games with the Sea Dogs, hitting .327 with 6 homers and 37 RBI.  The Cincinnati native managed to complete a streak he started while in Portland, reaching base in 71 consecutive games, tying future teammate Kevin Millar’s minor-league record for consecutive games reaching base. In 2004, Youkilis made his Major League debut and was part of Red Sox history. Youkilis appeared in 1,061 games in his Major League career with Boston, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.
Youkilis will be available to sign free autographs from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the concourse.
The Bellamy Jazz Band will perform on the front plaza at Hadlock Field prior to the game.  The Falmouth High School Concert Choir will perform the National Anthem. The Sea Dogs will also host Portland Recreation students in a “Read Your Way to Opening Day” parade.
The Hadlock Field gates will open at 4:00 PM with the Opening Ceremonies tentatively scheduled to get underway at 5:40 PM complete with team introductions.
Tickets for all Sea Dogs home games in 2017 are on sale and available at the Sea Dogs ticket office at Hadlock Field, by phone at 207-879-9500, and online at seadogs.com.  Advance tickets range in price from $9.00 to $11.00 for adults and $6.00 to $10.00 for children (16 and under) and seniors (62 and over), with group rates available. Book your nine-inning vacation today!

Sea Dogs Unveil Two New Hats For 2017

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Portland, Maine–  The Portland Sea Dogs are proud to announce two new game day hats for the 2017 season at Hadlock Field. On Saturday, the team will wear State of Maine hats and Sunday will feature a kid friendly Slugger hat.

 The State of Maine hat will cater to our tourist population, featuring slugger over the state Portland Sea Dogs hatof Maine logo.  The hat features a red brim and backing, with blue on the front.
The kid-friendly hat for Sunday home games, features a larger slugger, blue brim and a blue backing, with a red front.
Both hats compliment our primary logo, which has stayed the same since the Sea Dogs first season (1994).
Portland has 11 Saturday games this season featuring some returning promotions and portland sea dogs hatnew concepts for 2017. Our first Saturday (April 8th) is Kids Opening Day featuring appearances by Nickelodeon characters Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob, and Skye and Marshall from Paw Patrol.  In addition, the Sea Dogs Mascot Band the Kastaways performs every pre-game. Other Saturday games include Star Wars Night on August 5th and Fireworks on June 24th.
The Hoods Kid’s Club has a special outing in 6 of 11 Sunday home games this season.  Additionally, kids can run the bases following every Sunday home game.
The official Saturday and Sunday hats can be purchased at the Sea Dogs Souvenir Store online at www.seadogs.com and at (207) 879-9501.

Lowell Spinners Unveil New Hi-Def Video Board for 2014

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Lowell Spinners

Game-Day experience gets better

LOWELL, MASS. – The Lowell Spinners, Class-A affiliate of the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, unveiled a new high-definition video board to replace the left-field scoreboard as preparations for June 13’s Opening Day continue at LeLacheur Park.

 The new LED video displays were designed and manufactured by Daktronics, the industry leader in outdoor displays. The boards were installed in the fall by Scoreboard Enterprises of Mansfield, Mass. to be ready for the spring events at the ballpark.

“We are thrilled to have worked with Daktronics and the city Manager’s Office to bring a state-of-the-art display to LeLacheur,” said Spinners President and General Manager Tim Bawmann. “We pride ourselves on providing the best family entertainment to our fans and this new display is going to only enhance the game-day experience for the best fans in baseball.”

The main display measured approximately 14 feet high by 36 feet wide and features a 15HD pixel layout. It is capable of showing one large image or be divided into separate windows to show a variety of vivid graphics, colorful animations, up-to-the-minute statistics and more.

In addition, two auxiliary displays were added to the facility, one on each side of the main display. These 13 feet by 12 feet displays feature 26 millimeter line spacing and provide the opportunity to showcase sponsors throughout events while providing additional opportunities for stat and game displays.

“Having the ability to incorporate more real-time data into the game experience allows us to add value for the baseball purist, while the video display as a whole adds to the overall entertainment experience,” said Bawmann. “It is a win-win for all.”

The installation also included Daktronics powerful Dakstats software solution, the premiere software for managing game, season and career statistics, as well as Show Control, which allows for an easy, user-friendly control system to provide fans with the ultimate game experience.

The Spinners kick off their 19th season of baseball in Lowell when they host the Vermont Lake Monsters Friday, June 13. Tickets for all 2014 home games are available now, starting at just $7, at www.lowellspinners.com.

 

Two Weekends with the Portland Sea Dogs

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portland sea dogs

A notebook and water bottle, all I need while in the Portland press box.
Courtesy of the author.

I had the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to the Red Sox Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs. I sat in two baseball press boxes covering my favorite Red Sox minor league team, the Portland Sea Dogs. I went up to Portland, ME the weekend of July 20 and 21st for my birthday. Weeks before the trip I emailed the media folks there and received press passes for both days. The following weekend, July 27th, I covered the Futures of Fenway game, where the Portland Sea Dogs took on the Harrisburg Senators at Fenway Park. A seat in Fenway’s press box was a fine way to conclude my Sea Dogs’ beat. I had arrived.

portland sea dogs

Hadlock Field Courtesy of the author

I spoke with many players on the team while in Portland from Michael Almanzar and Garin Cecchini to Matt Barnes and Christian Vasquez, but it was my impromptu, off the record, conversation with Michael McCarthy at Fenway that stayed with me over the course of the last couple of weeks. We were starry-eyed standing on that field of dreams: he a future pitcher, me a fledging journalist. We made a bit of small talk about the Green Monster, his start the night before, and the perfect weather after what felt like weeks of heat. He introduced himself first, “Hi, I’m Mike.” McCarthy wanted to check out the inside of the wall with the rest of his team, and stand on top of the wall to take some photos. After much encouragement from a photographer, and myself, he took to left field. “You’ve got to do it now.” I said moments before, “it’s 10:30.” Gates for the game opened at 11:00AM for the 12:00PM game. After welcoming him back to the dugout, I went up to the press box and watched the game. McCarthy went to right field to take in the game from the bullpen.

portland sea dogs

Mike McCarthy Courtesy of bakersfieldcaliforian.com

The Sea Dogs beat the Senators 5-2 at Fenway that day. Keith Couch pitched just over 7 innings, threw 95 pitchers, and 64 of them were strikes. Outstanding defensive play began in the first innings with centerfielder Shannon Wilkerson making a diving catch.  It continued throughout the game, including a catch by the shortstop Heiker Meneses. It was the Sea Dogs’ offense that was the clincher. Travis Shaw hit a line drive double to right field scoring a teammate. Shaw also hit a home run during the game. Garin Cecchini and Shannon Wilkerson scored other teammates who were able to get on base. The Sea Dogs and the Senators put on a show worthy of the historic park in which it was played. Whether sitting in the stands, the bullpen, or the press box, it was impressive. I hope McCarthy enjoyed it as much as I did.

Today, upon checking soxprospect.com, I was sorry to see McCarthy had been reassigned to Salem, VA, the Red Sox High Single-A affiliate. Circumstances in life change so quickly with far too little notice.  Our lives are a series of moments and very infrequently do we reflect back upon them. I believe McCarthy and I did not miss the many moments we each had at Fenway Park that day.  It was an honor to share the day with you, Mike. I do hope our paths cross again…in the future.