Bob Stanley, Rich Gedman join guest list; Fans to bid on exclusive fishing trip with Chris Carpenter
Manchester, New Hampshire - With just 17 days to go before the 2012 Granite State Baseball Dinner, an annual charitable event, the dinner committee has confirmed several new guests for this year's event. Former Red Sox Bob Stanley and Rich Gedman headline the latest batch of distinguished guests for the fundraising dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental, on November 17 at the Radisson Hotel Expo Center in Manchester.
Stanley and Gedman, both key figures on the 1986 American League Champions, join Pittsburgh Pirates lefty and New Hampshire native Jeff Locke, Fisher Cats owner Art Solomon, Fisher Cats pitching coach Tom Signore, former player and executive turned pro-scout Jim Beattie, and Miss New Hampshire 2012, Megan Lyman to help raise money for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD), the Ted Williams Foundation, and the Fisher Cats Foundation.
The newest attendees are part of an illustrious head table, featuring baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, two-time World Series champion Chris Carpenter, and former slugger Cecil Fielder. Former big leaguers like Mike LaValliere, Ron Blomberg, and Scott McGregor will also attend, along with a mix of Fisher Cats alumni and up-and-coming prospects from New Hampshire.
"We are excited that the dinner is just a few short weeks away," said Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner. "Our guest list is as impressive as ever, and I know that fans will be excited to bid on the great items and experiences in this year's auctions, all to benefit a trio of great causes as we head into the holiday season."
The event begins with an autograph session and silent auction with the honored guests from 5-7 PM. Dinner will begin at 7 PM leading into the start of the evening's program. During this year's live auction, fans can bid on a once-in-a-life-time item: a four-day, three-night fishing excursion with Chris Carpenter to Malbaie River Lodge in Quebec.
A complete guest list is below, beginning with the seven names released today.
Stanley returns to the dinner after completing his first season as a pitching coach in the Blue Jays organization. He spent the previous summer with several former Fisher Cats on the staff of the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. A native of Maine, 'The Steamer' played his entire 13-year career with the Red Sox, retiring with 132 saves, a team record in 1989. A two-time All-Star, Stanley owns the Red Sox single-season record for winning percentage, posting a 15-2 record (.882) during the 1978 season. He pitched in two postseasons with the Red Sox, and did not allow a run during five appearances in the 1986 World Series.
Gedman, a native of Worcester, Mass., played 11 of his 13 major league seasons with the Red Sox beginning in 1980. Gedman played more than 1,000 career games, compiling a .252 career batting average. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting with the Red Sox in 1981, and twice earned American League All-Star recognition. His best seasons came in 1985-86, when he hit a combined .277 with 34 home runs. Voted one of the top 50 Red Sox of all time, Gedman hit .276 during the 1986 run to the American League pennant, and was a lifetime .292 hitter in the postseason.
Locke, a Kennett (N.H.) High School product, is coming off one of the best seasons in his professional career. He dominated hitters in the Triple-A International League before spending the final month with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his final start of the year, Locke earned his first major league victory, tossing six strong innings to beat the team that originally drafted him - the Atlanta Braves. The left-hander is a strong candidate to open the 2013 season back in the Pirates rotation.
Solomon joins the guest list with his new book on minor league baseball, Making It in the Minors. The Fisher Cats owner will be available to autograph copies of his tome, which provides an interesting and entertaining look at what it takes to make a franchise successful. The book will be available in November, and according to Blue Jays President Paul Beeston, "If you loved Moneyball, you'll find Art Solomon's 'Making It in the Minors an equally enjoyable and interesting read about the other side of baseball, the business side."
Signore just wrapped up his third year as pitching coach of the Fisher Cats, helping to guide several more Blue Jays prospects to the major leagues. Beginning with 2012 opening day starter Drew Hutchison, Signore saw five of his charges make their major league debuts this past summer. A dinner guest in the past, the Connecticut native has been in the Blue Jays organization for the past eight seasons, serving as pitching coach at Auburn (2005), Lansing (2006-08), New Hampshire (2009-10, '12), and Las Vegas (2011). Signore is a member of the Quinnipiac College Hall of Fame.
Beattie, a Dartmouth College graduate, spent nine seasons in the major leagues, winning a World Series in his rookie campaign with the 1978 New York Yankees. He pitched two years in New York before spending the rest of his career with the Seattle Mariners. His best year came in 1984 when he made 32 starts, winning twelve times with an earned run average of 3.41. After his playing career, he successfully moved into the front office world, serving as the general manager of the Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles.
Lyman became the 66th Miss New Hampshire on April 28, besting out dozens of competitors from across the state. A graduate of Gilford High School, Lyman is pursuing a Master's Degree in Special Education at New England College. Among her extracurricular and volunteer activities, Lyman's platform issue through the Miss New Hampshire program is Make-A-Wish Foundation: Providing Children with Hope, Strength, and Joy. An accomplished dancer and recipient of a Make-A-Wish experience, Lyman will represent the Granite State in the Miss America competition on January 12, 2013.
Previously Announced Guests
Boggs, a first time guest of the dinner, is no stranger to New Hampshire baseball fans. A member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2005, Boggs spent the first 11 years of his career with the Red Sox before moving on to the New York Yankees and the then-named Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He recorded 3,010 hits over his 18-year career, including seven straight seasons with 200 or more hits. Boggs won a World Series with the Yankees in 1996 and finished with a .328 career batting average.
Carpenter is simply one of the greatest and most decorated players to hail from the Granite State. A longtime supporter of the dinner and CHaD, the Raymond native has put together a 14-year major league career with the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals. The former Trinity High School Pioneer has won two World Series rings, the most recent in 2011, thanks in large part to several gutsy postseason starts by Carpenter himself. He was named the 2005 National League Cy Young Award winner after posting a 21-5 record with seven complete games and 4 shutouts. During last year's dinner, Fisher Cats owner Art Solomon presented Carpenter with a special award and named one of the Fisher Cats Foundation yearly high school scholarships after the Granite State icon.
Fielder was one of the most intimidating power hitters in baseball for 13 seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers. He amassed 319 career home runs, highlighted by a 51-homer campaign in 1990. A three-time RBI champion, Fielder was also a member of the 1996 World Series champion New York Yankees. His slugging son, Prince, is following in his footsteps as the current first baseman in Detroit.
Fuld, a Durham, N.H. native, has made quite a name for himself since being acquired in a trade by the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the 2011 season. Sidedlined by injuries at the start of the 2012 season, the Phillips Exeter Academy graduate is often seen on the nightly highlights, displaying a flair for the dramatic with his defensive abilities. His return from injury this season helped spark the Rays to a strong finish that left them just short of the postseason.
McGregor, a first round pick by the New York Yankees in 1972, pitched his entire 13-year major league career with the Baltimore Orioles, winning 138 games, including a career-high 20 in 1980. He was a member of two Orioles World Series teams, losing in 1979 to the Pittsburgh Pirates before defeating Philadelphia for the title in 1983. In that championship season, McGregor was 18-7 with a career-low 3.18 ERA, and finished sixth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
Blomberg is best known for being the first designated hitter in major league history when he batted for the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park on April 6, 1973. The number one overall pick by the Yankees in 1967, Blomberg was nicknamed "The Great Jewish Hope" and had a successful career in baseball both during and after his playing days.
Cote is a native of Sanbornton, N.H., and made his much-anticipated professional debut this summer with the New York Yankees' Gulf Coast League affiliate. A graduate of Winnisquam Regional High School, the 2011 third-round draft pick posted a 3-0 record and 0.98 ERA for the GCL Yankees before a promotion to short-season Staten Island. A guest of the dinner in 2011, Cote threw a no-hitter for Winnisquam in the team's state title game in 2010 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.
LaValliere played 12 major league seasons, seven of which came with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over his career, he hit .268 and threw out 37% of would-be base-stealers. Nicknamed 'Spanky', he played in four straight playoffs, 1990-92 with the Pirates, and 1993 with the Chicago White Sox. LaValliere is a graduate of Trinity High School and UMass-Lowell, and was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1981. He won a Gold Glove in 1987 with the Pirates, posting a .992 fielding percentage and throwing out a league-leading 45% of base-runners. He now runs one of the most comprehensive baseball training facilities in the country in Florida.
Glenn, a power-hitting outfielder from Oklahoma, spent the entire 2012 season with the Fisher Cats, leading the team with 19 home runs and 63 RBI. He was named the Eastern League Player of the Week in early July when he hit .419 with 5 doubles, 6 home runs, and had 10 RBI in a single week. Glenn was the Blue Jays 23rd-round draft pick in 2009 out of the University of Arizona, and has led his team in home runs each year in the Jays organization. His 26 home runs in 2011 were the most in the Florida State League.
Jeroloman has been a fan favorite since making his Fisher Cats debut in 2008. He spent the majority of the 2012 season with New Hampshire, displaying his usual defensive prowess. While battling injuries, he made only one error last season, and holds a .992 fielding percentage and has thrown out 31% of potential base-stealers over his career. A three-time Eastern League All-Star, Jeroloman was drafted by the Blue Jays in the sixth round of the 2006 draft. He was also a member of the 2005 USA Baseball National Team.
Maher teamed with Jordan Cote on the Gulf Coast Yankees in his pro debut this past summer. The right-hander, drafted out of Bedford High School in the 38th round in 2011, made seven appearances over the summer, mixing in three starts. He pitched a total of 22.1 innings, striking out 17 while earning his first two pro saves. As a junior at Bedford in 2010, Maher led his team to a state runner-up finish in the championship game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.
Zapenas, a graduate of Nashua North High School, will be making his second appearance at the dinner. This past season, he played for the Peoria Chiefs, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, and hit .273 before a shoulder injury ended his season in May. Zapenas played his collegiate ball at Boston College and was the Cubs' 42nd-round pick in 2011.
For more information about the Granite State Baseball Dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental, please contact Fisher Cats Director of Marketing & Public Affairs Jenna Raizes at (603) 606-4177 or visit www.nhfishercats.com. Corporate sponsorships are also available.
Fisher Cats Full and Half-Season Tickets are on sale now. Season Ticket Holders enjoy a host of benefits, including monthly all-you-can-eat barbecues, a free kid's birthday party, flexible exchange policy, invitation to exclusive events, and much more. Opening Day at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium is April 4, 2013, against the Reading Phillies (Philadelphia Phillies). For tickets, visit www.nhfishercats.com or call (603) 641-2005.
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