Seven years, 11 months, and 25 days.

That's how long it had been from the time Dusty Brown signed his first pro contract with Boston to the night he got pulled out of the shower in Durham to get the news that he was joining the Red Sox at Fenway Park the next morning.

But the 27-year-old catcher had been dreaming of that moment for most of his life.

"It's awesome.  I've been playing baseball since I was 5 years old with really nothing else in mind except to be a major league player," Dusty told me.  "If all else fails, at least I'll have that one game where I was actually in the big leagues."

(photos courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

Brown was with the Red Sox for four days and made his major league debut on June 23^rd at Washington as he caught the final inning of Boston's 11-3 win.  He is eager to return to the show.

"Only getting three or four days really is just a taste," Brown said.  "Now I know what I'm playing for, I know where I want to be, and I know what it's like to be there.  So it's definitely always in the back of my mind to get back up there."

While his call-up was brief, the timing was perfect.  Dusty got the news one day after his own birthday, and in all likelihood, close to the birthday of his first child.

Dusty and his wife Jordan are expecting a son that they plan to name Jude (they're both big Beatles fans) in July.

"It's actually any day now," Dusty said.  "She had an appointment on Friday and the doctor told her to be ready because it's probably going to happen any day.  Once I heard that I started to get nervous - I hadn't been since she's been pregnant, but now I'm starting to get a little nervous about it."

Jordan is going to have the baby in Boston, so if she goes into labor on this homestand, Dusty should have no trouble being there for the delivery.  It gets a little trickier beginning on Saturday as the PawSox head to Pennsylvania (Scranton/WB and Lehigh Valley) for five days before returning home on Thursday, July 9.

If Dusty is worried about missing the big moment, he'll be happy to know that I was out of the country when my wife went into labor and I still made it to the hospital in time for the delivery.

OK, I was in Canada, but technically that is out of the country.

The PawSox were playing in Ottawa when my wife called my cell phone to say that she had gone into labor and was on her way to the hospital.  I hopped into a cab, raced to the airport, and tried to hop on the first flight that could get me to Boston.

Legally, I arrived at the airport too late to board the first available flight but when I explained that I was about to be a father, they waived FAA rules and moved me right through security (remember that guys the next time you're late for a flight).

I was in Boston by midnight and Sam arrived at 9:55 the next morning.

If Dusty thinks his first stint in the big leagues was awesome, I can't wait to hear his description of becoming a dad.

* * * * *

I suspect that catcher Mark Wagner will never forget his Triple-A debut.  The newest member of the PawSox scored the winning run in Monday's 14-inning, 4 hour and 54 minute marathon win over the Syracuse Chiefs.

Wagner arrived with the reputation of being exceptional at throwing out opposing base stealers and gunned down 18 of 29 (62%) while he was with Double-A Portland this year.

But the Syracuse Chiefs decided to see for themselves and tested Wagner by attempting seven stolen bases in his PawSox debut (he threw two runners out).

Wagner was 0-for-5 at the plate, but did draw a one-out walk in the 14^th inning before scoring the winning run on a double by Travis Denker.

* * * * *

Congrats to Jeff Bailey on getting his second call to Boston this year.  Bailey replaces Mike Lowell who was placed on the disabled list due to a hip strain and will not return until immediately after the All-Star break at the earliest. 

Bailey will bring a hot bat to the Red Sox, and he has a 9-game hitting streak, going 12-for-34 (.353) with 2 2B, a HR, and 8 walks.

* * * * *

On Tuesday night the PawSox conclude their 4-game series against Syracuse with Enrique Gonzalez taking the mound.  I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

Here's a quick lesson on how to throw a wicked changeup.

Have someone step on your pitching hand and break the index finger.

Use the mangled digit to put unusual spin on the ball.

Voila!  It's that simple.

Or at least it is for PawSox reliever Marcus McBeth.

(photos courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

Marcus began his pro baseball career as an outfielder in the Oakland Athletics organization.  He was playing centerfield in 2003 when an opponent hit a pop-up that caused McBeth and two teammates to converge.  Marcus tried to make a diving catch and a teammate stepped on the index finger of his right hand and shattered it. 

McBeth missed the last six weeks of the '03 season and was unable to play for eight months.  One doctor told him he might never be able to throw a baseball again and to this day he cannot straighten that finger.

And it might have saved his career.

Marcus converted from outfielder to pitcher in 2005 and believe it or not, the broken finger is the key to his devastating changeup.  When Marcus grips the ball for that pitch, the permanently bent knuckle on his right index finger presses tightly on the side of the ball.  McBeth doesn't have to do anything else - he just throws the ball as hard as he can and it floats to the plate 10-15 mph slower than his fastball with movement.

His "Bugs Bunny" changeup is helping Marcus post sensational numbers in 2009 - he's 2-0 with 3 saves and a 2.00 ERA.  International League hitters are only hitting .160 against him.

And now you know why.

* * * * *

I had the opportunity to golf with pitcher Charlie Zink recently and witnessed a very amusing moment.  About midway through our round, a groundskeeper pulled up in a golf cart holding a baseball and asked Charlie to show him how to throw a knuckleball.

Charlie kindly obliged and the young man happily went back to work.

Zink, by the way, is an exceptional golfer who shot a 74 from the back tees the day we played.

He's also had two holes-in-one - the first one when he was 11-years-old and the second one when he was 12-years-old.

Charlie hasn't had another ace in the last 17 years, but there is a nice thing about having them at such an early age - you're not expected to buy a drink for everyone at the 19^th hole.

* * * * *

After calling the first two games of the Syracuse series on Cox Sports TV, I'll be back on the radio with Steve Hyder on Monday night for a 7:05 game against the Chiefs.  We have a good pitching matchup to look forward to as Michael Bowden (3-4, 3.11) faces Syracuse's ace J.D. Martin (8-2, 2.31).  I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

A couple of months ago, Aaron Bates and Bubba Bell were hanging out with Bubba's host family in Portland when somebody tossed out the following question:  If you could trade places with anyone in history, who would it be?

Bates came up with his answer immediately - Michael Jackson in the mid-80's.

Needless to say, Bates and Bell were recalling that discussion on Friday after learning about Jackson's death.

Bates says he picked Jackson in the mid-80's because at that point, the King of Pop was at the peak of his career and his personal life seemed eccentric but not creepy.  Aaron figured it must have been incredible to sing and dance in front of 100,000 adoring fans and have young ladies faint at the mere sight of you.  

As a personal tribute to Jackson, Bates plans to wear one glove while playing first base.

I never made it to a Michael Jackson concert, but I did see him perform live at halftime of Super Bowl XXVII between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

I was covering the Bills at the time for WTVH-TV in Syracuse, NY and I must admit it was pretty cool.  The game was a clunker as the Cowboys beat the Bills 52-17, but Jackson's performance was amazing.  You can see it here.

* * * * *

Speaking of concerts, a day game on Thursday in Norfolk gave Paul McAnulty, Clay Buchholz, John Otness, and trainer Greg Barajas the opportunity to attend a Kenny Chesney concert that night at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater.  Paul has a connection in the concert promotion business and was able to score prime tickets in the third row in front of the stage.  Knowing that manager Ron Johnson is a huge fan of country music in general and Chesney in particular, the guys couldn't resist a little taunting - they took photos of Chesney in action and their proximity to the stage and e-mailed them to RJ immediately.

* * * * *

Norfolk is one of several minor league teams that has kids run on to the field as the player's take their positions before the national anthem.  While the anthem is played, a kid stands next to each of the nine players on the field.

The Albuquerque Isotopes do the same thing, but the tradition got an unexpected twist during Manny Ramirez's recent rehab stint.  Before Manny's 2^nd game with the Isotopes, the kids who were supposed to stand next to the second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, and right fielder blew off their guys to stand next to Manny in left field.

It sure doesn't seem like kids are bothered by Manny's use of steroids does it?

* * * * *

I hope you had the opportunity to listen to "PawSox Insider" on Saturday afternoon when we spoke with former PawSox standout Bobby Scales.

Bobby made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs this year after 11 years and 3,303 at-bats in the minor leagues.  Scales recently returned to Triple-A Iowa, but did well enough with the Cubs that he is likely to return to Chicago in September if not sooner.

Hyder and I were thrilled when Bobby got promoted to the big leagues and both reached out to congratulate him at the time.  We were not the only ones to do so.

"I had to get a new cell phone," Scales told us.  "There were so many text messages and phone calls that it literally fried my phone.  You try to be a nice guy and treat people the right way, but I had no idea so many people liked me and respected me.  No words can describe how much that meant to me."

I look forward to sending a text to his new phone when he returns to the Cubbies.

* * * * *

ESPN The Magazine recently listed the top selling jerseys in minor league baseball and four International League teams made the Top 10:  the Durham Bulls, Toledo Mud Hens, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, and . . . Pawtucket Red Sox.

Congrats to the PawSox Director of Merchandising Eric Petterson on a job well done.

* * * * *

It's a Clay Buchholz night at McCoy Stadium as the PawSox open a 6-game homestand against Syracuse and Scranton/WB.  If you can't make it out to the games on Saturday or Sunday, we'll have TV coverage throughout Rhode Island on Cox Cable.  I'll join Bob Montgomery for the call beginning at 6:00 on Saturday and 1:00 on Sunday.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

Do you find it bizarre that Manny Ramirez has received a hero's welcome in his first two rehab appearances with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes?

One writer from the LA Times is jokingly referring to it as Manny's "courageous comeback from a female fertility drug."

On last night's PawSox broadcast, Hyder and I agreed that the rule that allows a player who has been suspended for steroid use to play in minor league games BEFORE his suspension is over has got to go. 

But that's not likely to happen soon.  Major League Baseball is in the middle of a 10-year agreement with Minor League Baseball that's allows hitters who have been suspended to spend 10 days rehabbing in the minors while pitchers get 16 days.

Ironically, Manny's rehab stint with Albuquerque is welcome news here in Norfolk, because the owner of the Tides also owns the Isotopes - a businessman named Ken Young.

While reading about the circuslike atmosphere at Manny's first game with Albuquerque, I found it amusing to see that he did not observe proper baseball protocol and provide a special postgame meal for his teammates in the clubhouse.

Oh, I forgot -- some of the money in his 2-year, $45 million dollar deal was deferred, so Manny probably has to pinch pennies.

It's been a phenomenal year in Pawtucket for rehab-related feasts.  Here's the rundown so far:

Jed Lowrie - P.F. Chang's China Bistro.

Daisuke Matsuzaka - Sushi one night and P.F. Chang's another night.

John Smoltz - Ribs and chicken.

Mark Kotsay - Capital Grille steaks one night and ribs and chicken another night.

Kevin Youkilis - Ruth's Chris steaks.

Rocco Baldelli - Capital Grille steaks.

Julio Lugo - Capital Grille steaks.

The players who have been called-up to Boston before returning to Pawtucket have also generously shared some of their major league loot by springing for postgame grub.

Jeff Bailey - Cheesecake Factory.

Jonathan Van Every - Boston Market.

Hunter Jones - Boston Market.

Speaking of postgame feasts, the PawSox have one to look forward to after Thursday's 12:15 game in Norfolk, as team owner Ben Mondor graciously offered to pick up the tab for a big team meal (and the radio guys have been invited).

Thanks Ben - we couldn't work for a better guy.

* * * * *

Back to Manny Ramirez.  I had an interesting conversation about him with Jeff Bailey who was with the Red Sox last year when Manny hit his 500^th career home run.

Bailey is a student of hitting and loved to study Ramirez.  One thing that he learned while watching Manny that he tries to keep in mind when he's struggling is to keep his head still - Jeff says Ramirez does that better than any hitter he has ever seen.

But when I asked Bailey if Manny ever gave him any pointers, he laughed and said, "The superstars never do."  It's not that they are selfish - they are so naturally gifted that they have a hard time explaining their approach.

* * * * *

Jed Lowrie will get his second straight day off on Thursday after being hit by a pitch near the inside of his left knee on Tuesday night.  It's nothing serious, and Lowrie was already scheduled to have the previous game off as he works his way back from wrist surgery.

* * * * *

As expected, Dusty Brown has been optioned back to Pawtucket to make room for John Smoltz on the Red Sox roster, but we're not going to see Dusty for a couple of days.  Instead of having him travel to Norfolk and then turn right around and travel to Pawtucket, Boston is giving him a brief break and he'll join the team on Saturday at McCoy Stadium.

* * * * *

I'll have mixed emotions on Thursday afternoon as the PawSox face Norfolk's David Pauley.

David is one of the nicest kids who has come through Pawtucket in recent years and his parents - Dave and Carol - were kind enough to frequently e-mail us.  Here's hoping Pauley throws about 6 scoreless innings before the PawSox win the game 1-0.

And it would be nice if the game zipped by in about two hours.  We've got that postgame feast to look forward to.

I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at noon on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

Tuesday night's game in Norfolk didn't have EVERYTHING.

There were no inside-the-park home runs . . . no grand slams . . . and nobody stole home.

But here's what DID happen.

Pawtucket turned a triple play - it's first since 2004 (you can hear the radio call here.  Just click where it says "AUDIO:  PawSox turn triple play")

Norfolk scored a run on a sacrifice fly to the first baseman.

The PawSox tied the game with 2 outs in the 9^th inning on an RBI single by Chris Carter.

And Pawtucket scored the winning run on a 10^th inning home run by Bubba Bell - his first HR in Triple-A - to beat the Norfolk Tides 6-5.

In short, it was one of the most memorable games I've seen in four years as a PawSox announcer.

The game drew 12,077 fans on "Turn Back the Clock Night" in Norfolk.  The Tides wore throwback uniforms from their days as a Mets affiliate in the 1970's, but the big crowd was drawn to the park by the prospect of cheap gluttony - they were selling hot dogs, popcorn, and soda for 25 cents.

We were told after the game that the Tides sold more than 23,000 hot dogs - funny, I didn't see Joey Chestnut or Takeru Kobayashi in the crowd. 

No word on how many were consumed by PawSox Director of Security Rick Medeiros, but I'm pretty sure I saw him carrying a roll of quarters when he arrived at the ball park.

The triple play happened in the bottom of the 5^th inning.  Norfolk had speedsters Joey Gathright and Justin Christian on first and second base, and they both starting running on a pitch to Jolbert Cabrera.  Cabrera hit a screaming line drive to second baseman Travis Denker who caught it for the first out, stepped on 2^nd base for the second, and threw to first baseman Aaron Bates to complete the triple play. 

Denker could have easily had an unassisted triple play.  In fact, his teammates abused him in the dugout after the inning for squandering the opportunity to pull off the rarest feat in baseball.

I guess it's no big deal to Denker, who also started a triple play last year for the Fresno Grizzlies that made the ESPN Sportscenter Top 10.  You can see it on YouTube.

Strange things seem to happen when the PawSox come to Norfolk.  Last year, Bobby Kielty took batting practice before a game and things seemed perfectly normal until he walked into manager Ron Johnson's office moments before the first pitch to announce his retirement (he had a change of heart a few weeks later and joined Rochester).

I'm happy to report that nobody quit last night.  I guess that's one more thing that DIDN'T happen on a wild and memorable night.

* * * * *

Jed Lowrie had to come out of the game in the third inning, but we're happy to report that it had nothing to do with his surgically repaired left wrist.  Jed got hit by a pitch near his left knee in his first at-bat and wound up with a nasty bruise.  He was already scheduled to have Wednesday off as he gradually works his way back into playing shape.  He figures to return to the lineup on Thursday.

* * * * * 

PawSox hitting coach Russ Morman (a regular reader of "Heard it from Hoard" . . . thanks Russ) was the subject of Tuesday's 5^th inning "Fantastic Fun Fact."

Perhaps while he's spending time in his hotel room here, Russ will remember receiving his 1997 World Series ring as a member of the Florida Marlins.  It arrived via Federal Express and was waiting at a Norfolk hotel when Russ opened the 1998 season against the Tides as a member of the Durham Bulls.

Sure, being part of the on-the-field ceremonies in Florida would have been nice, but a World Series ring is a World Series ring and Russ is the proud owner of three of them - one as a player with the Marlins and two as a coach with the Red Sox.

* * * * *

I'm looking forward to seeing if Michael Bowden bounces back strong from a rough outing in the opening game of this road trip (6 ER in 1 IP) when he takes the mound on Wednesday night in Norfolk.  I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

We got our first look at Jed Lowrie in July of 2007 and my first impression was that this kid just up from Double-A seemed like a 10-year major league veteran.  He was 23 years old but acted like he was 33 (at least when he was on the job).

(photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

His parents - Dan and Miriam - did a great job of raising him.  He's smart, respectful, and strikes me as intellectually curious.

That was apparent as Jed dealt with the broken bone in his left wrist that has sidelined him for most of this season. 

The injury actually occurred in May of last year while he was still with the PawSox.  Despite pain that affected his grip strength, Jed gutted it out and started 54 of Boston's final 63 games last year. 

His wrist appeared to be fine in spring training when Jed batted .343 with 8 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 home runs.  But it was obvious when he opened the regular season 1-for-18 that the pain had returned.

"I had the opportunity to allow it to heal over the offseason," Lowrie told me.  "From what I've understood, the scar tissue in there started to wrap around that bone and hold it in place but once I started playing every day in spring training, it broke right back down.  I felt it specifically one game when we went up to Tampa to play the Yankees, and it wasn't the same feeling as I had last year so I didn't really say anything - I wanted to see if it would get better.  But it never really got better and just steadily got worse as it did last year.  Then I woke up one morning and I had the exact same symptoms as I had last year and that's when I brought it up."

Jed had his wrist examined by 5 doctors in 3 states before electing to have surgery on April 21^st - specifically an arthroscopic ligament repair and the removal of the ulnar styloid bone.

"I was getting some mixed signals and I just wanted to get as many opinions as I could," Lowrie said.  "I found one that I liked and someone who made sense and so I went with that route."

Two months later, he's back in action.  Jed joined the PawSox on a rehab assignment on Sunday that is expected to last for a couple of weeks.  He's 0-for-4 with 2 walks so far, but has hit the ball extremely hard in two of his four at-bats.

"The wrist is doing better," Jed told me.  "I went through a lot with surgery and I haven't played in two and a half months, so I want to be up in Boston as quickly as I can, but at the same time, I want to take my time and make sure it's right.  I just need to keep in mind that I haven't played and not worry about what I do on the field as opposed to getting myself ready."

Nick Green has done a nice job filling-in at shortstop in Boston, but the Red Sox will get a significant boost when Lowrie is ready to return.

* * * * *

Whenever the PawSox play in Durham, one of the highlights is a batting practice contest to hit the big wooden bull (from the movie "Bull Durham") that is perched high above the 32-foot "Blue Monster" wall in left field.

The players usually throw a few bucks in the kitty and have some laughs competing for the loot. 

It gets hysterical.  Every time somebody lofts a fly ball to left that has a chance to hit the target, the English-speaking players start yelling "bull, bull, bull," while the Spanish-speaking players yell "toro, toro, toro."

I saw Jeff Natale and John Otness hit the bull yesterday, but wasn't able to stick around long enough to see who the big winner was.

By the way, as you can see in the photo, it says "Hit Bull Win Steak."

Unfortunately, that only applies to players from the home team.  Former PawSox infielder Ed Rogers homered off of the bull a couple of years ago, but did not win the prize.

In my opinion, that's bull. . .

* * * * *

A few nights ago on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, analyst Joe Morgan was passing along "Happy Father's Day" wishes to some new dads and one of the athletes he congratulated was Joe Thornton.

It made me wonder how he knew the former Boston Bruin now starring for the San Jose Sharks.

Well, as it turns out, Joe Morgan meant to congratulate Joe Thurston, the former PawSox now playing for the St. Louis Cardinals.

He and his wife Raquel had a baby girl named Jaylee a couple of weeks ago.  Congrats!

* * * * *

The PawSox open a 4-game series on Tuesday against Norfolk - the first place team in the IL South.  I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 7:00 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

With 3 straight come-from-behind wins here in Durham, the PawSox have climbed 6-games over .500 at 37-31.  Their high-water mark this season is 7-games over .500 at 17-10 and 19-12.

They can thank the bullpen - a group I am about to start calling "The Poison Pen," since the opposing team is usually dead in no time.

Pawtucket's bullpen has been brilliant in the Durham series tossing 15.1 scoreless innings.  The pen is working on an overall streak of 18.2 consecutive scoreless innings.  Ironically, the last Pawtucket relief pitcher to surrender a run is Clay Buchholz, who allowed 2 ER in 4 IP in relief of John Smoltz in his last outing.  For the season, Pawtucket's bullpen has a 2.34 ERA (61 ER in 235 IP) and has converted 25 of 29 save opportunities. 

Nearly every pitcher in the pen is working on a lengthy streak of scoreless innings.

Jose Vaquedano - 0 ER in his last 8 outings (14.1 IP).

Billy Traber - 0 ER in his last 6 outings (10.1 IP).

Randor Bierd - 0 ER in his last 5 outings (10 IP).

Marcus McBeth - 0 ER in his last 6 outings (9 IP).

Fernando Cabrera - 0 ER in his last 6 outings (6.2 IP).

Javier Lopez - 0 ER in his last 4 outings (3.2 IP).

Hunter Jones - 0 ER in his last outing (2.2 IP).

Rocky Cherry allowed a couple of runs as a spot starter recently, but if you only consider bullpen work, he has not allowed an earned run in his last 16 outings covering 24.1 IP.

No pen is mightier in the International League.

* * * * *

One of my favorite people in the world joined us on "PawSox Insider" this week - former Reds, Pirates, Tigers, and Red Sox first baseman Sean Casey, who retired this year to become an analyst for the MLB Network.

(photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

Casey certainly didn't have to call it quits after hitting .322 for Boston last season, but he decided that 12 years in the big leagues was enough.

"Playing for the Red Sox was one of my coolest experiences and I really feel like I contributed by hitting over .300," Casey told us on the show.  "I felt like I went out on my terms.  I had some offers to come back and come off the bench again, but I really felt like it was time.  I really enjoyed my career and every second that I put on the uniform, but it was time to move into a new venture."

We discussed a wide variety of subjects with "The Mayor," including the early-season struggles of his former teammate David Ortiz.

"Sometimes you just have a couple of months where you stink - that's the bottom line," Casey said.  "That's why you play for 6 months and 162 games.  It's a long season and sometimes you can't get out of a rut.  You don't know what it is and you've got 17 people's opinions in your head and you're at the box and you just can't focus.  I think that's what happened with Papi.  I think he's got a lot of baseball left in him - I don't think he's over the hill.  I think when he starts hitting some rockets and has some big hits for the Red Sox he's going to be OK.  I think the big thing about the Red Sox is that they have so many great players on that team that even though Papi has struggled so badly, they're still in first place and still beating people up.  I think that's a real credit to Tito and Theo and the team they've put together."

The day after Casey's comments, Big Papi belted his 5^th HR in the last 2 weeks.  In his last 14 games, Ortiz is hitting .333 with 5 HR and 9 RBI.

* * * * *

I hope all of you had a wonderful Father's Day.  I certainly did as my wife Peg and 3-year-old son Sam gave me the greatest present possible by making a whirlwind trip to Durham to spend the holiday with me.

Sam gave me a card that included his answers (written down by someone else) to several questions including, "What is your favorite thing that Daddy makes you to eat?"

He answered "A Ham and Cheese Sandwich."

That's nice, except that I've never made him one.

I guess it was a hint.

* * * * *

What a pitching matchup we have to look forward to on Monday night as Clay Buchholz (5-0, 1.90 ERA) squares off against 2-time American League All-Star Scott Kazmir (on rehab with Durham).  Boston has the night off, so I hope you'll join us to get your baseball fix, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

Maybe the tub of coffee I guzzled today made me a little excitable, but I don't know that I've ever been more impressed with the Pawtucket Red Sox.

They had every reason to roll over and play dead in the opening game of a 4-game series in Durham.  Consider the following:

1. They were on the losing end of a perfect game on Thursday night at McCoy Stadium - the first time that's happened in PawSox history.
2. A brutal travel day on Friday began with a bus ride to the airport at 6:45 am.
3. When the PawSox arrived in Durham, the bus that was scheduled to take them to the team hotel showed up an hour late.
4. They were greeted in North Carolina by oppressive 95 degree heat that added to the fatigue factor.
5. In the first inning, the Bulls scored 6 runs off of Michael Bowden to take a 6-0 lead.  The outburst included a grand slam by Justin Ruggiano - the 2^nd grand slam in as many nights against the PawSox.

After all of that, would you have been surprised if the final score was something like Durham 9 Pawtucket 2?

Me either.

But instead, the PawSox pulled off their biggest come-from-behind win of the year, scoring 8 straight runs to beat the Bulls 8-6.

In my mind, the MVP was Marcus McBeth.  After Bowden's rare rough outing, McBeth reversed the momentum by tossing 3 perfect innings with 5 strikeouts.  Relievers McBeth, Rocky Cherry, Randor Bierd, and Fernando Cabrera combined to toss 8 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts.

Offensively, Paul McAnulty had a single, double, and home run to lead the attack.  Gil Velazquez ripped a 2-out, 2-run double that tied the game in the 8^th inning, and Angel Chavez followed with a 2-run single that won the game.

It you start with the morning bus ride, it took about 13 ½ hours to get the win.

And for some reason I'm no longer tired.

And coffee has nothing to do with it.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

I saw a perfect game on Thursday night.

At least I think I did.

There was no drama, no celebration, and I'm guessing that many of the 4.510 fans in attendance have no idea that they witnessed International League history.

But they did.

Charlotte's Carlos Torres retired the first 15 Pawtucket batters through 5 innings when a light rain that had been falling for a few innings turned heavy.  The ground crew rolled out the tarp, and after a 45 minute delay, the umps gave the signal that the game was over with Charlotte winning 5-0.

I had to be the most anticlimactic perfect game in baseball history.

I wonder if they popped champagne in the Knights' clubhouse?

It was the 15^th perfect game in International League history, and the first 5-inning perfect game (Mariano Rivera threw a 5-inning no-hitter in 1995).

It was also the first perfect game ever thrown against the Pawtucket Red Sox.  The PawSox have been no-hit on three previous occasions - most recently by Toledo's Jose Lima in 1994.

The only good thing was that the pain was brief - the game only lasted 1:10.  The PawSox will be back in the clubhouse at 6:45 am to catch a bus to the airport for a morning flight to Durham, NC.

I hope you'll tune in on Friday for the start of the 4-game series against the Durham Bulls.  Michael Bowden will be on the mound and our pre-game coverage will start at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

10,000 people packed McCoy Stadium on Wednesday night to see John Smoltz face the Charlotte Knights, but Smoltz's biggest fan might not have been sitting in the stands. 

He just might have been watching from the PawSox bullpen.

(photos courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

Relief pitcher Marcus McBeth says that Smoltz was his childhood hero and he can hardly believe that for the past two weeks, the future Hall-of-Famer has been his teammate.

McBeth grew up 3 ½ hours from Atlanta in South Carolina and vividly remembers watching the Atlanta Braves on WTBS with his father and grandmother.  For more than a decade, Smoltz has been his favorite athlete in any sport.

Marcus told me a great story that shows the extent of his admiration for Smoltz.  In 1988 when Smoltz was coming back from an elbow injury and made a rehab appearance for the Class-A Greenville Braves, McBeth and his best friend made the 30-minute trip to watch him pitch.  They found a spot in the first row down the right field line, and as Smoltz was jogging off the field after his outing, he stopped to shake both of their hands.

Marcus went home that night and told his dad that he was "never going to wash that hand again."

It's been 11 years.  That's one filthy hand.

The soft-spoken McBeth is too embarrassed to share that story with Smoltz (that's what I'm here for), but he did muster up the gumption to ask Smoltz if he would sign a couple of baseballs - one for his dad and one for himself.

*  * * * *   

Smoltz is a frequent guest on Dan Patrick's radio show and the two of them had some hilarious exchanges when Smoltz appeared on Monday.

You can listen to the interview here.  Just scroll down the page until you see Smoltz and click "listen to this segment."

Among other things, Patrick told Smoltz that he was "baseball's version of Brett Favre - the guy who wouldn't go away."

Smoltz chuckled but reminded Patrick of a key difference - unlike the quarterback, he has never announced plans to retire.

They also discussed Smoltz's recent wedding.  After expressing his disappointment over not being invited to the ceremony, Patrick asked the newlywed to "rate his stuff on his wedding night."

Smoltz said, "I was locked in and went long enough to get the win."

I think it's safe to assume that there was no need for a reliever.

Smoltz will make his Boston debut in one week in a start against the Washington Nationals.  According to Patrick, the Nats are so bad that the win shouldn't count toward Smoltzie's career total.

* * * * *

It didn't take long for the hustling Billy Wayne "Bubba" Bell to become a fan-favorite at McCoy Stadium as he received loud cheers before each of his at-bats on Wednesday.

Bell is an outstanding all-around athlete who played a little quarterback in high school, but he wasn't able to crack the starting lineup.

There was a good reason - he was stuck behind J.P. Losman who went on to star at Tulane before being a first-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills.

* * * * * 

It looks like the PawSox are going to be without outfielder Jonathan Van Every for awhile.  Manager Ron Johnson says that JV will have arthroscopic knee surgery in the next week.  The hope is that it's a meniscus tear which would not be a season-ending injury.

* * * * *

We'll be keeping an eye on the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on Thursday after reading that old buddy Kason Gabbard will be their starting pitcher. 

Gabby pitched for Pawtucket in 2006 and 2007 before being traded to Texas in the Eric "The Human Forfeit" Gagne trade in July of '07.  He was traded back to Boston two months ago for cash considerations.

The 27-year-old lefty battled elbow trouble last year and has been rehabbing in Florida since returning to the Red Sox organization.  Here's hoping for a triumphant return tonight.

* * * * *   

Charlie Zink will take the mound tonight as the PawSox conclude their 4-game homestand against Charlotte before heading to Durham.  I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 5:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

Are you ready for some shocking news?

I'm talking mind-blowing, oh-my-goodness-gracious, wish-you-were-wearing-Depends news.

Here it comes:

Minor league players would rather be in the major leagues.

Duh.

That's my reaction to an interview that Clay Buchholz did a few days ago with NECN that appears to be growing into a minor controversy.

You can see the interview here.

(photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

In the interview, Buchholz admits that he's growing frustrated with the abundance of starting pitchers in Boston.

"There's nowhere to go, and it's sort of a logjam up there (in Boston)," Buchholz told NECN. "Whenever they come to a problem, they seem like they find a way to fix it without me being in the picture. It is what it is -- it's frustrating at times."

Buchholz added that while he would like to help the Red Sox return to the World Series, he wouldn't mind being traded if that meant an opportunity to be in the major leagues.

"I feel like I'm more equipped with everything that I have right now -- as far the pitches, and the mental aspect and I'm physically healthy -- to be up there and helping that team," Buchholz said.  "And if not that team, I want to be in the big leagues and I do want to go somewhere where I'll be able to play and pitch every fifth day."

As I drove to the ballpark yesterday, I listened to one of the hosts on WEEI cite this interview as proof of Buchholz's mounting frustration as if it were a crisis.  When manager Ron Johnson sat down with reporters before Monday's rainout, one of the first questions he received was, "What is your reaction to Clay Buchholz's comments to NECN."  (RJ had no idea what the person was talking about).

Today in the Boston Globe, Tony Massarotti made mention of how Buchholz "expressed his frustration with his situation over the weekend."

Here's the deal.  Of course Clay is frustrated - who wouldn't be?  He's too good for the International League and he's eager to show what he can do at the major league level.

The Red Sox are conscious of that and RJ has had several conversations with Buchholz about being "stuck" in Triple-A.

What's important to stress is that Buchholz is not walking around complaining and isn't demanding a trade - he simply stated the obvious in response to a reporter's question - that he wants to pitch in the big leagues as soon as possible.  I'm sure his preference would be to pitch for Boston, but if there's no room with the Red Sox, he wouldn't mind going elsewhere.

That may disappoint some Boston fans, but in 20-plus years of being around pro baseball players, I've only met one player in Triple-A who said he wouldn't want to be traded if it meant an immediate opportunity to go to the big leagues - it was Dustin Pedroia in 2006.

Being in Pawtucket this year has been a good thing for Clay Buchholz.  He's re-established his dominance in a low-pressure situation, got his old confidence back, and has been pulled from games with low pitch counts allowing him to "save bullets" for later in the season with Boston.

The Red Sox have two starting pitchers in their 40's (Tim Wakefield and John Smoltz) and another starter on a one-year contract (Brad Penny).  Baring an injury or trade, Buchholz might be in Pawtucket for another month or two, but he's eventually going to be in Boston's rotation.

And he's going to be great.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

The legendary Billy Wayne "Bubba" Bell has arrived in Pawtucket.

He was promoted from Double-A Portland on Monday and would have been in the starting lineup if Pawtucket's game against Charlotte hadn't been rained out. 

I first started talking about Bubba Bell on our broadcasts in 2007 when he got off to the greatest start in baseball history with Single-A Lancaster.

Think I'm exaggerating?

In the 2^nd game of the season, Bell was 4-for-5 with 2 HR and 6 RBI.

In the 3^rd game, Bubba was 3-for-5 with 2 HR and 4 RBI.

In the 4^th game, he was 4-for-6 with 1 HR and 5 RBI.

In the 5^th game, Bubba only managed 1 hit . . . but still drove in 3 runs

In case you didn't do the math, that's 5 HR and 18 RBI after the first 5 games of the season.

Bell stayed with Lancaster for roughly half the season and was named the California League's MVP, batting .370 with 22 HR and 83 RBI in 76 games.  Bubba was promoted to Double-A Portland on July 5^th, and finished the year with a combined .337 average, 26 HR, and 105 RBI.

From all accounts, he is the classic "dirt dog" . . . a fan favorite who busts his tail on every play.  That should be no surprise considering how he got his nickname.

It was given to him before he was born.  When his parents learned they were going to have a son, his dad started calling him "Bubba" because he thought it sounded like a good baseball name.

I think his father's name is Nostradamus Bell.

I look forward to calling Bubba Bell's Triple-A debut on Tuesday night.

* * * * *

Clay Buchholz was scheduled to pitch on Monday, but will not start either game of Tuesday's doubleheader.  Clay had nearly completed his warm-up tosses before the field had to be covered, so the Red Sox will not have him go through the process again one night later.  Kris Johnson will pitch Game 1 and Charlie Zink will take the mound in Game 2.

* * * * *   

Jonathan Van Every is back on the disabled list due to a recurrence of his left knee sprain.  He was scheduled to be examined by a Red Sox team doctor on Monday.  It's been a tough year for JV.  He missed most of spring training with an ankle injury and this will be the 2^nd time his knee injury has forced him to go on the DL. 

* * * * *

Tuesday's twin bill will start at 5:30.  I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 5:15 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

From a broadcaster's perspective, the Cooperstown Classic gets a big thumb's up (and that's not a reference to Hyder's freakishly large thumbs).

Sure, the bandbox dimensions of Doubleday Field make it look like Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, PA where they hold the Little League World Series, and the infield grass was so thick yesterday it looked like it hadn't been mowed since Abner and the boys supposedly played near that spot in 1839.

But I had a blast, and I hope the PawSox fans who made the trip felt the same way.

The highlight was a morning visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and I was happy to see that a number of Pawtucket players and staff members took advantage of the opportunity.  An early bus left the team hotel at 8:30 am to give the guys who wanted to go a chance to spend a couple of hours at the Hall of Fame.  Rocky Cherry, Chris George, Sean Danielson, Javier Lopez, Billy Traber, Jeff Natale, Charlie Zink, Michael Bowden, Enrique Gonzalez, Carlos Maldonado, hitting coach Russ Morman, trainer Greg Barajas, and strength coach Mike Jones were the guys I ran into, and others may have caught the early bus as well.

With Jim Rice getting inducted next month, it's a great time to visit Cooperstown if you're a Red Sox fan.  There's a big exhibit paying tribute to Rice that includes an old program from the 1974 "Pawtucket-Rhode Island Red Sox" that commemorates Rice's Triple Crown season in the International League when he was only 21 years old.

There are also several photographs and artifacts involving players who have been members of the Pawtucket Red Sox this year!  There's a wall devoted to no-hitters and perfect games in major league history that includes a baseball and picture of the pitcher who threw it from every no-no since 1940.  Clay Buchholz is obviously on that wall - right next to Jon Lester.  Just think, a pitcher who is currently on display in Cooperstown will be on the mound tonight at McCoy Stadium.  I also saw a Buchholz autographed ball at a souvenir shop that was going for $70.00.

There's also a photo of a very young John Smoltz in a section that pays tribute to the Atlanta Braves dominance in the 1990's.  I happened to see it at the same time as Rocky Cherry and we both got of kick out of Smoltzie's youthful appearance.  John will likely have a plaque in Cooperstown some day.

There's a ball signed by Kevin Youkilis (who played in 2 games with Pawtucket this year) from the game in which he broke the all-time record for consecutive errorless games at first base.

Of course, there's all sorts of stuff from former PawSox including:

The bat that Dustin Pedroia used to hit a HR in his first World Series at-bat in 2007.

Jon Lester's spikes from his no-hitter last year.

Jonathan Papelbon's glove that he wore while saving 3 games in the '07 World Series.

For several minutes, I walked through the Hall of Fame next to a father-and-son and listened to the dad answer his son's questions about the legends of the game.  My new goal in life is to have that experience with my 3-year-old son Sam when he's old enough to be excited about it.  Hearing that kid yesterday say things like, "Dad, it's Lou Gehrig's locker!. . .or Willie Mays uniform!" gave me goosebumps.  I can only imagine what that will be like with my own son.

Yesterday on the broadcast, I mentioned that I got a kick out of seeing the Florida Marlins 2003 World Series ring that is so big it looks more like the belt buckle on a heavyweight boxing championship belt.

Leave it to my friend Kelly O'Connor (the official photographer of "Heard it from Hoard") to have a picture of what that ring looked like on Josh Beckett's finger.

* * * * *

Tonight the PawSox open a 4-game homestand against the Charlotte Knights and will have Clay Buchholz on the mound.  I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com. 

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

Today the PawSox play at historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown.

Are you ready for a little home run derby?

If you think the new Yankee Stadium is a launching pad (3 more HR last night to raise the total to 113), it's the Grand Canyon in comparison to Doubleday Field.

When the PawSox hitters walk on to the field today they will probably need drool buckets because the outfield fence in Cooperstown is only 296 feet down the left field line, 390 feet to center, and 312 feet down the right field line.

Aaron Bates doesn't need the help.  On Saturday night in Syracuse, he hit a pair of long opposite field home runs (his first two in Triple-A) in the PawSox 6-2 win over the Chiefs.

Two HR in a game is not a personal best for Bates.  Two years ago he became the first player in the history of the California League to hit 4 home runs in a game while playing for Single-A Lancaster.

Aaron was promoted from Double-A Portland this past Monday, and it is obvious why Boston's minor league coaches and instructors rave about him - he has a tremendous attitude and work ethic.

His parents, JoAnn and Mark, deserve the credit for that.  Sadly, his father died when Aaron was only 20-years-old.

"We were really close," Aaron told me.  "It's coming up on five years since he passed away in 2004.  I go out there and try to play really hard and have some fun because I know he's up there watching."

When Aaron played college baseball, he wore the initials "MLB" on his cap.  That wasn't a reference to his dream of playing Major League Baseball - it was a tribute to his father Mark Lloyd Bates.

"He worked nights so he was able to take my brother, sister and I to all of our games during the day," Bates said.  " In high school we drove an hour and 15 minutes to get there every day and he used to take me a lot and then drive me home so we had a lot of time in the car to talk.  If I had a bad game I knew I was going to hear about it for an hour, but most of the time it was all good.  We really got close in my redshirt year at San Jose State in '04 - we watched nearly every San Francisco Giants game that year during the Barry Bonds era in San Francisco, so we were talking about baseball constantly.  I was really fortunate that I had a dad like him for 20 years, so I consider myself lucky to have had someone like that in my life and I appreciate it every day."

Here in Cooperstown where the name "Aaron" represents class and dignity, the same terms apply to a 25-year-old member of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

* * * * *

I hope you'll join us for today's broadcast beginning with the pre-game show at 1:45 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

I should be depressed after the PawSox got swept in a doubleheader at Syracuse on Friday night, losing each game by a 4-1 score.

Ironically, that was also the final in their only previous meeting this year back on April 29^th.  Ready for some ugly stats?  Pawtucket is batting .188 (15-for-80) vs. the 'Cuse with 13 singles and 2 doubles.  The Chiefs have a 1.17 ERA (3 ER in 23 IP) vs. the PawSox this season. 

But a tough night at the ballpark isn't going to get me down after being the beneficiary of some incredibly good luck.

On Friday morning I was driving to a golf course when I heard a sound that led me to believe I had a flat tire, so I pulled off at the first exit and stopped at a gas station.  Sure enough, one of my tires was flat as a pancake so I went to the cashier to get four quarters in order to inflate it.

As I drove down the highway to the nearest discount tire store, I noticed what appeared to be an explosion of paper coming out of the back of my car.  For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it was.  None of my windows was open and I hadn't seen anything on the road that I might have hit.    

When I got to a tire shop I realized what it was - the contents of my wallet!  Apparently after getting change for a dollar in order to use the air pump at the gas station, I set my wallet on the roof of my car.

Idiot!

I trudged back to my car figuring I was going to have to go back to one of Syracuse's busiest highways and search for my wallet and its contents, but when I glanced at the roof IT WAS STILL THERE.  Somehow the combination of cheap leather and the previous night's rain had created the ultimate adhesive.  I lost all of my cash and a few relatively insignificant items, but all of the critical stuff like my driver's license and credit cards were still there.

Incredible right?  Still, I don't think I'll ever test the wallet-on-roof trick again.

* * * * *

After the doubleheader last night, Hyder and I joined some friends at the "Change of Pace" for the world's finest chicken wings.  Good stuff, but I'm oozing grease from every pore.

While we were there, we caught the incredible finish to the Yankees/Mets game as the Yanks won when Luis Castillo dropped an A-Rod pop-up that should have been the final out of the game.

It led the New York Post to coin a new term on its back page cover today:

The headline on the cover of the New York Daily News is "Amazin' Disgrace."

I love the daily headlines on the covers of the New York City tabloids.  Here is my all-time favorite.

* * * * *

In John Smoltz's first start with Pawtucket, I didn't think his stuff looked as good as his stats when he allowed 1 run on 1 hit in 6 IP.

On Friday night in Syracuse, it was the other way around as Smoltz allowed 4 runs on 6 hits in 6 IP but displayed exceptional command (70 pitches, 56 strikes) and got more swings and misses.  His splitter had Syracuse batters flailing for much of the night.

Two of the runs were the direct result of a misplayed ball in the outfield, and Smoltz allowed a solo homer when he was experimenting with his changeup by throwing several in a row to Kory Casto.  I seriously doubt he would do that in a major league game.

His slider still isn't sharp and most of Smoltz's fastballs came in at 89 mph on the stadium radar gun.  It's going to be very interesting to see what the Red Sox do next.

* * * * *

We're looking forward to having a busload of PawSox fans in attendance tonight at Alliance Bank Stadium and tomorrow afternoon in Cooperstown.  Michael Bowden takes the mound for the PawSox tonight and is looking for his first win since May 11^th.

I hope you'll join us for the radio call, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45.  And don't forget "PawSox Insider" on Saturday afternoon at 2:00.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

John Smoltz is the Rain Man.

No, I'm not suggesting that he's an autistic savant who is fond of Judge Wapner and considers himself an excellent driver.

When Smoltz is scheduled to pitch for the PawSox it rains.

And we're talking monsoon.

It happened last Friday night at McCoy Stadium (pushing Smoltz's Pawtucket debut to Saturday) and it happened again tonight in Syracuse.  Smoltz had already gone down to the bullpen to begin warming up when it began pouring, and after waiting for about 90 minutes the scheduled doubleheader was postponed.

The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday at 5:00 pm and Smoltz will pitch in Game 1.  Charlie Zink will start in Game 2.

Since the two teams were supposed to play a twinbill on Thursday, they'll have a game to make up.  Syracuse is already scheduled to play a doubleheader on Monday, so the Chiefs are looking to avoid having three twinbills in four days.  That means we could be looking at a doubleheader on the next-to-last day of the season, when Pawtucket returns to the 'Cuse.

The unexpected night off means that Hoard and Hyder are going to the famed Dinosaur BBQ for an epic feast.  I'll see if Smoltzie wants to join us.

We'll talk to you Friday night at 4:45.

Following Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Durham Bulls, manager Ron Johnson called Chip Ambres into his office and informed him that he had been traded to the New York Mets.  He'll report to their Triple-A team in Buffalo where, oddly enough, Chip will face the Durham Bulls again on Friday night in his first game with the Bisons (I can imagine their guys seeing him before the game and saying, "didn't we just see you with Pawtucket?").

With the promotion of Aaron Bates from Portland and the activation of Jonathan Van Every off of the DL, the PawSox have an abundance of outfielders.  I'm guessing that Boston traded Chip as something of a favor to him since his playing time was likely to suffer with the PawSox.  He's sure to play every day with Buffalo and is more likely to advance to the big leagues with the Mets this year than the Red Sox.

Still, trust me when I tell you that Chip will be missed.

The 29-year-old outfielder wasn't having a monster year with a .259 average, 3 HR, and 18 RBI, but Chip is a consummate pro who set a great example for the younger players.  He's in the mold of former PawSox Joe McEwing, Bobby Scales, and Joe Thurston as a veteran who showed up every day with a great attitude and was a pleasure to be around.

Ironically, Chip played a big role in last night's broadcast.  He was interviewed on the pre-game show by teammate Jeff Natale for this week's segment of "At Bat With Nat," and he was also the subject of my 5^th inning "Fantastic Fun Fact."

The "FFF" involved his first major league call-up with the Kansas City Royals in 2005.  Chip's first two big league games were in Cleveland and his parents weren't able to attend, but when the Royals returned home, his mom and dad were able to make the trip from Texas.

According to Chip's dad Raymond, it took awhile for the reality of having a son in the big leagues to sink in.  It didn't really hit him when Chip ran on to the field or when he stepped to the plate.  He knew his son was a major leaguer when he went to the concession stand and a beer was $8 bucks.

I'm guessing it was the best $8 beer his dad has ever had.

I look forward to seeing Chip again when Buffalo comes to McCoy Stadium on July 9^th. 

Unless, of course, he's with the Mets by then.

* * * * *

Did you happen to see what the Tampa Bay Rays did a couple of days ago to fire up the troops?  They removed the back hair of bullpen coach Bobby Ramos.

That brings to mind a former major league catcher named Mike Maksudian.

Maksudian was famous for eating insects for money in the bullpen, but I also witnessed him getting shaved from head-to-toe on a moving bus.

It was with Syracuse in 1991, and Maksudian told his teammates that he would subject himself to their razors for $250.

Former American League Cy Young Award winner Willie Hernandez immediately threw in the first $100 and the pot reached $250 in no time.

Sure enough, as the bus rolled down the highway, the players took turns shaving their formerly furry teammate.  Every time the bus would hit a bump, Maksudian would wince in pain and 25 guys would erupt in laughter.

Mike only had one stipulation - that they didn't shave his eyebrows.  Maksudian said he didn't want to scare his kids.

That's right - he ate insects in the bullpen and got a full-body shave on a moving bus, but was concerned that his kids would be traumatized if he didn't have eyebrows.

Sometimes you can't make this stuff up.

* * * * *

I'm looking forward to a rare day off on Wednesday before heading to Syracuse.  The handsome lad will probably run me into the ground.

Talk to you Thursday at 4:45 from Syracuse.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

I live in Charlestown, MA so my commute to McCoy Stadium for a PawSox home game is 48 minutes each way with no traffic.

(The course record is 43 minutes, but don't tell the state troopers)

Two things make the drive tolerable.  For starters, there are 16 Dunkin Donuts franchises between my house and the ballpark, so there's never a shortage of caffeine.  But more importantly, I can pass the time by listening to any live major league baseball game on XM Radio.

I love listening to the different announcers and try to pick up little nuances that can help me get better behind the mic.  I'm a strong believer that the worst thing you can do is try to copy another announcer, but I also believe that you can improve by finding things you like (and don't like) in other broadcasters.

Last night following the PawSox 3-2 loss to Durham, I listened to the San Diego Padres' announcers Ted Leitner and Andy Mazur call a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Leitner is something of a polarizing announcer - people either love him or hate him - but he's one of my favorites.  His style is totally unique - a stream of consciousness that includes play-by-play, comedy, commentary, and some cheerleading for his beloved Padres.  I couldn't pull it off, but Ted sure does and I really enjoy listening to him.

Here's a quick Top 5 that I love to listen to on XM.

Vin Scully (LA Dodgers).  The gold standard and still the best in the business at the age of 81.  I've included this link before, but read the transcript of Scully's call of Sandy Koufax's 1965 perfect game and you'll truly appreciate his brilliance.

Here's a Scully story.  A few years ago, I filled-in on a few Cincinnati Reds telecasts in Los Angeles and San Diego.  The road trip began at Dodger Stadium and the final game of the series was not on TV, so I drove to San Diego a day early to play golf with my color analyst Chris Welsh.  On the drive south, we listened to Scully call the final game of the Reds/Dodgers series and his broadcast was filled with interesting information about Cincinnati players that neither one of us knew - despite being about the team every day for years.  Above all, Scully is a master storyteller with total command of the language.

Jon Miller (San Francisco Giants).  Sure he does a great job on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, but Miller shines brightest on the radio.  In my opinion, Miller uses his voice better than any other announcer.  It helps that he has a great one, but he plays it like a Stradivarius.  His call of the game is pretty straight-forward, and no one can make the basics of baseball sound so exciting.

Miller was the subject of a great story last week on a Washington Post blog.

Marty Brennaman (Cincinnati Reds).  The most candid home team announcer in the history of broadcasting.  If the Reds are screwing up, Marty isn't afraid to say so.  But that's not the only thing that makes him one of my heroes.  He's funny, opinioned, quick to poke fun at himself, and an absolute master at making his broadcasting partners sound good.  And I get to work with him next month!  (More on that later)

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Marty is that in more than three decades of broadcasting Reds games, he's never botched a big moment.  WLW-AM, the Reds flagship station, has saved the classic audio of all of the major events during his tenure and Marty nailed every one.  That's a streak of DiMaggio-esque proportions.

Dave O'Brien (Boston Red Sox).  We are blessed in Red Sox nation to have O'Brien behind the mic.  For starters, his voice is magnificent, but Dave is the total package - smart, funny, descriptive, and well-prepared.  I don't know that anyone sounds better at calling an exciting play than O'Brien.

Dave Neihaus (Seattle Mariners).  One thing that all of the greats have in common is that they sound like they're having a great time, and no one embodies that more than Neihaus.  There is a joyous tone to his voice every night, and the ballpark sounds like a magical place to be when he's behind the mic.

Other XM Radio favorites include Eric Nadel (Texas Rangers), Jerry Howarth (Toronto Blue Jays), Pat Hughes (Chicago Cubs), Howie Rose (NY Mets), and Dan Shulman (ESPN).

If I could include favorite TV announcers, former PawSox announcer Gary Cohen (NY Mets), Josh Lewin (Texas Rangers), Dave Sims (Seattle Mariners), Matt Vasgersian (MLB Network) and Sean McDonough (ESPN) would be at the top of the list.

* * * * *

I have another opportunity to fill-in on a Cincinnati Reds broadcast coming up next month.  I'll join Hall of Famer Marty Brennaman on the radio on July 27^th against the San Diego Padres.

The Reds went 2-1 when I filled-in in Pittsburgh last month, so I'll try to bring them some good luck at Great American Ball Park in July.

Perhaps there will be someone on the PawSox disabled list at that point who can take my place in the booth with Steve Hyder.  Jeff Natale was awesome when I had laryngitis.

* * * * *

Tuesday is a Clay Buchholz Night at McCoy Stadium.  For the season, Clay is 4-0 with a 1.74 ERA and his numbers have been mind-boggling in his last 7 starts:  4-0 with a 1.52 ERA (47.1 IP, 26 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 45 K).  Buchholz has not allowed a walk in his last 23.1 IP.

If you can't make it out to McCoy, I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the Pawtucket Red Sox radio network or PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

The PawSox starting lineup on Monday night is likely to include Aaron Bates.

The 25-year-old slugger got the news he was being promoted from Double-A Portland to Pawtucket following the Sea Dogs' 10-3 win on Sunday over Trenton.

Here's what I've put together on Bates for the PawSox game notes:

► Promoted from Double-A Portland today (6/8).  At the time of his promotion, Bates led the Eastern League in hits (70) and runs (41), and ranked 4^th in batting average (.340).

► In 52 games with Portland this year, batted .340 (70-for-206) with 7 HR and 39 RBI (.405 OBP, .505 SLG).

► Named the Eastern League's Player of the Month for May when he batted .370 with 6 HR and 28 RBI in 28 games.

► Spent all of 2008 with Double-A Portland, batting .276 with 11 HR and 68 RBI. 

► Led all Red Sox farm hands with 28 HR in 2007 (24 with Single-A Lancaster, 4 with Double-A Portland).

► Became the first player in the history of the California League to hit 4 HR in a game on May

19, 2007.

► Attended North Carolina State University.  Was a Cape League All-Star with the Brewer White Caps in 2005.

Bates was the subject of the Boston Globe's minor league notebook last Friday and should provide a boost to the PawSox offensive attack.

No word yet on what will be done to make room for Aaron on the PawSox active roster.

* * * * *

The PawSox bullpen has been phenomenal this year, so Sunday's 5-4 loss to Durham was a shocker as the Bulls scored 4 times in the 9^th to turn a 3-run deficit into a 1-run win.

Pawtucket had been 27-0 when leading after 8 innings before Sunday's loss.  For the season, the PawSox "pen pals" have a 2.78 ERA (50 ER in 194.1 IP) and have converted 21 of 25 save opportunities.

The good news is that starter Michael Bowden returned to form, allowing 1 run in 6 IP to lower his ERA to 2.47.

* * * * *

Speaking of the PawSox bullpen, Sunday's 5^th inning "Fantastic Fun Fact" involved relief pitcher Rocky Cherry who is the answer to a great trivia question:  "Who was the last visiting pitcher to take the mound at the old Yankee Stadium?"

Rocky got the final 5 outs for the Orioles in that game, and let the record show that the last Yankee to hit in the old stadium was Derek Jeter.

"That was pretty awesome because he's the all-time hits leader at Yankee Stadium and when he walked up the crowd was going nuts," Rocky told me.  "He was 0-for-4 going into that at-bat and I threw the first pitch right down the middle.  I wanted to give him the opportunity to do something - I don't know why, but I felt compelled to.  On the next pitch I threw a breaking ball for a strike and he tried to absolutely hit it out of the stadium.  When he swung so hard he missed it and grounded out to third - he was pretty upset.  Then I saw this year at the new Yankee Stadium that Derek Jeter got the first at-bat for New York so it was kind of cool how everything works out."

Rocky gave his jersey to Major League Baseball officials, but still his hat, cleats, glove, and the ball he used to retire Jeter (grass stain and all).

* * * * *

Monday night is Cox Legends Night at McCoy as former Red Sox pitchers Bill Monbouquette and Brian Rose will be signing autographs from 7:00 to 8:30 in the Cox Fan Center.

If you can't make it out to the ballpark, I'll join Bob Montgomery for TV coverage on Cox Sports throughout Rhode Island.  Enrique Gonzalez throws the first pitch at 7:05.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

I'm guessing that Boston's front office execs were doing cartwheels in the Fenway Park hallways when they saw his minor league pitching line.

I'm not referring to John Smoltz, although his 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K performance at McCoy Stadium was extremely impressive. 

And no, I'm not referring to Fernando Cabrera who improved to 11-for-11 in save opportunities for Pawtucket after getting the final five outs in Saturday's 2-1 win over Durham.  In save situations this year, Cabrera has a 0.64 ERA (1 ER in 14 IP).

I'm referring to 23-year-old Nick Hagadone who threw 1.2 scoreless innings for the Class-A Greenville Drive with a pair of strikeouts on Saturday night.

(photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

It was Hagadone's first appearance in a game since April 16^th last year due to a serious elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery nearly one year ago to the day (June 10, 2008).  Despite that setback, Hagadone was ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox #3 overall prospect and #2 pitcher (behind Michael Bowden), along with having the best slider in Boston's minor league system.

"I can't tell you how excited I am just to be healthy again," Hagadone told the Greenville News.  "I have just been in extended spring training.  I have had five outings down there and just continued my rehabbing."

Hagadone was the Red Sox first pick in the 2007 draft (#55 overall) and was reportedly hitting 98 mph on the radar gun in extended spring training. 

The first time he ever pitched in a minor league game, he allowed 5 ER in 1.1 IP for the Lowell Spinners on July 18, 2007.  Hagadone has not allowed an earned run since!  His scoreless return to action on Saturday means that the 6'5", 230 lb lefty has not allowed an earned run in his last 34.2 IP.

Let's see . . . Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, Junichi Tazawa, Casey Kelly, and a 23-year-old lefty (Hagadone) that can throw 98.

It's good to be a Red Sox fan.

* * * * *

John Smoltz was the subject of Saturday's 5^th inning Fantastic Fun Fact.

Did you know that if he hadn't become one of the greatest pitchers of his generation, he might have been one of the all-time great accordion players?  No joke.  John's dad was an accomplished musician who played the accordion and Smoltz started playing at the age of 4.  Within a year or two, he was entering and winning contests for young accordion virtuosos.  But one day when he was 7, while sitting in the family vehicle at a gas station, John informed his folks that he wanted to "retire" as an accordion player.  He planned to become a major league baseball player instead.

I'd say that worked out OK.

* * * * *

A week ago in Indianapolis, we had a 13-inning game that featured a 1:13 rain delay between the 9^th and 10^th innings.  We had a TV monitor in our booth, and when the game resumed I noticed that Dusty Brown had shaved off the fu-manchu he had cultivating.

Dusty discussed it with teammate Jeff Natale in this week's edition of "At Bat With Nat"

"I had a mustache for a about a week and a half and it was spectacular," Dusty said.  "It had a good run, but all good things must come to and end.  I shaved it off and had a little ceremony in the bathroom in Indianapolis and shaved it off in the middle of a rain delay after a 0-for-4 start.  It hasn't really worked out the way I planned since shaving the mustache - I'm in a bit of a slump, but hopefully I'll come around."

Natale also asked Brown about the son that Dusty and his wife Jordan are expecting in mid-to-late July.

"I'm expecting a phenomenal athlete, probably a genius if he's anything like his old man, and I think he's going to be an exceptional human being and I'm excited to have him."

In case you can't tell, Dusty has a great dry sense of humor.  He and his wife are both Beatles fans and plan to name their son Jude.

* * * * *

We have a Sunday afternoon game to look forward to at McCoy with Michael Bowden on the mound.  In his last 3 starts, the 22-year-old righty is 0-2 with a 9.58 ERA.  Look for Bowden to bounce back in a big way against Durham.

I hope you'll join Steve Hyder and me for the pre-game show beginning at 12:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

He hasn't pitched in the International League for 11 years . . . I think we can wait one more night.

(photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

I've been fired up to see John Smoltz take the mound for Pawtucket since he signed with the Red Sox on January 13^th.  I became an even bigger fan of his when I had the opportunity to do a lengthy interview with him in spring training - he's widely considered one of the best interview subjects in pro sports and will make a tremendous broadcaster when his playing days are finished.

When Friday's night's game was rained out, I hustled downstairs in hopes of talking to Smoltz again and managed to get a 1-on-1 interview before the other members of the media made it into the clubhouse.

We'll play the interview in it's entirety on "PawSox Insider" on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm and we'll play a portion of it on the pre-game show on Saturday night at 5:50.

Here are a few questions and answers (my questions are in bold):

How does your shoulder feel and how do you think you're throwing?

"I'm throwing the ball better each time out.  This is the time to experiment and get your pitches going.  This is really my spring training so I'm looking to establish my pitches, be around the strike zone, and in my mind, I know if the pitches are good enough to get big league hitters out.  Sometimes you get good results down here but you know in your heart that you threw pitches that would have resulted in some damage in the big leagues.  Patience is going to be the key.  For this club with the resources and options that they have, this is really a longevity situation that will pay dividends the longer we go.  I want to come out of the gate as well as anybody as establish that I haven't lost anything, but there will be a wait-and-see approach and I know that will be some tough moments, but I have been through that in my career."

Nobody wishes for a minor league rehab stint, but have you enjoyed being around young kids who are just beginning their journey to the big leagues?

"It's been a unique experience because nothing has gone the way that we planned it.  We set a schedule and we've probably changed it four times.  At each stop I've been able to provide dinner and I'll do that again tonight, but the one thing that I've learned from my past rehab stints is that there's a question that somebody has at some point that can help them in the future, and I want to be readily available for that."

You've set attendance records at your first three minor league stops.  Is it meaningful to you to pitch in front of fans that would probably never have the opportunity to see you in a big league game?

"To gain the appreciation of the fans coming out to see you pitch that might not get to a big league park has been great.  I do the best I can - I try to sign as many autographs as I can but I am here to do a job.  Some folks would like me to sign autographs in-between pitches, but it's been a treat everywhere that I've gone.  The fans have been great and I've tried to pay them back for the respect they've given to me."

You hold the major league record for post-season wins with 15.  Is the possibility of returning to the playoffs a major reason why you signed with Boston?

"Anytime you've been there 14 times, some people think, 'Well, that's enough.'  It's never enough to get to the post-season and I'd love nothing more than to add about 5 wins to that total.  There would be nothing greater in my career than to get to 20 post-season wins which I think would be pretty cool."

This week the Braves released your long-time teammate Tom Glavine when it appeared he was on the verge of returning to the big leagues.  Have you talked to him?

"I have.  That's two bridges they've burned now.  They handled that absolutely the worst way you could handle it and I feel badly for Tommy because of the work he put into it and the career he's had.  To go to the end and know that there was really no chance of pitching for them has to be one of hardest things to take after spending most of his career in Atlanta.  Sometimes this business is cruel and cold but there's no excuse for being impersonal with some of your great players.  I'm sure it's going to take a long time for Tommy to get over this move because of the route it took him.  He came back and he worked hard and he wasn't given the chance to get back on the field."

The tentative schedule has you pitching against the Marlins on June 16^th, followed by a start against Atlanta.  Can you even imagine the hype?

"I can't even imagine what that would be like and I'm not going to try to imagine - I'll think about that down the road.  But it looks like at some point there will be one meeting with my former team.  If it's not my first game, I'm not too concerned about it because I wouldn't want my first game back to be like the 7^th game of the World Series right out of the block."

You signed a 1-year contract with Boston, but if things go well, do you see yourself doing this a year from now?

"I'd like to think so.  I don't know that I came back to just make a few starts.  I hope that this comeback breeds success for a few more years.  I stopped thinking about what the future holds for me.  Every time I plan something out, there's a diversion or a fork in the road.  I learned how much I missed baseball over the last year.  I learned how much I enjoy mixing and matching with the guys and being able to do the thing that I love.  I still love what I'm doing.  I don't think that I'm a point where I'm a broken down old player - I've learned that you're always going to have critics but you have to do what you love.  And as long as I have someone willing to let me do that, I will fulfill that with the utmost character and desire."

There's plenty more where that came from.  I hope you can tune in on Saturday.

* * * * *

One thing I try to do as a broadcaster is to help the listener get to know the person behind the uniform and a few years ago I began giving a nightly "Fantastic Fun Fact" (or Triple-F if you prefer) about a member of the PawSox.

After 20 years in the majors, there's a treasure trove of interesting nuggets about Smoltz.  Here are a few that I'll try to work into the broadcast if appropriate.

▪ His grandfather was a groundskeeper at Tiger Stadium for 38 years.

▪ His dad was a musician who played the accordion.  Thanks to his grandfather's connections, John's dad was part of the entertainment at the Tigers victory party following the 1968 World Series.

▪ John (who grew up in Michigan) attended the final game of the 1984 World Series in Detroit as a fan.  He wound up with a chunk of sod from the infield and planted it in his family's front yard next to a statue of a tiger.

▪ His house in Georgia includes 3 golf holes, a baseball field, tennis court, basketball court, and partial football field.

▪ He's good friends with Celtics coach Doc Rivers who reportedly told Smoltz he could stay in his apartment while pitching for the Red Sox.

I'll save the rest for the broadcast.

* * * * *

Smoltz isn't the only big name guest scheduled to join us on "PawSox Insider."  We expect to talk to Peter Gammons as well.  The show begins on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 on flagship station 920-WHJJ in Providence and many of our affiliates on the PawSox radio network.

Game 1 of the 4-game series against Durham gets underway at 6:05.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

I'm not the only member of my family blogging these days.

My wife Peg Rusconi, a news reporter for WBZ-TV in Boston, has been covering the fascinating Clark Rockerfeller kidnapping trial and is doing a daily blog for her TV station's website.  You can check it out here.

Peg is not only the talented one in the family - she played a part in baseball history by helping Ken Griffey Jr. have perhaps his best season in a Cincinnati Reds uniform.

Seriously!

In August of 2004, Junior suffered a complete tear of his right hamstring that required Dr. Tim Kremchek to surgically reattach the tendon back to the bone with three screws.  Griffey was only able to play in 83 games that season.

The following year, Junior understandably got off to a slow start.  In April of 2005, he batted .244 with 1 HR and 9 RBI.

I was hosting the Cincinnati Reds TV pre-game show at that time on Fox Sports Ohio while Peg was working in Boston, and Junior would occasionally ask me how our two-city marriage was going.

One day at the height of his early season slump he asked me about Peg and I mentioned that WBZ-TV had sent her to Rome for several weeks to cover the funeral of Pope John Paul II and the papal succession that saw Pope Benedict XVI installed.

Griffey thought about it for a moment and said, "I went to Catholic school at Moeller High School and need a good luck charm.  Do you think your wife could bring me back a Pope T-shirt from Rome?"

I got the message to Peg and this is what she brought back.

For the rest of that season, Junior either wore the t-shirt under his uniform or had it proudly displayed in his locker.  After big games he would find me in the clubhouse after the game with a huge grin on his face and simply say, "Pope t-shirt!"

Let the record show that from May 1^st until the end of the '05 season, Griffey hit .313 with 34 HR and 83 RBI in 85 games. 

That year he was named the National League's Comeback Player of the Year.

And in the words of Paul Harvey, "And now you know the rest of the story."

* * * * *

Yesterday I blogged about Rick Sauveur's relationship with future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.  As it turns out, he's not the only member of the PawSox with a connection to the "Big Unit."

Chris Carter became friendly with Johnson when they were both in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

In fact, Carter earned Johnson's respect when he was the only left-handed batter that was willing to face him in spring training.

Once after Carter hit a few line drives off of Johnson in BP, a teammate dared him to dish out a little trash talk.

Chris took the bait - he approached the "Big Unit" in the clubhouse and said, "Man, I really hit some rockets off of you today."

Johnson gave him the death stare and said, "And you had better never do it again," before breaking into a big grin.

As it turns out, Johnson appreciated the fact that Carter wasn't intimidated by him in the batters box or the clubhouse.

* * * * *

It's a "Clay Buchholz Night" at McCoy Stadium as the 24-year-old Texan faces the team he nearly threw a perfect game against 10 days ago, the Louisville Bats.

Buchholz is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and was named the International League's Pitcher of the Week last week for the second time this season.

The Red Sox played this afternoon, so I hope you'll get your nightly baseball fix by listening to the PawSox.  Our coverage begins with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com

Tonight Randy Johnson looks to become the 24^th pitcher in baseball history to win 300 games as he takes the mound for San Francisco in Washington.

Are you ready for a great Fantastic Fun Fact?

PawSox pitching coach Rich Sauveur was Johnson's roommate in 1988.

They were both 24-year-old lefties with the Indianapolis Indians.  Johnson went 8-7 with a 3.26 ERA, while Sauveur was 7-4 with a 2.43 ERA.  Both of them were promoted to the Montreal Expos by the end of the season.

"We became very close friends," Sauveur told me.  "I remember him thanking me for helping him through the season.  He's kind of an 'odd bird' I'd have to say.  I haven't spoken to him in a few years but he was a very nice kid."

Johnson didn't become a dominant pitcher for several more years - in fact, he only had 64 major league wins before his 30^th birthday.  But now, the "Big Unit" has a Hall of Fame resume:  299 wins, 5 Cy Young Awards, and 4,843 strikeouts (#2 all-time behind Nolan Ryan.

"I thought he was going to be good, and I thought he was going to have a nice career in the big leagues, but I never thought he would have won that many Cy Young Awards or even one." Sauveur admitted.  "He threw hard, but didn't have much of a breaking ball.  It was just the height and the speed of the fastball that made him the pitcher he was."

Sauveur's most memorable story about his former roomie doesn't involve a brilliant pitching performance. 

"There was a rumor that Randy was going to Montreal for his first call-up in the middle of the season but he was pitching that day," Sauveur said.  "They had not received the call and there were no cell phones back then.  In about the 4^th inning, manager Joe Sparks had to go running upstairs to the clubhouse for a phone call.  Everyone in the dugout pretty much knew what was going on and when Joe got back to the dugout he said, 'Get somebody up in the bullpen, this is Randy's last inning.'  About two pitches later, a line drive hit Randy on the left wrist and Joe Sparks thought he had just lost his job.  The trainer and manager went out to check on him and he was hurt, so they brought him off the field and Randy punched the bat rack with his right hand.  An inning later I went up to the clubhouse to see him and Randy had ice on both wrists.  They got x-rays and the wrist that got hit by the ball was fine, but the wrist that he used to hit the back rack was broke.  Obviously, he did not get called up."

That led the Montreal Expos to establish a rule about such displays of temper.  His teammates called it the "Randy Johnson Rule."

But that wasn't the strangest thing that Sauveur witnessed that summer.  He was in the room when the 6'10" Johnson met a woman who was nearly a foot taller - 7'7" Sandy Allen.

"At one time she was tallest lady in the world," Sauveur recalled.  "We went to a luncheon with the Mayor of Indianapolis and I saw this lady and she was ginormous.  I knew who it was because I had seen her in the 'Guinness Book of World Records.'  The Mayor brought her in and she had her picture taken with Randy."

Wouldn't you love to see that photo?

* * * * *

Tonight the PawSox look to bounce back from Monday's 6-0 loss to Louisville with Enrique Gonzalez taking the mound.  It's PawSox Junk Ball night as the first 3000 kids (14 and under) receive what I call a "whiffle ball on 'roids."  It's a plastic ball that you can twist to make it curve, rise, or drop. 

I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

The upcoming rehab appearance of John Smoltz at McCoy Stadium reminds me of my best story about Curt Schilling.

Schilling made three rehab starts for the PawSox in 2007, but didn't spend any significant time with the team beyond his appearances on the mound.  On his day to pitch, he would show up in the clubhouse a couple of hours before the game, pitch his innings, briefly address the media, and then take off before the game was even finished.

For reporters, it's an unwritten rule that you never approach that day's starting pitcher before a game, so I didn't have a chance to introduce myself to Curt before his first two outings.  Knowing that his third start was likely to be his last with the PawSox, I decided that I would at least briefly say hello and wish him good luck on his impending return to Boston.

The game was in Columbus, so I walked up to his locker in the visiting clubhouse before the game and said, "Curt, I'm Dan Hoard, one of the radio announcers here and I just want to tell you how much I've enjoyed watching you pitch over the years and wish you the best of luck tonight and for the rest of the season."

Unfortunately, I didn't clarify that I was one of the PAWTUCKET radio announcers and based on what happened next, Schilling must have thought I worked for the Clippers.

That night, Columbus was having a fundraiser for the family of Mike Coolbaugh, a former member of the Clippers who had tragically died a month earlier when he was hit in the neck by a line drive while coaching first base for the Tulsa Drillers.

After I introduced myself to Schilling, Curt shook my hand and then asked me to do him a favor.  He wanted to make a contribution to the Coolbaugh fund, so he handed me a massive wad of cash and asked me if I would deliver it to the appropriate person in the Clippers front office.

I never counted the money, but it's the biggest stack of bills I've ever held - I'm guessing it was several thousand dollars.

And yes, I did hand it over (even though it would have made a nice start to the Sam Hoard College Fund).

* * * * *

Following Monday's 4-2 win over Indianapolis, Hoard and Hyder had an amusing moment when we were approached by a fan who wanted us to autograph our picture from a McCoy Stadium game program.

The timing was perfect because as we were signing, Jeff Natale and Chip Ambres walked by.

Natale said, "You've got to be kidding me," while Ambres said; "Now I've seen everything."

I wonder what they would have said if they had seen me autograph the top of this dude's head!

Yes, that actually happened after I was the Master of Ceremonies at a big University of Cincinnati pep rally at the Orange Bowl.  I guess I did a good job.

* * * * * 

Fernando Cabrera tossed a scoreless 9^th inning on Monday to improve to 10-for-10 in save opportunities, but I was happy just to see him at the ballpark because that meant he isn't going anywhere.  Like many minor league free agents with major league experience, Cabrera signed a contract with Boston in December that included a June 1^st "out" clause, meaning he was free to look into other offers on that date.  Needless to say, he would have been tough to replace.  In his last 18 appearances, Fernando has a 0.74 ERA (24.1 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 10 BB, 26 K).

* * * * *

Congratulations to producer Chris Ackerknecht, my broadcast partner Bob Montgomery, and all of my friends and co-workers at Cox Sports Television on winning a New England Emmy Award for "Best Live Sporting Event" for our coverage of PawSox baseball.  This year, our coverage of the PawSox beat Comcast Sports Net's coverage of the Boston Celtics to win the Emmy.  In previous years, we've beaten NESN's coverage of the Boston Red Sox.

Manager Ron Johnson deserves much of the credit as the winning entry featured one of his "Wired" segments, where he wears a live microphone and talks to us in the booth while coaching third base.

You can watch one of those segments here.  Just scroll down to the screen with RJ's picture on it and click play.

* * * * *

Do you have a friend who always comes through when you need him (or her)?  I'm fortunate to have several, including the PawSox Director of Security Rick Medeiros.

Today when the PawSox traveled from Indianapolis to Providence, I was the only person in the traveling party who didn't receive his luggage.  For some reason, my bags went on a different flight and arrived about 45 minutes after the team landed.

Rick was at the airport to help transport the PawSox baseball equipment back to McCoy Stadium, and without being asked, waited until my stuff arrived to give me a lift back to the ballpark.  He also persuaded the fine folks from Southwest Airlines to give me a nice travel voucher for my trouble.

Oh, and I almost forgot - he's battling pneumonia!

Now that's a true friend.

* * * * *

Tonight (Tuesday) the PawSox will have Michael Bowden on the mound as they open an 8-game homestand.  I hope you'll join us for the radio call beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.

There's still no official word from Boston, but it appears all-but-certain that John Smoltz will be the PawSox starting pitcher on Friday night at McCoy Stadium.

Last night after tossing 5 solid innings for Class-A Greenville, Smoltz told reporters that he expected his next two starts to be for Pawtucket before tentatively making his Boston debut on June 16^th against the Florida Marlins.

If Smoltz remains in a starter's normal 5-day routine, his PawSox starts would be on June 5^th at McCoy and June 11^th in a doubleheader at Syracuse (Pawtucket is off on June 10^th).

Last night, Smoltz allowed 4 hits and 1 run in 5 IP, with no walks and 6 strikeouts.  In 3 minor league rehab starts, he has a 1.59 ERA in 11.1 IP with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

I had the opportunity to interview Smoltz in spring training and asked him what he thought he could contribute to the Red Sox after coming off of shoulder surgery.

"Without me they're good enough to win the World Series - I know that, I'm not a dummy," Smoltz told me.  "With me, I hope to be another asset.  An opportunity to win another championship excites me, and I believe that given the proper time frame I will be as good as I've ever been - that's my mindset."

Smoltz is very high on my list of all-time favorite interviews.  He's funny, interesting, and does his best to make it sound like he's answering every question for the first time in his life (even if he's heard it a million times).

I concluded my first interview with him by telling him that I had once heard Tiger Woods call Smoltz "the best amateur" he had ever golfed with.

"I look at that with a double-edged sword - I don't know how many amateurs he's played with," Smoltz said.  "Hopefully he's played with thousands.  But every chance I get to play with Tiger is a treasure - he's the greatest athlete of our generation.  I don't think anyone looked at golf as an athletic sport until he came upon the scene.  Anytime you come into a sport and change it universally, I think you've got to be considered the greatest athlete to play the game.  The sky is the limit if he can stay healthy.  He'll shatter records and we'll talk about him for years to come.  But I'm going to beat him - I just want you to know that - I'm going to beat him.  I'm going to wear him down."

Smoltz hopes to make the cut in a regular PGA Tour event when his baseball career is over.  Let's hope that's after he earns a World Series ring with the Boston Red Sox.

* * * * *

A couple of days ago, my blog featured this incredible photograph of pitcher Billy Traber taken by my friend Kelly O'Connor.

I e-mailed it to Billy and then got the story behind the shot.

"Usually when we walk back in from throwing and stretching, I grab a baseball and toss it into the stands," Traber said.  "I try to get it to a little kid, but since they don't have the best hands to catch a baseball, it can be a challenge at McCoy Stadium (where the first row of the stands is 12 to 15 feet off the ground).  So in that case, I tried to do a 'Superman' act and stepped on one railing while I grabbed the railing on top.  I pulled myself up and handed the ball to a little boy or girl so that they wouldn't get a face-plant.  It works out much better that way."

One of things I love about that photo is the optical illusion that makes it appear that Billy is leaping high into the air to reach into the first row of the stands.  To me, it looks like the Nike "Jumpman" logo.

"Some of your best athletes are pitchers," Traber said with a laugh.  "I don't claim to be one of those guys, but if it looks like I am leaping. . .then you know what - I guess I am!"

* * * * *

Tonight the PawSox conclude their 8-game road trip with the finale of a 4-game series in Indianapolis.  It's been a great stop for me because my wife Peg and my son Sam were here in Indy until this afternoon.

We've been to the Children's Museum, the Indianapolis Zoo, and eaten a lot of ice cream.

The timing was perfect because today is our 7^th wedding anniversary. 

And Lou Gehrig's famous quote definitely applies to yours truly.

I hope you'll tune in to tonight's game from Indianapolis, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

I'd love to hear from you.  The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.