Portland, Maine - The Portland Sea Dogs have announced that Sea Dogs' manager Kevin Boles along with hitting coach Rich Gedman and pitcher Mike MacDonald will attend the Sea Dogs' 2013 Hot Stove Dinner & Silent Auction. The trio will join former Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon and former Sea Dog Josh Reddick, now with the Oakland Athletics. The event will take place on Friday, January 11th at 5:30 PM at the Sable Oaks Marriott in South Portland and benefits the Maine Children's Cancer Program.
Tickets for the event are Sold Out. The event will be streamed live online at www.pressherald.com. Doors open at 5:30 PM with the Silent Auction
running from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. A buffet dinner will be served at 6:30 PM and the program will begin at 7:00 PM. Everyone who attends will receive an autographed 8 X 10 photo of Nixon.
Highlighting the auction is the opportunity to watch three innings of a Red Sox game from inside the Green Monster. Additionally, the lucky bidder will receive four grandstand tickets and will be able to watch batting practice from the warning track at Fenway Park. This once in a lifetime opportunity was donated by the Boston Red Sox.
Boles returns for his third season as the Sea Dogs' manager. The 2013 season will be his sixth in the Red Sox organization and 13th as a minor league manager. He guided the Sea Dogs to a 68-73 (.482) record in 2012. Under the leadership of Boles, the team produced the best record in the Eastern League in the second half of the season battling back from being 18 games under .500 at the All-Star Break to competing for a playoff spot in the final week of the season. In two seasons with the Sea Dogs Boles has compiled a 127-156 (.449) record.
Gedman joins the Sea Dogs as the teams' new hitting coach. The Massachusetts native signed with the Red Sox as a non-drafted free agent in 1977 and played 13 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox (1980-1990), Houston Astros (1990) and St. Louis Cardinals (1991-1992). A career .252 hitter with 88 home runs and 382 RBI; he earned a pair of All-Star selections in 1985 and 1986. He was the Red Sox catcher for the 1986 American League pennant run and caught Roger Clemens' first 20-strikeout game on April 29, 1986.
Mike MacDonald is the first Mainer to play for the Portland Sea Dogs. The Camden native was signed by the Boston Red Sox on July 8, 2012 and assigned him to Double-A Portland. In his Hadlock Field debut as a member of the Sea Dogs he fired seven shutout innings as the Sea Dogs defeated the Reading Phillies 7-0. MacDonald compiled a 3-2 record with a 4.62 ERA in ten games with the Sea Dogs. He completed the 2012 campaign by earning a promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket. The former University of Maine student athlete was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft. The 31 year-old has ten seasons of minor league baseball experience. He has pitched in the Blue Jays, Angels, Giants', and Red Sox organizations and has reached as high as Triple-A. MacDonald has appeared in 231 games with a 61-62 record and a 4.53 ERA.
All proceeds from the dinner and silent auction will benefit the official charity of the Portland Sea Dogs'; the Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program. The Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program was established in 1995 to raise money for the Maine Children's Cancer Program. For every strikeout that a Sea Dogs' pitcher throws money is raised through generous pledges of businesses and individuals. In the 18 year history of the program more than four million dollars has been raised. For more information on the Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program log onto www.seadogs.com.
The Sea Dogs will open their 20th season on Thursday, April 4th at 6:00 PM against the Trenton Thunder (Yankees) at Hadlock Field. Book your nine inning vacation; tickets for the 2013 season are now on sale can be purchased by calling the Sea Dogs Ticket Office at 207-879-9500 and online at www.seadogs.com.
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