Manchester, NH- The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, are excited to announce that New England Patriots Hall of Famer Steve Nelson and longtime Boston Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman have confirmed their attendance as special guests at the Granite State Baseball Dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental, scheduled for Saturday, November 21, at the Radisson Hotel Expo Center in downtown Manchester, NH. Nelson and Gedman join the likes of Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter, Red Sox Hall of Famers Bernie Carbo and Bob Stanley, Boxing Hall of Famer Angelo Dundee and many, many more. WMUR-TV Sports Director Jamie Staton will once again serve as the Master of Ceremonies."Adding Patriots great Steve Nelson to the guest list gives our fans the chance to meet Hall of Famers from three different sports at the Granite State Baseball Dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental," said Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner. "We are pleased to see Rich Gedman make his return to the event, adding to the impressive array of former Boston Red Sox fan favorites in attendance, and we're honored to continue the tradition of having WMUR Sports Director Jamie Staton as our emcee."
Nelson was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 1993, and his jersey number 57 is one of only seven uniforms retired by the team. The legendary linebacker spent his entire 14-year career (1974-87) with the Patriots, earning trips to three Pro Bowls (1981, 85-86), registering over 100 tackles in nine different seasons and leading the Pats in that category eight times. Following his playing career, Nelson served as the head football coach/athletic director at Curry College for four years, and he is still active with the Patriots through media appearances on the Patriots All Access television show, WEEI Radio and New England Cable News.
Gedman caught for 13 Major League seasons, playing for the Red Sox between 1980 and 1990 before spending time with the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals. The Worcester, MA, native was a two-time American League All-Star (1985-86), won the Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award in 1981, slammed a career-best 24 home runs in 1984 and followed that up with career highs in batting average (.295) and RBIs (80) in 1985. Gedman set the AL record for putouts by a catcher on April 29, 1986, the night Roger Clemens established the Major League record with 20 strikeouts against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. He currently serves as the manager of the Worcester Tornadoes in the independent Can-Am League.
Pinkerton Academy Hall of Famer, handles WMUR's sports highlights and feature stories at 5pm, 6pm and 11pm on weekdays. In addition to his television work, Staton is a spokesman for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD), helping found their 'Battle of the Badges' hockey game, and he hosts events like the Miss NH Scholarship Program and the NH Legends of Hockey Banquet.
The Granite State Baseball Dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental, benefits the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD), the Ted Williams Museum and the Fisher Cats Foundation, a statewide charitable organization that provides scholarships to college-bound New Hampshire and Massachusetts high school seniors. Tickets to the dinner are $75 per person and can be purchased in person at Merchantsauto.com Stadium, by visiting www.nhfishercats.com or by calling the Fisher Cats Ticket Office at (603) 641-2005. Doors to the event open at 5:00pm with a silent auction and autograph session from 5:00-7:00pm. Dinner will be served at 7:00pm. The auction and autograph session are included in the price of the dinner ticket.
Here is an alphabetical list of the special guests scheduled for the event:
GUESTS NOTES
Jim Beattie Former NY Yankees Pitcher & Montreal Expos General Manager
Bernie Carbo 1970 NL Rookie of the Year & Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer
Chris Carpenter 2005 NL Cy Young Award Winner & 2009 NL Comeback Player of Year
Doug Davis Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Coordinator/2006 NH Fisher Cats Manager
Angelo Dundee Hall of Fame Boxing Trainer/Trained Muhammad Ali & 14 Other Champions
Sam Fuld Chicago Cubs outfielder/2000 NH High School Player of Year
Rich Gale Former Boston Red Sox, KC Royals, SF Giants & Cincinnati Reds pitcher
Rich Gedman Former Boston Red Sox catcher & two-time American League All-Star
Joe Lefebvre Former outfielder for NY Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies & San Diego Padres
Jesse Litsch Toronto Blue Jays pitcher & former NH Fisher Cats pitcher
Jeff Locke MiLB pitcher for Pittsburgh Pirates & former Kennett HS Star
Steve Nelson New England Patriots Hall of Fame Linebacker
Jeremy Papelbon MiLB pitcher for Chicago Cubs & younger brother of Jonathan Papelbon
Josh Papelbon MiLB pitcher for Boston Red Sox & younger brother of Jonathan Papelbon
Mary Pratt Former member of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Jim Rice 2009 National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee/former Boston Red Sox slugger
Ricky Romero Toronto Blue Jays pitcher & Fisher Cats all-time leader in games started
Marc Rzepczynski Toronto Blue Jays pitcher & 2009 Fisher Cats Opening Day starter
Tom Signore 2009 NH Fisher Cats Pitching Coach
Bob Stanley Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer & Red Sox all-time leader in appearances
Bob Tewksbury Former Yankees, Cubs, Cardinals, Rangers, Padres and Twins pitcher
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