EL1 New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Granite State Baseball Dinner Is Saturday Night

Published on November 18, 2015 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


MANCHESTER, N.H. - The annual Granite State Baseball Dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental, is this Saturday night beginning at 5 p.m.. at the Radisson Hotel Expo Center in downtown Manchester. Former Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter and Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. headline this year's event, which will raise money for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the Ted Williams Foundation, and the Fisher Cats Foundation. Last year's event donated more than $140,000 for these organizations. Since 2007, the dinner has raised more than $1.28 million.

Please find the information below for a full preview of this year's event.

Honored Guests

The full guest list, which includes 23 personalities, has quite the collective resume, including 130 years of MLB experience; 738 career victories and 709 combined home runs; three 20-game winners; and four World Series champions. The list also includes a gold medalist and record holder, Miss NH, and a WWE Hall-of-Famer. You can see the entire guest list below or by clicking this link.

Chris Carpenter Donates Silent and Live Auction Experiences

In addition to sponsorships, silent and live auctions and a raffle add to the money being donated back to charity, which usually surpasses $140,000 each year. This year's silent and live auctions each feature a unique experience with the two-time World Series champ and 2005 National League Cy Young winner. Carpenter has donated a one-hour pitching less into the silent auction. The live auction will feature a private batting practice session for ten people with Carpenter before a 2016 Fisher Cats game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. The winning bidder will be treated to BP with Carpenter, and then enjoy the game in a fully-catered luxury suite. Click the following links for a more extensive list of raffle and auction items.

Coat Drive

In addition to raising money for the aforementioned charities, the Fisher Cats are partnering with Primary Bank to host a coat drive in conjunction with the dinner. Guests can bring a new or gently used coat to the event, which will then be donated to New Horizons for New Hampshire. People that can't attend the dinner but wish to drop off a coat may leave it with dinner staff at the hotel from 4-9 p.m. on Saturday. New Horizons Executive Director Charlie Sherman is serving as the emcee of this year's dinner.

Full Guest List

Chris Carpenter - NH native, two-time World Series champ, 2005 NL Cy Young Award

Jackie Bradley Jr. - Red Sox defensive whiz had breakout 2015 at the plate

Cecil Fielder - Longtime slugger belted 319 home runs, including 51 in 1990

Luis Tiant - Spent 19 years in the majors, including eight memorable seasons in Boston

Chris Colabello - Mass. native was a catalyst for AL East Champion Blue Jays

Dante Bichette - Four-time All-Star helped break Colorado Rockies into the National League

Bob Backlund - Former World Champion wrester inducted into WWE Hall-of-Fame in 2013

Bob Stanley - Former Red Sox bullpen ace served as Fisher Cats pitching coach in 2015

Scott McGregor - Righty spent 13 years with the Orioles, winning World Series in 1983

Victoria Arlen - Exeter native won four medals, including gold, in 2012 Paralympic Games

Oliver Drake - Worcester resident made major league debut in 2015 with Baltimore

Rich Gedman - Two-time All-Star was backstop for the Red Sox throughout the 1980s.

Rich Gale - Littleton native spent 8 years in the majors; Red Sox pitching coach in 1991-92

Taylor Cole - 2015 Fisher Cat led team in innings pitched, community spirit

Dwier Brown - Veteran actor played Kevin Costner's father in the film, "Field of Dreams"

Derrick Sylvester - Franklin native made full-season debut in Dodgers organization

Michael Fransoso - Former Portsmouth star spent 2015 with Pittsburgh's Advanced-A team

Miss NH, Holly Blanchard - Pinkerton grad earned title in May

Greg LaRocca - Only Manchester West grad to play Major League Baseball

Carson Cross - Exeter native made pro debut with Cardinals organization in 2015

Kevin McGowan - Nashua North product made it to Double-A with Binghamton Mets

Muji Karim - Former UNH safety aiming for 2016 Paralympic Games with running blades

Skip Lockwood - Mass. native posted 3.55 ERA over 13 big league seasons

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from November 18, 2015


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