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EL1 Portland Sea Dogs

Livan Hernandez & John Boles Selected to the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame

August 27, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release


Portland, Maine- The Portland Sea Dogs in conjunction with Unum have announced that Livan Hernandez and John Boles are this years inductees into the Unum Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame. The announcement was made prior to Wednesday's game against the New Britain Rock Cats at Hadlock Field. Sea Dogs' fans made the selections through balloting in the 2008 Sea Dogs Souvenir Program. Each season one player and one non-playing personality are inducted into the Hall of Fame. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, players must have debuted with the Sea Dogs at least ten years ago and have had success in Portland and beyond.

This year's ballot included players Luis Castillo, Alex Gonzalez, Livan Hernandez, Mark Kotsay and Randy Winn. Each inductee is presented a plaque for their accomplishment. In addition, plaques of the Hall of Fame members will be displayed in the Hadlock Field concourse. Fans can also visit www.seadogs.com for Hall of Fame plaques, bios, video and audio clips of the Hall of Fame members.

Livan Hernandez broke onto the scene in Portland in 1996, posting a 9-2 record, a record that still stands as the best single-season win-loss percentage (.818) by a pitcher in Sea Dogs history. The Cuban defector graduated to the Florida Marlins later that year, and then enjoyed a breakout rookie campaign in 1997. Hernandez went 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA and finished second to Scott Rolen in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. However, Hernandez saved his best work for the playoffs, winning four games (including a complete-game three-hit, 15-strikeout performance against Atlanta in Game Five of the National League Championship Series and wins over Cleveland in Games One and Five of the World Series) to earn both NLCS and World Series MVP honors. A two-time Major League Baseball All-Star, Hernandez has won 145 games in a 13 year Major League career spent with Florida, San Francisco, Montreal, Washington, Arizona, Minnesota, and most recently the Colorado Rockies. His 145 career wins are the fifth most by a Cuban-born pitcher in Major League history. Hernandez is currently pitching for the Colorado Rockies.

Hernandez said, "I am very surprised and humbled by this honor. Thank you for remembering me."

Hernandez went on to recall some of his memories of the 1996 season with the Sea Dogs. He said, "That was a very good team with several big leaguers on it. I remember playing with Luis Castillo and Kevin Millar and the great seasons that they had. We had a great season and finished first that year. I wish we could have beaten Harrisburg in the finals but that year remains a great memory for me because it was my first year in the United States and I finished the season in the big leagues. "

John Boles joined the Florida Marlins organization on November 1, 1991 as the Director of Player Development. He played a major role in making the decision to affiliate with the Portland Sea Dogs in 1994. Boles was promoted to Vice-President of Player Development in 1995. He was the architect behind Portland's Northern Division Championship teams in 1995, 1996, and 1997. Boles served as the field manager for the Florida Marlins from 1999-2001. He is one of seven Major League managers in history that did not play professionally in the majors or minors. Boles is currently in his fourth season with the Seattle Mariners organization, where he serves as the Special Assistant to the Executive Vice-President of Player Personnel. Additionally, Boles has spent time with the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Montreal Expos, and Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He graduated from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois in 1970 where he also played four seasons as an outfielder. He earned a Masters Degree in Educational Administration at St. Xavier University. He and his wife, Rosemary, have two sons Blake and Kevin.

"I'm just really thrilled," said Boles upon learning of his selection. "This is totally unexpected and a pleasant surprise. I knew Bob (Ganley) very well, and to be included in the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame with Bob and Carlos (Tosca) and Fredi (Gonzalez) and some of the wonderful players in Sea Dogs history is terrific. I can't tell you how happy I am about this."

Reflecting on the Marlins affiliation with the Sea Dogs, Boles said, "Everybody in the town was great to our players. It was a perfect match. Portland in the summertime is a wonderful place. Everybody in our organization, from the players to the coaches to the rovers, knew and understood that Portland was a jewel."

The Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame was established in 2005. Hernandez and Boles join Bob Ganley, Fredi Gonzalez, Charles Johnson, Kevin Millar, Edgar Renteria, and Carlos Tosca as members of the Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame.

The Sea Dogs are looking to qualify for post-season play for the fourth consecutive year. Tickets for the playoffs are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the Sea Dogs Ticket Office at 207-879-9500. Should the Sea Dogs qualify for post-season play, games three and four (if necessary) of the first round of the playoffs would be held at Hadlock Field on Friday, September 5th at 7:00 PM and Saturday, September 6th at 6:00 PM. Log onto www.seadogs.com for complete playoff information.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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