New Hampshire's Eric Blanton Named Eastern League Diamond Pro Sports Field Manager of the Year
August 23, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1) News Release
PORTLAND, MAINE - Eastern League President Joseph McEacharn is pleased to announce that Eric Blanton of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats has been named the winner of the 2008 Eastern League Diamond Pro Sports Field Manager of the Year Award. This marks the second straight season that Eric has been selected as the winner of the award, which is voted on by Eastern League field staff and umpires.
Blanton, who last season not only won the Eastern League award but was also the winner of the 2007 Double-A Sports Turf Manager of the Year Award, serves as the Head Turf Manager at Merchantsauto.com Stadium and has been with the Fisher Cats since the 2005 season. Before joining the Fisher Cats staff Eric spent three seasons working with the Los Angeles Dodgers and one season with the Tacoma Rainiers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
The Packwood, Washington native earned his Associates in Applied Arts and Science Degree in Turfgrass Management from Walla Walla Community College and has worked in the sports turf industry for the past eight years. Blanton currently serves on the Board of Directors for the New England Sports Turf Managers Association and is also an active member in the National Sports Turf Managers Association.
Eric is joined on his staff in New Hampshire by Assistant Turf Manager Brian Schools, Glenn Monnelly, Dennis Livoli, George Maclellan and Ken Harrington.
"We are very proud of Eric and his staff as they have continued to do an outstanding job here in New Hampshire," said New Hampshire Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner. "They make it look very easy, but, we all know they work very hard to create the best playing surface in minor league baseball and it is great to see that get recognized again this season."
Diamond Pro offers a complete line of professional groundskeeping products which include infield conditioners, calcined clay products, mound & home plate clays, clay bricks, marking dust, green divot sand, infield and warning track mixes. Diamond Pro® professional groundskeeping products deliver long lasting performance and quality while enhancing the look and feel of a well-maintained field. Diamond Pro is a subsidiary of Dallas, Texas based Texas Industries, Inc. (TXI) which is a leading supplier of construction products, including cement, ready-mixed concrete, and lightweight aggregate, in the western United States. For more information, please visit www.diamondpro.com.
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