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ApL Princeton WhistlePigs

Princeton Rays News

November 11, 2004 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Princeton WhistlePigs News Release


As we motor toward the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have several pieces of exciting information to share with you in this month's edition of "Raywatch," the official e-mail newsletter of the Princeton Devil Rays.

P-RAYS "MAJOR LEAGUE" BUS TRIP-GIVE THE GIFT OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: Are you having trouble finding the perfect Christmas gift for your favorite baseball fan? The P-Rays will be hosting a bus trip on Saturday, June 11, 2005 to Pittsburgh to see the Tampa Bay Devil Rays take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 7:05 p.m. game at PNC Park. We will be transported in a 55-passenger, air-conditioned Abbott Trailways bus and since this is a major league game, we are hoping for a sold-out bus and recommend you reserve your seats as early as possible. Seats will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis through April 20, 2005 or until the bus is full, whichever comes first. The departure time from Hunnicutt Field is currently scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to allow for a one-hour lunch stop to be made in mid-trip while also allowing us to arrive in Pittsburgh well in advance of game time. Cost of the trip (which includes your game ticket and transportation costs) will be $75.00 per person. The bus will return to Princeton immediately following the game. How much would it cost you if you drove to Pittsburgh and did this on your own? Come join the fun with your fellow P-Rays fans as we watch several former Princeton players on both teams do battle. For more details, please contact the P-Rays front office either by e-mail at raysball@sunlitsurf.com or by telephone at (304) 487-2000.

PRINCETON WINS THE WORLD SERIES....AGAIN!: For the second consecutive year, a former Princeton player was on the roster of the World Series champions. Infielder Pokey Reese (1991 Princeton Reds) was a member of the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox and you may recall that pitcher Chad Fox (1992 Princeton Reds) was a member of the 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins. Who will it be in 2005?

TOP PROSPECTS IN THE A.L. EAST: The current issue of Baseball America magazine (which is on sale through December 5) features who the magazine feels are the top ten major league prospects for each of the teams that play in the American League's Eastern Division. Former Princeton players are mentioned throughout the two-page section devoted to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Leading the way for us by being ranked in the number four prospect position, was a right-handed pitcher from our 2002 team, Jason Hammel. He was followed by number five prospect Reid Brignac (infielder-2004), left-handed pitcher James Houser (2003) at number six, right-handed pitcher Seth McClung (1999) at number nine, and first baseman/outfielder Wes Bankston (2002) in the tenth slot. In the "Best Tools" section of the article, infielder Elliot Johnson (2002) was credited as the TB hitting prospect with "Best Strike-Zone Discipline." Pitcher Jason Hammel (2002) was rated number one in the organization for having the best curveball. For the second year in a row, Shawn Riggans (2001) was ranked as the organization's best defensive catcher while Travis Schlichting was picked as having the best infield arm. Rounding out the accolades for Princeton was 2002 Appalachian League All-Star Jason Pridie, who was designated as the organization's best defensive outfielder. The P-Rays 2004 lefty-righty pitching tandem of Jacob McGee and Wade Davis were also mentioned as players who have the potential to add pitching depth to the major league club someday. Every player mentioned here played his first professional game as a member of the Princeton Devil Rays. Don't ever forget that you can truly see the major league stars of tomorrow at Hunnicutt Field!!

LAST MONTH'S TRIVIA: As we are still in football season at this time, the trivia question for October was one that blended together both the pigskin and the horsehide. To review, last month's trivia question was "Before currently becoming a star running back for West Virginia University's football team, Kay-Jay Harris played three years of minor league baseball. In which major league organization's farm system did he play?" The answer was the Texas Rangers and we have several new names to report to you for submitting the correct answer. Our local winners received $5.00 gift certificates to both the Breadman Bakery and The Eccentric Fish Restaurant of Princeton and these winners were Kevin Clark, Christie Cook, Janie Farmer, Daniella Hatfield, David Lawson, Frank Lewis, Mark Morehead, Jim Nelson, and Roger Topping. We also had 12 readers from other areas of the country show off their expertise and they were Jason Brummett (Morgantown, WV), Cy Campbell (Denton, TX), Bryce Casto (Dunbar, WV), David Cross (Danville, VA), Scott Gibson (St. Albans, WV), Rich Hively (Nitro, WV), Frank Hoard (Windham, OH), Rob McNamara (Rockville, MD), Ron Martin (Clemmons, NC), Melanie Roth (Charleston, WV), Jeffery Smith (Cleveland, OH), and Mark Wilson (Arden, NC). We always enjoy seeing where are out-of-area readers are from and the P-Rays staff hopes to see some of these out-of-area trivia gurus at our ballpark this summer. The trivia question for November will be featured later in this newsletter.

BACKYARD BASEBALL-BIG LEAGUE INJURY: Tampa Bay Devil Rays' star outfielder (and 2000 P-Ray) Rocco Baldelli underwent surgery on November 5 in a Vail, CO hospital to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament ("ACL") and is expected to miss 6-9 months of baseball. Baldelli, 23, was hurt on October 24 while playing baseball with his 7-year-old brother Dante in the back yard of his parents' home in Cumberland, RI, where he stays in the major league offseason. His knee gave out when he sidestepped to avoid running over Dante in a race for first base.

AND SPEAKING OF SURGERY...: Former P-Ray Wes Bankston, the Appalachian League's Most Valuable Player in 2002, recently had wrist surgery but Tampa Bay officials expect him to be fully recovered and back in action by March 1, 2005.

TALES FROM THE DESERT: Updating the action from the Arizona Fall League, it has been a bumpy ride so far for the Mesa Solar Sox, who are managed by 1997 P-Ray skipper Charlie Montoyo. The Solar Sox are in their division's basement with a 10-18 record and only two former Princeton players have seen action during the 2004 AFL season. It was one game and out for catcher Pete Laforest (1998 P-Ray), who logged only two at-bats in one game and was then shut down for the season due to injury. The other former P-Ray on the Solar Sox is pitcher Carlos Hines (2001), who has logged a spotless 2-0 record but has had great run support to offset a 7.00 earned run average in his seven appearances.

LENDING A HELPING HAND: On November 6, Tampa Bay Devil Ray pitcher Doug Waechter, who was member of the 1999 Princeton squad, was among a group of Tampa Bay players and coaches to conduct a baseball clinic for a group of 100 kids in hurricane-ravaged Wauchula, FL. The kids' home field, Farr Field of the Hardee County (FL) Little League, suffered extensive damage from recent Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, and Jeanne. The visit by the players was described by Hardee County Little League officials as a great morale booster for the youngsters. The storms knocked down outfield light poles, ripped out fences, tore the roof off the concession stand, and tossed a set of bleachers into a yard two houses away. A storage shed's roof was also lost in the devastation and as a result, all the baseball equipment stored in the shed was ruined. Tom Foley, TB third base coach, a frequent visitor to Princeton in past years in his previous role as minor league field coordinator and farm director, also participated in this worthy cause.

NOVEMBER TRIVIA: All right, it is now time to see if we can add some new names to our list of monthly trivia winners. The first 15 local readers that submit the correct answer to the November trivia question will receive $5.00 gift certificates to both the Breadman Bakery and the Eccentric Fish Restaurant of Princeton. We also encourage our out-of-area readers to submit answers and hopefully be listed on our honor roll. All of our local readers are always interested to see with each newsletter from where the out-of-area answers are submitted. Without further delay, here is your trivia question for November: "Who was the last National League pitcher to win the Cy Young award while winning more than 25 games in the season he won the award?" For our local readers, please remember to submit your U.S. postal mailing address with your guess so we will know where to send your prize cards if you submit the right answer. Your guesses may be sent to us via e-mail at raysball@sunlitsurf.com and we hopefully look forward to seeing a lot of participation and maybe some new names in addition to our trivia veterans.

2004 PRINCETON CHRISTMAS PARADE: Princeton's annual Christmas parade is widely recognized as the largest in West Virginia and the P-Rays would like to encourage you to be a part of things for the parade's 2004 version, which is scheduled for Monday evening, November 29. Be sure to look for the P-Rays' float, which will of course have our favorite "fowl ball," Roscoe the Princeton Ray "Drug Free" Rooster on board. There will certainly be spectators galore in attendance but also be reminded it is not too late for you or your business to place a float in the parade. There is no entry fee for displaying a float and the deadline for registering your float is November 15. For more details, please contact the Princeton Mercer County Chamber of Commerce by phone at (304) 487-1502.

FILL OUT YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST WITH THE RAYS: While we are on the subject of Christmas, do not forget to contact the P-Rays front office by phone at (304) 487-2000 to arrange a time to visit our souvenir stand for some of your Christmas gift needs. Remember that 2005 season ticket books also make a great gift and do not forget the P-Rays major league bus trip mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter as a unique gift to say "Merry Christmas!" to the baseball fan in your life.

CONCLUSION: As we approach Thanksgiving, the P-Rays want you to know that we appreciate you letting us be a part of your life and that our organization does indeed feel truly blessed to have such caring and loyal fans such as yourself. You are a big part of the engine that enables professional baseball to successfully run in our region. It is our wish for all of you that you will be sitting at the Thanksgiving dinner table with every loved one in your life this year. Here's wishing you a great "Turkey Day" and hoping that your appetite for the 2005 Appalachian League baseball season will increase with each passing day. See you next month!!

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