The Notre Dame Men’s Lacrosse team, who was NCAA National Championship runners up were on hand to be honored. Also with them were the cheerleaders and the little green leprechaun.

But the highlight of the night goes to South Bend manager Mark Haley who coached the entire game in a Kilt and yellow game jersey to support the Ronald McDonald House and the entire evening.  I give Haley a lot of credit for doing this, just look at the pictures.

Enjoy…

Manager Mark Haley

Yellow McDonalds Jersey on top of a kilt

Showing off some leg before taking the field

Pregame plate meeting as Dragons manager Todd Benzinger tries not to laugh at Mark Haley

Irish Dancers entertain the crowd before the game

Notre Dame mascot!

Notre Dame Cheerleaders

Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse team is honored

Lacrosse Head Coach threw out the first pitch with his stick...pretty cool and it was accurate

The Green Team is the on field entertainment team at Fifth Third Field that performs contests and skits in between home games.  Ten of them were able to come up for today’s game and the players and staff appreciated their support.

The Friends of the Dragons are some of the most loyal fans around and they offer support throughout the season.  As a huge bonus, they also provide food and snacks for everyone to enjoy.

I know some of them are fellow followers of this site and would like to make sure they know they are appreciated in everything they do.

Green Team members talking to players before the game

Green Team runs with fans on the field during the 7th inning

Largest Curly Fries from Arby's I have ever seen...

For some reason, there was a Harry Potter theme going on...

Even the Entertainment Host dressed up like Harry Potter

I have talked about it many times, that I am a huge fan of the special jerseys that some teams wear throughout the season.  Steve, the clubhouse manager for the Captains, showed me an Indians throwback that they will wear several times, and also said they wore Pink Jersey’s earlier in the season for Mother’s Day.  Steve said the team plans to wear a purple in the upcoming weeks to support another cause.

Please enjoy the pictures that I took during the game.

Silent Auction Table

National Anthem Lineup

Hawaiian Themed Scoreboard Pictures

Back of the Jersey's

Players leaning on the rail

As the intensity was heating up in the show, Nurre’s cell phone began to ring. It was one of his coaches, Julio Garcia. He told Nurre that he needed to find a ride and report back to the Reds Complex, regardless of the hour as he was leaving. Nurre had just been promoted to the Dayton Dragons.

No longer concerned with the last 15 minutes of the show, Nurre went back to the Goodyear Complex to pack up his locker. He returned to his hotel at almost midnight, which was 3:00 am on the East Coast. He called his parents to tell them the good news, and tried to get some rest before his 7:00 am flight to Atlanta, and then on to Dayton.

Anxiety, nervousness and the realization that he was finally getting a shot bounced around Nurre’s head while he traveled all day long. He began to think about the 8,500 plus fans he would play in front of every night in Dayton, including his family and friends. As if Nurre needed any extra pressure, he grew up on the west side of Cincinnati, about an hour from Fifth Third Field. He played his college ball at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and grew up a lifelong Reds fan.

“I decided not to tell anyone that I got promoted except for my parents. I wanted to try to relax and settle in for a few days before everyone found and started to hound me for tickets. I got lucky that the Dragons only had two games at home before hitting the road,” Nurre said.

He tried to calm himself down as he approached the ballpark, telling himself this was the same game he had been playing all his life and not to get overwhelmed by the big crowd.

For the first two days in Dayton, the weather would not cooperate for the Dragons to take batting practice or infield practice outside. Nurre never got a chance to be on the playing surface before he had to take the field for the game.

In his first at bat as a Dragon, Nurre tried to relax and settle in at the plate. He was just trying to make solid contact and get into the swing of things when the pitcher decided to hang a curveball. Nurre took advantage of the mistake and hit it over the wall for a home run in his first at bat in Dayton.

“I didn’t know if I got all of it as I ran out of the box,” Nurre said. “But I had a huge sigh of relief when it cleared the wall. It was pretty awesome that my parents were also there to see it.”

To be a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization is something really special for Nurre. Growing up in Cincinnati, attending St. Xavier High School, he always dreamt of being a Red. It almost didn’t happen, as he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers after his junior year at Miami. But he decided not to sign and return to school for his senior season before getting drafted by the Reds the next summer.

“I am having a great time here in Dayton,” Nurre said. “I am enjoying it all and trying not to be afraid to be successful. I want to get as many at bats as I can and help this team win.”

Tommy Nurre steps into the box

Nurre digs in

Nurre does a postgame interview with Nick

In 1982, Fossas won 8 games with a 3.09 earned run average while starting 18 of the 25 games he appeared in.  Fossas threw over 146 innings and had great numbers across the board as he moved through the minor leagues on his way to the majors.

The Park plays off their ties with the Chicago Cubs as you can tell by a few of the pictures.  They also have a bunch of themed nights at the park like Mardi Gras Night and MTV night.  The crowds were sparse for a midsummer series.

Balloons were released before 1st pitch to support fight for breast cancer

Hanging out each balloon

Ryne Sandberg was kind of a big deal in these parts...

Not a big fan of dugouts with no rail...dangerous...

A view at center

Thought this sign was really funny

Pink Couch to honor Breast Cancer Awareness

Big stickers on the wall honoring former players

More wall stickers

and even more wall stickers...some great players up there

A few random cars parked on concourse

Jan, Thank you very much for emailing in that question.

Yes, we are in charge of bringing everything that we need on the road to use during practice and games.  The other team supplies us with drinking water, and that is about it.  Each player must bring their full uniform and all the equipment that they will need from head to toe.

In addition to individual equipment that the players need, there are also a number of items that the entire team uses.  Medical supplies, baseballs, food, laundry bags, and other items, all need to be brought.  All of the players pitch in to help carry this stuff when we leave Fifth Third Field.  Before each trip, I will post a list outside of the manager’s office. On it are the duties each player is responsible for to help with for the road trip. I rotate duties so each player gets to help with different items for each trip.

The bottom of the bus is usually filled with equipment and all the team’s personal luggage that they will need. So next time you see the bus rolling around town, you will know that it is probably stuffed for the road.

If you have a question that you would like answered, please send it to me at corey@coreybrinn.com.  Thanks!

With the way that Garton has been playing on defense, it could be argued that he already has Hulk-like qualities.  Twice within a one-week span, Garton has hit the right field wall, both times still running at full speed.  The most important part, though, was that Garton held on to the ball and made both catches.

“I would describe my defense as painful,” Garton said.  “I am do or die, go hard or go home, all the time.  No wall will stand in my way of making a play.”

When asked if he will think twice before running full speed near an outfield wall again, he quickly reiterated, “Nope. I need to make the play.”

The first collision with the wall happened on the road at Lake County.  Not being very familiar with the ballpark, Garton did not see the wall coming, causing him to hit it at full speed. After only being down for a second to catch his breath, Garton bounced up and continued in the game without even thinking twice.  “It would have hurt a lot more had I not held on to make the catch,” he said.

Two days later, back at home at Fifth Third Field, Garton said he knew the wall was coming quickly, but the thought of having to make the play allowed Garton to never flinch.  Hitting the wall a second time hurt a bit more than the first time. Garton even remained on the ground for a few extra seconds.  Dragons Athletic Trainer Tyler Steele sprinted out to right field to check on Garton.

Upon arriving to Garton, Steele’s first question to him was, “Are you ok?”  Garton quickly joked back with, “Are you tired from having to run all the way out here?”  As the conversation went on, Steele checked on Garton’s head which head the wall pretty hard.  “I told him not to worry, there isn’t much to hurt in my head,” Garton said.

The aggressive defensive mind of Garton also carries over to the plate, something he feels may hurt him at times.  He said he strikes out a lot due to his aggressiveness and he needs to find ways to be more patient at the plate.

Dragons Hitting Coach Ken Griffey Sr. told Garton to think about easing up in the outfield and think about playing a ball off the bounce once in a while instead of diving so much.  Again, Garton’s answer was quick, “I gotta make the play.”

Josh Garton settles in for an at bat

Hulk Garton

I decided to pack the white Stars and Stripes hats that we wore yesterday to wear again during the game.  The White Caps also wore the same style of hat, along with special American Flag Jersey’s.  The Dragons won the contest 6-4 and everyone was treated to some fireworks following the game.

Whitecaps in the duogut

Starting Pitcher

Hats are on sale for fans

Happy 4th...

Dragons wore their white hats with their road grey uniforms

Kevin Arico liked the hat so much, he wore two!

Although the hats have been out for view for around a week, I have done my best to keep this under wraps as a secret and surprise for the players.  Visit the store to purchase your own!!

Here is the official press release:

DRAGONS TO WEAR STARS AND STRIPES HATS ON SATURDAY

MiLB PROGRAM TO RAISE MONEY FOR “WELCOME BACK VETERANS”

DAYTON, OH –The Dayton Dragons and other teams throughout Minor League Baseball will wear specially-designed hats this weekend as part of a coordinated effort that will raise money for “Welcome Back Veterans,” a program that addresses the mental health and job needs of returning American Veterans.

Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball Properties will donate all the proceeds from the sale of the caps to Welcome Back Veterans.  New Era, producers of the hats, will also contribute a portion of the sales of the “Stars & Stripes” caps to Welcome Back Veterans.  This program is similar to the one Major League Baseball teams are or have taken part in for Memorial Day, 4^th of July and September 11.

The cap consists of a white crown, navy blue visor with the American flag etched into the Dragons logo.  The Dragons will wear the hat in their game Saturday night at Fifth Third Field against the Great Lakes Loons at 7:00 p.m.

Fans can purchase authentic Stars and Stripes hats at the Dragons Den at Fifth Third Field.