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A Starry Night at Fenway Park
Aug 1, 2008
Author: Nate Sandals
Cotuit's Nick Hernandez was keeping a big secret at the Cape League All-Star Recognition Night at Fenway Park yesterday.
Hernandez turned 20 yesterday, but only the Cotuit coaches and players who made the trip to Fenway knew it - and Hernandez, hoping to avoid the requisite birthday punches, wanted to keep it that way.
But it would be unfair to say Hernandez's birthday trip to Fenway was exactly unplanned.
"I had about three weeks to train before coming to Cape Cod and I knew that if I trained hard enough and made the All-Star team I'd be able to enjoy this on my birthday," Hernandez said. "I couldn't have asked for anything more on my birthday than this, it's just been unbelievable. That was my drive when I was working out, lifting weights and stuff was to get to Fenway on my birthday."
Hernandez was named to the West All-Star team as an alternate, so he didn't get a chance to play in the All-Star game last weekend. Still a trip to Fenway on your 20th birthday isn't bad for a kid who came to the Cape in June on a temporary contract.
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The buzz around the batting cage at Fenway yesterday had a decidedly Cape feel. There were current Cape Leaguers milling about and plenty of former Cape Leaguers ready to pose for pictures, sign autographs and swap stories.
The Red Sox have 10 former Cape Leaguers on their roster, including Sean Casey, who reminisced about his summer job at the Stop & Shop, working in the bakery section.
Casey has taken advantage of the proximity to the Cape with his new home in Boston. The former Brewster Whitecap spent his MLB All-Star break in Chatham, and made it over to Veterans Field to see the A's play Bourne.
Another former Cape Leaguer was the big news around Fenway yesterday. Mark Teixeira, playing in his first game with the Angels, spent the summer of 1999 with the Orleans Cardinals.
Teixeira had a breakout game in the All-Star game that summer, played in Wareham. The Georgia Tech went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs and was named the East MVP. In a talent-rich year on the Cape, Teixeira earned the Robert A. McNeece Pro Prospect Award as the league's top prospect.
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Seen and heard at Fenway:
After eating lunch in the Players Club, the Cape League All-Stars fanned out around Fenway Park.
The most popular spot: the Monster Seats.
About half of the All-Stars made their way to the top of the left field wall while the Red Sox took batting practice. A few snagged batted balls, more caught balls thrown up by pitchers shagging flies.
Once the gates opened, the Cape Leaguers were kicked off the Monster, but they weren't disappointed. As Chatham's Cory Olson said: "Now it's time to get some autographs."
Mark Fleury didn't want to choose between his game-winning home run in the All-Star game and the trip to Fenway as a cooler experience. But if he had to, he'd go with the home run.
Fleury is looking forward to his next trip to Fenway. The Atlantic Coast Conference tournament will be held there next spring. The top eight teams in the regular season make the tournament and Fleury is feeling pretty good about his Tar Heels' chances.
Wareham manager Cooper Farris brought a group of Wareham players and a few taggers along to chat with Justin Masterson along the left-field foul line.
Masterson pitched for Farris's Gatemen squad in 2005, coming out of the bullpen in 22 games and going 3-1 with a 1.15 ERA and 10 saves.
Bourne pitcher Nick McCully didn't manage to catch a ball on top of the monster seats, but he was still having a good time. McCully said the trip to Fenway was the first thing he thought about when he heard he made the West All-Star team.
Article by Nate Sandals of The Cape Cod Times
nsandals@gmail.com
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