There are many reasons to cheer for the Portland Sea Dogs, but what happened Tuesday night was one of the biggest reasons of all.
The Boston Red Sox’ $120 million outfielder Carl Crawford played in front of the Sea Dogs’ crowd on July 3 as part of his rehab stint for his injured left wrist as Portland played the Trenton Thunder.
Crawford is a four-time American League All-Star who has twice won the All-Star MVP. He also a Gold Glove award winner. While he hasn’t performed up to his potential in his first year and a half in Boston, he is still a baseball star.
Crawford, 30, has a career batting average of .293 with 115 home runs and 427 stolen bases. Most of his numbers he earned while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays before signing with the Red Sox in 2011.
A Sea Dogs game is a great family outing and their position as the Red Sox’ Double-A affiliate makes seeing their games even more of a treat. In addition to showcasing many of Boston’s future stars such as Clay Buchholz, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jon Lester, they periodically provide fans with the chance to see Boston’s current stars such as Crawford.
In previous years, the team hosted David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Daisuke Matsuzaka as they rehabbed injuries. For a few nights, they donned the Portland Sea Dogs uniform and were a part of the hometown team.
Tickets to Fenway Park in Boston aren’t always affordable for Red Sox fans, especially ones from Maine who, in addition to paying for the ticket to a game, usually need to pay for transportation to the contest and possibly for lodging. It can be difficult to see one’s baseball heroes in Boston.
For Sea Dogs fans, however, they have chances such as Crawford’s appearance, to see a Major League Baseball star player for a bargain price and a great view only a few miles away.
Tickets to Sea Dogs games range from $4 to $9. The ballpark only holds 6,000 people, and there isn’t a bad place to see the field. One is close to the action no matter where one sits, so getting a good view of Boston’s stars is pretty much guaranteed.
In addition to Red Sox stars who come to Portland, fans are also treated to stars from other teams who play with affiliates for other Eastern League teams in the Sea Dogs’ league.
Earlier this year, baseball fans got to see the New York Yankees’ Andy Pettitte as he made an appearance at Hadlock Field while preparing for his post-retirement comeback. Pettitte is a future hall-of-famer who is one of the best pitchers in the game, even at 42.
No one likes to see a player get hurt, and no one wants to see their big league teams’ stars on the disabled list, but at least their favorite players might make a local appearance, giving fans a chance for a better glimpse of their heroes.
That’s the beauty of minor league sports, and that’s the beauty of the Portland Sea Dogs.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards representing the majority opinion of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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