08/05/16 A Perfect Day at the Hadlock Field
Posted by Julie L'Heureux
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Rotarians welcomed back from last year our speaker Mike McCarthy, jersey #30, a right-handed pitcher, joined by Danny Bethea, jersey #13, catcher. Both players are native Californians.
Mike McCarthy, pitcher, jersey number 30
Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 14th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Cal State-Bakersfield. He loves being in Portland, enjoys the beauty of the area and the ability to jog and hike the local mountains, although the local climbs are not as challenging as the ones in California, where he grew up. He has been in Portland for four years. Although he is a pitcher, he plays other positions, wherever needed to help the team. In college, he was a pre-med/pre-nursing student. He worked hard in the classroom and on the baseball field. In his public speaking, he emphasizes how the skill set cultivated while working in the community or studying in college are the same ones he relies upon for playing baseball. He believes a good work ethic is essential, regardless of where in life you happen to be working, studying or playing baseball. Moreover, he admires the Rotary motto, "Service Above Self." He's self described as a "baseball grinder," meaning he works hard through long playing seasons throughout his baseball career. His academic studies transitioned from pre-med/pre-nursing to a Masters in Business Administration (MBA)
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Danny Bethea, catcher, jersey number 13Selected by the Red Sox in the 34th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, Danny credits his father with his decision to play baseball, because his dad played in college. Growing up in San Diego, he played in both high school, junior college and also at St. John's University, New York City. On the St. John's baseball website, Danny said his father is the person he most admires and the Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer is his favorite athlete. Danny's father, Pete Bethea, played baseball at Grand Canyon University, Phoenix AZ.
Mike and Danny spoke about how they focus on playing the game when there are often many distractions from field noise and public announcements. They explained how they learn to "flip the switch" from being aware of what's going on around them to the time when they must focus their minds on the game. They learn by hard work about when to "flip the switch." They both think baseball with women on the team is a good idea and this is already happening in Australia. As for technology replacing the home plate umpire at the plate, they disagree with this idea because, in their opinions, one of the interesting challenges in baseball is to overcome human error. "It's part of the game," they agreed. They explained the differences between types of pitches, like the curve ball, the "drop curve" and the knuckle ball.
Mike and Danny spoke about how they focus on playing the game when there are often many distractions from field noise and public announcements. They explained how they learn to "flip the switch" from being aware of what's going on around them to the time when they must focus their minds on the game. They learn by hard work about when to "flip the switch." They both think baseball with women on the team is a good idea and this is already happening in Australia. As for technology replacing the home plate umpire at the plate, they disagree with this idea because, in their opinions, one of the interesting challenges in baseball is to overcome human error. "It's part of the game," they agreed. They explained the differences between types of pitches, like the curve ball, the "drop curve" and the knuckle ball.
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Following their speaking presentations, the two men stayed to pose for photographs and to sign baseballs for the younger Rotarian guests.
(Photo: Back row: Mike McCarthy and Danny Bethea; Front row: Henry Parker (son of Travis Parker) and Liam Banwell (son of Elizabeth Banwell)
Information about the Sea Dogs team and their roster can be found at: seadogs.com