Past President Ben Lowry, a recent inductee into the Maine Baseball of Fame, fittingly introduced our two speakers to the Club on Friday. Mike Antonellis is the radio announcer for the U.S. cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network, as well as the media relations manager. Greg Levinski is a former bat boy and the assistant clubhouse manager, which basically means he helps out with anything players need in the clubhouse.
The topics regarding all things baseball seemed numerous Friday. Our speakers talked about a broad range of topics, such as: traveling with the team over a 140-game schedule, Twitter feeds from the players’ relatives, the 25 jerseys hanging behind home plate, which designate the Sea Dog players who made the big league, the superstitions and traditions, as well as the daily effort needed to make the players feel as if they were playing for the Red Sox.
Mike talked a little Sea Dogs history, and he let us know that the team was originally started as a Florida Marlins franchise. Obviously, the better team won out here. Mike said that the players ask him not to say certain things when announcing: a run has not been scored in X number of innings; or the pitcher is on the way to a no-hitter. The discussion led to whether radio versus television announcers have a tougher job. He indicated that the talent for radio announcing is typically stronger than for television because the announcer has to recreate the game and surroundings in a person’s mind using only words.
Mike also talked about how from a marketing perspective, the theme nights (e.g., Star Wars, Harry Potter) seem to be doing very well recently compared to the give-aways (bobble heads, t-shirts).
The discussion eventually led to the new pitch clock and its effect on the game, and interestingly, the effect on between inning promotions. The games and commercial breaks are now shorter due to the pitch clock. So while the pitch clock may speed up the game a little, it will not help speed up a 200-pitch game.
Greg said being the assistant club house manager means that he cooks or arranges food for the players, including breakfast and the pre-game, and he generally assists players in whatever they need to make their day go smoother; plus he helps with the coaching. He cleans some of their shoes, can translate for some of the Spanish-speaking players, and generally helps them feel comfortable. The main thing is that the players should be treated like they are in Boston, so that when that player makes the big leagues, it is not a tough transition and they know the routine.
Because Greg is so close to the players in the club house, he shared some funny anecdotes about the tradition the big leaguers have when they are rehabbing with the Sea Dogs. An on-going tradition is for the major leaguer to buy the team dinner during their stay in Portland. So when a player says he wants to treat the team to steaks and lobsters, Greg turns on the grill and helps fill them up.
Mike finished up by saying that Slugger is still as popular as any other promotion.
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(Photo L-R: Sea Dog Greg Levinski, Past President Ben Lowry, Sea Dog Mike Antonellis, and President Don Zillman.