Over the weekend, I attended the Granite State Baseball Dinner hosted by the NH Fisher Cats. The evening was really exciting for baseball fans especially with the recent Boston Red Sox World Series victory. While I am a Fisher Cats fan, I am also an avid Boston sports fan. I was delighted to see the Boston Red Sox alums: Orlando Cabrera, Rich Gedman, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Rico Petrocelli, Bob Stanley, and Luis Tiant, on the celebrity guest list.
Through corporate sponsorships and the community’s generosity, this event has raised $1.7 million since 2006 to support the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD), The Ted Williams Museum, and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Foundation. At the event, we listened to a very compelling testimonial from a CHaD father who shared the story of how CHaD saved his son’s life.
Every year at this event, I have the pleasure to present the Gold Crown Award to an outstanding NH Fisher Cats Player. This year, I had the honor of presenting this to Pat Cantwell. Not only is Pat a stellar Eastern League Champion catcher, he went out of his way to enhance the fan experience at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium through taking pictures with fans, greeting them at the front gate, and he even joined a group of fans to watch a postgame Atlas Fireworks show. Away from the field, Pat was always the first player to step-up and volunteer at various community events, including a MLB Play Ball Weekend at Camp Foster.
This year’s event raised more than $90,000 to support three wonderful community organizations. I look forward to attending this event every year and I am proud to serve on the Board of the NH Fisher Cats Foundation. Partnerships like the Fisher Cats are critical to helping Northeast Delta Dental spread our message about the importance of oral health.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday.
