Fisher Cats aren't going anywhere

I believe the Fisher Cats and Blue Jays will re-up for another two years on their player development contract, keeping Toronto's Double-A team in New Hampshire through at least 2014.

That doesn't jive with the game plan in Ottawa, where city leaders are attempting to land an Eastern League franchise, preferably the Jays' affiliate, as early as 2013. One problem: there is no EL team owner willing to move to Ottawa. League president Joe McEachern has no franchise application on his desk, no lease agreement, and absolutely no reason to believe the Blue Jays are moving their Double-A team to Ottawa.

The Fisher Cats will remain in New Hampshire whether they are aligned with the Blue Jays, Twins, Rays or another team. Many fans around here are hoping the Fisher Cats eventually become an affiliate of the Red Sox, who are signed to play in Portland, Maine, through 2014. Ottawa is a long way from landing a team but the city is sure creating a buzz, as reported in my baseball column in today's New Hampshire Sunday News.

“The people of Ottawa are trying to position themselves for consideration to have an Eastern League franchise,” McEachern said. “There’s still an awful lot of work to be done for them to host a team, not the least of which is finding an owner of (an affiliated) team to move there.”

The Fisher Cats and Blue Jays have agreed to a player development contract through 2012. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say they'll extend the PDC for another two years with an announcement this spring or summer. Fisher Cats team president Rick Brenner directed any questions about affiliations to the league office.

“The Blue Jays have a great relationship with New Hampshire. The only way the Blue Jays would ever leave New Hampshire – and nobody, absolutely nobody has talked with Toronto about this happening – would be if another team agreed to come (to New Hampshire). It would have to be a win-win situation for everyone," McEachern said.

Charlie Wilson, Toronto's director of minor league operations, has told me the Blue Jays want to stay in Manchester as long as possible, saying the club's relationship with NH is "amazing."

Hey, kids, who wants a Zim Bear?

Bobbleheads are a fine giveaway, a nice little gift, if you're one of those people with a basement full of dusty ceramic heads, praying for a retweet by @LunchBoxHero45. In other words, get a life. Bobbleheads have gotten annoying. They break within days. Their cardboard boxes litter baseball stadiums on giveaway day. Kids fight over them. They're all made in China by kids, and I wouldn't want to test the paint. Bobbleheads made a solid run for, oh, 50 years, and there was simply no way to advance the promotional idea -- until this! Say hello to Zim, a creepy Don Zimmer-fied bear to be given away by the Tampa Bay Rays on June 29 against the Detroit Tigers. Mercy.

Random find on the popular Internet

We love Stubby Clapp and always will. When he played for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2004, he'd back-flip over the rubber-crumbed artificial turf while taking the field in the first inning. And now some video excellence to start your day:

More audio excellence from Matt Bonner

We decided NBA veteran Matt Bonner, who lives outside of San Antonio, needs a ranch. Doesn't he? Come on, Red Rocket, buy a ranch. Tim Duncan must have a ranch.


"Nobody has a ranch. That’s something to have if you’re from Texas, like Josh Beckett. He has a ranch," Bonner said on our radio show this week. "Who wants to take care of a ranch?"


You hire people for that. 


"Yeah, but then you have to watch them. It all seems like a big headache to me. No, thanks. I’m from New Hampshire, where we grow up shoveling and raking. That’s enough. I don’t need to be shoveling livestock manure."

Fundamentals of hitting

As a head coach of the AAU Granite State Gamers 13U baseball team, we talk a lot about being on time and ready to hit. This means having a proper load and developing a rhythm as the pitcher delivers. I like to see hitters stride and get down their front foot while remaining loaded or coiled. As you plant the front foot, practice keeping your front side "closed off" and firm at point of contact. We call this front leg resistance, something I have worked on camps with coach Kenny Joyce of the S.F. Giants. He always says, "Be on time. Be on plane. Be in rhythm." Check it out:

Here is one of our players showing a firm front side and generating a powerful swing by getting that foot down: