Lots of buzz today about Jacoby Ellsbury joining the Portland Sea Dogs for a rehab stint in the Eastern League. If you had tickets for Sea Dogs-Fisher Cats series, looks like you're a winner! Red Sox manager told the media in Seattle that Ellsbury could be joining Portland on Tuesday. That means the World Series champ/All-Star/Gold Glover could be playing against the Fisher Cats in the three-game series beginning Wednesday, weather permitting. I talked to Ben Cherington today, and he said Ellsbury will spend Tuesday in Florida with the Gulf Coast League. No decision on his next stop. In April, Ellsbury went down with a shoulder separation. He has been working his way back to the majors, making his first rehab stop in the Gulf Coast League. Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald was all over this on his blog earlier today ... Would be cool to have Ellsbury playing the outfield with Jackie Bradley, Jr., who I wrote about yesterday.

Ryan Goins breaks Travis d'Arnaud's record

Love getting the double apostrophe into a headline. The Fisher Cats lost again, 6-5, in a battle with the New Britain Rock Cats today, but I'm here to tell you about the silver lining. That's because I'm flat-out cheery today. Shortstop Ryan Goins had three hits, breaking a club record with his 41st base knock of the month. Travis d'Arnaud had the record for hits in a month (40) last July en route to winning Eastern League MVP honors. "I feel way more relaxed this season at the plate with my swing path and looking for pitches I'm getting to hit. I have confidence up there every day, just trying to be patient and be the best that I can be," Goins said ... Helluva month for Goins, who batted .357 with seven doubles. Excellent situational hitter knows how to move runners. Clutch, too. On the season, the kid is 21-for-47 (.447) with runners in scoring position.

Thursday night notes

RHP Sam Dyson hit 97-mph on Wednesday, the hardest pitch thrown by a Fisher Cat all season. RHP Chad Jenkins (disabled list) will throw one more bullpen session and likely return to the starting rotation. Said his arm felt great after yesterday's 'pen. What was the issue? "Probably just me freaking out. I was a little extra sore after one start and got a little nervous. I guess I just needed some rest," Jenkins said ... Switch-hitter Mike McDade homered from both sides of the plate in Wednesday's doubleheader. That was an ugly day for the Fisher Cats, swept by Portland. The Fisher Cats could have won the first game but somehow John Tolisano didn't score from first base (with two outs) on a high fly ball to CF that surprisingly dropped. McDade walzed into second base for a double. Tolisano only made it to third. Sal Fasano on the play: "He was running hard. It wasn't really high enough to get from first to home. By the time it dropped and bounced right into the center fielder's hands, John was just getting to third. It was a tough one because it was only a 150-foot throw by that time. We made more mistakes early in the game."


Brian Bocock was thrown at home plate after Fasano got too aggressive in the third-base coaching box. "With Bocock, I probably should have held him. And (Brad) Glenn not scoring on a ball hit off the wall by (Brian) Jeroloman. A lot of things could have gone better. Bad first game," Fasano said after the 7-6 loss to Portland ... Fasano has done a poor job managing and motivating this team. I've never seen so many Fisher Cats not run hard to first base on routine grounders and pop fly balls. 

Fisher Jays re-up through 2014

The Blue Jays and Fisher Cats, in their ninth year together, remain honeymoon-esque. The two parties officially re-upped today, extending their player development contract through 2014. Not too surprising. On the last homestand in Manchester, Charlie Wilson, Toronto's director of minor league operations, said the Jays would "love" to re-up with New Hampshire. "Awesome affiliate. Great city. Great facility. More importantly, there are great people here with the Fisher Cats." Story on Wednesday's announcement here in the NH Union Leader. The city of Ottawa had high hopes of luring Toronto's AA affiliate as early as 2013, but that was a bit unrealistic. I could see the Jays moving their AA affiliate to Ottawa by 2015. In New Hampshire, fans have shown great support for Toronto's farm team, but the Red Sox are more of a natural fit here. The Red Sox and Portland Sea Dogs are under contract through 2014. Just saying.

Rainout? Max Sullivan and KG will entertain you -- in the most bizarre way possible

So I'm sitting in the press box having a conversation with Max Sullivan, a kid/blogger/relentless inquisitor of how to cover the Fisher Cats, and things get out of control. Turns out Max can shred a guitar. Turns out he played at Murphy's Taproom in Manchester the other night -- in front of some Fisher Cats relievers! A girl requested he play "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus to which Fernando Hernandez replied, "Party in Cuba!" Now, let me back up for a minute. As Max is telling me this story, he is soaking wet. Why? He locked his keys in the PT Cruiser and stood outside while waiting for the tow truck. Max kills me. He writes stories for FutureJays.com (we think) but nobody has any proof because there is a monthly fee to read his stuff. He once referred to the bullpens as "those things" and had no idea what they were actually called. But these are all reasons we like him.

3rd No-Hitter in Fisher Cats History

MANCHESTER -- Brett Cecil led the way, pitching 5-2/3 innings, and Danny Farquhar and Ron Uviedo combined on a no-hitter as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats muzzled the Portland Sea Dogs, 6-0, in the series opener Monday night. Boxscore here. There was a buzz in the ballpark as Red Sox No. 1 pitching prospect Anthony Ranaudo (five earned runs) took the mound, but Cecil stole the show by taking a no-no into the sixth inning. At that point, we knew there was little chance of "Squints" (86 pitches) pitching much longer. He made only two previous starts since returning from a groin injury. Cecil struck out eight and walked three. Brian Bocock made a great play in the at 2B in the eighth inning. My game story here ... Portland manager Kevin Boles penned an all-righty lineup against NH. Cecil was hitting 87-90-mph and struck out Kolbrin Vitek three times. "His stuff was crisp. He worked both sides of the plate and changed speeds," Blue Jays minor-league pitching coordinator Dane Johnson said ... Brian Jeroloman, who was behind the dish for Kyle Drabek's no-hitter on July 4, 2010, has now caught both no-nos at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Video of the final out made by Bryce Brentz, who grounded to Ryan Goins at shortstop:

Postgame interviews with all three pitchers:

The full 9th inning, courtesy of Bus Leagues Baseball:

Just telling it like it is ...

TIME TO FLIP a food spread. Time to send somebody packing. The Fisher Cats are playing uninspired, sloppy baseball right now. Tonight they opened a four-game series against Binghamton and lost, 9-2, dropping their fourth in a row. New Hampshire (13-19) struck out 15 times and committed three errors. (Mark Sobolewski, throw; John Tolisano, catch; A.J. Jimenez, throw). We expected a drop-off in production from last year's championship team, but nothing quite like this. Grumpy Sal Fasano shut his office door after the game. I talk with the Fisher Cats manager after most every game I cover. It was time to get some reaction on this losing streak, but after Fasano saw me in the hallway, he immediately shut his door. Jonathan Diaz and Brad Glenn did speak about the current state of the Fisher Cats.


"You want to win. When you're in a skid like this, it's tough," Diaz said. "All we can do is keep grinding and focusing and giving it all we've got."

AFTER HOURS: No, that is not the Millennium Falcon parked in left field. It's the new LED board at the Fisher Cats ballpark.  

Pic Potpourri

Lord Farquhar

Jonathan Diaz

2012 Opening Day

The Gamers and Matt Daly

BVK

Koby Clemens

Sobo

Mark Sobolewski pregame interview

Things have been quiet in the land of Fisher Kitties lately. A day off, rainout, then six scoreless innings by Chad Jenkins as New Hampshire opened the series at Binghamton with a 4-0 win on Tuesday. Entering tonight the Fisher Cats own an Eastern League-worst .238 team batting average. Mark Sobolewski had a three knocks at Bingo tonight, which prompted me to post this video from the first homestand in which Sobo recaps his skin cancer scare.

Deck dealing

Deck McGuire put everything together against the Binghamton Mets on Thusday, pitching 6.2 innings scoreless innings and allowing one hit, striking out three with three walks. He kept the ball down, moved in and out, and was "12-for-19" on throwing his slider, according to Fisher Cats pitching coach Tom Signore. Deck's postgame thoughts and the importance of "staying on top" of the ball and downward plane -- and all that:

"Flames then frost" here in New Hampshire

RHP Chad Jenkins has a shot at joining the Blue Jays next week when a need for a fifth starter arises. Here at Double-A New Hampshire, the only candidates are Jenkins, Drew Hutchison and Brett Cecil. In this video, Jenkins talks about his most recent start against New Britain. Jenkins pitches tonight against the Binghamton Mets ... RHPs Clint Everts and Yohan Pino were sent to New Hampshire from Triple-A Las Vegas, and RHP Fernando Hernandez was placed on the disabled list ... Nobody sums up the weather here like Justin Jackson: "Flames then frost the next day," tweeted @JaxChillinOne ... Fisher Cats now have four No. 1 draft picks on the active roster: Jackson, Everts, Jenkins and Cecil. Jackson's .400 average ranks fourth in the Eastern League. However, this is a weak at-bat from a homer-hungry JJax.

Fisher Cats starting pitcher Chad Jenkins delivers a fastball at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Kevin Littlefield/Staff

Jason Marquis talks about his daughter's recovery

Big leaguer Jason Marquis split the plate in half for eight innings, making a final tuneup for New Britain before rejoining the Twins next week at Yankee Stadium. Marquis gave up two runs, including a solo homer by Koby Clemens, to beat New Hampshire, 5-3, on opening night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. The 104-game winner fanned seven Fisher Cats without issuing a walk. Following the game, he talked about 7-year-old daughter Reese's recovery from a bicycle accident and how she is likely to make a full recovery from internal injuries and surgery. Great news. 

Fisher Cats Opening Day 2012

Sal Fasano's first lineup card at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in 2012. "Your Gs have gotten better," I told him.

Tonight the Fisher Cats will show off their 2011 Eastern League championship banner and embark on a ninth home season in Manchester, NH ... New Hampshire righty Chad Jenkins (1-0 ERA) goes against New Britain's Jason Marquis, a big leaguer who needs work since returning from home in Staten Island, where his daughter was involved in a serious bike accident. She is expected to make a full recovery ... Jenkins turned in one of his best outings with the Fisher Cats last week, allowing one run through six innings and striking out two (no walks). That's exactly the type of pitching line Toronto wants from the Kennesaw State product. Jenkins does his best work when he's inducing contact, letting his sinker get the outs. Strikeouts are a bonus for Jenkins, who posted a 2.04 grounder-to-fly ball ratio last year ... "Chad came back in way better shape this year. He's a strong kid. Hopefully he's going to be a horse for us," NH manager Sal Fasano said. "He's a contact pitcher with a low walk rate. He's not going to strike a lot of guys out, but he'll get outs by putting the ball in play early in the count, kind of like how Henderson Alvarez pitches." And, now, Justin Jackson in the laundry room:

Fisher Kitties are on the bus

Fisher Cats owner Art Solomon will say a few words and the 2011 Eastern League championship banner will be unfurled at the team's home opener Thursday night. NH went 3-3 on the trip to Trenton and Reading. A.J. Jimenez threw out 4 of 5 base stealers (I just hate saying "would-be base stealers") and picked off a runner. My story on A.J. here. Brad Glenn hammered the team's first homer of the season, and my 7-year-old old predicts Glenn will lead the Fisher Cats in HRs this season. It's Chad Jenkins vs. Jason Marquis in the lid-lifter at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. NH manager Sal Fasano is the "Man Behind the Mustache," a great headline written by colleague C.J. McCarthy.

"The first part of the year is always fun because you always feel like you have a chance to get kids better, get them to the big leagues and develop them the way you think they should be -- and hopefully win a championship at the end of the year. It's the best time of the year for me," Fasano said.

Looking at the Fisher Cats ...

Road Trip -- Three wins, two losses (so far). Brad Glenn cranked the first homer of the season for New Hampshire. Jonathan Diaz stole five bases, and Justin Jackson had a pair of extra-base hits. Mike McDade (.389) has taken the most Quality ABs.
Prospects -- RHP Drew Hutchison retired 15 straight and during the course of two starts, winning at Trenton and Reading. The kid allowed two runs in his first inning of the season, then pitched 10 straight scoreless. "He got into a little bit of trouble in the first inning, and then went four straight innings and looked as good as he looked last year," manager Sal Fasano said. "He commands both sides of the plate. Hopefully he's only give a little taste of what we can expect down the road."
RHP Deck McGuire pitched on a windy day in Trenton, elevated, and got teed up for eight runs at Trenton. Catcher A.J. Jimenez has thrown out 3 of 4 base stealers and picked off a runner. And also impressed manager Sal Fasano with his blocking and receiving. "I'm trying to get used to the cold," Jimenez said, "but I'm feeling good about how I'm playing right now. (The Eastern League) is not easy, but it's not that hard, either."

Kevin Littlefield/Staff

Defining Moment: Hutchison stranded the bases loaded in the fifth inning at Reading and kept the R-Phils scoreless through a career-high six innings at Double-A. Game story here. Hutch is now 5-0 in five career starts for NH.

A.J.'s Double-A Debut

New Hampshire catcher A.J. Jimenez had three hits and shut down Trenton's running game, throwing out two wannabe-base stealers, in a 5-3 win for the Fisher Cats at Waterfront Park tonight. Behind the dish, Jimenez locked into a rhythm with starter Drew Hutchison, who gave up two runs in the first inning before retiring 13 straight. The Fisher Cats had 10 hits, with Brian Van Kirk collecting the team's only extra-base hit, a double. Hutchison went five innings, yielding three hits, while striking out six with one walk. Ron Uviedo picked up the save for the undefeated Eastern League defending champs.

The A.J. Jimenez Era has begun.
Kevin Littlefield/Staff

Fisher Cats Workout Day and Bonus DVD

Brett Cecil will join the Fisher Cats in Reading, Pa., and start Monday's game in a rematch of the 2011 Northern Division playoffs. "Let's face it. He's probably not going to be real happy about having to come back to the minors. This is a good place to get your stuff together. I'm confident he'll get his game together and everything will be fine," said Fisher Cats pitching coach Tom Signore, who coached Cecil for part of last season at Las Vegas.

Koby Clemens is built like a house and generates a lot of pop with a short-to-the-ball swing ... Dude hits bullets during BP ... "Lot of Dunkin Donuts up here, which is a plus," said Drew Hutchison ... I watched LHP Aaron Loup throw a side session today and his slider was absolutely ridiculous ... Brad Glenn has big-league power and may win a complimentary night at the Hilton Garden Inn by homering off the hotel beyond left-center field this season ... Cool event tonight for Fisher Cats season ticket holders, who met the 2012 players and fan favorite/Twitter hero Justin Jackson ... In this clip, Brian Jeroloman works the video camera and takes a, um, "artsy" closeup of Drew Hutchison during a photo shoot for the New Hampshire Union Leader ... Here is the second half of the wicked awesome interview with Hutchison and Mike McDade on Media Day:

Fisher Cats Media Day Fun

Drew Hutchison will start Thursday's opener at Trenton, followed by Chad Jenkins and Deck McGuire in the rotation. In two sentences, Hutch succinctly talked about his thoughts on being a top Toronto prospect. "My responsibility is to go there and give everything I can to help the team win that day," he said. "If you work had and that's your approach, none of the other stuff matters."

Other compelling notes: Mike McDade had to unfollow teammate Justin Jackson on Twitter. "I couldn't even look at other people's stuff. It was just him," McDade said. Hutchison added, "The feed was getting clogged." Koby Clemens crushed his first interview session, even dropping "oppo-taco" and talking about being a leader in the clubhouse. I already like this kid, who, yes, was almost immediately asked about his dad. "People talk about the pressures of my last name, but I always say I'm going to be Koby Clemens. I'm going to be Koby. My dad's always said that. I'm just like anybody else that's trying to make it in this game."

The Rocket's oldest son had all the right answers, even when asked about the negative side of the Clemens name. "I really don't look at negatives if anybody brings them up. I've got a lot more positives coming back from having my dad being who he is," Clemens told Marc Thaler of the New Hampshire Union Leader ... Here's our low-key interview with Hutchison and McDade, who discuss @JaxChillinOne and other random issues as we chat inside the visiting clubhouse: 

Spring Training Day 3: Familiar faces

On every road trip, I always seem to find someone from New Hampshire, and try to mention them in a story, but yesterday took the cake. Just some of the folks from The 603: fans David T. Segal and son Benjamin of Bow, Nicole Pappas of Nashua, Nick Mourgenous and family from Dover, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington of Meriden, Red Sox minor-league coach Ralph Truel of Wolfeboro, Red Sox psychology coach Bob Tewksbury of Concord, WTPL Radio crew of Concord, and I'll even include ex-Fisher Cats Jesse Carlson and Brad Emaus. 

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."