Tagged: Matt Williams

Boise Hawks Yearbook Madness

To commemorate the soon-to-be-over 2009 season I am resorting back to my high school days and sharing a little Boise Hawks Yearbook Madness with you.  I asked the guys to nominate each other for the Boise Hawks Who’s Who and also vote on the Boise Hawks Top 5 Faves.  Check it out below.

And don’t forget to check out our Boise Hawks Yearbook Madness photo album here!

Boise Hawks Who’s Who

Most likely to star in their own reality show…#20 RHP Robert Hernandez
With his sharp duds and outgoing personality it is hard not to picture Hernandez in front of a camera.  He even gave the front office a taste of his future reality show when he taught us a few a few salsa moves last homestand.

Most likely to break out in song…#7 SS Hak-Ju Lee and #8 OF Jae-Hoon Ha
Known for their stellar rendition of Ruben Studdard’s “Superstar,” Lee and Ha are the karaoke favorites of this year’s squad.  Both guys are big fans of American music and often use their Ipods to learn the lyrics to their favorite songs–and more English.  I think the word “angelic” has even been used to describe their voices.

Most likely to pull off the biggest clubhouse prank…#21 RHP Josh Lansford
Maybe it’s the fact that he is a “vet” so to speak or maybe it’s that Cubs hoodie he always wears (I mean you could hide a lot of prankster stuff in there), but there is no surprise that Lansford would be responsible for pulling off the biggest clubhouse prank.  He’s so stealthy…I haven’t even heard what his “big prank” is.

Most likely to read on the bus…#19 RHP Danny Keefe and #14 2B Logan Watkins
When you walk into the clubhouse, these guys’ lockers look more like library shelves than lockers.  Keefe and Watkins can often be caught reading on the bus or in the clubhouse before the game.  Their favorite books?  Happens to be the same thing–the Harry Potter series.

Most likely to start their own charity…#9 C Matt Williams
Williams has always been drawn to helping those less fortunate and has displayed that sort of attitude several times this year while participating in the Kids Club Baseball Camp and other community events.  If he wasn’t a professional baseball player, Williams has said that he would like to be a youth pastor.

Most likely to offer a pep talk…#24 IF George Matheus
Also coming in second in the “Most likely to talk your ear off” category, it seems that all of Matheus’ chatter is encouraging.  On the field, he combines the right amount of light-heartedness and focus to uplift his teammates.  And as one of the bilingual players on the team, no one misses out on Matheus’ pep talks.

Most likely to learn the steps from a music video…#28 OF DJ Fitzgerald and Pitching Coach David Rosario
Fitzgerald isn’t really a surprise for this title; he constantly has his headphones in before and after games and carries a certain swag that could be busted into some full on dance moves at any minute.  But Coach Rosario?  Most wouldn’t suspect him as a dancer–but–I hear he’s a pretty mean salsa dancer.

Most likely to be caught taking a nap…#27 RHP Dionis Nunez
If there was an award for quietest Hawk, I’m pretty sure Nunez would win that one also…and probably because he would be napping.  Pitchers typically have a lot of time on their hands and the grind of minor league ball can be tough.  I don’t blame the guy for catching Z’s while he can.

Most likely to be lost in la-la land…#8 OF Jae-Hoon Ha
Maybe Ha should consider switching from right field as most of his teammates would describe him as “out in left field.”  The high-energy outfielder often causes quizzical expressions, either from his bunny hops in the batter’s box or his unconventional paths to a fly ball.

Most likely to stare at themselves in the mirror…#43 RHP Jon Nagel and #27 RHP Dionis Nunez
Once again, pitchers have A LOT of time on their hands, and it just so happens that Nagel and Nunez (when he’s not sleeping) spend that time in front of the mirror.  It’s healthy to be conscious of one’s appearance, but, guys, please don’t become Narcissus.  You know how the myth goes…

Most likely to talk your ear off…#6 RHP Tarlandus Mitchell
This title is particularly funny to me because Mitchell was one of the first players I took on an appearance…and it was like pulling teeth to get him to answer my questions.  However, I remember him telling me, “Once I’m out of my shell, I talk a lot.”  Apparently, he’s a man of his word because he still nabbed this award without even being in Boise.

Most likely to get married first…#28 LHP Ryan Sontag
By a unanimous vote, the only married player on the team gets this title.  (Somehow I think they misunderstood my question).  However, Sontag not only holds “Most likely to get married” but should also covet the “Most likely to start a family” title after welcoming his new baby girl Emily in July.

Most likely to laugh at a joke/crack a joke…#30 1B Justin Bour
Whenever you walk into the clubhouse it is easy to spot Bour’s hearty laugh…probably because he is either laughing or making other people laugh all the time.  The good-natured first baseman easily breaks any tension with a little bit of humor…and his cool helmet-spinning trick!

Boise Hawks Faves

Favorite Fast-Food Place…most overwhelming response–“N/A”
Favorite Supermodel…Heidi Klum and Beyonce (I’ll count her even though she’s not really a “supermodel”)
Favorite MLB Team…The Chicago Cubs
Favorite Sport to Watch…baseball (from little league world series to major league)
Favorite Movie Shown on the Bus…Talento de barrio and Bad Boys 2

Team Picture.jpg


Droppings from the Nest, August 13th

Latino Night.jpgLast night’s Latino Night turned out to be one big fiesta with a Mariachi band, dancers, festive music and special PA announcing in Spanish.  Definitely a great time and really seemed to liven up the crowd a bit.  Additionally, I know our Latino players really appreciated the promotion and gave them a little taste of home–while Andres Quezada was signing autographs before the game he said, “I really like Latino night…especially the music!”  I took this as a huge compliment to the night since Quezada is a pretty quiet guy and rarely offers his opinion on things.

On to the droppings:

Droppings from the Nest, July 19th-21st

Playing some catch up.  Since my last post, we’ve opened our homestand against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes winning two of the three games.  I’ve got a lot of droppings to collect.

Phew!  I hope I got everything!

Be on the lookout for video from the Hawks Baseball Camp…and a lovely surprise I got after the game last night.

Droppings from the Nest, July 15th

It feels slightly counter-intuitive to say this, but I love gamedays!  Yes, gamedays mean 14 hour days.  Yes, gamedays mean eating lunch in my office.  Yes, gamedays often mean running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  But I love it! 

I like the immediacy of gamedays–the adrenaline rush.  It’s the closest thing to actually playing baseball I can get.  I still get butterflies; I still get excited about the game.  I guess what I’m trying to say is–I am so glad the boys are back in town!  Good thing I feel this way because we have eight games ahead of us.

On to the (minimal) droppings:

*That’s another reason why I like it when the guys are back–there are more droppings to talk about.