President Justin Lamontagne  (Photo) kicked off our annual Sea Dogs trip with the rousing message of the day: “Play Ball!! Our event organizer and social manager, Bill Blount, led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and a stellar rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. The Sea Dogs event staff presented a fabulous cookout of hamburgers, hotdogs, barbecue chicken, mac and cheese, and our favorite SeaDog biscuits!

GUESTS: Brian Nickerson presented the many guests in attendance:  longtime Rotarian Alan Levenson introduced his friends Bill Vickerson and Matthew Goldfarb; Bill Ross welcomed his wife Paula; and Roxane Cole introduced former USM President Rich Pattenaude.

THE RAFFLE: Katharine Wall ran the raffle. Mike Reed won the chance to win the $219 raffle. He tried to stretch a single into a double, but was thrown out. Nice try! 

BEAN BALL:  The Sea Dogs VP Group Sales, Dennis Meehan, thanked the Club for our Flags for Heroes presentation and for helping the Sea Dogs kick off the Summit Project honoring fallen Veterans. Dennis also presented Charlie Frair with a helmet for “taking one for the team”. You might recall Charlie was hit on the head by an errant foul ball at the Flags presentation. Ouch! It was a scary moment, but Charlie's head proved to be a tough nut to crack. No harm done, but the helmet will be an ounce of prevention.

HOLD EM HIGH! Tom Talbott spoke on the upcoming 250 Flag presentation at Pedro Field (near the Back Cove Hannaford’s) on July 29^th. Please arrive at 4:30 to start lining up so that we can finish before the Little League game starts at 5:30. 

TAKE YOUR PICK: Kirk Duffy and Bruce Moore show their true colors.

LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER: Kyle Sasala, Manager, Portland Sea Dogs  | by Tom Talbott                            

 It was our annual road trip meeting to visit the Portland Sea Dogs, and Manager Kyle Sasala greeted Rotarians and guests to Delta Dental Park. Kyle shared his story of his path to professional baseball, player development, and managing within the Boston Red Sox organization.

Sasala said his focus since taking over as manager has been learning the organization, building relationships, and helping players develop. He noted that communication with the Red Sox is constant, with daily discussions about player movement and development. While Sea Dogs staff and Red Sox personnel have different responsibilities, both are working toward preparing players for the major leagues.

Before entering professional baseball, Sasala played college baseball, then worked in a juvenile correctional facility while volunteering as a college baseball coach. He said that experience prepared him for one of the more difficult parts of managing—having honest conversations with players who are promoted, demoted, or released.

During a question-and-answer session, Sasala was asked about recent managerial changes within the Red Sox organization. He said those decisions are made at higher levels of the organization and expects there will be additional movement during the offseason. He also commented on the uncertainty surrounding a possible Major League Baseball lockout and its potential impact on player development.

Sasala praised the Sea Dogs' fan support, noting that Hadlock Field consistently draws strong crowds and that fans understand the game and create an outstanding atmosphere. He added that the team's fireworks shows and the excitement surrounding walk-off victories make Portland one of the best environments in Minor League Baseball. Go Sea Dogs!

TRF has three major types of grants, District, Global and Packaged Grants. What are Packaged Grants? These are cooperative large-scale pre-structured projects with strategic partners. Examples are nursing scholarships with Aga Khan University, water professional training with UNESCO-IHE, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in which the Gates Foundation matches the TRF $2 to $1 up to $450 million. RI has also partnered with the Gates Foundation for reducing malaria.