Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • S p r i n g 2 0 1 7 7 Game at the time they were still in Lakewood: former Chicago Cubs second baseman Adrian Cardenas in 2007, current San Diego Padres pitcher Jarred Cosart in 2010, and current Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco in 2006. Through the 2016 season, a total of twenty-five players with BlueClaws history have appeared in the Futures Game. Theme Nights, Promotions, Giveaways, & Concerts Some of the most popular and long-standing traditions are Blue- Claws theme nights. Giombarrese explained, "A movie is a movie, or you can go to the boardwalk and play the same games or go to the same shops. We literally make events and memories from scratch, building a new show seventy different times each year. It's a lot of fun, and it's something we're really proud of doing throughout the year." Many theme nights feature a special one-time jersey worn by the BlueClaws players. The special theme jerseys are auctioned off following the game with proceeds benefiting over forty non-profit organizations, each a BlueClaws Community Partner and a beneficiary of BlueClaws Charities. Money raised through the jersey auctions, 50/50 raffles at every home game, and other fundraisers are dispersed through BlueClaws Charities at the end of each year. The team also raises funds for the ALS Association of Greater Philadelphia, the principal charity of the Philadelphia Phillies and their affiliates, by holding a "Celebrity Waiter" event every year where the BlueClaws players and managers take on the roles of servers, bussers, and bartenders. The organization surprised even themselves with the unexpected suc- cess of one of last summer's theme nights, "Caturday," where fan's brought their cats to the game and players wore jerseys adorned with dozens of felines. The Caturday story went viral and was featured on news segments by ESPN, CBS Sports, NBC, The O'Reilly Factor, and other media outlets across the nation. Caturday returns to the stadium this year on May 27, and hopes are high that it surpasses last year's success. Another theme night, "Harry Potter Night," will return for the second consecutive year this season on Friday, May 26. Giombarrese said, "Last year, Harry Potter Night continued on page 8 was one of the best nights we've ever done. Fans dressed in costume or wore Harry Potter shirts. We wore the Harry Potter jerseys and sold magic wands and butter beer, which they have in the Harry Potter books and movies. We even dressed up a kid as the Golden Snitch, and he just ran around the stadium all night." The Golden Snitch is a ball used in Quidditch, a game played in the Harry Potter series, and the goal is for a team's seeker to catch it before the other team. Giombarrese explained that fans at the ballpark could "cap- ture" the Golden Snitch by taking a photo with him then posting it on social media with a special hashtag. Fan-submitted photos were then displayed on the BlueClaws' state- of-the-art scoreboard, which was a major 2015 facilities upgrade. This year, Harry Potter Night will include a Magic Mug giveaway and other on-field promotions, along with some special surprises. "It's going to be a lot of fun," Giombarrese said. The 2017 season will also usher in a new tradition to the BlueClaws' weekly home game promotions: the Summer Concert Series. For the eight scheduled Saturday home games beginning on Memorial Day week- end, gates will open two hours early so fans can enjoy live music from some of the shore's most popular musicians and bands. A major goal for the entire BlueClaws organization is to once again lead the South Atlantic League and all other New Jersey minor league and independent ball clubs in attendance, a feat they have accom- plished every single year in all sixteen years of their existence. Giombarrese said, "That's something we and the community have both been very proud of. The fans take it as a piece of great pride when we lead the league [in attendance], and that's something we've been able to do every year." Additionally, the excite- ment is building to see who the Mascots Buster and RipTide will be at all home games and many local community events through- out the year. courtesy of Lakewood BlueClaw

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