Members of the 2009 South Atlantic League champion Lakewood BlueClaws will receive their rings on Friday night in a ceremony in Clearwater before the Phillies spring training game against the Orioles.

Below, find some quotes from BlueClaws players and coaches throughout the off-season about the anticipation of getting those rings.

(picture is from the 2006 ceremony)

• Hitting Coach Greg Legg, who gets his first minor league ring after 27 years in the game: “I think [the best part] is the journey,” he said in a ClawCast the night the BlueClaws clinched the title. “27 years, losing to Clemens 2-1, Erik Bedard 1-0. I could tell you horror stories.”
• Manager Dusty Wathan: It’s an exciting time. It will be my first ring on the coaching side. I got a World Series ring from 2008, but someone like Legger felt more passionate about that. Being my first year in the org as a manager, you don’t feel you put your stamp. Legger got to work with a lot of those guys. But on the other hand, I did play with a lot of those guys whether it be spring training or AAA. But to get one as a manager, it’s a different feeling, really proud of the players. You feel even more proud as a mgr or coach because you see all the hard work the players put in. It’s something they’ll never forget.
• Pitcher Trevor May: Oh yeah…that’s the best thing about Spring Training!
• Outfielder Anthony Gose: I’ve been bragging about that ring to everyone. Can’t wait.
• Pitcher Justin De Fratus: That’s going to be sweet. I’ll have that one on all the time.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 3:27 pm and is filed under 2009 BlueClaws. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.