At each BlueClaws game this year, the Plymouth Rock Safety Cop roams the parking lot and hands out “Safe Driving” citations to the safest drivers in the parking lot before BlueClaws games. We sat down with THE Plymouth Rock Safety Cop for a new ClawCast in which he talks about his role in the parking lot.

“You get some great reactions when you tell people you pulled them over for driving safe. It takes them a few minutes for it to register that you said safe,” he joked.

Click here to listen or use the player below:

For more on Plymouth Rock Assurance, please click here.

Before Friday’s game at Greensboro, we sat down with BlueClaws IF Harold Martinez for a new ClawCast (and the pre-game show). A few quotes below, then the interview in audio form:

On his approach at the plate: “It’s always better to be aggressive because these guys have a lot of tools to get you out real easy but if you’re aggressive, you can get some better pitches earlier in the count.”

Being from Miami and going to the University of Miami: “It was a great blessing. That was the school I wanted to go to. I didn’t consider any other school. As soon as I got the offer I verbally committed in my sophomore year.”

Wood bats in the pros from metal bats in college: “Every year they had new rules and new bats. It got worse and worse. Wood bats are very customizable, your weight and your model. With wood, if you miss it, you’re going to feel it. But I love wood and playing with a wood bat. We used it in practice at Miami and in summer leagues so I’m comfortable with it.”

On playing first base, where he has spent some time this year: “First base seems simple but there are so many little things. You’re involved in every play and you take for granted the work they have to put in.”

Click here to listen or use the player below:

BlueClaws 1B Kelly Dugan is 4-10 (through Wednesday’s games) since coming off the disabled list last week. He had missed three-and-a-half weeks with a right ankle sprain. We sat down with the former 2nd round pick before Thursday’s game in Greensboro for a new interview. A few notable quotes:

He talks about getting back after the injury and said his goal is “just to continue to play every day…I was in the boot for about a week and they were pretty aggressive wanting to get me moving around and it paid off.”

I just continued to be more efficient with my swing. A lot of the stuff you do in the offseason, like a lot of weight lifting, it’s hard to a lot of during the season when you’re playing every day.”

Who he liked to watch growing up: “I grew up with the Dodgers and Shawn Green. His peacefullness at the plate and his attitude.”

On an in-season adjustment he made: “I watched some video of myself earlier in the year and saw I was moving around a lot in my stance and I tried to tone that bag a bit.”

On his approach: “I just take it as anything in the strike zone is fair game. Something Billy Beane said was ‘Good hitters make the strike zone smaller and good pitchers expand the zone.’ When I’m keeping the zone small I’m usually doing ok.”

Click here to listen or use the player below:

BlueClaws pitching coach Les Lancaster sat down for an interview prior to Monday’s game at Delmarva.

He talked about some of his current pitchers including Colin Kleven, Lino Martinez, and Matt Campbell. Lancaster mentioned some between start adjustments made with Martinez prior to his last start against Greensboro. They worked, as he was named Phillies minor league pitcher of the week last week.

Lancaster was an independent league manger for 13 years prior to joining the Phillies last year as the pitching coach for the GCL Phillies.

Click here to listen or use the player below:

We’re back with another edition of the Gold Coast Cadillac Manger’s Report, sitting down before today’s game with BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini.

Topics included the win last night, the outing by LHP Lino Martinez, the impact of C Bob Stumpo, and a great defensive play in center by Kyrell Hudson that saved two runs in the first inning. Here’s the big quote:

“I’ve seen him out there for a year and a half now and I said this last year but he could go into Philadelphia right now and play centerfield out there. He’s that good right now.”

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

On Sunday, Mike Nesseth threw three scoreless innings to earn the win for Lakewood in a 4-0 victory over Savannah. Today, the former Nebraska Cornhusker sat down for the pre-game interview.

Nesseth, a Windom, Minnesota native, mentioned playing youth baseball in Minnesota, where unlike many of his current teammates, he didn’t have the luxury of playing all year. He also noted that where he grew up, in a smaller town, most everyone played three sports (basketball was Nesseth’s first love). Nesseth ended up focusing on baseball beginning his junior year when he thought he could end up playing in college.

He also talks about his outing yesterday in which he made a few tweaks and adjustments after walking 18 hitters in his first 18 innings pitched.

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

Before today’s game in Charleston, we sat down with BlueClaws RHP Colin Kleven, who threw six shutout innings last night, though he did not factor in the decision. Kleven is a native of Kamloops, British Columbia in Canada and grew up a Mariners and Randy Johnson fan, though he was drafted by the Phillies in the 33rd round back in 2009.

Last night, he pitched against the RiverDogs, and he’s a former RiverDog, sort of:  “Growing up we had the name the RiverDogs, and my coach got ahold of someone here and got permission for us to use their logo as ours, so when I was 10-12 years old, that was the logo for our team.”

How did baseball get so big in western Canada? “We’re right on the border down in Vancouver,” he said. “That’s what I did my senior year, moving down the coast to play ball and get noticed. They do a lot of things down there for everyone like games against junior colleges or playing against GCL teams.”

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

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Meanwhile, here are today’s game notes.

A few quick ones: Bob Stumpo has four multi-hit games in his four games with the BlueClaws…Lakewood is trying to snap a six-game road losing streak and they’re 2-9 away from home this year…Ervis Manzanillo takes the hill for the BlueClaws tonight with a first pitch at 7:05.

Brian Pointer, a 28th round pick in 2010 from Reno, leads the BlueClaws with five home runs and sat down for a ClawCast prior to Thursday’s game at Charleston.

One thing Pointer talked about is hitting in the 2-hole behind Gauntlett Eldemire. Pointer noted that he can definitely get a few more fastballs to hit because of Eldemire’s supreme speed (he has 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts this year).

He also talked about watching Rangers CF Josh Hamilton play and how much Pointer loves his game: “He’s got a huge stick at the plate. I like how calm he is in the batters box to go along with his quickness and his power.”

“I started playing baseball competitively when I was 11 and from that point on I fell in love with the game,” he said. “I knew it was my thing when I stepped on the field.” Pointer also played football for a few years but did not play his last two years in high school to focus on baseball.

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

Born in Philadelphia, and a Phillies fan from day-one after moving to Wilmington, Delaware, and drafted by the Phillies in the 33rd round back in 2009. It’s all come together for BlueClaws C/1B Bob Stumpo, who is 5-8 in his first two games with Lakewood. He remembers rooting for his current manager, Mickey Morandini and is now trying to make the big leagues in the organization he grew up rooting for.

Stumpo joined us for the pre-game interview prior to Wednesday’s game against Charleston, which you can listen to below.

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

Through the first three years of the Home Runs for Heroes program, $80,000 was donated by OceanFirst Foundation to military-based non-profit organizations in Ocean and Monmouth Counties.

Now in its fourth season, the landmark program will eclipse the $100,000 mark this year.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, OceanFirst Foundation, the official non-profit foundation of OceanFirst Bank, donates $1,000 to one of nine military-based non-profits for each BlueClaws home run hit at FirstEnergy Park.

It’s a great program and we love sitting down with OceanFirst President Vito Nardelli to talk about it, as we did in this new podcast.

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

One of the elements that Nardelli talks about in the interview is how this program hits home for him, as he served at Fort Dix as a reserve officer for 20 years.

Click here for the updated standings maintained on BlueClaws.com.

We sat down for a new ClawCast before today’s double-header in Hagerstown with BlueClaws catcher Logan Moore, a 9th round pick of the Phillies last year out of a junior college in Colorado.

Moore, who played third base growing up, moved to catcher last year and this is his first full season as a catcher.

Logan talks about that, his transition to professional baseball, how close he was to going to the University of Tennessee, and much more.

Moore’s father, Brad, was with the Phillies briefly in the 1980s and coached Moore growing up through high school before he went to junior college.

He’s a left-handed hitter (as you can see), and says he’s always been a left-handed hitter. “I couldn’t do it right-handed,” he joked. “Ever since I was a young kid, I’ve hit left-handed…I’m sure it helped me out a lot heading into the draft.”

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

Before Saturday’s game in Hagerstown (maybe, it’s raining pretty hard as I type this at 3:38), we sat down with BlueClaws RHP Kenny Giles for a quick interview. Giles, a native of Albuquerque, was a 7th round pick of the Phillies last year and signed at the deadline, choosing the Phillies over the University of Arizona.

He talks here about his start to the season, his favorite pitcher to watch, youth sports in Albuquerque, and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

Before Friday’s game at Hagerstown, we sat down with BlueClaws outfielder Aaron Altherr, who is off to a 16-52 start to 2012. He talks about how he worked to improve in the offseason, what he expects for himself this year, the battle to lead the BlueClaws in stolen bases, and much more.

Aaron was a 9th round pick in 2009 from Buckeye, Arizona.

You can listen to the podcast below or pop it on you iPod (right click this link, save link as, drop it in your iTunes).

Thanks for listening.

Today is Opening Day at FirstEnergy Prak, and before the game, we sat down with BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini in this week’s Gold Coast Cadillac Manager’s Report.

(The BlueClaws, by the way, are 1-10 all time in home openers, with the lone win last year, 2-0 over Kannapolis behind Mario Hollands five shutout innings and the first of 22 home runs by Jim Murphy)

Topics include: The pageantry of Opening Day at home, no matter if the team started on the road already, his favorite Opening Day memories, and some baseball – about the first week of the season and who has caught his eye.

Click here to listen.