Stroll by the Carpenter Complex some day, the Phillies training facility just north of Bright House Field along Old Coachman Road, and you notice the Phillies training or playing on four adjacent fields named after some of the greatest Phillies in team history. There's Richie Ashburn Field, Steve Carlton Field, Robin Roberts Field and Mike Schmidt Field. Now those ballfields will be part of the Paul Owens Training Facility. The city decided to erect a bust and name the training fields for Owens, who may have been just as important to the franchise as Ashburn, Carlton, Roberts and Schmidt were…

We've all heard them before, more so at minor league games than major league ones. A player hits a foul ball. It's often met with a sound effect, maybe a whistle or horn. A fan tries to catch a foul ball. Either he succeeds and is met with an upbeat sound effect or fails and gets a sound like a Let's Make a Deal miss. This is no different at Threshers games. But who is behind the music? At Bright House Field, it is Luke Hensley. He is a student at St. Petersburg College majoring in business administration. Virtually everything a fan hears from the public address system, short of Don Guckian's…

Fans flock to Threshers games. They grab a cheesesteak and a cold beverage. During a play, fans think they see a hit only to notice the scoreboard flashes an error instead. Who makes these decisions? Larry Wiederecht, that's who. A man who attends every Threshers game is largely unrecognized and known only by a select few. Yet he may be the most important person at Bright House Field, short of the players and manager. Wiederecht is the official scorekeeper of the Clearwater Threshers. He determines what's a hit, what's an error, if it's a wild pitch or if the catcher allowed a passed ball, …

When fans go to a Clearwater Threshers game, likely the last thing they think about is needing a paramedic. Yet rarely does a game go by that someone in the stands doesn't need medical attention. That's why a sharp eye might notice an ambulance parked behind Bright House Field on game nights and game days. It's also why fans may notice Justin Gualtieri and Vinny Dallaire at games. The first responders are part of a team of about 30 who periodically work Threshers games. One first responder is always in the first aid station, located down the first base line in the stadium's concourse. The …

Of course Bright House Field screams "Phillies." The Philadelphia Phillies. It is, after all, the Phillies' spring training roost and the home to the Phillies Class A Florida State League affiliate, the Clearwater Threshers. Throughout the park are reminders that the stadium is a Phillies place, even banners in right field boasting the 2008 World Series title over the Tampa Bay Rays. But behind home plate is a magnet for both Phillies patrons and anyone with a hunger pang. The cheesesteaks. During spring training games, visiting media members often hurriedly run downstairs from the right …

If fans have gone to Bright House Field more than a few times over the years, it's very possible they would recognize Charlie Koss. An unassuming fellow, Koss, a retiree, has been an employee of the Clearwater Threshers for six of the eight years Bright House Field has been open. The veteran of the Vietnam War has done a variety of jobs at the stadium from usher to parking attendant to handyman and maintenance worker. "I had to retire to find a job I like," Koss joked. Koss works both the Phillies spring training games and all home games for the Threshers and though Father Time is creeping up…

Players and coaches come and go each season at Bright House Field. It is home of the Clearwater Threshers and the High-Class A Florida State League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. But there is more of a fixture at the stadium than the cheesesteaks sold behind home plate. It's the voice of Don Guckian. A native of the Rochester, NY area and a local resident since 1962, Guckian has been the public address voice of the Phillies’ Clearwater farm team since 1989. And it started thanks to basketball. Guckian coached two sons of then-Clearwater Central Catholic basketball coach Nick …

Though Don Short works for the Clearwater Threshers, he is the opposing team's best friend. When the visiting team bus arrives at Bright House Field hours before a game, Short is often one of the first people members of the opposing team see when they enter the stadium. That's because he is the visiting clubhouse manager for the Threshers. Short is like a mother hen for visiting teams. He helps unload the teams' equipment off the bus, gets all the bats and balls ready for batting practice, cleans and straightens up the clubhouse when the team is on the field, prepares the pre and postgame …