5 Reasons to Enter the D-Jays' Chili Cook-Off

An old-fashioned community cook-off at the ballpark is raising money for a Clearwater food bank. Here's how you can get involved. Did we mention, it's all-you-can-eat?

An all-you-can-eat chili cook off in Dunedin will benefit a food bank in Clearwater. Spicy? Vegetarian? Unique secret family recipe? Show it off at the Blue Jays' first ever chili cook-off benefiting RCS Food Bank of Clearwater. We have five good reasons to let your chili loose at the ballpark this Sunday, June 24: 1) This is your time to shine! Bring out that famous recipe, and let everyone else see why it’s the best in town. Everybody can vote for their favorite chili with chances to win in special categories. 2) The proceeds from the event go to a great cause! The $35 signup fee goes directly to the RCS Food Bank of Clearwater, and it includes four FREE tickets to the game to bring your friends! 3) You can bring your kids for FREE! Kids…

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Letter to the Editor: Broadcaster Issues Plea to Save Baseball

"We allow some of the most talented baseball players in the world to play in empty stadiums night, after night, after night. Let’s do something to change that."

The City of Dunedin has a problem. The city of Tampa has a problem. The cities of Clearwater, and St. Petersburg, have a problem.  Pinellas County, Hillsborough County and counties across and the state of Florida have a problem so grave and, yet, so easy to fix it ought to be addressed here and now. We, as a group, are not doing our jobs, and supporting the great game of baseball.  After the buzz of Spring Training dies down, and the hot summer months descend upon us, we allow some of the most talented baseball players in the world to play in empty stadiums night, after night, after night.  Let’s do something to change that. Tickets to Florida State League games can be had across the league for $5 to $10 on a nightly basis, and you can …

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Fish Tales

Threshers Sound Man Helps Fill Games with Hits

Luke Hensley is in charge of all the sounds and music heard over the public address system at Bright House Field during games. Once, that nearly got him into trouble.

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 player updates and advertisements, comes from Hensley's fingers. He sits in the same booth as Guckian, right next to the press box in the upper deck …

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Fish Tales

Larry Wiederecht Largely an Unknown Fixture at Threshers Games

The Threshers' official scorer has been working Florida State League games for 21 seasons.

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, among many other decisions. Wiederecht was doing this with the Threshers before there were the Threshers. In fact, Wiederecht goes back with the …

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Fish Tales

The Last Thing Threshers Fans Think About Are First Reponders

Sometimes, a mishap interrupts a fun day at Bright House Field. Local first responders see to it that the day is not ruined for an unlucky fan.

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 other first responder often stands outside the station and monitors the game, and not because they are baseball fans. A player could be severely injured…

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Fish Tales

Bright House Field: Home to the Phillies, Threshers... and Cheesesteaks

A chance encounter with a Phillies executive some 12 years ago led to Cindi Bowers' cheesesteaks becoming a local legend and a wildly popular fixture at both Phillies and Threshers games.

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 field press box despite the fact they have access to a media-only dining room. "Got to get a cheesesteak," they often say. The cheesesteaks are the …

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Fish Tales

Long-time Threshers Employee Loves His Job

Charlie Koss has been with the Threshers nearly as long as Bright House Field has been open. He boasts it's the best job he's had in his life.

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 on him too fast for his liking, the number of games he works in a six-month period doesn't wear him out. "Shoot no," Koss said. "This keeps me out of…

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Fish Tales

Short Makes Visiting Florida State League Players Feel at Home

Don Short is the visiting clubhouse manager at Bright House Networks Field. The easiest description of that title is he plays mom for visiting teams.

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 meals, and when the game is in progress, Short makes sure all the players have plenty of toiletries so they can shower quickly and get out. Oh, and …

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Threshers Florida State League Season Home Opener is Today

The Phillies’ Class A affiliate looks to be improved on the field and just as exciting in the stands.

The good news for fans of the Threshers is that a slew of promising young players who led the South Atlantic League Lakewood BlueClaws to a division title in 2010 are moving up to Clearwater this season. The better news could be the promotions and specials the team will run this year, which include giving away a car and hosting “the best happy hour in Tampa Bay." It all depends on priorities, but it all comes under the heading of having a good time at the ballpark. And when attending a Threshers game, most people are going to have a good time, one way or another. For those who prefer the action on the field, the team looks to improve from last season in which they went 67-72 and posted winning months in April, May and August before …

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