Stifler Joins The PawSox . . . And An Unnecessary Sign

August 18, 2009

The PawSox open a 10-day homestand on Tuesday and it will be the first opportunity for Pawtucket fans to see Josh Reddick in action at McCoy Stadium.

 

 

(photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)

 

The 22-year-old outfielder joined the PawSox on Sunday at Gwinnett, GA after batting .188 with 4 doubles and 1 home run in 9 games with the Red Sox.

 

On July 31^st, Reddick got the stunning news that he was going directly from Double-A Portland to the major leagues.

 

“It was definitely a huge surprise,” Reddick told me.  “Especially when (Portland manager) Arnie Beyeler didn’t tell me where I was going at first.  He just told me to pack my stuff and be ready to leave.  When I learned the news, I was like, ‘Wow!’  It was just before the trade deadline so I figured I was on my way somewhere else.  Going to Boston was the last thing on my mind.”

 

Reddick’s first phone call went to his father Kenny. 

 

“I didn’t expect him to pick up because it was one o’clock in the afternoon and I figured he would be working,” Josh said.  “But he was somewhere eating lunch and I asked him if he was sitting down.  I gave him the news and he handled it pretty well.  Then he called me back and said that he stood up in the restaurant and announced that his son was going to the big leagues.  When I called my mom, she was in the middle of Walmart and said she fell down in the middle of the aisle and couldn’t stop crying.” 

 

It’s hard to imagine what a thrill that news must have been for his father.  Before Josh’s first birthday, Kenny Reddick was electrocuted and seriously injured while on the job for the power company.

 

“It’s an inspirational story,” Josh told me.  “He lost half of his left arm and a couple of fingers on his right hand but he loved the game so much that he was able to teach me how to hit and how to play the game right.  It’s unreal to me that to this day he’s the main person who taught me how to play the game.  He’s knows what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong and he can fix things over the phone just like that.”

 

I haven’t met his dad yet, so I can’t tell you if there’s a strong resemblance between father and son.  But Josh is a dead ringer for a well-known movie character.

 

 

“Stifler from American Pie – Seann William Scott,” Reddick said with a laugh.  “I don’t see it, but I get it all the time.  That’s my nickname up in Boston.  That’s what Pedroia and Tito started calling me, so it stuck”

 

* * * * *

 

If you listened to our broadcasts from Gwinnett Stadium, you probably heard me refer to it as the home of the world’s “least necessary sign.”

 

If you look closely at this photo of the restroom, there’s a small sign mounted on the wall above the toilet.

 

 

Here’s a closer look at the sign.

 

 

 

Uhh, thanks for the warning.

 

* * * * *

 

Josh Reddick will not be the only addition at McCoy Stadium on Tuesday night.  Rocco Baldelli is expected to be in the starting lineup for the opening game of a 5-game series against Rochester.

 

I hope you’ll join us for the radio call, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 on the PawSox radio network and PawSox.com.

Written by Dan Hoard Posted in Dailies