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On or off the field, he has done it all
The mother brought her young son up to the autograph table
He was shy and backed away
The mother rolled the ball to Raul Nieves
He signed it but would not give it back
"You want it?" Nieves said with a grin to the boy. He
held the ball up. "Come around here and get it"
The boy walked around the table, finally breaking into a smile
as Nieves gave him a signature and a memory
Leave it to Nieves to master the ways of the autograph table
Just another role for Nieves
Need someone at second base? Shortstop? Third base? How about
the outfield?
He jumps out of the dugout to pinch run and he has even taken
the mound
He is the consummate utility player, filling a huge need on a
minor-league team
Unfortunately for the Sea Dogs, Nieves is making his last appearance
today
Nieves, 26, has been invited to play for his native Puerto Rico
in the World Baseball Championships in the Netherlands
He leaves for Puerto Rico Monday for a couple days of practice
before heading to the Tournament
Nieves is the only player to have worn the Sea Dogs uniform in
each of the past three seasons
Now that it appears Portland will make the playoffs, he is leaving
"I wanted to stay with (the Sea Dogs). It would be fun to
celebrate with them," Nieves said
"At the same time, this is an opportunity to play for my
country"
Nieves could be in Portland again next year
He will not be a minor-league free agent until 2007, so the Red
Sox could send him here again
"You always want to move up," Nieves said, "but
I'll be ready to (come back to Portland)"
The role of a utility player is especially vital to a minor-league
team
For most of the season, the roster has 23 players as opposed to
25 in the majors and with several pitchers on limited pitch counts,
a lot of arms are needed
That means teams cannot afford to carry a lot of non-pitchers
Someone like Nieves, who can fill in at nearly every position,
is valuable
Nieves hopes that his value gets him noticed
"You don't have to be a .300 hitter to be a utility player
in the big leagues," he said
"I love to be utility. I give guys days off and I get a chance
to show that I can play that position
Even though I'm hitting .209, in my heart I know I am doing everything
I possibly can to help this team win"
That became evident Thursday when Nieves was asked to pitch the
final 1-1/3 innings in a 15-0 loss to Trenton
Portland had gone to its bullpen often in recent days
With the game out of hand, the Sea Dogs wanted to rest their relievers
Nieves was called on
He was shaky with five walks, but he did what was needed, again
When Nieves is not in the lineup, he is often volunteering to
make appearances at the birthday parties that take place before
the games at Hadlock, and at the autograph table
When players are asked to make appearances in the community, Nieves
always signs up
His availability on and off the field is why he was nominated
for two of the Team Awards - the Citizen Award and the 10th Man
Award - that will be presented before today's game
He should pick up at least one award today, as well as a round
of applause from the Hadlock crowd (NOTE - he received the
10th Man Award)
In this season of big prospects in Portland, Nieves has continued
to contribute
And today, he says goodbye
RONEBERG PLAYING
Puerto Rico's first game in the tournament is against Australia
Former Sea Dogs outfielder Brett Roneberg is expected to play
for Australia
Also, former Sea Dog Todd Betts is expected to play for Canada