by, Caitlin Connell
Keep the Kettle Hot Podcast:
While the summer season of baseball has been cancelled, we hope to continue to share and spread our love of baseball. We are proud to announce the official Cotuit Kettleer podcast, Keep the Kettle Hot! The goal of this podcast is to offer engaging ways the community and the Kettleer organization can stay connected and involved. While we can’t connect in person the same way practices, events, or games have allowed us to do in the past, this podcast will be a way to continue engaging with one another. This podcast is offered on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcast.
Interviewed Guests:
The first episode featured Nick Gonzales, a former 2018 and 2019 Kettleer. Gonzales played second base on the Cape and was voted MVP of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2019. His podcast features his journey with baseball, experiences with the Kettleers, and thoughts on the MLB draft. Gonzales ultimately was drafted as 7th in the first round pick to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The second episode featured Dr. Adam Naylor, a Northeastern University Mental Game Consultant. On the podcast, he discussed topics such as mental health, sports psychology, the Cape League, how he found his way to sports psychology, USA Hockey, and where he sees the future of sports psychology.
The third episode featured a roundtable discussion with Kyle Nicolas, Casey Schmitt, and Parker Chavers–– all 2019 Cotuit Kettleer players. The podcast discussed how the players have stayed fit during quarantine, their 2019 Kettleer season, and some fun rapid fire questions. For their favorite Kettleer memories, meals on the Cape, and field outside of Lowell park, check out the podcast. Kyle Nicolas was picked 61st in the second round by the Miami Marlins. Casey Schmitt was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the second round as the 49th pick.
Episode 4 was an interview with Coach Mike Roberts, a 17 year Kettleer coach and three-time Cape League Champion. In this podcast, he discussed his path to Cotuit and how he works on building the team roster. Additionally, he reflected on notable players who were on the Kettleers in past seasons, his favorite memories, and the updates/improvements seen at Lowell Park over the years.
Catch episode 5, where Joe and Ryan talked to Cape Cod Hall of Famer Lou Merloni, who played for both the Bourne Braves (1991) and Cotuit Kettleers (1992). Merloni, the 1992 batting champion and part of the 1992 Kettleer championship team, was drafted by the Red Sox and played with them for 6 seasons. Find out about his favorite memories of the Cape League, his experiences in the MLB, transitioning into broadcasting, and much more.
The Starting Line Up:
Keep the Kettle Hot is produced by Peter Flaherty, Joe Skinner, and Ryan Zimmerman, all interns who continue to be remotely part of the organization for the summer.
Peter:
“I’m a rising senior at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA and I’ve been going to Cotuit games my entire life, but this would have been my third season as the MLB Scout Liaison/GM Intern. My favorite part about regular season games is seeing each player develop both as a player on the field and person off of it. I also like interacting with the numerous MLB scouts at each game and providing them any information they might need. Above all else, seeing the Kettleers win is my favorite part of each summer day. I think the podcast is a great idea and I think even without baseball fans will feel connected to the team as they will hear from some of their favorite players and coaches from past summers!”
Joe:
“My name is Joe Skinner and this is the first year with the organization. I am a rising senior at Penn State, and I’m hoping that with our podcast we can help people get their fix of the Kettleers without an actual season!”
Ryan:
“My name is Ryan Zimmerman, and I am joining the Kettleers this season after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley. I am very excited to be a part of Keep the Kettle Hot. I decided to work for the Kettleers because of the team’s organization and clear commitment to creating the best possible product both on and off the field. No other team in the entire Cape League puts more effort into their media and content production, this podcast is an example of that. I’m excited to work on this podcast because it allows me to grow both as a broadcaster and an overall media relations person. This is a completely new experience for me, I have the chance to try new things like hosting a show and doing anything necessary to promote it, and I’m grateful to the Kettleers for having the trust in me to take on all that responsibility.
With the Cape League season unfortunately canceled this summer, Keep the Kettle Hot is a great way to stay engaged with the Cotuit community and keep baseball alive even if Lowell Park is quiet. Personally, I look forward to connecting with the town and team and am excited to co-host the first-ever podcast in Kettleer history!”
On Deck for future episodes:
Who will be featured next? Updates will be found on our social media pages, which will release the new guests before the new episodes come out. Facebook: @CotuitKettleers Instagram: @cotuitkettleers and Twitter: @CotuitKettleers.
We appreciate all the support the Kettleer fans and community have given us! We hope to continue to connect and build our community throughout the summer! Be on the lookout for podcasts, social media posts, and other engagements we have planned.