Ex-Clark Cougar Agrees to Three-Year Contract with Cannons
West Hartford, CT (AP)—In 1973, the Verrerie du Languedoc glassworks began production of the signature green glass bottles that have since become the worldwide symbol of Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. In June of that same year, Craig “H2O” Perrier was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts and for thirty-three years—“33,” the number found on the enigmatic labels of that other green-bottled giant, Rolling Rock Beer—he has been the pride of the Paper City and the Pioneer Valley as a whole. After a heralded high school baseball career, colleges from across the country were courting Perrier—Miami (FL), Stanford and Texas were among the hallowed institutions offering full scholarships—but he chose to stay close to home at Clark University in Worcester, the self-styled “Paris of the New Millennium,” under legendary head coach Marty “Chick” Kopka. After a stellar stint as an outfielder, beginning with personal accolades and ending with his induction into the Cougars Hall of Fame, Perrier played professionally for both the Brighton (MA) Yankees and the Sao Paulo (Brazil) Dragons before returning stateside. A chance contact last fall with former Clark teammate and current Cannons Manager Matt Celio eventually led to the March 1 multi-year signing of Perrier at Cannons World Headquarters in West Hartford (contract terms were not disclosed).
Newest Cannon Craig Perrier: signed, sealed, delivered, he’s yours Cannon Nation (AP Photo). Perrier, who will wear number 6 in Cannons Crimson, said he is “proud to be a part of such a storied franchise. I really can’t believe this is happening. I want to hit the ball real hard and help the team win ball games. It’s a simple game really: bat, ball, whack it…ball, glove, catch it.” He also expressed his excitement about being back in a line-up alongside his Cougar teammate and mentor, Celio: “There’s been Murderer’s Row, the Bash Brothers, the two Griffeys [Ken, Jr. and Sr.] played on the same team and now there is a little combo called the Sixty-Nine (a reference to the 6 and 9 jerseys to be worn by the Clark graduates this season) coming to a CNMSBL ballpark near you. Playing with the likes of Celio, Leo Dionicio, Tom Luby, Jason Maule, Mike Patenaude, Ed Poland and Mike Weber to name just a few is a dream come true. We are the team to beat in the A Division in 2007. They might as well start engraving the Championship trophy today.” Perrier’s panache is something that the Cannons lacked in 2006 and many of the team’s off-season moves—figurative and literal with the relocation to Newington’s New Cannon Yards—have focused on improving the “baseball atmosphere” and making the club not only stronger but more “vocal and outspoken.” Celio said as much in his first weekly press conference following the signing: “Last season was an opportunity for us to get a feel for what A Division play was all about—you may recall our advertising campaign, ‘A’ New Beginning—and we really didn’t start playing to our full potential until August. Experience is the intangible that makes us so dangerous this year. This season’s ad campaign is Kickin’ ‘A’ and Takin’ Names and this reflects an attitude adjustment on a franchise-wide scale. A third-place finish was nice in 2006 but anything less than a title in 2007 will be considered a failure. We’re bringing back the best core of players in the league and the free agent class is solid if not spectacular (Baseball Prospectus rates this Cannons’ group an A-, the best off-season score for any A Division team). That certain swagger was missing for most of the ’06 campaign. Perrier’s not just another ballplayer…he brings a little pluck to the plate as well. He’s a great clubhouse guy and members of the media will get a real kick out of him. 2007 should be a lot of fun with Craig in the fold.”
Perrier, a high school teacher in Massachusetts, interviewed for a Social Studies position in West Hartford earlier this month (Hall High appears to be the frontrunner for his services). A seafood lover, Beatlemaniac and avid Red Sox fan, he adds another lefty bat—along with Maule, Chris Barsa, Brian Pinney and the switch-hitting Patenaude and Steve Markie—to an already balanced but lethal lineup. Management plans to use Perrier as an outfielder, first baseman and designated hitter during the upcoming campaign.
Cannons News and Notes: Thirteen of the Cannons’ seventeen 2007 roster invitees are currently under contract (Calabrese, Dionicio, Luby and Pinney all remain unsigned at press time); the third CNMSBL Winter Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 22 in Avon; following the Connecticut Cannons lead (new insurance certificates are presently on file with the Town of Newington), the Manchester Cubs announced they will from this point forward be known as the Eastern Connecticut Cubs and that home games will be played at Eastern Connecticut State University (no drinking allowed on the premises…ouch!); Opening Day at Bristol is just forty-two days away; the league-wide twenty-four hour charity event scheduled to start on Saturday, May at 6:00 p.m. has been officially named “Step Up to the Plate: Charity Baseball Marathon.”
