The Sea Dogs released Phoenix, their fourth outfielder, Thursday afternoon before boarding a bus bound for Pennsylvania. His last appearance at Hadlock Field, appropriately enough, was of running hard to chase down a foul ball . People don't realize that we care about these kids far beyond their baseball abilities.
Sentiment takes a back seat to statistics.
Not that Phoenix's stats were terrible. His .250 batting average was 15 points above the team average. And he remains the only player in Sea Dogs history to use 'misanthrope' in clubhouse conversation. Check that earlier statement. Releasing a player is usually difficult.