BULLPEN STAR IS ONLY ONE PART OF CRAIG BRESLOW'S LIFE

Craig Breslow is in the news so much these days because of the way he has been getting key outs when he emerges from the Boston Red Sox bullpen. Seven postseason appearances in which the left-hander has allowed only three hits and zero runs tell that story.

The bright lights of the World Series also give the onetime New Jersey Jackals hurler (now in the Can-Am League) an opportunity to bring more attention to his five-year-old Strike 3 Foundation, which has the mission of trying to help eradicate childhood cancer. He shared a story with Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs on the eve of Game 1 of the World Series.

It was shortly after Breslow was the winner in the ALDS clincher at Tampa Bay, the pitcher said, when he received a video from patients at the Tufts Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Medford, MA. He and teammate Andrew Bailey, who is on the board of Strike 3, had visited the kids in June. They obviously had not forgotten.

“Incredibly touching and totally surprising,” Breslow told the columnist, in his home state of Connecticut. “It was a really emotional moment for me. I watched it with my fiancée (Kelly Shaffer, who will be Breslow’s wife after November 9) and we both teared up. This is the reason we work so hard in the community.”

Yes, baseball players do have a life beyond the diamond.

WINTER LEAGUES WELL UNDER WAY

Some quick hits from various winter leagues that have started play:

**Bo Schultz (Grand Prairie, TX, American Association) is continuing to do well in the Arizona Fall League. The Arizona prospect has struck out 15 and posted a 2.03 ERA in 13.1 innings covering his first three starts.

**1B-3B Andy Marte (York, PA, Atlantic League)picked up five hits (.357) with two RBI in his first three games in the Dominican Republic. His contract was picked up by the Los Angeles Angels during the season.

**Jason Urquidez (Lancaster, PA, Atlantic) was 4-for-4 in saves with a 0.00 ERA and had fanned six in 4.1 innings in the Mexican League. His contract also belongs to the Angels.

**OF Antoan Richardson (Schaumburg, IL, now in the Frontier League) was hitting .282 with three RBI after 10 games in the Venezuelan League. He played for Minnesota's top two farm clubs last season.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER. Only $35 through December, 2013. Scouts: $24

REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER

Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions

TRIO OF FORMER INDEPENDENT STARS IN WORLD SERIES; 'RECORD' 32 NON-AFFILIATED PLAYERS ON MLB ROSTERS

It is pretty neat to have three former Independent players who will be active for the World Series. The Red Sox have them all in regular shortstop Stephen Drew (Camden, NJ, Atlantic League), better-than-ever lefty reliever Craig Breslow (New Jersey Jackals, now in the Can-Am League) and clutch-hitting outfielder Daniel Nava (Chico, CA, Golden League), the latter getting surprisingly little postseason action after his sterling regular season campaign. Jonny Gomes has been getting most of the leftfield starts, presumably because of his overall experience, even against righties.

32 ON 40-MAN ROSTERS MOST LIKELY A RECORD

Until the New York Mets outrighted reliever Greg Burke to Triple-A recently, no less than 32 players with experience in the Independent leagues were on major league 40-man rosters. That is believed to be an all-time high so take a bow, Indy leagues. Some more shuffling can be expected shortly after the World Series although newcomers needing to be protected from the Rule 5 draft in December could keep pace with those sent to minor league teams to open up roster slots.

Eleven of the 32, including Burke, had played their very first professional games in an Independent league. Eight of the 11 are pitchers with the exception of Drew, Nava and Minnesota Twins first baseman-outfielder-designated hitter Chris Colabello (Worcester, MA, Can-Am League).

ATLANTIC LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR ALREADY IN WINTER BASEBALL

Jake Fox, whose amazing production included three consecutive walk-off hits shortly before he was signed by Arizona, is among the Indy stars already playing winter league baseball. The first baseman-catcher-third baseman, who was selected as Atlantic League Player of the Year even though he missed the last month and a half of the season and the playoffs, is in Mexico now. Fox had 25 homers and 82 RBI for the Somerset (NJ) Patriots to earn the prestigious Atlantic League honor.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER. Only $35 through December, 2013. Scouts: $24

REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER

Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions

NICE DEBUTS IN ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE AND A POSSIBLE START (AGAIN) FOR NEW JERSEY STADIUM

Recent American Association pitchers Bo Schultz and Cody Satterwhite got off to a real nice start when the prospect-laden Arizona Fall League opened this week.

Schultz, a spring training invitee of the Arizona Diamondbacks in February who split the season between their top two farm clubs in Reno, NV and Mobile, AL, got the opening night start for Salt River and struck out six in three and a third innings while allowing two runs on three hits and the same number of walks. The onetime Northwestern University product had spent time with Grand Prairie, TX in the American Association.

Satterwhite was signed away from Sioux City, IA this season, and he picked up a save with a scoreless inning for Scottsdale. Satterwhite, also a right-hander, belongs to the New York Mets.

We anticipate having much more to say about the former Independent players in the AFL in next Thursday’s subscription-only Independent Baseball Insider column.

THIS BOO-BOO IS ON ME

When I wrote about Minnesota Twins rookie first baseman Chris Colabello, known for his persistence through seven seasons in the Can-Am League, explaining in this week’s Insider how a chat with a friend helped him through his struggles in shuttling between Triple-A and the majors this season, I said it was onetime major league pitcher Bob Tewksbury who gave the encouragement. In fact, it was Bob Tewksbary, a teammate at one point with the Worcester (MA) Tornadoes in the Can-Am. I knew the spelling of the friend’s last name was different but still believed it was the longtime major leaguer. I should have dug deeper.

SKYLANDS PARK SEEMS TO BE IN PLAY ONCE MORE

The on-again, off-again potential of an Independent team returning to Skylands Park in Augusta, NJ, where the Can-Am League had a team through 2010, seems to be a possibility one more time although not before 2015.

The 4,200-seat stadium and the 28 acres surrounding it were sold for the second time this year. Al Dorso, Sr., an established businessman, heads up the group that paid a reported $850,000. He told The Newark Star-Ledger “I’d love to bring baseball back to the stadium, but it’s harder said than done. It’s not in the picture for 2014, but I’m sure by 2015 we’ll be ready.” Frank Boulton’s proposed Diamond League likely would have an interest, and I would expect the Can-Am League would, as well.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER. Only $35 through December, 2013. Scouts: $24

REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER

Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions