Red Sox Affiliate Makes History in the Broadcast Booth

An alumnus of The Northfield Mount Hermon School, James "Jimmy" Ahern has served as managing partner and head of capital markets at Laidlaw & Company since 2010. Despite working out of Laidlaw's New York offices, James Ahern is a passionate fan of Boston sports teams, including the Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Women have been receiving more opportunities in sports broadcasting in recent years, yet one Red Sox minor league affiliate is set to make history in that regard. On February 27, the Single-A-Advanced Salem Red Sox announced it had hired Melanie Newman as its play-by-play announcer. Newman will join Suzie Cool who, last season, became the first woman broadcaster in the Carolina League. The two-woman broadcasting team is not only the first of its kind in the Carolina league, but all of professional baseball.

Newman did play-by-play for the Texas Rangers' Double-A affiliate last season and has prior broadcasting experience with GameDay Radio, the ACC Network, and FOX Sports Southwest. She's also a lifetime Red Sox fan. Cool, meanwhile, previously worked as part of the AT&T Sports Network's Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast team.

Despite the historic first, there is still work to be done in providing opportunities for female voices in baseball. There are only four other women broadcasters in MLB and the minor leagues combined.

The Best Players in Boston Red Sox History

Despite residing in New York City, Laidlaw & Company executive James (Jimmy) Ahern enjoys following Boston sports. A fan of the Red Sox, James Ahern cheers on a team whose storied history includes several outstanding athletes. According to experts, the very best players ever to call Fenway Park home are: 

Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez spent seven seasons in Boston, during which time he won his second and third Cy Young Awards and compiled a 117-37 record. His 1999 season, in which he finished second in MVP voting, ranks among the most impressive in MLB history. 

David Ortiz

Boston fans could never have predicted that a little-known free agent acquired in January of 2003 would become one of the best players in franchise history. In 14 seasons at Fenway Park, Big Papi made 10 All-Star teams and helped lead the Red Sox to three World Series titles.

Ted Williams

Ted Williams holds distinction the last MLB player to finish a qualifying season with a .400 average. Still considered by some to be the greatest hitter in baseball history, he boasts the best individual statistics of any Red Sox player ever, this despite missing significant time while serving in both World War II and Korea.

Red Sox Re-Sign Infielder Eduardo Nunez

Since becoming the head of capital markets at Laidlaw & Company in 2010, James "Jimmy" Ahern has facilitated more than $2 billion in transactions in the healthcare sector. Away from his work at Laidlaw, James "Jim" Ahern enjoys following his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Boston Red Sox. 

In July of 2017, the Red Sox acquired veteran infielder Eduardo Nunez from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for minor league players Shaun Anderson and Gregory Santos. The 30-year-old Nunez was coming off a year split between the Giants and the Minnesota Twins. 

Maintaining an impressive .308 batting average in 76 games with San Francisco prior to his trade to Boston, Nunez continued his impressive play in 38 games with the Red Sox, compiling eight home runs, 27 runs batted in (RBIs), and a .321 batting average. As a result, Nunez was recently re-signed to a one-year contract worth a guaranteed $6 million with a $4 million player option for the 2019 season. 

A native of the Dominican Republic, Nunez made his MLB debut in 2010 as a member of the New York Yankees and played four seasons with the team before he joined the Twins. Through 669 career games, he has 46 home runs, 245 RBIs, and a .282 batting average.

Red Sox Sign Veteran Catcher Oscar Hernandez

Since joining Laidlaw & Company in 2010, James "Jimmy" Ahern has helped facilitate over $2 billion in transactions, primarily on behalf of companies in the healthcare sector. When he isn't leveraging his investment banking skills for Laidlaw & Company's clients, James "Jim" Ahern enjoys following his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Boston Red Sox. 

The Red Sox are already deep at the catcher position with Sandy Leon, Blake Swihart, and Christian Vazquez all slated to compete for the starting job in 2018, but competition will be even more intense during spring training as the team recently signed 24-year-old Oscar Hernandez. The native of Venezuela began his career in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system but was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft. 

Since joining the Diamondbacks, Hernandez has played in only 22 games and has a less-than-stellar .167 career batting average to go along with one home run and two runs batted in (RBI), but he's primarily known for his impressive defensive capabilities. Through eight seasons at the minor league level, he has 63 home runs, 258 RBI, and a career batting average of .256.