Late Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is greeted at Holman Stadium by longtime fan Pepi Osofsky of Nashua prior to the 2003 Atlantic League All-Star Game. (Telegraph file photo by Bob Hammerstrom)

NASHUA – It was the first night ever that the Stars came out at Historic Holman Stadium.

The date was July 9, 2003, and it seemed that all of the city sports fans were abuzz.

They knew a future Hall of Famer was going to take the field at Holman Stadium.

That was none other than the now late Rickey Henderson.

Yes, when Holman hosted the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball’s All-Star Game, it was an event the city had never seen. The game had a pre-sale of 3,800, the largest presale of any event at the Stadium with perhaps the exception of the Nashua Pride’s first game in late May of 1998. It drew officially 4,413, as the capacity for Holman was bigger then because of the old bleachers that were down the left field line.

As the Nashua Silver Knights prepare to host the Futures Collegiate Baseball League All-Star game for the franchise’s third time on Tuesday, we look back at the previous three league (non-high school) All-Star Games at Holman:

JULY 9, 2003

ATLANTIC LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME

Remember, the Atlantic League was the home of a mix of talent in the early independent baseball days – former Major Leaguers looking to get signed back to the bigs, Triple A level players looking for the same thing, with rosters having a few Double A and younger thrown in. The Pride were owned then by the man who has done a lot for how you see Holman Stadium today, working with the city to renovate the ballpark, not once but twice. Chris English now owns the Vermont Lake Monsters of the FCBL.

“It was great to see the presale of 3,800,” English said that night. “People paid attention. … There are some serious ballplayers here. This is as good a baseball game as you’re going to see in the country, being played today.”

Of course, Henderson was the star of the show, driving in what proved to be the South’s winning run with a double in a 2-1 win over the North Division. Plus he made two nice grabs in the outfield. He played five innings.

He was there to put on a show, yes, but for him that meant compete.

“You go out there to have fun, go out there to entertain,” he said. “But I’m focusing on what I’ve got to do to try to win a ball game. I try to be serious, put on a good performance. If you’re going to go out there, give it what you’ve got. Go out there and give it your best.”

The managers were mainly – like the ever popular Nashua’s Butch Hobson – former Major Leaguers who were, like Hobson, content to manage in the game wherever that might take them, or get a job in affiliated baseball as a coach or minor league manager.

Henderson was playing in the 2003 season with the Newark Bears, didn’t travel all the time and this was his first appearance at Holman. He wanted to help put on a show and not disappoint a large crowd for a big event, so he came.

“I didn’t even know the scouts were going to be here,” he said. “I’m looking for them at my ballpark (in Newark). You go to an All-Star game when I was in the major leagues, the fans chose you to go to the All-Star game, so you’re really going there for them, and the people that support you is the fans.

“I’ve been to this ballpark. They wanted the fans to come, and I thought it as a good idea. I get to meet the other players n the league and see who the best players are in the league, and move around and have fun with it.”

“I respect him for being here, the fact that he came,” Hobson said, “and the fact that he goes out there and does his thing.”

The Pride’s Joe Kilburg provided the North’s only run with an RBI double in the fifth.

JULY 26 2012

FUTURES COLLEGIATE LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME

Remember, this was a whole new baseball world at Holman Stadium. For all the history, fun, excitement, and memories the Nashua Pride had provided for a decade, the business model of independent professional baseball in the region was simply not sustainable.

Thus the next Holman tenant provided the jackpot: Summer collegiate wooden bat league baseball, with much lower overhead. The Keene Swamp Bats were highly successful in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, but even that was not the same as what came to Nashua, as the Futures Collegiate Baseball League was a for-profit venture, franchises run like minor league teams with promotions, etc. And a minor league owner, Lowell Spinners owner Drew Weber, authorized his team president Tim Bawmann to bring a team to Nashua and help start the FCBL.

It started in 2011 with four teams, but then expanded with five more in year two. Because it was just getting off the ground, the league waited until its second year to have an All-Star Game, and Nashua’s venue was considered the best.

“We had just come off a year in which we had the New York-Penn League All-Star Game,” Bawmann said. “We had everything in place and we knew how to run the game so I think that’s how we ended up with it.

“For us, it was the eary years of the league, and we were trying to get credibility,” Bawmann said. “We were outdrawing everybody else and we really had the best team. So it made sense that if we were going to showcase the league, let’s showcase it in the best facility with the best fans.”

There was a scout day the day before, with players working out in front of pro scouts. There was a celebrity hitting contest prior to the game with ironically current Lowell Spinners part-owner Mark Deschenes pitching. Deschenes is a former minor leaguer in the Red Sox system as well as a former pitcher for the Nashua Pride.

The game drew a crowd of 1,634 with the Original Four (Nashua, Seacoast, Torrington, Conn.and Martha’s Vineyard) beating the New Five (Brockton, Pittsfield, Old Orchard, Wachusett, North Shore) 3-0, and Silver Knight Jon Minucci from Southern New Hampshire University was the clear MVP, going 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

“You have to be a kid to play this game,” Minucci said. “You can’t be uptight. Tonight it was just a lot of fun to play with these guys. You have to have fun. See the ball, hit the ball, I guess.”

Defensively, Minucci also made a nice catch down the right field line on ball hit to start the game by the New Five’s leadoff hitter Chad Funkhouser.

Nashua’s B.J. Neverett managed the Original Four, and felt was a breeze.

“I’ve done the New Hampshire-Maine and the New Hampshire-Vermont games a couple of times,” Neverett said. “So I’ve done this before. But this is different.”

Nashua was 31-9 at the time and went on to successfully defend its FCBL championship. It was arguably the best Silver Knights team in the franchise’s 16 years, likely rivaled only by the 2020 title team.

JULY 18, 2018

FUTURES COLLEGIATE LEAGUE ALL STAR GAME

It was a birthday party. And ironically, held a day later than originally scheduled thanks to a pouring rain from start to finish on Tuesday, July 17. Officals didn’t waste any time calling things at noon.

A lot of planning went into it, as there was a committee established with the city wanting to celebrate Holman.

The crowd was announced at 2,825, with some unused tickets thanks to the one day delay, but in the seats were definitely over 2,000.

It included a Scout Day, the Home Run Derby, intros of eras, there was a video history of Holman on the scoreboard as well as a video message from the incredibly popular Hobson.

And, yes, Monkey Boy, who will be here this Tuesday, was also doing his thing on the field. Fred Gutherz, 92 years young, a member of the 1948 Nashua Dodgers, threw out the first pitch. A city celebration, to be sure.

“This is a big improvement from when I was here,” Gutherz said that night, laughing. “We were playing by candle light.”

Nashua Silver Knight Jake Lebel won the Home Run Derby by beating Worcester’s Michael Dellicari 6-5 in the finals, and also had a homer and sac fly in Team Dodgers 6-2 win over Team Nashua. Knights players were on both teams. Neverett managed Team Dodgers, making him 2-0 as an All-Star manager.

Reliever Drew Farkas was the Pitcher of the Night, striking out the side for Team Nashua in the eighth. Brockton’s Matt Johnston was the MVP, with two hits (double, solo homer) and two RBIs for Team Nashua.

Then-Knights owner Drew Weber was thrilled. All he could say summed it up: “Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.”

It was another Holman Night To Remember, which is what the current Silver Knights ownership/management is hoping for this Tuesday.