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Meet Jake the Diamond Dog
Golden
Jake the Diamond Dog was trained by Jeff Marchal. He became a national entertainment act and had
appeared at Waterfront Park since the
Trenton Thunder
family's inaugural season in 1994. The team is a
Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
Check out this cool video of Jake in action.
Pick a bat: Baseball or mammal ... they're hanging around
By Christa Ritchie, The
Courier-Journal, May 12, 2006
Photo by Stan
Denny, Special to The C-J
Jake the Diamond Dog is a
tradition that spans canine generations. The
original Jake, right, carried a bat as his
successor learned the trade. |
You can go batty this
weekend at the Louisville Zoo and Louisville
Slugger Field: Jake the Diamond Dog -- a lovable
golden retriever -- will be on hand to pick up
bats, deliver water to umpires, catch Frisbees
and even sign autographs tomorrow.
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The above photo, though, is a bittersweet one, with the
mentioning of Jake's successor learning the trade. That is
because Jake suffered a stroke on March 18, 2007 and died
the next day. Fourteen years old at the time, he was best
known for performing at Louisville Bats games.
| "My new dog has taken over," said owner Jeff Marchal of
Harrod, Ohio, "but it's not Jake." (The canine will keep the
same moniker as his predecessor.) "I thought I was big, I
thought I was tough, but I'll tell you what, it's been a
rough road," Marchal said. |
A Special Golden Treat
Huge baseball fans,
Sheila & Bob Johnson live in Aurora, Illinois. When Jake last visited
[May 2006] their local minor league
Kane County Cougars (Class A team of the Oakland A's), they took
these wonderful photos for us to enjoy.
Jake sitting by his trainer next to the dugout during the time he
is Bat Boy-Dog
Jake bringing a bat back to the dugout (working as Bat
Boy-Dog)
Sitting on a table on the concourse waiting to greet his
fans
Kids petting a very happy to be loved-on Jake
Working Is Fun
Here are
some wonderful articles about Jeff's Marchal's Jake, both on the ball field
and off.
Summer's Dog Days
Diamond in the Ruff
Off-Season Joy
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