Wareham, MA- As a group of Wareham Gatemen players walked into Cape Cod renowned Marc Anthony's La Pizzeria on Wednesday, a name was called out that stood out from the rest.
“I have an order for Blue!” the cashier shouted.
Receiving the order was none other than infielder and rising Kennesaw State junior Shamaar McDuffie.
“In my hometown, when my friends and I go out to restaurants and different places and they ask us for our names, we give them a nickname that doesn’t make sense,” McDuffie said with a laugh. “Mine just turned out to be Blue because it was my favorite color. I switched it to green, but I just stuck with ‘Blue’ as the name, and I’ve run with it ever since.”
Although it started as a nickname used only by his hometown friends, McDuffie said he’d love for it to catch on throughout his baseball journey — whether with his college teammates or his current squad in Wareham. A new place could give the nickname a whole new meaning.
While he had never been to Cape Cod before, McDuffie was informed of his opportunity to play for the Gatemen back in October.
“My coach called me to the side and told me he had just spoken to the coach in Wareham. He told me I was going to the Cape. I had the biggest smile all month. It’s a blessing.”
McDuffie made the 16- to 17-hour drive from his home state of Georgia, arriving Saturday with his college teammate and Saturday night’s starting pitcher, Daniel Powell.
“He’s one of the most energetic people on both the teams I’ve played with him on,” Powell said of McDuffie. “It’s always encouraging. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing or not — he’s always happy. He tries not to get too upset after stuff happens. I would say he’s one of the best teammates I’ve had.”
Powell was also in attendance for the dinner at Marc Anthony’s, along with infielders Jared Davis (Virginia Tech) and Colby Turner (Michigan).
“Blue is the nickname he uses at restaurants,” Powell said with a laugh. “He’s got a lot of nicknames, actually. If you call him ‘Little Head,’ he’ll usually get a hit.”
While he is a full-time player, McDuffie was unsure if he’d start the season opener Saturday night. Even without the start, he entered as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth and roped a double to make a statement — prompting several cheers: “Atta boy, Blue!”
