Dave Neff is entering
his seventh year is a member of the Hudson Valley Renegades staff. By day he is
a full time sales representative. By night he is known as “Da Beer Man” and
“The Pirate”. Neff has been the beer man for seven years now he started out in
the beer garden his first two years.
He decided during his third year that he
wanted to be out and interact with the fans so he made the move from the beer
garden to the stadium concourse. While making his beer call PA announcer Rick
Zolzer said that Neff sounded like a pirate. From that point on Zolzer gave him
the nickname “The Pirate” and the nickname has stuck ever since.
Neff
is known for his antics during the game whether it is telling jokes, throwing
peanuts to fans or catching balls in his bucket from Zolz’s booth and giving
them to children. He enjoys children and said “I love people especially
Children. Seeing all the fun through their eyes is what I enjoy most. He will
do anything to make a child happy.
I remember one game last year there was a
disabled kid sitting two rows behind me he gave the kid a ball. They started
talking and he found out the kids name was David the same name as his. Neff
then got Joe Ausanio to sign a baseball for him. That really showed me a lot
about his character he enjoys putting a smile on a child’s face.
He truly loves his job saying “every year I'm like a
kid at Christmas waiting for opening day.” “It offers me the opportunity to
shed the business attire, maybe put on a crazy outfit and get out with the fans
and have some fun”. “I have always been charismatic and love entertaining”. “The
fans come out to the ballpark looking for entertainment and if I can add to
their night it gives me a sense of pleasure knowing I added to their enjoyment”.
Neff is beloved at Dutchess Stadium and has made several fans he
is even so close with one family that they call him Grandpa Dave. Even people
that he doesn’t know will come up to him and say “hey beer man” and give him a
high five. He is a major part of the fan experience at Dutchess Stadium saying
“being part of the whole fan experience makes it the most rewarding job I have
ever had”. “When you can wake up and can't wait to get to work it really isn't
a job is it? That's something not to many people can say”.
