There is no faking it for Fisher Cats’ on-field emcee

MANCHESTER, NH – It’s an idyllic spring day for a Saturday matinee of baseball at Delta Dental Stadium where the New Hampshire Fisher Cats are facing the Somerset Patriots, the AA-affiliate for the New York Yankees.

Former Red Sox GM Larry Lucchino once referred to the Yankees’ organization as “The Evil Empire,” which is an allusion that will not be lost on many of the fans in the crowd today, who are dressed for cosplay.

Today’s promotional event is “Cats Con,” sponsored by Granite State Comicon, an organization dedicated to maintaining a family-friendly comic book show environment.

Standing along the first base line, Andrew Marais—the 32-year-old on-field emcee and the Senior Manager of Marketing and Promotions with the Fisher Cats organization—dons a bright blue blazer with his face painted white and his hair dyed green to resemble The Joker from the “Batman” series.

However, aside from the hair dye and the greasepaint, everything else about Marais is authentic.

“What people see when I’m [on the field as the emcee], and what people see outside these walls, and what my wife sees at home everyday is me,” said Marais. “You’re getting Andrew from the time I wake up until the time I fall asleep.”

Raised in Lowell, Mass., Marais grew up attending the Lowell Lock Monsters (now the Lowell Devils) AHL hockey games with his mother, something that fostered a deep reverence for the family bonding that sporting events can encourage.

“I see my job through the lens of my own childhood, and I want younger fans to make those same memories with their loved ones,” Marais said.

After graduating from Greater Lowell Technical High School in 2010, Marais worked for two years as a board operator for 980 WCAP, while also employed by the Athenian Corner Restaurant in Lowell—where Marais’ sister still works—while trying to blaze his own unique trail for the future.

In 2012, Marais enrolled at Southern New Hampshire University, becoming the first person in his immediate family to attend college and majoring in sports management.

This led to an internship with the Lowell Spinners, a single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, where Marais worked in food and beverages, running the concession stands and a barbeque pit.

“I really wanted to get into food and beverage,” said Marais. “To me, I associate sporting events with a beverage and a hot dog.”

Upon graduating from SNHU, Marais began an internship with the Fisher Cats and was quickly promoted to a full-time employee.

But Marais said that he had no intentions of assuming the role of the on-field emcee, which was filled at the time by Tyler Zickel, a native-Californian.

When the pandemic shutdown professional sports in 2020, Zickel returned to the West Coast, where he now works as the play-by-play announcer for the Vancouver Canadians, another minor league baseball team affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays.

With the role of the on-field emcee empty, Marais was approached by the organization and asked to try it out. Although he had no theater experience, Marais said he drew on his lifelong affection for professional wrestling as an inspiration.

“There is something special about the showmanship of professional wrestling that helped me,” he said.

Initially, Marais questioned whether he could fill the shoes left by Zickel, but upon reflection, he decided to embrace the challenge. “I love being outside my comfort zone,” he said.

Marais has now added his own signatures to the position, including wearing eccentric outfits—particularly jackets—that his wife Stephanie helps him choose. Alongside his colleague and production director Amy Cecil, the duo put on a show between innings that includes trivia, races and promotions for the crowd.

“Working with Andrew is fun,” said Cecil, who is a Manager of Fan Experiences and Creative Services. “He is full of energy and loves to get the crowd going, and he is always enthusiastic. He likes to give the crowd the best experience they can have.”

Perhaps the most recognizable feature between innings is something that Marais, literally, stumbled upon one day when he found two unused Sumo wrestler suits in the clubhouse.

After finding the Sumo suits, and drawing off his aforementioned love for professional wrestling, Marais created the characters of Rowdy Red, who he plays himself, and Bubba Blue, played by Caleb Baum. The two Sumos will battle each other on the field, using unique moves and antics that Marais insists are not scripted.

Marais said that he enjoys creating skits that can fit into a two minute and five second time slot, and he has also embraced Rowdy Red as an alter-ego, having vanity plates pressed bearing Rowdy’s name and frequently sporting red shoes. “Rowdy Red is the guy who you want to boo, but you secretly want to cheer for him, too,” he said.

But, above all, Marais said that he loves his job, and it never feels like work to him. Ultimately, it is the crowd that feeds him, and it is his job to reciprocate, giving everything that he has every night.

“I love going out there and joyriding with the crowd. It’s electric,” Marais said. “People pay money to see us, and it is my job to deliver every single time.”

While the baseball game itself might be the main attraction for most fans, it is far from the only thing the Fisher Cats experience has to offer.

“If you like baseball, we got it. If you like promo nights and giveaways, we got it. If you like the little things, such as what I’m wearing, we got that, too,” said Marais. “I want every fan to find one thing about the experience where they leave saying, ‘That was great.’ There is something for everyone here.”

And on this idyllic spring day, with some fans dressed as comic book heroes and The Joker loose along the first base line, it appears that Andrew Marais is exactly right.