BEVERLY — Christopher Thomasson's friends don't believe he was picked to throw the first pitch at tonight's Red Sox game.
"I've been telling them to watch," he said.
If they tune in, they'll see him throwing a ball to his mentor, James Monahan, at Fenway Park.
"It's pretty awesome," Monahan said. "(Usually) nobody gets to go on the field unless you're breaking the law."
The pair received the honor through Mass Mentoring Partnership. Monahan, 44, and Thomasson, 17, have known each other for the past 11 years through a local affiliate, Children's Friend and Family Services in Salem.
Through Mass Mentoring, Thomasson applied for a $5,000 scholarship to attend a summer performance course at Berklee College of Music. He didn't win it, but the story between him and Monahan was exceptional, and he was picked to throw the first pitch instead.
"This is definitely an outstanding relationship," said Alison Drew of Mass Mentoring Partnerships.
She said she was impressed by how much Thomasson has grown, from a shy, quiet kid to the more outgoing teenager he is today. The bond he and his mentor have formed over such a long time is also what mentoring is all about.
"They have a friendship now, versus an adult-child relationship," she said.
They usually see each other a couple hours a week.
"We fish, we drive around," Thomasson said. "I'm going to get my driver's licence soon, so he's been helping me."
They've been to about four Red Sox games, but this is the first time they'll get to participate.
After the pitch, Thomasson and Monahan will join 750 other mentor matches to watch the game from the bleachers. Everyone will be wearing bright red shirts.
"We're all under the Dunkin' Donuts sign," Monahan said.
Monahan, who works as a program coordinator for the Mass. Health pharmacy program, began mentoring in the late 1990s, after his first daughter was born.
"I started because of all the school shootings," he said. "I thought, if I can help one kid avoid one fight, it can make things a little better."
He was matched with Thomasson when he was about 7 or 8. Thomasson is now a Beverly High School junior who likes baseball, but is more into rapping, and wants to go to college to produce music.
"I record in my bedroom with friends," he said. Until, that is, Monahan got him in touch with a neighbor who has a home studio. Thomasson has since recorded seven professional-quality MP3s, and can share his music.
Monahan said he's definitely been there for Thomasson, but he's also learned a thing or two along the way.
"One of my growth stages has been listening to hip hop," he said.
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Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salemnews.com
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