Ryan Adrien Bukvich is a relief pitcher

Relief pitcher

A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

 in Minor League Baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 who is currently with the Newark Bears

Newark Bears

The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...

. Bukvich attended the University of Mississippi

University of Mississippi

The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...

.

Bukvich was called up to the White Sox in June along with Bret Prinz

Bret Prinz

Bret Randolph Prinz is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League. Previously, Prinz played with the Arizona Diamondbacks , New York Yankees , Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , and Chicago White Sox...

, replacing the struggling David Aardsma

David Aardsma

David Allan Aardsma is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. He is the first player alphabetically in the list of all-time Major League Baseball players, having displaced Hank Aaron upon his MLB debut....

 and Mike MacDougal

Mike MacDougal

Robert Meiklejohn MacDougal is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, who is currently a free agent...

. While Prinz remained with the team for only a matter of days, Bukvich stayed on the roster despite the subsequent return of both Aardsma and MacDougal. Bukvich appeared in 45 games with a 5.05 ERA and had one win, his first since 2003. He became a cult hero at U.S. Cellular Field

U.S. Cellular Field

U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...

, earning the nickname "Iceman" for his cool demeanor in pressure situations. Bukvich signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles during the 07-08 off-season.

Bukvich spent time during spring training

Spring training

In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

 recovering from an oblique injury. After several days of extended spring training, he joined the Triple-A Norfolk Tides

Norfolk Tides

The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...

 of the International League

International League

The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...

. He became a free agent at the end of the season. On May 21, 2009 Bukvich signed with the Newark Bears.

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