Almonte goes to college

Remember Danny Almonte, the one-time Little league legend who turned out to be two years over the age limit? After a brief and unsuccessful stint with the Southern Illinois Miners this year, Almonte is trying to pitch for a junior college team.

Check out the story here.

Cahill returning to Beach Bums

Former Wild Things shortstop Jon Chaill will return for his second season as manager of the Travese City Beach Bums.

Check out the story here.

If they build it...

Here are two stories about possible franchise additions to the Frontier League. The first, which is about a week old, is about a ballpark proposal that was to be part of an expansion of McHenry Community College in Illinois was rejected by the Crystal Lake planning commission. The college is hoping the Crystal Lake city council - the body with the final say on the issue - will ignore that recommendation and approve the ballpark.

Check out the story here.

The second story is about the University of Illinois becoming the home for a Frontier League team. An ownership group reportedly has filed an application with the league.

Check out the story here.

Quality pitching

One of the most debated statistics in baseball is the quality start. Pitchers are credited with a quality start if they go at least six innings and give up three earned runs or less. That means you can have a quality start and a 4.50 ERA for the game. If a pitcher needs his offense to score five runs to win the game, then is it really a quality start?

In the Frontier League, a 4.50 ERA for a starter is good in hitter-friendly places like Gateway and River City but a recipe for disaster in spacious parks like Traverse City and Evansville.

Still, the quality start is something interesting to track over the course of the season. At the risk of being negative, here are the quality starts for Frontier League teams in 2007:

44 - Windy City
39 - Evansville
38 - Florence
38 - Gateway
38 - Kalamazoo
38 - Washington
37 - Rockford
37 - Southern Illinois
36 - Traverse City
31 - Slippery Rock
29 - River City
28 - Chillicothe

Negative stuff

Here is the link to the story in Thursday's O-R that has caused my email's inbox to fill up:

Check out the story here.

Hey, Joe

In case you missed the Pirates game Wednesday night, San Diego's Joe Thatcher pitched 2 scoreless and hitless innings against the Bucs with two strikeouts. Thatcher, you might recall from an earlier post on this blog, pitched for River City in 2005 and is the only former Frontier Leaguer to play at Consol Energy Park and make it to the majors. So far, Thatcher is 0-0 with a 0.64 ERA in 15 games for the Padres. He has pitched 14 innings, allowing 6 hits and 4 walks with 8 strikeouts.

Final thoughts

Some leftover notes and thoughts from the playoffs:

* If you're planning to play the Powerball lottery maybe you should take along Windy City manager Andy Haines for luck when purchasing the tickets. Haines has beaten some long odds. Twice.

Haines was a coach for the Gary of the independent Northern League in 2005, when the Railcats lost the first two games of the championship series to Fargo-Morehead before rallying to win the final three games. So twice Haines has coached a team that was down 2-0 in a best-of-five finals only to come back and win the series.

"It's one of those things where you know it's possible, but you hope your players believe it's possible," Haines said Monday night. "The makeup of this team is similar to the Gary team. The bottom line is, we took it one game at a time. Before Game 3, we said we wanted to send 4,000 people home disappointed. Before Game 4, we said Washington didn't want to follow our bus back to Chicago. ... Our only goal was to get our bus here with a chance to win the series. Once we got to Game 5, we said we might as well win it."

* I don't understand the choice of Isaac Hess as MVP of the championship series. Sure, the Windy City reliever didn't give up a run in 5 1/3 innings, but he yielded a lot of baserunners and didn't have a win or a save. I was under the impression that left fielder Mike Coles was going to be the MVP. Somewhere along the line, the choice was switched to Hess. Coles should have been the MVP. He had six hits, scored four runs, drove in two more and made several fine defensive plays. First baseman Phil Hawke would have been my second choice.

* Had Washington won, Matt Sutton would have been the MVP.

* One person whose performance in the finals was overlooked was Washington reliever Travis Risser. He threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up five hits and one walk with six strikeouts. One of the hits, however, was a lazy two-run bloop single by Gilberto Mejia in Game 3 that gave Windy City a 4-0 lead. It was the biggest hit of the series. It wasn't hit very well, just well-placed.

* Finally, I'm hoping JD returns as the mascot next year. I know he said this was his last year, but we can always hope he changes his mind because ohhhhhhh, he's the best.

One final game

Here are the lineups for Game 5 of the championship series. There is one change for Windy City as John McCarthy moves up to No. 8 after hitting No. 9 in the ThunderBolts' first seven playoff games:

Washington
----------
Chris Sidick CF
Jarod Rine RF
Matt Sutton LF
Robbie Knapp DH
Nathan Messner 1B
Rene Quintana 2B
Pat O'Brien C
Ryan Bethel SS
Eric Earnhart 3B
Tom Cochran P

Windy City
---------
Rob Marconi CF
Mike Coles LF
Wes Long SS
Phil Hawke 1B
Josh Horn 3B
Gilberto Mejia 2B
Scott Billak DH
John McCarthy RF
Gavin Concepcion C
Shawn Phillips P

Weather will not be a problem. Temperature is in the low 70s with a breeze blowing in from right field.

What happened?

Because of a family commitment, I was unable to attend Game 4 Saturday night. I've read Joe Tuscano's story in today's O-R, and talked to only one person who attended the game.

I need more information.

So if you saw the game or listened on WJPA Radio, let me know what happened. Let me know what you were thinking after the game. Let me know what you think about Game 5.

Give it another try

Though Friday night was a frustrating and disappointing one for the Wild Things - two costly walks in the top of the sixth, too many strikeouts, an attempt at a reverse double play that probably cost Washington a run, a diving catch by Windy City's John McCarthy in the 8th inning that robbed Robbie Knapp of a key hit etc. - one guy who had a good game was shortstop Ryan Bethel. He had two of Washington's six hits and continued his solid play in the postseason.

Being in the playoffs is something Bethel couldn't imagine a month ago. He was playing for Evansville, which was on its way to a last-place finish in the West Division when the Wild Things swung a trade for the switch-hitter at the transaction deadline.

"I love it here," Bethel said. "This is a great place to play. I thought I'd finish out the season at Evansville and look forward to next year. I thank (Washington general manager) Ross Vecchio every day for believing in me enough to make that trade."

Washington will send ace Aaron Ledbetter to the mound tonight and use Tom Cochran in Game 5, if necessary. Windy City manager Andy Haines said Friday he was "90 percent sure" that rookie Brock Hunton would pitch Game 4. My guess is there was only 10 percent truth in that statement. I think it's likely that the ThunderBolts will go with Game 1 starter Eric Fussell tonight and use Shawn Phillips, the Game 2 starter, if a fifth game is played. The only drawback for Windy City is Fussell hasn't pitched on three days rest all season, but when you're facing elimination you have to go with your best pitcher, right? The only other alternative for Windy City would be to start Hunton and bring in Fussell at the first sign of trouble.

Scuttlebutt from the playoffs

As the Wild Things begin what they hope is the final day of the 2007 Frontier League season, here are some topics for 2008 that have been talked about during the playoffs:

* Jeff Pohl has been fired as Evansville's manager after one season. Pohl guided Evansville to a 34-62 record and last-place finish in the West Division. Evansville won the Frontier League championship in 2006 under manager Greg Jelks. Pohl was the pitching coach on the Otters' championship team.

* The league is already working on the 2008 schedule. It seems that a switch back to a 2-division format will take place next year. Washington manager John Massarelli said he prefers the 3-division format because it cuts down on travel. He pointed out that when the Wild Things returned from Sauget, Ill., after Game 2 of the first-round playoff series, it was the first time all year Washington had seen the sun rise while traveling on the bus. "That was a common occurrence when we had the two-division format," Massarelli said.

* Though no official announcement has been made, it looks like the Slippery Rock Sliders will be back in business in 2008.

* The early plan for 2008 is to conclude the regular-season on the Wednesday after Labor Day so that the higher-seeded teams can have home playoff games on Friday and Saturday in the first round.

That's offensive

The most surprising aspect of the Wild Things’ four-game winning streak in the playoffs has to be the offensive production. Thirty-nine runs in the four games, including three straight games with double-digit runs. At least one home run in every playoff game. This by a team that was sixth in the league in runs scored and ninth in batting average during the regular season.

Nobody in the visitor’s clubhouse Tuesday night at Standard Bank Stadium knew how long the offensive outburts will continue, but they certainly have come at the right time.

“This is probably the best we’ve hit the ball on a consistent basis,” Washington manager John Massarelli said. “We’ve played well offensively in a series during the regular season but not over a couple of weeks. When our offense is consistent, that’s when we play our best because our pitching and defense is usually solid.”

Shortstop Ryan Bethel added this: “It’s 1 to 9; everyone can hit. What’s nice about this lineup is that in any situation everybody can get the big hit. We don’t have to rely on one person to carry us.”

Massarelli is right. When the Wild Things score, they are tough to beat. Their pitching ranked second in the league – to Windy City – and only one team committed fewer errors.

“Washington, how they differ from all the other teams in the league is how balanced they are," Windy City manager Andy Haines said after Tuesday’s game. “Balance is the key word with them because they are not reliant on one aspect of the game. They're not going to make a lot of mistakes so you have to go out and beat them.”

Indeed a windy city

As the Wild Things take batting practice before Game 1 of the championship series, I see why the opponent is called Windy City. There is a steady breeze blowing from left field to right field. I'm not a weatherman, but I'll play one now by guessing the wind is blowing at 15-25 mph.

If the wind had blown like this at Gateway, then it might have taken 15 runs to win Games 1 and 2 of that playoff series. At Standard Bank Stadium, the dimensions are 330 down the right-field line and 375 to right centerfield. At Gateway's GCS Ballpark, they are 301 and 342.

The start time for Game 1 has been pushed back to 8:25 Eastern to accomodate the opening ceremonies.

Washington's lineup:
1. Chris Sidick CF
2. Jarod Rine RF
3. Matt Sutton LF
4. Robbie Knapp DH
5. Nathan Messner 1B
6. Rene Quintana 2B
7. Pat O'Brien C
8. Ryan Bethel SS
9. Eric Earnhart 3B
Pitcher: Aaron Ledbetter (14-2, 2.71)

Windy City's lineup:
1. Rob Marconi CF
2. Mike Coles LF
3. Wes Long SS
4. Phil Hawke 1B
5. Josh Horn 3B
6. Gilberto Mejia 2B
7. Scott Billak DH
8. J.P. Lowen C
9. John McCarthy RF
Pitcher: Eric Fussell (12-2, 3.26)

Wrapping up the first round

Before moving on to the championship round against Windy City, let's wrap up the first-round series against Gateway.

About a month ago, during a game at Consol Energy Park, Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee was checking the scores from around the league when he said to nobody in particular, "Windy City and Gateway are head and shoulders above everybody else in the league." There was probably a lot of truth to that statement. The ThunderBolts and Grizzlies were both on pace to break the league's single-season record for wins.

So, how did the Wild Things manage to sweep hard-hitting Gateway in the first round? Let us count the ways:

1. Pitching – What do they say about good pitching stopping good hitting? The Wild Things have good pitching. Pitching, however, was not Gateway's strength. The Grizzlies' staff was rather pedestrian as evidenced by the Wild Things scoring in 11 of 26 innings in the series. The Grizzlies' pitchers struck out only 10 batters in three games compared to 32 strikeouts by the Wild Things' staff.

2. Hitting - The Wild Things' team batting average hovered around the bottom of the Frontier League statistics for much of the second half of the season. But against Gateway, Washington looked like the team that led the league in hitting. There was much talk and concern about GCS Ballpark's small dimensions helping Gateway's power hitters, yet it was Washington that benefited most from the park. Chris Sidick and Jarod Rine wore out the tall left-field wall and Matt Sutton and Mario Garza homered over the low right-field wall. It should be noted that Garza's first home run in Game 2 would have been out of any park, including Yellowstone.

3. Composure - The Grizzlies' absolutely lost their cool and focus. Even before Chris Sidick's hard slide took out Gateway shortstop Ryan Saltzgaber in Game 1, the Grizzlies seemed more concerned about the umpires than the Wild Things. In all three games, outfielder Jon Armitage, the Grizzlies' MVP, was visibly upset by every strike call against him. In Game 3, Gateway players argued with the umpires, threw their gloves and yelled at the fans in the lawn area. I'm willing to bet that had Gateway not argued so much with the umpires, then Nathan Messner would have been called out instead of safe on his slide into second base that preceded Pat O'Brien's three-run homer.

What was most puzzling about the Grizzlies' gripes with the umpires is that, to the best of my knowledge, none of the three - Tony Maners, Jeff Spisak and Dan O'Connell - had ever umpired a game in Washington before Friday. The Grizzlies' can't say they got homered. O'Connell is the league's chief umpire in the St. Louis area; Spisak, who spent three years at the Class AA level, is from Indianapolis and Maners, who is from somewhere in the southeast, spent 10 years umpiring in Class AAA and has worked several College World Series.

4. Overconfidence - Were the Grizzlies overlooking Washington and expecting a matchup with Windy City in the finals? Washington manager John Massarelli thinks that might be the case.

"We've been there before. You clinch your division early with 60-plus wins and for young kids it's hard to handle that," Massarelli said. "After I read some of their quotes in the newspaper, I felt more comfortable. They were saying that if they don't win it all, then it won't be a successful season. They've already had a successful season. To base a successful season on winning a playoff series or two is absurd. After reading those remarks, I knew that if we could get a game up on them they would put pressure on themselves."

* Washington's win means the team with fewer regular-season victories has won 9 of the last 14 playoffs series. Why does the underdog do so well? Gateway manager Phil Warren offered this analysis:

"I don't know if it has anything to do with seeding. When you get the top four teams in this league, they're all good teams and deserving of being in the playoffs. In the playoffs everyone starts out equal. You see it at every level. You just hope you get hot and play your best when you get in. Records mean nothing in the playoffs because it's a whole new season. Everyone starts out 0-0."

Pat on the back for O'Brien

The Wild Things' playoff series against Gateway wasn't supposed to be a busy one for Pat O'Brien, who is the Wild Things' catcher against left-handed pitchers. Gateway did not have a lefty pitcher on its roster, and with GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., having a short right-field porch (301 feet down the line), it made sense to play left-handed hitting catcher Mario Garza instead of O'Brien. The best O'Brien could hope for was to be used as a defensive replacement.

But there was O'Brien, hitting a sacrifice fly in the third inning of Game 3 and smacking a three-run homer in the seventh. The latter gave Washington a 9-8 lead. O'Brien was in the game only because Garza was injured in a home-plate collision earlier in the game.

"When Mario got up after that, I didn't think I would be going in the game at all," O'Brien said. "I thought he'd be fine. I've been there before. In the bottom of the inning, they said get in there, Mario is down. I had to refocus quickly."

That shows that you never know when you're going to be needed, but you better be ready when called upon.

Washington's catchers, who had struggled at the plate for most of the season, had a huge series, going 4-for-8 with a double, 3 home runs and 8 RBI.

"Pat O'Brien is a great defensive catcher who can hit but struggled this year after being off all last year. With the short porch at Gateway, we felt Mario was the guy to go with. Windy City is a different type of team than Gateway. Pat will probably be catching that whole series."

Rough stuff

If there is one person who has raised the ire of the Gateway Grizzlies it's Chris Sidick. No, it's not Mario Garza, who who hit two home runs in Game 2. Not Aaron Ledbetter, who took a shutout into the seventh inning of Game 1. Not Matt Sutton, who had two productive games at the plate.

It's Sidick, who has been setting the tone for Washington's lineup from the leadoff spot and on the basepaths.

In case you missed the details, it was Sidick's hard slide into second base in the ninth inning of Game 1 that not only broke up a potential double play and allowed Eric Earnhart to score the game-winning run, but separated the shoulder of Gateway shortstop Ryan Saltzgaber. In Game 2, with two outs in the fourth and Washington leading 5-2, Sidick tripled off the tall left-centerfield wall. The next batter, Jarod Rine, pushed a dribbler up the third-base line.

Gateway third baseman Manny Paula scooped up the ball and had only one play - throw to catcher Charlie Lisk to get Sidick at home plate. Sidick, who was out by about 10 feet, came in hard and low with his forearms in front in an attempt to knock the ball from Lisk's glove. Lisk made the tag and turned to pick up his mask. Sidick, meanwhile, turned and began walking back to the dugout.

Thats' when Paula, trailing the play, saddled over toward Sidick and said something as he passed by. Sidick made a 180-degree turn and headed toward Paula. That's when home-plate umpire Dan O'Connell got between both players as the benches and bullpens emptied. After some brief finger-pointing, order was restored. O'Connell gave a warning to both teams.

My opinion of the two plays? Both were clean but hard plays. It would, however, not have surprised me if Sidick was called out at second base in Game 1 for obstruction. Though the rules say nothing about what Sidick did, the play looked odd. It was a cross between a roll slide and a WWE backflip. The play at the plate was certianly a good baseball play. This is a pro baseball and you can attempt to run over the catcher. This isn't Pony League, where you have to slide into home plate. Sidick didn't go in with his elbows high, around the catcher's head. He didn't go in with his spikes up. All he tried to do was knock the ball out of Lisk's glove. Lisk didn't even give the play a second thought, as he turned and picked up his mask.

At the time, I thought the play might be a spark for Gateway, a rallying point. The Grizzlies did pull to within 5-4 after that, but relief pitcher Justin Mattison came in and struck out the first four Gateway hitters he faced, thus dousing any spark the Grizzlies had.

If you build it...

Here's a short story about the proposed ballpark for a Frontier League team in Holland, Mich. The park will have 5,300 seats.

Check out the story here.

I asked FL commissioner Bill Lee on Tuesday about the status of the Slippery Rock franchise. He said the league will soon have an announcement about that topic. I followed that by saying, "So, Slippery Rock will be relocating?" His answer was "I didn't say that."

Hmmmm.

Late start

The tarp has been taken off at soggy GCS Ballpark and Game 2 has been scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. Eastern start time. The rain has stopped, through there is another band of showers expcted later in the night.

Rain, rain go away

It's 75 minutes before the scheduled start of Game 2 and the tarp is on and rain is falling at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. The Wild Things' batting practice was cut short when dark clouds rolled in and rain began falling. Word is that every effort will be made to play tonight in order to keep a travel day between Games 2 and 3.

When play does start, Gateway will do so without shortstop Ryan Saltzgaber, who suffred a shoulder separation when Chris Sidick slid into him to break up a potential double play during the ninth inning of Game 1. Saltzgaber is out for the season.

Game 1 leftovers

After being awakened by rain this morning – it has since stopped and the sun is out, but there is still a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms tonight – I thought I'd clean out the notebook from Game 1:

* On Chris Sidick's game-changing slide at second base – The play reminded me of one at Consol Energy Park against Evansville earlier this season. On that play, an Evansville baserunner slid into second base and did a popup move as Washington's Rene Quintana made a throw to first base to complete a double play. The Evansville player, however, hit Quintana's throwing arm with his helmet and the ball sailed toward the Wild Things' dugout. Manager John Massarelli argued for an obstruction call but all he got was an ejection for himself.

The Sidick slide was somewhat different, and here's Massarelli's analysis of why:

"Because of the nature of the play. In that game in the regular season, the baserunner obstructed Quintana's throwing motion. Chris, from my anagle, slid low and came up after reaching the bag. Chris didn't do anything to hinder (Gateway's Ryan Saltzgaber's) throwing arm. In fact, I'm not sure he even started to throw the ball. It was just a good, hard, clean slide."

Here is what Gateway manager Phil Warren told the Belleville News-Democrat:

“The way he came up with his hands in the way, you can’t do that. That’s where I thought we had a beef, but the (umpires) didn’t. Unfortunately, it led to a run. It (stinks), but we have to move on. That call gets magnified, but it wasn’t the whole game. It is what it is."

I don't remember Sidick raising his hands. He did use his shoulder, back and elbow to lift Saltzgaber off the ground, but he didn't raise his hands to prevent a throw.

* It's a shame that Aaron Ledbetter didn't get the win. He was outstanding, giving up only three hits in 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts. He was dominating for 121 pitches. His 122nd pitch was hit for the three-run homer by Jeff Vincent, just beyond the 342-feet sign in right centerfield. Sidick said he thought he was going to catch the ball, but it landed five feet beyond the low wall.

"Aaron was great on that pitch too," Massarelli said. "That was a Gateway home run. He pitched like a Pitcher of the Year. So did Erik Dessau. It was a good pitchers' battle."

Dessau gave up six hits and four runs in seven innings.

* There were at least three Washington fans in GCS Ballpark. Ledbetter's mother and father made a six-hour drive from Arkansas to see their son pitch, and the team chaplain for the River City Rascals – Aaron's former team – was there sporting a Ledbetter jersey from the 2005 all-star game in Washington.

* After the game, Ledbetter was more upset about walking Charlie Lisk, the Grizzlies' No. 9 hitter, than giving up the home run to Vincent following the seventh-inning walk.

"By far," Ledbetter said. "You can't give up walks in this park. Looking back on it, I wish I was more aggressive with a fastball to Lisk instead of throwing something that barely missed. If I did that, it was a two-run homer instead of a three-run homer. … But, that was a routine fly ball in some places."

Game 1 lineups

Lineups for Game 1:

Washington:
1. Chris Sidick - Center field
2. Jarod Rine - Right field
3. Matt Sutton - Left field
4. Robbie Knapp - DH
5. Nathan Messner - First base
6. Mario Garza - Catcher
7. Rene Quintana - Second base
8. Ryan Bethel - Shortstop
9. Eric earnhart - Third base
Pitcher _ Aaron Ledbetter (14-2, 2.71)\

Gateway:
1. Jeff Vincent - Left field
2. Ryan Saltzgaber - Shortstop
3. Jon Armitage - Center field
4. Mike Breyman - First base
5. Duston Roberts - DH
6. Stephen Holdren - Right field
7. Manny Paula - Third base
8. Ryan Sullivan - Second base
9. Charlie Lisk
Pitcher - Erik Dessau (14-2, 3.13)

Checking out the porch

Much was made about GCS Ballpark's short right-field porch – 301 feet down the line – during the Wild Things' trip to Gateway during the regular season. Here is a shot of right field and its low wall from digitalballparks.com, which is a site worth checking out. Trying clicking on the image to enlarge.

Playoff time

With the Frontier League playoffs upon us, let’s examine the Wild Things’ series with West Division champion Gateway. Here are three reasons why the Wild Things could win the series and three reasons why they could lose:

Why they could win:
1. Pitching - If there is one knock against Gateway, then it’s the Grizzlies’ pitching staff is not as deep as Washington’s, especially in the bullpen. Gateway does not have a left-handed pitcher on its roster, and if you’ve been following the Wild Things this year, then you know they’re a left-handed oriented team that has struggled at times against lefties. Also, Justin Staatz, who had difficulty throwing strikes as a reliever for Washington, is in a setup role for Gateway.

2. They’re due – Hey, Washington has to win a playoff series sometime, right? After losing five consecutive times in the playoffs, this organization is due.

3. Overconfidence – If there is one thing the Wild Things know about the playoffs, then it’s regular-season records mean nothing. Gateway won 63 games – more than any Wild Things team has produced – but that means nothing now. The first team to find a way to get three wins moves on.
Are the heavy-hitting Grizzlies overconfident? Probably not, but here are some interesting quotes from Gateway manager Phil Warren that appeared in the Belleville News-Democrat:
“My biggest concern for the entire playoffs is taking care of ourselves and doing the things we know we can do. Not to take anything away from the other three teams that are in this with us, but if we do our job and take care of ourselves, we'll come out fine.”
And: “Someone in the front office made the comment that this offense is unbelievable. I told him, ‘I agree with you, but enjoy it while it's here because you may never see one like this in the Frontier League ever again.’”


Why they could lose:
1. They always fall short in the playoffs – Do you believe in curses? The last four years, it has been one series and out for the Wild Things in the playoffs. They’ve been swept, they’ve gone to a fifth and deciding game, only to suffer the worst home loss in franchise history. They’ve suffered a lack of hitting. It seems a black cloud is hovering over this franchise when it’s playoff time.

2. Power difference – Gateway shattered the league record for home runs in a season. The Wild Things have more power in their lineup than they’ve had since the days of Josh Loggins, but if these games become high-scoring affairs, Washington doesn’t have the firepower to match the Grizzlies.

3. Home-field disadvantage – Washington is not a good road team. The Wild Things haven’t won a road series in more than a month. They need to win at least one, and probably two, games at GCS Ballpark, where the Grizzlies have been almost unbeatable.