For openers...
Three games does not a make a season, or even a week, but here are some early impressions and notes on the Wild Things and their opponent this weekend, the Traverse City Beach Bums:
* Washington is off to its usual slow start, though it is 0-3 for the first time in its seven-year history. About the start, manager Greg Jelks hit on something interesting following a 13-3 loss to the Beach Bums in the home opener Saturday. He said the disjointed schedule has hampered his team. The Wild Things had a rain-plagued spring training, then played two road games in less than 16 hours, then took four days off before the home opener. It was sit and watch it rain for two weeks, then hurry and play two games, then sit and wait for four days. It's hard to build any momentum that way.
* I like the Wild Things' offense. This team is going to score a lot of runs. There is speed at the top of the order, and if Robbie Knapp is hitting all the way down in the No. 7 spot - as he did Saturday - then there must be some punch in the middle of the lineup.
* I wonder if Traverse City designated hitter/outfielder Jake Whitesides is the first nine-year pro to play in the Frontier League.
* Having second baseman Steve Young healthy for an entire season will be a huge boost for Traverse City. Young, who missed most of last season with an injury, made two stellar defensive plays against the Wild Things.
* The most impressive part of the Beach Bums' 13-3 win was that it was done following a 15-hour bus trip from Traverse City that included a breakdown near Toledo. The Beach Bums didn't reach Washington until 2:30 p.m. Saturday. It would have been easy for Traverse City to simply go through the motions, but all the Beach Bums did was hand the Wild Things their worst home loss in nearly a year.
* The crowd of 3,119 was the smallest for a home opener at Consol Energy Park but still respectable when you consider the Penguins were playing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday night. The previous low attendance at a home opener was 3,207 in 2005.
* Washington is off to its usual slow start, though it is 0-3 for the first time in its seven-year history. About the start, manager Greg Jelks hit on something interesting following a 13-3 loss to the Beach Bums in the home opener Saturday. He said the disjointed schedule has hampered his team. The Wild Things had a rain-plagued spring training, then played two road games in less than 16 hours, then took four days off before the home opener. It was sit and watch it rain for two weeks, then hurry and play two games, then sit and wait for four days. It's hard to build any momentum that way.
* I like the Wild Things' offense. This team is going to score a lot of runs. There is speed at the top of the order, and if Robbie Knapp is hitting all the way down in the No. 7 spot - as he did Saturday - then there must be some punch in the middle of the lineup.
* I wonder if Traverse City designated hitter/outfielder Jake Whitesides is the first nine-year pro to play in the Frontier League.
* Having second baseman Steve Young healthy for an entire season will be a huge boost for Traverse City. Young, who missed most of last season with an injury, made two stellar defensive plays against the Wild Things.
* The most impressive part of the Beach Bums' 13-3 win was that it was done following a 15-hour bus trip from Traverse City that included a breakdown near Toledo. The Beach Bums didn't reach Washington until 2:30 p.m. Saturday. It would have been easy for Traverse City to simply go through the motions, but all the Beach Bums did was hand the Wild Things their worst home loss in nearly a year.
* The crowd of 3,119 was the smallest for a home opener at Consol Energy Park but still respectable when you consider the Penguins were playing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday night. The previous low attendance at a home opener was 3,207 in 2005.
posted by Chris Dugan at
11:42 PM
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