Cleaning out the notebook
Some notes and numbers left over from Wednesday night's walkathon at Consol Energy Park:
* Third baseman Robbie Knapp should return to the lineup after the all-star break. His cheekbone is cracked in four spots but it will not require surgery. Knapp will be required to wear a protective mask/shield on his batting helmet for about a month after he returns. He did participate in batting practice and take groundballs Thursday.
* Tim Alberts' solo home run in the fourth inning of the second game Wednesday clanked off the left-field foul pole. That reminded me of a story I read earlier this year (I think it was from a city with a Class AA team). A player hit a home run off the foul pole, which had sponsorship advertising on it from a car dealership. The promotion was that if the home team's player hit a homer off the foul pole, then somebody at the game that night won a new car.
* The woeful pitching numbers from Wednesday's 11 1/2 innings: 24 walks (not counting the walk at the start of the suspended game that was charged to Gateway's starting pitcher on Tuesday) and 6 wild pitches.
* Blown saves are up significantly throughout the league. Windy City, which has 2007 saves leader Matt Petty, already has a league-high 10 blown saves. River City has the league's best reliever in Mike Benacka and the Rascals still have eight blown saves. Washington has seven blown saves, which is more than the Wild Things had all last year. Evansville has the fewest blown saves with one.
* Washington manager Greg Jelks on pitching in the league this year:
"The pitching is not as good as it has been, no doubt about it. There's also more hitting in the league. Relief pitchers who were getting guys out with only one pitch before are now having to throw two or three pitches for strikes."
* The Windy City ThunderBolts, who began Wednesday with a 23-22 record and 1 1/2 games out of first place in the West Division, have a new manager. Brian Nelson resigned and has been replaced on an interim basis by hitting coach Tom Kashirsky. Nelson had been suspended for six days by the ThunderBolts for his actions in the clubhouse after Windy City blew a ninth-inning lead Sunday and lost to Gateway. Nelson resigned Tuesday.
* Third baseman Robbie Knapp should return to the lineup after the all-star break. His cheekbone is cracked in four spots but it will not require surgery. Knapp will be required to wear a protective mask/shield on his batting helmet for about a month after he returns. He did participate in batting practice and take groundballs Thursday.
* Tim Alberts' solo home run in the fourth inning of the second game Wednesday clanked off the left-field foul pole. That reminded me of a story I read earlier this year (I think it was from a city with a Class AA team). A player hit a home run off the foul pole, which had sponsorship advertising on it from a car dealership. The promotion was that if the home team's player hit a homer off the foul pole, then somebody at the game that night won a new car.
* The woeful pitching numbers from Wednesday's 11 1/2 innings: 24 walks (not counting the walk at the start of the suspended game that was charged to Gateway's starting pitcher on Tuesday) and 6 wild pitches.
* Blown saves are up significantly throughout the league. Windy City, which has 2007 saves leader Matt Petty, already has a league-high 10 blown saves. River City has the league's best reliever in Mike Benacka and the Rascals still have eight blown saves. Washington has seven blown saves, which is more than the Wild Things had all last year. Evansville has the fewest blown saves with one.
* Washington manager Greg Jelks on pitching in the league this year:
"The pitching is not as good as it has been, no doubt about it. There's also more hitting in the league. Relief pitchers who were getting guys out with only one pitch before are now having to throw two or three pitches for strikes."
* The Windy City ThunderBolts, who began Wednesday with a 23-22 record and 1 1/2 games out of first place in the West Division, have a new manager. Brian Nelson resigned and has been replaced on an interim basis by hitting coach Tom Kashirsky. Nelson had been suspended for six days by the ThunderBolts for his actions in the clubhouse after Windy City blew a ninth-inning lead Sunday and lost to Gateway. Nelson resigned Tuesday.
posted by Chris Dugan at
2:24 PM
8 Comments:
I think it would have been a very interesting to have been in the club house between games last night.
I would be tough to "WALK" away from.
Llib,
Good one llib – that’s my kind of humor. Wish I would have thought of it first!
Speaking of walks, strikeouts, and other such baseball things, I have been wondering why is it that so many FL catchers seem to have such a difficult time handling pop-ups? Is it only a problem at the former Falconi Field? I understand about the natural rotation of the ball as it is descending but why does that pose so much of a problem for these guys? Rochelle, not to pick on him, missed one last night that seemed to be a routine play. Since it is very common to see this at the former Falconi Field I am thinking that perhaps there are some wind currents that have some effect on the ball as it falls. It must be something of this nature because so many catchers experience.the problem. Can anybody shed some light on this?
I have decided, after thinking about it for a while, to stop calling the ball yard Consol Energy Park (CEP) and refer to it as the former Falconi Field. Mr. Falconi deserves to be remembered for his contribution to the success on this organization other than some statue with bird do-do on it! Another reason I am doing this is that Jelks and the word ‘energy’ just doesn’t seem to feel right to me! I was thinking we should empty all the tip jars and buy “Fireball” Jelks a new Hoveround electric chair to help him get to the mound a little faster when he feels he should go there for a chat with the pitcher. I think it would be a nice gesture on our part to reward him for the great job he has been doing so far! It might even get us home about an hour sooner.
Ron Wilson
Illegitimati non carborundum!
I hope it wasn't Budd Baer giving that car away. The "lucky" person would probably have to pick 1 key out of 1,000 to see if the car started.
Then he would have to open the truck to find Jesus Christ holding the title to the car.
Fans from the first season at "CONSOL ENERGY PARK" formally known as Falconi Field, will remember what I'm talking about.
Thanks Budd Baer!
"Give him the car"
Yep, Bud Baer, the ’honest dealer’ (just ask him) pulled a good one that time. Notice that he hasn’t been with his dog and pony show since then! I’ll NEVER buy a car from the ‘honest’ dealer after that deal. I’m not shocked that the WT would let that happen though. The Sharps Furniture thing is along those same lines.
Speaking of cleaning out the notebook:
1. I wonder why Gregg Jelks sits in the dougout all the time. In Evansville, he always coached third base. I noticed JM also managed from the dougout last year. Is it a directive from higher management that the manager needs to stay in the dougout?
2.I have noticed on WJPA broadcasts this year that the announcers give the station break every half hour instead of going back to the station. I'm assuming the the Wild Things radio network is only WJPA this year.
3. Is Fox Pittsburgh going to televise any home games this year?
4. Might the reduction in average attendance of 300 to 400 fans per game be due to the radio broadcasts going out to less radius from the stadium than in past years when the games were carried on more than one station?
5. Is it my perception that the O-R is giving the Wild Things less coverage than is prior years? As an example, in spring training there was a story, almost daily, on new players. Also, I don't see any full page color photos of players this year along with the option of getting the photos autographed before the games?
Do any of you bloggers have similar thoughts?
Agreeing with ilib about not getting enough coverage, I wonder why they keep them in the dark. My intuition is that Jelks wants the credit but from where I sit he doesn't seem to be doing anything to help himself. I too have wondered why he doesn't stand at third base when Wild Things are up to bat. Masserelli always stood at third base urging his players on and they did pretty good the last few seasons. I don't believe that the WT are going to the playoffs this year. First time for me and I'm going to miss it.
"I too have wondered why he doesn't stand at third base when Wild Things are up to bat. Masserelli always stood at third base urging his players on and they did pretty good the last few seasons."
Mazz did NOT coach third base, at least, not very often. It started with his aching back, then, he seemed to like being in the dugout (as much as he liked anything).
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