Cleaning out the notebook
Some notes and thoughts and we head down the homestretch of the Frontier League season:
* It seems far removed from the Wild Things and Lake Erie Crushers, two teams who are playing out the string tonight at Consol Energy Park, but there are excellent playoff races in both divisions of the Frontier League.
Windy City rallied Tuesday night to edge Oakland County 3-2 as the ThunderBolts pushed their lead in the East to 2 games over the Cruisers. Meanwhile, Traverse City won a game over Kalamazoo that it probably should have lost and now trails Oakland County by only 1 game and Windy City by 3. Keep in mind that all of Traverse City's remaining 11 games will be played at home, including the final three against Washington.
In the West, Southern Illinois has ran away with the division title. The Miners clinched a playoff berth Tuesday. Gateway, meanwhile, missed a chance to pull closer to second-place River City. The Rascals lead Gateway by 2 1/2 games for the final playoff spot. River City has a big advantage in the remaining schedule as they do not play another game against a team with a winning record.
* Southern Illinois, which was 32-4 at one point, might have seen its championship chances take a big hit earlier this week. Joe Augustine (10-3, 1.97), who is a serious contender for the league's Pitcher of the Year Award, had an emergency appendectomy Monday. The team was returning from Lake Erie when Augustine began experiencing pain. When it was determined Augustine needed medical attention, the bus was within seven miles of a hospital in Louisville.
Augustine leads the league in wins and strikeouts (121). You might recall that Augustine pitched nine shutout innings last week at Consol Energy Park in the game Washington won 1-0 in 11 innings.
Southern Illinois manager Mike Pinto hasn't ruled out having Augustine back for the playoffs, saying his pitcher will be permitted to resume throwing in "10 to 14 days." Pinto called it a "50-50" chance that Augustine will return in the postseason.
* Washington pitcher Justin Edwards, who suffered a groin injury during a start earlier this month at Southern Illinois and was put on the disabled list, was activated Tuesday night and looked sharp against Lake Erie, allowing only one hit in six innings.
Had Edwards left the Southern Illinois game only one out earlier, Washington would have had an interesting decision to make with the right-handed pitcher. A one-out earlier exit would have left Edwards with 60 innings pitched, which is a magic number in the Frontier League. Throw 60 1/3 innings and your roster classification is bumped up one level the next season. Stay at 60 and you status doesn't change. Had Edwards been at 60, Washington could have kept him on the DL for the remainder of the season and his status for next season would have remained at L1. Each FL team is permitted a maximum of 7 L1 players and 3 L2 players.
It doesn't matter now because Edwards was at 60 1/3 and threw six more innings, but this is the time of year when you see guys throughout the league being benched to keep their status from changing. Typically, about half the teams in the league do this. The only Washington player who is near a status-change mark is pitcher Zach Groh, who is currently on the DL. Groh, who is an L1, has pitched 57 1/3 innings.
* It seems far removed from the Wild Things and Lake Erie Crushers, two teams who are playing out the string tonight at Consol Energy Park, but there are excellent playoff races in both divisions of the Frontier League.
Windy City rallied Tuesday night to edge Oakland County 3-2 as the ThunderBolts pushed their lead in the East to 2 games over the Cruisers. Meanwhile, Traverse City won a game over Kalamazoo that it probably should have lost and now trails Oakland County by only 1 game and Windy City by 3. Keep in mind that all of Traverse City's remaining 11 games will be played at home, including the final three against Washington.
In the West, Southern Illinois has ran away with the division title. The Miners clinched a playoff berth Tuesday. Gateway, meanwhile, missed a chance to pull closer to second-place River City. The Rascals lead Gateway by 2 1/2 games for the final playoff spot. River City has a big advantage in the remaining schedule as they do not play another game against a team with a winning record.
* Southern Illinois, which was 32-4 at one point, might have seen its championship chances take a big hit earlier this week. Joe Augustine (10-3, 1.97), who is a serious contender for the league's Pitcher of the Year Award, had an emergency appendectomy Monday. The team was returning from Lake Erie when Augustine began experiencing pain. When it was determined Augustine needed medical attention, the bus was within seven miles of a hospital in Louisville.
Augustine leads the league in wins and strikeouts (121). You might recall that Augustine pitched nine shutout innings last week at Consol Energy Park in the game Washington won 1-0 in 11 innings.
Southern Illinois manager Mike Pinto hasn't ruled out having Augustine back for the playoffs, saying his pitcher will be permitted to resume throwing in "10 to 14 days." Pinto called it a "50-50" chance that Augustine will return in the postseason.
* Washington pitcher Justin Edwards, who suffered a groin injury during a start earlier this month at Southern Illinois and was put on the disabled list, was activated Tuesday night and looked sharp against Lake Erie, allowing only one hit in six innings.
Had Edwards left the Southern Illinois game only one out earlier, Washington would have had an interesting decision to make with the right-handed pitcher. A one-out earlier exit would have left Edwards with 60 innings pitched, which is a magic number in the Frontier League. Throw 60 1/3 innings and your roster classification is bumped up one level the next season. Stay at 60 and you status doesn't change. Had Edwards been at 60, Washington could have kept him on the DL for the remainder of the season and his status for next season would have remained at L1. Each FL team is permitted a maximum of 7 L1 players and 3 L2 players.
It doesn't matter now because Edwards was at 60 1/3 and threw six more innings, but this is the time of year when you see guys throughout the league being benched to keep their status from changing. Typically, about half the teams in the league do this. The only Washington player who is near a status-change mark is pitcher Zach Groh, who is currently on the DL. Groh, who is an L1, has pitched 57 1/3 innings.
Labels: Joe Augustine, Justin Edwards, Lake Erie Crushers, Southern Illinois Miners
posted by Chris Dugan at
8:09 AM
8 Comments:
Now that the turf issue is settled, and I lost (was there ever a doubt about that?) I find it interesting that Mr. Williams has stated that he would like to get the shovel in the ground in 30 to 45 days. Well, I have been thinking about where I’d like to put a shovel myself. The big problem is I will need some taxpayer funds to buy a shovel and I seriously doubt, since I am not a well connected attorney, that Tim Solobay will come to my aid. If any of you businesspersons out there want to convert your establishment to a “different place”, good luck with that one!
Fortunately for the Wild Things they have some very good front office personal that through personal contact with the public and fans, may be able to remove some of the stench from this smelly process of extracting money from our wallets. The problem with spending OTM’s (other peoples monies) is that for the unfortunate taxpayer, if this money is misused, the same people will no doubt get even more of our money. So to goes, just has it has since time immemorial Those that have money, are those that get money.
Politics is a dirty business and I’m glad I have no part of it because you are judged by the company you keep.
As for the turf, I’m willing to wait and see. If there is no significant difference from the natural grass
I can live with that. If the Wild things waste our money on some cheap crap, which would not be a shock to me if they did, they will be knocking at the taxpayers doors to replace it. Must be nice to have a “cash cow” in the old barn. Mr. Williams will not even have to know how it milk it for himself – that’s what the politicians are for.
Looking forward to seeing the Wild Things “different place” and nice to know that I will feel “safer” also.
Even though I made a safety suggestion a very short time ago that was rejected almost before I finished my sentence. With all this new taxpayer money in hand, perhaps they will rethink my suggestion – I doubt it.
Ron Wilson
Thanks, Ron, for yet another season of your incredibly boring rants. The pleasure has been all yours. You continue to support the team, yet still do nothing but bitch. I think you get off on that in some sick, mysterious way. Do the world a favor and don't renew.
^^^oh snap
"Thanks, Ron, for yet another season of your incredibly boring rants."
Well, your welcome. Thank you for reading them although you really didn't have you know!
Ron Wilson
Ron
I thought you retired from this blog. i believe you said "you will never see me post again on this blog"
Real man of your word aren't you.
Ron is the Brett Favre of this blog.
Now there you go again Bob, yeah, I know it's you.
Haven't you ever heard of a person coming out of retirment? I heard you were having a bad case of low blood pressure so I decided to give you a litle medical assistance.
Geez, you not very grateful.
Actually you are of litle moment to me and your not even half the man I am.I can sling the crap and personal insults just as well as you, even better. But, not being the coward that you are, I at least give you the courtesy of using my real name.
I sure your mother has your fresh diaper and some warm milk ready for you now. Ask her if she is proud of her little coward.
Ron Wilson
DAMAGE CONTROL!!!
The "Bob" I mentioned in my last post is NOT Bob Gregg.
Mr. Gregg is fine gentleman and would never show such a lack of cleas!
Mr. Gregg, please accept my apology for not making that clear in my post.
Bob from Gabby, you are still a jerk!
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