Cleaning out the notebook

A few random notes that have cluttered my notebook and mind:

* Anyone remember Jordan Elliott?

He was the right-handed pitcher the Wild Things signed this year out of Delaware State University. Elliott pitched in only two games for Washington back in June, one outing against Traverse City and another against River City. Elliott gave up three runs (two earned) in 1 1/3 innings and was released.

Well, Elliott has landed a spot in affiliated ball. He was recently signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.

* The 17 home runs hit by Washington second baseman C.J. Beatty are the most by a Wild Things player since the 2009 season, when Jacob Dempsey hit 31, and Grant Psomas and Ernie Banks each had 24. If only that 2009 team could pitch.

* Here is the link of a story in the Altoona Mirror about Wild Things relief pitcher Andy Smithmyer:

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/573978/Smithmyer-pitching-in-Frontier-League.html?nav=751

One thing I didn't know before reading the story is that Joliet, Ill., with a population of more than 147,000, and Evansville, Ind., (population 117,000-plus) the third-largest city in Indiana, is a small town. I thought Avella was a small town.

* Outfielder Nick Akins, who played eight games for the Wild Things in late May and early June before being released, is leading the Frontier League in home runs with 20 (all hit with Joliet). In a recent story in the Joliet Herald-News, Akins accuses the Wild Things of character assassination.

According to Akins, "They said some pretty negative stuff about me. They tried to attack my character. It was one thing for them to say I just wasn't playing well and let me go. But when I got here, I heard they were accusing me of stuff I didn't do.

"I can't control what comes out of peoples' mouths. I know what kind of person I am. My teammates know what kind of person I am."

Here is the link to the story:

http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/sports/22053419-419/baseball-competitive-talented-thats-the-slammers-nick-akins.html

* Are the Wild Things better this season than they were last year?

My guess is you would say this year's team is significantly better than the 2012 version, which was dubbed the "Bando Bunch" by readers of this blog. Such an opinion about the 2013 squad would be based on the eye test. While this team doesn't have the starting pitching of last year's club, it is much better offensively with the addition of C.J. Beatty and QuincyLatimore, plus Mark Samuelson, Jovan Rosa and A.J. Nunziato having better seasons with the bat than a year ago. The Wild Things, for most of the year, have been solid in the bullpen. That combination has made for more competitive games than in 2012.

But if you look at the won-lost record, this year's team will have to play winning ball over its final nine games to beat last year's record.

Washington's record is currently 40-47. The 2012 Bando Bunch went 44-52. That means the Wild Things need to have a winning record over their final nine games to better last year's mark. Say the Wild Things win their final three games, which are against the Greys, who seem to have reached their breaking point and thrown in the towel on the season. That means the Wild Things must win two out of six against Traverse City and Florence. That will be difficult as each team is in the thick of the playoff race and has much at stake. And here's a humbling statistic when it comes to playing Traverse City: In the last 22 games against the Beach Bums, the Wild Things have a record of 1-21.

Well, you can say the Wild Things are due to win against the Beach Bums.

* One other note about season totals: Washington is currently averaging a paid attendance of 1,696 per game. Last year, they drew 1,741 per game. That means to avoid having a drop in attendance in 2013, Washington must average 2,087 fans for the final six home games.