Strange stretch

The last four days has been an odd stretch for both the Wild Things and the Frontier League. Let's recap:

* Traverse City pitcher Kramer Champlin threw the first no-hitter in the Beach Bums' 11-year history last Friday night. One day later, Beach Bums pitching coach Ricky VanAsselberg resigned. VanAsselberg seemed like a great hire for the Beach Bums because he was one of only a handful of people who have managed a team to an independent league championship. He won two championships (2010 and 2011) in the American Association. The resignation apparently was for financial reasons.

"You have to do what's right for your family," Traverse City manager Dan Rohn told the Record-Eagle. "He's been a manager for nine or 10 years. When you make manager's money and all of a sudden come in and make a third of what you were making, it's tough to live on.

"I just financially didn't work out for him. It's too bad. He's a good baseball guy."

Traverse City filled the vacancy on the coaching staff by releasing catcher Jake Rhodes and hiring him as a coach.

The Beach Bums play a doubleheader tonight at Washington.

* On Tuesday, the Normal CornBelters announced they have forfeited the second game of a doubleheader against the Joliet Slammers that was played May 15. Normal had won the game 12-1.

At the root for the forfeit was Normal infielder Kevin Czarnecki did not have the proper visa. To play in the Frontier League, foreign-born players must have a work visa. Czarnecki is from Canada and has only a student visa.

The league requires the work visa because, well, the government requires it. And this year, it has been harder than ever for independent baseball leagues to get work visa for their players. That's one of the reasons many Latino players were put on the suspended list in the last month or two -- they've yet to be approved for a visa.

Because Czarnecki was ineligible to play for Normal because he lacked the proper paperwork, the CornBelters forfeited the game without much fuss. We all remember the strange situation and hard feelings that resulted from the Evansville roster snafu and forfeits last year, so the CornBelters probably handled this the right way.

* Then there's the Wild Things, who have been stuck with a 4-4 record since Saturday night. That's because the Sunday game against Lake Erie was suspended because of rain and Washington had scheduled off days Monday and Tuesday. No baseball team likes to go three days in a row playing only 2 1/2 innings.

One interesting thing to come out of the suspended game was we've learned that Wild Things lefty pitcher Brandon Hinkle has a very good pickoff move. Hinkle walked three batters during his three innings Sunday but picked two of those off first base.

I asked Washington manager Gregg Langbehn, who as a lefty pitcher made it to the Class AAA level, what kind of pickoff move he had. Langbehn admitted his pickoff move was nothing special. So who had the best pickoff move Langbehn has seen?

"Andy Pettitte," Langbehn said without hesitation. "You couldn't tell what he was doing, going home or over to first base."

Langbehn added that he managed a pitcher in the Houston Astros' system, Dave Qualben, who had "15 to 20" pickoffs in one season.

"He might have had a better move than Pettitte," Langbehn said.

"For some guys, a good pickoff move is very difficult to develop. Hinkle has the knack for it."