Lefty has right stuff

July is all-star month for most baseball leagues. The Frontier League's all-star game is July 14 at Rent One Park in Marion, Ill. and voting for the East and West Division rosters will be conducted over the next few days.

Each FL team must have a representative in the game. At this point, you have to say the Wild Things will be assured of only two players in the game. Who will they be?

Chris Sidick is seventh in the league in hitting with a .326 batting average. He also has a .450 on-base percentage has 17 stolen bases. He's a solid contender for an all-star spot, though outfielders with good statistics always are plentiful.

Closer Eryk McConnell has seven saves (second-best in the East) and should be pushing 10 by the break. That's usually enough to get you in the game and closers are always considered.

One Washington player who should be considered, but will be easy to overlook because of his role, is setup reliever Kevin Hammons (pictured). The left-hander has a 2-2 record and 1.71 ERA. The league is batting only .182 against Hammons and left-handed hitters have become automatic outs when facing the former Florida Marlins draft pick. Lefty batters are 1-for-22 with 12 strikeouts.

Hammons was a 24th-round draft pick of the Marlins in 2007 out of Tusculum College in Tennessee. He spent one year, with mixed results, in the Marlins' system with the Jamestown Jammers of the Class A New York-Penn League. In 12 games, Hammons had a 3-0 record with a 3.63 ERA. He walked 16 batters in 22 1/3 innings.

Washington manager Darin Everson says Hammons looks nothing like the pitcher he saw with Jamestown. Everson should know because he was the Jammers' manager that season.

"He's way more athletic and a lot more confident than when I saw him in '07," Everson said. "He really commands the zone now."

"Back then," Hammons says, "when I was with Jamestown, I put too much pressure on myself to succeed and be good on the mound. I put to much emphasis on baseball."

After being released by the Marlins, Hammons had a five-game stint with the Frontier League's Gateway Grizzlies in 2008 that didn't go well (0-2, 8.10). Hammons said a family issue prevented him from pitching to his potential with Gateway, and he spent the entire 2009 season out of baseball.

After Everson was hired as the Wild Things' manager last offseason, Hammons was invited to the team's invitation-only tryout in April and signed. He's making the most of his opportunity with Washington and might end up in the all-star game or get a second chance in affiliated ball.

"Everyone wants to get to affiliated ball, but if that doesn't happen then I hope we can take this team as far as it can go," Hammons said.

Wild day in the Windy City

Perhaps it was a case of poor umpiring. Maybe it was the wrong thing being said at the wrong time. Or maybe it was just old-fashioned rage that boiled over, the result of the Wild Things' maddening start to the Frontier League season.

Whatever it was, it set off Washington manager Darin Everson (pictured in a game earlier this month) during the seventh inning Monday afternoon at Windy City.

Recapping the call of WJPA Radio's Randy Gore, here's what happened:

Washington relief pitcher Ben Rodewald walked Windy City's leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh. The first pitch to the next batter, Ryne White, was called a ball.

After the pitch to White, home-plate umpire Jeff Spisak took off his mask and began pointing toward the Wild Things' dugout. Spisak then turned around and play was set to resume. Just before Rodewald could throw his next pitch, Spisak called timeout, turned again toward the Wild Things' dugout, pulled his mask off and ejected Everson, who bolted onto the field to argue. Before leaving, Everson did his best Billy Martin impersonation, covering home plate by kicking dirt over it. Everson apparently reached his breaking point.

According to the radio call, Spisak was clapping as Everson left the field. Obviously, I wasn't there to know if Spisak was clapping in a manner as if to say "OK, let's play ball, guys," or to say "I'm glad I got rid of you. Good riddance." Spisak then followed Everson back toward the dugout (at Standard Bank Stadium, you have to exit through the dugout to get to the clubhouse).

The situation became even more bizarre when, before the next pitch, White asked Spisak to clean home plate. According to one source, Spisak refused to clean the plate, so White "suggested" that the umpire should to do his job. Spisak quickly ejected White.

The count was two ejections -- one for each team -- without a pitch being thrown.

***

I still love going to the games. I still walk into the ballpark, football stadium, gymnasium or arena sure that I'm going to see something that night I’ve never seen before in my life. That hope is one of the things that keeps me coming back.

Had I been at the Wild Things' game Monday, I would have seen something in the top of the first inning that I had never seen before. Windy City starting pitcher Andrew Werner had a case of wildness in the inning, hitting Chris Sidick with a pitch to start the game, walking three batters and throwing a wild pitch. Washington also stole two bases in the inning.

When the inning ended, the Wild Things didn't have a run.

Think about that: a hit batsman, three walks, a wild pitch and two stolen bases in one inning and no runs. The inning went like this: hit batsman, strikeout, stolen base, caught stealing, walk, stolen base, walk, wild pitch, walk, flyout.

This, that and some other things

After a week of much-needed vacation, it's time to get back to this blog. Here are a few thoughts and notes about the blog, the Wild Things and the Frontier League:

* While on vacation, I checked this blog using both my wife's laptop and my son's laptop. I knew Blogger had problems with the word verification system and was supposed to be working on a fix, still I was surprised to notice that word verification wasn't working when using each laptop. My guess is the word verification problem is related to Windows 7, which each laptop was using. I've never had a problem with the word verification when using Windows Vista at home or a Mac.

As a result of this, I decided to disarm the word verification for the time being. If we get hit with spam, I'll have to turn it back on.

* Pete Rose Jr., who was a finalist for the Wild Things' managerial job (he was brought to Washington for an interview and had some strong recommendations) last offseason was hired last week as the Florence Freedom's hitting coach.

* The winner of Cheap Publicity Stunt of the Week is the Lake Erie Crushers, who announced they they will offer two-time NBA MVP LeBron James a contract worth $1,600 a month, which is the maximum player contract in the Frontier League.

The Crushers also are offering James a host family to “eliminate the stress of a potential commute from the Akron area to Avon.” James also could get a luxury suite where he and other NBA free agents could hold a summit.

It’s all part of Keep LBJ in the C-L-E night during the Crushers game Wednesday. The team will wear special Cavs-themed jersey and with the number 6, which is the same number LeBron plans to switch to. Those jerseys will be auctioned off and, if LeBron comes to the game, the money will be given to the LeBron James Family Foundation.

* The Wild Things made two roster moves last week, putting pitcher Zach Groh on the disabled list and signing right-handed pitcher Matt Lackner (6-4, 210). I don't know if Groh is on the 7-day or 14-day DL because the transaction is not listed on the Frontier League website.

Lackner had a 5-4 record this spring at Park University, an NAIA school in Parkville, Mo. If you look at Lackner's statistics, one thing stands out: He threw three shutouts this season yet had an ERA of 5.00. That's hard to do.

As a junior, Lackner had a 9-1 record with one shutout and a 3.41 ERA.

Lackner made his Wild Things debut Saturday night and it was a rocky one. he entered in the ninth inning of a win over Windy City and faced five batters, giving up four hits, a wild pitch and three runs.

* Which is more surprising: The Southern Illinois Miners leading the West Division with a 31-4 record and 19-game winning streak or the Oakland County Cruisers being in first place in the East Division while playing only six home games, none of which were played in Oakland County, Mich.?

* One player who I thought had a good chance of ending up in a Wild Things uniform was former Seton Hill University catcher Pat Trettel. An NCAA Division II All-American, Trettel played at North Allegheny High School, where Wild Things coach Bob Bozutto is the athletic director. After going undrafted this month, Trettel signed last week with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the independent American Association.

Note to self: Find out when the Wild Things plan to make a decision on which turf company will install the new playing surface at Consol Energy Park.

* Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran has performed well for the Carolina Mudcats, the Cincinnati Reds' affiliate in the Class AA Southern league. Cochran has a 4-3 record, 2.53 ERA and seven no-decisions in 14 starts. The league is hitting only .235 against Cochran, who finished last season in Class AAA.

Sidick's sizzling start

While the Wild Things' bats cooled off during the first half of June, one player who bucked the trend is outfielder Chris Sidick. Now in his sixth season in the Frontier League, Sidick has the reputation of being a player who starts slowly and heats up sometime around the all-star break.

This year, Sidick has been the Wild Things' most consistent hitter. Entering Sunday's game against Traverse City, Sidick is tied for sixth in the league with a .343 batting average and is fourth in on-base percentage at .451. It's the best start of his career.

"He's the guy who gets our offense going," said designated hitter Jacob Dempsey. "And when he gets on base, he disrupts the other team so much because they're afraid he's going to steal. He helps the guys hitting behind him get better pitches to hit."

Sidick opened the season with a nine-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in all but three of the Wild Things' 27 games. He has 10 multiple-hit games. He had two hits, scored two runs and drove in two in the Wild Things' 8-run sixth inning Saturday night against Kalamazoo.

So what has been the key to Sidick's hot start? Perhaps a different batting stance? Maybe more batting practice in the offseason? What about working deeper into the count?

Nope. None of the above.

"I just think it's better luck," Sidick said. "I don't think I'm hitting the ball any different than last year. My strikeout rate is about the same as last year. The difference is I'm getting more hits to fall. Last year, I hit a lot of balls right at people. This year, those balls are falling in."

Good, bad & the ugly

The Wild Things have played 24 games, exactly one-quarter of their 96-game schedule. The returns on the first quarter have not been good. Washington has an 8-16 record -- exactly the same as this point last season -- is riding a five-game losing streak and has lost 14 of 17. Only Kalamazoo, which rolls into Consol Energy Park tonight, has a worse record than Washington.

There have been very few signs that things will turn around for the Wild Things. Last year, at least, Washington had a dangerous offense, capable of popping multiple home runs in an inning. It kept the team in many games. This year, well, Washington hasn't hit a home run since June 6.

To find out what the Wild Things have going for them and what isn't working, let's play "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly."

The Good
------------
- Chris Sidick - After having his batting average dip to a career-low .240 last season, Sidick is off to a good start. He is batting .319 and is on pace to tie his career high in stolen bases.

- Adam Amar's defense - For a big guy (6-4, 250) Amar is surprisningly good with the glove. Perhaps only Bill Greenwell was better among Washington first basemen. Amar's glove has saved at least a dozen throwing errors for his infielders.

- The catchers' offense - Nobody should have predicted that catchers Billy O'Conner (6 career at-bats above rookie ball) and Alan Robbins (career .215 batting average) would be leading the team in hitting at this point, each with an average of at least .325. And their throwing has been good, too. There are a lot of things wrong with this team, but the catching hasn't been one of them.

The Bad
-----------
- Too many errors – Playing its home games on a natural grass infield, Washington wasn't going to lead the league in fielding percentage. But being tied for 9th among 12 teams in fielding isn't going to get this team to the playoffs either.

- Can't win at home - I don't have the statistical information to support this, but I'd be willing to bet that over their first eight seasons the Wild Things had the best home winning percentage of any team over that period. This year, the Wild Things are 3-9 at Consol Energy Park and have been swept at home twice in doubleheaders. What was once the toughest place for visiting teams to win is just another ballpark. Attendance has fallen off and the neat atmosphere for a game is gone, as is the home-field advantage.

The Ugly
------------
- The pitching - This has been the biggest disappointment so far. Washington has the fewest quality starts (5) in the league and their five blown saves are surpassed by only Lake Erie (7). The pitching was supposed to be improved over last year as manager Darin Everson made it his priority to sign pitchers with histories of low walk totals. The Wild Things, however, are on pace for 412 walks, which is only 15 fewer than last year's walkathon staff issued.

- Jacob Dempsey vs. lefties - The left-handed swinging Dempsey has never been a guy who tears up lefty pitching, but the designated hitter is off to a slow start this year. He is only 2-for-20 (.100) with 11 strikeouts against the southpaws. Combined with Denny Duron and Chris Raniere, the trio are 8-for-56 (.143) against lefties.

Another day, another loss

The Wild Things lost another game Monday, 6-2 at Lake Erie. It was the 12th loss in 15 games for Washington, but at least this contest was memorable for a few incidents.

One was a blunder by the umpires that led to the ejection of Washington pitching coach Mark Dewey in the eighth inning. Here's what happened: Lake Erie's Dom Duggan apparently swung and missed at a pitch from Eryk McConnell but home-plate umpire Dan Diem ruled it a check-swing. Washington asked for an appeal, so Diem asked first-base umpire Gary Rosplohowski for help. The problem was that Rosplohowski wasn't paying attention. According to WJPA's Randy Gore, an appeal was requested "for about 10 seconds" before Roplohowski realized there was a game going on and called a no-swing. That led to Washington manager Darin Everson charging out of the dugout and Dewey getting ejected for yelling from the dugout.

Then, after the game, it seemed that Lake Erie starting pitcher Josh Roberts called out Washington catcher Alan Robbins. At least that's the way the story in the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram read. Washington had hit three Lake Erie batters in the game before Robbins was plunked in the leg by Roberts in the seventh inning. After getting hit, Robbins took a couple of steps toward the pitcher's mound before going to first base.

Read story here.

Best photos ever of a manager being ejected

Stumbled across this slideshow by an excellent photographer named David Richard, who works in the Cleveland area. It's a series of photos from a Frontier League game last season involving the Lake Erie Crushers and River City Rascals. Lake Erie manager John Massarelli is being ejected by home-plate umpire Jeremy Stangelo following two balk calls.

There are at least three photos in this slideshow that I'd consider award-winning caliber.

Enjoy.

Watch the slideshow here.

Duck season

The Wild Things were rained out Wednesday. On Duck Night, no less.

I guess Duck Night wasn't what it was quacked up to be (sorry, couldn't resist).

The decision to postpone the game against Gateway and play a doubleheader Thursday starting at 5:05 p.m. was the correct one, though it should have been made by mid-afternoon, not after the gates opened. As several Grizzlies players gathered near the growing lake in left field, roughly 45 minutes before the scheduled starting time, one pressbox veteran made a statement befitting the circumstances: "Not even Michael Phelps could get to a fly ball on this field."

Only a duck could have been happy frolicking around in the outfield.

They didn't ask me, but …
Rain is typically a pain for Frontier League teams until late June, and it's time the league makes some changes to prevent what are potential scheduling problems stemming from playing too many interdivision games early in the season.

For example, had rain washed out the final game of the Washington-Gateway series instead of the middle contest, both teams would be playing only 95 games instead of 96. Washington and Gateway do not play again after today and there would be no chance for a makeup game to be scheduled. This is what happens when interdivision series begin by June 1.

If the league would schedule only intradivision games for the first four weeks of the season, then rain isn't a big problem. Teams can make up rained out games in July or August, when rain is rarely a factor. Interdivision play can start, let's say, the third week of June.

Lineup change …
Had the game been played, there was one change in the Wild Things' lineup. Catcher Billy O'Conner, who leads Washington with a .419 batting average, was listed as the starting third baseman.

Turnstile talk…
For those who were wondering, attendance for Tuesday night's game was 1,801. And no, the Wild Things' owners have not ordered me to keep the attendance out of stories.

Tuesday night leftovers

If Darin Everson has proven anything in his short stint as the Wild Things' manager, it's that he's not afraid to call for a squeeze play, whether the suicide or safety variety. It was the latter that produced the winning run Tuesday night in Washington's 6-5 victory over Gateway.

Billy O'Conner put down a bunt on the first pitch he saw from Grizzlies reliever David Miller to score Luis Rivera from third base and give the Wild Things a 6-5 victory.

It's at least the second time Everson has used the squeeze play in the season's first three weeks. John Massarelli called for a couple of squeeze plays -- I recall one was with Brett Grandstrand batting and beat Kalamazoo -- with success during his four years as the Wild Things' manager. I don't recall any squeeze bunts called by Washington's other managers. I asked one of those managers why he never uses the squeeze and his response was "Scouts want to see hitters drive people in, not bunt them in."

Everson has shown he's playing to win and isn't afraid to try anything to get a victory.

* For the past week, the best job in the world was to be a Gateway Grizzlies relief pitcher. During a six-game homestand, while the Gateway starters toiled just about forever, the Grizzlies' hitters outscored the opponents 73-18 and hit eight home runs in a 25-1 rout Sunday over Lake Erie. The guys out in Bullpenville had less to do than the night guard at a sewerage treatment plant. David Miller, the Grizzlies' 6-foot-10 reliever, could have visited the family in Fort Worth for a week and nobody would have noticed.

So when Grizzlies were finally locked in a close game Tuesday, you had to excuse reliever Eric Gilliland if he was a little rusty when it came to recognizing the signal to enter a game. While Grizzlies manager Phil Warren held court on the mound during the bottom of the seventh inning, Gilliland trotted into the game from the left-field bullpen at Consol Energy Park.

The only problem was that nobody had called for Gilliland to enter and replace starter John Flanagan. Gilliland nearly made it to the infield before Warren and several Grizzlies began waving frantically for him to get off the field and return to the bullpen.

* One item of concern for the Wild Things has to be left-handed hitting Jacob Dempsey's .059 batting average (1-for-17) against lefty pitching.

* While Washington won in the 10th inning Tuesday, the key frame for the Wild Things was the fourth. That's when they scored two runs after having two outs and nobody on base. O'Conner, the No. 8 hitter, singled to right field and Chris Raniere followed with a line-drive single up the middle. O'Conner made it to third base on the play.

Chris Sidick then chopped a risky two-out bunt past the pitcher's mound for an infield single that scored O'Conner, and Michael Parker hit a sharp single off the glove of sliding Gateway shortstop Tyler Heil to give Washington a 5-3 lead.

You make the call

This has nothing to do with the Wild Things, but it might make for interesting discussion:

Matt Shetler, who has covered high school sports for the Observer-Reporter and runs the sound system for the Wild Things, also writes for a blog called "Man Cave Sports Lounge." On the heels of umpire Jim Joyce blowing a call that cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Andres Galarraga a perfect game, Matt wrote about what he considers the 10 worst "sports calls" of all time.

You can read the list here Click here.

I agree with Matt on No. 1. My No. 2, however, would be the Colorado-Missouri football game in 1990, the famous "5th Down Game." It was No. 5 on Matt's list. How an entire officiating crew can give a team five downs to score the winning touchdown is beyond me. Pre-school children can count to five, so why can't a college football official?

My No. 3 is one Matt has as honorable mention: the Roy Jones Jr. fiasco at the Seoul Olympics. How a boxer can dominate his opponents so convincingly that he is named Outstanding Boxer at the Games but gets robbed of the gold medal is beyond me.

Even my No. 4 doesn't make Matt's list. It's the pass interference call against Miami, Fla., in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which was the national championship game. The phantom call, which was made either six seconds or six months after the play ended, cost Miami a national championship. That's what you can a costly blunder.

Another bad call that needs consideration is pass reception that Mike McCloskey made for Penn State in the final minute of a 1982 game against Nebraska. McCloskey clearly made the catch out of bounds but the officials ruled a completion and spotted the ball at the 2-yard line with nine seconds remaining, setting up the game-winning score. Nebraska didn't lose another game all year, so the call cost the Huskers a chance at the national title.

Another one that stands out to me was in a meaningless April baseball game. It was the first game in Florida Marlins history. Charlie Hough was the starting pitcher for Florida and Dave Magadan was the leadoff batter for the Mets. Home-plate umpire Frank Pulli called Magadan out on a pitch that was more than a foot outside and low. It was such a bad call it was laughable. As soon as it happened, I knew Pulli simply wanted the Marlins to start with a strikeout by their pitcher. He didn't care if the pitch was in the same zip code as home plate or not, he was going to call it a strike.

Which was worse?

Would you rather lose two close games in one day or lose one game in embarrassing fashion? That's what we're pondering today.

The Wild Things lost two more games Sunday, getting swept in a doubleheader at home by River City, 8-5 and 3-0. Washington had an early four-run lead in the opener. The nightcap was a scoreless tie entering the final inning.

Meanwhile, in Sauget, Ill., the Gateway Grizzlies were pounding the Lake Erie Crushers' pitching staff. The Grizzlies hit eight home runs, including five in the seventh inning, and crushed the Crushers 25-1 at hitter-friendly GCS Ballpark, pictured.

Gateway scored nine runs in the bottom of the first inning and the rout was on. Gateway hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning and tacked on a grand slam in the eighth.

I recall that when Lake Erie manager John Massarelli held the same job with Washington he told me he disliked playing at Gateway because "something strange always happens there." I assume that nothing has changed his thinking. I suspect the ride from St. Louis back to Ohio wasn't a pleasant one for the Crushers.

Gateway has scored a mind-boggling 73 runs in its last five games. And the Grizzlies' bus rolls into Consol Energy Park on Tuesday night for the start of a three-game series.

Saturday night leftovers

Some observations, quotes and notes from the Wild Things' 2-1 loss to the River City Rascals Saturday night:

* The 4 2/3 innings of relief Washington's Kevin Hammons, pictured, threw was his longest outing since a five-inning start for Gateway in 2008. Hammons did not play play pro ball last season.

In 2007, Hammons played in the Florida Marlins' system with Jamestown of the New-York Penn League. His manager there was current Wild Things manager Darin Everson. Hammons had a 3-0 record and 3.63 ERA in 12 games for Jamestown.

When Hammons informed all Frontier League teams this past offseason through an email that he was returning to baseball and looking for a team, Everson suggested the lefty attend the Wild Things' invitation-only tryout in April. Everson liked what he saw.

"He was way more athletic and a lot more confident than he was in 2007," Everson said.

Against River City, Hammons allowed three hits and one run. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.

"He's been pitching great for us, but he was even better tonight," Everson said. "He showed us something."

* Josh Lowey was the winning pitcher and his identical twin brother Jason earned a save. However, the most-important inning by River City pitchers was thrown by reliever Derrick Miramontes, who tossed the eighth. Miramontes, a side-armer who seemed to be releasing his pitches from somewhere in the left-field party deck, faced Washington's 3-4-5 hitters while protecting a 2-1 lead. He struck out Mark McGonigle, got Adam Amar to ground out deep into the shortstop hole and Jacob Dempsey to pop out on a changeup.

Miramontes received no win, no save but plenty of handshakes from teammates for a job well done.

* River City manager Steve Brook on the water-logged condition of Consol Energy Park's outfield:

"You never know in game played in conditions like this if it's going to be a high-scoring game or a pitchers' duel. Playing in conditions like this, with puddles all over the outfield, you get balls stopping instead of rolling. The first run we scored might have been helped by the conditions. The ball (hit by Stephen Holdren) took a bit of a sideways bounce in the outfield. Strange things happen when you play in these conditions."

River City's first run crossed home plate when Stephen Holdren doubled to left centerfield, scoring Scott Robinson from first base.

* I'll expand on this in a later post, but Washington needs to sign another veteran to its roster. Vets – the Frontier league allows three per team – are guys who should carry your team. The Wild Things are playing with only two vets (Chris Sidick and Jacob Dempsey). Washington picked up a vet hitter in late-June of 2002 when they signed Josh Loggins. The move helped propel the Wild Things to the playoffs that year and Loggins was the league's MVP in 2003.

There will be affiliated players released after next week's first-year player draft, so maybe the Wild Things can find an impact vet.

Teaching with video

For years, the only videos in the Frontier League were the ones played on the team bus during long road trips. The Wild Things' current coaching staff, however, seems to be raising the bar for instruction in the league and video analysis is one of their favorite tools.

Manager Darin Everson says the Wild Things take video of roughly half of the team's hitters each night. They'll record all the lefties one night, then all the right-handers the next. He also has video of the pitchers, fielders and outfielders that can used for analysis of a player's mechanics.

"I'm a big video guy," Everson said moments after pitching coach Mark Dewey concluded a video session with pitcher Tim Smith. "Teaching through video analysis is something I do during the offseason.

"Athletes are very visual learners, especially baseball players. That has held true everywhere I've been. If an athlete can see it, then they will adjust to it."

Everson adds that a coach must be careful not to over-analyze. Sometimes giving a player too much information about his swing or pitching mechanics can do more harm than good.

"Sure you can overdo it. I've seen that happen, even in affiliated ball," he said. "It can be overdone. But for me, video is how you can get a struggling player back to being good. You can show him what they're doing wrong."