There are so many moving parts to the minor league experience, and we try to delve into all of them. From time to time we come across something we haven’t covered yet. This week, we look into the lives of host parents, who ease the transition for prospects as they begin their professional careers. Heather Wright is the author of Nothing But Baseball and Apple Pie, a new blog that will chronicle her experience...
It must have been a bittersweet moment for Josh Judy. In tonight’s opening day game in Columbus, his name was called, and he trotted out to accept his second Triple-A championship ring, which was nice. The catch was, he had to be called out specially, at the end of the ring ceremony, from the dugout of the visiting Louisville Bats. Judy chatted briefly with his former boss, Clipper skipper Mike Sarbaugh, claimed his...
I’m taking the plunge this year. I’m going to sign up for MiLB.TV and make sure I catch at least one game by each of the participating teams this upcoming season. There’s a list above that shows which teams are in – dominated by AAA teams, but augmented with a nice selection from the lower levels as well. It’s a nice solution to the geographical realities of trying to follow MiLB. I’ll try...
I’m not always as careful as I should be when I visit newspaper websites. I often forget to ‘uncheck’ the boxes that helpfully offer to deluge my mailbox with coupons from local businesses in a town I don’t live in. Most of the time, this is very annoying, but I got a pretty good one from something called Arkansas Daily Deals today. The U.S. Baseball Training Academy in Little Rock is offering a half-off...
Imagine a herd of bison loosed in a UNESCO world heritage site and you’ll understand the waves of dismay that coursed through parts of the baseball community when photos of a denuded and desecrated Rosenblatt Stadium hit the internet.
Every year, Baseball Reliquary (motto: Not Exactly Cooperstown) sends out an email profiling candidates for their Shrine of the Eternals. As I read through the short capsules introducing the individuals nominated for this shadow-HOF, I know I’ll have a laugh (provided by Joe Pepitone in this year’s group), look past a player’s stats to his actual impact on baseball (Hideo Nomo, Charles Faust) and learn about someone so obscure that I have to thank...
The stadium issue is a big, big problem in Richmond, VA. The Braves removed their long-time AAA affilate from the city to Gwinnett, GA three years ago in large part because they were tired of playing in the run-down venue known as The Diamond. Two years ago, the Connecticut Defenders moved the AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants to town, strongly hinting that they’d like a new stadium as well. The problem is,...
Former University of Kentucky basketball player Tayshaun Prince muffs the ceremonial pitch for the Lexington Legends (Astros).
This has been a banner season for traveling bards of baseball. We’ve been enjoying reports from Tug Haines and anthem singer Joe Price, both of whom are touring vast swaths of the country in their summer travels. Craig Wieczorkiewicz is also putting some miles on his car this season, but he’s focusing exclusively on the Midwest League, the Class A home of various Snappers, Hot Rods, Kernels, Lug Nuts and Loons. He’s chronicling his journey...
So, last night, I had a dream. I know, *groan*, somebody wants to tell us about his dream. But this one is unique in all my years of dreaming, because it sprung directly from my experience writing for Bus Leagues, and was actually largely played out in a realistic and humorous fashion. So here goes. I was in some nameless town (It may have had a name, I don’t know. Even in my dreams,...
2012 05 14 Scranton Wilks Barre/ Empire State Yankees vs Pawtucket Red Sox
