(Earlier this week, one of our readers, a friend and fellow blogger, contacted me to ask about doing a guest post about one of the minor league affiliates of his beloved Milwaukee Brewers. Since Huntsville clearly falls under the Bus Leagues umbrella, and Andrew is already a friend of the blog, saying “yes” was easy. Reader contributions are always welcome. To inquire about the possibility of doing a guest post, contact us at busleagues@gmail.com or onemoredyingquail@gmail.com.)...
Southern League
Now Pitching For The Los Angeles Dodgers…
All season, the Los Angeles Dodgers organization has handled Clayton Kershaw, Baseball America’s 7th ranked prospect, with kid gloves, limiting the 20-year-old third-year pro to 43.1 innings in nine starts in order to keep him available for as long as possible. Presumably, that meant keeping him in the minor leagues, at AA Jacksonville, until the Dodgers needed his golden left arm in their rotation. Okay. The Dodgers need his golden left arm in their...
A Tale of Two Mat(t)s
You may have noticed that last week I kind of skipped the whole “Spotlight on” series. I realized that doing a link dump every other day was overkill, and also noticed that nobody was clicking on the links. So, instead, I’ll be doing something a little more fun – looking at specific teams and prospects that grab my interest. Today, I’m checking out the Huntsville Stars (Brewers) as suggested by reader Andrew. They have...
Spotlight on AA Ball: 4/30/2008
I like that the Erie Seawolves (Tigers) have a reading program for kids. At first I thought that it was aiming a bit low, only asking kids to read three books between April and September to earn game tickets, but then I realized there were no restrictions on how many times a kid could come back for more. Plus, the mascot C. Wolf is kind of cool. When the Altoona Curve (Pirates) pay...
Spotlight on AA Ball – 4/23/2008
Lots of great promotions coming up in AA ball. The Reading Phillies have the most charming this week, as they celebrate local legend Joey Bago Donuts, a longtime employee of the team who has grown into a cult favorite between-innings entertainer. The Huntsville Stars (Brewers) are encouraging people to skip work and come out to the ballpark on the 28th. And you have to love language like this in an official press release:...
Spotlight on AA Ball – 4/16/2008
OK, for starters: THE ALTOONA CURVE (PIRATES!) HAVE A ROLLER COASTER BUILT IN THE OUTFIELD! I TEND TO THINK THAT IS FAIRLY BAD-ASS! I wonder if anyone has ever been beaned by an errant homer while riding in the cars? It was a chilly night in Norwich, CT. Thirty-six degrees, to be precise. Obviously, visiting Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox) lefty Dustin Richardson wanted to spend as little time on the mound as possible....
Pitchers’ Duel Impacts Z-Meter Standings
In a rare bit of kismet, two of the starting pitchers we are following on their journey through the Bus Leagues met in Kodak, Tennessee last night. Southpaw Clayton Kershaw drew the road start for the Jacksonville Suns (Dodgers), as they faced the Tennessee Smokies (Cubs), and righty Jeff Samardzija. Samardzija became known to U.S. sports fans as a wide reciever at Notre Dame, but his minor-league career has been working in his favor...
Spotlight on AA Ball – 4/9/08
Your AA News: Remember how the Mets traded away several prospects to get Johan Santana in their starting rotation? Meet Fernando Martinez, the guy they kept. He’s 19 years old and already in AA with the Binghamton Mets, and he’s still the #1 prospect for the Mets. For Art Solomon, owning the AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays) was not enough. He just reached into Georgia and bought the Columbus Catfish (Rays)...
A Love Letter to the Montgomery Biscuits
First of all, I love the whole Montgomery Biscuits concept. Their logo has a walking, talking biscuit in it! But I have never been to Alabama, so the experience of actually attending a game is not one I’ve had. Enter writer Jay G. Tate, who has watched his city dance with minor-league baseball for decades. They had a team, they lost a team, they turned down an A-ball club, then accepted an independent. All...
Spotlight on AA Ball – 4/2/2008
As a way to keep up with 300+ Minor League teams, we’ll be spreading things out a bit. We look at Rookie and A Ball on Monday, AA on Wednesday, and AAA on Friday. In-between: whatever strikes our fancy. Here’s today’s AA roundup: The Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) have a bit of a problem: Legislators do not make for good mascots. They have a large dog named Grrrrounder, but he isn’t the only costumed team...
Bus Leagues Photos
2012 05 14 Scranton Wilks Barre/ Empire State Yankees vs Pawtucket Red Sox
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