A longtime major league player, coach, and manager, Doc Edwards is entering his seventh season as manager for the San Angelo Colts in the independent North American League. We spoke recently for a story I wrote about one of his star players, Landon Camp, which also included some discussion on the expectations he sets for his players and the difficulty an independent player faces when trying to break into an affiliated organization. Going back,...
For the past two years, Landon Camp’s name has put together seasons with the San Angelo Colts that placed him in the running for our Independent Player of the Year award. When I saw this winter that his contract had been sold to the Miami Marlins, I thought it might make for an interesting conversation at some point; when I read the news of his release and subsequent re-signing with the Colts in late...
Last week, I posted a story I wrote about New Hampshire Fisher Cats infielder Kevin Howard and the path his career has taken the past couple years. We’ve had a pretty good week around these here parts, so I figured I’d bust out a little weekend Q&A action and post the transcript from my recent conversation with Howard. Last year, you came in late, but I feel like you were one of the feel-good...
When Blue Jays minor leaguer Kevin Howard was 13-years-old, he played on the Thousand Oaks team that won the 1994 Little League Junior World Series, vanquishing the Sean Burroughs-led Long Beach squad along the way. “I think when you’re that age, everything is a little bit more fun and better,” Howard said with a laugh last week in the Media Room at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, home of his current team, the New Hampshire...
James McOwen is a guy who has been on our radar since way back in 2009, when he put together a California League record 45-game hitting streak while playing for Seattle’s affiliate in High Desert. This earned him a permanent spot in our ever-evolving pantheon of favorite players, so when I saw he had been released by the Mariners at the end of spring training and picked up by the Long Island Ducks, I...
About two months ago, I wrote a post about the Sugar Land Skeeters and a press release they sent out with the title, “Major League Pitcher Liriano Joins Skeeters.” The intent, of course, was to make people think that Francisco Liriano was the newest member of the Atlantic League. And, of course, he was not – that honor went to an unrelated Liriano named Pedro. Well played, Sugar Land. At the end, I tossed...
No, not that Cassel. This is not an NFL news site. (Not yet, anyway.) The Cassel in question is actually Justin, the seventh round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2006 draft. Justin, of course, is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Matt* and former MLB pitcher Jack**. The Atlantic League’s Somerset Patriots (“the Five-Time Atlantic League Champion Somerset Patriots” as they like to be called) announced on Tuesday that they have...
Atlantic City historically has been a failure as a professional sports venue. Less than an hour away from Philadelphia, baseball has ironically been its biggest flop. Going back to the early part of the 20th century, successful franchises have consistently failed off the field in the “Las Vegas of the East”. The most glaring sports failure of recent memory was the folding of the Atlantic City Surf. This professional baseball team called Bernie Robbins...
Nine years ago, months after the end of our internship at the Baseball Hall of Fame, Trish convinced me that it would be a good idea to drive down to New Jersey so we could head into New York City in the middle of the night with our friend Nadine and wait in line for “Saturday Night Live” tickets. It was early January and frightfully cold (as the temperature fell into the single digits,...
You may recall that last week, I posted a story about Wichita Wingnuts owner Nate Robertson, who is trying to win a roster spot with the Chicago Cubs this spring. The quotes in that story came from Nate’s brother, Josh, who happens to be the Wingnuts’ general manager. The conversation was really interesting in that he gave me a lot of information about the ownership situation and how it has evolved over the years,...
2012 05 14 Scranton Wilks Barre/ Empire State Yankees vs Pawtucket Red Sox
