The dog days of summer continue especially for the Brooklyn Cyclones this week! Here’s a look at the week ahead: Cleveland Indians 8/11/08 Jhonny Peralta (Mini) – Fine Indians shortstop converts to miniature form. Brooklyn Cyclones 8/11/08 Maverick The Wonder Dog (Mascot) – I wonder where they got this dog from? He doesn’t even participate in anything onfield, yet he’s a bobble. Fort Myers Miracle 8/11/08 Presidential Bobble Election – Fans Vote – The...
Rookie
I Kinda Feel Bad For The Horse
You know that scene in The 40 Year Old Virgin where Seth Rogen is talking about his wild weekend in Tijuana, and he goes off on a tangent about seeing a show where a woman performed some, uh, unnatural acts with a horse? “We get there and we think it’s gonna be awesome and… it is not as cool as it sounds like it’s gonna be,” says Rogen’s character. “To be honest I just...
The Z-Meter – 4/24/2008
The Z-meter tracks the story arcs of 25 top prospects (or players we just like) on their way to the bigs. It is named after current Washington Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman, who made the transition from anchoring the University of Virginia to starring in MLB in one year. Promoted: Evan Longoria, 3B, Durham (AAA) to Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) Luke Hochevar, RHP, Omaha (AAA) to Kansas City Royals (MLB) Travis Snider, OF, Dunedin (A-Advanced)...
Spotlight on A Ball – 4/21/2008
Curtis Granderson has made a rehab appearance for the West Michigan Whitecaps. Which is interesting, but my primary question is: how many minor league teams are playing in something called Fifth Third Ballpark? Because that same name seems to come up a lot. Pulaski, VA is an unlikely place for minor-league baseball. This year, the Mariners are fielding a team in the small mountain town, making them the seventh team to sign up...
Spotlight on A Ball – 4/14/2008
In case you’ve ever wondered what makes for an ideal affiliate for an MLB franchise, here’s what the Detroit Tigers look for. It’s a nice look at the ins and outs of the Player Development Contract from a feature called “Baseball 101″ This next story is not technically about A-ball. It’s about the Venezuelan baseball academies, which have always seemed kind of sad to me. Probably because they’re out there snagging 16-year-olds. Nonetheless,...
Spotlight on A Ball – 3/31/2008
With 300+ minor league teams in these United States, OMDQ and I will need some way to focus our energies, and this is one way we figured to do it. Monday is “A” ball day. That will include Rookie League and every form of A ball. Wednesday we’ll check out the AA clubs, and then on Friday on up to AAA. We’ll also develop a few weekly features to slot in on the other...
Reliving the Summer of Baseball
Last summer I took my son to nearly every minor league ballpark in our home state of Virginia. I called it “The Summer of Baseball”, and published some of my photos on this blog. I ended up writing an article about it for Camperways magazine, which runs destination features for fans of RV travel. At the time we had seven teams active in the area. Since then, the Atlanta Braves have announced that they will...
Casper Gets All Ghosty
Apparently the Casper (WY) Rockies are so embarrassed by the parent club’s failure to win a World Series game that they are changing their name – from Rockies to Ghosts. Kidding! The Rookie League affiliate of the Rocks is simply trying to generate more merchandise sales by adopting the familiar cartoon spectre as their new logo. The Ghosts remain an affiliate of the big-league Rockies, but the team wanted the name change to create...
We Now Have a Role Model
OMDQ and I often joke about how we’re going to become famous for our travels in search of minor-league baseball. Apparently, it’s already been done, but it only made one man Lancaster-famous. LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. – A love of America’s Pastime, a chance to see the country and some downtime after his manufacturing company stopped production were the key factors in guiding Chuck Barrage’s minor-league baseball journey this season. Barrage, of Honey Brook, has...
Photos: Elizabethton Twins @ Danville Braves 7/15/07
Danville, VA hosts the Rookie team for the Atlanta Braves. They play in Dan Daniel Stadium, which is part of a very nice complex that includes a park and municipal ball fields. Click on any thumbnail to see a larger image. The ticket teepee, concession workers, international dugout, kids run the bases Hand-written lineups, sno-cones, one on, watching from the dugout. If you go to a game at Danville, pay the extra couple of...
Bus Leagues Photos
2012 05 14 Scranton Wilks Barre/ Empire State Yankees vs Pawtucket Red Sox
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