For some reason I cannot adequately explain, I really want to go see a minor-league game at Coney Island. The Brooklyn Cyclones have been there since 2000, playing in the short-season New York-Penn League, and eventually sending their best players up the ladder to the Mets. I guess the combination of amusement park, Nathan’s hot dogs, and baseball sounds good to me, even though I must admit that I’ve never been to New York,...
One of these days I’ll actually get up to Merchantsauto.com Stadium and get one of the many Red Sox-related bobbleheads being given away by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this season. This week’s, as seen below, is Jacoby Ellsbury. Get there early: they’re gonna go fast! (Get it? Because Ellsbury is really fast! Ha! Thank you! I’m here all week!) For more info on bobbleheads past, present and future, get thee to The True...
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...
When I was a kid, the Red Sox had a pitcher named Greg Harris. Harris came to Boston in his mid-30s after being claimed off waivers and spent six seasons with the team, pitching mostly out of the bullpen. In 1992-93, he appeared in 150 games (148 in relief) for Sox teams that finished 73-89 and 80-82, respectively. Harris’ claim to fame, aside from being a decent jack-of-all-trades, was his ability to pitch with...
Milton Bradley’s recent escapades, in which he attempted to gain entry to the press box to “introduce” himself to a broadcaster who had painted him in a mildly unflattering light during a game against Kansas City, inspired me to write up this classic tale of anger in the press box. This post originally appeared at One More Dying Quail. I’m reprinting it here because, well, it belongs here. As a 24-year-old pitcher in 1996,...
Of all the things in this article about Tim Beckham, the high school shortstop who was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in the MLB draft just about two weeks ago, the one that shocks me the most – I actually had to go back and reread it a couple times, just to make sure it said what I thought it said – is the fact that Beckham gave up baseball for...
It’s official: Walt Jocketty and Dusty Baker are dead to me. Hardcore fans of Bus Leagues will recall that up until a few weeks ago, I planned to make a pilgrimmage to the Holy Land of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to see the Louisville Bats take on the Pawtucket Red Sox. Louisville was, at the time, home to a pair of guys I wanted to see up close and person: outfielder Jay Bruce, the official man-crush of...
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) Max Scherzer, RHP, Tucson (AAA)...
We spend a lot of time talking about prospects here, but there’s no doubt that players and big-league potential are only part of the appeal of minor-league baseball. For many Americans, a day at the local ballpark is an entertainment option, competing against the movie theater or mini-golf. For more casual fans, especially those with kids, the physical amenities offered by the ballpark can sway the vote. My own five-year-old son will vote loudly...
2012 05 14 Scranton Wilks Barre/ Empire State Yankees vs Pawtucket Red Sox
