Secretary's Report...
BO '07 Recap
Warm Ups
Waiting in line to order at Atlanta’s 75-year-old Varsity restaurant, guests are bombarded by bright lights, the 150-foot long menu over the order counter, the smell of grease, and the lure of souvenirs at the ice cream counter. But, most of all, one is drawn to the banter from behind the counter: “What’ll Ya Have”. “What’ll Ya Have?” “What’ll Ya Have.” “WHAT’LL YA HAVE!” Some employees sing it, others mumble it; some smile it, others groan it.1 From this signature line, you get a feel for who loves their job, and who just loves their paycheck. It’s similar to the range of service you get from ballpark beer vendors.
First to arrive in line at the Varsity on the hot, sunny afternoon of June 22nd, via a red rental van from Hartsfield Airport, were Chris and Yuki Haynes along with Jim Carr and his daughter Jen who was celebrating high school graduation. We three Tonachels joined them, chaperoned by Aunt Cindy, cousin Grace, and past BO host Lisa. We completed the high-energy ordering process, donned our free, paper Varsity hats, and took our seats in the sprawling restaurant. After comparing traveling tales and gulping down our Red Dogs, Naked Steaks, and Ring Ones, we transferred our gear to the red rental van, said our goodbyes, and joined the rush “hour” traffic heading south out of town.
Before long, we found ourselves in a four-lane parking lot. Half an hour later, traffic started moving again, and we arrived at our evening’s destination, the Cordele, Georgia KOA, before dusk. Close behind were the other Baseball Odyssey (BO) parties: in a white van from Minnesota, Der Kommissar Jeff Haynes and daughter Megan, along with Gene Dankbar; and an aquamarine Sierra from Ohio carrying Tim Haynes and son Sam, along with Steve Demichele. These tired travelers endured long drives that included a 75-mile, police-enforced detour off the Interstate in Kentucky.
The campground, like much of southern Georgia, was flat and dry, with just enough moisture and shade to support a healthy insect population. This population included clouds of no-see-um insects2 that had us dancing and swatting while we set up tents. Some tried bug spray, but, as Chris explained, these were “stupid bugs. They fly in your eyes.” So, the spray didn’t help much. Once tent city was established, we wandered to the bright lights just outside the campground and fueled up on more fast foods, conditioning our digestive systems for the days ahead.
Game Day #1 (6/23/07)
Soon after the sunlight stretched over the trees Friday morning, we rose and broke camp. Steve reported positively on his first-ever camping experience, explaining that he slept well despite mistaking his tent mate’s teeth grinding for wild, nocturnal beasts beyond the nylon walls. Around 9 a.m., we loaded our luggage and selves into the vehicles and started our 400-mile journey to Vero Beach, Florida.
BO road trips are marked by several traditions, all of which are guided by our shared mission to experience as much baseball as possible. Decisions about securing food, for instance, are governed by highway and fueling accessibility, not menu options. It’s all about getting from point A—a ballpark—to point B—another ballpark. In Georgia, Shoney’s did the trick (Kommish: “Georgia is the Shoney State!”) for breakfast, providing us a view of both the highway and a service station. A second tradition involves the BO vehicle naming process. Generally, and as much as is practicable given the opinionated BO membership, efforts are made to reach decisions during BO by consensus. Therefore, the delicate naming process generally involves initial brainstorming by each team, followed by group discussion. This effort is aided by another BO tradition: walkie-talkie communication. The Haynes gentlemen—tinkering technophiles that they are—always ensure we’ve got the tools to facilitate intra-auto communication. It is not uncommon, in fact, for walkie-talkie conversations to be supplemented by simultaneous cell phone discussions.
This leads to another BO tradition: baseball trivia contests.3 Over the years, hundreds of miles have melted away as passengers ponder Official Trivia Meister Tim’s tough trivia offerings, such as “Who are the 15 players to have hit four or more homeruns in a single game?” Clues are frequently added to goad contestants into continuing their torture. Answers (correct and otherwise) bring forth names from the recesses of the mind, such as Tony Armas, Frank Baker, Darrell Evans, and Gregg Vaughn. If we were lucky enough to match the names with the questions and radio them in to Tim before others, we earn a much sought-after, verbal pat on the back: “"Ding, ding, ding! Correctomundo!" Then we want more.
During this particular journey, two walkie-talkies were unable to communicate directly, so Gene cooked up an intermediary system, whereby holders of the one walkie-talkie that could hear all of the conversation relayed information back and forth to the cars. For example:
“Big Red, this is Casper, do you read me, over?”
“Big Red reads you loud and clear, over.”
“Okay, Big Red, Magellan has a guess for that last question. Do you want to hear their answer or are you ready with one, over?”
“Big Red believes the answer has something to do with some guys who could really hit the ball, but other than that, we’re ready to hear Magellan’s list, over.”
“Roger that Big Red. Please stand by for Magellan’s insightful answer. Over.”
(To fully appreciate the effectiveness of this intermediary role, imagine the dialogue being facilitated by someone in a calm, efficient Minnesota accent. That’s Gene.) Of course, to keep everyone on their toes, groups sometimes change their handles. For example, Big Red morphed into “Red Rover”, “Red Meat”, and even “Red Meat, Red Meat, Eat Red Meat”. This entertains us for hundreds of miles.
We reached Vero Beach in time to check into the campground Jim had found for us, pitch tents, and head to the ballpark. We arrived outside Holman Stadium a few minutes before game time and parked in the free, grassy lot across from the park entrance. Before heading in, Der Kommisar had a surprise for us—official Baseball Odyssey scorecards, complete with rosters, and BO Bingo cards! Once again, our creative leader was raising the bar on our BO experience (and saving us scribes a few dollars, too).
Historic Holman Stadium is the center of Dodgertown, the Brooklyn/Los Angeles spring training complex since 1953.4 There are a little over 6,000 colorful seats ringing the foul lines and backstop, with a palm-tree decorated berm, perfect for sitting on to watch a game, spread out just beyond the outfield fence (which wasn’t installed until the 1980s). In the right field corner, a two-story bullpen is carved into the berm. Players sit on the top level, watching the game over the chain link outfield fence, until they’re called down to warm up. Most unique are the open-air dugouts. Patrons can sit behind the players’ unroofed benches and have face-to-face conversations with them or imagine they’re talking to Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Steve Garvey, Kirk Gibson, Mike Piazza, and other past heroes.
Our seats were even with the first base bag, a few rows up. At Holman, first base is the visitor’s side, so there were plenty of other seats around us to choose from. The game pitted the Florida State League’s (FSL) first half West Division champion Sarasota Reds against the first-year Vero Beach Devil Rays. The Florida State League is considered “High” Class-A ball and serves as a stepping-stone to Double-A ball, with promotion out of FSL leaving players only a couple steps away from the majors. The Reds first half success led to several players being promoted, which came as a shock to those of us who drafted Reds for our BO fantasy teams. But that’s all part of the fun.
The Reds’ speedy third baseman (you don’t hear that combination often) and All-Star, Michael Griffin, doubled on Jeff Kamrath’s second pitch of the game. A single by second baseman Michael DeJesus gave the Reds their first rally of the night. But slugger Daniel Dorn struck out looking on three pitches and Kamrath got Cody Strait (who had just been sent down from Double-A Chattanooga) on an infield fly for two quick outs. Then, with runners still at the corners, Tonys Gutierrez (also newly acquired from Chattanooga) blooped a fly just foul down the right field line, which, had it stayed fair, would have plated Griffin. On the next pitch, he hit a hard bouncer off first baseman Rhyne Hughes’ elbow, right to second baseman Hunter Vick who threw out Gutierrez to retire the side.
From Kamrath’s first pitch, the action on the field was only part of the story. Between pitches the near silence of the crowd was broken by the earnest invocations of one fan sitting up about eight rows behind the Devil Rays’ bench on the third base side. Sporting a brightly colored floral-patterned shirt, “Suzanne” served as a passionate, powerful one-person cheering section, rallying her team at every turn. Her cheers included old standbys like: “Go, Go Devil Rays!” and “Never Give Up Devil Rays, Never Give Up!” When the centerfielder fouled off a pitch, Suzanne would shout, “Okay Garrett, you got some of it—now get all of it!” When the pitcher would hit a rough spot, we’d hear “Jeff, Jeff, you’re our kin; we’re with you through thick and thin.” Many of her pronouncements were punctuated with a fist pump.
Another surprise came in the bottom of the first as we watched the Devil Rays’ first base coach get set in the coaches box. He stood facing centerfield and, just before the pitch, look back over his left shoulder to watch his hitter. His peculiar positioning in the coaches’ box5 led us scrambling to our scorecards to find that it was none other than Ben Oglivie,6 which delighted BO’s Red Sox Nation contingent.
On the field, Reds’ pitcher Daryl Thompson struck out centerfielder Garrett Groce but walked Hunter Vick, who promptly stole second. But Thompson retired the next two batters, stranding Vick in scoring position. Neither team would make it that far again until the fourth.
Before some BO members could finish their cheap ballpark franks, twenty-two year old Daniel Dorn was depositing Kamrath’s second pitch of the fourth inning over the right field fence for his ninth homer of the season. Strait, the next hitter, smashed a grounder down the third base line, but Patrick Cottrell backhanded it and made the long throw to first for out number one. Reds’ first baseman Gutierrez, who became a BO hero after catching the last out of the third inning and throwing the ball to Cooper on his way to the dugout, struck out swinging for out number two. However, catcher Craig Tatum smashed the next pitch over the berm in left field, putting the Reds up 2-0.
In the home half of the fourth, Hunter Vick singled to lead off, giving the Rays their first hit of the game and bringing up Cottrell. He swung at the second pitch and “whistled one into the evening air”7, over the left field fence to tie the score at 2-2. After that flurry of activity, Thompson settled down to retire the side in order.
Both pitchers made quick work of the opposition in the fifth, and Kamrath shook off a leadoff walk to retire the Reds without damage in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, Thompson was not so fortunate. Following another leadoff walk to Vick, Cottrell stepped in at the plate. He swung hard and missed a 1-0 breaking ball, but he didn’t miss the 1-1 pitch. Rather, he hit it far over the left field fence for his second two-run homer of the night and eighth of the year, to give the Devil Rays their first lead, 4-2. Following an infield fly out, the FSL’s leading hitter, Hughes, singled through the left side of the infield to bring up shortstop Aaron Sisk with one out. The Reds pitching coach stopped play to talk to Thompson at this point. When action resumed, Sisk hit the first offering from Thompson over the left field fence, increasing the lead to 6-2 and sending Thompson to the showers.
The Reds’ new pitcher was side-arming Dominican lefty Pedro Viola who was making his FSL debut. He struck out leftfielder J.T. Hall and got FSL All-Star Christian Lopez8 to fly out to end the inning.
Jeff Kamrath continued his strong pitching into the seventh, striking out the first batter for his eighth “K” of the night. However, he fell behind the catcher, Tatum, 2-0, and the righthander hit the next pitch for his second homer of the night, cutting the deficit to 6-3. When Kamrath hit the next batter, Manager Joe Szekely strolled to the mound and summoned lefty Aaron Walker from the bullpen, ending the starter’s strong night.
Walker quickly retired shortstop Eric Eymann on a fly out before the ninth place batter, DH Josh Holden reached on an infield single. That brought the tying run to the plate in the form of leadoff hitter Michael Griffin. He hit the first pitch down to third where Cottrell made a nice play to glove it and throw to second to attempt a force out. Second baseman Vick covered, despite Holden bearing down on him, and he caught the ball and tagged the bag just as Holden arrived. There was a brief tangle of limbs and the ball was juggled, but the umpire ruled that Vick held it long enough, and the inning was over, with the Devil Rays still leading 6-3.
The Devil Rays only hit off Viola in their half of the seventh was a single by Vick, keeping his night perfect with two walks and two singles and two runs scored. So it was up to reliever Walker to hold the lead in the eighth. After a ground ball out to start the inning, Daniel Dorn doubled. Next up was clean up hitter Craig Strait who hit another 2-0 pitch over the left field fence, cutting the lead to one. At that point, the Rays’ manager went to his bullpen again, bringing in closer Eddie De La Cruz to stop the rally.
De La Cruz, an animated submariner from the Dominican Republic, got ground balls from pinch hitter Jeremiah Piepkorn and Craig Tatum to end the inning and preserve the 6-5 lead. Between innings, I relocated to cheerleader Suzanne’s section. I thought it might be difficult to engage her in conversation, as she continued cheering as if the game had just started. However, she welcomed me to a vacant seat just in front of her and was happy to tell me her story between pitches. Turned out Suzanne had migrated from the north, first from suburban Boston and then Philadelphia. She was excited to learn I was traveling with a bunch of Red Sox fans and made a point to tell me of her voyage to the Red Sox Double-A team in Portland, Maine where her enthusiasm in the stands led to an interview with the local paper and a picture on the front page of the sports section the following day. She is passionate fan wherever she and her husband John, who was sitting quietly and keeping score a couple seats away, travel. They had moved to Vero Beach four years ago and had enjoyed watching the Vero Beach Dodgers. “But now, the Devil Rays are our team, and I love them!” Sitting with Suzanne and her husband for an inning was exhilarating, non-stop fun.
In the bottom of the eighth, Sergio Pedroza led off with a single and got to second when Hughes walked. That prompted another call to the bullpen, this time for Venezuelan Ruben Medina. With Sisk, who had homered last time up, at the plate, the Devil Rays called for a sacrifice bunt. But Medina threw outside and Sisk took the pitch for a ball. Catcher Tatum whipped the ball down to second where shortstop Eymann was able to tag out Pedroza before he got back to the bag for the first out of the inning. Sisk was then walked on four pitches, to put runners back at first and second. The next batter, JT Hall pulled the ball down to first but could not advance the runners, bringing up catcher Lopez with two outs. Medina’s first pitch got away from Tatum, and Hughes moved up to third. But Sisk got caught between first and second, and Tatum threw down to second. Then, the shortstop cut off the throw and threw back to Tatum as Hughes headed for home. Hughes was caught in a rundown and ultimately tagged out by the pitcher, the play going 2-6-2-4-1 to end the inning.9
In the Reds’ ninth, De La Cruz walked the number eight batter, Eymann, and he moved to second on a grounder to third. With two outs and the tying run at second, leadoff hitter Michael Griffin strode to the plate. De La Cruz got two quick strikes. Then, on the next pitch, Griffin lofted a long fly ball into right field but there was plenty of room for Pedroza to camp under it and make the catch to end the game. With the victory, De La Cruz earned his eighth save of the season and the Devil Rays stayed perfect at 3-0 for the second half of the season.
Because I was on the third base side when the game ended, I didn’t back to my seat in time to chat with Ben Oglivie. However, we weren’t through having fun yet. The final activity of the evening was the Launch-a-Ball contest, in which fans throw tennis balls from their seats into a hole in the roof of a small shed placed on a golf cart and driven around the infield three times. Many in our party took a shot at it, with Taylor twice missing the hole by a couple feet and Jim pitching a strike at the cart driver’s protective cage. It was quite something, seeing dozens of tennis balls arch towards their target in unison.
After the contest, we gathered for the customary group photo by the field and then headed back toward the car. At the front gate, we bumped into Suzanne still telling stories, and she got to meet the whole BO team. She was immediately given honorary BO status, and we look forward to seeing (and hearing) her at a ballpark somewhere down the line.
In the now nearly empty parking lot, we gathered for one final rhythmic clap and Der Kommissar’s announcement of past BO fantasy winners. The dark, vacant parking lot and fading light of Dodgertown were a perfect setting to reflect on our collective journeys of years past and the satisfying start to BO07. For one night, we were all winners.
Game Day #2 (6/24/07)
Sunday was a heavy travel day, with a ballgame sandwiched between two long drives. We left Vero Beach and drove for a couple hours before stopping to eat at a roadside Cracker Barrel. Thirteen hungry, not-so-clean roadies invading a family restaurant on a Sunday morning can be a bit startling to the locals, and the servers scrambled to pull tables together right in the middle of the dining room to accommodate us and entertain the other diners. As it turned out, we had a waitress with roots on the East Coast, and when she noticed that several BOers were sporting Red Sox gear, she began reminiscing with us. “Yeah, I remember way back to the ’75 World Series, with that Johnny Bench homerun.”10
After our filling meals, we headed out through the restaurant’s enormous gift shop. Unbeknownst to most of us, sneaky Sam made a purchase during our exit which would make a significant dent in the long trip ahead: Mad Libs. As we continued south, Magellan’s heady passengers, Sam, Megan, and Jen, took turns asking for verbs, nouns, and pronouns from the other vehicles. Their spirited directions and dramatic readings of our foolish work made the miles melt away between Vero Beach and Miami.
Southern Florida’s thick summer air hit us as we piled out of our air-conditioned autos in the parking lot at Dolphin Stadium. The home of Super Bowl XLI four months earlier, Dolphin Stadium was now being renovated “to make a better football experience.” After receiving our free tenth anniversary DVD commemorating the Florida Marlins first World Series11 on our way in, some went to locate their seats in the orange and aquamarine sauna while others of us sought refuge in the air-conditioned gift shop on the exclusive second-level. I shopped unsuccessfully for an “Ambercrombie” jersey for my niece. “He needs to hit a few more homeruns to have his jersey on sale,” the cashier speculated. Back on the field, spectators were distracted from the heat and humidity by the Marlins Mermaids Dance Team12 which pumped up the crowd as they gyrated on the field and dugout roof in their tight, shiny outfits.
Before long, the National Anthem was played and it was time to play ball. As the sweat started falling from our faces, submarining journeyman Byung-Hyun Kim struck out Minnesota Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett for the first out. Kim has had a roller coaster ride in the majors since making his debut as a 20-year-old phenom from South Korea in 1999.13 He has been part of two World Series champions, despite pitching poorly in one series and sitting out the other. He had been traded to the Marlins, his fourth team, a few weeks before this game against the Twins. The first inning proved to be symbolic of Kim’s unpredictable career. After getting two outs, he grooved a pitch to All-Star catcher Joe Mauer who didn’t miss it. The ball sailed over the right field fence for a 1-0 Twins lead. Kim followed that up by falling behind Michael Cuddyer, who singled, and walking Torii Hunter. Then he struck out Mike Kubel looking to end the inning.
In the Marlin’s home half, Twins ace Johan Santana also struck out the first batter he faced. He then fell behind second baseman Dan Uggla who promptly hit his fifteenth homerun of the season to tie the game. Then, Uggla’s middle infield partner, Hanley Ramirez, singled, but he was thrown out trying to steal second on a perfect peg from Mauer. Santana then struck out another Marlins All-Star, Miguel Cabrera, to end the inning.
Before we had time to get hydrated, the scoring started again. With one out and a runner at first in the top of the second, Santana showed bunt and then smacked Kim’s second pitch into the gap in right center, chugging all the way around to third for a triple, much to the crowd’s delight. Judging from fan’s clothing and cheering, it seemed that the Venezuelan Santana’s fans were in the majority, which isn’t surprising given Miami’s predominantly Latin population. One of the game’s top pitchers, Santana seemed to be finding his Cy Young form again after a mediocre start to the season. And now he had a go-ahead RBI off his first career triple. Leadoff hitter Bartlett then hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Santana and sending his fans into frenzy again. After Kim struck out Jeff Cirillo, the Twins were retired, leading 3-1.
In the bottom of the second, Santana, perhaps still winded from his exciting offensive performance, got in trouble soon after retaking the mound. He walked the leadoff hitter, allowed a fielder’s choice to Aaron Boone, and a single to right fielder Jeremy Hermida. With runners at first and second and one out, catcher Matt Treanor hit the ball hard to third, and Luis Rodriguez tried to start a double play but threw the ball into rightfield, allowing Boone to score. Pitcher Kim followed with a sacrifice bunt, putting runners on second and third with the leadoff hitter, rookie centerfielder Brett Carroll, coming up. But Santana struck out the week-old major leaguer on four pitches to end the inning with a 3-2 lead.
With one out in the Twins fourth, Kim walked the seventh and eighth place hitters, Luis Rodriguez and Nick Punto, with one out, setting up another duel with Santana. This time, the batter slapped a double-play ball down to first baseman Aaron Boone, but Boone’s throw to second hit Punto. As a result, Rodriguez scored from second. Moments later, Jason Bartlett singled in Punto, giving the Twins a 5-2 lead. Even though Santana got picked off third on a fielder’s choice, a four-pitch walk to Mauer loaded the bases for clean up hitter Michael Cuddyer. Once again, though, Kim avoided further damage, striking out Cuddyer on three pitches. The last pitch, a called strike, left Cuddyer and home plate umpire Larry Young fuming at each other. After a brief, heated exchange, Cuddyer headed toward the dugout. But before he got there, he threw his batting gloves on the ground, and Young threw him out of the game. That led to some more comic relief, as Manager Ron Gardenhire charged out of the dugout, throwing his hat towards home plate. Moments later, he, too, was tossed.
The next inning and a half, which many of us watched from a row of shady seats further from the field, was highlighted by a great diving catch from second baseman Dan Uggla to keep the Twins from scoring in the fifth. In the sixth, the Twins widened the lead on Mauer’s second homer (the second two-homer game of his career), a two-run shot, to make the score 7-2. Both starters were lifted after the sixth; Kim gave up seven hits and five walks to go with six strikeouts while Santana allowed only one earned run while striking out eight.
The bullpens did their job in the seventh, and Marlins reliever Justin Miller retired the visitors in order in the eighth. In the bottom of the inning, Miguel Cabrera cut into the lead with a homerun, but Pat Neshek got the next two batters to hold the 7-3 lead. In the ninth, the Twins were retired quickly, with the final out coming when shortstop Hanley Ramirez dove to his left to stab Torii Hunter’s bouncer and fire a strike across the diamond to get the speedy Hunter by a step. Then the Twins brought in closer Joe Nathan in a non-save situation to finish off the home team. Pinch hitter Joe Borchard and Matt Treanor led off with singles. After striking out the next two batters, Nathan gave up a Dan Uggla double in the Marlins’ fourth run. With two outs and runners at second and third, the Marlins’ brought the tying run to the plate in the form of Hanley Ramirez, with Cabrera on deck. But, on the second pitch, Ramirez tapped the ball back to Nathan who threw to first to end the game.
Finally, we could leave the sauna! We departed from the Stadium and headed west on Interstate 75, otherwise known as Alligator Alley14. The Alley was constructed in the Sixties and stands today as the quickest way to get from coast to coast across the Everglades. But it also offers unique wildlife, including the alligators which are seen periodically in the borrow canal about twenty feet north of the highway, behind a chain linked fence. Many of us were skeptical about seeing one of the prehistoric beasts, but it wasn’t long before our curiosity was satisfied. “I think I just saw one take down a bird,” Taylor noted early in our crossing. Soon, there were regular alligator sightings. And, equally astounding, we saw boats with fishermen in the same canal, as well as families swimming in it. Apparently, there’s a pact not to disturb the natives.
We reached the Gulf Coast while the sun was still shining, in need of a place to rest for the night. On the outskirts of Naples—uncomfortably close to Alligator Alley for some—Jim, the official BO Camping Coordinator, took a golf cart tour with the middle-aged, super-sized manager to check out our options, and returned with thumbs up. We had a place to set up camp. Before long, the tents were up, and an intense game of water basketball was underway. Steve, the official BO Chef, and I headed to the local grocery for dinner items.
On the short drive to the store, Steve suggested we make fajitas. Sounded simple enough. But when we started down the vegetable section, and Steve sniffed at, massaged, shook, and stared at about a half dozen different pepper varieties before making his choices, I realized this was serious business. Same thing with the meats: Steve picked up and examined about half of the individual trays, weighing his options before carefully selecting just the right cuts of beef, pork, and chicken. And so it went through the fruits, the breads; even the plastic utensils and plates were selected thoughtfully.
Once we were back at the campsite—after being yelled at by the golf cart-motoring, finger-waving manager for driving too fast on the campground drive—a small group unpacked the groceries and Tim and Steve’s traveling kitchen, including a Coleman stove and a comprehensive assortment of pots and pans, spatulas and spoons, bowls, and a box of Steve’s secret homemade meat rubs. Then, Steve set up the meal preparation stations, scoped out an electrical source for the frying pan, and got us chopping and cutting as dusk descended. He showed us how to slice each pepper variety and prepared the meat for marinating before getting the grills ready. Then, with the care of the clubhouse manager, he coordinated the stewing and steaming while staffing the meat grill. And, by the time the tired pool crew returned, Steve was ready for them. Illuminated by the light of a single headlamp, everyone loaded up their plates and sat down to feast.
Over our delicious, bug-free dinner, the food team heard tales about the evening’s highly competitive water basketball contest. The game to fifteen matched Chris, Cooper, Jen, Jim, and Taylor against Jeff, Megan, Sam, and Tim. Despite being outnumbered, Jeff’s squad fought valiantly. Highlights included fierce post-up battles between big men underneath, sharpshooter Jen pouring in “jumpers” from downtown, and an unfortunate Darrell Dawkins-like dunk from Cooper which brought the net down. While no record of the final score has been kept, it was victory for all because no one got hurt.
After dinner, full-stomached and content, most of shuffled off to our tents. Meanwhile, under the romantic glow of the nearby restroom lights, a few hearty BOers gathered on coolers and camp chairs for a Sambuca-aided reflection on the day.
Game Day #3 (6/25/07)
The drive from Naples to Tampa Bay was our shortest of the trip, so we had time for a detour to the Gulf Coast. We parked in a public lot a block from the ocean. There was no bathroom in sight, so those who hadn’t planned ahead either changed in the van or required a makeshift changing room, a.k.a. a towel. Once on the beach, some ran through the hot sand directly into the water, while others combed the beach for treasures. After an hour or so, we reassembled for a group picture and headed north.
The uneventful drive north was interrupted by an afternoon gorging at Bob Evans, where Tim boasted of Bob’s Ohio roots and introduced us to an amazing creation called the Stuffed and Stacked Cinnamon Cream Hotcakes. After stuffing ourselves with pancakes and other goodies, we stacked ourselves back into the hot vehicles and completed the drive up Interstate 75. We crossed the Bay via the twenty year old, 5.5-mile Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The Skyway Bridge is the world’s longest with cable-supported columns. On this clear day, it provided a sweeping view of the Bay, including its pelicans and cormorants, with domed Tropicana Field straight ahead in St. Petersburg.
After the crossing, it was time to secure a sleeping spot. Once again, Jim and his scouts had it covered. He led us to a county park on Ft. De Soto Island.15 The island is a narrow strip of land sticking out into the Bay, at the very southern tip of present-day St. Petersburg and Pinellas County. Ft. De Soto is full of history, having been originally inhabited by the Tocobaga Indians, later surveyed by a young Robert E. Lee, fortified during the Spanish-American War, and used for training through World War II. We, of course, had no time to explore any of the history or Ft. De Soto’s fine beaches. Instead, we battled a strong, warm wind to quickly pitch our tents under palm trees, about 100 feet from the Bay. Staking down the tents was a challenge not only because of the wind but also the packed sand-and-shell surface which was alternately too soft and too hard to drive stakes into. But, eventually, all the tents stood, shaking in the sea breeze. We loaded them down with our sleeping bags and other belongings, crossed our fingers, and headed to the ballpark.
Tropicana Field16 is a quick trip from Ft. De Soto. Originally named The Florida Suncoast Dome, “The Trop” was built in the late 1980s to lure a major league team to the Bay area. After teasing from Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants ownership in the early nineties, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were established and played their first game in the dome in 1998. Cynics would say residents are still waiting for a major league team. The team’s struggles (no winning seasons and nine last place finishes in their first ten seasons), combined with a much-maligned home field, have made the Devil Rays a tough sell.
Entering the parking lot, we were treated to our first pleasant surprise of the evening: parking was free! Another surprise followed during the walk from the expansive palm-tree shaded lot up to the stadium. On the way, the path includes a colorful, 900-foot tile mural in the pavement, leading you to the main gate. Inside the Ebbets Field-inspired rotunda, we split up to check out the environs. Several of us headed for the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame. The Hall, which moved from its previous location in 2006 due to financial problems, is free to ticket holders and well worth a visit. Not only are there many unique items paying homage to the Splendid Splinter, but the two-story museum also contains a tremendous collection of items from many of the games greatest hitters, including nearly sixty who have been inducted into the Hitters Hall. BOers Steve and Gene got a chance to chat with the Museum Manager who had been Ted’s bodyguard for 17 years and assured the visitors “I had nothing to do with the frozen head thing!”
From the Hall, I wandered around the lower concourse, past a live trivia contest between fans, an interactive games area and concessions, including a huge sports bar. I missed the tank of live Rays behind the centerfield bleachers, but others made it there to pet the residents. Then, there was the game.
Surprisingly, the Devil Rays owned a better record than their opponents, the Chicago White Sox. Less than two years removed from a World Series Championship, the White Sox arrived in Tampa Bay thirteen games under .500, the result of a season-long hitting slump, injuries to several key players, and a mediocre bullpen. They were starting 22-year-old rookie John Danks, with a record of 3-6, against J.P. Howell, a “veteran” of about 25 games himself. Two strong, unproven arms.
From our seats behind the White Sox bullpen down the third baseline, we had a good view of the night’s first rally. In the top of the first, Sox right fielder Andy Gonzalez got a one-out infield hit and moved to third on Paul Konerko’s two-out single. But, second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (who, along with Konerko and Juan Uribe, comprised the only starters in the lineup from the ’05 World Series winning team) grounded to third to end the threat.
In the bottom of the first, the surprisingly vocal and enthusiastic Rays’ fans had something to cheer about. Japanese import Akinori Iwamura led off with a walk, stole second, was moved up by an outfield fly off the bat of star leftfielder Carl Crawford. As the rally developed, the stadium with the sounds of home team’s rally instrument: cowbells. Reminiscent of Hilda Chester clanging her cowbell in the bleachers at Ebbets Field,17 the cowbell-clanging fans were joined by synthesized cowbell clanging piped in through the public address system. The cheering was rewarded as Iwamura scored on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Ty Wigginton. After one inning, Tampa led 1-0.
J.P. Howell struck out three White Sox in the second. The last victim was former Devil Ray catcher Toby Hall which delighted the crowd. In the bottom of the inning, the first two batters flied out to centerfield before catcher Dioner Navarro doubled. The next batter, Josh Wilson, fouled off three pitches with two strikes before doubling home Navarro. Then Iwamura flied to busy centerfielder Luis Terrero for the third out.
The White Sox made noise in the third. Left fielder Scott Podsednik, just back from his eighth career trip to the disabled list in seven years, singled. Andy Gonzalez, playing in his 16th major league game, then singled, bringing up the heart of the order with runners at first and second. But DH Jim Thome swung threw a 3-2 pitch and Konerko grounded out to the pitcher. Having gotten past the Sox most dangerous hitters, Howell then walked both Iguchi and rookie third baseman Josh Fields on 3-2 pitches. The walk to Fields, playing in his 29th major league game, forced in a run and left the bases loaded for Terrerro. However, Howell struck out the center fielder looking, ending the threat and preserving a one-run lead.
After the D-Rays went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the third, Juan Uribe started another Sox rally with his second single in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Andy Gonzalez doubled for his third hit of the day, scoring Uribe from second. Jim Thome then singled home Gonzalez, giving the Sox a brief 3-2 lead. “Brief” because, in the bottom of the inning, hometown favorite Jonny Gomez hit the first pitch from Danks for his fifth homer of the year, tying the game. Minutes later, the Devil Rays reclaimed the lead. Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Carlos Pena who had walked and was singled to third by Dioner Navarro.
Neither team mounted a threat in the fifth, but both starters were pulled to begin the sixth. In the top of the inning, Casey Fossum took the mound and promptly gave up a single to Hall, double to Podsednik, and run-scoring single to Gonzalez to retie the score. Fossum was left in to face Thome, whom he fanned. But then he departed, to a chorus of boos, with runners at the corners. Veteran Shawn Camp took the mound and immediately surrendered a run-scoring single to Konerko, giving the Sox their second lead of the day, 5-4. Camp then struck out Iguchi and Fields on a total of seven pitches to end the rally.
Rookie Nick Masset, sporting a 7+ ERA, took the mound for the Sox in the bottom of the sixth. Centerfielder Delmon Young singled then stole second. He reached third on Carlos Pena’s single and had a chance to score when Navarro hit a medium-depth fly ball to right. However, Gonzalez’s throw home was right on target, and Young held at third. Josh Wilson then flied to end the threat.
In the seventh, the Sox couldn’t get anything going off Camp, and flame-throwing lefty Matt Thornton retired the Devil Rays 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning. In the eighth, Camp kept throwing strikes and the Sox kept missing. He struck out the side, giving him seven Ks in 2.2 innings. Sox reliever Ryan Bukvich then retired the Devil Rays in order. After the Devil Rays’ fourth pitcher, 34-year-old grey beard journeyman Jay Witasick, got three quick outs in the top of the ninth, the stage was set for the D-Rays last raps. For the third straight game, we were going to see the tying run come to the plate in the ninth inning!
During the eighth, I had moved to a new vantage point about twenty rows behind the third base dugout. I missed the warm up tosses of the Sox closer (and fan favorite) Bobby Jenks. Warm up tosses by a visiting team’s reliever is not usually a noteworthy event. Then again, Bobby Jenks is no usual reliever.
Jenks career, like most major leaguers, had been a roller coaster ride. In 2000, the Anaheim Angels signed him our of high school although he never played for his high school team (or even graduated) due to poor grades. Between 2000 – 2004, he moved steadily through the Angels system, making stops in Butte, Cedar Rapids, Little Rock, Rancho Cucamonga, Scottsdale, San Juan, and Salt Lake City. But injuries and a serious drinking problem led the Angels to let the White Sox claim him off waivers after the 2004 season18. In 2005, the Sox converted Jenks into a reliever, and he led AA Birmingham in saves through June. On July 6th, with the Sox leading the division but in need of bullpen help, the 24-year-old Jenks made his major league debut, pitching a scoreless ninth, striking out two.
At 6’3”, 275 pounds and sporting a 100 mile-an-hour fastball, Jenks quickly became a crowd favorite in Chicago. He struck out 50 batters in 39 innings during the regular season, becoming the full-time closer in September when Dustin Hermanson went down with an injury. He finished the season with six saves and collected two more as the White Sox swept the Red Sox in the Divisional Series. Jenks pitched in every World Series game, saving two including the clincher, making him the first rookie to close out a Fall Classic. He followed up the dizzying ride to the top in 2005 by saving 41 games and making the All-Star Game in 2006. He was 18 of 20 in saves opportunities coming into Tampa Bay.
So, there was “Big Bobby” Jenks stretching and soft tossing down the left field line. In between stretches, he would engage hecklers. One man suggested Jenks have another cheeseburger and beer. Others yelled that Jenks wasn’t up to the task of closing the game. He smiled, flexed his muscles, posed for pictures, and engaged in good-natured, R-rated conversation with the fans. But, as the ninth inning progressed, he focused on firing pitches to the bullpen catcher. And then he was ready to take the mound.
The seventh, eighth, and ninth-place hitters were due up for the Devil Rays. Lefty Carlos Pena led off and pulled a 2-0 pitch in between first baseman Konerko and second baseman Iguchi. The ball glanced off Konerko’s glove, but went right to Iguchi who charged and threw to Jenks hustling to first, for out number one. Another lefty, Dioner Navarro, who was already 2-3 on the day, hit a deep fly ball to center, but it was hauled in by center fielder Terrero for out number two. Up came lefty pinch hitter (and former Sox player) Greg Norton. Norton drilled Jenks first pitch to the deepest part of the park. Four hundred feet away, at the wall in left center, Terrero caught the final out. The White Sox fans exchanged hoots and high fives. It took Jenks seven pitches to secure save number nineteen.
Game Day #4 (6/26/07)
Those of us who awoke first on Tuesday morning had a little campground surprise. Some of our nocturnal neighbors were returning home after another night out. I’m talking about raccoons, and their homes were the palm trees of Ft. De Soto campground, including a big one on our site. I saw three different residents return to their roosts soon after sunrise. Didn’t know raccoons lived in palm trees. By the water, gulls were diving for and fighting over fish. One by one, the BO crew rose and gathered around the picnic table to soak up our last morning in the Sunshine State. A few started a game of Phase 10, while Cooper bugged the Kommish to update our fantasy teams’ performances. After checking and rechecking his records from the previous evening, Jeff announced the updated standings and presented awards to attendance and BO Bingo winners from previous games. The Kommish had handpicked (if not handmade) each award; for example, Jen earned a friendship bracelet with Marlins colors, for being closest (without going over!) in guessing the attendance in Miami.
Before long, we were on the road again, heading north on our 460-mile trek to Atlanta. The next seven hours were spent napping, snacking, Mad Libbing, trading trivia, playing cards, scheming sites for BO ’08, and reflecting on Suzanne’s shouting in Vero Beach, Mauer’s mashes in Miami, and Jenks’ jousting in the Trop. By mid-afternoon, we were projecting an arrival in Atlanta just before game time. So, we traded a leisurely lunch stop for fuel, snacks, and a smorgasbord to be eaten later. On the final leg to Atlanta, passengers in Casper were startled by a truck blowing a tire in the next lane, at 65 miles per hour. A close call, but the brothers Haynes steered us safely ahead. And, more than an hour before game time, they had us parked in a lot across the street from Atlanta’s Turner Field.
We walked north on Hank Aaron Drive to get to Turner’s main entrance. Once there, we could see the former site of Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium which now serves as additional parking space. However, the pavement is marked with the sites of both the swing and landing spot of Aaron’s historic 715th home run in 1974. Although a tempting landmark, we opted for Monument Grove instead.
Monument Grove, located outside the ticket turnstiles, contains statues of Aaron, knuckleballer Phil Neikro, winningest pitcher Warren Spahn, and native son Ty Cobb, all in action poses, along with number statues for retired number honorees.19 We soaked up the legends, while being followed by the Chick-fil-A Cows, imploring us to “Eat Mor Chikin.” Frivolity is never far away at the old ballpark.
Once inside Turner Field, we split up to explore. Some of us went in search of grub while others went down to the field (twenty feet below street level) to check out our seats and the pre-game ballet known as Batting Practice (BP). For some fans, BP is the most exciting part of the ballpark experience. Indeed, BP is a misnomer; there’s a lot more going on than batting practice. While small groups of players rotate into the batting cage at home plate and take cuts under the watchful eye of the hitting coach and manager, the other twenty players, bat boys, and coaches have their own tasks. The rubber-armed pitching coach on the mound is fed baseballs by bat boys who gather the balls from players scattered around the park. In the outfield, the players—mostly pitchers— roam the field playing toss, stretching, jogging along the warning track, chatting with fans, checking the field conditions, and catching flies. About thirty minutes before game time, on opposite sides of the field, the starting pitchers and catchers start stretching and playing long toss in preparation for their bullpen sessions.
On this sunny, hot Atlanta evening, large groups of fans stood amongst the outfield seats (Turner doesn’t have bleacher benches), gloves poised, hoping to out duel their neighbors to snag a long fly off the next slugger’s bat. Others staked out a front row seat down the foul lines to beg for baseballs or autographs. I followed Cooper down towards the field, where a Washington Nationals pitcher was signing autographs. While I was watching the negotiation, I heard a loud crash. I turned around to discover that a foul ball had just smashed into the seat directly behind me. Before I reacted, the ball rolled under my feet and rested on the concrete floor one row in front of me. Another fan nearby quickly ran up and grabbed the souvenir. I failed to get a ball hit right to me; of course, I was dumb lucky not to be knocked out.
After surviving Cooper’s autograph seeking efforts, I walked to the main concourse and took in the pictorial history of the Atlanta Braves. There’s a team picture and season summary for each year since their move from Milwaukee in 1966. It was fun to reminisce while looking at the great, and not so great, Atlanta teams of the past. I focused on the juggernaut teams of the nineties that started the unprecedented run of 14 straight divisional titles (and one championship) from 1991 – 2005.20 Others peered at the teams of the early 80s, managed by a young Joe Torre, who got his first managerial playoff experience with the ’82 Braves. Or Hammerin’ Hank’s teams of the early 70s. Before finding out what the 2007 team was about, I snuck up to the upper concourse and checked out some interesting art work on the walls, including a huge mural of a baseball scene, constructed of license plates from the three states the Braves’ have called home. Up an escalator, I reached the Coke-sponsored Fan Zone, complete with a “cool” walkway equipped with misting machines. Nearby, there are three oversized, red rocking chairs with Coke bottle-shaped backs facing downtown, and a 38-foot high coke bottle—that lights up and shoots fireworks when a Braves player hits a homerun—covered in baseball equipment. There was much more to do and see21, but the National Anthem was about to be played and I was up three levels and halfway around the park from my seat. Time for a quick jog to section 123.
It’s safe to say that this game’s crowd did not gather expecting to see a pitcher’s duel. The Braves’ Earl “Buddy” Carlyle and Nationals’ Mike Bacsik came into the match up with combined lifetime major league records of 8 wins, 14 losses with seven teams. Both 29 years old, the two pitchers were both fighting for a permanent spot in the rotation a month after being called up from the minors. A month earlier, in fact, Carlyle had won his first start in seven and a half years, the longest period between wins for a starter amongst active players.22
Despite the lack of a marquee match up, the crowd got pumped up as Carlyle struck out former Braves’ outfielder Ryan Langerhans to start the game. But, the stadium quieted as consecutive singles by shortstop Felipe Lopez and third base phenom Ryan Zimmerman put runners at first and second with one out and clean up hitter Dmitri Young at the plate. Carlyle worked the count to 1-2 on Young before leaving a ball over the plate that Young slapped into left for solid single. Lopez rounded third and decided to test the arm of left fielder Matt Diaz, who came up firing to home. It was a close play at the plate, but Braves’ catcher Brian McCann blocked the plate and tagged out Lopez for out number two. Then, McCann got up and fired the ball to third where Chipper Jones applied the tag to the sliding Zimmerman, completing a 8-2-5 double play to end the inning.
Bacsik retired the Braves in order in the bottom of the first, and Carlyle returned the favor in the top of the second. In the bottom of the second, McCann got the Braves first hit, a two-out single. But he was stranded there. In the third, the Nationals’ veteran catcher, Brian Schneider, singled and was sacrificed to second on a good bunt by Bacsik. Then Langerhans doubled against his old team, scoring Schneider for the first run of the game. Carlyle then settled down to get the next two batters and keep the deficit at one.
In the bottom of the third, eighth place batter Jarrod Saltalamacchia—who was playing first base despite being featured on the cover of our free “Game Day” program in his catcher’s gear—led off hitting a homerun over the centerfield fence to tie the score. With two outs, Edgar Renteria reached first on an error by Lopez. Next up was Chipper Jones, hitting well over .300 and by far the most dangerous bat in the Braves lineup. With the fan favorite at the plate and a runner on, we got our first exposure to the Tomahawk Chop chant from the Braves’ faithful. Loved in Atlanta and hated just about everywhere else, the Chop involves a slow series of “Ohhhhh” chants, punctuated with a chopping motion by one or both arms. The Braves insistence on maintaining this cheer, despite its obvious offense to many native groups, has led to a lot of controversy over the years. One of the enduring images of the Braves’ decade-long playoff run was seeing President Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter doing the Chop along with former owner Ted Turner and one-time girl friend Jane Fonda from their seats near the Braves dugout. In any event, with the anxious crowd watching, Jones fouled off a tough 3-2 pitch before walking. That put Chipper’s long-time teammate and perennial All-Star Andruw Jones at the plate. The Chop started again. Andruw, mired in a season-long slump, ran the count to 3-2 as well before flying out to center to end the threat.
The score froze at 1-1 until the fifth. In the top of the inning, Brian Schneider reached on an error by Saltalamacchia and was successfully sacrificed to second, for the second time, by Bacsik. But Langerhans struck out looking on three pitches to end the threat.
Saltalamacchia led off the bottom of the fifth much the same way he led off the third, this time blasting the first pitch from Bacsik over the left field wall. That gave Saltalamacchia two home runs for the night and four for his weeks-old major league career. Then, with one out, rookie second baseman Yunel Escobar and veteran shortstop Edgar Renteria singled, bringing up Chipper Jones. Again the Tomahawks chopped. The rhythmic clappers clapped. Jones ran the count to 2-2 and then fouled off two more pitches before skying out to Church in left. That brought Andruw Jones with another chance to extend a rally and get his batting average back over the Mendoza line. This time, he guessed right on a 3-1 pitch, depositing the ball over the fence for a 3-run homer and a 5-1 Braves lead.
Carlyle, having retired eight of the last nine hitter, started off the Nationals sixth by striking out Lopez looking. He proceeded to retire the visitors with only a walk between flyouts. Bacsik also pitched well in the sixth. After McCann singled, the pitcher got three fly outs to strand him. The last out came off the bat of Carlyle, who got a nice ovation from the crowd, nonetheless. We thought that might be the last action of the night, but he was back on the hill in the seventh. He faced four batters again, throwing only six pitches, to retire the side.
In the bottom of the seventh, with the Braves still up 5-1, Bacsik was replaced by recent call-up Chris Schroder. Bacsik had pitched well, except for the 20-pitch stretch in the fifth when a tie game suddenly became a 4-run deficit. But now it was Schroder’s turn to calm the Braves’ bats. After a 10-pitch at bat by leadoff hitter Escobar, which ended in a single, Schroder struck out Renteria. After falling behind 3-1 to Chipper Jones and allowing Escobar to steal second base, Schroder induced an infield flyout. That brought up fifth inning hero Andruw Jones. But this time, Schroder snuffed the rally, striking out Andruw on four pitches.
New Braves pitcher Tyler Yates took over for Carlyle in the eighth. Carlyle finished with excellent numbers, giving up only two hits after the rocky first inning and fanning six while walking only one. It was the strongest performance by a starter we had seen during BO07. Yates, a native Hawaiian, picked up where Carlyle had left off. He retired the Nationals’ 1-2-3 hitters in order in the eighth, getting three flyouts in seven pitches.
Schroder came back out to pitch the eighth for Washington. With one out, McCann, already two for three, doubled, and Schroder hit Matt Diaz to put two on for Saltalamacchia. Anxious to do more damage, the rookie swung at the first pitch, bouncing to short and allowing the Nationals to force Diaz at second. With two outs and runners at the corners, Manager Bobby Cox sent in nine-year veteran Chris Woodward to pinch hit, and Nationals’ Manager Manny Acta countered with nine-year veteran Ray King to face him. King fell behind 2-0 before Woodward knocked a single through the infield, scoring McCann with the sixth Braves run of the night. With runners at first and second, King fell behind Escobar, too. But Escobar got under the 3-1 pitch, sending a fly ball to short to end the eighth.
In the ninth, the Braves turned to set up man Peter Moylan. Dmitri Young greeted the Australian reliever by smashing a double. Then Moylan struck out Austin Kearns looking, ending his night 0 for 4. But then Moylan surrendered a double to Church, making the score 6-2. When second baseman Ronnie Belliard singled, bringing the tying run on deck, Cox had seen enough. He pulled Moylan and called in the closer, Bob Wickman.
At 38 years old, 6’1”, 240 pounds, Bob Wickman is not the kind of pitcher that strikes fear in the hearts of hitters. However, he has been effective over a sixteen-year career. He entered this game, the 807th of his career, with 260 saves, the twenty-fifth most in major league history. Acquired from the Indians the previous summer for an anticipated playoff run, Wickman proved to still be a reliable closer, saving 18 games in 19 tries. Now he was called on to get save 14 of 2007, with two runners on and the potential tying run on deck.
Up next was catcher Schneider who had reached base, via hit or error, all three previous trips to the plate tonight. Wickman nibbled his way to a 2-2 count, and then Schneider swung and missed at the next offering. Two away. Then, Manager Acta chose to send up switch-hitting utility infielder D’Angelo Jimenez to pinch hit in the pitcher’s spot. Despite the fact that Jimenez had been in the league since 1999 and had over 2000 career at bats, he and Wickman had never faced each other. Jimenez stepped in, looking to get on base to bring up the top of the order and the tying run. The count ran to 3-1, with Jimenez not biting on close pitches. The next pitch was in there, though, and Jimenez lofted it to center field. Andruw Jones drifted over and squeezed the ball for the final out. Fireworks and high fives for the home team!
After our customary group photo, which documents both the contentment and sadness that marks the end of each Odyssey, we headed for one last trip to the ballpark rest stations. Then we circled up for one last, customary Rhythmic Clap and headed back out to Hank Aaron Drive and our cars. Pillows and other provisions were shuffled to the appropriate vehicle; Magellan headed to a hotel, followed by Red Meat which dropped some of us off before heading off to the airport, and Casper immediately hit the road for the overnight, 1,000-mile trip back to Minnesota.
The long and winding road that was BO07 left us tired, but well nourished. And hungry for the next round tripper.
March 12, 2008
Andrew Tonachel
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1 To hear a sampling of the counter sounds and learn more about The Varsity, check out http://www.thevarsity.com/history.php?action=timeline
2 Technically, I don’t know if they were no-see-ums, midges, or what, but I liked the no-see-um description at this website: http://georgiafaces.caes.uga.edu/getstory.cfm?storyid=1849
3 This trivia business first burst onto the Odyssey scene somewhere between New York and Philadelphia during the 2002 trip and has remained a staple of our journeys ever since. The original trivia team included Jeff, Tim, Chris, Jim, Will, and Bobbie Jean.
4 The Dodgers announced at the beginning of 2007 that this would be the franchise’s final year in Florida before moving to a new complex in Arizona. However, now the team says it will use Holman in 2008, apparently after being informed of a clause in the contract with the city that obligates them to play at least 10 games there in ‘08. A good source of news and pictures on Holman is http://www.ballparkwatch.com/visits/vero_beach.htm. Better yet, catch a ten-minute nostalgia tour on Dodgertown at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=dodgertown&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1.
5 As unusual as his stance was, Oglivie may have developed the stance to protect him from hard line drives. Tragically, on July 22nd in Little Rock, Arkansas, new base coach Mike Coolbaugh was struck in the head and killed by a line drive foul.
6 “Gentle Ben” was a smooth-swinging, left-handed outfielder who came up with the Red Sox in 1971. Oglivie was traded to the Tigers in 1975 where he got the chance to play everyday before joining Milwaukee’s Harvey Wallbangers in the late Seventies and early Eighties. He enjoyed a career year in 1980, batting .304 and leading the league with 41 homeruns. Six times between 1979 and 1983 he hit three homeruns in one game. When Oglivie retired in 1986, after sixteen years in the big leagues, he had more homeruns than any Panamanian in history. He held that record until June 28, 2007 when Carlos Lee hit his 236th, the same night Craig Biggio got his 3,000th hit. Oglivie has been promoted to coach at Double-A Montgomery for the 2008 season.
7 This was the call by Joe Sanchez over Internet radio. You, too, can listen to this game (and most every other minor league game) in its entirety by registering for free at www.minorleaguebaseball.com. On this night, Sanchez, the long-time stadium announcer and first radio voice of the Vero Beach Dodgers from 1980 – 1987, was sitting in for the Devil Rays’ regular announcer.
8 Sanchez: “Good defensive catcher. Keep an eye on this kid. Simply on the glove he’s got a shot [at the big leagues].”
9 Suzanne’s husband, John, and I were chatting during this rundown, and neither of us was sure about who touched the ball when. But, another neat thing about Holman is that the official scorer sits, accessible to the fans, at the press counter just a few rows behind home plate. Between innings, I went over and asked for help, and he was more than happy to provide me with the result of the rundown.
10 We doubt she really remembered Bench’s homer in the middle of Game 3. Perhaps she was thinking of another catcher.
11 Amazingly, only four current ballparks can boast more World Series championship teams than Dolphin Stadium’s two. Can you name them?
12 Hopefully the majors’ only full-season cheering squad, the Mermaids Dance Team made their debut during the Marlins championship season of 2003. They not only dance around before the game and between innings, but, according to the Marlins website, they “go to various elementary schools to promote reading”. Unfortunately, the 2007 dancers’ individual online profiles do not provide any information on their favorite books.
13 Fittingly, Kim was promoted to the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Tucson Sidewinders.
14 The colorful history of the Alley’s planning and construction can be found at http://www.naples.net/history/aalley.htm.
15 For a virtual tour of a campsite near ours, check out http://www.pinellascounty.org/virtual_tours/fort_desoto_campground.htm
16 Check out the Ray’s website for more on Tropicana Field: http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/tb/ballpark/index.jsp. If you’re interested in the engineering behind the cable-supported, fabric dome, go to http://www-ec.njit.edu/civil/fabric/suncst.html.
17 For a quick note on one of baseball’s legendary fans, check out: http://www.baseballreliquary.org/HildaChester.htm. Can anyone explain to me why the Tampa Bay management insists on linking the team with the old Dodger franchise?
18 For an account of Jenks highs and lows between 2000-2005, read http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2005/10/24/fast_times_for_jenks/.
19 There are six. Can you guess them all?
20 That’s fourteen straight titles over 15 seasons, because of the “work stoppage” in August, 1994 that ended the season. I doubt the Braves would have caught the Montreal Expos that year. So, in reality, they won eleven titles in a row. Still not bad.
21 For accounts of other Turner Field’s distractions, check out these sites, for starters: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/ballpark/things.jsp, http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/turner.htm, http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/national/atlanta.html, or http://www.ballparkwatch.com/visits/turner_field.htm.
22 After winning his first game in seven years, the Braves congratulated Carlyle by sending him back to the minors, this time for four days. Bacsik, by the way, would make history of his own six weeks after we saw him when, on August 7th, he surrendered Barry Bonds’ 756th homer.