Secretary's Report...
BO '08 Recap
Day 1--June 18, Baltimore
Baseball is about connections. There’s pitcher and catcher connecting on a sign, the bat connecting with the ball, the fielder tracking and connecting with the ball just long enough to get rid of it again, and the batter’s foot connecting with the base, just after the ball connects with the first baseman’s glove. A lot of connecting on the field. But there are also a lot of connections made off the field which make Baseball Odyssey a journey worth making, over and over.
On the walk from remote parking to the right field entrance of Oriole Park at Camden Yards (OPACY), I struck up a conversation with a father and his teenage son. “How are you feeling about the team this year?” I asked.
“Excited,” dad replies. “Looks like we might finally be turning the corner. It’s early, but I’m optimistic.”
My sentiments exactly. Although I had spent the last half hour of our long drive to Baltimore boring Kommish Jeff Haynes and my sons with a list of Oriole owner Peter Angelos’ sins over the past decade, the truth was that I, too, was believing in my boyhood team again. Fading, overpaid stars were being replaced by promising, young players, and the Oriole Way--once the preeminent organizational approach in all of baseball--was being reestablished.1 On the field, things were looking up, too. Entering tonight’s action, the Orioles were one game over .500, a twelve game improvement over the same period from a year ago.
The visiting Houston Astros, on the other hand, seemed to be going in the opposite direction.2 Following an offseason in which they traded five players for the Orioles’ All-Star shortstop, Miguel Tejada, expectations were high. But they limped into Baltimore, having lost six in row and dropping 11 games behind the league-leading Cubs. All this added to the sunny outlook for O’s fans on this cloudy, moist, 78º evening.
Outside Gate A, the full Baseball Odyssey 08 (BO08) team assembled for the first time. The roster included Kommish Jeff (in his 8th BO season), Kate (rookie), Megan (5th), Tim (6th), Sam (5th), Chris (7th), Yuki (3rd), Cooper (5th), Taylor (5th), and Andrew (5th). Kommish distributed tickets, and we proceeded to the gate for our first surprise of the night--free “classic” Orioles hats!3 It was a treat to see all those Red Sox and Yankees fans wearing The Bird!
Once inside, we explored Eutaw Street, the Orioles main commercial district. Eutaw runs between the right and center field seats and The B&O Warehouse (“the longest building on the East Coast”) and houses souvenir and food stands, including Boog’s BBQ.4 Eutaw also houses the Orioles’ and Maryland Sports Hall of Fame plaques. And, planted in the cement walkway are brass baseballs marking tape-measure home run blasts. The Warehouse is 432 feet from home plate at its shortest distance and it has yet to be hit during a game.
We all made it to our left field bleacher seats in time for the National Anthem, complete with fans shouting the “O” at the start of the second-to-last line.5 Hard-luck Oriole starter Jeremy Guthrie, who came into the game with a 3-7 record but had only received 10 runs in support in his losses, got speedy center fielder Michael Bourn and second baseman Kaz Matsui to ground out to open the game. Then up stepped Tejada, the former Oriole, who was greeted with a mixture of cheers and jeers. When Tejada grounded out to end the inning, the half-filled stadium erupted in applause.
Veteran Brian Moehler took the hill for the Astros. After toiling as a reliever in 2007, Moehler got to return to a starting role in 08, and the big, 12-year veteran had responded with a solid 3-3 record entering tonight’s game. After getting leadoff hitter Brian Roberts to ground out on the first pitch, he surrendered a double to the Orioles’ young right fielder star, Nick Markakis. The next hitter, Melvin Mora, grounded out to third, failing to move up Markakis, but a wild pitch and a walk left runners at the corners with two outs. First baseman Kevin Millar then hit a 2-2 pitch on a line into shallow right field. But, the Astros’ own young star right fielder, Hunter Pence6, charged in and made a sliding catch to keep the game scoreless.
In the Astros second, Guthrie walked clean up hitter Lance Berkman, who advanced to third on Pence’s one out double. But Guthrie got Darin Erstad and Ty Wigginton on back-to-back infield fly outs to wriggle out of trouble. Moehler followed with a 1-2-3 second, and both pitchers settled in for a low-scoring duel.
Guthrie seemed to have all his pitches working, as he set down the Astros in order in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, striking out five along the way. Moehler also threw up zeros, although he had to get some help in the third. With two outs, Markakis came up again and hit another screamer, this time over center fielder Michael Bourn’s head. Bourn raced back to the wall and jumped over the fence to snag the ball, robbing the Orioles of the first run of the game.
In the seventh, with the score still 0-0, Tejada flied out to start the inning. Then, on a 1-1 pitch, designated hitter Berkman--who entered the game batting .358 and leading the league in runs scored--hit a towering drive over the scoreboard in right for his twentieth homer of the year. Another brass baseball for Eutaw Street! Guthrie then worked around an error by shortstop Alex Cintron and single by Erstad to keep the damage at 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh.
Before the Orioles got an opportunity to tie it up, it was time for Baltimore’s unique seventh inning stretch. In 1975, at the request of then-shortstop Mark Belanger and his wife, the Orioles tried out John Denver’s “Thank God, I’m a Country Boy” as a stretch song. It caught on immediately, and has been the team’s seventh inning rally cry ever since.7 So, after some of us country folk whooped it up, former Astro Luke Scott stepped to the plate. Scott, a key player in the Tejada trade over the winter, had won over Oriole fans with his hustle, timely hitting, and sexy sideburns (a la Brady Anderson). Here, he drove a 3-0 Moehler pitch high into deep center field. Bourn raced back and jumped at the fence, but, this time, it was out of his reach, and the score was tied at 1. Catcher Roberto Hernandez then singled and was replaced by pinch runner Freddie Bynum. With one out, pinch hitter Jay Payton then singled on Moehler’s 98th and last pitch of the night.
Moehler pitched great, giving up only 5 hits and 1 run in 6 1/3 innings. But Manager Cecil Cooper brought in 23-year-old rookie reliever Wesley Wright to face leadoff hitter Brian Roberts. As Wright jogged in from the bullpen, we learned of another tradition at OPACY. One of the bullpen assistants, jogged in with Wright’s coat, as is customary. But, after delivering the goods, he turned and sprinted back to the bullpen, as the fans cheered him on.
Once the game resumed, Wright threw four straight balls to Roberts, loading the bases for Nick Markakis. However, the wild Wright caught Markakis looking at a 1-2 pitch that apparently caught the inside corner for a called strike three. Wright was then replaced by Chris Sampson. We watched as the unnamed assistant did his job again, jogging in and then sprinting back to receive fist pumps from the Oriole relievers in the Orioles bullpen. On Sampson’s second pitch, Melvin Mora hit a weak grounder to second base to end the inning. Threat over.
Guthrie started the eighth by striking out 35-year-old pinch hitter Geoff Blum. Leadoff hitter Bourn then tried to bunt his way on, but new Orioles catcher Guillermo Quiroz leaped out in front of the plate to grab the ball and throw him out. Finally, Guthrie retired Kaz Matsui for the fourth straight time, getting him to fly out to Scott (“Luuuuuuuuke”) in left.
After the Orioles failed to score in the eighth, veteran submarining journeyman Chad Bradford was sent to the hill to maintain the tie. Guthrie had pitched brilliantly, scattering three hits and one walk while striking out eight and throwing 105 pitches on a muggy night. Bradford gave up a one out single to Berkman, allowing him to pass Manny Ramirez as career leader in BO Fantasy points.8 However, Bradford got the dangerous Carlos Lee to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
The Orioles ninth also showed promise after a 1-out single by Adam Jones off new Astro reliever Doug Brocail.9 Light-hitting catcher Quiroz battled Brocail, fouling off five two-strike pitches before flying out to Bourn in center. Roberts came up with a chance to win it. He worked the count to 2-2 and fouled off two more. But Brocail backdoored Brian, catching him looking, for strike three. On to extra innings!
In the tenth, Bradford gave up four ground balls, as any good sidearmer should. One was a single by Ty Wigginton. The other three came back to him, and he threw on to first for three assists and three outs.
The Orioles tenth started with Nick Markakis smashing the first pitch from the new Astro pitcher, closer Jose Valverde, down towards first base. But Berkman speared it and beat Markakis to the bag for out number one. Valverde then fell behind Melvin Mora 3-1, and Mora lined the next pitch for a single. Valverde went 3-1 on Aubrey Huff, too, and he lined a single, moving Mora to third. Next up was first baseman Kevin Millar, who was 0-4 on the night, having stranded four previous baserunners. This time, however, he hit a 2-1 pitch up the middle, and Mora raced home with the winning run. “Oriole Magic”, with Millar on lead vocal, started playing over the loudspeakers as players mobbed Millar at first base.
We filed out of the stadium, checking out the Orioles retired numbers sculptures and statue of Baltimorean Babe Ruth on the way out of the park. Before reaching the car, we encountered one more surprise: the AST Dew Tour Panasonic Open. That’s right; we stumbled onto practice night before the start of the first major event of the 2008 Action Sports Tour season. Dozens of us stood on a nearby overpass, watching athletes flying through the air, practicing moves for the Bicycle Motocross (BMX) and Freestyle Motorcross (FMX) event beginning the next day.10 It was a thrilling end to opening night of BO08.
Day 2—June 19, Bowie
We rose early on Thursday to check out of our only hotel stay of the week, and drove south to Alexandria, Virginia, and our hosts, the Crowes. We arrived in time for lunch, of course, as we cluttered the house with our assorted sleeping bags, clothing bags, and electronic equipment. In between munching on goodies prepared by Megan and Jim, we enjoyed house tours from Aiden (age 5) and Madeline (age 3). Once we were done disrupting the Crowe’s day, we took off for Game #2, in Bowie, Maryland.
Bowie is a fast-growing bedroom community located between DC and Baltimore. The town welcomed a new team, the Baysox, in 1993, and a new stadium in 1994. Prince George’s Stadium has also hosted cricket, lacrosse, softball, movie nights, and yard sales, among other things. In fact, just weeks before tonight’s game, the Women’s USA Softball team played an Olympic tune up game here, and the outlines of the cutouts for the 60-foot bases were still evident from the new grass that replaced them. Otherwise, the field looked good upon our arrival on this overcast night.
I learned some additional history from “Pete” a friendly, “semi-retired” usher who I found wiping off the box seats behind home plate. “Used to draw 10-12,000, even 14,000 for games,” Pete explained. “That was before Aberdeen got a team and the Nationals came to DC.” On the other hand, the on-field product had been improving. “You’re going to see the worst starter tonight, and he’s 4-2. Last year, he’d be a 2 or 3; now he’s the number 5 starter.” At this point, Pete cutoff conversation to greet a fellow, long-time season ticket holder, and I joined the rest of the BO crew a few rows up from the third base dugout.
The game pitted the two best teams in the Double A Eastern League’s Southern Division. By winning the first two games of the series, the Akron Aeros had displaced the Bowie Baysox in first place. The night started with a highly-flawed, yet entertaining rendition of the National Anthem. Then we settled in for the first pitch from Baysox starter Jason Berken.
Berken was in his third pro season, after getting drafted out of Clemson in 2006. In his previous two seasons, he had moved from low A to Advanced A to now Double A ball. In the first inning, he struggled with his control. He went 2-2 on the Aeros’ standout Trevor Crowe (no relation to our hosts), before Crowe singled. He struck out shortstop Jose Rodriguez on a 3-2 pitch, and he got an infield fly out off the bat of right fielder Bronson Kiheimahanaomauiakeo Sardinha. Berken went 3-2 again on third baseman Wes Hodges before walking him, putting runners on first and second with two outs. Finally, on his 28th pitch of the inning, he caught first baseman Stephen Head looking for out number three.
Things were no less exciting for Aeros’ starter Steven Wright in the bottom of the first. Wright was making his first Double A start, having just been called up from the Cleveland Indians’ Advanced-A Kinston affiliate. Wright surrendered a single to centerfielder Mike Rodriguez, but got Carlos Rojas to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. The next batter, league-leading hitter Lou Montanez, singled, and third baseman Jeff Nettles walked on six pitches. That brought up designated hitter Nolan Reimold. He swung at the first pitch from Wright and just got under it, flying out to left fielder Crowe to end the inning.
Berken settled down some in the second. With one out, second baseman Brandon Pinckney grounded hard down the third base line. Nettles dove, caught the ball, jumped up, and threw out Pinckney by a step at first. This inspired some in our group to start the first cheer of the evening. It went something like this (to the tune of a famous chocolate commercial11): “N-E-T-T-L-E-S, Nettles plays the very best... third base.” The four other people sitting in our section seemed to enjoy it almost as much as we did. Meanwhile, catcher Damaso Espino singled but was caught stealing on a 2-2 pitch to center fielder Jose Constanza. Stealing second on a 2-2 pitch with two outs? Perhaps Espino thought it was a 3-2 pitch. Either way, that’s no way to make it out of the minors.
Wright threw nine pitches to get the Baysox out in the bottom of the second. He hit left fielder Sebastien Boucher (“Boooo-shaaay”--he’s Canadian) but got catcher Steve Torrealba to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
In the Aeros’ third, after Constanza struck out, Crowe singled and Josh Rodriguez walked. Sardinha, the Yankees first round pick in 2001, doubled to score Crowe with the first run of the game. Then Berken struck out Hodges, but a passed ball allowed Rodriguez to scoot home to make it 2-0 before the side was retired. Off the field, I managed to make two errors during all this. First, I pushed fellow BOers out of the way and scrambled up two rows of empty seats for a foul ball. I got my hand on it, only to let it slip away and see it plucked off the concrete by a teenage fan behind us. Then, between innings, while t-shirts were being shot into the stands, I tried tipping one into our group and ended up popping up into the hands of... the same teenager I lost the foul ball to. This was the first time I’ve ever touched a game ball or giveaway in the stands, and I booted both! At least sure-handed Sam snagged a shirt.
In the fourth, Berken again struggled with his control. Goleski grounded out on a 3-2 pitch, Pinckney struck out looking on a 2-2 pitch, and Espino walked after fouling off the first 3-2 pitch. He got ahead of Constanza, 1-2, but he singled, putting men at first and second for the third inning. But, on his 88th pitch of the night, Berken got Crowe to ground out, ending the threat. In the bottom of the inning, Wright faced only three Baysox batters for the third inning in a row.
A new pitcher, Rommie Lewis, took the hill for the home team in the fifth. With one out, Sardinha hit a smash down the left field line, into the corner. Left fielder Boucher raced over and put his hands in the air, signaling that the ball was unplayable. However, the umpire ignored his signal, and, with Sardinha racing around second, Boucher had to dig the ball out of the corner and throw it in to stop the Aeros right fielder from getting an inside-the-park home run. Baysox Manager Brad Komminsk came out to argue, but to no avail. However, Lewis pitched around the mess by getting both Hodges and Head to ground out to first baseman Ryan Finan.
In the bottom of the inning, Wright worked around plunking Finan to start the inning and giving up a one-out double to Torrealba. After five innings, he had thrown only 70 pitches.
For the first time in the game, the Aeros were retired without a hit in the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, Lou Montanez got the Baysox on the board with a towering home run, his thirteenth of the year.12 Two batters later, after Nolan Reimold reached on an error by the third baseman, Wright’s night was finished. He faced 23 batters and gave up only four hits, one walk, and one run over 5.2 innings. Wright was relieved by Reid Santos who caught Finan looking on the eighth pitch of the at bat.
The seventh started with Nettles catching a foul ball and being serenaded by his newest fans. Lewis walked shortstop Rodriguez and gave up Sardinha’s third hit before giving way to 6’9” reliever Kam Mickolio. Against clean up hitter Wes Hodges, Mickolio threw a wild pitch to put runners on second and third. But, he got Hodges to ground out to keep the score at 2-1.
After the Baysox failed to score off Santos, the Aeros started another rally in the eighth. Goleski doubled off Mickolio. Then, with two outs, Espino doubled in Goleski and Constanza singled in Espino for a 4-1 lead. Leadoff hitter Crowe delivered his third hit of the night, a double to score Constanza. Mickolio finally struck out Rodriguez to stop the bleeding.
After the Baysox wasted a leadoff single by Rodriguez in the bottom of the eighth, they sent out thirty-five year old fireballer Julio Manon to pitch the ninth. He struck out Sardinha, who was a homer away from the cycle, and Hodges before getting Stephen Head to ground out to second for a quick 1-2-3 inning.
The Baysox’ DH Reimhold struck out to start the bottom of the ninth. But hope was restored when Finan walked on four pitchers, bringing an end to Santos’ night. The Aeros brought in closer Randy Newsom, and the Baysox countered with pinch hitter Jonathan Tucker. A good battle ensued, with Tucker fouling off two tough 2-2 pitches before lining a single. The 30-year-old, veteran catcher, Torrealba, was up next. He drove Newsom’s second pitch between outfielders, doubling home Finan and Tucker to make the score 5-3. Blake Davis, the number nine hitter, ran the count to 2-2 before grounding to second base. So, leadoff hitter Mike Rodriguez, who was 2-4 on the night, stepped up with a chance to tie the score. The count went to 2-2, and Rodriguez fouled off the next pitch. And the next pitch. And the next pitch. Then Newsom threw him something he thought was off the plate, but the umpire called strike three to give the Aeros the victory and a two game lead in the division.13 Another nail bitter!
The announced attendance for the night was 1,674, probably double the actual fannies in the seats. So, the exiting process was quick and easy. We were back in Alexandria in no time, another exciting day of baseball in the books, and much more to come.
Day 3—June 20, Washington, D.C.
Friday morning was bright and bustling with activity in the Crowe household. Aiden and Madeline set the pace, bounding about and holding court while Jim and Megan worked their magic in the kitchen, preparing eggs, bacon, and homemade crepes. Guest appearances were made by yo-yo king Bill Crowe and his companion Jen. Reconnecting with Bill led to stimulating conversation on many topics, from Boy Scout expeditions to Presidential politics.
After breakfast, we all gathered in the living room to hear Kommish present several awards from BO07 (Chris won a Meg-made red, white, and blue bracelet for guessing the attendance in Atlanta within 400) and the first two ’08 attendance awards. Bill and Jen received official BO08 t-shirts (in easy-to-spot yellow), and then we headed out.
Megan and Madeline escorted us to the bus stop where we quickly caught a bus to the King’s Corner Metro stop. Before we knew it, we were strolling on Independence Avenue in downtown D.C. Lured by free bottles of water, we wandered into BEAD II where we saw very excited exhibitors talking about corn-produced fuel and other engineering wonders14. We then traveled from the promises of the future to horrors of the past by visiting the Holocaust Museum. Like many destinations in D.C., this free museum could easily have held our attention for hours, but we chose a couple sobering exhibits and then departed. After lunch, we spent hours touring other monuments and memorials, from Washington to Lincoln. Of particular interest was the FDR Memorial, which we experienced backwards, chronologically at least. But it was impressive nonetheless.
Once all sweaty and exhausted, we navigated our way to a Metro Green Line station, bound for the Navy Yard stop. Brand-new Nationals Park is just a block walk down Half Street from the Navy Yard stop. We arrived at the park more than two hours before game time, so the black, steel gates, adorned with the National's red “Curly W” emblem, were still closed. As we waited to go inside, we looked at how little development existed around the new ballpark. I asked a young usher who was just arriving if there was somewhere nearby to grab something to eat. The only two nearby restaurants he could think of were a Subway and a fried chicken place, both a block or two away. This will surely change.
One of the neat features of Nationals Park—which has been certified as the nation's first “green” ballpark—is that, from the street, you can enter the left field gate and walk straight ahead to the outfield seats. The field is in front of you, two stories below. Some of us joined the batting practice home run ball battle. The visiting Texas Rangers15 were hitting, including Josh Hamilton, the latest great-athlete-who-almost-destroyed-his-life-doing-drugs-but-is-now-sober star athlete. Others lined up to have their pictures taken with the Mt. Rushmore of mascots—individuals dressed as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, complete with 8-foot heads.
A few of us wandered over to the Strike Zone, an increasingly common “kids” feature of parks, complete with batting cages, pitching tunnels, PlayStation games, and a song stage where Cooper made an unsuccessful bid for pregame stardom. Taylor and Tim beat the lines to the batting cages, but the pitching machine—one of these fancy devices where your pitches are “delivered” by stars such as Pedro Martinez or Randy Johnson—was out of sorts. So they got free pitches but most of them were wild. Then the befuddled staff shut down the cage altogether.
A little while later, the Crowe family arrived with the swelling crowds streaming down Half Street and into the Stadium. We all gathered in the first couple rows of section 227, mezzanine seats on the second level, near the right field foul pole.16 Before the game, everyone was asked to wave their caps in silent tribute to recently-departed Washington newsman Tim Russert. Following the National Anthem—with fireworks “bursting in air”—and a young girl named Taylor yelling “play ball”, the Nationals took the field.
The starting pitchers were two veterans who were three years and about one hundred wins apart. Tim Redding, the Nationals' starter, won 10 games in 2003 with the Astros, but had a total of 30 wins (and 43 losses) for four teams in his career. His opponent, Kevin Millwood, was also pitching for his fourth team, but with considerably more success. From 1997 – 99, his first two and a half seasons, Millwood was 40-18 for the Braves. He even made the All-Star team in '99. Since then, however, he had won and lost about 100 games each. Both men hoped to find their groove on this warm, breezy night before a large, enthusiastic crowd.
In the first, both pitchers gave up singles to the second place hitters—Frank Catalanotto for the Rangers and Elijah Dukes for the Nats—and subsequently stranded them. In the second, the Rangers' Marlon Byrd singled and advanced to third on catcher Gerald Laird's one-out double. However, Byrd rounded third and was caught in a rundown for the second out. Redding intentionally walked the eighth place hitter, Ramon Vasquez, and then unintentionally walked pitcher Millwood to load the bases. Leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler made Redding pay, emptying the bases with a double to make it 3-0.
In the bottom of the third, the Nationals gave the home crowd something to get excited about other than frequent attempts to start the Wave. With one out, right fielder Dukes got his second single and second stolen base. After walks to Lance Milledge and Dmitri Young, 23-year-old catcher Jesus Flores singled to right, scoring Dukes and Milledge. Young, however, ran through a stop sign at third and was thrown out by Byrd as he tried to scramble back to the bag. But, at 3-2, we had a ballgame!
The fourth was memorable only for a successful bunt single by Rangers catcher Gerald Laird. It was noteworthy because: a) it would be the Rangers last hit for 7 innings; b) Laird crumpled to the ground after blowing out a hamstring running through the base; and c) Laird's pinch running replacement was none other than BO07 standout Jerod Saltalamacchia. But Nats' center fielder Milledge made a nice diving catch to rob Vazquez of a hit for the second out, and Redding struck out Millwood to end the inning.
Both pitchers threw up goose eggs for the next two innings. Redding retired nine straight batters after Laird to end his night after six solid innings on 103 pitches. Millwood nearly matched him, allowing only a harmless walk to Dukes in the fifth and single to Flores in the sixth. After the seventh inning stretch, which featured a virtual race through town and actual race down the first baseline by three of the four Presidents (Teddy Roosevelt was inexplicable distracted and didn't finish), Millwood seemed stronger than ever, striking out the side to maintain a one run lead.
Luis Ayala, the Nationals' second reliever, pitched a perfect eighth, highlighted by a sliding catch by Dukes in right. In the bottom of the inning, Dukes led off against Millwood. Swinging at the first pitch, Dukes –who graced the cover of the free “Inside Pitch” magazine we received when we entered the ballpark—caught a hanging curve ball and deposited it into the Rangers bullpen in left field. The Nationals' first extra base hit of the game tied the score, 3-3. Millwood then retired the heart of the order 1-2-3.
Another Nats pitcher, Jon Rauch, continued the bullpen's mastery over the Rangers' hitters, as he retired Hamilton, Byrd, and substitute left fielder David Murphy (playing for the injured Milton Bradley) without incident. In the bottom of the ninth, Frank Francisco came in to relieve starter Millwood, who had pitched very well to everyone not named Elijah Dukes. Francisco made quick work of the 6-7-8 hitters, and, for the second time in three nights, it was on to free baseball.
Before extra innings, we said goodnight to the Crowes. But not before, Aiden and Madeline, hung on to see the home team rally. That's the mark of future BO regulars!
The Nationals made some noise in the tenth, as Mr. Dukes smacked a double, his fourth hit of the night. But he was stranded there. In the eleventh, the Rangers sent the top of their lineup to the plate. With one out, Frank Catalanotto singled off the Nationals' fifth pitcher, Saul Riviera. Catalanotto was the first Ranger to reach base since Laird's painful infield single in the fourth! With two outs, Josh Hamilton, who was 0-4 on the night, hit a grounder that second baseman Felipe Lopez couldn't handle, putting runners at the corners. But Byrd batted Rivera's first pitch right to shortstop Guzman, and the inning was over.
The home team's eleventh started with Dmitri Young singling. Young's reward for getting his first hit of the night was to be replaced by pinch runner Ronnie Belliard. The Rangers' young reliever Josh Rupe then surrendered a single to Flores, his third hit of the night, putting the winning run in scoring position with no outs. But Rupe struck out third baseman Kory Castro on four pitches, bringing up Lopez with one out. The crowd cheered heartily, anticipating victory, but Lopez hit the second pitch right to Young at short, and he started a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Riviera took the mound again in the 12th, and he retired the Rangers in order, for his third scoreless inning. He was matched in the bottom of the inning by Rupe. He struck out pinch hitter Wily Mo Pena and left fielder Ryan Langerhans—who had joined the fray in the tenth—and got Guzman on a groundout to complete his third scoreless inning of the night.
The battle of the bullpens continued into the 13th. By this time, some of us had moved down to the lower section of seats for a closer look. New Nationals pitcher Joel Hanrahan, a sophomore in the bigs, walked pinch hitter Brandon Boggs after Boggs fouled off two 3-2 pitches. Ian Kinsler, whose double made the score 3-0 Rangers eleven innings ago, successfully sacrificed Boggs to second. Catalanotto flied out to shortstop, bringing up the Rangers' perennial .300 hitter, Michael Young. He, too, worked the count to 3-2 and fouled off the next pitch. Young didn't miss the next one, connecting on a long fly to deep left. Langerhans went back to the wall, reached up, and had just enough room to haul it in for out number three. Phew!
The Nats couldn't mount a rally in the bottom of the thirteenth, so Hanrahan was sent back out to deal with the Rangers' 4-5-6 hitters in inning 14. And deal with them he did! He struck out Josh Hamilton, making him 0-6 with three strikeouts on the night. Then, after falling behind Byrd 3-0, he came back and struck him out, too. Hanrahan retired the side by getting Murphy on a bouncer back to the box. Three up, three down. And it was time for... the Presidents!
With the fourteenth inning we were treated to another stretch, complete with song and the Racing Presidents. We all had found seats a few rows behind the Nationals' dugout by this time, so we could cheer on our fearless mascots. Those of us from the Land of Lincoln were delighted to see Abe pull out his second successful sprint of the night. No lie! As we repeated “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”, we also checked the time and wondered “is this game going to end before the Metro shuts down for the night?” It was already 11 p.m., and the train stops running at midnight. Would we have to commit BO blasphemy, and leave a game before it ended?
The fifth pitcher of the night for the Rangers, Jamey Wright, took the mound. A 13-year veteran who had started over 240 games in his career, Wright now served as a full-time set up man out of the pen. He started the inning striking out Castro. But, he hit the next batter, Lopez, on a 1-2 pitch. Then he walked 36-year-old pinch hitter Paul Lo Duca and left fielder Langerhans to load the bases for leadoff hitter Guzman. The shortstop, who was already 0-6 for the night, struck out swinging to leave Wright within one out of getting out of the jam. Elijah Dukes was next.
With the whole crowd on its feet, both in appreciation for his night—4 for 5, with a walk, homerun, two runs scored, and a nice sliding catch in right—and in anticipation of a game-ending hit, Dukes swung at the first pitch. It jammed him, but he kept his hands in and dribbled it in between third base and short stop, allowing Lopez to race home with the winning run.
The game took 4 hours and 10 minutes, included 35 players (11 pitchers), 413 pitches, two Stretches, three seat changes, countless hot dogs and beverages, and innumerable attempts to make Waves around the park. In other words, we were all gloriously exhausted as we gathered for a group picture. Then we joined the remnants of the happy crowd in hustling to catch the Metro. We made quick connections on the return, and Jim Crowe cemented his hero status by meeting us at the train station for a ride home. What a day!
Day 4—June 21, Philadelphia
Saturday morning, we groggily prepared for our departure while our wonderful hosts were busy scurrying about the kitchen preparing yet another breakfast, telling us interesting stories, and, in Maddy's case, attempting to bring streaking back in vogue. We travelers took turns eating, showering and packing. During this process Taylor noted ominously, “From what I'm seeing, Cooper has no underwear for tomorrow.”
Before we bid adieu, we all gathered in the living room one more time. Aiden led us in both the rhythmic clap and the Wave (something we almost made around the park the night before). Then the Kommish announced Yuki's successful attendance guess for the Nationals' game, and the shocking mid-BO Fantasy rankings, with yours truly at the top. It was also time to appreciate Aiden's expert cheerleading and Madeline's attention to game details, including her account of Gerald Laird's collapse on the first base line. They were probably experts on the ballpark concessions, too, but they didn't flaunt it. They and their parents had made a special mark on BO08, and we look forward to their company (and cooking) on future trips.
Eventually, we extracted ourselves from the Crowe's comfy cocoon, exhanged hugs, and headed for Philly. In less than two hours, we passed Citizen's Bank Ballpark on our way through Philadelphia. We crossed over the Delaware River on the massive Ben Franklin Bridge, and headed for our sleeping quarters on Rutgers University's Camden, New Jersey campus. Rutgers occupies a slice of land in the northwest part of town which it is trying to take over and beautify. The modest campus features several restored buildings and interesting sculptures, not too mention several construction zones. Our destination was the Tower Building, Rutgers' sole on-campus dorm where we had a reservation.17
When we arrived, the staff on duty—virtually the only humans around—knew nothing about our plans. But, the BO crew waited patiently as that got sorted out. Once we were all vetted by the front desk security and had our individual badges, we were ready to find our rooms. Whether due to the the warning posters in the lobby regarding recent violent crimes in the neighborhood, the fact that our rooms were on a vacant floor, or just the excitement of the evenings festivities, Cooper felt the need to demonstrate his martial arts skills as we wandered through the maze of hallways to our rooms. In good time, we had unpacked the cars and were headed back over the bridge to the stadium.
Citizen's Bank Ballpark (CBB), completed for the 2004 season, sits alongside other local sports teams' homes to comprise the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Located on the city's southeast side, adjacent to Interstate 95, the Complex was originally the site of the Sesquicentennial Exposition of 1926, a celebration of America's 150th birthday. The venues from that event are all gone now, replaced by the modern arenas and acres of parking lots.
We arrived ahead of the crowds and had plenty of time to admire the 10-foot high Mike Schmidt statue out front as well as explore inside. Like Nationals Park, fans can enter CBB at ground level and proceed right to the top row of the outfield seats to look down on the playing field, or to a nearby concessions stand. (The first thing I heard inside the stadium was one fan say to his friend “First things first; I've got to get a Budweiser.”) Also, like other newer parks, CBB has plenty of bells and whistles, including an enormous, illuminated Liberty Bell, an interactive gaming area, huge gift store, massive electronic scoreboards, wide walkways to accommodate long lines for the ubiquitous vendors, and open air views of downtown. One of the more unique areas was out beyond the batter's eye in center. Named Ashburn Alley after former Phillie favorite Richie Ashburn, this area includes the team's history in pictures and hall of fame plaques as well as a spot where you get a birds eye's view of both teams' bullpens. The Alley also features Bull's BBQ, where you can chat with host Greg “the Bull” Luzinski.
On the field, there was quite a display, too, as the visiting Anaheim Angels were flashing their considerable batting practice power. Of particular note was a tall gentleman, sporting a red warm up pullover and braids poking out below his red, tar-stained helmet, who waved his bat excitedly above his head in anticipation of each pitch. When it arrived, he'd take a might swing which usually resulted in a sharp crack and the ball sailing far over the left or center field wall. The one and only Vladimir Guerrero.
Also noteworthy, as we watched the park fill up from our seats in the upper deck, was the amount of red clothing in the stands. Phillie phanaticism was on phull display. Once again amongst the league's best teams (despite losing its last three games), the Phillies' fans were fired up about this marquee interleague match up between two first-place teams.
About 7 p.m. on this warm, sunny evening, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter threw the ceremonial first pitch in the vicinity of home plate before veteran pitcher Brett Myers and his Phillie teammates took the field. Chone Figgins, the Angels' spark plug, led off. He hit a grounder to first baseman Ryan Howard who flipped to the hustling Myers. One out. Myers proceeded to walk shortstop Maicer Izturis who promptly stole second. Izturis moved to third on Garrett Anderson's ground out, bringing up Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero swung at the first pitch he saw and popped it high to Howard for out number three.
Joe Saunders, a surprise early-season ace, took the hill for the Angels. Saunders started the year 6-0, and he entered the game with a 10-3 record. It took him only 11 pitches to retire reigning NL MVP Jimmie Rollins, Shane Victorino, and Pat Burrell in order in the first.
In the top of the fourth, with the game still scoreless, Myers faced Guerrero with one out. Surprisingly, the Angel right fielder took the first pitch for a strike. But he didn't let another one go by, depositing the second pitch from Myers into the left field seats, and, just like that, it was 1-0. Myers got the next two batters on ground outs, the second on a nifty play by Rollins ranging far to his left. In the bottom of the inning, Saunders sandwiched a Burrell single with two strikeouts and protected the one run lead.
In the fifth, Myers struck out the 7-8-9 hitters on 11 pitches. The game was half over, and it was barely an hour old! The only significant hit, other than Guerrero's home run, was between innings when the Phillie Phanatic mascot was bitten in the crotch by a dog who was brought out on the field because he was available for adoption. That got one of the bigger ovations of the day.
Phillie right fielder Jayson Werth made a nice catch in the top of the sixth, and Brett Myers livened the crowd when he drew a leadoff walk, after fouling off two 3-2 pitches in the bottom of the inning, but the score was still 1-0 after six.
Guerrero stepped to the plate again to lead off the seventh. As he had in the first inning, Vlad swung at the first pitch, and again he sent it deep into the seats in left center, doubling the Angel lead. For Guerrero, it was his 29th homerun all-time against the Phillies, his most against any team. Myers continued his mastery of the rest of the Angel lineup, striking out his 6th and 7th hitters, and holding the visitors to just three hits through seven innings. Would the Phillie lineup wake up against Saunders?
After the seventh inning stretch, Saunders got two quick outs. Next up was Jayson Werth, who had flied out to right and to left in his first two at bats. This time, he hit Saunders first offering deep to center field. The Angels' Gary Matthews stopped in deep center, seemingly ready to catch the ball. But, actually, he just lost the ball, because when it came down, it had cleared the fence for a home run, illuminating the Liberty Bell and cutting the lead to 2-1. Next, catcher Chris Coste walked, putting the tying run on. Thirty-three year old third baseman Pedro Feliz was up to the plate, and he promptly dropped a double between Matthews and Anderson to tie the score. Eric Bruntlett, subbing for fan favorite Chase Utley who was given an unusual day off amidst an 0-23 slump, singled behind Feliz. But, Bruntlett was caught trying to stretch the hit into a double, letting Saunders off the hook and keeping the game tied at two.
The bats stayed hot in the eighth. With two outs, Chone Figgins singled. He was followed by Erick Aybar who had replaced shortstop Izturis in the third after the starter experienced hamstring trouble. Aybar, in his third season in the majors, serves as a super sub of sorts, filling in wherever help is needed. The 24-year-old swung at Myers' 102nd pitch of the night and pulled it down the right field line, just fair and into the stands. He would later say the home run, his second of the season and third of his career, was his career highlight to date.
Now trailing 4-2 and hearing it from the disgusted crowd, Myers surrendered a double to Garrett Anderson. He was then instructed to intentionally walk Guerrero, after which manager Charlie Manuel pulled him from the game. Myers had pitched well, despite the three home runs. He had struck out seven, and given up only six hits, but three of them had accounted for four runs. Now he was on the hook for two more base runners.
Manuel summoned lefty J.C. Romero to face lefty first baseman Casey Kotchman. Although somewhat lost in the shuffle amongst the Angels' stars, Kotchman had been a reliable performer in the early season, entering the game batting .303. The count went to 3-2, and Kotchman fouled off the next pitch. He pulled Romero's next offering, but right to second baseman Bruntlett who gloved it and threw on to Howard for out number three.
Angels' manager Mike Scioscia sent set up man Scott Shields out to protect the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Shields struck out pinch hitter Greg Dobbs and leadoff man Rollins to start the inning. He struck out the next batter, Shane Victorino, too, but the third strike was a wild pitch, and Victorino reached base. Next, Shields threw four straight balls to Pat Burrell, and, suddenly, the Phillies had the tying runs on with slugger Ryan Howard coming up.
Several BO members had Howard on their fantasy team (along with the benched Utley), and he had yet to deliver, having grounded out, struck out, and flied out in his previous at bats. Now, with one swing, he could change the game's outcome. But, it wasn't to be; Shields recorded his fourth strikeout of the inning, disposing of Howard on four pitches, and the Phillies fans booed Howard back to the dugout.
The Angels did more damage in the ninth. With one out, Matthews, Jr. was hit by a pitch from journeyman reliever Chad Durbin. He stole second and moved to third when So Taguchi, who ran for Burrell in the eighth, misplayed a flyball off the bat of catcher Jeff Mathias. Successive singles by pinch hitter Juan Rivera and leadoff man Figgins made it 6-2, before the side was retired.
The Phillies' ninth started promisingly, as Werth and Coste both walked off Angels' rookie Jose Arredondo. He was then replaced by Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, the league's premier closer. His second pitch to Feliz resulted in a 6-4-3 double play. Two pitches later, pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins fouled out to third baseman Figgins, and, at 9:40 p.m., the game was over.
The deflated, sellout crowd filed out quietly, as we gathered down by the field for a group photo. As has been the experience everywhere except Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, the ushers were very accommodating, patiently waiting for us to gather and taking a picture with each of our several cameras, before encouraging us to visit again.
We were parked far enough away from the crowd, that, by the time we got back to our cars, the exits weren't too clogged. Before we knew it, we were back in the Tower Building at Rutgers, playing “Kemps”. It's a game in which cards are passed quickly, face down, around a circle of players, until someone is able to secure four of a kind and secretly relay the message to their teammate before others notice. Yuki and Taylor were unstoppable. Like Vladimir Guerrero a couple hours earlier.
Day 5—June 22, Trenton
I woke up early Sunday morning and decided to explore Camden. First, I walked down towards the River, where, lo and behold, I found a ballpark. Campbell's Field is a beautiful little park used by the Rutgers Nine as well as the independent league Camden Riversharks. The ballpark is part of an ongoing riverfront revitalization effort, that also includes a river walk, highly-rated aquarium, a new entertainment venue, and the USS New Jersey.18 There was very little activity, beyond the presence of a couple people who perhaps slept down by the river. So, I turned west, towards the town center.
Camden, the county seat, has a big prison downtown, which explained the presence of sheriff vehicles and a municipal-looking school bus with metal mesh in the windows. Nearby, I heard a bell, signaling the arrival of a shiny light rail train which was heading for Philadelphia, one of at least three train systems I noticed operating in Camden. Later, I came upon the Walter Rand Transportation Center, where bus and rail service converges. A few people were waiting for buses, but many more seemed to be waiting for nothing at all. They milled about, this small sampling of Camden's thousands of unemployed. Sixty years since it's heyday as a bustling industrial center known for its massive shipyard as well as the headquarters of RCA and Campbell Soup, Camden was only recently overtaken by New Orleans as the “most dangerous city in America”.19 The decay was everywhere.
Shortly after I returned from my reality check trip, Tim came trotting into the dorm, invigorated from his jog over the bridge to Indepedence Hall. He remarked about how much things must have changed there since September, 2001, with ubiquitous barricades and uniformed personnel guarding the Liberty Bell from terrorists and the public. By mid-morning, we all mobilized for the final game of BO08 in Trenton. On the way to the park, we were caught in a terrific thunderstorm that had us wondering whether we were going to be faced with the first rainout in BO history. And what would we do if there was a rainout? We couldn't exchange our tickets for another game later in the season! All this worry dissipated, however, as the skies cleared just as we reached the park.
Samuel J. Plumeri, Sr. Field at Mercer County Waterfront Park, a.k.a. Waterfront Park was built for the Trenton Thunder in 1994, the year after the team switched allegiances from the Red Sox to the Yankees. There's no wondering who Trenton is affiliated with now: the Yankee logo is plastered all over the place. The Thunder are reigning champs of the Double A Eastern League and once again at the top of the Northern Division as of today's game.20
Just as the rain was replaced with humid, hot sunshine, Kommish distributed tickets on the wide, wet concourse behind home plate. Once through the turnstiles, we climbed a staircase to reach the main concourse. I saw the Thunder players gathering down the right field line, so I decided to watch their warm up routine. Manager Tony Franklin greeted the players as they sauntered onto the field and gave them a brief pep talk before handing them over to the team trainer. I was impressed to see Franklin go through the drills and stretches right along with his team. The position players went through 20 minutes of stretching activities while the starting pitchers warmed up in the bullpen to my right.
Behind me, fans were trickling in. I heard one of the ushers, as he wiped the recent raindrops from the seats, tell fans what a bargain the Thunder were. “Next year,” he explained, “these seats will cost you $4,000 in the new Yankee Stadium. And you'll be watching some of the same players!”
Our seats were in the second and third row, just past the visitors' dugout on the third base side. From there, you could look over the right field fence at the state of Pennsylvania! The surging Binghamton Mets, who had climbed to within four games of the Thunder, were getting loose on the field in front of us. Several Mets fans had made the trip to Trenton, and, apparently, Binghamton and Trenton have developed quite a rivalry over the years. A big crowd had gathered for this matinee matchup.
Alfredo Aceves, a 25-year-old, 6'3”, 220-pound right hander, who had recently moved up from Single-A, was starting for the Thunder. He wasted no time getting in trouble, giving up a single to leadoff man Jose Coronado. Coronado was then erased on a fielder's choice grounded into by Mets' first baseman Nick Evans. That brought up Mike Carp, one of the league's top hitters, who also singled. Then Aceves walked right fielder Caleb Stewart to load the bases. But center fielder Ambiorix Concepcion grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to get Aceves out of the inning.
In the home half of the first, 21-year-old, 6'4”, 215-pound lefty Jonathan Niese went to a full count with shortstop Kamiro Pena. Pena proceeded to foul off five pitches before finally missing one altogether for the first out. Mets' second baseman Emmanuel Garcia robbed the next batter, Austin Jackson, of a hit by chasing down his foul pop behind first base. After “Chase”, the Thunder's golden retriever bat dog, carried Jackson's bat back to the dugout, DH Colin Curtis singled. But Edwar Gonzalez flew out deep to Concepcion to retire the side.
The second inning was even more exciting. Mets' third baseman, Josh Petersen, led off with a single and stole second. He reached third on an error by the catcher, and scored on a single by Garcia to make the score 1-0. In the bottom of the second, Neise showed his wild side. He walked first baseman Chris Malec, and promptly threw a wild pitch to advance Malec to second. He was driven in on a one-out single by Carlos Mendoza. Then, with two out, number nine hitter Reegie Corona also walked. Lead off hitter Pena then tripled home Mendoza and Corona. The Thunder had stormed ahead, 3-1.
Impressively, despite the hot, humid conditions and high number of big pitches both pitchers had thrown in the early going, they both settled down and pitched quick 1-2-3 innings in the third. In the fourth, Josh Petersen homered off Aceves to cut the lead in half. But that would be as close as the Mets could get off Aceves, who settled down to complete seven innings in the heat, walking one and scattering seven hits. He lasted one inning longer than Niese, who pitched well through six innings, before giving way to the bullpen while losing by one. Both pitchers lasted longer than the husband and wife couple who agreed to play the spin-your-head-on-a-bat-ten-times-and-then-try-to-run-50-feet-in-a-straight-line game. The wife won, easily.
The heat must have been stifling for the mascots of both teams. That's right, not only were we entertained by Boomer and Lightning Bolt, both of Trenton's costumed crusaders, but also by Buddy the Binghamton Bee. A fan favorite on this sticky afternoon was Boomer hopping up on the visitors' dugout and sprayed the crowd with his super soaker. It was so hot that some BOers took off their shoes and propped up their bare feet on the vacated seats of other overheated fans while others of us sought shade under the concourse. Sam, Kate, Meg, and Cooper found The Claw game, where you manipulate a giant claw to capture the prize you want. They spent a couple innings playing before Sam finally snagged a stuffed puppy.
I found a seat up behind home plate, shaded by the press box above. That allowed another angle for the action (and a chance to catch the ever-interesting press box chatter), but I missed Concepcion showering the crowd with bubble gum between innings.
Back on the field, the Mets' Eude Brito gave up two hits in the seventh, but wriggled out of trouble. After a single by Mendoza, catcher Joe Muich hit a comebacker that Brito turned into a double play. Then, after Corona singled, he was thrown out trying to steal second.
The Thunder turned to the bullpen in the eighth, bringing in newcomer Oneli Perez, who had just been claimed off waivers from the Indians a few days ago. Perez had been struggling in Triple A, for both the White Sox and Indians, and he was now trying to work his way back up the ladder of professional baseball. But he was greeted rudely by the Mets. The first batter, Nick Evans, doubled. Then, one out later, Evans was singled home by Caleb Stewart to tie the game. Next up was Concepcion, and the animated Dominican crushed Perez' 1-1 offering, sending it over the wall in left, giving the Mets a 5-3 lead.
The top of the Thunder lineup went down 1-2-3 off new pitcher Tim Lavigne, so it was on to the ninth. Bo Hall took the ball for the Thunder, and he went to a full count on eighth place hitter Mike Nickeas. Hall's sixth pitch was deposited for the third Mets' homer of the afternoon, and a 6-3 lead. After two fly ball outs to left fielder Edwar Gonzalez, Hall faced Nick Evans, who started all the trouble in the eighth. This time, Evans jumped on the second pitch from Hall and sent it, too, over the fence for another home run. Hall retired Mike Carp21 on yet another flyball to Gonzalez, but the damage was done. In the bottom of the ninth, the Thunder couldn't hit the ball out of the infield off Lavigne, and Mets took the game and the series from the Thunder, moving within three games of the division lead.
So, another year of BO was almost done. All that was left was, well, of course, another meal! We drove through downtown Trenton in search of eats, finding nothing but a gas station. Then we caravaned up Route 1, temporarily lost each other, and, after several phone calls, reconvened at the Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrenceville. There, tucked away next to Macy's was the Lawrence Grill (“...Where Life is Good”).22
We took over an empty corner of the restaurant/sports bar and chugged down a round of waters while our server, Kelly, ran down the specials. After we ordered, Kommish announced more award winners from BO07 and 08. Cooper won a Washington Nationals inaugural ball for being one away from the exact number of pitchers we saw this trip (28) while Tim and Chris were right on for number of mound visits (19), winning a pack of baseball cards and Athletics' shirt respectively. Also hitting the nail right on the head was Sam for number of homers in '08, with 36. He won a 1986 AL Champs video. Taylor took the BO07 Most Memorable Quote title with “Power versus power and power prevailed.” Finally, the BO08 Fantasy competition finalists were announced, and youth ruled the day. Meg was in third place, Cooper in second, and, in first place, with 16 points, was Sam Haynes who excitedly accepted his TCF Twins piggy bank.
During the last supper, we reminisced about the highlights of the last week. We also created a new award: BO Rookie of the Year. Kate Haynes was an easy choice, as she had deftly navigated all the twists and turns of the BO like a veteran. She got the stuffed dog that had been clawed.
As we prepared to pack up and say goodbye, one last BO subplot unfolded on the twelve large-screen televisions around the Grill. For some reason, the restaurant chose to show a matinee game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. While we ate, Jonathan Papelbon came in to nail down a Red Sox win, but ended up blowing the save after giving up a double to Adam Kennedy. Then both offenses froze for four innings. In the top of the 13th, the Cardinals had a chance to take the lead, but J.D. Drew threw out Kennedy at the plate to preserve the tie. Finally, as we were heading out the door, Kevin Youkalis hit a walkoff, 2-run homer over the Green Monster. Another dramatic finish to cap off a most dramatic Odyssey!
March 27, 2009
Andrew Tonachel
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1 In June 2007, the Orioles put their rebuilding in the hands of Andy MacPhail, former GM of the Twins and Cubs. MacPhail spent his childhood around the organization while his father, Hall of Famer Lee MacPhail ran the team from 1958 - ‘65. Andy MacPhail is the sixth Oriole GM in the last ten years.
2 By season’s end, of course, it was a different story. The Astros finished 86-75, just 3.5 games out of the wild card, while the O’s swooned to 25 games under .500.
3 For everyone except Cooper, that is. For someone bizarre reason, the hat giveaway was for fans over 14 only.
4 It’s fitting for Boog Powell’s stand to be on Eutaw, as he surely would have hit it a few times if the Orioles had played here in the 60s and 70s. Boog, by the way, is short for “booger” which apparently was a name for mischief makers in the South (from where John Wesley Powell hailed).
5 It may seem sacrilegious to some, but it’s a source of local pride as Baltimorean Francis Scott Key penned the song just a few miles away during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814.
6 We had seen Pence two summers earlier, in Frisco, Texas during BO06, starring for the Double A Corpus Christi Hooks.
7 For more on the fascinating relationship between Baltimore and this song, check out http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=2189
8 For more on the BO Fantasy statistics, check out the BO Stats link at http://www.baseballodyssey.org/.
9 Brocail is one of those rare baseball “survivors”, who seems to have several lives as a major leaguer. Since his debut in 1992, Brocail has been traded five times, endured several innings some of which kept him out of the game for three full seasons, and still manages to play key roles at age 41. He’s probably the only major leaguer to go four years between wins and five years between saves.
10 For more info on the Dew Tour, check out http://www.asptdewtour.com/modules.php?name=Events&EventID=1.
11 Here’s one version; I’m sure you can find others: http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/721/.
12 At season’s end, despite being promoted to Baltimore in August, Montanez earned the Eastern League Triple Crown. He was fifth player to accomplish this. The last two to do it were Danny Thomas and, in 1965, George Scott. By the way, Wes Hodges tied Montanez for the RBI lead. In August, Montanez also became the second Oriole ever to homer in his first major league at bat. And one final note about Montanez’ strange season: on August 25th, he had the Game Winning RBI in a game against the White Sox that started when he was in the minors. 118 days passed before the two teams could schedule a finish to the April 28th suspended game, so Montanez was credited with the winning hit in a game he wasn’t on the roster for.
13 Later in summer, the Baysox would pass the Aeros again and end up taking the division title by 4 games. However, in the playoffs, the Aeros were boosted by the presence of Travis Hafner who homered twice in four games, and the Aeros eliminated the Baysox 3 games to 1 and moved on to the Eastern League Championship.
14 According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, which sponsors the event, Bio Energy Awareness Days (BEAD) is designed “to help increase awareness and knowledge related to the sustainable production of agriculture-based and natural resource-based renewable energy and the efficient use and conservation of energy for the benefit of rural communities and the Nation.” Learn more at the USDA's website and others, such as www.25x25.org.
15 The Texas Rangers were, until 1972, the Washington Senators. Confused? It gets better. Washington had been home to professional baseball since the 1800s, and the original Washington Senators were charter members of the American League when it was formed in 1901. After the 1960 season, however, poor performance and equally poor attendance led the Senator's owner to move the team to Minneapolis to become the Minnesota Twins. At the same time, the League granted Washington an expansion franchise named, of course, the Senators. However, the new Senators picked up where the old team left off, and, after the 1971 season, the new owner got permission to move the team to the Dallas area. Senator fans showed their appreciation for the move by storming the Senators' Griffith Stadium field with two outs in the ninth inning of their final game, turning a 7-5 victory into a fitting forfeit. The next season, the Rangers debut was delayed by a players strike. So where did the Nationals come from? Well, in 1969, Major League Baseball added two expansion franchises, the San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos. The Expos' were sold, moved to D.C., and renamed the Nationals for the 2005 season. Will the third time be a charm?
16 To check out the view from our seats, go to http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/ticketing/seats_3d.jsp, a web page that allows you to scan the view from any seat in the park.
17 Want to see what our rooms looked like? Take a tour at: http://housing.camden.rutgers.edu/VR/tower_room.html.
18 I kid you not. Here's some more info for curious vacation planners: http://www.camdenwaterfront.com/.
19 For the dismal news, check out: http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime2008/citycrime2008.htm.
20 By season's end, the Thunder would be repeat champions, having beaten the Akron Aeros for the title.
21 Carp was part of a blockbuster, 12-player trade in December, going to the Mariners with 6 other players. The headline player in the deal was J.J. Putz going to the Mets, but the Mariners felt Carp could be a strong offensive contributor at Safeco Field in the years to come. He homered in his first spring training start in February.
22 Hungry? See the Grill's menu at http://www.lawrencegrill.com/.