A little from around the Midwest League

From the Clinton Herald

Minor leaguers balance development, winning

The minor-league baseball player performs a unique balancing act.

On one hand, he wants his team to win. He does whatever it takes for the team to achieve a winning record, a playoff spot, a league championship — similar to every other level at which he has played.

On the other hand, though, he also carries a personal agenda.

...

Some organizations, like Seattle, Clinton's parent club, believe winning plays an important role in player development.

“I'm 100-percent positive they go hand-in-hand,” said John Boles, Mariners special assistant to the general manager. “I've never seen a player develop as well as he possibly can develop if he goes in every day and the team is just getting shellacked.

“You want these guys to be in a winning environment because that's the building blocks to playing in the playoffs at the major-league level.”

From the Fort Wayne Journal-Sentinel there is this headline:

Attendance at ballpark projected to meet goal

and this sub-headline to the same story

Pace must pick up for revenue to satisfy city

Halfway through the inaugural TinCaps season, fans have flocked to Parkview Field, but more paying fans will be needed to ensure additional tax dollars aren’t needed for the city-owned stadium.

Attendance for baseball is up, and numerous other events have also been held at the new downtown ballpark.

Paid attendance, however, is less than half what is needed to meet the city’s financial obligation to maintain the stadium. City and team officials are confident that total will improve to keep additional tax money from being needed for baseball repairs.

Do people just not understand baseball seasons? See in April and May, weather and school tends to keep the crowds down a bit. In July and August, oh, heck, here's a guy who knows what he's talking about when it comes to this...

Mike Nutter, team president, said he was pleased with attendance for the first half of the year. Summer vacation and warmer weather historically have led to larger crowds in July and August than in April and May, he said.

“It’s just starting to ramp up,” he said.

This proved true in the first homestand after the break. The TinCaps drew more than 24,000 paying fans for the team’s four-game series with South Bend. Last year, the TinCaps – then known as the Wizards – drew 104,173 fans in their first 34 games (one was rained out). Over the entire season, the team drew 256,693 people.

Go figure.

From the Cedar Rapids Gazette here's a heck of an idea:

Nate Kaeding gets a kick out of Kernels

Sixteen balls left the park at Perfect Game Field Sunday while the Kernels took on the Quad Cities River Bandits.

None were home runs.

Former Iowa and current San Diego Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding provided between-inning entertainment, booting 16 autographed footballs into the stands as part of Iowa City-Coralville Day festivities.

“It will be fun for the kids that get to go out on the field,” Kaeding said just prior to taking to the field before the fourth inning. “Hopefully they don’t pull a Charlie Brown on me and pull the ball off the tee.

“I just hope I don’t shank any.”

After spending the first three innings of the games signing autographs, Kaeding spent a few moments warming up and stretching before heading to the field.

He didn’t end up shanking any kicks and even took on the duty of holder for one of the kids to attempt a kick.

Where have I heard this idea before?