Trades (UPDATED)

There were a couple of trades yesterday. They involved non-Timber Rattlers Midwest Leaguers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers traded with Kansas City to pick up Scott Posednik. The Dodgers sent Great Lakes Loons pitcher Elisaul Pimentel and Lucas May.

Pimentel was 9-3 for the Loons this season. Odd. I don't see a release about this trade on the loons website yet. From the link above:

Pimentel, 22, is 9-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 17 games, including 16 starts, at Class A Great Lakes. He was the Midwest League pitcher of the month in June after going 4-0 with an 0.39 ERA. The Royals assigned him to Class A Burlington.

The Midwest League has a Pitcher of the Month Award? Really? Plus, it's nice of the Royals to make a trade to help the Bees down the stretch.

Cleveland and Detroit made a trade, too. Jhonny Peralta joins the Tigers. All they had to give up was Giovanni Soto of the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Soto, 19, started 16 games with low Class A West Michigan this season, posting a 6-6 record and 2.61 ERA. He had 76 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings. He was drafted in 2009 in the 21st round.

I did not see anything about him heading to Lake County. But, that will be interesting, too.

UPDATE: That's because I wasn't looking in the right place.

Giovanni Soto won't soon forget what happened to him Wednesday at Classic Park.

At 4:30 p.m., Soto arrived at the ballpark as a member of the West Michigan Whitecaps. A little more than one month ago, the 19-year-old left-handed pitcher had represented the Whitecaps in the Midwest League All-Star game.

West Michigan was in town to play the opener of a scheduled three-game series against the Captains.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Soto was called into the office of West Michigan manager Joe DePastino.

DePastino told Soto the Whitecaps' parent team, the Detroit Tigers, had just traded him to Cleveland for third baseman Jhonny Peralta and cash.

"I've never seen anything like this," DePastino said of Soto getting traded but not having to leave the premises to join his new team.

In a matter of minutes, Soto was bidding farewell to his former teammates and making the short journey down the hallway that leads to the Lake County clubhouse.

Video at the link.

A familiar name

The Great.Lakes.Loooooooooons have been on a roll with ex-Brewers pitchers acting as their pitching coach.

For the last two seasons it has been Danny Darwin. For the 2010 season...

Manager Juan Bustabad returns for a third season with Great Lakes after leading the Loons to the first playoff berth in the franchise’s three-year history and winning a first-round Midwest League playoff series. Michael Boughton will return for a second season as hitting coach and Chuck Crim makes the jump to Single-A after serving as pitching coach for Rookie-advanced Ogden in 2009.

Crim was a Brewer from 1987-1991. Then, he went to the Angels (in a trade that involved Mike Fetters and Glenn Carter) for two seasons before wrapping up his big league career with the Cubs in 1994.

Fun fact: According to his baseball-reference page, Crim lead the American League in appearances in both 1988 (70) and 1989 (76).

Bear with me here

This story has little to do with baseball or the Timber Rattlers, but I found it somewhat interesting...even if it has been out there for a few days.

Garber doesn't rule out relocating Saginaw Spirit hockey team in future

That relocation could be to Midland, home of the Loooooooons.

Plus, I wanted to use this because the lede is a quote that -- at least partly -- turned into Sean Connery's last Bond movie.

"Never say never."

That's what Saginaw Spirit owner Dick Garber said about the possibility of moving his Ontario Hockey League team from downtown Saginaw to Midland or elsewhere in the region.

Garber said, however, there's no truth to rumors of plans to build an arena for the Spirit across the street from Dow Diamond in Midland.

Those rumors have been further fueled by the news that McKay Press could soon move from its building across from Dow Diamond to the current Hangtime Sports building on Wackerly Road, which McKay's parent company, CGX, is negotiating to purchase.

Rumors. Great album. Weird album cover.

Poor news source.

"Not at this time," Garber said when asked if he was planning to move the team to Midland. "From my perspective, this hockey team belongs to the region. We would have to ask if it is good for the region for the team to leave Saginaw."

But Garber, who owns car dealerships in both Saginaw and Midland, left the door open to moving the team.

"If somebody came along and made an enticing offer (to build an arena), we would look at it," he said.

Called keeping your options open.

Funky Feather

Oh, Hornsby. This is where I came in.

Doin' the Funky Feather: One man's cheer, a stadium's celebration

Although there's always a certain amount of energy surging through the Dow Diamond when the players take the field, it is when the Great Lakes Loons score a run, and the song "Sandstorm" by Darude begins, that it is at its greatest.

That's because it's Funky Feather time.

The recently named Funky Feather is a dance -- no, more of a cheer, well, maybe a cross between a dance and a cheer -- in which sometimes 5,000 fans pump their fists alternately in the air to the "Sandstorm" beat in support of the Loons. If you missed a few games this summer, it sneaked up on you, although at least one man's version has been ongoing for more than a year.

"I don't know how it got started in the games," said Loons intern Steve Addington, who is given much of the credit for the Funky Feather version of the cheer, and for getting fans involved in what has become a phenomenon, resulting in videos, T-shirt sales and graphics on the jumbotron.

When I first saw them do this, I thought that they were doing an homage to Cousin Luke and Cousin Butch...The Bushwhackers! (Just watch the ring entrance and the crowd)

Then, after the Loooooons scored the 500th run against the Rattlers in that three game series...I got annoyed by it.

As a reference here is the song that I got really sick of in Midland..

One more exceprt for the article

It's like the people were waiting for permission to party. Prior to the marketing students leading the charge, visitors to the diamond could see people squirming in their seats when the Loons would score, the "Sandstorm" music would start, and Tim Lamparski of Midland, a really energetic fan, would get up from his chair and pump his arms up and down while swaying to the fast-paced beat. It was a dance he practiced at home, he said, and one that earned him a spot on the big screen quite often at the games.

...and you'll need to click the link to see the T-shirt. My question: Can you buy that shirt any time or only after the Looooons score their first run of the game?

An epidemic of shaving cream

In the words of the poet...What was the deal yesterday?

From the Cedar Rapids Gazette story of yesterday's doubleheader...which featured free admission to the day game...which was pretty cool by the way...

The towel full of shaving cream to the face caught him offguard.

“Got some in my mouth, too,” Cedar Rapids Kernels third baseman Jon Townsend said. “Actually got a lot in my mouth. That was bad.”

It’s a baseball thing. Sometimes a guy goes in front of a television camera for a postgame interview, a teammate sneaks up behind him and whammo.

The good thing is it means the guy creamed did something outstanding.

From the Midland Daily News story on the Loooooons game:

Shaving cream pies in the face are normally reserved for players, but the Great Lakes Loons made an exception for manager Juan Bustabad Saturday night after he earned his 600th career win with a 10-2 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps.

“The players want to have fun and I want to have fun,” said Bustabad as he wiped shaving cream out of his hair and face. “It’s been a good chemistry on this team. I owe (the win total) to the players I’ve had over the years and the hard work and devotion they’ve put in.

'Fates entwined'

The Philadelphia Inquirer has a story on how important Dow Chemical is to Midland, Michigan, the home of the Great.Lakes.Loons.

This area near the thumb of Michigan is a place of small towns, farmhouses, and one giant corporate citizen in great distress.

Dow Chemical Co., the region's biggest employer and civic booster, faces narrowing options in its disastrously timed decision to buy Philadelphia's Rohm & Haas Co. for $15.3 billion in cash.

Dow has all but said that the deal would ruin the nation's largest chemical company.

Dow slashed its dividend last month, something it didn't do in the Great Depression, and local reSidents fear the company could be sold off limb by limb.

Indeed, the Dow executives have said they're considering 12 asset-sale scenarios to raise cash for the stalled merger. "Everything's on the table," said one Dow official.

Why would they need cash?

The staggering $15.3 billion price for Rohm & Haas, agreed upon last July, is going up $3 million a day because of penalties. Dow is fighting a desperate legal battle in Delaware's Court of Chancery to stave off a final closing of the merger.

New York hedge fund operators, and many legal experts, say they believe Dow will lose in court. A trial is scheduled for March 9 before Judge William Chandler 3d. Chandler is expected to balance the binding contract with Dow's doomsday scenario if the merger happens.

Dow is accelerating a program to close about 20 plants globally and streamline its operations with fewer employees, company officials say.

Investment bankers are shopping some of Dow's prized assets, such as its 50 percent stake in Dow Corning Corp., a major local employer, and a highly profitable agricultural division with operations in Midland.

And what led to this?

Dow and the Kuwait government planned a joint venture with Dow's commodity chemical and plastics businesses, naming it K-Dow.

The venture would have brought Dow $7 billion to $9 billion in cash for the Rohm & Haas acquisition. Kuwait canceled the joint venture in late December.

Without the Kuwait cash, Dow has to rely mostly on a one-year bank loan for funds to close on Rohm & Haas.

The home of the Looooons? Dow Diamond.

Taking advantage of nostalgia

The West Michigan Whitecaps have something planned....

Six Friday baseball games at Fifth Third Ballpark this season are designed to take Detroit Tigers fans down memory lane.

Through a promotion by the West Michigan Whitecaps called "Tiger Fridays," the Tigers' Class A minor league affiliate will bring in former Tigers players who will throw out the first pitch and sign autographs on the concourse during the game at no cost.

"We think this is a tremendous idea that will only solidify our relationship with the Tigers," Whitecaps vice president Jim Jarecki said. "There are Tiger fans all around, and bringing these guys in will only bring back the memories of Tigers past.

Memories. Pressed between the pages of my mind.

On five of the Fridays featuring George Kell, Rick Leach, Dave Bergman, John Wockenfuss and Matt Nokes, the Whitecaps will give away bobbleheads of the individuals to the first 1,000 fans.

The Aug. 28 game will be a tribute to the 1984 World Series championship team and will feature pitchers Willie Hernandez, Dan Petry and Milt Wilcox. The Whitecaps will hand out 1984 World Series championship hats to the first 1,000 fans.

Not to be outdone....Or actually to be outdone, but not to be left out...

The Great Lakes Loons, in partnership with MidMichigan Health, have announced a series of six Loons’ home games during the 2009 season paying tribute to the 25th anniversary of the Detroit Tigers’ 1984 World Championship.

As a part of the Loons’ celebration of the 1984 Tigers, three members of the team are schedule to appear at Dow Diamond and meet with Loons fans. Those players are pitchers Dan Petry (June 18), Milt Wilcox (July 29) and 1984 American League Cy Young award and MVP winner Willie Hernandez (August 29).

In addition, the Loons are offering a three-game bobblehead series featuring 1984 Tigers players Kirk Gibson (May 27), Jack Morris (July 16) and Chet Lemon (August 10).

Advantage Whitecaps.

Cutting with scissors

In about two weeks, the Great.Lakes.Loons will have a little ceremony.

ESPN 100.9-FM will unveil its new state-of-the-art radio studios with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony January 28, 2009, held in conjunction with the Midland Chamber of Commerce.

The studios for the Tri-Cities’ only 24-hour all-sports station have been re-located to the press box at Dow Diamond, overlooking the baseball field. Since the station’s purchase in March 2008, operation of the station has taken place in the Citadel Broadcasting studios in Saginaw.

The event will begin at 4pm on the third floor of Dow Diamond and is open to the public. Complementary soft drinks and snacks will be provided, and a cash bar will be available.

Cash bar? For a radio station function? In the words of Rod Farva, "Open Bar, dude!"

Donnie Baseball & Son

The Evansville Courier-Press has this story on Preston Mattingly of the Great.Lakes.Looooooooons and his dad Don, On Being a Mattingly.

No matter the occasion, Preston Mattingly continually lives in his father's famous shadow.

Whether he's standing next to "Donnie Baseball" at a Habitat for Humanity dedication ceremony or playing for the Great Lakes Loons, the Los Angeles' Dodgers' Class A affiliate in the Midwest League, he will always be referred to as Don's son. But it's something he's comfortable with and he doesn't feel any pressure to live up to his father's accomplishments.

He said his father, a former New York Yankees' all-star first baseman and currently the Dodgers' hitting coach, deserves credit for helping promote events such as the Habitat for Humanity dedication ceremony last month. The Tri-State Hot Stove League sponsored a house in the New Haven subdivision for victims of the 2005 tornado.

"It's all my dad," Preston said. "My dad does a really good job of taking care of everybody in the community, giving back to the community. It's pretty amazing. Everybody goes when my dad shows up."

On growing up Mattingly and last season.

While Preston has struggled at the plate his last two seasons in the minors, his father wrote the book on hitting — literally. He penned "Don Mattingly's Hitting Is Simple: The ABC's of Batting .300" in 2007.

Because Preston played AAU basketball in the summer as well as football in the fall and basketball in the winter at Central High School, he freely admits he was behind many other baseball players at his age level. Don said his son will probably be a late-bloomer.

"Preston has a pretty good chance (to move up) because he's so athletic," said Don, the 1985 American League Most Valuable Player and a six-time All-Star. "Baseball is a tough sport because it's really skilled. It takes a lot of work day in and day out."

There is a position switch from second to the outfield coming up for Mattingly. I wonder if that means another season in Midland for the Loooooooooons.

Must be nice, but..

Come on. What is there to report? Really?

ESPN 100.9-FM [in Midland, Michigan] proudly presents five and a half hours of coverage of the 2008 Baseball Winter Meetings from the Las Vegas Convention Center this week Monday through Thursday.

Coverage will begin Monday from 6:30-7pm immediately following Northwood Basketball Weekly, then continue Tuesday and Wednesday from 6-8pm and Thursday from 6-7pm. Loons’ play-by-play broadcaster Brad Golder will anchor the program.

The show will feature interviews with some of the top names in baseball plus insight and analysis on all key developments at the annual gathering of Major League Baseball’s top decision makers, from trades to free agent signings.

The fact that there is about 16" of snow outside the trailer AND it is still piling up in no way makes me jealous. Not at all. Here is the radio station link. If there is an internet feed, go ahead and find it. Then, tune in later tonight.

Hire this kid immediately....

Ever wondered about baseball in Hawaii? Wonder no more. History of Hawaii Baseball is a blog that I just discovered through my Google Alert for the Great.Lakes.Loons. More on that in a moment. Here is the Mission Statement of the blog:

The Hawaii Baseball research Project is dedicated to promoting baseball and preserving its history in Hawaii.

Sounds good to me. There are some neat old pictures and various other historical documents.

Now to the post that popped up in the alert. An interview of Waikiki BeachBoys manager Juan Bustabad, who manages the Looooooooons in the summer. The interview is conducted by 11-year-old Ethan, who... is an 11 year old who dreams of being a baseball radio sportscaster when he gets older.

That's how it starts, kid. That's how it starts. To the interview:

Ethan – Hello Juan, thank you for the interview. My first question is: When did you start playing baseball?
Juan – I started playing baseball at age 9
Ethan – Who was your favorite team growing up?
Juan – My favorite team was the Cincinnati Reds
Ethan – If you didn’t play baseball, what would have you done instead?
Juan – Probably played another sport.
Ethan – Did anyone else play baseball in your family?
Juan - Both my dad and brother played baseball.
Ethan – How do you decide your starting pitchers?
Juan – During the season, we pick a 5 man rotation. In the beginning we may limit those pitchers to 80 pitches, and then after the pitchers are all used to the rotation we may increase their pitch count to 100 – 115 pitches. Of course there is injuries and fatigue we have to think about too.
Ethan – How do you like managing in Hawaii?
Juan – It has been a great time with the league, players and fans.
Ethan – Finally the most important question: Who has been your favorite bat boy?
Juan – (smiles) that would be you of course! (laughs)

That is a better interview than I have done in the last five years.

Back to Midland

inside the dodgers has this bit of news regarding the coaching staff of the Great.Lakes.Loons for 2009:

Manager - Juan Bustabad

Hitting Coach - Michael Boughton

Pitching Coach - Danny Darwin

Athletic Trainer - Zachary Hoffmann

Bustabad will return for his second season as manager of Great Lakes, his ninth year overall as a member of the Dodger organization. His 2008 club posted a 54-85 record, including a 25-29 mark through May. In 11 seasons as a minor league manager overall, the 47-year-old has notched a 537-446 record and seven division titles.

Buried in a large paragraph near the top of the post is the new roving pitching coordinator:

Rafael Chaves, a former big-league pitching coach who had tremendous success as the Yankees' Triple-A pitching coach last year, is the new roving pitching coordinator.

Chaves was the Pitching Coach for the Timber Rattlers in 2000.

That thing we can't talk about...

Even with other teams...

Loons, Dodgers talk about new deal

Catching up with...

the Great.Lakes.Looooooons.

July 4: Loons sweep, win two thrillers vs. Dragons

July 5:
Loons' offense still stagnant in 5-0 loss

Lindblom preparing to pitch for Loons

While playing catch with their dads, most young lads can only dream of playing professional baseball.

But for Josh Lindblom, being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round out of Purdue University has made that dream come true.

"The opportunity to live my dream is what this is all about," said Lindblom, 21, who has joined the Great Lakes Loons but is not yet on the team's active roster.

"Ever since I've been little playing catch in the living room with a sock, it has been a dream of mine (to play professional baseball)," said the 6-foot, 5-inch, 240- pound Lindblom, who was the 61st pick overall in the 2008 draft.

A big day for the Loooooooons

No, not on the field. Off the field. The first Great Lakes player has made it to the majors.

The Dodgers have promoted former Loons pitcher Clayton Kershaw to Los Angeles and have announced on that the left-hander will make his Major League debut Sunday in a start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

This is a quick article from Saturday about Kershaw. Here is a quick story about how he didn't realize that he was being called up and the travel to LA.

Kershaw got the word late Friday night, one day after admittedly becoming frustrated when yanked after a one-inning start that turned out to be the equivalent of a bullpen session. He flew from North Carolina, through Detroit, to Los Angeles and was in uniform Saturday, ready to describe his latest and greatest adventure.

Kershaw made one start against the Rattlers in 2007. On May 8 at Dow Diamond, he allowed two runs over 5-2/3 innings and struck out eight for the win. Wisconsin scored two second inning runs, but that was all against the current Dodger.

Last point on this...Good to see that the Dodgers are listening to Alyssa Milano. Here is part of her post from May 11.

It is time. We can't wait any longer. It is time to bring up Clayton Kershaw. I don't know what is going on with our starting pitching (it is hard to not point fingers at our pitching coach considering all of our starters are struggling), but it's time to give the kid a chance.

Wow.

An opponent to cheer for

Not only does Parker Dalton of the Great.Lakes.Loons have an awesome name, he also has a great story.

Dalton, 24, started at second base for Texas A&M as a fourth-year junior, but did little to distinguish himself. As a sophomore, he hit .253, then followed with a .242 effort.

Even his coaches didn't expect him to come back for his fifth year.

"They wanted me to come back for my fifth year, but they told me I probably wouldn't play ... I'd be fourth string or something," Dalton said. "They wanted me to be a good guy on the bench, someone to help the other players, kind of like an extra coach.

"My family was going to support me no matter what, but even they were asking me why I would want to go back when I could just graduate and get on with my life."

Dalton did graduate with a degree in finance, with a minor in history.

And he played baseball ... eventually.

First, he had to beat cancer.

Before the start of his senior year of college, Dalton went to a dermatologist for a regular checkup and came away with a frightening diagnosis.

Malignant melanoma.

Forget finance, forget college, forget baseball.

Forget living?

"It's one of the most dangerous forms of cancer, one with the worst survival rates," Dalton said. "They put a fist-sized scar in my back, plus cut out lymph nodes in my left armpit and my left shoulder to make sure nothing spread. For a while, I couldn't move because they cut so much out of me."

You should read the whole thing. But, here is the takeaway quote:

"I let God write the book. I let God pull the strings. I'm just here for the ride, riding the wave."

Other teams' rosters

Some of the other Midwest League rosters have been trickling in:

Like Burlington:

The roster is highlighted by shortstop Mike Moustakas, who was taken second overall by the Royals in the 2007 amateur entry draft. The roster also includes three players who spent time with the Bees during the 2007 season.

Entire roster of the Bees.

Like Cedar Rapids:

The 2008 Cedar Rapids Kernels have broken Spring Training camp and are on their way to Cedar Rapids! The 25-player roster includes two of the LA Angels Top 10 Prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, in RHP Jordan Walden (#3) and C Anel De Los Santos (#10).

The roster includes three members of the 2007 MWL playoff team as C Cody Collet, RHP Sammy Leon, and OF Tyler Johnson return to Cedar Rapids.

Entire roster of the Kernels.

Like Dayton:

Shortstop Todd Frazier and third baseman Brandon Waring headline the roster. Frazier, selected in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Cincinnati Reds, was chosen as the top prospect in the Pioneer League with Billings last summer after signing with the Reds. He hit 22 home runs last spring at Rutgers University to rank fourth in the country.

Waring hit 27 home runs at Wofford College to rank second among all NCAA Division I players. After signing with the Reds, he hit another 20 homers at Billings to lead the Pioneer League and all short-season professional leagues.

Entire roster of the Dragons.

Like Fort Wayne:

Seven players who appeared with Fort Wayne last season will open the year with the Wizards and 16 players who were drafted by the Padres organization last summer will be a part of the club.

The outfield is led by Luis Durango, who won the Arizona League batting title in 2006 and the Northwest League batting title last season. Durango was also named the 2007 Topps Northwest League Player of the Year, hitting .367 with a league-best 110 hits and eight triples.

Also leading the outfield will be Brad Chalk, a second round pick from Clemson. He split the 2007 season between Peoria and Eugene, hitting a combined .276 in 34 games.

Entire roster of the Wizards.

Like Great Lakes:

Pitchers Steven Johnson, Thomas Melgarejo, Miguel Ramirez, Miguel Sanfler and Kyle Smit; catcher Kenley Jansen; infielders Brian Mathews and Preston Mattingly; and outfielder Scott Van Slyke all played for the Loons during the 2007 inaugural season.

The six players on the Loons’ roster ranked in Baseball America’s Top 30 prospect list in the Dodgers’ organization are: third baseman Pedro Baez (10), pitcher Bryan Morris (12), outfielder Andrew Lambo (14), pitcher Justin Miller (22), second baseman Mattingly (28) and pitcher Geison Aguasviva (30).

Entire roster of the Loooooooooons (as a PDF).

That's a heck of an idea

The Great.Lakes.Looooooooons are set for their radio station for the next several hundred years or so.

The Midland-based Great Lakes Loons Class A minor league baseball team announced this morning their purchase of radio station WYLZ, 100.9-FM. Starting at midnight today, the Loons changed the brand name to ESPN 100.9-FM, and changed the station format from country music to a 24-hour sports format carrying ESPN's national syndicated shows.

...

The Loons purchased the rights to the Pinconning-based 100.9FM signal for $325,000 from the Last Bastion Trust, said Brad Golder, the Loons' director of broadcasting and media relations and play-by-play announcer.

The Great Lakes franchise plans to continue to air live broadcasts of all Loons regular-season game on 100.9FM, Golder said.

That last paragraph may be the most obvious thing ever written. Ever.

More at the Looooooooooons website.