A visit from the POTMWL

That would be President of the Midwest League.

There are two words at the top of George Spelius' job description: smiles and laughter.

No, he doesn't run a comedy club and he doesn't make those goofy funhouse mirrors.

He's the president of the Midwest League.

This guy is the perfect face of a league that emphasizes family fun. He is the grandpa of a 16-team organization that is thriving with its two newest grandchildren.

"They know they're going to maybe travel a little bit more than the other teams and all that but they feel more comfortable it seems like in the first year," Spelius said, noting the addition of the Lake County Captains and Bowling Green Hot Rods this season. "So far I'd say it's been successful with the decision we've made. The commissioner's office and the national association is happy with that."

Go over a read about it.

From around the Midwest League

A few things that caught my eye this morning:

#1 is from Lake County. The Captains are hosting a Fantasy Camp.

Captains Fantasy Camp: Blog entry No. 3

Day 2 of the Captains Fantasy Camp is in the books and what a day.

Team News-Herald got back on track after being shut out by Team Pepco on Friday by sweeping two games on Saturday, thanks to some hot hitting.

As good as the bats were, the story and star of the fantasy camp, in my opinion, has been the play of left fielder Al Grate of Team News-Herald.

Grater is participating in his first fantasy camp and, after talking to him before Friday's first day, wasn't expecting much. He's in his 60s, but in good shape. He's a retired teacher from Ashtabula County who now lives in Concord. He's a great person, and also very determined.

For example: Grater, who coached high school baseball back in the day, hasn't just played the outfield the first two days. He's owned the outfield.

Here is entry #1 and entry #2

#2: It's father versus son in Lansing

It's been 15 years since John Tamargo Jr. last saw his father in the summertime. Their differing baseball schedules just wouldn't allow for it.

So when the son found out he'd be joining the Lugnuts's staff and his dad, John Sr., would be managing their Midwest League compatriot Clinton LumberKings, the two knew they'd finally have a chance to cross paths again.

Little did they know then how special - and historic - that lone series would become.

When Sal Fasano decided to take his Toronto Blue Jays organization-required four-day vacation this past week, it thrust the younger Tamargo into the manager's seat for the first time in his six seasons as a minor league coach. That meant, after winning his first three games at the helm, he got to match wits with his dad Saturday.

"He was always coaching. When I was younger, in high school and college, I'd go with him in the summer," said the Lugnuts acting manager, who just told his father recently that he, too, would be managing. "But ever since I turned professional and signed a contract and started playing, I hadn't seen him in the summer."

And at least on this night, Junior got the best of Senior as the Lugnuts downed the LumberKings 12-7 at Cooley Law School Stadium.

#3: Homer Bailey...He's honest.

Homer Bailey could have answered the question another way, but he chose to be honest.

Asked if he had fond memories of pitching for the Dayton Dragons in 2005 on his way up the organizational ladder, the Cincinnati Reds right-hander replied with an immediate and emphatic “No.”

“It was just such a big learning adjustment,” said Bailey, who went 8-4 with a 4.43 ERA for manager Alonzo Powell. “I was 18, and I’m 24 now. I didn’t know what to expect. It was my first time away from home. I thought I knew everything back then. I guess we all do when we’re 18.”

That said, the native Texan is excited to be back, especially to the extent that his rehab start Monday, July 26, against Quad Cities hastens his return to the majors after being sidelined since May 24 with an inflamed right shoulder.

Plans call for Bailey to throw about 70 pitches, then take his act to Louisville for two more starts, which, if all goes well, would then put him in position to help the Reds down the stretch.

We welcome you

Matt Nelson of KCRG 9 in Cedar Rapids has a blog called Ballparks of the Midwest.

Last year he made the trip to a bunch of Midwest League ballparks and (apparently) made a television show out of it.

Here are his web reviews of:

Fifth Third Field
Oldsmobile Park
Dow Diamond
O'Brien Field
Parkview Field
Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium
Coveleski Stadium
Alliant Energy Field

If you click through to each review, there will be a link to video reports from each stadium. Worth it at lunch today.

Here is this year's tour. Just let us know when you are going to be up here, Matt.

Expert Opinion

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus sat down for a Q & A with Oakland Clubhouse and said something in response to a Q about former Kane County Cougar Matt Sulentic, a 3rd round pick in 2006, about the Midwest League that doesn't surprise me. Here is the exchange:

OaklandClubhouse: Another guy who had a big comeback year in 2008 was Matt Sulentic. Do you think that improvement was a product of the Cal League or is he for real again?

Kevin Goldstein: I think the Cal League helped, but I think people just throw ‘Cal League’ out there a little too often. Stockton is in the northern half of that league, which isn’t nearly the pinball machine that the southern half is. So it’s not as huge of an effect. It’s obviously way better than Kane County. The Midwest League is the toughest hitters’ league in baseball now, even more than the Florida State League.

They took a really big risk putting him there, just from what he did at Kane County, but the decision was either to send him [to Stockton] and hope for the best, or send him back to Kane County, where the league could have gotten into his head a little bit and resulting in him really ending up with some confidence issues and stuff like that. I think he can hit. I’m not sure it is a ton, but if he turns into something between Jason Michaels and David Dellucci kind of bench outfielder, line-drive hitter, I wouldn’t be shocked.

For comparison:

Sulentic (KC, '06): 30 games, .235BA, .327OBP, .327SLG, 1 HR, 13 RBI
Sulentic (KC, '07): 56 games, .175/.234/.218, 1 HR, 16 RBI
Sulentic (Stockton, '08): 95 games, .309/.368/.481, 9HR, 55RBI

The Dayton-Peoria rivalry continues

Many posts were written about the brawl between the Dayton Dragons and the Peoria Chiefs since it happened last summer.

I'm almost positive that the reporter who wrote the following did not have that brawl in mind:

Let's see. Build a downtown arena and move the Dayton Bombers there, or support the Austin Pike site and likely bring in an American Hockey League team?

There are pluses and minuses to both plans, but the ideal combination clearly would be a downtown arena AND an AHL franchise. That's really what should be explored.

With the AHL, hockey fans would know they are seeing future National Hockey League players, because that's where many of them come from. Seems logical that it would add to the experience.

Not to compare the Dragons and Bombers, but one of the reasons baseball flourishes here is that fans know they are watching the major-leaguers of tomorrow. More than 20 ex-Dragons are in camp with the Reds.

What's important is that this city should not settle for less than the likes of Peoria, Ill., for example, which has an AHL team and a downtown arena. Or Battle Creek, Mich., which already is one-up on Dayton, having managed to figure out how to attach an arena to a hotel.

The part that caught my eye is now in bold. I'm not sure -- and maybe it's just me, but, Peoria has this and Battle Creek has that is not a persuasive argumentative technique.

Follow through

Okay, it's Saturday. There's a few things to get to regarding potential rosters, but I wanted to actually follow through on something from earlier in the week.

If you click that link you will be taken to the post from earlier this week in which Rattler Radio provided links to a Ben's Biz Blog post about promotions that missed the cut in the Quad Cities River Bandits Name the Promotion Promotion.

One that caught my eye was a promotion involving a concession stand that would sell food items that are based on the opponent playing the River Bandits that night. Ben wrote this fateful sentence: I started to brainstorm some Midwest League possibilities, but they were embarrassingly unfunny. Please let me know if you come up with anything.

Then, I responded with: Check back on Saturday. I'm not doing anything. Besides, embarrassing and unfunny never stopped me before.

Before beginning the Embarrassment and Unfunny, a quick note. I've switched this around to a theoretical concession stand at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

Beloit Snappers: Turtle Soup

Burlington Bees: Honey Nut Cheerios. Or, just hunny in trees. We'll just need to watch out for silly old bears.

Cedar Rapids Kernels: Corn on the Cob. Geez, this is easy.

Clinton LumberKings: Something with a lot of fiber.

Dayton Dragons: Komodo Dragon.....What? You've never seen The Freshman? Besides. We have to eat them before they eat us. Careful on that second link. Nature is not pretty.

Fort Wayne TinCaps: Apple Pie. Apple Juice. Apples. Apple Jacks. Apple Fritters. Apples.

Great.Lakes.Loons: Roast duck.

Kane County Cougars: Cougar. Again, eat them before they eat us. I know, Disney teaches us that the cougar and the elk become friends and go off to have adventures. Teachers can be wrong.

Lansing Lugnuts: Didn't Klinger try to eat a Jeep in an episode of M*A*S*H? I'm going to go with actual lugnuts. Or maybe walnuts, peanuts, cashews, and various other nuts. I haven't made up my mind yet.

Peoria Chiefs: I've got nothing...tasteful. What do you do with a team with a dalmatian for a mascot? Oh!? No. Nothing tasteful.

Quad Cities River Bandits: Fritos. Nothing but Fritos.

South Bend Silver Hawks: Only a few things are more majestic than a hawk in flight. A hawk on a spit slow-roasting over a mesquite fire is one of them.

West Michigan Whitecaps: Bottle caps made of white chocolate...Or, Frappucinos.

And just for the heck of it:

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: Rattlesnake Steak.

Rattlesnakes are also a popular food in some southeastern and southwestern American cuisines and are sometimes sold in speciality meat shops. It has a flavor that has been described as similar to chicken or frog legs and a chewy texture similar to alligator.

Frog legs? Why would we serve those?

Trips to South Bend will be a little different

I've mentioned some of the Midwest League broadcasters who have moved on over the years. That's radio and that happens.

However, there has next to no turnover in MWL beat writers. There will be some in South Bend next year.

Woody Miller isn't writing for the South Bend Tribune.

Forrest "Woody" Miller has been covering basketball for the Tribune for as long as anyone can remember, including McGraw, who has been the head coach at the University for over 20 years. He is also the longtime Notre Dame baseball and South Bend Silver Hawks reporter for the Tribune.

It's not hard to wrack up that kind of resume when you've been with the same paper for more than 50 years.

But the real shame in this change is that Woody was let go as one of the 56 employees cut loose from the Tribune because of the growing economic crisis. This is not to say the paper could have refrained from firing anyone, but by letting Woody go, they let go a piece of Tribune - and Notre Dame - history.

Woody was inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame in 2004, and started working with the paper in 1955. He has covered Irish baseball since then, including the team's two trips to the College World Series (1957 and 2002).

Woody was there when Digger and the men's basketball team knocked off No. 1 UCLA. He was there at the program's Final Four in 1978 in St. Louis. He went back to St. Louis in 2001 to cover McGraw's team's win over Purdue for the NCAA Championship.

Yep. It will be different in the Cove press box next year.

Elfstrom update

The focus of this story is the VIP Suites that will be available at the home of the Kane County Cougars next season.

As part of a stadium overhaul that began Sept. 11 but had been in the works since 1999, the Class A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics will add 15 skyboxes and nearly 1,000 seats to the stadium.

General manager Jeff Sedivy said the construction project really amounts to a complete renovation of the 18-year-old ballpark in west suburban Geneva.

"Our fans have been waiting for this," Sedivy said. "I just hope the fans like it as much as I do."

Although the Cougars play in one of the Midwest League's larger stadiums and the franchise is considered a commercial success, the team is behind the curve as far as luxury suites. Of the league's 14 teams, 10 have skyboxes.

So, where does the writer of the story go for another quote? Beloit. Beloit? Beloit.

"In general, that's what all of minor-league baseball is going for. You don't really see baseball stadiums built anymore without them," said Jeff Vohs, general manager of the Beloit Snappers, the Class A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

The Snappers are one of the few teams in the league without luxury suites; something they hope to rectify with a new stadium.

"Obviously, skyboxes and suites are huge revenue producers for a team," Vohs said. "It attracts more fans and more things that business can do."

Four teams in the Midwest League don't offer suites? Let's see...There's Beloit...There's...um...Clinton! Well, technically Burlington has one VIP suite so they don't offer "suites". I wonder were the writer got his information from, because I'm only counting two MWL teams without at least one suite available for 2009.

And since the story is posted on a website powered by WGN, the Chicago Tribune, and various other Chicago Cub related media, there is a quote from Peoria. Peoria? Peoria.

The Peoria Chiefs, the Class A affiliate of the Cubs, have offered luxury suites since 2002. Media manager Nathan Baliva said most of the boxes are rented to corporations such as Caterpillar, but two -- named for popular ex-Cubs Mark Grace and Greg Maddux -- are kept open for nightly rentals.

Well, that's not really a quote. More of a paraphrase. I'm sure Nate gave an awesome quote, though.

Click the link to find out what will be in the new suites in Kane County. Oh, and one of the suites at the Elf will be a SUPERSUITE!

The Cougars also are adding a party deck and a "super suite" behind home plate that can accommodate as many as 250 or be partitioned into smaller units.

"super suite" looks more impressive when written as SUPERSUITE!

Well done, Joel

When I need a refresher on Midwest League history...when I need an idea for a PLAYBALL! article...if I just feel like rooting around in the history books, I head over to Joel Didna's Midwest League Guide. I have had a link to it ever since I started Rattler Radio.

Kevin Czerwinski of MILB.com has an article on Joel.

While the Midwest League probably won't be rushing out to name its MVP award after Dinda, the circuit should acknowledge what he's done over the last dozen or so years. Dinda, a project manager for the state of Michigan, began compiling a Midwest League record book and history section, and today the result of his work is MWLGuide.com. It's a web site dedicated to the Class A circuit, 800 pages strong and loaded with stories, stats, anecdotes and historical information that's difficult to find anywhere else.
...
"I do it because basically it's my local league," Dinda, 59, said. "I started out as a South Bend fan because they were the closest team to me, but then other teams got closer. It seemed interesting at the time and still seems interesting. It keeps me remarkably busy.

Great site and nice article.

Catching up with...

the Midwest League.

One story and two papers. Possible Midwest League Expansion.

Jeff Johnson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette had this back on June 28. Click on the link if only for the most awesomest picture of League President George Spelius.

That old expansion thing has come up again in the Midwest League.

Increasing the number of teams from 14 to 16 has long been talked about but never been acted upon. Midwest League President George Spelius was in Cedar Rapids last week to watch the Kernels play the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and mentioned the possibility of expansion again.

"There's always speculation about us going from 14 teams to 16 teams," Spelius said. "One of those would probably we Lake County, which is east of Cleveland."

The extra teams would come from the 16-team South Atlantic League, the only other low-Class A loop in affiliated baseball. Spelius said Lake County in Eastlake, Ohio, has long wanted to be in the MWL because of travel.

Steve Batterson of the QC Times adds this:

“They can’t tell us we have to do it or even who the possibilities are. We just have to wait and see what they propose and go from there,’’ Spelius said.

The most likely moves would involve a South Atlantic League team located in Eastlake, Ohio, and a team in that Class A league that is relocating from Columbus, Ga., to Bowling Green, Ky.

The possibility of some sort of change was discussed at recent league meetings that took place in conjunction with the Midwest League All-Star Game, and Spelius said a shift could occur as early as next season or could take place in 2010.

“We’ve been thinking that this could happen since 2002 when Lake County opened up in Ohio, but we’ve been patiently waiting to see what proposal will be put forth by the National Association,’’ Spelius said.

The 'They' in this case is the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.

Always watching

Dayton manager Donnie Scott thought it would be a good idea to have a scout talk to his players before the game on Monday.

That scout, Gene Bennett, has been on the job for 56 years.

Bennett let the players know batting and fielding practice should be used for more than just warming up.

"Pregame stuff is as important as anything you'll ever do," said Bennett, who went on to explain scouts arrive at the park early to see if players can catch, throw and run in case the game doesn't allow them to showcase those abilities.

He told them a scout's impression of a player goofing off might be a lasting one.

Yep, this one scout saw A-Rod goofing off at Goodland Field once. Never wrote him up as a prospect. Okay, I made that up.

There is also a Chrlie Leibrandt story in there.

Low power

Steve Vedder, the Whitecap beat writer for the Grand Rapids Press has this:

Home runs rare for Whitecaps at Fifth Third

Whitecaps home runs at Fifth Third Ballpark always have been a rare commodity. In fact, the Whitecaps are going to have to hurry to get anywhere near the team's totals for the past three seasons. West Michigan ranks 13th of the 14 Midwest League teams at the all-star break, with 10 homers at home.

Only Wisconsin, which hit five home runs at home in the first half, ranks lower. Nine teams had at least 20 round-trippers at home in the first half.

You know what's missing? How many homers have opponents hit at Fifth Third Ballpark?

According to the stats heading into tonight, opponents have hit 12 homers at Fifth Third Ballpark in 2008. Death Valley, thy name is Fifth Third Ballpark.

There is something else missing..Oh, right. For a comparison how many homers have the Whitecaps hit on the road?

According to the stats heading into tonight, the Whitecaps have 21 homers on the road. Nine homer difference. Not a huge gap especially when you consider that the Whitecaps have played seven more games on the road than at home this season.

You know what else is missing? What was West Michigan's home record?

According to the stats heading into tonight, the Whitecaps are 18-15 at home. Home runs don't necessarily equal wins? What?

There seems to be one other thing missing....what could that be for the team that finished the first half 37-31 and captured the first half Eastern Division Wild Card to get into the playoffs for a chance to defend their Midwest League Championship for the third year in a row....Boy, I can't think of it. Maybe later.

Does this fit the criteria?

Chad at Baseball in Fort Wayne has this post.

I’m working on a project that is of particular interest to Midwest League bloggers to provide blog promotion and shared resources/information.

Your thesis intrigues me. Do you have a newsletter to which I might subscribe?

Criteria: 1.) It has to be a blog that is updated at least weekly - if you have a MWL-related site that is not a blog, please still leave your info for a related purpose; and 2.) It must deveote at least 50% of content to the Midwest League or one of it’s teams.

Well, I don't know if I fit. What about the off-season when I turn the blog into my weight loss/debt reduction/fifth season of The Office blog? Does April through September offset October through March?

Men in Blue

The first story on Midwest League Umpires that I've found is at today's Beloit Daily News website.

While the struggles of minor-league ballplayers - long bus rides, poor pay, second-rate facilities - are well-documented, the day-to-day life in the minors for the men in blue includes many of the same struggles.

In act, in addition to being a similarly challenging life, the umpires have perhaps even more miniscule chances for opportunity awaiting them. In the past three years, Major League Baseball has hired just one full-time umpire.

“I've heard stats quoted to me from publications that you are more likely to become a Hall of Fame baseball player than you are to sign a major league baseball umpire contract,” said Midwest League umpire Nate Thompson.

Brandon Misun is Thompson's partner in umpiring. His story?

Brandon Misun, a UW-Madison graduate and Ashland, Wis., native attended the Hunter Wendelstedt's umpire school while Thompson, originally from Attica, Mich., and a graduate of Western Michigan, attended the Jim Evans Umpire Academy.

Just before graduating with his political science degree, Misun was unsure of what he wanted to do with his future and thought umpiring would be a good way to spend his summers.

“Toward the end of my time there, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” said the 26-year old Misun. “I had umpired Little League and high school baseball throughout my life and decided to give it a shot.”

Why the interest in this pair of umpires?

During the game between Peoria and Clinton, Chiefs manager and Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg instigated a fight that netted him a three-game suspension from the league. While fights are never expected, especially in a game that was a blowout, the umpires always have their guard up.

“It was interesting to say the least,” said Thompson. “You never expect anything like that to happen. It's part of the game and something happens different each game.”

That's all that is mentioned about that incident, by the way.

Other items in the article: Salaries and cockiness vs. confidence

Midwest League in the News

Not only was the Edward Paredes near no-no a headline on MiLB.com last night, so was Alfredo Figaro's performance and so was the Burlington Bee's combined two-hitter.

Figaro drums up another opus

The beat goes on for Alfredo Figaro.

The 23-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic tossed 7 2/3 scoreless frames of two-hit ball Wednesday as the visiting West Michigan Whitecaps topped the South Bend Silver Hawks, 4-1.

Figaro (6-1), who fanned five and walked five, lowered his ERA to 1.09, third-best in the Midwest League.

He surrendered a single by Elijah Rumler with one out in the first inning and a single by Evan Frey with one out in the eighth. He retired 14 hitters in a row between the first and sixth innings.

"He threw really well, but he didn't have as much command of his offspeed stuff as he usually does," Whitecaps manager Joe DePastina said. "He walked the bases loaded in the sixth, but he did a great job of working his way out of it."

After issuing three passes with one out in the sixth, Figaro got Sean Coughlin to pop out to third and fanned Taylor Harbin to end the threat.

I made the mistake at first, but now that I know it's pronounced Fi-GARR-oh instead of FEE-gah-row, I tend to stay away from the musical references when talking about this particular Whitecap pitcher. He's a good one. Might as well get it right.

Bees duo combines on two-hitter

Matt Mitchell's results in Burlington this year have hinged on his fastball location. The Royals' prospect had lost his previous three starts before nearly tossing six perfect innings Wednesday.

Mitchell kept his fastball down and was nearly unhittable in his sixth start as a result, combining with Joe Augustine on a two-hitter as the Bees blanked the visiting Kane County Cougars, 4-0.

Mitchell (1-4) struck out three and allowed one hit -- a third-inning infield single -- and a walk over six innings for the win. Augustine gave up the second hit and struck out one in three frames for his second save.

That's three wins in a row for the Bees over the Cougars.

Pretty good night to be a pitcher in the Midwest League last night.

Around the MWL

Here are a two stories from around the league this morning.

From Dayton:
Pitcher delivers weather on local TV

Matt Klinker joked it would rain Monday night, May 19, because he was going to pitch, just before he gave the real weather report on Fox 45's morning news show.

Then he gave the real weather report, which said it wasn't going to rain in Dayton (although it did).

Usually, pitchers don't do newscasts at 8 a.m. on the days they are going to pitch, but Klinker did, along with fellow Dragons pitcher Scott Carroll and catcher Jason Bour went with Owen Seary, assistant media relations director of the team.

When the visit was scheduled, Klinker wasn't scheduled to pitch. He went anyway.

Carroll gave the morning traffic report and Bour dirtied his hands during a cooking segment.

From the QC
Q-C fans can't get enough of Sandberg

So, as Sandberg was going through the line of fans, he came across 12-year-old Alonso Ochoa. Although Ochoa, who is from Moline, never had seen Sandberg in a game, he had learned about the former Cub since he first understood baseball from his uncle, Robert.

“I always heard about Sandberg, and I have watched many tapes of him,” Alonso said. “I came here last year, but I didn’t get to meet him.”

As Alonso came face-to-face with Sandberg, he told the manager how he was one of his favorite players. Then, Sandberg asked Alonso if he had ever seen him play. When Alonso said no, Sandberg smiled, signing the Alonsos’ mini Cubs helmet. Alonso said after meeting Sandberg he would never forget it.

Omaha. Oma-wha?

I know that the Omaha Royals and the city of Omaha, Nebraska are having some issues over getting into a new downtown stadium, but the possible replacement leagues seem a bit far-fetched. (may require registration at the link)

If the Omaha Royals say goodbye to Omaha, the city isn't likely to say hello to another minor league team with a major league affiliation.

That's according to the presidents of the three leagues that might be considered a geographic fit for the city.

The Royals are in negotiations to use a new downtown stadium. But if an agreement isn't reached and the team leaves, the city's best bet for a replacement is likely to be an independent league team, which would lack ties to a major league organization and would offer a lower level of play.

It's hard to gauge the likelihood that the Royals would leave Omaha.

So, we'll do a story about it anyway.

The reporter got in touch with the PCL, the Texas League, and the Midwest League? THE MIDWEST LEAGUE?!?!

Midwest League President George Spelius, whose league extends into Michigan and Ohio, was surprised at the suggestion of Omaha joining that league.

"I've never had any thought of that, because it's not too often that you've had a city with a triple A team for that many years that suddenly wants to come to our league," he said. "Our farm directors (representatives from major league teams who oversee their minor league players' development) and the operators of our league would have to decide if they would want to go that far west."

Left out of the equation is the fact that there aren't any Midwest League franchises that happen to candidates for moving. I know everyone brings up Beloit. But, that ain't gonna happen. Also, a 15-team league would be just a tad unwieldy.

Head over to the link and read a little about the inside baseball stuff of baseball business.

One last note about

Curtis Granderson's rehab for West Michigan.

Bus Leagues Baseball had this post by One More Dying Quail that points elsewhere to get this story out.

Granderson was in the area for a rehab stint with the local minor league club, the West Michigan Whitecaps, and apparently chose to make himself available to any public schools that were interested in having him speak for a few minutes on Tuesday afternoon. His Riverside talk centered around the importance of teachers, education, and teamwork. Granderson’s parents and sister are teachers.

Follow that link within the above paragraph for the full story. But here is a good bit to share here:

"Those friends in your class, they're your teammates," Granderson told students at a surprise assembly today. "And when you need help in math, turn to your teammates for help and you can work things through together."

What does the notebook say...

Forgot to link this yesterday, but Stephanie Storm had her Midwest League Notebook up at MiLB.com.

This is what she had to say about the upcoming opponents for the Timber Rattlers.

Beloit Snappers [Host Rattlers April 18-20]

THE SEASON SO FAR: The Snappers, off to a rough start at 2-7, are in last place in the Western Division.

WHO'S HOT: 2B Steven Singleton is batting .370 (10-for-27) with a double and five RBIs. ... RHP Loek Van Mil has a 1.93 ERA and one save in three appearances. He's struck out six and walked just one over 4 2/3 innings.

WHO'S NOT: LHP Michael Tarsi is 0-2 with a 16.71 ERA in two starts. He's yielded 15 runs (13 earned) on 17 hits (including a league-leading three home runs) in just seven innings.

DID YOU KNOW: Geography likely has a lot to do with the fact that Beloit (Wisconsin) ranks dead last in attendance in chilly April, averaging only 575 fans per game. ... The Snappers have already racked up 21 errors -- third most in the 14-team circuit.

South Bend Silver Hawks [Host Rattlers 4/21-23]

THE SEASON SO FAR: The Silver Hawks began the year 0-9 and sit in last place in the Eastern Division.

WHO'S HOT: 1B Michael Mee is hitting .321 (9-for-28) with a double, seven walks and four RBIs. ... OF Evan Frey is batting .370 (10-for-27) with two doubles and four RBIs.

WHO'S NOT: LHP Jordan Norberto is 0-2 with a hefty 40.50 ERA. He has yielded 16 runs (nine earned) on 10 hits (including two home runs) and six walks in two innings. ... OF Derrick Walker is batting just .133 (4-for-30) with nine strikeouts in nine games.

DID YOU KNOW: Not only have the struggling Silver Hawks failed to record a win, but the team's pitching staff has yielded a league-high 104 hits in just 76 innings.

Notes from around the MWL

The Peoria Journal Star has this story on a Beloit Snapper pitcher. Why? Well, Loek Van Mil of the Netherlands is 7'-1" tall. Apparently judo was too easy for him as a child.

"It got kind of boring," the 7-1 Van Mil said. "I don't mean to sound cocky, but even when you're 7 years old it gets boring winning all the time. I wanted to do something with a team and with a ball. I thought basketball or baseball might be an option."

Yeah. I know how he feels. Winning all the time is soooooooo booooooooring.

Fate took a hand to begin Loek's baseball journey.

Van Mil, whose first name is pronounced Luke, chose basketball. His mother thought he said baseball and signed him up with the local club.

"We drove there and there were open fields. I asked my mom, 'Isn't basketball an indoor sport?' " Van Mil said. "She said, 'Oh I thought you said baseball.' I wanted to do either one so I kept with it."

If there is one Midwest League beat writer who knows about the piggyback pitching system, that beat writer would be Marc Katz of the Dayton Daily News. So, he was ready when Fort Wayne brought that system to town this week.

At least for now, Fort Wayne manager Doug Dascenzo is all for the piggyback pitching system parent San Diego has installed for his team.

He gave all the same reasons the Reds used when they forced their lower minor league teams into harsh pitch counts while alternating starters with relievers.

The system requires eight pitchers who can start games. At Fort Wayne, pitchers are allowed only 60 pitches before being replaced.

When it was pointed out not every team has eight pitchers good enough to make the system work, Dascenzo said, "We have eight pitchers."

How's it working so far? Entering Wednesday night's (April 9) game, the Wizards were 1-5 with a team ERA of 5.40, 12th in the 14-team Class A Midwest League.

Plus, read down to see what Dayton manager Donnie Scott almost did.

Steve Batterson of the QC Times has his Midwest League Notebook. The big news in there was the 50-game suspension of Peoria's scheduled opening night starter.

Instead of throwing to the catcher in Peoria’s Midwest League opener last week, Chiefs pitcher Robert Hernandez found himself catching a plane.

Hernandez was sent back to the Chicago Cubs’ spring training complex in Arizona last Thursday, one day after he was suspended for 50 games after a positive test for stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance.

The 50-game suspension is mandated for first-time violations of rules of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

But, the interesting story in the notebook is this one about the Kernels and their attempt to get from Spring Training to Cedar Rapids.

The team was forced to cancel its “Meet the Kernels” event when a canceled flight from Dallas left the entire team stranded in Texas instead of jetting into Cedar Rapids at around 6 p.m. last Monday.

In addition to spending an unexpected night at a Dallas hotel, the

Kernels were unable to secure enough room on another flight to Cedar Rapids the following day. They were able to fly into Chicago late Tuesday afternoon and then bused to Cedar Rapids, arriving about 28 hours later than originally scheduled.

I'll bet there have never been so many people glad to get to Cedar Rapids, Iowa...ever. Joking, Kernels fans.

Hmmm, a rover for the parent club likes the makeup of the minor league affiliate? Color me surprised.

Gene Roof, a 23-year veteran of the Detroit Tigers' organization, thinks all the signs are there for a big season in West Michigan.

Roof, the Tigers' roving outfield and baserunning coordinator, believes the West Michigan Whitecaps' combination of talent, experience, the success of the players last year at short season Oneonta and the likelihood of improvement translates into a potentially interesting summer.

Which is why the team's 6-1 record after the first week of the season doesn't necessarily surprise him.

Making his first visit to Fifth Third Ballpark for the Whitecaps' series with the Great Lakes Loons, Roof, who coached first base in Wednesday's 9-0 win, said it's the type of ballclub that should be better in the season's second half.

"Player development and winning go hand-in-hand," he said.