Howell recorded another strikeout, his sixth of the game to set a professional high for a single game, to get Wisconsin to within one out of the win.Now, from the QC Times:
Then, Nommensen dropped a bunt up the third base line on the first pitch of his at bat and just beat the throw to first as Morrison scored [from third with] the tying run.
A similar circumstance led to the winning run in the tenth. Gabe Cohen singled and was sacrificed to second base with reliever Caleb Thielbar on the hill. Thielbar got the second out of the inning on a strikeout. Morrison sent a slow grounder to third. Cohen flashed in front of Dykstra and avoided being hit by the ball. Dykstra's throw to first was not in time to get the speedy Morrison. Cohen never stopped running and would score without a play.
The River Bandits scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth after a pair of South Bend outfielders slipped on the outfield grass at Modern Woodmen Park, allowing Quad-Cities to savor a 7-6 Midwest League victory over the Silver Hawks.Yeesh.
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Niko Vasquez drove home the game-winning run with a two-out double that eluded the grasp of South Bend left fielder Victor Estevez, who slipped face-first onto the turf to allow Jason Stidham to score the deciding run and complete a comeback that began with Quad-Cities trailing 6-1 midway through the sixth inning.
Stidham reached base in similar fashion in a ninth inning that opened with a walk to Edgar Lara.
But Quad-Cities was down to its last out when Ryan Jackson singled to center, moving Lara to second. Stidham followed by pounding a double to right.
Silver Hawks right fielder, Alberto Diaz, slipped as he attempted to chase the ball and tumbled to the turf as two runs scored.
Diaz had to be helped off the field before Vasquez added to South Bend's misery with his second hit of the game, an RBI that allowed Quad-Cities to maintain its one-game lead over Clinton for the second of two available Western Division first-half playoff spots.
The game between Quad-Cities and Burlington aired on the MLB Network, one of a series of 11 minor-league games that will be televised during the 2010 season.And that's good for the Midwest League.
It was the only Midwest League game scheduled to air this season on the network that reaches 55 million homes.
"The people watching MLB Network on a Monday morning are baseball fans, and it was great exposure for Modern Woodmen Park and the Quad-Cities," Goodman said. "We had a chance to show the country what we're about, and we feel good about that."
The biggest improvement at Modern Woodmen Park this season doesn't include a thatched-roof hut or glitzy computerized graphics.You may think this isn't a big deal...but, it is. Trust me.
Beginning with today's 1 p.m. home opener, the Quad-Cities River Bandits are going green.
The City of Davenport and the Midwest League club cooperatively installed a new playing surface during the off-season, and the benefits of the $569,000 project extend beyond providing the Bandits with truer hops as they field grounders on their home diamond.
"If it rains during the day, we'll still be playing baseball at Modern Woodmen at night. For fans, that's a huge change that erases uncertainty," general manager Kirk Goodman said.
For years the Beloit Snappers have been looking into building a new stadium.
The Class A minor league baseball team has long complained that its current stadium, Pohlman Field, is far inferior to the facilities its competition enjoys.
However, as the team opens its 28th season at Pohlman Field, that could soon change, a prospect that the organization says is a long time coming.
"While we currently pass for an existing facility, we've been grandfathered into the existing standards. We're far behind the new standards that are set. So slowly we're falling way behind the eight-ball," said Beloit Snappers chairman Dennis Conerton.
One look around Pohlman Field and it’s hard to argue. From the outdated scoreboard, to the crumbling storage shed near left field, to the miniscule gift shop, it’s clear that the Beloit Snappers home field is not nearly what it could or should be.
But a new stadium won’t be cheap.
Baseball veteran Johnny Rodriguez will take over as the 32nd manager in franchise history and will be joined by 28-year-old pitching coach Tim Leveque. While the River Bandits' hitting coach and strength and conditioning coach have yet to be named, Manabu Kuwazuru will take over as the team's athletic trainer.How veteran is Rodriguez? Well, last year he was the hitting coach of Johnson City in the Appalachian League. Before that...
...the 53-year-old Miami resident spent time as a manager or coach with the Florida Marlins (2002-2008), Montreal Expos (2000-2001) and New York Yankees at the professional level, and the University of Miami, Miami Dade Community College and Westminster Christian (FL) High School at the amateur level. He has also spent time as a scout for the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers.
The Quad-Cities River Bandits will have a new manager in 2010.
Steve Dillard, the manager of the River Bandits the past two years, said he has been informed by the Cardinals that his contract is not being renewed.
"They didn't really tell me much other than they were letting me go," said Dillard, who became the Midwest League franchise's career wins leader earlier this season.
Dillard had worked for St. Louis the past four seasons, spending 2006 as a hitting coach with Quad-Cities and 2007 in the same position at high-A Palm Beach before named to the River Bandits managerial post before the 2008 season.
Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch confirmed Dillard's exit from the organization but declined to discuss details.
It had rained earlier in the day, but blue skies and an appearance by NFL great Gale Sayers attracted a crowd of more than 3,000 to the Davenport riverfront for a Quad-Cities River Bandits game July 10.This is a continuation of project from earlier this season.
The grounds crew worked well beyond the game's scheduled 7 p.m. start only to have umpires determine more than an hour later that the outfield was unplayable.
It wasn't the first time.
Quad-Cities has ranked first or second in the Midwest League in home games postponed because of weather conditions in five of the six years since what is known as Modern Woodmen Park was renovated before the 2004 season.
In 2009, the River Bandits shared the league lead with South Bend with six games lost to weather issues.
"We're tried of leading the league in rainouts,'' River Bandits owner Dave Heller said.
Outfield drainage has been the primary problem, with standing water remaining hours after rain has left the area.
A project designed to improve the situation is scheduled to begin this week.
The outfield at Modern Woodmen Park will be excavated, with old drainage replaced by new and topped with a field graded to aid in the drainage process.
"There is nothing more difficult than telling fans that a game isn't going to be played when the rain has stopped, the skies are blue and the grounds crew has worked for hours in hopes of making the field playable," River Bandits general manager Kirk Goodman said.
"We're doing this to fix the rainout issues for the fans and for the ballclub. When we have home games scheduled, we want to play baseball."
The playing surface at the facility has been an issue with the River Bandits' parent club, the St. Louis Cardinals.Are you ready for a table? I've changed the titles, and abbreviated the rankings, and cleaned up the last column...but the rest remains unchanged.
A rough infield was rebuilt in early May after a visit by Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, who indicated that he had been assured outfield problems would be addressed during the current offseason.
"We like being here in the Quad-Cities, but the quality of the playing surface is something we care about," Mozeliak said. "This is our players' workplace, and our organization wants them to have a quality field to play on at home."
The River Bandits' player development contract with St. Louis expires after the 2010 season, and while Mozeliak would not say improvements were required for the Cardinals to extend their agreement he conceded that field conditions are important.
Steve Dillard, the Quad-Cities field manager the past two years, welcomes any improvements to the playing surface at Modern Woodmen Park.
"It's probably the one thing that has been an issue here during the time I've been here,'' said Dillard, who worked as a hitting coach for Quad-Cities in 2006. "The drainage needs work, and hopefully they can get that fixed."
Hours before the Quad-Cities River Bandits began the start of their first extended road trip of the season with a game at Clinton on Saturday, crews began replacing all the infield grass as well as the grass in foul territory and 10 feet behind the back lip of the infield.One to go:
It is scheduled to be replaced in time for Friday's home game with Cedar Rapids.
"The result will make it a better surface to play on, make it look better for fans, and provide truer hops and bounces for the players who are playing on it,'' River Bandits general manager Kirk Goodman said. "That's better for development of players, and we want to have a field that looks as nice as the rest of our ballpark.''
The project does not address outfield drainage issues, one of the reasons Quad-Cities has had a league-high three games postponed and an exhibition game canceled within the past month.Or, two if you really want to get technical:
This is all well and good, but the windows in the radio booths at Modern Woodmen Park still don't open.Let me be clear....That last quote was not taken from the article.
When the Quad-City River Bandits arrive Saturday from their spring training camp in Florida, there will be no shortage of familiar faces.Click the link for more on that line of thought.
"The way things shook down, it looks like we're going to have quite a few guys who at least got a taste of what the Midwest League was like last season," Quad-Cities manager Steve Dillard said.
Although the roster remains subject to last-minute changes, 11 of the 59 players who saw action for the River Bandits in 2008 are part of the roster St. Louis minor-league officials put together during meetings with managers earlier this week.
Infielder Domnit Bolivar and pitcher Chuckie Fick have the most Midwest League experience among the returning players.
Bolivar began and finished the season with Quad-Cities, hitting .257 in 91 games in addition to spending part of the year with the Cardinals' New York-Penn League affiliate.
Fick went 6-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 20 appearances for the River Bandits and finished third on the team in strikeouts.
The direct family line of today’s Quad Cities River Bandits, the St. Louis Cardinals organization’s winningest affiliate over the last quarter century, can be traced back to 1982, when the Springfield (IL) Cardinals first joined the Single-A Midwest League.Click for the rest. But, keep in mind that Cardinal fans are...a bit odd.
First cousins of the Midwest League club preceded them, starting in 1977. That was the year St. Louis first placed the Gastonia, North Carolina Cardinals entry into the Class-A Western Carolinas League.
For 14 years, from 1982 through 1995, the Cardinals had two full-season Single-A clubs, one in the Midwest League and the other in the South Atlantic or Sally League. Since 1996, the organization has fielded a single club in the MWL.
Here is the log of the last ten years, 25 years, full franchise histories and combined results from both Class-A clubs. The Quad Cities-Springfield branch of the family is on top with the Savannah-Gastonia results below.
If your lifelong dream has been to watch a minor league baseball game from a 1978 GMC van parked just beyond the outfield near a major river, then you're in luck, my fat motivational-speaking friend.The question you're asking yourself right now is, What kind of van?
Chris Farley's Saturday Night Live sketch lives on with the Quad Cities River Bandits (Class A, Midwest League), whose promotion, Van Down by the River, will be ongoing this season at Modern Woodmen Park.
"It really is the kind of van that Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker would have lived in," River Bandits vice president and general manager Kirk Goodman told me by phone. "We bought an old van off of Craigslist. Its a 1978 GMC Rally Six, with rust spots and a carpet that you wouldn't want to see under a CSI light. The guy we bought it from was actually arrested that same day. It was perfect."The only thing that I can add to that is: That's all well and good, but the windows in the radio booths at Modern Woodmen Park still don't open.
A daily jackpot will accumulate, and if the van is hit with a home run ball (which could be a common occurrence, I'm told), the occupants will win the cash. The van is currently being painted with the radio station's logo and outfitted with fuzzy dice, but Goodman promised us photos once that's done.
"We bought the van for $500," Goodman said. "We offered a trade for game tickets, but the guy turned that down. He did say that he would take a bag of weed, though."
[T]he Quad Cities River Bandits revealed the results of Modern Woodmen Bank's Name the Promotion Contest, a fan-voting initiative in which River Bandits nation was invited to suggest - and then vote for - the promotion they most want to see become a reality at Modern Woodmen Park this summer.Promotions, you're all pretty!
Thanks to the creativity and ingenuity of the people of the Quad Cities, the River Bandits emerged from the contest with three unique and exciting promotional ideas. The winner of the contest was the Bandit Wedding, which took the top spot despite the Van Down by the River and Elvis Night also receiving significant support.
"We ran this contest because we wanted great ideas, and that is exactly what we got," said team owner Dave Heller. "We are always looking for new ways to keep the entertainment at Modern Woodmen Park fresh and exciting. We were hoping to get one great idea, but instead we got three. So we said, 'If we've got three great ideas, why not do all three?' We owe our fans a great deal of appreciation for coming up with a great list of fantastic promotions that will enhance the game day experience in 2009."That's all well and good...But, the windows in the radio booth at Modern Woodmen Park still don't open.
Maggie Wiederholt rolled her wheelchair out to the edge of the stadium seats at Modern Woodmen Park on the Davenport riverfront.This is all well and good, but the windows in the radio booth still don't open.
Despite Saturday’s chilly temperatures and rain, the 11-year-old, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, more commonly known as brittle bone disease, began singing the words of the national anthem. The young girl’s soft, but beautiful voice echoed throughout the mostly empty baseball stadium.
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Jon Schweppe, a junior at Augustana College, showed up for the audition in shorts and a sweatshirt.
The economic/business major sings in a local punk band called “Economy Rising” and was excited to audition.
One hungry fan suggested offering food specials at the concession stand based on that night's opponent. For example, some sort of honey drink when we play the Burlington Bees or Chinese food when the Dayton Dragons are in town.Ben, the one from Ben's Biz Blog, copped out.
I started to brainstorm some Midwest League possibilities, but they were embarrassingly unfunny. Please let me know if you come up with anything.Check back on Saturday. I'm not doing anything. Besides, embarrassing and unfunny never stopped me before.
Bandit wedding - One lucky couple that will have the wedding of a lifetime - on the Modern Woodmen Park diamond right before a River Bandits game!Before getting to the part of part of the post where I have a little fun with the promotions, how about a little game based on the choices above...You know the one...
Beverage Batter - If the River Bandits player selected pre-game delivers a base hit during the contest, everybody in attendance benefits from beverage discounts for the remainder of the inning!
Elvis Night - A full-blown promotional night dedicated to The King himself!
Rascal Kids Hat Giveaway - What more exciting of a giveaway item can we plan then one with a kids hat featuring our lovable mascot, Rascal?
Van Down By the River - A few lucky fans each night would have the opportunity to take in a ballgame from a River Bandits van parked on the right field berm!
On April 21, Modern Woodmen Park will play host to an NCAA clash between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Western Illinois Leathernecks. The 6:30 p.m. ballgame will take place while the River Bandits are on the road, giving the Big 10 and Summit League opponents a neutral playing field between Iowa City and Macomb.That seems fair seeing as how the Hawkeyes hosted a River Bandit game last year. But, the windows in the press box at Modern Woodmen Park still don't open.
"We are proud to give our fans yet another new and exciting event to attend at Modern Woodmen Park," said River Bandits' owner Dave Heller. "Even though the River Bandits will be on the road, there will be exciting baseball in the Quad Cities featuring two local teams that both have strong local alumni bases. This is going to be a great ballgame featuring all of the fun in-game entertainment, superior quality of service and exceptional value that fans have come to expect from an event at Modern Woodmen Park."
After a 53 percent attendance increase in 2008, the Quad-Cities River Bandits will offer more in 2009.Also to be seen this year on the banks of the Mississippi:
More bobblehead giveaways, more appearances by traveling entertainment acts and even more days to bring a dog to the ballpark are part of a promotional schedule released by the Midwest League club on Thursday.
“With the challenges the economy presents, we believe people will stay closer to home this summer and we are determined to reward our fans with even more value and more entertainment,” River Bandits owner Dave Heller said during a recent visit to the Quad-Cities.
The River Bandits also announced that the club will host Going Green Night on May 8, a Salute to Apples on May 24 and the return of Jimmy Buffet Night on Aug. 15.Salute to Apples? Do they play the TinCaps that night? They do!
One of the great charms of Modern Woodmen Park is that it feels like home. From the smiling ticket taker greeting guests at the gate to the friendly usher escorting them to their seats, the River Bandits put a great deal of emphasis on maintaining a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.That's all well and good. But, the windows in the radio booths at Modern Woodmen Park don't open.
A significant part of the organization's perpetual focus on improving the guest experience involves the quality and service of the food and beverage operation at Modern Woodmen Park. After making wide-ranging upgrades in concessions in 2008, the River Bandits took another giant step in that arena on Wednesday by announcing a new partnership with Professional Sports Catering, who will oversee the club's food service operation.
"The best part about Professional Sports Catering is that they love what they do - and they're really good at it," said team owner Dave Heller. "PSC is owned and operated by people that work in Minor League Baseball, and because of that their focus is the same as ours - serving our fans. As a result, our fans can look forward to markedly better food with bigger portions and shorter lines. The result will be an even better experience at the ballpark."
PSC is owned and operated by Tom Dickson and Sherrie Myers, who also own and operate two Minor League Baseball teams: the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits and the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts.
6. Quad Cities River Bandits, 2008That's great and all, but the windows in the press box still don't open.
Average attendance: 3,451 (53% increase over the previous season)
Under the leadership of new owner Dave Heller and GM Kirk Goodman, the River Bandits implemented a staggering array of changes in 2008. After four years as the awkwardly named "Swing of the Quad Cities," the club returned to the River Bandits moniker and unveiled a new logo. Meanwhile, a much greater emphasis was put on the game-day experience at Modern Woodman (formerly John O'Donnell) Park. In addition to a greatly expanded concession stand menu, fans were able to enjoy a drink at the Tiki Lounge and even take a dip in the hot tub overlooking right field.
On Tuesday, the River Bandits made a major announcement signifying a new era in the River Bandits-Cardinals relationship. On April 5, 2009, Quad Cities will host the Double-A Springfield Cardinals at Modern Woodmen Park in what will be the first exhibition game against a Double-A team in the history of Quad-Cities baseball.That might draw a few Cardinal fans.
5. River Bandits see upswing in attendance under new ownershipClick that link for the rest of the top ten.
