Today's Rattler Starter (4/7)

RH JUAN RAMIREZ: Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Nicaragua by Seattle in July 2005.

DOWN IN VENEZUELA: Ramirez made his professional debut pitching for the Aguirre in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. He went 5-1 with a 1.66ERA in 14 games (13 starts)

ON TO EVERETT: Ramirez made 15 starts for Seattle’s Northwest League affiliate in 2007. He was 3-7 with a 4.30 ERA for the AquaSox.

STINGY: Ramirez allowed three or fewer earned runs in 12 of those fifteen starts.

VS. CLINTON: Ramirez is making his Midwest League debut against the LumberKings tonight.

VS. RANGERS: Ramirez faced Spokane, the Northwest League affiliate of the Texas Rangers, twice in 2007. On July 26, Spokane beat Ramirez as he allowed three runs on three hits with seven strikeouts over five innings. On August 22, Ramirez got the win when he allowed one run on four hits over five innings.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 6.0 (4x – Last: 8/27/07 @Salem-Keizer)
STRIKEOUTS: 8 (7/11/07 @ Eugene)

April 7 Game Notes

ABOUT SUNDAY: The Timber Rattlers were beaten 6-1 by the Quad Cities River Bandits in the final game of the four game series. Daniel Carroll, Calvin Beamon, and Alex Liddi each had two hits for the Timber Rattlers.

ROUGH THIRD: The Rattlers tied the game 1-1 with an RBI single by Beamon in the top of the third inning. But, Quad Cities got five consecutive hits with one out in the bottom of the third inning and scored three times to go up 4-1. A two-run double by Charlie Pelt broke the 1-1 tie.

PULLING AWAY: The River Bandits added single runs in the sixth and eighth innings to account for the final score.

SPLITSVILLE! The Rattlers and Quad Cities split the four game series. They will meet again June 5-8 at Time Warner Cable Field.

STAYING HOT: Daniel Carroll and Gavin Dickey each have at least one hit in each of the first four games of the season. Carroll has a stolen base in four straight games, too.

ROSTER MOVES: The Seattle Mariners announced to roster moves today. Donnie Hume and Rob Harmon have been shifted to the Everett roster. Juan Ramirez and Edward Paredes, who traveled with the team to Quad Cities have been placed on the Timber Rattler roster. Hume and Harmon will stay with the Timber Rattlers and be re-activated on the Wisconsin roster before their next turn in the rotation.

LAST YEAR AT HOME: Tonight is the first home game of the season for the Timber Rattlers. In 2007, the team recorded a record of 26-42 on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

2007 OPENER: The Timber Rattlers lost 9-5 to the Peoria Chiefs in Ryne Sandberg’s managerial debut. Rattler starting pitcher Ricky Orta allowed seven first inning runs to be tagged with the loss.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Clinton LumberKings are the Midwest League affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Clinton went 70-67 in 2007 and made the Midwest League playoffs as the first half Western Division Wild Card. The LumberKings won their first round series, but lost in the Western Division Championship Series to the Beloit Snappers. The LumberKings are managed by Mike Micucci, who is in his second season with the L-Kings.

2007 SEASON SERIES: The Timber Rattlers were 5-3 against Clinton in 2007. Wisconsin was 2-2 at home against the LumberKings.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect handbook places four members of the Clinton LumberKing roster on their list of top 30 prospects in the Texas organization. Pitcher Neftali Feliz is the highest rated LumberKing on the list at #5. Outfielder Engel Beltre is next on the list at #10. Pitcher Fabio Castillo (#14) and outfielder Cristian Santana (#20) round out those on the list.

OUT OF THE DRAFT: There are seven LumberKing on the roster who were taken by the Rangers in the 2007 draft. Pitchers Josh Lueke (16th), Evan Reed (3rd), Ryan Tatusko (18th), and Ryan Turner (45th) are joined by infielders Jonathon Greene (8th) and Matt Lawson (14th), and outfielder Tim Smith (7th).

VETERANS: There are seven players who played in Clinton last season back to start 2008 with the LumberKings. Those players are: Ian Gac, David Paisano, Reed, Lueke, Julio Santana, Carlos Dominguez, Renny Osuna, and Smith.

CLINTON STARTING PITCHER: Jorge Quintero was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2005 by the Texas Rangers. He is making his first Midwest League start appearance tonight. In 2006, Quintero was 0-5 with a 5.45 ERA in 13 games (4 starts) for the Dominican Summer League team of the Rangers. Last year, Quintero was 0-1 with a 0.96 ERA in 12 appearances (three starts) for the Arizona League Rangers. He also made three appearances (two starts) for Bakersfield (California League) and was 0-2 with a 2.89ERA.

Where did the day go?

The gates open in an hour. The first home game of the season is scheduled to start in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Things are rounding into shape, but there is still work to do.

If you want to check how the Mariner organization did yesterday head over to Mariner Minors or Lookout Landing.

The game notes and starting pitcher posts are next.

This blog will be better tomorrow. I promise.

HOME OPENER

Tonight is the night. So much to do. So little time. Will try to update here later. But, so much to do. Have to run.

April 6 Game Notes

ABOUT SATURDAY: The Timber Rattlers swept Quad Cities with a pair of 2-0 wins in a doubleheader. Three Wisconsin pitchers allowed three hits in the first game. Three Wisconsin pitchers allowed one hit in the second game.

GAME ONE RECAP: Rattler starter Phillippe Aumont pitched four hitless innings in his professional debut. Michael Pineda allowed three hits in two innings and got the win. Ryan Moorer pitched a scoreless inning for the save. Gavin Dickey and Blake Ochoa each had an RBI for the Rattlers.

GAME TWO RECAP: Rattler starter Donnie Hume pitched five scoreless innings, struck out five, and allowed only a one-out double in the fifth. Shawn Mortimore and Shawn Kelley each worked a scoreless inning with Kelley picking up the save. Eddy Hernandez and Gerardo Avila had the RBI for the Rattlers.

AUMONT UPDATE: The only two runners to reach against the #1 pick of the Seattle Mariners in his pro debut were Adron Chambers on an error to start the bottom of the first and Domnit Bolivar on a one out walk in the second. He retired the final eight batters he faced before
reaching his pitch limit.

NOT TO BE OUTDONE: Hume made his pro debut yesterday, too. The game two starter for the Rattlers walked Justin Roberson to start the bottom of the first. Then, he retired the next thirteen batters of the game. A one out double by Bolivar in the fifth inning was the only hit of the game for the River Bandits.

SHUTOUT TOTALS: The Timber Rattlers had four shutouts all of last season. The fourth shutout of 2007 was a 1-0 win on the final day of the season. So, dating back to last season, the last three Timber Rattler wins have been via the shutout.

CONSECUTIVE DONUTS: The last time the Timber Rattlers tossed two straight shutouts was June 28-29, 2004. The Rattlers defeated the Dayton Dragons in Appleton by identical 6-0 scores. The winning pitchers were Tom Oldham and Jason Mackintosh.

ONE HIT? ALL THEY GOT WAS ONE HIT?: The fewest hits allowed in a game last season by the Rattler pitching staff was two. That was a 2-0 loss at Beloit on July 20 with Tony Butler, Justin Souza, and Keith Renaud as the hurlers.

YOU WANT OFFENSE? Gerardo Avila, Daniel Carroll, and Gavin Dickey each have at least one hit in each of the first three games. Carroll has stolen a base in three straight games, too.

JUST FOR REFERENCE: The last time the Timber Rattlers were above .500 at any point of a season was April 12, 2006. The Rattlers beat Beloit 7-1 to move their record to 4-3.

QUAD CITIES STARTER: Blake King was a 44th round pick of the Cardinals in the 2005 draft out of Eastern Oklahoma State College. He signed as a draft-and-follow before the 2006 draft. He made three starts against the Timber Rattlers in 2007 and was 0-2 with an 8.68ERA. He started last season in Quad Cities, but was moved to Batavia in the New York-Penn League in late June.

Today's Rattler Starter

RH ROB HARMON: Selected by Seattle in the 33rd round of the 2006 draft out of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

SCHOOL DAYS: Harmon earned All-State honors while pitching for Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky after his junior and senior seasons. Also was named Pitcher of the Year by the Northern Kentucky Baseball Coaches Association after those two seasons.

RECORD HOLDER: Harmon holds the record for career wins (23), strikeouts (260), and innings pitched (175.2) at Covington Catholic. He is also second on the career list for saves with 8.

STATE CHAMPS: Harmon and Covington Catholic won a Kentucky State Baseball Title in his senior season (2002). The Eagles went 40-3 that season and were ranked #18 by USA Today’s rating of national high school baseball programs at the end of the season. Harmon was 13-0 with an ERA of 0.76 that season.

OFF TO COLLEGE: Harmon spent three seasons at the University of Ohio before transferring to Arkansas-Little Rock.

HERE I AM IN LITTLE ROCK: Harmon made 16 appearances (all starts) for the Trojans in his senior season. He went 1-7 with a 5.93ERA.

2007 SEASON: Harmon started the season with the Timber Rattlers. He went 1-4 with a 5.88 ERA in 17 appearances (3 starts). He was transferred to Everett in early June. Harmon made 14 starts for the AquaSox and went 4-6 with an ERA of 5.37.

VS. QUAD CITIES: Harmon made one relief appearance against the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals last season. He pitched three innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks in Appleton on June 5, 2007.

LAST START: Harmon was called up to Triple-A Tacoma to make a start for the Rainiers on September 2, 2007 against Colorado Springs. Harmon allowed five runs on six hits in 3-2/3 innings to be charged with the loss. He walked four and struck out two in the game.

LAST WIN: On August 23, 2007 Harmon pitched a career-high seven innings in a victory over the Spokane Indians. He allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHS
INNINGS PITCHED: 7.0 (8/23/07 vs. Spokane)
STRIKEOUTS: 7 (7/27/07 @ Spokane)

Pitching Matchups (Clinton Series 4/7-10)

The probables for the Clinton series:

MON: RHP Juan Ramirez (’07 EVEt: 3-7, 4.30) vs. RHP Jorge Quintero (’07 AZL: 0-0, 0.96)

TUE: LHP Edward Paredes (’07 EVE: 7-6, 3.99) vs. RHP Ryan Tatusko (’07 SPO: 3-7, 4.13)

WED: RHP Nathan Adcock (0-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Derek Holland (’07 SPO: 4-5, 3.22)

THU: LHP Donnie Hume (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Evan Reed (’07 CLN: 1-1, 1.80)

Predictions...I got one prediction

Dave Skoczen is the radio announcer for the five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time Midwest League Champion West Michigan Whitecaps. And he is a braver man than I.

It starts out okay.

Dave Skoczen's childhood friends always knew he'd end up working in radio.

Growing up in Ohio, Skoczen would narrate their Nerf basketball games as if he already was auditioning for a radio position.

For a while, he thought he might want to be a weatherman.

Sounds like the childhood of a certain radio announcer with a blog you may know...Except for the whole Ohio thing...and the weatherman thing...and the childhood friends thing.

Then, predictions. I don't like to make predictions. Dave on the other hand:

The Whitecaps have won the past two Midwest League championships, and Skoczen doesn't see any reason why the team can't be successful again.

"It's a brand-new coaching staff, and it's the type of team on paper that could do very well," Skoczen said. "The fun part about this is you never know. But we should have a pretty good idea in about three weeks."

You're the Whitecaps, man. I think 3-0 is a pretty good idea.

New this season

The coaches at first and third base will be wearing helmets this season. This was a rule put into place after the death of Tulsa first base coach Mike Coolbaugh last season.

Susan Denk of The Hawkeye in Burlington gets thoughts about the new rule from the coaching staff of the Bees.

Burlington Bees manager Brian Rupp knew Coolbaugh. He will be donning a helmet this season while coaching third base, although he questions the motive behind the rule.

"Obviously your heart went out to him and his family," Rupp said. "I think it's one time in however many years this game's been played. It was probably, maybe, an overreaction by doing this.

"But if they think it's going to help, then I'll follow the rules."

...

"I'm fine with it. Everybody does it," said Bees hitting coach Ryan Long, who regularly coaches at first base. "I think the umpires should be doing it, too. They're on the field more than us.

"That's what they say we have to do. We have to abide by the rules so that's what we'll do."

This is the end

...of this chapter in Fort Wayne Wizard baseball. Last Thursday was the last opening day at Memorial Stadium. They are moving into the downtown Harrison Square stadium next season. Here are the feelings of Wizard fans.

The positive:

Al Fry, avid follower and season-ticket holder since the Wizards first took to the field in 1993, said the night brought back a lot of memories.

“We waited for years for (baseball) to come to Fort Wayne,” he said.

Fry, who has been to every Major League Baseball stadium in the country, is looking forward to the new Wizards stadium downtown, though he thinks parking and traffic might pose problems when the Clinton Street bridge closes for construction in 2010.

Kristi King, Fry’s daughter, who described herself as a “fair-weather fan,” said she thinks the move will be a positive thing for the team and the city.

“I’m excited about the move downtown,” King said. “I think it’ll be cool. Hopefully it will boost business downtown.”

The not so positive:

Pat Metzler, also a season-ticket holder, said he’ll remain a Wizards fan no matter what. But with the stadium move, he may not remain a season-ticket holder.

“Being a fan is not my problem,” he said. “Getting there and parking is my problem. I probably won’t stay with this if I can’t find parking.”

The....

Rick Vance, who attended the opener with his three children, Miranda, Breanna and Korban, said they probably won’t attend nearly as many games after the Wizards make the move.

“Personally, I think it’s a little bit sad,” he said. “There just isn’t anything to do downtown.”

Yeah. If only Fort Wayne would have some large stadium downtown in which a sporting event could take place. No, not one sporting event...70 sporting events...during the spring and summer months. If only there would be something like that, then there would be something to do downtown...That'd be great.

"It's not an issue!"

Kane County Cougar pitcher Craig Italiano is back on the mound after a scary incident from 2007.

Craig Italiano stood before reporters at media day Tuesday at Elfstrom Stadium, suited up in the same Kane County Cougars uniform he’s worn the past two seasons.

Before answering the question that he and the rest of the Kane County staff knew he’d have to answer, pitching coach Don Schulze slid in.

“It’s not an issue!” Schulze said.

“Yeah, it’s not an issue,” Italiano said, quietly. “I don’t like thinking about it, honestly.”

The “it” the two were referring to is how Italiano, the ultra-talented but star-crossed Oakland pitching prospect, figures to bounce back this season after the last one ended in horrific fashion.

On May 14, with two outs in the bottom of the third inning against Wisconsin, Italiano took a line-smash off his forehead. The ball ricocheted into the Cougars’ dugout along the first-base line, while Italiano lay face down on the mound.

The best line in the story is at the end.

“Pretty much the worst that can happen has happened to me,” he said. “I’ve been through that part of it – it’s time to see what the good stuff is.”

Agate Type

I was looking through the transactions section in the Quad-Cities Times the other day and spotted a familiar name. This led to an idea for a new semi-regular feature. And, while I was looking for the transaction that might be of interest to Rattler fans, I found another one.

Here are the transactions:

American Association
SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS-Signed LHP Paul Fagan, RHP Ty Marotz and RHP Alexander Francisco.

Golden Baseball League
EDMONTON CRACKER CATS-Agreed to terms with OF Carlos Arroyo, C Chris Avery, OF Josh Carter, LHP Ryan Danly, SS Dave Detienne, 1B Allen Langdon, OF Marcus Nettles, C John Pasieka, RHP Randy Rapp, INF Rob Recuenco, LHP Joel Schmal, RHP Pete Sikaris, RHP Phil Sobkow, LHP Jake Upwood, OF-coach Chris Von Rossum and RHP Randy Waite.

Fagan was a Rattler in 2006. Arroyo was a Rattler in 2003.

There was no release at the Cracker Cats website on Arroyo, but there is this at the Explorer site from their manager Les Lancaster: I have received a great amount of positive comments on Fagan’s ability from the Seattle Mariners Scout and I look forward to seeing him throw in camp.”

Midwest League Action (Games of 4/5)

Complete MWL scoreboard for 4/5 here.

Wisconsin 2, @Quad Cities 0
Wisconsin 2, @Quad Cities 0: “Pretty quiet day,’’ River Bandits manager Steve Dillard said.

West Michigan 5, @South Bend 4: "I've still got confidence in every one of these guys. We're not going to panic,'' said South Bend Silver Hawks manager Mark Haley

Kane County 3, @Beloit 1: The offensive struggles continued for the Snappers
Kane County 6, @Beloit 3: Three runs by the Snappers were not enough

Lansing 11, @Fort Wayne 1: “Obviously we haven’t thrown the ball great the last couple of days,” Dascenzo said.

@Clinton 1, Cedar Rapids 0
@Clinton 4, Cedar Rapids 3

Dayton 4, @Great Lakes 3 (10 innings): “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” [Great Lakes manager Juan] Bustabad said of the 140-game season.

@Burlington 5, Peoria 4 (11 innings): "We had a couple chances there in the extra innings and finally had something go right," [Burlington manager Brian] Rupp said.

Mariner System Report (Games of 4/5)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 2-3, T-2nd American League West): The Mariners lost 6-4 to the Orioles in Baltimore. Miguel Batista took the loss. Adam Jones (’04) drove in a run for the O’s. Eric O’Flaherty (’04, ’05) pitched a scoreless inning with two walks and a strikeout out of the Seattle bullpen.

TACOMA (AAA: 1-1, 4th Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers were rained out at home. They have a doubleheader scheduled today against Sacramento.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 1-1, T-4th Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx and Suns were rained out in Jacksonville, Florida. The teams will make up Saturday’s game as part of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 2-1, T-1st California League South Division): The Mavericks lost 14-8 to Lancaster. High Desert scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning for a 6-0 lead. But, they could not hold on against the JetHawks. Matt Mangini and Carlos Peguero (’07) both homered for the Mavs.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Seattle (Felix Hernandez 0-0) at Baltimore (Jeremy Guthrie 0-1) 12:35pm CDT
Sacramento (Gio Gonzalez) at Tacoma (Sean White) 3:00pm CDT
Sacramento (Brad Knox) at Tacoma (Robert Rohrbaugh) – Game Two
West Tennessee (Justin Thomas) at Jacksonville (Marlon Arias) 2:05pm CDT
West Tennessee (Chris Jakubauskas) at Jacksonville (Jesus Castillo) – Game Two
Lancaster (Chris Jones) at High Desert (Keith Renaud) 5:05pm CDT

Hi, kids..

I'm Broomy McSweep. I'm here to let you know the Rattlers won two games against the Quad Cities River Bandits today.

I also want you to make sure to check out this story at MiLB.com on Rattler pitcher Phillippe Aumont. They got a few quotes from him right after he pitched four hitless innings in game one.


Here is the box score for game one. Here is the box score for game two.

Apologies

Sorry about the problem with the start of the internet broadcast last night. There was a miscommunication with the company that handles that and the broadcast got on late.

I believe that the miscommunication has been properly re-communicated and today will go forth without a single hitch....OPTIMISM! See how I brought that back around?

Here is the link to the broadcast. Make sure you click on WJMQ for the Rattler feed. For the heck of it, try Ben over on the River Bandit feed.

Your e-mails are welcome. Rattlerradioaolcom.

Enjoy the day.

What do you say, Ernie?

LET'S PLAY TWO TODAY!

Timber Rattler Starting Pitchers (4/5)

Doubleheader today.

GAME ONE
RHP PHILLPE AUMONT: Selected by the Mariners in the first round (11th overall) in the 2007 draft out of Ecole Du Versant in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.

O, CANADA! Aumont pitched for Canada in the 2007 IABF World Cup and was named the 2007 Canadian Junior National MVP. Also pitched for Team Canada at the 2006 World Junior AAA Championships.

HIGHEST SINCE: Was the first Canadian selected in the first round of the baseball draft since 2002 and the first native of Quebec to be selected in the first round since 1997.

RATED: Baseball America ranks Aumont as the #2 prospect in the Seattle minor league system.

FIRST SINCE: Aumont is the first #1 pick to start the season after he was drafted with the Timber Rattlers since catcher Ryan Christianson in 2000. Jeff Clement, Seattle’s #1 pick in June, 2005 joined the Rattlers later in 2005. Adam Jones was a supplemental first round pick in 2003 before starting 2004 with the Rattlers.

FIRST PRO START: Aumont did not pitch professionally last season. He is making his professional debut today.

GAME TWO
LHP DONNIE HUME: Selected by the Mariners in the 8th round of San Diego State University.

AZTEC: Hume was 4-2 with a 3.07ERA in seven starts in his final season at SDSU. That season ended after surgery to remove a small bone spur in his pitching elbow on May 7.

PRE-AZTEC: Pitched two seasons at Long Beach State before transferring to SDSU. Was 1-1 with a 2.37ERA as a freshman and 3-3 with a 3.59ERA as a sophomore.

FAMOUS ALUM: Hume played for Vacaville High School and earned All-Monticello Empire League honors as a senior. Major leaguer Jermaine Dye also went to Vacaville High School.

ON THE CAPE: Hume was a member of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2006. Was 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA for the Sox.

FIRST PRO START: Hume is making his professional debut today. He did not pitch professionally in 2007.

April 5 Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Quad Cities River Bandits beat the Timber Rattlers 4-3. Four River Bandit pitchers combined to strikeout 15 batters in the game. The Rattlers led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. An RBI triple by Dave Carpenter drove in the tying run. A run scoring fielder’s choice by Justin Roberson plated the go ahead run.

BACK ON THE MOUND: Nathan Adcock got the starting nod for the Timber Rattlers last night. He pitched five innings, allowed two runs (both unearned) on four hits, walked three, and struck out five. He left the game with a 3-2 lead, but picked up a no decision.

THE WAY TO FIFTEEN: Quad Cities starting pitcher Shaun Garceau picked up six strikeouts in 3.2IP and reliever Wayne Daman got one punchout in 1.1IP. Winning pitcher JD Stambaugh got seven strikeouts over three innings. Francisco Samuel pitched a scoreless ninth inning with one ‘K’ for the save.

FOR COMPARISON: The most strikeouts by Rattler hitters as a team in 2007 was 18 against Kane County on June 8.

OFFENSE: Gerardo Avila and Gavin Dickey led the Rattler offense with two hits each. Dickey also picked up an RBI. Daniel Carroll reached base four times, scored twice, and stole a base in his Rattler debut.

OUCH: Three Timber Rattler batters were hit by pitches last night. Garceau plunked Ron Garth, Carroll, and Joe Dunigan.

COMING BACK: The Rattlers trailed 2-1 after four innings, but scored twice in the top of the fifth to take the 3-2 lead. Carroll singled to drive in Avila and took second on a throwing error. Garth’s two-out single to center sent Carroll across the plate with the go ahead run.

JUST MISSED: Carpenter had tripled in the tying run in the bottom of the sixth and was standing on third with the go ahead run. Jose Garcia drew a walk to set up a potential double play. Roberson sent a slow chopper to Garth at second base. The Rattlers got Garcia for the force, but Roberson beat the relay to first and Carpenter scored what turned out to be the winning run.

GAME ONE QUAD CITIES STARTER: Brian Broderick was selected in the 21st round by the Cardinals in the 2007 draft out of Grand Canyon University. Broderick split time between Johnson City and Batavia last season he was 3-3 with a 2.55ERA in 16 appearances (9 starts) in his first pro season.

GAME TWO QUAD CITIES STARTER: Blake King was a 44th round pick of the Cardinals in the 2005 draft out of Eastern Oklahoma State College. He signed as a draft-and-follow before the 2006 draft. He made three starts against the Timber Rattlers in 2007 and was 0-2 with an 8.68ERA. He started last season in Quad Cities, but was moved to Batavia in the New York-Penn League in late June.

I think that I've mentioned this...

but in case I haven't...

Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium has wireless internet available. That's right, fans will be able to access the internet with their laptops or other portable devices right from the stands.

Bring the computer and follow along. Or, do some work if you are playing hooky from the office.

You may even be able to get a signal on the Miller High Life Home Run Porch, where you can get a great deal in April. Tickets for a group of any size may get the Lead-off Hitter picnic package for $10 in advance. It's $15 on the day of the game.

That starts on Monday with the home opener.

Hotel Art

Taken at the Quad Cities hotel on 4/4/08:



Someone made a painting of the shelves at the trailer. What the heck goes on back there when I'm not around?

The View from my hotel window

Quad Cities team hotel on the morning of 4/4/08:



To be fair, this picture should have been taken this morning. The sun is out. The birds are chirping. The Cracker Barrel sign is particularly gleamy. There is a doubleheader. I'm almost....what's the word...optimistic?

It almost makes me forget that I got on the wrong elevator at the stadium today and had to go through the kitchen on the suite level to get to the press box...Almost.

Midwest League Action (Games of 4/4)

Complete April 4 scoreboard.

@Quad Cities 4, Wisconsin 3: Both teams rallied in this one. The River Bandits had the last one.

Lansing 9, @Fort Wayne 1: "Thump" is a good verb to explain 18 hits by the Lugnuts.

West Michigan 2, @South Bend 1: Is losing on two runs in the top of the ninth worse that giving up 10 runs in the first?

@Great Lakes 5, Dayton 4: The Looooooons are 2-0. Repeat. The Looooooons are 2-0.

Kane County 10, @Beloit 5: ''First game follies"? Really?

Peoria 7, @Burlington 3: Read this article. 2-year-old Andrew Rupp, son of Burlington manager Brian Rupp, sums up Burlington's night in one quick sentence.

Cedar Rapids 10, @Clinton 6: Rough opener for the L-Kings.

Mariner System Report (Games of 4/4)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 2-2, T-2nd American League West): The Mariners lost 7-4 at Baltimore. Adam Jones (’04) was 1-for-4 for the Orioles in his first game against his former teammates. Cha Seung Baek (’00) allowed three runs in one inning of relief work for the Mariners.

TACOMA (AAA: 1-1, T-3rd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers lost 5-1 to Sacramento. Bryan LaHair (’04) went 3-for-4 and hit a solo home run for the only Tacoma run.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 1-1, 4th Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx won 5-1 at Jacksonville. Rich Dorman (’03) got the win by allowing one unearned run on one hit over six innings. Luis Oliveros (’02) had a pair of hits and an RBI for West Tennessee.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 2-0, 1st California League South Division): The Mavericks beat Lancaster 2-0. Travis Scott (’06) had three hits, three RBI, and a home run for High Desert; Kuo Hui Lo (’07) added three hits and two RBI for the Mavs; and Ricky Orta (’07) got the win as he allowed two runs on four hits over five innings.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Seattle (Miguel Batista) at Baltimore (Adam Loewen) 6:05pm CDT
Sacramento (Gio Gonzalez) at Tacoma (Sean White) 9:00pm CDT
West Tennessee (Justin Thomas) at Jacksonville (Marlon Arias) 6:05pm CDT
Lancaster (Jimmy James) at High Desert (Juan Zapata) 9:05pm CDT

Almost here (UPDATED)

Pre-game show starts in about two minutes. To listen, you should be able to follow this link.

Click on WJMQ. You may need to register with an e-mail address and a password, but don't worry about the first pitch. It doesn't sound like the game is going to start until 7:15pm. Not because of the weather. There are some pre-game ceremonies they want to do. There is something I could say here, but I don't want to ruin opening day!

If you feel like sending an e-mail during the game, just send it to rattlerradioaolcom.

Thank you for looking on Rattler radio during the off-season.

UPDATE: Internet Broadcast now working. May explain later.

April 4 Game Notes

ABOUT LAST SEASON: The Timber Rattlers were 53-85 and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season in 2007. Wisconsin was 27-43 on the road. The Rattlers had a pair of four game winning streaks as their longest of the season. The team had their longest losing streak since becoming the Rattlers in 1995 when they lost fourteen straight games from July 5 through July 22.

MEET THE NEW BOSS: The new manager of the Timber Rattlers is Terry Pollreisz. He spent the last four seasons as the hitting coach of the Tacoma Rainiers, the Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Pollreisz managed the Everett AquaSox, the Northwest League affiliate of the Mariners, from 1998 to 2001 and compiled a record of 148-157. Before joining the Mariner organization, he had been the head baseball coach at the University of Portland from 1987-1997. He is the eighth manager in Timber Rattler history.

ALSO ON STAFF: Hitting coach Rafael Santo Domingo and pitching coach Jamie Navarro are also new to the Timber Rattler staff in 2008. This is the first time since 2002 there is an all new coaching staff for the Timber Rattlers.

FAMILIAR FACES: There are twelve players on the Rattler roster who spent at least some time with the Timber Rattlers in 2007: Pitchers Nathan Adcock, Rob Harmon, Shawn Kelley, and Justin Souza; catcher Blake Ochoa; infielders Gerardo Avila, Juan Diaz, Ron Garth, Alex Liddi, and Alex Meneses; and outfielders Calvin Beamon and Gavin Dickey. Outfielder Eddy Hernandez played with the Timber Rattlers in 2006.

PROSPECTING: The Baseball America Prospect Handbook places four Timber Rattlers on their list of Top 30 Mariner prospects: Pitcher Phillippe Aumont (#2), outfielder Danny Carroll (#21), pitcher Edward Paredes (#22), and Liddi (#29) are all on the list.

’07 DRAFT: There are eight players on the Rattler opening day roster – all pitchers – selected by Seattle in the 2007 draft: Aumont (1^st), Bryan Harris (22^nd), Donnie Hume (8^th), Shawn Kelley (13^th), Keith Meyer (15^th), Ryan Moorer (12^th), Travis Mortimore (21^st), and Jake Wild (26^th).

THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON: The Peoria Mariners, Seattle’s Arizona League affiliate, won the league with an 8-5 victory over the Giants in the championship game. Jake Wild was the winning pitcher and struck out 14 in the game. There are five current Timber Rattlers who played for the AZL M’s last season.

FIRST TIME SINCE 2002: This is the first time the Timber Rattlers have opened a season on the road since the 2002 season. Wisconsin opened their schedule that season in Beloit.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Quad Cities River Bandits are the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2007, they were known as the Swing of the Quad Cities. This past off-season, they reverted back to River Bandits for the first time since the end of the 2003 season. The Swing went 78-61 in 2007 and made the playoffs as the second half wild card. Quad Cities lost in the first round of the playoffs. Steve Dillard is the new manager of the River Bandits. The name and the manager aren’t the only new things in Davenport, Iowa. The ballpark had been known as John O’Donnell Stadium. It is now Modern Woodmen Park.

2007 SEASON SERIES: The Timber Rattlers were 6-10 vs. the Swing last season. Wisconsin was 4-4 in eight games at John O’Donnell Stadium in 2007.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect handbook places three current River Bandits on their Top 30 Cardinal Prospect lists. Shortstop Pete Kozma, the 18^th overall pick in the 2007 draft, is the highest rated Bandit on the list at #7. Pitcher Blake King, a member of the Swing in 2007, checks in at #26. Catcher Luis De La Cruz is #30.

OUT OF THE DRAFT: Eleven members of the River Bandits were selected by St. Louis in the 2007 draft: Pitchers Brian Broderick (21^st), Thomas Eager (5^th), and JD Stambaugh (25^th); infielders Andrew Brown (18^th), Kozma (1^st), Charlie Pelt (29^th); and outfielders Matthew Arburr (17^th), Adron Chambers (38^th), Charlie Kingery (22^nd), and Beau Riportella (10^th)

VETERANS: There are three players on the 2008 opening day River Bandit roster that played in the Midwest League last season. Pitchers Shaun Garceau and King are joined by infielder Jose Garcia.

WHERE ELSE: The rest of the current River Bandit roster played at either Johnson City (Appalachian League), Batavia (New York-Penn League), or both. Johnson City finished 28-40 and missed the Appy League playoffs. Batavia also missed the playoffs and went 31-43.

QUAD CITIES STARTER: Shaun Garceau was a 20^th round pick of the Cardinals in the 2005 draft out of Royal Palm Beach (FL) High School. He did not pitch in 2006 due to an injury. Last year he was 8-11 with 4.86ERA. He made 30 appearances (21 starts) and struck out 110 batters with only 51 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched. He faced Wisconsin four times last season with one start. Garceau was 2-1 with a 1.32ERA. In 13-2/3 innings, he struck out 18 and walked just three.

Clearing the decks

Lots of stuff has backed up over the last few days. One omnibus post to cover them all...

First, get thee over to Mariner Minors. J has previews of the rosters of Tacoma, West Tennessee, High Desert, and the Timber Rattlers.

Here is the Tacoma News-Tribune preview article for the Rainiers.

The Jackson Sun has this preview article wrapped in a story about last night's game.

The Victor Valley News has a writeup on the High Desert scrimmage with Victor Valley College and a quick preview of the season.

The Post-Crescent has this from the scrimmage against Lawrence University and this from the LU perspective and a bit on Jamie Navarro.

By the way, as of this afternoon RattlersReport.com is taking you to a section of the Post-Crescent website that is not the Rattlers Report.

Three-peat is a word -- is it one word or two -- you may hear a lot around Grand Rapids, Michigan this year. You did not hear the words exhibition game, though. The field conditions canceled the game with Grand Valley State. Home Run Hitting Contest anyone?

Kane County wants a good start to the season.

Expecting betting things for the Great.Lakes.Loons.

A look at the Beloit Snapper opening day starter...Still applies...They got rained out last night.

Wizard manager learns some lessons this spring.

How would a politician/owner do in an exhibition game? What number would he wear? Guess?

The Bees have a new look on the field and off the field. Learn more about the new manager in Burlington.

There is a familiar face returning to Peoria. Oh, and Ryne Sandberg is back, too. Also, here is some interesting inside baseball stuff on someone who can't own a baseball team in the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois area.

Larry Stone on Mark Lowe ('05) and his comeback.

The Visalia Times has a preview of the California League.

Lastly, here is how a major league beat writer travels.



Thank you, Geoff. That is something almost nothing like how I travel.

New Stuff

Here are a couple of things going with the Rattlers.

Text alerts

U.S . Cellular and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have teamed up to give fans the ability to sign up for text alerts from the team. Get information on upcoming games, special events at Time Warner Cable Field, and receive Timber Rattlers scores right on your phone!

Click on the link to find out how to get those alerts.

Fox Valley Symphony on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium

This is a concert on June 14. That link is to purchase tickets for that concert. It will be similar to, but not quite like this event at the Fox Cities PAC on May 3.

Weather

The rain has cleared out of the Davenport, Iowa area. Judging by the forecast at weather.com, the first pitch temperature would be 51 degrees.

Saturday looks even better with 64 as the expected high and no threat of rain.

Meanwhile, the look at Monday back home at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium....High: 48; Low: 34; Chance of rain: 20%. See you there.

Midwest League Action (Games of 4/3)

As far as action in the Midwest League on Opening Night...there wasn't as much as there could have been with three rainouts.

Wisconsin at Quad Cities -- PPD

Kane County at Beloit -- PPD

Cedar Rapids at Clinton -- PPD

But, there were four games. One in the Western Division:

@Burlington 2, Peoria 0: Bee pitchers allowed only two hits for a victory on a cold night at Community Field.

All six Eastern Division teams got their games in last night:

West Michigan 15, @ South Bend 2: Ten runs in the top of the first inning is a good way to get a shot at a threepeat underway for the Whitecaps.

@Fort Wayne 7, Lansing 1: Go figure. Good pitching and hitting leads to a win for the Wizards.

@Great Lakes 5, Dayton 2: Preston Mattingly is back and the Looooooons are happy about it.

Mariner System Report (Games of 4/3)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 2-1 American League West): The Mariners were off on Thursday.

TACOMA (AAA: 1-0 Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers won their season opening game with a 2-0 win over Sacramento. Ryan Feierabend (’02) allowed four hits and struck out seven over six shutout innings for the win. Yung Chi Chen (’05) and Wladimir Balentien (’04) drove in the runs for the Rainiers. Caesar Jimenez (’03) struck out two in a scoreless ninth for the save.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 0-1 Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx lost 6-3 at Jacksonville. Adam Moore (’06) hit a two-run homer in the top of the first inning to give West Tennessee the early lead. But, Rene Rivera (’03) hit a two-run homer to lead the Suns on the way back to the win.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 1-0 California League South Division): The Mavericks beat Lancaster 9-8. High Desert scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally for the win. Carlos Peguero (’07) drove in four runs, including the tying run in the bottom of the ninth. Kuo Hui Lo (’07) drove in the winning run. Joe Kantakevich (’07) allowed a run in the top of the ninth inning, but picked up the win.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY

Seattle (Jarrod Washburn) at Baltimore (Steve Trachsel) 6:05pm CDT

Sacramento (Kirk Saarloos) at Tacoma (RA Dickey) 9:00pm CDT

West Tennessee (Rich Dorman) at Jacksonville (Clayton Kershaw) 6:05pm CDT

Lancaster (Adam Mills) at High Desert (Ricky Orta) 9:05pm CDT

The news

I could do a bunch of posts tonight, but there is only one about which people are probably going to read. So, this one goes here and stays near the top for the rest of the night.

Thursday's rainout and the Saturday doubleheader has jumbled the Rattler pitching rotation a bit:

FRI: Nathan Adcock
SAT (GM 1): Phillippe Aumont
SAT: (GM 2): Donnie Hume
SUN: Rob Harmon

Okay, Rattler fans, Mariner Minor League mavens, Canadians, and non-Kentuckians. There are four pretty good stories behind each of those names. But, pick out the main theme that will generate the most ink and internet space over the next two days.

I'll leave it at that and say Happy Opening Day Eve II. More in the morning.

RATS!

Tonight's season opener with the River Bandits in Davenport has been postponed.

Single game on Friday. Doubleheader on Saturday. Details later.

Is one more day to start the season really going to hurt?

I may do some updating once I get back to the hotel.

Today

Opening Day is finally here. I've been up since 4:30am. For once, I woke up before the alarms went off with their usually intensity.

I had a plan for some posts, but computer connectivity issues kept me from getting on line until now. So, I have to condense everything into this one post so that I can catch the bus.

1.) The lead off experience was an experience alright. Thank you to everyone who came out to meet the team and have some fun at the Wave last night. In case you are interested, the banquet will be edited and shown as the first episode of Timber Rattler TV on Time Warner Sports. Check your local listings.

2.) This is the day that we have been waiting for since Labor Day, 2007. Tune in on the internet and the radio.

3.) I hope to have some posts up today from the hotel and from the stadium.

4.) The front office staff will be getting the stadium ready for you when the team opens at home on Monday. See you there.

Opening Day weather (Updated)

Looking ahead to Thursday's weather forecast in Davenport, IA. This is from weather.com's forecast for tomorrow.

Day: High 51. Chance of rain: 60%

Night: Low 37. Chance of rain: 60%

Update: The main story here is the chance of rain jumped back up to 60%. The forecast for 6:00pm is 47 and rain. Looking ahead to the weekend in Davenport:

Friday: High 58 mostly cloudy and a low of 37
Saturday: High 60 mostly sunny and a low of 40
Sunday: High 55 showers and a low of 44

The long-range projections for April 7 in Appleton, WI?

Day: High 48. Chance of rain: 30%

Night: Low 36. Chance of rain: 40%

Update: The predicted high jumped three degrees. The odds of rain jumped from 10% during the day and 10% during the evening.

Will update this with a new post between now and the Rattler opener.

Are you kidding me?

Somehow, Rattler Radio didn't just set a new high for visits yesterday. It went way beyond and almost doubled the previous high. Again, it may not seem like much, but 223 visits is a good number over here. Most of those were probably multiple check backs for the roster, but still....

So, of course, I've got to cut back on the posting a bit today and tomorrow. There are a lot of things going on today -- mainly the Lead-off Experience tonight. Then, there that bus ride to Davenport tomorrow.

There should be more regular posting as we move into the season. But, right now scattered would be a good word.

Rangers 5, M's 4

The first loss of the season for Seattle was a "gut-wrencher", 5-4 to the Rangers. Box score.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's.
Raul Ibanez ('Foxes, '94): 0-for-4
Felix Hernandez ('03): 7IP, 5H, R, 0ER, 3BB, 3K
Eric O'Flaherty ('04. '05): 2/3IP, 3H, 2R
Mark Lowe ('05): 1/3IP, 0H, 0R, BB
JJ Putz ('00): IP, 2H, 2R, BB, 2K, Blown Save, Loss

Rangers and Mariners wrap their series up tonight.

1 Day to Opening Day 2008

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is tomorrow. This off-season, the countdown was based on books. Each day between October 14 (when there were 172 days until Opening Day 2008) and today, I picked a random book out of my library and excerpted a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I did not to repeat a book during the countdown. I also didn’t have to dip into some of the paperbacks based on old Dr. Who episodes. Boy, I’m glad that I didn’t have to admit that I still have a copy of Dr. Who and the Deadly Assassin somewhere in my bookcase. That would have been embarrassing……

…….

…….

Today’s book is 36 Former Stars Recall The Game I’ll Never Forget as told to George Vass. The excerpt is from what should be numbered page one, part of the introduction to the book by Vass……Look, I just made an admission that I’d like to take back. I can number the page however the heck I want. It’s the last day, for crying out loud.

While even at a tender age I appreciated being able to follow the events of World War II as reported by the newspaper’s wide-flung Foreign News Service, I was even more intrigued by the sports pages, which featured such writing luminaries as columnist John P. Carmichael and sports editor Lloyd Lewis, the latter of whom was also a noted Civil War historian.

One of the most memorable features of the sports section was an extended series of first-person, as-told-to stories called “My Greatest Day in Baseball.” The vast majority of them were written by Carmichael, who had an exceptional talent for relating anecdotes, as well as enabling the subjects of his interviews to tell their stories in their own way, in their individual accents, so to speak.

In that wonderful series, he and several other contributors, including Lewis, served as “conduits” to enable such great old-time players as Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Clark Griffith, Tris Speaker, and dozens of others to relate in their own words their most memorable games and on-the-field experiences. Eventually, these stories were published in book form in a collection that has been reprinted several times.

The series “My Greatest Day in Baseball” was a thrilling education in the game’s history from the turn of the century into the early 1940’s. It was a virtual seminar, a series of stimulating lectures in newsprint as delivered by those who played major roles in some of the games most dramatic moments. Their highly personal accounts – which happily often included emotional reactions – of some of baseball’s most notable incidents made fascinating reading, often far surpassing in vivid style and detail the objective and relatively dry accounts of the sportswriters who perforce had to look on as outsiders at the events unfolding before them.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Rattlers vs. Lawrence University scrimage Live Blog

The Rattlers and Lawrence are about to get started with their scrimmage. I'll be live blogging the event through the magic of the new wireless internet at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

I will also be running the scoreboard, so there may be a bit of a delay, but I'll try, oh, Lord, I'll try to caaaaaaarrrryyyyy...Sorry. No more Styx songs this week. I promise.

Anyway, the Rattlers will be providing the pitching in this scrimmage.

Phillippe Aumont is slated to go three innings and Donnie Hume is supposed to go four. Travis Mortimore will go two innings. Keith Meyer, Jake Wild, Ryan Moorer, Justin Souza, and Shawn Kelley are all set to go one inning.

By the way, the temperature is 43 degrees at 3:00pm.

Starting in a minute or two. Updates will be time stamped below this line right here
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3:15pm: Aumont gets the start with the Timber Rattler defense behind him.

Strikes out the first batter. Gets a weak grounder to second and Edilio Colina makes a nice play for out number two. A walk on a 3-2 pitch to the third batter puts a runner on. A sharp grounder to Colina is the third out.

Due up for the Rattlers: Danny Carroll, Juan Diaz, and Alex Liddi. They will be facing Donnie Hume in a moment.
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3:26: By the way, Korey Feiner will be catching the Rattler pitchers tossing for Lawrence.

Hume gets Danny Carroll to pop out and strikes out Juan Diaz looking. Liddi is next and he lines a pitch off the top of the wall in foul territory early in the count, but he is retired 6-3 to end the inning.

Scoreless after one inning.
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3:33: Top of 2nd and Aumont gets a strikeout and another grounder to Colina. Korey Feiner is next and Aumont gets ahead 0-2. Feiner runs the count full. Aumont gets a curve over for strike three.

Still scoreless. Gavin Dickey, Eddy Hernandez, and Ron Garth are due up in the bottom of the inning.
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3:44: Bottom of 2nd and Hume gets Dickey to pop out to shallow center for the first out. Hernandez singles for the first hit the game. Garth flies out to right and Joe Dunigan fouls out to end the inning.

Scoreless after two innings. The top of the third is scheduled to be the final frame for Aumont.
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3:49: Still scoreless. Back-to-back squibbers to Avila record the first two outs and a called strike three end Aumont's day. 3IP, 0H, BB, 4Ks, five groundball outs.

Scoreless heading to the bottom of the third. Avila, Ochoa, and Colina are due up to face Hume in the bottom of the third.
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3:55: Bottom of 3rd...Nice inning for Hume. Avila grounds out 4-3. Blake Ochoa strikes out looking. Colina strikes out swinging. Still scoreless.

Travis Mortimore is heading to the mound to pitch the top of the fourth.
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4:01: Top of 4th...Mortimore gets a strikeout swinging, a strikeout looking, and a tapper back to the mound.

Hume will be facing Carroll, Diaz, and Liddi. This will be the final scheduled inning for Hume.
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4:17: Bottom of 4th...Carrol triples to right to lead off the inning. Diaz lines an RBI single to center to make the score 1-0. Liddi strikes out. Dickey strikes out. Hernandez strikes out.

Ryan Moorer will be pitching in the top of the fifth.
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4:26: Top of 5th...Correction. Mortimore still pitching for the Rattlers. He strikes out the first two batters, but walks Feiner. Then, another strikeout to end the inning with the score 1-0.

Now, Ryan Moorer will be pitching.
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4:40: Bottom of 5th...Moorer faces Garth to start the inning and walks him. Beamon reaches on a fielder's choice after the shortstop drops a popup and Garth is forced at second. Avila follows with a double and puts runners at second and third. The first pitch to Ochoa is a wild pitch that gets by Feiner for a wild pitch and Beamon scores.

Ochoa walks on four pitches for runners at the corners. Colina bloops in a double to right, Avila scores and Ochoa to third. Carroll runs the count full before tapping out 2-3. The inning ends as Moorer has reached his pitch limit. 3-0 heading to the sixth...Keith Meyer is on the mound to face Lawrence in the top of the sixth.
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4:45: Top of 6th...Meyer gets a grounder back to him, a strikeout, and another strikeout for an easy 1-2-3 frame.

Justin Souza returns to the Time Warner Cable Field mound to pitch the bottom of the sixth.
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4:55: Bottom of the 6th...Alex Meneses grounds out to third. Diaz fell behind Souza 0-2, worked it full, but tapped back to the mound. Liddi walks on four straight. Dickey grounds slowly up the third base line and Feiner makes a nice play to get Dickey at first base. Still 3-0.

Top of the 7th coming up and Jake Wild will be on the hill.
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5:03pm: Top of 7th...Wild gets a grounder back to the mound and a strikeout against the first two batters. He walks the third and hits the fourth.

The score is still 3-0 and the game would normally be over, but the teams will play the bottom of the seventh to allow Shawn Kelley to get in some work against live hitting.
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Bottom of 7th...Kelley strikes out Hernandez looking. Garth grounds out to short. Beamon strikes out looking and that's the scrimmage.

LU: 0-0-0
WI: 3-5-0

Final thoughts: Not sure how much you can take away from this scrimmage in this weather. But, it was good to see some fans in the stands and some baseball on the field. Looking forward to the lead-off experience tomorrow, the season opener against Quad Cities on Thursday, and the home opener next Monday.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by Rattler Radio during the live blog. Looks like there were some veterans like Jay and a lot of first timers like Jenn.

I may do some more posting later tonight.

Your 2008 Timber Rattlers

Pitchers:

29 Nathan Adcock

17 Phillippe Aumont

38 Rob Harmon

11 Bryan Harris

20 Donnie Hume

33 Shawn Kelley

30 Keith Meyer

25 Ryan Moorer

35 Travis Mortimore

31 Michael Pineda

22 Justin Souza

23 Jake Wild

Catchers

18 Korey Feiner

5 Blake Ochoa

Infielders

34 Gerardo Avila

12 Edilio Colina

15 Juan Diaz

13 Ron Garth

19 Alex Liddi

1 Alex Meneses

Outfielders

9 Calvin Beamon

7 Daniel Carroll

24 Gavin Dickey

21 Joe Dunigan

37 Eddy Hernandez

In addition, Edward Paredes and Juan Ramirez are with the team, but are starting the season on the Everett roster. They will be activated when their turn in the rotation rolls around.

By the way that rotation is set...weather depending...this way:

THU @ QC: Nathan Adcock

FRI: @QC Rob Harmon

SAT: @ QC Donnie Hume

SUN: @ QC Juan Ramirez

MON: Home opener vs. CLN Edward Paredes

I'll have more on the team in a later post. Go to town, folks.

The gates are open

FanFest has begun and there are people here to wander around the ballpark and watch the team practice. Well, they haven't started just yet, but they will soon.

Just got out of a team orientation for the players and coaching staff. The roster isn't official yet, but I don't think it would be giving away too much to say that there are some familiar faces among the players.

Keep checking the Rattler website and back here to see when the roster becomes official.

I'm heading down to try my hand at photography.

Why don't you think about heading out here. The gates are open until 6:00pm.

Blogging will be light....

A lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. When the roster is released, I'll have something here. If the weather cooperates, I'll live-blog the scrimmage against Lawrence University that is scheduled for 3:00pm.

There may be a larger round-up of news later tonight.

Look. The rain stopped.



Definitely need a new camera.

2 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 2 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

Today’s book is The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide. Yes, an episode guide of one of my favorite television shows. I’d like to think that this Rattler Radio is a lot like that show. Of course, I’d like think that I’m happy and successful….JOKE! It’s from the show! Geez! Here’s the youtube clip. The line is near the end (Around 4:48) but I would suggest watching the whole thing. Bonus baseball content…Crow T. Robot is wearing an Atlanta Braves cap.

Anyway, the excerpt is Jim Mallon’s remembrance of the first season at KTMA.

What I remember of the series in those early days is fuzzy and clouded, but standing out is the image of Joel, Trace, Josh, and Kevin all smashed into my eight-by-eight foot office writing the scripts to the host segments. We would gather together a half hour before production and I would type them on my Xerox 8088 5 megahertz PC, which had no hard disk but sported twin floppies. The computer had been left behind by a client from a studio shoot. It was an odd machine, as most early PCs were, but it was free and the only one we had; from early on Mystery Science Theater and personal computers were linked in a special bond.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.