Ain't it fun to sling some Mississippi River mud?

The Elite Eight matchup in the CNBC logo contest between the Quad Cities River Bandits and the Clinton LumberKings just got interesting.

A pre-emptive strike was launched by the Bandits. They brought up -- in fun I'm sure -- performance enhancers. Starting with the headline:

LOUIE THE LUMBERKING: PLAYING FAIR?

As the Quad Cities River Bandits and the Clinton LumberKings prepare for their much-anticipated Elite Eight match-up on Thursday in CNBC.com's March Madness-style Minor League Baseball logo tournament, questions have surfaced regarding an apparent change in the appearance of Louie the LumberKing.

"I'm not going to point fingers, but I've had a lot of people asked me if I've noticed a change," said River Bandits Vice President and General Manager Kirk Goodman. "I really don't think it's fair to comment on the issue. I haven't spent much one-on-one time with Louie so I'm not going to speak to his personal habits or the obvious change in his physique, head size, and appearance."

A quote from a raccoon that includes references to HGH and Barry Bonds follows that.

The LumberKings fired back with this salvo:

Louie Responds to Bandits Accusations

Shortly after asking for a partnership with the Clinton LumberKings to make it to the Elite Eight of CNBC.com's Minor League Logo Contest, the Quad Cities River Bandits have apparently made Louie the LumberKing the center of an election-style smear campaign.

Louie, who will face the River Bandits and their as-of-yet unnamed mascot tomorrow, received word of the slanderous comments and the false quotes this afternoon, and had this to say in response:

"I'd like to say to all Clinton LumberKings fans, Minor League Baseball fans, and the public in general that not at any time did I take any performance-enhancing drugs. Yes, I do look a little different this year, but all I did was change my facial hair and roll up my sleeves. I've always been muscular, and I have been subjected to the same drug tests as all players and mascots throughout baseball. I have even been tested all throughout high school and my college years at Paul Bunyan University."

That's not the most delicious part. This is:

"As the chairman of the Clinton Substance Abuse Council, I take the issue of drugs or performance-enhancers very seriously. Louie has been tested and has always passed with flying colors. Our fans, especially the children of Clinton and eastern Iowa in general need to know that their role models are clean, and Louie is as clean as they come."

The chairman of the Clinton Substance Abuse Council who is speaking in that quote...Just the LumberKing general manager Ted Tornow.

That regional final just got interesting.

Wednesday Baseball Movie Clip (3/26)

Rangers 5, M's 1

Texas beat Seattle 5-1 last night in Cactus League action. Box score HERE.


Ex-Rattlers for the Mariners:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-4
Eric O'Flaherty ('04, '05): IP, 2H, R, K
JJ Putz ('00): IP, H, 0R, K

M's and Royals in Surprise this afternoon.

8 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 8 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 Back to Corregidor: America Retakes the Rock by Gerard M. Devlin. This is from the first chapter, Origins of Fortress Corregidor.

The typical duty day for members of the Corregidor garrison was both long and rigorous. It began with a 5:30am reveille formation, followed by one hour of brisk calisthenics. After breakfast, the troops drew rifles from the arms rooms to participate in an hour-long series of boring marching drills, which all military leaders of that time felt would instill a sense of discipline in their soldiers. From the drill fields, the troops marched their respective gun emplacements. There they spent the remainder of the day going through repetitious mock firing drills using dummy shells as large and cumbersome as the real ones, and relaying the guns under the watchful eyes of strict sergeants. Officially, the duty day ended at 5:00pm with the bugle calls and pounding drums of formal retreat ceremonies as the troops stood at attention on the parade field, saluting their flag as it was slowly lowered. Unofficially, the day did not end then, for the artillery pieces had to be cleaned and there were dozens of sentinel posts that had to be manned throughout the long tropical nights.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

A new way to lead-off your season

In the past, the Timber Rattlers have hosted the Welcome Home Banquet. The name has changed and there have been a few tweaks to the formula. But, at this time eight days from today, you, yes, you, no...not you. You! Over there!

Yes, you can be knee deep in uncomfortable silence as the radio voice of the Timber Rattlers tries everything shy of his bad Elvis Presley imitation to....No, wait. There are other ways to be entertained at the LEAD-OFF EXPERIENCE!

The staff and players of the Timber Rattlers will be taking your questions as part of an interactive program. Dinner is included. Want to attend?

The Timber Rattlers' 'Lead-Off Experience' will be held at the Wave Bar and Ballroom. It will feature an autograph session with players & coaches along with a cash bar beginning at 5:30pm. Autographs will continue until 6:15pm followed by a family-style dinner served at 6:30pm before the interactive program begins at 7pm.

Tickets are $25 each or $250 for a table (9 people plus a player). A kid's meal will also be available to fans 12 and under for $15. Tickets must be ordered in advance. Please contact Mary Robinson at (920)733-4152.

Follow this link for the release. The Wave is located on North Casaloma. You can see the stadium from there. We hope to see you there next Wednesday.

2001: A Beloit Odyssey

My story on the 2001 season opener in Beloit has been posted over at the Timber Rattler main site.

I'm going to skip the first two paragraphs in this excerpt and fire up paragraph #3 to whet your curiousity...or something like that:

In fact, the first game of the 2001 season could best be known as the day that another Mariner prospect announced that he was ready for the new season by hitting the ground running, so to speak.

Thrill to a late Rattler comeback in '01.

Move the pennants

because Benjamin Hill catches up with the five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time Midwest League champion West Michigan Whitecaps at home. RA is media relations director Ryan Alexander.

Selected highlights:

MiLB.com: How would you characterize your team's fan base? Has it grown or changed in recent years?

RA: Our fan base is comprised of families, corporate groups in our hospitality areas and the casual baseball fan. From day one, the West Michigan community has embraced and supported the team and organization with both individual and corporate support. Those qualities remain strong heading into our 15th season. Also, we definitely benefit from having a strong fan base of Detroit Tigers fans, which helps our affiliation with the parent club.

Food. What about the food?

MiLB.com: Does your concession stand serve any regional specialties or otherwise remarkable items?

RA: Our big concession item and fan favorite is the Swimming Pig, a pork chop sandwich slathered in barbeque sauce. We even have a second mascot -- Franky, the Swimming Pig -- at every home game. We also try to add unique items each season like Deep Fried Pepsi, which was added last year. It's deep-fried Pepsi-flavored donut balls with Pepsi syrup and whipped cream poured on top.

Also, we will start serving ears of West Michigan corn for the 2008 season made fresh via a corn roaster, nicknamed "Cornzilla." People are already asking for it.

I have been tasked with getting a picture of Cornzilla.

How tough was that?

At least some are moving on

The River Bandits and the LumberKings needed overtime, but both have moved on to the Sweet 16 in that stupid, pointless, rigged best logo in minor league baseball bracket over at CNBC.

There is still time to get three Midwest League teams into the Elite eight. Dayton, Quad Cities, and Clinton are all participating today.

As of 7:30pm CDT Dayton led 54%-46% over Jamestown; Clinton was up 60%-40% over Modesto; and Clinton is tied 50%-50% with Lehigh Valley.

Voting continues into the morning...If you care about that kind of thing.

That's a heck of an idea

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

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

...

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

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

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

More at the Looooooooooons website.

Field Photos (3/25)

Taken from the left field grass seats on 3/25 around 4:30pm:



Taken from the steps by suite one on 3/25 around 4:30pm:

One goal achieved, one traffic spike

If you take a look over to the left of the blog, you will notice that I got around to adding some of the websites mentioned in the "Goals" post a few weeks ago. So, I'm done for the season...kidding.

Not sure why this would happen for any reason other than baseball season is almost here, but 111 visitors popped by Rattler Radio yesterday. It may not seem like much. In fact, it really isn't much. But, that was the best traffic day in a long time. Thanks for stopping by.

I'll be back later with a few updates. Not sure if later will mean lunch or after work, but I'll have a few later today. Have build the blogging stamina to posting more than once a day.

Mariner roster moves (3/24)

A couple of ex-Rattlers left the big league camp before the game with the White Sox yesterday.

Outfielder Wladimir Balentien struck out in his bid to land a spot on the Mariners' 25-man Opening Day roster this spring, but his departure on Monday morning was all about playing time.

"He's a young kid learning the strike zone and we want him playing every day," manager John McLaren said. "He needs to get ready for his Triple-A season down there."

The 23-year-old Balentien, who batted .319 (15-for-47) with a team-leading three home runs and nine RBIs in Cactus League games, was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma, along with catcher Rob Johnson. Left-handed pitcher Jake Woods was reassigned to the Minor League camp.

Balentien ('04) had a good spring, but there is a reason he and Johnson ('05) are headed to Tacoma to start the season.

"We don't want those guys sitting around as extra players,"
McLaren said. "We want them playing on a regular basis."

And that is what they will be doing in the PCL to start the season. The story mentions that Johnson was 5-for-13 in his Cactus League games.

M's 3, White Sox 1

The Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 in Cactus League action yesterday. Box score HERE.

Ex-Rattlers in the game for the M's:
Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 1-for-4, RBI
Mark Lowe ('05): IP, 3H, R, K
Eric O'Flaherty ('04, '05): IP, H, 2K, save

Seattle faces the Rangers in Surprise later tonight.

Field Photos (3/24)

Taken from the left field seats around 5:30pm on 3/24.



Taken from the steps near Suite one around 5:30pm on 3/24.

9 days until Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 9 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 Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.

Several years ago I realized I had let my body dissolve into flab. I had worked so hard for so many years that I had abandoned the care of my physical condition. The first step to getting into shape was to identify the obstacles to getting there. What would stop me from getting into shape? Once I understood those obstacles, I began a process to lose weight, grow muscle, and become more fit. Your Total Money Makeover is the same. You need to realize there's a problem, but you must also see what could hinder your move toward financial fitness.

Put today's excerpt in a baseball context.

Now in Amherst and points north

A few more pocket schedule got dropped off on Saturday. Gas Stations, of course. But, here some more bars and/or restaurants to get your Rattler schedules:

Amherst:
Freddy's Club Orlow
Ambrosia Pub & Grill
Diane's Amherst Cafe

(Sorry, BS Inn and Go North. You weren't opening for another three or four hours when I went through)

Scandanavia:
JoJo's Little Norway Bar & Grill (I met JoJo, too)
Silver Lake Lanes (Just starting a 9-Pin Tap tourney)

Iola:
Edgwater Bar & Grill
Northern Lights Bar & Grill (I'm not psychic, by the way. Apparently about ten minutes before I stopped in with schedules, someone had asked the bartender here about Timber Rattler pocket schedules. I'm going to go with serendipity)

Waupaca:
Courtside Sports Bar (It's not open yet. Looks nice though)

Spring Training Video

Stealing this one from Geoff Baker, too. Here is video of JJ Putz ('00) in a game against some M's minor leaguers from the weekend.



That last guy at the plate was Jeff Dominguez ('06).

Language Lessons

Last season, some of the Spanish speaking Timber Rattlers attended an English class. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times goes to Becky Schnakenberg's class in Arizona and reports.

A young ballplayer never stops learning.

That's especially true on this night for Mariners catching prospect Israel Nunez and a dozen of his fellow minor-leaguers from Latin America.

They've already spent the day blocking balls in the dirt, throwing in the bullpen and trying to hit off-speed pitches.

But now they're on to something really important. Like figuring out what they should never joke about in airports.

"Bombs!" shouts Nunez, a native of Mexico who arrived in the United States last year to play rookie-league ball.

The teacher at the front of their makeshift classroom, felt marker ready at a white board, asks him to spell the word.

"B-O-M-B-S," Nunez says, proudly, enunciating each letter.

"Wow, that was great, Israel!" replies the teacher. "Keep this up and you'll be done needing this class. You're this close!"

The players are all rookie level and Class A Mariners prospects, ages 18 to 22, sent to the evening class to work on their English and learn about life in the United States. Not just as ballplayers who have to understand on-field instruction in another language, but as civilians needing to order food in restaurants, learn local dating etiquette and figure out how not to get arrested when walking through airport security.

Baker also finds comedy gold.

"What happens if you can't find your gate, you don't know where to go?" Schnakenberg asks. "What's the phrase you would say?"

"Do you speak Spanish?" a player deadpans.

Entertaining stuff. So is the rest of the article.

A different kind of breakfast club

Frequent Appleton visitor Roger Hansen is the focus of this Everett Herald article. It's about somewhere that Mariner minor leaguers don't want to be.

Roger Hansen's "Breakfast Club" commences at 6 a.m. every day at the Seattle Mariners' training complex. If you're 15 minutes early, then you're 15 minutes late. And that doesn't mean breakfast will be cold.

Contrary to what some ill-informed young ballplayer might believe, this isn't an opportunity to dine with Hansen, the Mariners' hard-nosed minor league catching coordinator from Stanwood.

The Breakfast Club is the early morning punishment they must serve ffor any number of transgressions. Show up late to the clubhouse, don't run hard to first base, break the dress code, do something wrong at the hotel, etc., and you're assigned to an hour with Hansen before the sun rises over Peoria.

Ex-Rattler Ryan Feierabend has some rules not to break and his experience with the club.

"We had to wear collared shirts and sandals weren't allowed in the clubhouse, and there were guys who broke those rules," Feierabend said. "Mine was because I didn't lift one day. The following morning, I had to run eight laps at 6 o'clock while Roger watched. Never again after that."

How does it work?

Hansen usually is in the golf cart by 5:30, and the players assigned to that day's Breakfast Club will show up shortly after.

"I'll ask them what they did wrong and they'll tell me," he said. "I'll say, 'OK, we're not going to play that B.S. any more.' I'll talk to them a little bit about it and let them know how many days they have to be here, and then I'll start running them. I never tell them how much they're going to run. I just tell them, 'Stretch and start running, and I'll let you know when to stop.'"

Hansen rarely takes his eyes off the field, even when the players run out of sight in the darkness.

"They all think that I don't know how many laps they run, but I do," he said. "The key is that you never tell them how many they're running. You sit there and make them think 'That (bleeping bleep) is sitting up there drinking coffee. How does he know how many laps I'm running?'"

The rules are: You run until you can't run. If you can't run, you walk. If you can't walk, you crawl."

You should go and read the whole thing. But, here is the end of one day's club.

As the cloudless sky turned from black to orange, Hansen called out to the two Breakfast Club participants from his golf cart.

Having learned their lessons one stride at a time for much of the past hour, they trudged up the walkway toward the clubhouse."You're done," Hansen told the first player, who made brief eye contact before walking into the clubhouse. "I don't want to see you here again."

The second player, his head down, followed close behind.

"You're done," he told the player, who didn't look up. "And I'll see you back here tomorrow."

Larry Stone likes him some Triunfel

Ex-Rattler Carlos Triunfel gets the column treatment courtesy of Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.

Part of the allure of spring training is spotting The Next Big Thing, before he breaks out for the world to see.

It's the same feeling, no doubt, experienced by lucky souls who saw Robin Williams riffing at comedy clubs in the Bay Area or Bruce Springsteen rocking at New Jersey dive bars in the 1970s.

Last week, I saw the Mariners' future, and its name is Carlos Triunfel.

OK, perhaps that intentional echo of Jon Landau's famous 1974 Springsteen rave is a little melodramatic.

Triunfel, after all, is just a babe in arms in baseball terms, less than a month removed from his 18th birthday. He has yet to hit his first professional home run, and innumerable potential pitfalls still await him on the road to stardom.

And yet, sometimes you just can tell when someone has "got it." After watching Triunfel for a few days on a distant minor-league practice field at the Mariners' spring complex here, I'm going to go out on a limb — just me and every scout who has ever seen him play — and say that Triunfel has the touch of greatness.

Part of it may be the honesty with which Triunfel answers the question why he signed with Seattle.

The final proof of Triunfel's unique talent was the fact that super-agent Scott Boras took him on as a client. Boras doesn't take on stiffs. With former Mariners infielder Domingo Ramos, now a Boras associate, working as liaison, Engle knew he would have to outbid the usual suspects — the Yankees and Red Sox, among a half-dozen teams dealing with Boras.

I spoke to Triunfel in the Mariners' minor-league clubhouse, with Rafael Colon, one of the organization's mental-skills coaches, serving as interpreter. Asked why he chose the Mariners, Triunfel spoke in Spanish to Colon, and they both laughed.

Colon's blunt translation: "Seattle offered more."

Just as a reminder, here is the recap of Triunfel's career so far:

After breaking into professional ball in Seattle's instructional league in the winter after the 2006 season, Triunfel started last year at Class A Wisconsin — extraordinary for a 17-year-old. Even more extraordinary, he hit .309 in 43 games to make the Midwest League All-Star team.

A thumb injury kept Triunfel out for nearly six weeks, but after his rehab, the Mariners employed their trademark "sink or swim" prospect philosophy by elevating Triunfel to High Desert.

That's their high Class A team in the California League, featuring prospects up to five years older than him. Triunfel more than held his own, hitting .288 in 50 games, albeit with just 12 extra-base-hits in 208 at-bats.

The Orioles wanted him in the Adam Jones and Company for Erik Bedard trade, but Seattle didn't want to lose him. They kept him. Now, what's ahead for the young shortstop?

Some scouts believe that Triunfel will ultimately wind up as a third baseman or corner outfielder. [Greg] Hunter said Triunfel will likely start the year back at High Desert. But if the Mariners like what they see, he will continue to shoot quickly up the ranks.

If Triunfel remains on the fast track, it's conceivable he could be ready to replace Adrian Beltre at third base when Beltre's five-year contract expires after the 2009 season.