Timber Rattlers Sneak By the Silverhawks

Game two of the doubleheader was eerily similar to the first game. The Timber Rattlers were ahead by two after the second inning. A home run by Chris Dennis and Cutter Dykstra scoring put them up 2-0. The Hawks scored one in the 4th when Matt Davidson hit a sac fly to score game one hero David Nick. The Hawks should have had more though with runners on second and third with nobody out. Bobby Borchering never made it past second that inning. They did score again in the fifth to tie the game up. A leadoff double by Matt Helm followed by an error by the pitcher plated the run with no outs. Tyson Van Winkle was standing on third with nobody out, and the Hawks could not get him in. Bradin Hagens came in for the Silverhawks in the ninth and gave up a leadoff hit. He then retired the next two batters before giving up back to back doubles that put Wisconsin up 4-2 with three outs left. The Hawks managed one run in the bottom of the seventh before bowing out.

Silverhawks Are Not Rattled By Errors

Once again I have too much to talk about in one post so I will break it up into two. Part of the trouble with being the sports junkie is that I receive messages from ball clubs. One of those told me that their was going to be a doubleheader last night on dollar Monday. Two games for one dollar! Of course I was going. The problem with dollar Monday is that the crowd is usually their for everything but the game. Take this kid above. I think he may have had some brewskis earlier in the day. He had this popcorn hat on for most of the day. He did provide some entertainment to us though, and he was having a blast. That is what going to the park is all about.

Roll Out the Barrel: Ten Years Later

Ten years ago today I was lucky enough to be at a great game between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. I happened to be in Milwaukee ten years ago to visit, and was already having a good day when I arrived at the old County Stadium. I had already been to the Miller Brewing Company and the Milwaukee Speedway during the day. We got free tickets to the Cubs game that night so why not go? Our original plan was to watch a little of the game, and catch a little of Summerfest. The only reason we were able to see County Stadium at all was the crane accident the year before that set the Miller Park construction back a year.

My 25 Goals For the 2010 Baseball Season

This year marks the 25th year that I have been attending Major League Baseball games. At first my attendance was sparse. I went when my father got free tickets from his company. We all know now that I will go whenever I can get a chance. I love lists. Lists are how you can look at things. So as this season progresses I will have a few lists on here. The first of those will be my goal sheet for this 25th anniversary season. Here are the things that I would like to accomplish during the 2010 season. Some of them have already been checked off. Some of them might take some work to get done. I will have to look at this at the end of the year to see how I fared. Here is the list:

1. See the Arizona Diamondbacks play (5/1/2010) – Arizona is one of the two Major League teams that I have not seen play coming into 2010.
2. See the Colorado Rockies play (5/17) – The other team that I have yet to see in person.
3. Attend the White Sox game against the Orioles on 8/25/2010 – This is the day 25 years later that I attended my first baseball game. The stadium may have changed, but I still get chills when I walk inside.
4. See the Toronto Blue Jays play – (5/7) The Blue Jays were the first opponent that I saw the Sox play.
5. See Brian Bannister pitch (5/5/2010) – Brian is the son of former Sox hurler Floyd Bannister who pitched in the first game that I saw.
6. See a game at U.S. Cellular Field (4/5/2010) – I checked off a few goals on Opening Day. This was one of them.
7. See a game at Wrigley Field (5/1/2010) – This may be the territory of the enemy, but it is a landmark park in my own backyard. I also have some great memories inside this stadium.
8. Attend Opening Day (4/5/2010) – This should be a goal every season.
9. Attend a game on my birthday – I also try to do this every season. This year the Sox are in town, and they are playing the Yankees.
10. Attend Frank Thomas day at the Cell – The day after my birthday (8/29/2010) they will be honoring the Big Hurt. I guess I will have to make it two in a row at the Cell.
11. Attend a Red Sox game – I always enjoy games between the two Sox clubs. I would love to make this the first time for Fenway, but I will probably have to settle for the September matchup at the Cell.
12. Attend a game at Miller Park – This stadium just north of us on 94 is a great one to watch baseball in.
13. Attend a game at Comerica Park – I was here in 2003, but did not take my camera. Last season I visited all the parks that I did not take pictures at besides this one. We cross it off in 2010.
14. Visit a new Minor League stadium – While MLB baseball is fun, MiLB baseball can be just as much fun. I need to find a new stadium to enjoy the action in this year.
15. See Lyle Overbay play (5/7) – While I was in college I attended many South Bend Silverhawk games. Lyle was a star on those teams. He now plays for the Blue Jays.
16. Attend the Midwest League All Star game – This year it is just down the road in Fort Wayne. What better way to see some of the young talent in the game?
17. See an Angels game (5/20) – With the World Series year being five years ago I would love to see them play their ALCS opponent.
18. See an Astros game – After visiting their stadium this season I wanted to see the team play in person. They were also the team we beat in 2005 to win it all.
19. Attend at least nine games at the Cell this season – If I can accomplish this I will have attended 50 games at the Cell. It took a while for the first 50, but I bet the next 50 comes much easier.
20. Road trip to a new MLB stadium – I have knocked out most of the stadiums near me. Although my brother does get married this season in Colorado when the Rockies are in town.
21. See a game on 5/22/2010 – For some reason I seem to see a game every two years on this date. So this being an even numbered year it is time to see a game. I really have a problem huh?
22. See a game against the Tigers, Royals (5/5/2010), Twins (4/11/2010), and the Indians (4/5/2010) – This one involves seeing all the AL Central teams.
23. Snag a ball during a game (5/4/2010) – I have plenty of balls that I acquired during batting practice. This year I want to get one during a game. Update: I snagged a foul ball in the 4th inning of a game between Northwestern and Valpo. With less than 100 fans at the game it increased my odds a bit.
24. Ballhawk at Wrigley Field – I have always wanted to just take the train up to Wrigley with no ticket and ballhawk. I guess this will have to be the year. No ticket required.
25. Get a ball autographed by both Rich Dotson and Carlton Fisk – I met both of these guys at my first game in 1985. The both autographed my program. I would love to get a ball autographed by both players for my collection.

If I can do all of this I would have to say that I will have had a great year. We will see what happens over the course of the season

Prince Fielder is the Derby Champion

Yesterday we saw Prince Fielder at his home park in Milwaukee. Tonight he was in St. Louis winning the home run derby. He really put on a show hitting most of the top home runs of the night. Yesterday during the game we were commenting on how he does not get cheated when he is swinging. We were amazed at how someone who swings so violently can hit for average like he does. He is a really special player that really puts the crowd on the edge of their seats. Hopefully he can carry this momentum into the second half and get the Brewers some wins. He hit a 503 foot bomb to send him to the finals that I thought had a chance at the scoreboard. This is what the home run derby is all about. We want to see power. Tonight we got that chance.

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Manny, Dodgers Beat the Brewers to Continue the Streak

The away team has won every game this roadtrip. I don’t know if this trend will continue tomorrow when I am technically at home, but going to another game. I really need to take a break from baseball games after this. The main reason that I wanted to see this game was to see if Manny could pass Mickey Mantle on the all-time home run list. I saw Sammy do this in 2003, and thought it could be a possibility. Manny hit a drive in the first that had a chance. Corey Hart must have had his sunglasses on at night because he missed what seemed like an easy play on the ball. He just let it hit the ground, and Manny was on base. The picture to the left is Manny following through on the double. The next picture in the series (which is not shown) shows Manny watching his shot. Typical Manny, watching the ball instead of running. I saw many young kids in the stands wearing Ramirez jerseys. Is this the guy we want our youth looking up to? When your kid does something wrong will you just say “That is Johnny being Johnny”? He had a good game going 3 for 3 before being replaced by Juan Pierre in the 7th as part of a double switch.

During the game I was talking to the guys about how the Sox were rumored to be in on Orlando Hudson in the off season. I couldn’t figure out why. As if to show me he hit two home runs in the game. Apparently he is a good ball player. He made a couple nice catches in the field, and Ryan Braun loves hitting him the ball. Clayton Kershaw pitched six solid innings only giving up one run on two hits. His main downfall was the five walks he gave up. Yovani Gallardo on the other hand gave up 5 runs in 5 innings. The Brewers had a chance in the ninth to tie the game, but Braun popped out once again. That was too bad because if they had tied the game Trevor Hoffman was warming up in the bullpen, and may have come in the game. It would have been nice to see the all time saves leader in action. The road trip ended with a game at a beautiful park. We did not have much invested in either team so we could just enjoy the baseball game. Manny did not hit his milestone homer, and we did not see Trevor but we still had a good time. We spent the last couple innings in the upper deck behind the plate. From that view you can take everything in. This park is much nicer than I remember it. Maybe that had something to do with the roof being open. Tomorrow night the madness continues at the Railcats game where I will hopefully get to meet Fergie Jenkins.

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