Ambitious Ventura Sports Will Deliver Two More American Association Teams in ’12, And That Is Just the Start

“A solid community builds and thrives around a minor league baseball team.  And when that team has its own stadium there’s almost no end of opportunities to get people together.”

This is the opening paragraph on the Ventura Sports Group’s web site, and while it probably could be echoed by any of several aggressive developmental groups no one seems poised to deliver more new Independent Baseball operations in the next few years than Ventura.

Heck, it seems likely Ventura Sports, led by the partnership between Mark Shuster and Roger Christoph, is somewhat single-handedly going to deliver expansion to the already sprawling American Association.  Ventura might have a hand in bringing new franchises into other leagues, too, although Shuster does not deny favoritism to the 10-team league which currently stretches the seemingly unwieldy distance from the Upper Midwest city of St. Paul, MN to the Florida Panhandle community of Pensacola.

The tandem of Shuster and Christoph already has American Association teams in two Texas cities, El Paso and Grand Prairie, and will deliver new stadiums, Shuster promises, in two more Lone Star State areas, Montgomery County and Laredo, in 2012.  Laredo currently plays in the United League, but Ventura won the RFP (request for proposal) rights.

In some ways, Montgomery County and Laredo are just a new starting point for the Ventura people.  The group also is developing in the Kansas capitol of Topeka, which Shuster expects to have ready “in 2012 or 2013”.

Now get this.  Shuster proclaims Ventura has “four or five others in various stages” which could be known in “30 days to six months.”

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Can-Am Trio Provided Tune-up for Daisuke

Three Brockton (MA) Rox players got a thrill recently they will not soon forget.

Boston Red Sox Advance Scouting Coordinator Jared Porter recruited Chris Valencia, Keith Brachold and Melvin Falu to face Daisuke Matsuzaka in the simulated game at Fenway Park to get him ready for his start in Colorado tonight (Thursday).

T-Bones Count on Perez to Replace James as Closer

Most everyone says it is very difficult these days finding pitchers when a contract has been purchased by a major league organization or someone is injured, but the Kansas City (KS) T-Bones, who are chasing Fargo, ND for the Northern League lead, believe they have found a capable replacement after Oakland purchased closer Jason James (6-for-6 in saves, 1.69).

The replacement is Dominican right-hander Franklin Perez. “He comes in with veteran experience, and has big shoes to fill with James leaving,” said Manager Tim Doherty. Perez was with four different teams in the Atlantic League last season with his best showing a 3.00 ERA and six saves (0-2) in 27 games for Camden, NJ.

Instant Scores, Stats Now Available on Mobile Devices

Another innovative step was announced by the new Independent Baseball statistical house, Pointstreak, Thursday, whereby fans may access games in real time on mobile devices.  Pointstreak already was providing immediate pitch-by-pitch accounts and in-game box scores for seven of the eight leagues, but its site of m.pointstreak.com now makes it possible to get such features as daily schedules, league standings and individual statistics at any time of day or night.

(This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes on Independent Baseball.  Fans may subscribe at www.WirzandAssociates.com, enjoy his blogs, www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com and www.IndyBaseballChatter.com, or comment to RWirz@aol.com.  The author has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)