So Long Mr. Harwell, you will be missed

  It was late September, 2002.  I had a busy week scheduled.  Fly out to Kansas City, MO to do a broadcast with the Kansas City Royals and return home and get married on that Saturday.  My first big league broadcast.  The Royals invited the announcers from some of their minor league affiliates to come […]

Kevin Millar Is Returning to His Roots To Play a Week for the St. Paul Saints

Kevin Millar’s playing days are not over. “I am going to play a week with the St. Paul Saints,” the best player ever to start his professional career in Independent Baseball told a national audience on SiriusXM Radio one morning this week. The hosts on The Power Alley wanted to know if Millar was retired […]

Minor Happenings: Donald Could Join Indians Very Soon

“Minor Happenings” is a weekly column which covers the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that […]

Strasburg in Harrisburg: Start Four – An Ear to the Ground

His fourth start is on the road, in Reading. It’s a few miles too far for a comfortable day trip. This is just as well since the day of the scheduled start, Monday, April 26, a steady, soaking rain weighs the apple blossoms in my back yard and sends them snowing to the ground. These […]

It Is Easy to Tell How Much Sparky Lyle Loves Managing and the Atlantic League

It only takes a few minutes with Sparky Lyle to understand how much the Somerset manager thinks of the Atlantic League.  It is equally impressive that the 65-year-old, who was a major league star as early as the late 1960s, still has fire in his belly for his job, which has to be part of […]

Perlo Gettin’ His Hacks in the Old World

Friends of Adam Perlo should take caution when trying to contact him for the next couple of months. Until the middle of August any phone calls to the former Webster Yankee catcher will incur international charges. The Fairport, New York native added international experience to his already impressive resume when the Italian Baseball Federation opened […]

Major Leaguers Ponson, Spiezio Stand Out in Openers

Two of the most seasoned former major leaguers were among the opening night stars in the Atlantic League Thursday.  Sidney Ponson would have had an unblemished six-inning stint in leading Long Island past Lancaster 8-5 if not for a three-run, second inning blast by Joe Gaetti, the son of former big league star Gary. And, […]

Strasburg In Harrisburg: Education Day

It’s Education Day at Metro Bank Park, and 10:30 a.m. when home plate umpire Joel Hospodka points at Stephen Strasburg and calls for the first pitch. ‘Education Day’ is an attempt to put a noble mask on ‘get-out-of-town’ day: both the Senators and the Reading Phillies need to travel, and what better way to leave […]

Atlantic League Economics Seem Bright As 2010 Independent Baseball Season Launches

As best we can read it, the economic picture could not look a whole lot better than it does in the Atlantic League as the 13-year-old circuit prepared to raise the curtain on the 2010 Independent Baseball season this very evening (Thursday). Definitive figures are not easily assembled, but Camden (NJ) Riversharks General Manager Adam […]

Minor Happenings: Bo Knows Baseball

“Minor Happenings” is a weekly column which covers the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that […]

Half of ’09 All-Stars Return, Some in New Uniforms; As Incentive, Former Players Setting a Hot Pace

Fans anxiously awaiting Thursday night’s season openers in the Atlantic League can look forward to the return of half of last season’s 14-man All-Star team although seven of the eight managers may not be quite so happy that three of them will be wearing the uniform of the back-to-back championship Somerset Patriots. In addition to […]

Gibbons On Exceptional Hitting Streak, Tom Cochran Very Stingy On Mound

It is difficult to imagine anyone wielding a hotter bat than veteran Jay Gibbons, who is going to make it increasingly difficult for the Los Angeles Dodgers to keep him out of the major leagues if he maintains anything close to his current pace. After starting the season 1-for-9 in three road games for Triple-A […]

Strasburg In Harrisburg: “When You Hear the Moos, You Know What to Do”

Yesterday I heard Stephen Strasburg throw eight pitches. By the time I realized I could listen to the game on the Internet and got myself connected, it was the top of the third inning in Harrisburg. Leading off the inning, New Britain Rock Cats’ catcher Alec Soto worked Strasburg to a three-two count, fouled a […]

Strasburg In Harrisburg: Altoona, April 11, 2010

Who is he? He’s a right-handed pitcher, picked first in the nation by the Washington Nationals in the 2009 draft. We know as much. He grew up in Santee, California, under his parents Jim and Kathleen Swett, and went to West Hills High School there. He then attended San Diego State University as a public […]

Bluefish Lose All-Star Jesse Hoorelbeke, But Replacement Josh Phelps Has Better Power Numbers

It could not have been two weeks ago when we heard all-star first baseman Jesse Hoorelbeke and Bridgeport were in negotiation for the 32-year-old slugger to return for a fourth season with the Bluefish.  But news came down Thursday that both Jesse and younger brother Casey have signed to play with Fargo, ND of the […]

Tales From a Minor League Bus

The 2010 minor league baseball season is underway and every minor league general manager has a deal in place with a bus company to move their team around from town to town and city to city during the upcoming season. With that in mind, I can only sit back, smile and laugh as I think […]

Harrisburg and Eastern League Excited About Strasburg

Just a few days prior to the start of the minor league season and you can bet clubs are doing all the last-minute scrambling to get ready for their teams to arrive from Arizona or Florida as big league clubs break their minor league camps.  Opening Day is here, ready or not! The biggest assignment […]

Atkins Talks About Importance Of Single-A

Ross Atkins has been a part of the Indians organization for 16 years, five of those as a player and 11 as a part of the front office. He was drafted by the Indians as a right-handed pitcher in the 38th round of the 1995 Draft out of Wake Forest University, and in his five […]

Weber Honored As Top Yankees Rookie; Aldridge, Coby Smith Key Angels Wins

Jon Weber got some consolation even though he does not get to open the season with the New York Yankees. His name now goes alongside the likes of Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Don Mattingly, Willie Randolph, Tippy Martinez, Roy White, Tom Tresh, Tony Kubek and Norm Siebern as a winner of the James P. Dawson […]

If Only Cashman and Hendry Were Paying Attention Millar and Jon Weber Might Have Big League Jobs

Would someone get Brian Cashman and Jim Hendry on the telephone for me?  Please! Cashman, general manager for the New York Yankees, said Jon Weber might have had a chance of opening the season with the World Series champions if he hit right-handed.  Counterpart Jim Hendry of the Chicago Cubs said his team needed another […]

After Years of Fighting Injuries, Randy Williams Is Having an Unblemished Spring

If Randy Williams turns out to be so fortunate as to spend all of 2010 with the Chicago White Sox, it will be his first such major league campaign, and he will turn 35 before fall. Williams certainly is off to a great start in following up on the second half of last season when […]

Two Atlantic Leaguers May Be Vying for Same Job In Los Angeles Angels’ Outfield

If we allow ourselves to dream once in a while why not conjure up a scenario where two former Independent Baseball players are competing for the same job in the major leagues. I cannot say that is the case because it is not possible to get all the way into Mike Scioscia’s head.  But this […]

A Lifetime of Moments…Early Years

In a recent visit to a friends’ house, he gave me the grand tour of his home.  For me, it was a first and after being awed by the spacious backyard beyond the pool we ventured back inside and made our way to his “Man Cave.”  By the way, we would have made that open […]

Weber and Young Arms of Crow, Scheppers and Parise Making Their Mark in Spring Training

It would be much like splitting hairs if we tried to give a definitive answer as to who among the former Independent players hopeful of becoming a first time major leaguer is having the best spring training up to this point.  Jon Weber,  Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers certainly have offered up their work.  Pete […]

Four From Webster Earn All-League Honors

Webster Yankee Coach Dave Brust knew he had assembled a talented baseball team. The New York Collegiate Baseball League agreed naming four of the home nine to all-league honors. Michael Craig (St. John Fisher) earned first team recognition while Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland), Ollie Bertrand (Flager), and Steve Muoio (Georgia C&S) each grabbed a spot […]

Webster Stock On The Rise

At a time when the nation’s economy resembles a pendulum swinging from trough to crest, the New York Collegiate Baseball League has, on the other hand, started out on a gradual and steady increase of its stock. Sanctioned by the NCAA and partially funded by Major League Baseball, the summer wood bat league established a […]

Webster Sweeps Allegany County

If nothing else, Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees proved they learned their lesson. After a nine-game losing streak where they left the tying run stranded 90 feet away on three different occasions, the pinstripes struck twice in the late innings Monday night.

Hornell Nips Webster

For the third time in the last eight games Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees left the tying run stranded at third as the Hornell Dodgers took the opening game of a doubleheader, 4-3 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field.

Webster Trounces Niagara

Nate Koontz (Ball State) capped a five-run fifth with a bases-clearing two-run double, and Lincoln worked six innings for the win as Webster downed Niagara, 9-1 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Friday.

Webster Chews Up Brockport

It’s a dog eat dog world, and Wednesday night, Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees chewed on the Brockport Riverbats like they were Milk Bones. Brian Pullyblank (So.Illinois) went the distance while Rhett Goodmiller (Central Michigan), Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland) and Matt Jacobs (UMass-Lowell) led a 16-hit attack as Webster downed Brockport, 9-1 in New York Collegiate […]

Niagara Trims Webster

The Niagara Power plated three runs in the eighth inning to fend off a pair of Webster Yankee comebacks for a 5-3 victory in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Thursday night. Brian Goodwin (Methodist University) singled to center scoring Bobby Harper (Penn St. Brandywine) with the winning run. Niagara added insurance runs when Jake […]

Webster’s Road Woes Continue

Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees can’t get home soon enough. The pinstripes found more valleys than hills while traveling the roads of Upstate New York over the last nine days. A quintet of hurlers held the Yankee bats in check Monday, as the Brockport Riverbats downed Webster, 7-0 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at […]

Webster Tops Geneva; Ends Skid

Tuesday, Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees put a pair of undesirable streaks behind them.After managing just 18 hits and 2 runs in their previous three games, the pinstripes exploded for 12 hits while downing the Geneva Red Wings 9-2 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at McDonough Field. In the process Webster gave Red Wing […]

Webster Wears Out Niagara

Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees wore out their welcome Friday night. Or, maybe they just wore out the Niagara Power pitching staff. Nate Koontz (Ball State) and Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland) led a 22-hit barrage as the Webster Yankees buried the Niagara Power 13-4 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Sal Maglie Field.

Geneva Squeezes Webster

Casey Rana (U Texas – Permian Basin) tossed a complete game one-hitter, and Geneva executed a suicide squeeze in the top of the ninth to defeat Webster 4-2, in New York Collegiate Baseball League action, Thursday night.

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