Northwoods League Opening Day 2022

All photos of Kenosha Kingfish 2022 Home Opener available on Flickr. 

In the Before Time, before Covid and children, it was a regular occurrence for me (and eventually Megan) to attend at least one home opener somewhere in the Northwoods League.  It's one of my favorite days on the baseball calendar and something I would typically plan and look forward to weeks in advance.  Well, 2022 is no longer those times, but Megan and I still made perhaps the most impulsive decision to go to a game in our history.  We snagged three of the scarcely remaining seats left for the Kenosha opener the night before, and drove down for a 4:05 Memorial Day first pitch.  It would be my first Northwoods League Opener in 5 years, and despite getting to watch only a few innings with two small kids in tow, it was so nice to be out at the ballpark on a beautiful afternoon.

One thing for anyone to always expect at an Opening Day in any summer collegiate league is that anything involving a POS or a staff member will just be a nightmare.  I will freely admit that I have the least patience of anybody I know, but even going in fully anticipating the disaster, it still tested my limits.  We started our day at the ballpark by waiting in a line for a half-hour just to pick up our tickets from Will Call.  After getting to our seats nearly a full inning late, we took in a couple innings and our next adventure was at the concessions stand.  This moved a little faster because they had a few menu items pre-prepared, but if you ordered anything that was not one of those items it took forever.  Later in the game, we completely abandoned our attempt at the ice cream line and went to Culver's after the game instead.  Thankfully the one line in the entire park that was fast was the beer line, and I managed to suck down a couple of shandys while chasing a couple kids in the play area and trying to sneak a peak at the field once in awhile.  I would implore anyone who does attend a NWL opener to just be as patient and kind as possible.  The reason these are always a shit-show is these teams hire seasonally with a completely new staff every summer, and comprised almost entirely of student labor.  They all come in wide-eyed learning a system that is either brand new or has been dormant for 9 months and there are understandably going to be hiccups, not to mention the fact that not all of the towns and parks these teams play in have the best internet connection.

Nothing much different at the park since my last visit with Molly last summer.  We sat in the left field corner and I did notice that the left field wall seemed considerably shorter than in years past, not sure if that is new or I never noticed before.  But there was a ball hit to deep left in the 2nd and the guy caught it up against the fence, and he could basically sit on top of the fence to catch the ball if he wanted to.  At some point a ball is going to be smoked out there and send a player careening onto a picnic table, which would certainly make the Sportscenter Top 10 now that the league is on ESPN+.  The kids area and concessions areas have mixed up a little bit per usual, but otherwise business as usual for the Kingfish - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.  Even the prices were not too drastically different during a time in which everything is skyrocketing in price, and that did not go unnoticed.

We ended up leaving in the 7th inning because, well, a 50-minute drive trying to keep 2 kids awake was awaiting us, and K-Zoo had just put up a 6-spot on K-Hole so we figured the game was in hand.  But, as always happens when you leave early, we missed a lot of action.  The Kingfish ended the game with 7 unanswered runs and won the opener 9-7.  We got to our seats just as Drake Westcott was going yard in the bottom of the 1st and he ended up getting on base 4 times in the game with 2 of the team's 11 hits.  Clark Candiotti (unsure if any relation to Tom) gave up 1 unearned run over 5.  Most of the damage on the day was charged to Jacob Gehring who came on in relief of Candiotti and promptly surrendered 5 runs in an inning of work.  Everybody in the Growlers lineup had at least 1 hit, but it was a death by thousand cuts as Daniel Pruitt had their only extra-base hit of the day.  Generally there is always a son or two of a former ballplayer in a Northwoods game, and sure enough, Craig Counsell's son Brady played 2nd and batted 6th for the Kingfish.  He is a freshman at the U of M and went 2-5 with a walk.  I'll for sure be watching to see if the schedules align when the Kingfish are home on a Brewers off-day to see if I can spot Dad in the stands.

Another exciting Northwoods League season and an unofficial start to summer is upon us, and I am super excited to visit the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek parks with my daughter in July!

2022 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 1
Peter - 6

Brewers off to Best 40-Game Start in Franchise History

I will admit that I came into this season excited, but also a little skeptical.  Not for any logical reason, but more of a cynical one.  This is a team that has largely been horrible for most of my memory, and now coming off an unfathomable four consecutive playoff appearances, including two division titles, I wondered to myself when the wheels would fall off, or at least start to wobble.  There was no way that our pitching staff, particularly Corbin Burnes and Eric Lauer, would be able to maintain this pace.  There was no way that our offseason moves would lead to any more actual offensive output.  As far as I was concerned, the version of Christian Yelich that routinely goes 1-4 with a single and three 100-mph groundouts to 2nd was the Yelich we were going to see for the remainder of his contract.  And so on.  But here we stand with my foot planted firmly in mouth, and the Crew off to their best start ever through the first quarter of the season at 26-14 (now 26-15 after yesterday's loss).  And there will certainly be regressions, and speed bumps - as I write this, Freddy Peralta is getting an MRI on his shoulder - but I'm becoming more convinced that this team has what it takes to make the playoffs again, particularly with the field expanded to 6 teams per league.  I'm still jaded enough in the history of this team that I sometimes forget the hallmark of the Brewers the last 7 or 8 years - trust in Counsell and Stearns and Attanasio, even moreso than the actual roster.

But that's not to say this roster isn't looking damn good from top to bottom.  The aforementioned Yelich isn't quite back to his 2018-19 form (which is probably an unrealistic ask) but has looked every bit of his old Marlins self, driving the ball with authority to all fields and among league leaders in hard-hit percentage on balls in play.  A couple of weeks ago, he became the first player in history to hit for the cycle three times against the same team - the Reds.  Rowdy Tellez's .522 SLG has been a godsend for a team that has been uncharacteristically average in the home run department.  He has an outside shot of making the all-star team given the NL is so weak in the position beyond Freddie Freeman.  Him and Willy Adames actually won back-to-back NL Player of the Week awards recently and are both shining examples of David Stearns' mastery of the under-the-radar trade.  And speaking of all-stars, Corbin Burnes and Eric Lauer continue to sparkle every time they take the ball.  Lauer is in the top 5 in ERA in all of baseball over the past 12 months, in large part to finding another few MPH in his fastball, and I feel like is still not being talked about outside of Milwaukee.  Josh Hader is 15 for 15 in save opportunities and has still not given up a run.  Andrew McCutcheon and Hunter Renfroe were specifically brought in to help the Brewers beat left-handed pitching, and they have done just that and then some.  Renfroe currently leads the team in batting average (minimum 100 ABs) and homeruns.  Outside of Father Time finally catching up with Lorenzo Cain, every single player on this roster is providing meaningful contributions.  And not just the active roster, but a good chunk of the entire 40-man roster - the depth of this team is what has made this 4+ year run sustainable.

One of the most annoying phrases to me from the baseball media is "it's too early," or even worse, "small sample size."  I feel like a lot of players get a pass on being shitty in April and May just because baseball is so streaky and so long and temps are colder in most of the country, and that's fair to a certain extent.  Memorial Day is already next week and, right or wrong, is traditionally the day where teams take a step back and say "this is who we are."  And with where the Brewers are sitting, if they can add another bullpen arm and some thump off the bench at the deadline, and stay away from major injuries, I see no reason this team can't make a deep run in the playoffs.  The problem is that you can say that about almost every playoff contender.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/23/22:

Brewers 26-15; 3 @ Padres, 4 @ Cardinals, 4 @ Cubs, 4 v. Padres

Twins 25-16; 3 v. Tigers, 4 v. Royals, 5 @ Tigers, 3 @ Blue Jays

2022 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 1

Peter - 5

Miguel Cabrera Joins Exclusive 3,000 Hit Club

A couple of weeks ago (actually just before I published my last post), Miguel Cabrera became just the 33rd member of the 3,000 hit club, with a single to right field against the Rockies.  It's an incredible accomplishment for probably one of the top 5 pure hitters of my generation.  Being in the AL for most of his career I have not gotten to see him play in person very much, but I definitely still remember how exciting it was to follow along with his 2012 Triple Crown and constantly check the stat leaderboards for the last couple of months of that season.  Very few elite players are productive enough to be worth their salary when they retire, and Miggy is certainly no exception.  He still has the same superb hand-eye coordination he always has, but time has made it easy to forget how dominant a player he once was.  From his prime years with the Marlins, all the way through his last All-Star season with the Tigers in 2016, constitutes about a 12-year period the likes of which will statistically match up with or exceed just about every Hall of Famer, and he's sure to be a lock for Cooperstown when he retires.  Not to say 3,000 hits is common by any means, but I was actually shocked when I read that "only" 33 players have ever reached the plateau.  That means there is a wide percentage of hitters even in the Hall that have not reached that mark.  Barry Bonds was probably the most feared hitter I've ever seen in person, and not even he has 3,000 hits.  If you want to break it down into even more exclusive company, Cabrera is one of only 7 players to collect both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, and one of only THREE players to also notch 600 doubles (the other two being Albert Pujols and of course Hank Aaron).  He has a career .918 OPS which is tied for 3rd on the active list behind only Mike Trout and Joey Votto.

I just can't stress enough how remarkable this achievement is and something any baseball fan should not take for granted, and in the age of the "all or nothing" approach to hitting, it sure seems like this milestone did not get the recognition in sports media it deserved.  I heard a conversation on an ESPN podcast that Cabrera might very well be the last player to ever reach the 3,000 hit plateau - barring another major change or shift in the game itself - and that is the most unbelievable part of all of this.  With the release of Robinson Cano by the Mets last week, the next closest active player to 3,000 hits now falls to Yadier Molina with 2,126.  Molina is a soon-to-be 40-year-old catcher whose total is mostly the result of accumulation and not skill, so he will definitely not be collecting another 874 hits.  Then comes Votto and Nelson Cruz who are both about 1,000 hits away and also nearing retirement on bad teams, so they're a no.  Sidebar: I was surprised to see Brewer newcomer Andrew McCutcheon at 8th on the active hits list with 1,850 (including Pujols and Cabrera).  I think you have to start looking down to the players that started their careers as teenagers and are in the middle of massive contracts to find anybody that has a realistic chance - namely, Manny Machado (1,468 age 29), Mike Trout (1,448 age 30), Bryce Harper (1,302 age 29), and I'll throw Juan Soto into that group too since everybody expects him to get the same type of contract next year.  This all speaks to taking the milestone for granted.  So many of the great players from my era - Pujols, Jeter, Ichiro, A-Rod, Biggio, I could go on - have reached that number that I have just grown accustomed to believing that all great hitters will eventually just stick around long enough to get there.  But the reality is that the game is so different now with so little emphasis being placed on the base hit, that we should all take a moment to remember Miguel Cabrera for the great player he was/is, and potentially one of the last of a very exclusive club, not just in baseball but all of sports.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/9/22:

Brewers 19-10; 3 @ Reds, 3 @ Marlins, 3 v. Braves, 3 v. Nationals

Twins 18-11; 3 v. Astros, 3 v. Guardians, 3 @ Athletics, 3 @ Royals

2022 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 1

Peter - 4