Duane Banks Field

All photos of Duane Banks Field available on Flickr.

Happy Jackie Robinson Day everybody! Following the excitement of opening week, I came to the grim realization that I wouldn't be back in Milwaukee - and thus unable to attend a Brewers game - for over two months, which would be by far my longest in-season drought since high school. This means I will have to explore other opportunities to watch live ball, and God forbid, I may have to go a week or two without going to the ballpark! I began preparing for this scenario last month by researching all of the local universites I could find. Iowa State does not have a team...the Upper Iowa University Peacocks only play day games...UNI's baseball team folded after the 2009 season...University of Iowa, jackpot! Ever though the Kernels were home this week, I decided on Tuesday to drive the extra 15 minutes to Iowa City because the Hawkeyes were playing my alma mater, UW-Milwaukee.

Exiting off of I-80, I immediately noticed how much nicer the drive was to the ballpark than when I went to Kinnick Stadium in November. Hwy 6 through Coralville is lined on one side with hundreds of shops and eateries to satisfy the student population, and a beautiful pasture on the other. Duane Banks Field itself is situated in a very quiet area of the campus and offers free parking in a side lot just outside of the left field foul pole. The path to the front gate is in a park-like setting, lined with pear trees on the right, and with a clear view into the concourse on the left hand side. The pear trees were in full spring blossom with white flowers just in time for baseball season, and gave the approach a simple beauty you'd be hard-pressed to find even at a professional ballpark. Even more beautiful then the path was that at the end of it, I only had to pay $3 for a ticket - nevermind that the ticket stubs are torn off a roll and say "Iowa Gymnastics" on them.

The concourse is of the Mayo Field/Knology Park variety. On the field side, you can see the underside of the seating bowl, and aside from one vending stand and some bathrooms, there are no rooms or walls built up underneath the grandstand. The other side of the concourse just has a chain-link fence that looks out onto campus buildings along 1st, and the entry path along 3rd. The coolest part of the ballpark for me was the plaque in the concourse behind home plate that honored former Brewer pitcher and Hawkeye alum Cal Eldred for donating the money for Duane Banks Field to install lights. After reading this plaque, I ascended into the stands via ramp, and was greeted by two sections of metal bleachers along the lines, and one section of actual plastic folding seats behind home plate, topped by a concrete-block media booth. I took my seat behind the UWM dugout along 3rd, about 5 rows from the top and next to two UWM coaches. The crowd was in the low-hundreds as I expected, and the park looked to hold about 3-4,000. This was only the 3rd collegiate ballpark I have been to, but I thought it was pretty nice. Normally if I go to a minor league game that has free surface-lot parking and 300 people in the stands, I would make some sort of snide comment, but at an NCAA game I didn't seem to mind the small crowd. That's not to say that there wasn't any life there - the fans and announcer got into it and cheered for the home team, and there were surprisingly even some minor-league staples like between-innings entertainment and t-shirt tosses. Overall it was a very relaxing night at the ballpark.

The fast pace of collegiate baseball and the constant changing of pitchers kept my attention for the entire game. The game looked bleak for the Panthers at first, as I arrived a little late and it was 3-0 before I even sat down. Both teams put up zeros through the next 4 frames before UWM tied it with 3 of their own in the 6th. The pace of the game slowed considerably towards the end of the game, as UWM gave up an additional 6 runs with 5 different pitchers in the latter innings, and ended up falling 9-3 to the Hawkeyes. Phil Keppler and Zach McCool - two players I saw a lot of as members of the 2009 Waterloo Bucks - were the stars of the game for Iowa with a combined 4 hits and 4 RBI. McCool had the at-bat of the game in the 7th when he managed to work a full count and foul off a bunch of tough pitches before stroking a 3-run double to right-center field. Second basemen Paul Hoenecke had 2 hits for UWM.

A lot of things surprised me in this game. There were quite a few guys who knew how to work the count, and the infield defense was much better than I expected given the aluminum thundersticks that NCAA baseball uses. I was also very surprised to see that nearly all of UWM's relief core throw sidearm or has some sort of unorthodox delivery, even the guys that just warmed up in the pen and didn't get into the game. To me this is a smart move by whoever the pitching coach is, because it says that if you want to have a chance to make it to the bigs from a small school like UW-Milwaukee, you have to show the scouts something unique. I was also surprised to find out that Wisconsin is the only Big Ten team without a baseball program. Baseball is usually one of the first programs to go when there's a finance or Title 9 issue, and I was happy to see that the other 10 schools in the conference still had a team. Lastly, I was also very pleasantly surprised that there was a team store at the park and that they gave away magnet schedules! I immediately placed said magnet schedule in its rightful place on my fridge when I got home, and quickly noted a return trip to Iowa City in early May when the Kernels are on the road.

park stats and rankings:
aesthetics - 3
views from park - 3
view to field - 9 (obstructed by fence behind home plate)
surrounding area - 7 (University of Iowa campus)
food variety - 2
nachos - 5 (standard)
beer - n/a
vendor price - 5 ($3.50 for 20oz bottle of soda, rest of prices are fair)
ticket price - 9
atmosphere - 6
walk to park - 8 (tree-lined path or through campus)
parking proximity - 10 (adjacent lot for free)
concourses - 3 (not a lot of activity)
team shop - 3 (more of a shed, but decent selection for its size)

best food - brat
most unique stadium feature - pear trees outside concourse
best jumbotron feature - n/a
best between-inning feature - Paper-Rock-Scissors contest

field dimensions - 330/400/330
starters - Jayme Sukowaty (UWM) v. Zach Robertson (IA)
opponent - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers
time of game - 2:42
attendance - 315
score - 9-3 W
Brewers score that day - off

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.15 :
Brewers 4-5, -2.0 (3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Pirates)
Reds 5-5, -1.5 (3 @ Pirates, 3 v. Dodgers)
Twins 7-3, +0.5 (3 v. Royals, 3 v. Indians)

2010 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 3
Peter - 3

Opening Week 2010

All photos of the Brewers' home opener and the Kernels' home opener available on Flickr.

After another long winter, the 2010 season is finally upon us, and I could not be more excited! Is it just me, or does Spring Training keep getting longer and longer? Maybe it was because I decided to renew my MLB.tv subscription after a 2-season hiatus, but listening to all of those Spring games on my computer got me more revved up for this season than ever. Or, maybe all of the Brewers offseason signings got me really excited for the season. Perhaps it was watching new time-lapse videos every week and reading articles about how fast the construction time was at Target Field and how the new Twins' home is supposed to be the new gem of the big league ballparks. It could be that my fantasy baseball team is loaded with Cy Young and MVP candidates that I'm so anxious for this season. But really, there's no one specific reason, other than I'm just ready for the warm weather to roll in and to watch ball. It's also great to be watching Baseball Tonight again and listening to all of the pundits make bold claims for what player is going to break out of the pack or what team will dominate. It's easy for me to write a blog post predicting that the Phillies are gonna win it all or that Brian Matusz and Jason Heyward are going to win Rookie of the Year, but what makes baseball's Opening Day so much more awesome than any other sport, is that there really is no way to predict this early who will be left standing after 162 games. You could make 10 predictions for the season right now knowing you'll probably get 9 wrong, but you just can't help but watch for 7 months how the story will unfold. For instance, if someone were to tell you that a new pitcher was going to skip the minor leagues entirely and start in the Majors this year, you would most certainly have guessed either Cuban star Aroldis Chapman or the Nationals' phenom pitcher Steven Strasburg. Low and behold, Mike Leake will become the first pitcher since Darren Dreifort in 1994 to forgo the minor leagues to be the 5th starter in the Cincinnati Reds' rotation. That's right, the Reds are sending Leake to the big leagues and Chapman to AAA. Unbelievable!

The Brewers opened their 2010 season at home this season, and for the 3rd consecutive year I had tickets to the game, along with my family. Erik and I had no offseason trips planned this year, so Opening Day at Miller Park was that much more special to me since it was the first time I'd set foot in a ballpark in over 6 months. There's the obvious thrill of skipping work to go to Opening Day, and the tradition and atmostphere of the first tailgate, but other than that I'm always anxious to get to my first Brewers game to see all of the upgrades to Miller Park. Even if nothing has changed, I still love to snap photos because after being away for the offseason, everything seems so new. Owner Mark Attanasio has been notorious for putting profit and revenue sharing money back into the ballpark, but this year there aren't many visible changes. As far as I could tell, there were a couple vendor additions (a burrito cart and a pasta stand) and a few new sponsors, but the biggest change was behind the scenes with clubhouse and video room upgrades. Supposedly on the slate for next year is a new $1 million HD scoreboard, because at 10 years old, Miller Park's is already out of date. It's not really a ballpark upgrade, but it is also worth noting that there is a "Countdown to 600 Saves" banner in left-center for Trevor Hoffman. He entered this season as the all-time saves leader with 591 and has already notched two more.

In front of the second largest crowd in Miller Park history, the Brewers dropped a heartbreaker to the Rockies, 5-3. Newly-signed ace Yovani Gallardo gave up 4 over 7 for the Brewers in a servicable outing, but the Crew could never really muster enough offense against fireballer Ubaldo Jimenez. Even when they had him on the ropes in the 6th, a fatigued Jimenez still got out of it with only one run allowed. The Brewers made a game of it with a Carlos Gomez homer in the 7th and a 9th inning rally against the Rockies' wild closer Franklin Morales, but it was too little too late. The Carloses were the stars of the day - Gomez and Gonzalez went 8-10 for their repsective teams with 4 runs. After losing the opener, the Brewers would go on to win games 2 and 3 and take the series against a team many have picked to win the NL West. I thought the Brewers played outstanding in all 3 games and I'm very confident that they will be fighting for the postseason in September. The most encouraging sign is the true team effort it took to win, particularly the bullpen hierarchy. Everybody single person on the 25-man roster except Gregg Zaun contributed, and with his .471 spring I'll let a couple poor games slide.

The Brewers' first off day of the season coinciding with Minor League Opening Day could not have worked out any better. However, the weather across the midwest on Thursday was a far cry from the 70s we had for Opening Day on Monday. Erik was supposed to attend the Timber Rattlers' home opener in Appleton, but it was snowed out! There was no snow in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, but it was still pretty darn cold. Despite the cold weather, I was hoping for a bigger crowd, but paid attendance was announced at only 1300-something. Everything's pretty much the same at Veterans Memorial Stadium this year, other than some new items in the team store. In mid-season last year, the Kernels added a concessions tent that grills specialty burgers and sausages, and that still looks to be the best food option there. There are also the same promotional nights, in which beer is on sale for 4 of the 7 nights of the week. And perhaps most importantly, Mr. Shucks is still his usual jovial self. As for the game, the outcome was fairly predictable for a low-level minor league game in April: 2-0, Cedar Rapids loses in 10 innings. I say "predictable" because many of these young A-ball kids are not used to playing in 30 and 40-degree temps. When you throw in the fact that for many of these kids, this was also their first professional baseball game, what you get are amped-up pitchers blowing hitters away and being kept warm by adrenaline, and hitters taking homerun cuts on every pitch so that they can get back in the dugout and put on a jacket. Maybe it's different in the SAL, I don't know, but all the April MWL games I've been to were far from barnburners. The guy who finally sent everybody home was DH Derek McCallum of the Snappers, who laced a 2-run bases-loaded single to right in the top of the 10th. Over half of the 60 outs in this game were made via the strikeout.

I was thrilled to get 19 innings under my belt this week and to finally ring in the start of the MLB and MiLB seasons. I'm looking forward to attending a handful of Kernels and Iowa Hawkeyes games before the Northwoods League starts in June, for which I purchased Waterloo Bucks season tickets at the whopping price of $104.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.09:
Brewers 2-1, -- (3 v. Cardinals, 3 @ Cubs)
Reds 1-2, -0.5 (3 v. Cubs, 4 @ Marlins)
Twins 3-1, +1.0 (3 @ White Sox, 3 v. Red Sox)

2010 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 1
Peter - 2

Brewers Offseason News

A lot has been going on with the Crew in the last couple weeks, so I thought I'd put up a quick post.

First and foremost, the Brewers have been signing players at an unbelievable rate. I mentioned in a post I wrote in July that the team needed another lefty reliever, a 7th-inning guy, another outfield bat, and another starter to be competitive, and they achieved all of that and more this offseason. The Brewers now have over 50 players with invitations to camp, 32 of which are pitchers vying for 12 spots. On the one hand, it's probably good to have the insurance given what has happened the last two seasons, but at the same time, I wonder if it will prohibit the Brewers' coaching staff from evaluating everyone fairly and every pitcher getting a decent amount of work in. With the recent signing of Doug Davis, the rotation looks to have at least four guaranteed spots in Davis, Gallardo, December free-agent signing Randy Wolf, and Manny Parra and/or Dave Bush. The bullpen will have at the most 1 spot available. So that's like 20 pitchers competing for 2-3 spots. The Brewers have also signed veteran outfielder Jim Edmonds and utility man Joe Inglett to compete for the 4th outfield spot with Jody Gerut. I've always like Edmonds, and I'm a big advocate of having veterans on your bench that can contribute 2-3 games a week, rather than wasting younger prospects who probably could use the regular ABs in the minors, so I hope he makes the team. With that being said, the competition between McGehee and Gamel at 3rd should be interesting. It seems like McGehee is going to have to prove himself in camp to win the job, despite outplaying Gamel all season and having his knee cleaned up in the winter, and if Gamel doesn't win the starting job I don't see the point of keeping him on the bench. The other big spring training story to watch will be the battle for the backup catcher spot behind Gregg Zaun. There's a lot of talk of Jonathan Lucroy making the jump from AA, but again, if he's not going to start why waste his talent on the bench? Spring Training should be interesting to say the least.

Speaking of Spring Training, I've been asking various Brewers and baseball sources about the future of the Brewers in Arizona after their lease expires in 2012. The answers I've received seemed to indicate the Brewers staying in Maryvale was a sure thing, but an article posted today by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel basically says the Brewers are negotiating to stay, but it's far from certain. There's always a chance that a lucrative stadium deal may entice them to move to the Grapefruit League after 40+ years in the Cactus League. Erik and I would much rather see the Crew in Arizona on our eventual spring training trip and we hope they can work out a new deal to stay in suburban Phoenix.

The last major piece of offseason news was the announcement of 40th anniversary plans for the team. It is the franchise's 40th anniversary of the move from Seattle, and the team plans to celebrate with series of four Retro Weekends, each featuring former players as guests, uniforms reflective of each era, and a bobblehead depicting one of the greatest moments of each decade. The team will wear a 40th Anniversary patch (seen at top) on their uniform sleeve all season long. It is also the Brewers' 10th season at Miller Park, and they are celebrating that by unveiling a Bud Selig statue by the front gate. Before taking over as Commissioner in 1992, Selig was the owner of the Brewers, and was almost single-handedly responsible for the team moving to Milwaukee in 1970 and getting a new ballpark in 2001.

Pitchers and catchers report next week, and 54 days 'til Opening Day 2010!

Tour 2010

Above: May 2009 progress of Target Field
Below: Day 64 of the main tour in Omaha

It may only be mid-January, but with pitchers & catchers reporting in a month, and the release of the Northwoods & independent league schedules last week, Erik and I couldn't help but start brainstorming our tour stops for this year. For me, the planning is half the fun of our baseball trips, and the anticipation for Opening Day makes the long, cold Midwest winters bearable. This year, we have a couple of wedding/bachlor party dates we have to work around for my brother and a friend, but we still plan on making two Tour Plus stops - the College World Series and Target Field.

The College World Series is hosted by Omaha annually for 12 days at the end of June. Just as in 2009, we briefly tossed out the idea of going to Spring Training, but we again decided to postpone that because starting next year, Omaha is getting two new ballparks. One park will be for the O-Royals, and the other for the CWS and possibly Creighton University. We realize this means that we'll now have to return to Omaha again someday to see these new parks, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see this event in the last season of historic Rosenblatt Stadium. Erik and I are admittedly not the biggest NCAA baseball fans, but the atmosphere at this event is supposed to be electric and unparalleled, and we are both eager to scout future major league talent. Right now, we're thinking of either going early in the Series when all the doubleheaders are so we could see more games, or just going for the last 3 days to see the finals; both options definitely have their advantages. This trip would also involve an independent league stop to nearby Sioux City, IA and/or Sioux Falls, SD.

Our second trip is a little more vaguely defined at this point, but the crux of it will be a couple games at the new home of the Twins, Target Field. Erik said a heartfelt goodbye to the Metrodome last season, but we're both excited for the return of outdoor baseball in Minneapolis. We would obviously love to see the Brewers play the Twins there, but we're not stupid enough to spend a couple spring nights at an open-air ballpark in Minnesota. I've attended enough April games at the GAB in Cincinnati to know that would be a bad idea. So, we're looking at a variety of weekends, ranging from mid-July to mid-August. Our final decision is going to be based on a number of factors: which CWS option we choose, the Twins promotional calendar, the Northwoods League schedule, Erik's job situation, and working around a couple of wedding events I have to attend. We have a few tentative options right now that all also include a couple of Northwoods games, and spending a day in Duluth.

After the main tour in 2007 (wow it's been almost 3 years already!), we pretty much had our 2008-10 trips quasi-mapped out. Starting in 2011, we only have some rough ideas, and a long list of baseball events and ballparks we have to see before we die. The ultimate goal is still to see as many professional and semi-pro stadiums as we can, and the next major league park opening up after this season will be Marlins Park in 2012.

2010 Free Agents

Is it Opening Day yet? The last MLB award was handed out yesterday, with Albert Pujols winning his 3rd MVP unanimously. Mostly because I'm already excited about the upcoming season, here is my list of the top free agents this offseason and where I think they will go.

1. John Lackey, LAA - to Tigers

Lackey is, surprisingly, the best starting pitcher on the market this winter, and therefore is the hardest to predict where he'll go. Any team with any sort of payroll flexibility, even mid-market teams that are starving for pitching like the Brewers and Nationals, are going to throw their hats in the ring on this one. If I didn't think that Boston was going to go after Halladay and several other free agents, I would say he'd be a sure bet to land there. For now, I'll say the Tigers - they don't have a lot of payroll coming off the books this year, but they're probably losing Washburn and Edwin Jackson and will need a starter. They have a great manager and a good team, but there's always that X-factor with Detroit though - who would want to live there?

2. Matt Holliday, StL - to Red Sox

This is the reason I think that Lackey will land in Detroit - because Boston will spend all of its money on Holliday. St. Louis simply doesn't have the payroll to resign DeRosa, which they desperately need to, and Pineiro or another starter. If they don't end up getting Holliday, I'm sure they get Jermaine Dye or Hank Blalock.

3. Rich Harden, ChC - resigns with Cubs

Harden seems to be getting overlooked by a lot of analysts for some reason, possibly because everyone including myself thinks he will resign. The Cubs have the money to resign Harden, and there's not a lot else out there on the market, so I think they'll offer him somewhere in the 4yr/$50-60 mil range, some time after Lackey gets signed.

4. Mark DeRosa, StL - resigns with Cardinals

Mark is that player that every manager wants on their roster. Smart, tough guy who can hit anywhere in the lineup and play several positions well. The Cardinals have shown no interest in bringing Glaus back, so I think he'll be back with the Red Birds next year.

5. Jason Bay, BOS - to Blue Jays

Bay rejected an initial $60 million contract offer from the Red Sox this past week, and I even doubt that he's worth that much. I think that he's a slightly above average hitter and fielder that flourished at Fenway Park. He will command a lower salary than Matt Holliday and will generate a lot of interest as a cheaper left field option. The Blue Jays dumped Alex Rios' entire absurd contract onto the White Sox last year on waivers and will probably trade Halladay at mid-season, and Jason is from Canada. This seems like a good fit to me. I think the Mariners and Mets are going to be big players for him, too.

6. Miguel Tejada, HOU - to Reds

I don't necessarily think that Tejada is one of the top 10 free agents out there, but I list him because he's the best viable shortstop option on the market. A lot of teams are looking for a shortstop, most notably Cincinnati and Boston. I don't think he'll get a big offer from Houston because of their already powerful and old lineup. I'm gonna go on a limb and say he signs with the Reds. They have a lot of young position players and he could bring it all together.

7. Mike Cameron, MIL - to Yankees

This is the pick I feel the most confident with. He was almost traded to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera last year, and the Yankees will be losing between one and four outfielders this offseason. Cammy also fits the mold of all the "great clubhouse guys" the Yanks signed last year. Seems like a no-brainer.

8. Jermaine Dye, ChW - to Braves

Another great free agent outfielder this year. If any of my picks of Holliday to Boston, Bay to Toronto, or Cameron to New York fall through, Dye would go to one of those clubs, and will probably get offers from all three. I'm going to go ahead and assume that I'm right, and that leaves Atlanta, San Francisco, Colorado, and the Mets all possibly needing outfield help as well, and I will choose the Braves as the team that comes out on top. There have been a number of reports about Atlanta trying to trade Derek Lowe for an outfielder, and I think this would be a better route for them to go.

9. Randy Wolf, LAD - to Brewers

The Brewers are going to go hard after almost every single pitcher on the market this year, and this is the guy I think that they will sign, along with Mark Mulder. Brad Penny and Pedro Martinez are too much of injury risks with them already signing Mulder, and Ben Sheets doesn't seem to be interested in a return to Milwaukee. That leaves Brett Myers, Jarrod Washburn, and Wolf, and the latter seems more feasible to me. I think Myers is only useful as a bullpen pitcher, and Washburn will sign with the hometown Twins.

T-10. Vladimir Guerrero and Hideki Matsui, LAA/NYY - Angels/Mariners
I put these two tied for last because they're similar players - both once great hitters that are now on the decline, and may not physically be able to play the outfield anymore. This pretty much limits potential teams to the 14 in the AL. You might see these two go down to the wire like Bobby Abreu did last year. I think that the Angels will make every effort to resign Vlad and Chone Figgins. The Yankees will probably resign Damon and let Godzilla go. If Hideki proves he can still play the field, he signs with the Mariners, otherwise he will probably retire.

Another Season in the Books

All photos of Brewers final home game and Ducktoberfest available on Flickr.

I can't believe the regular season is over already! Definitely a lot of ups and downs for our teams this year. The Brewers finished the year very strong - split with the world-champ Phigtin Phils in the final homestand, played the red-hot Rockies very well, swept the 1st-place Cards on the road - but still finished at 80-82, 10 games below last season's playoff year. A pretty good season all things considered though. It just goes to show you how much every inning, every pitch, every hitter means. 10 wins is like 1.5 extra wins a month, and that gets the Crew into the playoffs. One less one blown save, one more quality start, a couple more hits here and there. If Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan don't get injured, there's 7-8 wins right there. It also goes to show you that the two key factors for any team making the post season is a solid rotation with a legitimate ace, and being relatively injury-free, neither of which the Brewers had this year. On a high note, the middle of the lineup enjoyed a breakout season. Ryan Braun became the first Brewer to lead the league in hits (203) in 18 years, and became the 4th fastest player to 100 homers. Prince Fielder set club records in walks and RBI, became the first Brewer to lead the league in RBI (141) since Cecil Cooper, and became the youngest player ever to have two 45+ homerun seasons. Casey McGehee finished the year at .301 and in the top 3 in almost every rookie offensive category, all while riding the pine well into May.

The Reds improved by 4 games over their 2008 campaign, and a lot of questions will loom in the offseason. Who will play the outfield? Dusty Baker seems to favor guys like Wladamier Balentien, Wily Taveras, and Chris Dickerson, even though Drew Stubbs, Johnny Gomes, and Jay Bruce all made significant contributions at a young age. Can Joey Votto and Scott Rolen remain healthy? Bronson Arroyo led the team in wins, but is it worth it to keep him for this high salary? The Reds might want to think of dumping him and Harang on a pitching-hungry team (like the Brewers) and rebuilding for a couple years. Both Arroyo and Harang had a lot of bad starts to go with their good ones. Can Cueto and Bailey continue to progress, or will Dusty run them into the ground like he did Volquez, who had Tommy John surgery a couple months ago? Who will catch for the Reds? A bright spot for the Reds this year, besides Votto and Rolen, was the bullpen, and look for this to be a strength going into next year, due in large part to Dusty's general disregard for pitch counts.

Minnesota is still in it, and are playing in a Game 163 elimination game for the 2nd consecutive year. I don't know how they did it down 7 games in September without no Justin Morneau, and with that rotation, but they did. I've said it before - Ron Gardenhire should win the Manager of the Year every year in the AL. The Twins always field a competitive team no matter who they lose to free agency/trades or what the attendance is, with a lot of credit going to the front office for drafting and retaining young, cheap pitching.

The Twins may be hanging on for another day, but the Mallards have been hanging onto the '09 season for dear life after finishing 38-29. Since the last day of the season in mid-August, Warner Park has hosted two alumni baseball events, roller derby, and this past weekend was the 1st annual Ducktoberfest. As I noted in a previous post, the Mallards finished with the #1 overall attendance in all of college summer league ball, and decided to reward their awesome fans with a little party at The Duck Pond on Saturday. Ducktoberfest is Wisconsin's and the Mallard's version of Oktoberfest, and in general just another excuse to visit the ballpark. It was decent for the first go-round but needs to be better organized. It wasn't nearly as good as Milwaukee's Germanfest, but it never really claimed to be - clearly with all the free tickets and prizes, this 6-hour event was just a way to get people to spend money on beer, and to give away trailers' worth of 2009 merchandise in the process. The best part of the day was drinking a cup of hot spiced apple cider while watching the Stoddard's Brat Eating Contest. I've included pictures at the Flickr link up at the top.

Back to the major leagues, here's my take on the '09 playoff matchups and how I think things will shake out:

Colorado (WC) v. Philadehlphia - Phillies in 5
Key Storyline: Phillies closer issues. Brad Lidge's inability to save games this year makes the series go the full five, but they'll squeak by with their power and strong rotation. The Rockies have been riding the Momentum Train since early June, which makes this my hardest pick of the four series.

St. Louis v. Los Angeles (NL) - Cardinals in 5
Key Storyline: Battle of managers. This series will be a long game of chess between Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa, both with decades of playoff experience. Torre once had the deepest rotation in baseball, but is now struggling to find a reliable 3 guys for the 1st round. The Cards wimpered into the playoffs, but matching up against Carpenter, Wainwright, and Piniero still won't be easy. I think that the Pujols-Holliday combo will be a wash with Ramirez-Ethier and it will come down to late-game hitting with RISP.

Boston (WC) v. Los Angeles (AL) - Angels in 5
Key Storyline: Can Angels win at Fenway? These two teams have matched up the last two seasons, with the Angels clearly being the better team each time and losing to Boston because of their inability to play well at Fenway. I want to give the nod to Boston because of the history, but again, I think Anaheim is the more complete team, and will go with the "they're due" hunch.

Detroit/Minnesota v. New York (AL) - Yankees in 4/3
Key Storyline: A-Rod & Joba. I think that the Yankees can get out of the 1st round even if A-Rod hits poorly and if Joba doesn't pitch, because this year the Yankees have lineup and bullpen protection. However, these two will definitely have to assert their roles and step up in Round 2 if the Yankees expect to win another pennant. I think the Tigers would win either Verlander's or Jackson's start, and the Twins - who are 3-23 against the Yanks under Gardenhire and 0-7 this season - would get swept.

World Series - Cardinals over Angels in 6
I originally picked the Phillies and Athletics to go to the World Series in April. The Phillies could very much still repeat if they can get Lidge straight, but having seen a lot of Cards games this year, I see them as the team of the 8 with the fewest holes, if any. In defense of my A's pick - they were much improved this year, have a great young starting staff all under 25, and were one of the best teams in the AL after the break. I also called the Rangers being good this year with the addition of Mike Maddux and Elvis Andrus, FYI. If Hamilton isn't injured all year they win the West.

Early 2010 Predictions:
Every year there is a "feel good story" that celebrates the parody of baseball - the '03 Marlins, the '06 Tigers, the '07 Rockies, and the '08 Rays just to name a few. Next year, look for the AL West to be an exciting race for once. Inevitably by September or earlier, one team always ends up running away with the division, and for most of this decade that team has been the Angels. Look for all four teams to play down to the wire next year. I love Kenny Williams, but I think that the Rios-Peavy signings will bust and the White Sox will continue having medicore seasons until Ozzie is replaced, he's just not lighting the fire anymore. In the NL I think the Nationals will not contend but will be much improved. They have great nucleus of young players that can really hit the ball, and they have two stud pitchers from the 2009 draft that will pitch in September. Don't forget about the Mets either, they will rebound in a big way next season. I want to say every year that the Royals and Pirates will run off 90 wins and make the playoffs, but unfortunately I still think they're a few years out from that because of upper (mis)management. The Brewers, Marlins, Giants, and Rays are all one big move away from contending next year, and I think if the Cubs can get Mark DeRosa back that they will contend again as well.

FINAL STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 10.05:
Brewers 80-82, -11.0
Reds 78-84, -13.0
Twins 86-76, -- (one-game playoff v. Tigers - Tue.)

FINAL 2009 GAMES ATTENDED TALLY:
Erik - 41 (+21 worked)
Peter - 61

Bobby V is Back

In a story released by ESPN, it was announced that Bobby Valentine will be returning to America after six productive seasons as the manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan. He will appear as an analyst during the LCS and the World Series, and will be a regular on Baseball Tonight starting next season. It's a shame that the Marines could not afford to pay Bobby's salary - despite over 100,000 fans signing a petition to try to convince the Marines to let him stay - because they are losing a great manager that really knows how to win ballgames. Bobby Valentine is one of the managers I remember the most from my adolescent years, due in large part to his popularity with his players and fans, and his famed "Groucho Marx incident" after being ejected from a Mets game (pictured above). It's a shame to me that someone with his knowledge and zest for the game has been kept out of American baseball for so long. He is still the last Mets manager to lead the team to consecutive postseason berths, in 1999-2000.

Here's to hoping this new TV gig gets Bobby V some much deserved exposure and lands him another coaching job in the bigs. Not to throw any names out there, but this is the guy I wished the Brewers landed last year instead of Macha.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.29:
Brewers 77-79 (3 @ Rockies, 3 @ Cardinals)
Reds 74-82 (3 v. Cardinals, 3 v. Pirates)
Twins 81-74, -2.0 (4 @ Tigers, 3 v. Royals)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 41 (+21 worked)
Peter - 61

Odds and Ends

As the 2009 season draws to a close (14 days remaining), here are just some factoids and tidbits I've been compiling over the year that didn't really warrant an entire post.

- In July, the Wall Street Journal released a "Cooperstown Code" that I think is worth a look for any avid baseball fan. It's a computer-generated formula that calculates a player's probability, based on statistics and any outside factors such as drug use, of whether or not he will make the Hall of Fame. It seems to be pretty accurate and ingenious. For example, a shoe-in guy like Trevor Hoffman was calculated at 86% probability, whereas maybe a guy that might get in on his 10th ballot like Mike Mussina was calcuated at 47.8% probability.

- A couple weeks ago, Erik emailed me an article entitled "Can a Ballclub's Record Justify its Beer Prices?" This article points out that, as you may expect beer price to be affected by the quality of the stadium and the team as ticket prices are, it is not always the case. The Phillies were noted to have the best beer value in the majors, based on them being the best team charging the least per ounce (31 cents, or $6.75 for 21-oz beer). The cheapest beer overall is in Pittsburgh, as you'll only pay $4.75 for 21-oz beverage. Fenway Park, Nationals Park, and Citi Field top the list as the most expensive beer. In Boston, you'll spend an attrocious $7.25 for only 12 ounces. One flaw I found in the system was the souvenir cup factor - I am willing to pay the second highest price in the majors at Nats Park because they offer three varieties of souvenir cups - at least they did when we were there in 2008.

- Keeping an eye on the Northwoods League as I always do, the league announced a yet-unnamed expansion franchise in Willmar, Minnesota will begin in 2010. To make an even number of teams, probably one of the league-owned teams (Brainerd, Battle Creek) will cease operations, or Waukesha, Wisconsin's Frame Park proposal will go through and get built for a new team, or some combination of these. The Green Bay Bullfrogs are also fielding proposals for much-needed new stadium. The Madison Mallards achieved the highest attendance of any college summer league team in America by quite a substantial margin, for the 3rd year in a row.

- In other ballpark news, Marlins Park looks to be a go as ground was broken in July, and there are some pretty cool renderings out - finally a park that seems to deviate from the beloved brick retro style! Erik and I look forward to visiting the park on the site of the old Orange Bowl in 2012. Meanwhile, the Athletics and Rays parks look to be going nowhere. The Rays had planned on building on the site of their spring training home, Al Lang Field, and the A's are now fielding proposals for a joint MLS-San Jose Earthquakes/Oakland Athletics stadium. Wisconsin's two minor league teams, the Timber Rattlers and Snappers, are also both exploring options for new stadiums. As regular readers may know, I think that Pohlman Field is a disgrace, so Beloit's proposal talks are coming not a moment too soon.

- A sad day for baseball fans and preservationists everywhere, as the final remaining pieces of Tiger Stadium were demolished yesterday. Like Detroit has anything else going on right now that they needed that land ASAP? What, a big Ford expansion?

- For anyone who has not picked up "The Yankee Years" yet, it is a great read and I highly recommend it. It's over 400 pages but reads very easy - I read it in about 5 days. I'm also looking forward to picking up a copy of "The Machine" (about the Big Red Machine, obviously), which came out this week.

- Ever notice that injuries are getting weirder and weirder every year? Oblique strains, post-concussion syndrome, tired arm, anal fissures, and who could forget this year's blessure du jour, anxiety disorder! This year, the Mariners' Adrian Beltre took the cake, after recently coming back from a 30-day stint on the DL with a bleeding testicle. Maybe he'll think about wearing a cup next time.



- Last but certainly not least, Major League 4 is becoming a reality - the writers and directors from the original, as well as Bob Uecker, are already signed on.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.21:
Brewers 74-75, -10.5 wc (3 v. Cubs, 4 v. Phillies)
Reds 69-81, -16.0 wc (3 @ Pirates, 3 @ Astros)
Twins 76-73, -3.0 (3 @ White Sox, 3 @ Royals)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 41 (+21 worked)
Peter - 59

MiLB Playoffs & September Call-ups

Labor Day signifies the unofficial end of summer in many ways, the most disheartening of which of me is the end of the minor league season. Almost every MiLB league began their playoff schedules early this week, and here's a look at some of the matchups.

International League, AAA:
Gwinnett Braves v. Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees
Durham Bulls v. Louisville Bats

The Braves had a fine first season in suburban Atlanta after the move from Richmond for the 2009 season, and they take on Scranton, who will look to defend their 2008 IL title. The player to watch in this series is Gwinnett outfielder Jason Heyward, who is ranked as the MLB's #3 prospect and has done well at three levels in the Braves' system this year, including 4-11 with 2 RBI since a recent promotion to AAA. The Bats have had a lot of their breakout players called up by a depleted Reds team before and after the September 1st roster expansions, including IL All-Star starter Justin Lehr and top prospect Drew Stubbs. They will struggle to piece together a solid rotation in this series against the hard-hitting Bulls.

Pacific Coast League, AAA:
Albuquerque Isotopes v. Memphis Redbirds
Tacoma Rainiers v. Sacramento River Cats

Every offense at all levels of Cardinals' baseball has done well this season, and four players on the Redbirds' everyday roster finished the season over .300. The Dodgers have had a lot of the same players at AAA the entire seasons because of the high volume of major league acquisitions over the past year, so they definitely have that familiarity going for them. The players to watch in the other series are the River Cats' two slugging 1st basemen, Tommy Everidge and Chris Carter. Everidge finished the season at .368, and Carter has 14 RBI in 13 games since being promoted from AA-Midland. The Athletics perennially have one of the best minor league systems and will be tough to beat.

Southern League, AA:
Birmingham Barons v. Jacksonville Suns
Huntsville Stars v. Tennessee Smokies

The Barons had the best season in their franchise's history, and were highlighted for most of the year by several propects that have since seen action with the White Sox, including Gordon Beckam and Tyler Flowers. The Suns seemed to be the hottest ticket in town this year, amidst rumors of the entire NFL Jaguars' home schedule being blacked out for the '09 season. Huntsville is going to be the lone representative for the Brewers in the playoffs at any level this season, and Tennessee is affiliated with the Cubs. The Brew Crew promoted 2008 first-round draft pick Brett Lawrie to AA a couple months ago as a DH to prepare him for international play, and he has flourished. The Stars' roster also features most of the Brewers' top organizational prospects, including 3B Taylor Green, C Jonathan Lucroy, and CF Lorenzo Cain.

Midwest League, low-A:
South Bend Silver Hawks v. Fort Wayne TinCaps
Great Lakes Loons v. West Michigan Whitecaps
Burlington Bees v. Kane County Cougars
Peoria Chiefs v. Cedar Rapids Kernels

The Midwest League Playoffs feature 8 of the 14 teams in the league playing three rounds. Fort Wayne will definitely be the team to beat. They enjoyed a 94-46 record at their new ballpark, including a 16-4 mark against their first-round matchup South Bend, and they had the best season of all minor league teams this year. The 2008 MWL champion Burlington Bees went a measely 64-79 this season, and are certainly enjoying the fruits of the large NBA-style playoff schedule as they look to defend their title. The players to watch in this postseason are batting champion Alexi Amarista of the Kernels, and league co-MVP Kyle Russell of the Loons, who led the MWL in homeruns and runs batted in.


Minor League playoffs are fun because they feature so many of MLB's rising stars, and are so hard to predict because of September call-ups. Players that remain on minor league posteason rosters are then often rewarded with a later call-up. Many of these players will just be bats off the bench or spot-relievers, but there are a few every year that make an immediate impact for contending teams, or fight for consideration for next year's roster on the teams that are out of the race. Some players, including ones I've listed, get called up even earlier out of necessity due to underperformance at the big-league level, or trades opening a roster spot. Tampa Bay's David Price last year, and then-Angel Francisco Rodriguez in 2002 immediately come to mind. Here's my potential 2009 class:

1. Alcides Escobar, SS, Milwaukee
2. Drew Stubbs, OF, Cincinnati
3. Matt LaPorta, OF, Cleveland
4. Cameron Maybin, OF, Florida
5. Kila Ka'aihue, 1B, Kansas City
6. Josh Thole, C, New York Mets
7. Garrett Jones, 1B, Pittsburgh
8. Buster Posey, C, San Francisco
9. Carlos Carrasco, P, Cleveland
10. Wade Davis, P, Tampa Bay

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.10:
Brewers 66-73, -17.0, -13.5 wild card (3 @ Diamondbacks, 4 @ Cubs, 3 v. Astros)
Reds 63-76, -18.5, -16.5 wild card (3 @ Cubs, 3 v. Astros, 4 v. Marlins)
Twins 70-69, -5.5 (3 v. Athletics, 3 v. Indians, 3 v. Tigers)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 41 (+21 worked)
Peter - 58

New batting helmets

A few days ago, it was announced by Major League Baseball that Rawlings' S100 batting helmet, which has already been used in little leagues across the country, will now be required in the minor leagues starting next season. Six helmets have also been sent to each major league team to try out for the rest of this season. The helmet is designed to better protect players from head injuries caused by beanings and foul balls. In response to all of the star players - including Scott Rolen, David Wright, and Edgar Gonzalez - that have gone on the DL this season after being hit in the head, Major League Baseball felt like it needed to remedy the problem as soon as possible. The S100s are heavier and use an extra-thick layer of polypropylene foam on the inside to help withstand direct impact of fastballs up to 100 mph.

This story came to my attention when I was watching the FOX Saturday game and saw Ryan Dempster wearing a huge helmet that made him look even goofier than usual. He said that it made him feel like "a Smurf" and that it was "my own bobblehead day." Dempster, along with several columnists and players, feel that these helmets will not be received well because they are much heavier. A ballplayer spends his entire playing career perfecting his swing based on repetition of motion and constant factors, e.g. balance, hand position, weight - any disruption of this will take some getting used to. Football and hockey players probably felt that today's required padding was bulky and inconvenient at the time, but in hindsight it has probably saved hundreds of careers, if not lives.

The unfortunate part of the story is that as of right now, there doesn't seem to be anything being investigated for pitcher protections. Hitters at least have a helmet and are in a position to react. There have been many pitchers that have had their careers cut short after getting hit with a line drive, and Joe Martinez is lucky to still have his life after what happened to him on April 9th. It's also clear that catchers and umpires could use a new case study in their current padding. There are the sudden-impact cases like Mike Matheny's of 2006, but there are also many unofficial reports floating around about cases involving retired catchers and umpires that suffer head trauma from years of repeated glancing blows and foul tips, much like a boxer. The bottom line is that baseball will always be a very fast and dangerous game, and injuries will still occur, but for every Tony Conigliaro or Mike Coolbaugh case that can be prevented, these new helmets and any future equipment improvements will be worth it.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.01:
Brewers 64-66, -12.0, -7.5 wild card (3 @ Cardinals, 3 v. Giants, 3 v. Cardinals)
Reds 58-73, -18.5, -14.0 wild card (4 v. Pirates, 3 @ Braves, 4 @ Rockies)
Twins 62-63, -3.5 (3 v. White Sox, 3 @ Indians, 4 @ Blue Jays)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 41 (+21 worked)
Peter - 56

Principal Park

All photos of Des Moines and Principal Park available on Flickr.

Following our amazing day at the Bob Feller Museum and the Fair, Erik and I spent our Sunday taking in a doubleheader in Des Moines, which was already my 4th and Erik's 3rd double-dip of the season. The Iowa Cubs are obviously the AAA-affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, and have existed since 1969 when the Oakland Oaks moved to Iowa. The I-Cubs, as they are often referred to, play at Principal Park in downtown Des Moines, formerly Sec Taylor Stadium. It was designed by ballpark powerhouse HOK Sport (now Populous) and opened for business in 1992.

We got to the park around 12:30 for a 1:05 first pitch. The ballpark is situated near a great little neighborhood called the Court District, which we explored after the game. It reminded me of a smaller version of LoDo in Denver - near downtown, lots of brick buildings renovated into brewpubs, shops, and restaurants, old warehouses converted into apartments, and the city's courthouse on one end of the avenue. The ballpark is right on the river too, just as Coors Field is. Another similarity to Denver is the gold-domed capitol building that you can see beyond centerfield when inside the ballpark. The view to it currently is obstructed by a bridge being constructed over the Des Moines River, but it is still a nice view, and one of the better ballpark neighborhoods you'll find.

We got our typical GA seats for $7 and walked around the concourses until gametime snapping photos. The concourses and seating are nothing special, but there are a few interesting features in the outfield. There is a hand-operated scoreboard in right that reads "Out-of-Towners" v. "Local Boys." We ended up sitting next to the scoreboard guy in an awesome secluded row of seats in right-center below the jumbotron. There is also a kids' fountain area in the right field corner that Erik and I were tempted to jump in on this hot day. Beyond the left field wall, there is a block of suites with a few rows of private seats in front of them that I thought was a great use of space. Strapped to the top of these suites are a couple of "Hit It Here" elements found in many minor league parks, except these would maybe only be hit by Albert Pujols. The walls are also very tall, ranging from 15'-25' in height. Typically I like to be able to see the jumbotron, but the view from our outfield seats for both games was amazing due to the high walls, and well worth the small sunburn I got on the left side of my neck. We had an ongoing conversation with perennial top Marlins' prospect Cameron Maybin in center, and we only had to fight with each other to grab a free t-shirt launched our way between innings. Regarding concessions, the food and beer were fairly priced with a good variety, and I had one of the best BBQ beef sandwiches I've ever had. As always, bonus points for helmet sundaes and souvenir cups.

The first game featured former Notre Dame TE and Cub big-leaguer Jeff Samardzija on the mound. I thought at first that there just wasn't any room for him currently in Chicago's bullpen. After watching him give up six runs (4 ER) in 4 innings and throwing 90% 4-seam fastballs, I realized that he still has quite a bit of work to do. Gookie "The Gook" Dawkins went 3-3 with a 2-run jack, and Hayden Penn tossed a 7-inning complete game for the visiting Zephyrs in their 6-0 victory. Familiar faces So Taguchi, Micah Hoffpauir, Nate Spears, and Luis Rivas all got starts for the I-Cubs. Veteran junk-baller Casey Fossum toed the rubber for the home team in game two and collected his 5th win of the season, giving up only one hit and striking out 8. He baffled all the young Zephyr hitters with his blazing 79-mph fasball and ridiculous 55-mph curveball, but for some reason was pulled after 5 innings and only 69 pitches. On the other side, the visitors finally dipped into their bullpen after 12 innings. Our favorite player Gookie had another hit for New Orleans, and LF John-Ford Griffin had both RBI for Iowa.

Sadly, the minor league season is ending in a couple weeks, and Principal Park will be the final new ballpark I visit in 2009. As for Erik, stay tuned for his travels to a new job in Virginia Beach.

park stats and rankings:
aesthetics - 5
views from park - 7 (Iowa Capitol, downtown)
view to field - 9
surrounding area - 8 (Court District)
food variety - 8
nachos - 4 (come in bag with cheese cup)
beer - 8 (microbrew stand, bonus points for Mug Club and souvenir cups)
vendor price - 7
ticket price - 7 ($7 GA)
atmosphere - 7
walk to park - 6
parking proximity - 2 ($6 is ridiculous for minors)
concourses - 3 (some areas are dark and underutilized, no view to field)
team shop - 5 (lots of non I-Cubs stuff)

best food - BBQ beef/pork sandwich with Cookies' BBQ sauce
most unique stadium feature - suites in left field
best jumbotron feature - "crazy cap shuffle" game played with cell phones
best between-inning feature - throw ball through tires, win a prize

field dimensions - 335/400/335
starters - Hayden Penn (NO) v. Jeff Samardzija (IOW); Matt DeSalvo v. Casey Fossum
opponent - New Orleans Zephyrs
time of game - 1:48; 1:41
attendance - 6051
score - 6-0 L; 2-1 W
Brewers score that day - 8-3 L

Bob Feller Museum

All photos of Bob Feller Museum and Iowa State Fair available on Flickr.

With Lauren out of town and nothing to do, I decided to drive down to visit my buddy Karl and see what Des Moines has to offer. Upon hearing this, Erik sniffed an opportunity. What was originally to be an afternoon excursion quickly turned into a 4-day Iowa barnstorming tour, and with Erik leaving for Virginia to work on another campaign this week, the timing could not have been better. I met Erik at 4:30 on Friday in Quasqueton, about a half-hour east of Waterloo, for the last tour of the day at Cedar Rock, one of two Frank Lloyd Wright residences open for touring in Iowa. Afterwards, we grabbed some dinner and drinks back in Cedar Falls and got to bed early for our long Saturday.

We left for the Des Moines area around 9:30, and made a stop in Van Meter on the way to Karl's house. Van Meter is the birthplace of Indians Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller and is home to the Bob Feller Museum. It is a small charming building that resembles an old one-room schoolhouse and features a Bob Feller relief on one wall, and a giant baseball on the front lawn with a replica signature of Feller's. Van Meter is your quintessential rural Iowa town - a few gas stations and Victorian farmhouses (including the house across from the museum that was probably there when Feller was growing up), railroad tracks cutting across the center of town, and corn as far as the eye can see. After a few exterior photos, we gave our $5 admission to the lady at the front desk, whom I later found out taught kindergarden in Van Meter for over 30 years. The museum would have been disappointing for a big-city museum, but for a small town like Van Meter, it was just right. It was very quaint and featured mostly photos and framed letters from Feller's playing days, as well as a few game-worn uniforms and artifacts. There were autographed baseballs and photos on display from every major leaguer that stopped by the museum and a little piece of tin in the shape of a baseball for each of his 266 wins scattered throughout the building. The coolest part by far was the last bat ever held by Babe Ruth. Everybody knows that famous picture of a very ill Ruth leaning on a bat in his familiar #3 Yankees uniform on the day it was retired in 1948. What many people don't know is the Yankees were playing the Indians that day, and as the Babe emerged onto the field, he grabbed a bat at random from the Indians' batboy, and it just so happened to be Bob Feller's. That bat was later autographed by Ruth, and he died two months later. After falling into the hands of several owners, it eventually found its way back to Bob Feller and his museum to the tune of $96,000. You can still faintly make out Ruth's distinctive signature on the barrel, as well as Feller's autograph. The museum only takes about 20 minutes to go through, even at Erik's slow museum pace. It is well worth the time and admission price for any baseball fans driving through central Iowa.

After the museum, we finished the drive to suburban Des Moines. We spent the day with my friend Karl and his family at the Iowa State Fair, featuring most notably giant buckets of cookies, a 3500-lb bull, and a full-scale cow made out of butter. It was the 3rd State Fair Erik and I have been too, and it's interesting to note the pros and cons of each. We had a great day being unhealthy and taking in a huge slice of Americana.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.25:
Brewers 61-63, -10.0 (3 v. Reds, 3 v. Pirates)
Reds 52-71, -18.5 (3 @ Brewers, 3 v. Dodgers)
Twins 62-63, -4.5 (3 v. Orioles, 3 v. Rangers)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 40 (+21 worked)
Peter - 52

Arroyo: Yeah I take unapproved supplements, what of it?

In a shocking story that was released last week, Bronson Arroyo talked candidly with the media about his continuing supplement use, including his use of androstenedione for six seasons, a substance that was banned by Major League Baseball in 2004. Even more shocking than the story itself is the low amount of press it is getting - comparitively, the Youkilis-Porcello incident got three days on ESPN to Arroyo's one. It's understandable that the media wants to start filtering out these supplement-use stories from the news, because people will just continue making their own judgments anyways, but Arroyo's case is much different than Ortiz or Ramirez's, to use recent examples. Unlike the 100-some names on this supposed "list" from 2003, Bronson is and has been flaunting his use of various drugs, many of which have not been approved by Major League Baseball. He keeps his Halloween-like assortment of pills, powders, and liquids in plain sight in his locker, and he's proud of it.

In a story covered by USA Today, Arroyo admits to using "10-12 different things a day, and on the days I pitch, there's four more things." Among these things are a caffeine drink, Korean ginseng, various muscle enhancers like Creatine and TriFlex, various proteins, and vitamins. Many of these things seem harmless, but many have not been approved yet by Major League Baseball, and Arroyo says that he will continue taking them until either the MLB bans them, or until he fails a drug test. It's not uncommon for over-the-counter supplements to be laced with some sort of steroid, and a failed drug test seems to be a very real possibility. But Bronson, cool and brutally honest as always, isn't letting it bother him: "I haven't failed any tests, so I figure I'm good...I'm not going to stop now...People can think what they want of me, I don't give a f---."

I searched far and wide for any follow-up responses to this, or any sort of news coverage outside of Cincinnati media markets, and I could not come up with anything other than a short AP release stating that Bronson has not yet been contacted by Major League Baseball, insofar that he knows. There are a few lesser-known online sources talking about this, but nothing from MLB.com or ESPN, and the commissioner's offices seems content on letting this slide. Kevin Youkilis gets a five-game suspension for charging the mound, but a guy that says he's been taking supplements since he was five and that KFC is more dangerous than steroids, and who would probably test positive for several different things, gets no discipline? It just goes to show you that people really don't care what happens off the field as long as their team wins, and Bronson agrees. The shock value of the steroid era is gone. "It might be dangerous," Arroyo says, "but so is drinking and driving. And how many of us do it at least once a year? Pretty much everybody...I don't regret a thing. Neither should anyone else." I don't advocate Arroyo's drug use, but he doesn't seem to either - he clearly wants to be punished. He is admittedly a product of that era and indirectly seems to be challenging baseball to release that supposed "list." However sick of it the public may be, baseball needs more honest, opinionated players like Arroyo to get us past all of this for once and for all. Now please don't write a book about it, then say you regret releasing the information and go bankrupt like Jose Canseco.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.17:
Brewers 58-59, -8.0 (3 @ Pirates, 4 @ Nationals)
Reds 50-67, -16.0 (3 v. Giants, 3 @ Pirates)
Twins 56-61, -6.0 (4 @ Rangers, 3 @ Royals)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 37 (+21 worked)
Peter - 49

Reds quietly having a pretty terrible season

It was not too long ago that the Reds were threatening in the NL Central, but since the All-Star Break, they are 6-17 and are only above the perennial cellar-dwelling Pirates in the division. I know Cincinnati to be one of the biggest baseball towns in America, but these days, the only thing bringing fans to the ballpark is the fact that looking ahead to the Bengals season is even more depressing. I've been following the Reds a lot more since I've moved to Iowa, and watching them embarrass themselves on a nightly basis makes me feel much better about the Brewers' frustrating second half. Some of it is bad luck, but Dusty Baker and the front office have turned what little talent this team had into a huge mess. The final straw for me was the baffling Encarnacion-for-Rolen trade the Reds pulled off. Smaller market teams have to dump payroll during the season if they're not doing so hot -or even if they are doing decently, see Pirates - that's just part of baseball, and I understand that. So with that mentality, I immediately thought when the Reds started backsliding that Harang, Arroyo, and/or Cordero were all going to get traded by the deadline. Instead, they mortage their future by trading their young third baseman for a slightly better hitting but much older and injury-prone one in Scott Rolen. J.P. Riccardi was laughing all the way to the bank when he pulled off that deal, because now he gets to keep Halladay next year with all the money he saved getting rid of Rolen. Way to go, Reds.

So then you start to think, maybe the Reds think they can contend, wow they were actually buyers at the deadline. But no, shortly after that Corey Patterson gets released, and probably their best setup man, David Weathers, got traded to the Brewers. And then Jay Bruce goes to the DL, so comes the deal to bring it all together - the Wladamir Balentien trade. What? Who is this fuckin guy? Really, no other outfield options out there to fill that void? I seem to recall the Red Sox and Rays each having a large surplus of outfielders, all of which are of the popular mediocre-talent, past-their-prime if they ever had one, high-price variety that the Reds like. There's seriously nobody you liked on the Pirates? I'm sure they'd have thrown in a couple pitchers and a bag of bats in the trade too. Speaking of the Pirates, the only remaining member of the 2004 Reds (the first year I lived in Cincinnati) is Aaron Harang, and he leads the league in losses with 13.

Don't worry, it's not just Walt Jocketty that is terrible, you're in this too Dusty. Do you want to maybe stop running pitchers out there in the 7th and 8th with well over 100 pitches? I watched the game the other night when Justin Lehr, who is no longer a promising young prospect but is enjoying a fantastic year at AAA, was trotted out to complete a game in which the Reds were up by 4 and Lehr was at 103 pitches in his 2nd start with the team, and all the while $44 million closer Francisco Cordero was available on the bench, who was clearly fresh from his lack of save opportunities. Dusty Baker has always been known as a guy that ignores pitch counts, and his hiring coinciding with the promotions of Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez, and Johnny Cueto in 2008 was a BAD omen. Since Lehr's complete game, Eddy Volquez had Tommy John surgery, and former project Mark Prior was cut by the Padres. See also Kerry Wood and Shawn Estes. Part of the problem is that Baker has been blessed with an awesome starting staff everywhere he's managed, thus inclining him to leave his pitchers out their longer, and helping to blind the public to what a horrible manager, both of the game and of pitchers specifically, Dusty really is.

As with the case of the Brewers, despite press ridicule of the manager, there's still no clear-cut solution. In the end, a healthy 25 guys that all contribute throughout the course of the season is what makes the difference, and the Reds have just been very poor in both the categories of staying healthy and performing this year. I mean, Scott Rolen took a pitch in the head in his first game as a Red, and their best hitter Joey Votto was on the DL for a month with sadness - there's not much you can do about that. Willy Taveras has not been getting on base, and when he does, he's too hurt to steal, and guys aren't driving him in except for Votto. Even former #1 prospect Jay Bruce's average dipped to about .240 before he went on the DL. It will be interesting to see just how well the Reds ride out the storm and how many moves are made in the offseason, because the Reds will eventually need about 40% of their payroll to lock up Votto and Bruce.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.10
Brewers 55-56, -6.0 (3 v. Padres, 3 v. Astros)
Reds 48-62, -12.5 (3 @ Cardinals, 4 v. Nationals)
Twins 54-57, -5.5 (3 v. Royals, 3 v. Indians)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 36 (+18 worked)
Peter - 48

Alexian Field

All photos of Alexian Field available on Flickr.

"Click here to win free Schaumburg Flyers tickets." Sometimes, that's all it takes to get Erik and I to go to a ballgame. Any long-time followers of this blog know the extent of which we plan baseball trips, but in the case of Friday's excursion, a baseball trip found us. Little beknownst to Erik that a mindless cursor click on a Facebook ad would result in two free tickets arriving at his doorstep, and a brief but fun roadtrip to Schaumburg, Illinois to close out July.

My office's half-day Fridays allowed me to meet Erik in Schaumburg an hour prior to the 6:45 game. Schaumburg is on the outskirts of the Chicago suburban area to the northwest, and has about 75,000 residents. As usual, driving through Illinois was horrible, as I had to contend with a half-dozen spots along US-20 where a two-lane road was reduced to one by flaggers, and almost an hour of congestion at I-39. Despite the ordeal, I managed to arrive about 20 minutes before Erik, and I passed the time by reading a souvenir program on a bench. Even before going inside, I knew this would be a great night - live band playing on the concourse, scantilly-clad dance team passing out flyers, and parking plus a program (which for some reason is NOT called "The Schaumburg Flyer") for a total of $1.

The front of the stadium is very tall with a nice shady courtyard. When Erik arrived, we tried getting in on the ground floor, but we ended up having to ascend a staircase and enter on the concourse level, since the main entry was actually on field-level. The ground level doors lead only to the clubhouses and team store, and makes the facade extremely massive in order to accomodate this entry. This means that what appears to be the main entry is mostly unused, and you have to descend a back fire stair to get to the store from the concourse, both obvious design flaws. The rest of the park was a familiar single-deck setup featuring a large suite & pressbox area above the concourse. Erik and I were both very impressed with the multiple sizes of souvenir cups and the Flyers logo being displayed on everything throughout the park, from napkins to bathroom doors. There was also a good, cheap beer selection that we both approved of, and the new party suite along 1st on the upper level looked amazing. After walking around for a few minutes and taking some pictures, we got some beers and food and took our complimentary seats on the lawn by the left field foul pole.

The game itself was all offense, as Winnipeg pounded the Flyers 12-4. After the 5-run first, the game moved along very quickly despite the 21 combined hits. Both starters faired decently for an independent league game, each giving up 4 over 6; but, when Schaumburg went to the 'pen in the 7th, Winnipeg showed why they had the best record in the league. Josh Giles gave up 6 earned runs over 1.2 for the Flyers, including homeruns by each of the top 3 hitters in the lineup. We were concerned at first if the guy operating the manual scoreboard was going to be able to accomodate a 10-spot in the 8th for the Goldeyes, but thankfully for him they only plated 8 that inning. The very unsafe postgame festivities included a weak fireworks display in the woods behind the centerfield wall, and an event dubbed the "World's Largest Dizzy Bat Race." We then made a quick visit down the fire stair to the team store and parted ways for home.

One more stadium crossed off the list, and I have now seen 2/3 of the 6-team Northern League. Hopefully we can make it back to Kansas City someday to catch a KC T-Bones/Fargo game so I can complete the league tour.

park stats and rankings:
aesthetics - 4
views from park - 3 (woods)
view to field - 4 (lawn section was steeply pitched, made it hard to turn and view game)
surrounding area - 4
food variety - 6
nachos - 5 (standard)
beer - 7 (decent selection and price, bonus points for Leines Lodge and Labatts)
vendor price - 7
ticket price - 10 (sat by kids area)
atmosphere - 5
walk to park - 3
parking proximity - 9 (across the street for free)
concourses - 2 (convoluted vertical circulation & entry)
team shop - 6 (bonus points for sweet new logo)

best food - "moist" italian beef sandwich
most unique stadium feature - fire stair to team store
best jumbotron feature - US & Canadian flags for anthems
best between-inning feature - world's largest dizzy bat race

field dimensions - 355/400/353
starters - Mark Michael (WPG) v. Edwin Almonte (SCH)
opponent - Winnipeg Goldeyes
time of game - 2:47
attendance - 5992
score - 12-4 L
Brewers score that day - 11-7 L

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.03
Brewers 52-53, -4.5 (3 @ Dodgers, 3 @ Astros)
Reds 45-59, -11.0 (3 v. Cubs, 3 @ Giants)
Twins 52-53, -3.0 (3 @ Indians, 3 @ Tigers)

RACE FOR 2009 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 36 (+18 worked)
Peter - 47