6/22/07

6/10 - USA Military All-Stars vs. Cape Cod League Select Team @ Eldredge Park in Orleans, MA

The Cape Cod League season started a little early this season, with a team of players from around the League kicking things off against a squad of the best baseball players from around the US Armed Forces, who go around barnstorming amateur teams around the world and who are, apparently, very good - they had a gaudy record of something like 14-0 coming into the two-game set on the Cape.

The first game was played Saturday night (6/9) in Chatham, but I wasn't able to go because I was in Lowell that night. The Cape League team won the game 3-1.

The second game, the one I did attend, was held at Eldredge Park, home to the Cape Cod League's Orleans Cardinals.

Of all the Cape Cod League's parks, Eldredge Park may very well be the most distinguishable, unless you count Wareham with its pitch black infield. Eldredge Park has four very unique characteristics.

First is the giant hill just out of play on the first base/right field line. This is where the majority of the fans who attend games in Orleans sit, in leiu of bleachers. They usually bring beach chairs (a Cape League standard at almost every park), but sometimes they sit out on a blanket. If you want to have a picnic and watch baseball, Eldredge Park is the place to do it. In addition to having your picnic on the grass on a blanket, there are also some picnic tables out beyone the outfield fence. But the hill is definately the place to be, if you arrive early enough to get a choice spot.

The second feature is Route 28, one of the Cape's two major highways (Interstate 6 is the other) that run from one end of the Cape to the other. 28 also runs right down the third base/left field line, a fact that your reminded of everytime a passing motorist decides to blare his horn when he sees the crowd gathered (this is just as annoying as it reads), or whenever a fould ball is hit over the road, and the PA announcer reminds the spectators that it isn't worth it to try and cross the highway to get yourself a $4-5 ball (in a Darwinian sense, perhaps this is better left unsaid, but I guess the League has some legal obligations there).

The third feature is the giant bandstand right beyond the right-centerfield wall. It's a good 10 feet behind the barrier, which makes the home run that new Oriole #1 pick Matt Weiters hit off of it last summer a fairly impressive shot. If you can't get a spot on the hill, the bandstand isn't a bad place to set up your beach chair, either. You aren't quite as close to the action, but sitting a good 15 feet up looking out over the outfield fence gives you a more than decent view. Especially if you bring the binos.

The fourth distinguishing feature is the field itself, or rather, the shape of the field. Eldredge Park is part of a larger recreational facility that hosts all matter of sporting events, including, apparently, youth soccer games, which take place in right field when the Cardinals aren't using it. In order to make enough room for the soccer field, but to keep the outfield walls within reasonable distance of home plate, the outfield walls run in a straight line from the left and right foul poles to meet in what can only be described as the centerfield corner. The result of this odd shape is that the left and right field corners are very shallow - 300 and 304' feet, respectively - the power alleys are of moderate depth - 358' and 360' - and the centerfield corner is a preposterous 434' from the plate.

The game itself wasn't much to write home about. The US military team kept trying to give the game away early, making 4 errors in the first 3 innings, but the Cape team wasn't having any of it. A ridiculous rally that included an infield hit, a walk, a hit batter, and a bloop single that had no business falling in put the Cape team up 2-1 in the fifth, after the military had jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Dad and I were starting to get a little chilly around the 7th inning, and the game didn't exactly have us riveted, so we took off, apparently just missing the fireworks. Indeed, the 8th inning was a big one for the Cape League, who put 6 runs on the board in that frame, while we were busy having dinner at a delicious clam bar in Orleans called Land Ho!. That was all the scoring, as the Cape team won the game 8-1 to sweep the two-game series.

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I wanted to write a little bit about the Orioles. Recently, the Orioles finally gave the boot to Sam Perlozzo, a month after Mother's Day, but better late than never. More importantly, perhaps, though, was the appointment of Andy MacPhail to the position of "Chief Operations Officer" of the team. This title puts him in charge of the club's baseball operations, and means that in all probability the Flannaquette experiment is over. It also hopefully means that Angelos is willing to loosen his death grip on the franchise and let some basbell people do their jobs. Time will tell, and sooner rather than later. With the trading deadline just over a month away, we should start to see some Orioles on the move in short order, and who is deciding just who goes and where should give us an indication of who is pulling the strings on a larger level.

Much more publicized in the national media, though, was the team's apparently fruitless pursuit of 2006 NL Manager of the Year and current Yankee broadcaster Joe Girardi. The two flirted for some time before Girardi finally withdrew, citing issues of timing.

The narrative that has developed is that the Orioles are such a horrible team, no respectable managerial candidate would dare consider the post.

Except that Girardi did consider it. But it made no sense for him to accept the job at this time, regardless of his level of interest. Even if he was/is interested in the job, it makes much more sense for him to wait until the offseason, when the Orioles job will still be up for grabs, in all probability, and he'd have other options to consider as well, as opposed to right now, when the O's are the only team in the manager market.

As for the Orioles, going after Girardi was the right thing to do - just because it didn't make sense for Girardi to sign now doesn't mean you don't try and see if you can get him to, and from all accounts they almost did. Now the thing to do is wait. There is no hurry to go and get any of the other candidates on their list - they are all going to be around for a while. Watch Trombley, see how he does, let him worry about managing the team through the latter half of this season, when some of the better players on the roster (Tejada? Hernandez? Trachsel?) will be gone. And, hell, maybe this offseason Girardi might be more ready to accept the job. If not, Davey Johnson should be just as available then as he is now. No reason to rush, anymore. Priority #1 for the O's at this moment needs to be getting Weiters signed, and getting him to Frederick or Bowie.

I'm going to be in Maryland this weekend, which means my next post on any blog would be, at the earliest, this blog on Tuesday. I'm hoping to have a recap of the Frederick Keys vs. the Wilmington Blue Rocks, but we'll see...till then...

6/5/07

Today, I'm going to do my formal write-ups of my first two baseball games of the summer.

5/11 - Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles @ Fenway Park in Boston, MA

Since baseball in New England begins and ends with Fenway Park, it is only fitting that my first game of the summer up here takes place at that venerated field. Fenway Park opened in 1912, making 2007 its 96th season as home of the Red Sox. The field is very short down each line, 310' to the left field corner and 302' down the right field line. However, the left field fence, known as the Green Monster, measures 37' feet high, and while the right field fence is very low, it curves out very quickly, making it difficult for a left-handed hitter to pull the ball out of the park unless he hits it right down the line.

The ballpark definately shows its age. The seats are mostly wooden and rather uncomfortable, especially since they were constructed for someone about 1 foot shorter and at least 100 punds lighter than I. In many parts of the park, the seats are at an awkward angle, but this was not an issue behind the plate, where I was sitting.

The game itself was a gem. It was a beautiful night, with game time temperatures around 70 degrees. The Orioles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Red Sox tied the score in the bottom of the second. Orioles starter Brian Burress kept getting into trouble, but then getting himself back out of it, leaving the bases loaded in the 2nd and 3rd innings. The Red Sox would also leave the bases loaded in the 7th. The Orioles scored 3 runs in the top of the 5th to get a 5-2 lead. The Red Sox scored one in the bottom of the 7th, but Kevin Millar hit a sac fly in the very next inning to get the run back and provide the final run in the O's 6-3 victory.

5/22 - Lowell High vs. Dracut High @ LeLacheur Field in Lowell, MA

LeLacheur Field is the home to the Single-A Lowell Spinners of the New York/Penn League, as well as the annual Lowell Spinners High School World Series, of which this was the Championship Game. Lowell had defeated Chelmsford the day before, and Dracut had beat Billerica.

The field is typical for a minor league park. The seats only extend from foul line to foul line - there are no seats beyond the outfield walls in fair territory. The outfield dimensions would be the same on both sides, except that Aiken street, which runs around the park, forces the right field fence to angle dramatically toward the foul line, resulting in a mere 301' foot distance down the right field line. 337' is the distance to the left field pole, and the power alleys are a matching 368', 400' to dead center.

Unfortunately, the game was not entertaining at all. Dracut stormed out to a 1-0 lead in the first, but they were done scoring from that point on. Lowell tied the game in the bottom of the first, and then in the second inning the wheels came off for Dracut. Lowell scored no fewer than 11 times in the second frame, and Dracut never recovered. When Kait and I left the park, after the 4th of 7 innings, the score had risen to 16-1, and Lowell would score 4 more times after we left to finish at a 20-1 margin. Dracut made 6 or 7 errors.

Ok, hopefully my next two games will come this weekend in Connecticut. I still haven't heard from Kerry yet, but as the tickets don't appear to be hard to come by for those two teams, this isn't a crisis. Politics tomorrow, till then...

6/1/07

For some time now I have been referencing my plans to go to a number of Lowell Spinners games in my personal blog. What I haven't really gone into in detail is that the Spinners are just a part of my larger plan to see a multitude of baseball games all over New England. In fact, in total, right now I have plans to see no fewer than 40 games total this spring. Those games will span every professional park in New England as well as every park in the Cape Cod League. My experiences are going to be documented here, usually on Tuesdays, but with the occasional Friday post, as well. This is my planned itenerary.

5/11 - Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles (MLB)
5/22 - Dracut Midshipmen vs. Lowell Red Raiders (HS)
6/9 - New Britain Rock Cats vs. Bowie Baysox (AA)
6/10 - Connecticut Defenders vs. Binghamton Mets (AA)
6/16 - Wareham Gatemen vs. Harwich Mariners (Cape)
6/17 - Orleans Cardinals vs. Chatham Athletics (Cape)
6/18 - Bourne Braves vs. Orleans Cardinals (Cape)
6/23 - Cotuit Kettlers vs. Wareham Gatemen (Cape)
6/24 - Chatham Athletics vs. Orleans Cardinals (Cape)
6/25 - Hyannis Mets vs. Falmouth Commodores (Cape)
6/28 - New Hampshire Fisher Cats vs. New Britain Rock Cats (AA)
6/30 - Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox vs. Orleans Cardinals (Cape)
7/1 - Harwich Mariners vs. Wareham Gatemen (Cape)
7/3 - Lowell Spinners vs. Tri-City Valley Cats (A)
7/7 - Falmouth Commodores vs. Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (Cape)
7/8 - Brewster Whitecaps vs. Orleans Cardinals (Cape)
7/9 - Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox vs. Harwich Mariners (Cape)
7/13 - Lowell Spinners vs. Batavia Muckdogs (A)
7/14 - Cotuit Kettlers vs. Hyannis Mets (Cape)
7/15 - Brewster Whitecaps vs. Falmouth Commodores (Cape)
7/15 - Chatham Athletics vs. Orleans Cardinals (Cape)
7/16 - Bourne Braves vs. Cotuit Kettlers (Cape)
7/20 - Lowell Spinners vs. Williamsport Crosscutters (A)
7/21 - Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Louisville Bats (AAA)
7/22 - Orleans Cardinals vs. Wareham Gatemen (Cape)
7/23 - Bourne Braves vs. Cotuit Kettlers (Cape)
8/1 - Lowell Spinners vs. Brooklyn Cyclones (A)
8/4 - Hyannis Mets vs. Cotuit Kettlers (Cape)
8/5 - Harwich Mariners vs. Orleans Cardinals (Cape)
8/6 - Bourne Braves vs. Falmouth Commodores (Cape)
8/10 - Lowell Spinners vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (A)
8/16 - Lowell Spinners vs. Vermont Lake Monsters (A)
8/18 - Portland Sea Dogs vs. New Britain Rock Cats (AA)
8/19 - Portland Sea Dogs vs. New Britain Rock Cats (AA)
8/22 - Lowell Spinners vs. Aberdeen Iron Birds (A)
8/23 - Lowell Spinners vs. Aberdeen Iron Birds (A)
8/24 - Lowell Spinners vs. Aberdeen Iron Birds (A)
8/25 - Vermont Lake Monsters vs. Brooklyn Cyclones (A)
8/26 - Vermont Lake Monsters vs. Brooklyn Cyclones (A)
8/31 - Lowell Spinners vs. Tri-City Valley Cats (A)

Those are the 40 games, as they stand in my mind. I may or may not go to all of them, I may or may not go to some that are not listed here. For example, I could very well go to some of the Cape League post-season games on the weekend of 8/11, and if the Spinners make the NY Penn League Playoffs, I will certainly try to get tickets for at least some of those games. Some of the games I already have tickets for, two of them, of course, I've already been to (I'll do my formal write-up of those two games on Tuesday).

You'll notice that half of the games are Cape League. This is for one very simple reason: Cape League games are free (they take donations at the gate, but they're optional and they'll be happy if you give them a couple bucks). 3/4 of the games are either Cape League or Spinners games, and the reason for this is that my apartment is in Lowell and my parents have a house on the Cape, so those are the games that are most convenient for me. But, as I said earlier, I do plan on visiting each and every professional ballpark in New England for at least one game.

Well, we'll see how it goes. Politics sometime this weekend, if I get around to it. Till then...