Minor League Baseball

[metsguy234]

I'm like 20 minutes away from Richmond County Bank Ballpark, where the SI Yankees play- I saw one game there but was incredibly bored as I hadn't heard of any of the players on either team- I have no plans to return.

I'd see a Cyclones game (which'd be like an hour drive) but again, I wouldn't know anyone playing that night.

I'd love to see a AAA game though, since I know of most of (if not all of) the players on the Bisons

[ragecage]

I live about 10 minutes away from the Single A affiliate for the D'Backs, its a cheap fun experience, because you can talk smack and they hear it, and everything from the tickets, food and beer is cheap. You can have a lot of fun off of 20 bucks.

[Alloutwar]

I saw last night's PawSox/Charlotte Knights game. One thing I didn't know, was that Randor Bierd, who the Sox got for David Pauley, was being converted to a starter. He allowed 3 hits in 6 innings, no runs. The PawSox were up 4-0, as Aaron Bates hit a huge homer to center.

Then the manager let Hunter Jones come in, and he gives up 3 hits in a row - and he STILL leaves him in, as the next hitter is a lefty. Vasquez was out in the bullpen - it was 4-2, and he left Jones in with men on 2nd and 3rd. Perfect time for a two-run double. Jones was throwing batting practice, and before you know it the Knights take the lead, 5-4. Ridiculous.

The PawSox rallied back in the 8th to tie it up, 5-5. I bailed after the 10th. Apparently, the Sox won in 12.

Notes:
Aaron Bates hit a massive homer to deep center
Chris Carter is a good all-around hitter - took some walks (one intentional)
Chris Duncan is very tall, lanky, pale, and couldn't hit a beachball
Brian Anderson has a terrific arm - his assist from center was a rocket and kept the game at 5-4, allowing the PawSox to come back. Can't hit much, but fielded superbly.
Randor Bierd wasn't unhittable, but he mowed them down. 6 innings, 3 hits - good stuff from him.

Three more games to go!

[Alloutwar]

Took in a pretty good AAA game last night PawSox vs. Charlotte Knights.

Pitching matchup: Michael Bowden vs Freddy Garcia.

Garcia induced a few key double plays to keep things even. Bowden gained strength as he went - a little shakey at first, but striking out the side convincingly in the 5th. This guy has potential, just a bit more poise and he'll be there.

Aaron Bates continued to smack the ball around - he had a massive shot to center Monday, and got a few good smacks again. I dunno about Lars Anderson, but Bates plays good D, takes his pitches, and hits for power. I like him.

Javier Vasquez made some pretty good pitches in relief. Chris Duncan hit a massive shot, and also made a diving play in LF, then threw in to double a runner off second. He was impressive tonight.

The best, though, was Brian Anderson in center - again, chasing everything imaginable down, and for the second straight night he cut down a runner at the plate. This guy can run and field, and has a cannon arm - dead on to the catcher's mitt every time. I wouldn't mind seeing him as a 4th/5th outfielder, for PR or defensive replacements only even.

PawSox win decisively, 4-0.

[Alloutwar]

Last night was recently promoted AA sox right-hander Adam Mills, vs crafty lefty Wes whistler for the Knights.

PawSox jump out to an early 2-run lead, but then Mills was beaten up badly - 5 runs in the first!! This guy couldn't get an out. He was pulled, eventually, for lefty Billy Traber, who did much better.

Player             IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA 
Mills, A (L, 0-1) 2.0 9 5 5   1  0  0  22.50

Not much good to report as a PawSox fan. Only 3 hits, two from Chris Carter. One from Jeff Bailey. The third baseman, Angel Chavez, seems so lazy - at least two trappable balls went by him, and he is more likely to fall on the ball and smother it than dive or make a good play. Dude can't hit well, but is a liability in the field.

Brian Anderson, again, was fantastic in center. He could come up for his glove, Carter maybe for his bat.

[Alloutwar]

Saw Jake Peavy's rehab start for the AAA Charlotte Knights. Pretty good stuff - only 1 hit in three innings. He looked like he is rebounding nicely.

Maybe he'll stick around a few weeks in Charlotte. The stadium was packed tonight (maybe because it was $2 Thirsty Thursday sponsored by Hooters). This is the busiest I have seen the Knights stadium in quite a while - usually I can drive up and maybe there are 3-4 cars ahead of me waiting to park. Tonight there was a line of 40+. Lines were so bad at the concession stands that I gave up a few times.

The Hooters chicks handing out programs were nice.

Downside, of course, to $2 beer night (besides the beer being Natural Light), is that a lot of stupid jerks get wasted.

My seats were immediately compromised, as a group of four - a dad, his friend, and their two obnoxious high-school kids - sat directly behind us. The loudly screamed CHARGE whenever the audio would play (you know, the ba-ba da BAMP ba DAAA! bit they play at games). They also attempted to heckle the PawSox, and cheer on the Knights players...that they never heard of before. Nothing wrong with cheering on your home team - even though they were seated in the wrong section entirely, being that I was right behind the PawSox dugout. But these jerks combined being loud and ignorant, with constant commentary that really wasn't funny. Man, I hope I'm not that bad when I get loud at a game - people around typically laugh, so I think I'm ahead of these jerks in that regard.

Towards the late innings some drunken guys higher up in the stands began the inevitable one-on-one conversations with the pitchers. PawSox are down 5-3, and their reliever Marcus McBeth is in the game. He's throwing a 71mph curve, and the buffoon is yelling "Throw it just like that again, Marcus baby! He can't catch up to it!" Now I can see yelling to players in say, the first 5, even 10 rows. But once you get 30+ rows back...they're not going to hear you over the general din. Why punish the people around you, while blowing out your vocal cords? Maybe - maybe - at an MLB game, with fandom at all. Not AAA.

The same guy slurred this out: "You're money, Marcus baby! Throw it like that, he hasn't got the disthlipline!"

It was one of those rare nights when you get to see complete a-holes of the 17 year old variety, and also what they will become in another 10-15 years once they can drink in public. Ah, humanity.

[Alloutwar]

Some pictures of Jake Peavey's minor league start in Charlotte.

Note the stadium filling up, and Homer the dragon observing the national anthem.

[Alloutwar]

I saw baseball players before any of you.

 
     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E 
CHW  0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3  -  -  
CHA  0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 - 4  -  -

Watched Peavy's start as the White Sox took on their AAA affiliate Charlotte Knights tonight. The AAA Knights WON, 4-3. 3 big homers, including one by Tyler Flowers. That kid threw out a baserunner too - he didn't show off an arm warming up, and it was mostly bad running, but decent.

Got close up shots of Beckham, Quentin, Kotsay, Omar Vizquel, Guillen, and Peavy. Good stuff.

Peavy looked just Okay, but soon the Knights bats caught up to him, a hit, then a 2-run shot, then another homer to follow it up. Flowers hit the winning shot to make it 4-2.

[etothep]

Heard parking at Knights Castle is free this season

[Alloutwar]

The signs all said $5 still. Sometimes places let you in if you have 4 or more people in the car - Tropicana field was good for that. Excellent, smart move, subsidizing carpooling and appearing to have a heart.

Last night, all the lost were full aand they were sending cars up onto the grass, so they stopped collecting. I didn't have to pay, but the F*'ers had money bags they were happily handing off to each other.

God I hate people charging $5 for a 3-hour rental of asphalt.

[Alloutwar]

Wow, I forgot to post anything for the PawSox/Charlotte Knights games I saw. It was about 3 weeks ago now - and I actually missed the first 2 of the series. Stupid work, having to stay late.

In addition to that, I went to a Knights game where they played the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the AAA affiliate for the Phillies. Nothing good on that team. When ex-yankee third baseman Cody Ransom is your biggest name, you are gonna get beat.

Today I saw the Indianapolis Indians, AAA team for the Pirates. The only name on this team that rings out is Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez is a large guy, looks almost out of shape. He throws the ball lazily, which contributed to an error when his throw pulled the 2B off the bag for a force. I thought he was pretty overrated at that point - till I saw him take an at-bat. Excellent bat control and eye. He worked a walk, and had another pretty good at bat. Not tearing it up, but there's something there.

On the Knights side - Jordan Danks, John Danks' brother, was unstoppable today. Walks, hits - he was always on base. Lanky #15 was always on first, then second, and I believe he scored the Knights second run. Dayan Viciendo hit a rocket out for the other.

[filihok]

Kyle Drabek no-hitter

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...g_box&did=milb

[gosensgo101]

Kyle Drabek no-hitter

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...g_box&did=milb

Awesome!

Edit: And here's a story.

[free2131]

Went to the Montgomery Biscuits game on 7-5. They played the Birmingham Barons, and it was a pretty ugly game. Barons won 10-7 and errors were plentiful and pitching was bad. The stadium was great though.

It was built around an old train depot and the team incorporated some of the old building into the design and turned them into boxes. Just beyond the outfield is a train track and at least twice during a night game, the train runs through. I wish I would have remembered my camera because the sight of a train rolling by during the game was cool. Overall a very nice stadium.

(I wanted to go to the Gwinnett Braves games, but tickets would have been more than double what I paid to go to the Biscuit game AND they were worse seats. No thanks.)

[filihok]

I've never been to a World Series game, but, if I'm still in Albuquerque in September, I can go to the AAA Championship Game