How we do things U.P. North
Great little story from my own Lake Superior State University about the girls softball team. With the team getting a little sick and tired of practicing in doors, our second year head coach Lori Shimasaki decided to shake things up, and take it outside. Despite the cold sup-zero weather and waist-high snow, the girls took in some diving drills, and used the snow to their advantage. Things like this are great for team bonding and morale. I don’ t think the team will be out much today, though, as I write this we’re suffering from freezing rain/sleet/snow. Brutal.
Photo courtesy of LSSU Athletics
Whitecaps Update 1/12
Ernie Young Returns: Ernie Young will return in 2012 for his second season managing the West Michigan Whitecaps. The Whitecaps were 70-69 under Young last season, and barely missed the playoffs. He also led Team USA to a silver medal at the Pan-Am Games in October. Also returning for his fifth season in West Michigan will be pitching coach Mark Johnson. Scott Dwyer will be replacing Ben Oglivie as the hitting coach in 2012. Dwyer spent the last two seasons as the hitting coach for the short-season Class-A Connecticut Tigers.
2012 Winter Banquet: The 18th annual Whitecaps Winter Baseball Banquet took place yesterday at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids. It was hosted by ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian. Kurkjian has been with ESPN since 1998, as a reporter for Baseball Tonight and senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Also in attendance were current Detroit Tigers pitchers Rick Porcello and Doug Fister. The event included a silent auction with proceeds going to the YMCA Inner-City Youth Baseball and Softball Programs and the Detroit Tigers foundation. It’s estimated that about $461,000 has been raised from the previous banquets.
Whitecaps HOF: Two former players and one manager have been selected to the 2012 West Michigan Whitecaps Hall of Fame. Having the most impact on baseball in West Michigan without a doubt was former manager Matt Walbeck. Walbeck led the Whitecaps to a Midwest League championship in his first year at the helm in 2004. Two seasons later, he won another championship in 2006 (the Whitecaps won the title in 2007 under Tom Brookens after Walbeck was promoted to AA Erie). He managed the ‘Caps for three seasons with a 238-181 record. Walbeck seemed to enjoy this time with the Detroit Tigers Class A team, too, in his statements to the Grand Rapids Press:
“It was a perfect spot to start my managerial career. It’s a great sports town, with super fans there and I just could not ask for a better situation for me and my career as a manager. It’s a tremendous honor, and something that I am really looking forward to (the HOF). It’s truly and honor to be among the names that are in that Hall of Fame.”
Joining Walbeck, are former players Ramon Santiago and Ben Greive. Santiago (currently with the Tigers) earned midseason and postseason Midwest League All-Star honors during the 2000 season. He was named the best defensive shortstop by Baseball America and finished the season with a .272 batting average. Grieve played for the ‘Caps in 1995, and came in as a first-round draft pick by the Oakland A’s (parent club at the time). He broke into the big leagues with Oakland in 1997, and hit .288 with 41 doubles and 18 home runs as the 1998 American League Rookie of the Year. All three were inducted at the Winter Banquet.
Tiger Fridays at Fifth-Third Ballpark: Oh, yes, Tiger Fridays will be back for the 2012 season. The year six former Tigers will be a guest of the Whitecaps and signing autographs for baseball fans. The lineup includes: Lance Parrish (June 8), Bill Madlock (June 22), Willie Horton (July 6), Jon Warden (July 20), Howard Johnson (August 3), and Elroy Face (August 24). I can image that July 6 with Willie Horton will be a mad house. I haven’t had much luck getting to many of these games, but the few I’ve been to have been a lot of fun. Be prepared to wait in line for you autograph, though, and they usually give out a bobble-head at the gate.
Young photo property of M.I.B.
Walbeck photo courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press
Birthday Boy
Wow…It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since we were blessed with Brian in our lives, and team M.I.B. became complete. Time seems to fly when you have kids, and this last whole decade has basically been a blur. This should be a fun year with Brian, as he’s finally old enough to start tee-ball. He’s excited about playing and going to all the baseball games over the summer. He talks about the Whitecaps and Beach Bums quite a bit. Happy birthday Bri!!!!!!
Brian the day we brought him home sporting his first Whitecaps jersey:
Brian at the Whitecaps last summer:
Photos property of M.I.B.
Logo of the Month: Syracuse Chiefs
Current Chiefs Logos
Affiliation: Washington Nationals
League: International League (AAA)
Home Field: Alliance Bank Stadium
Location: Syracuse, New York
Notable Alumni: A.J. Burnett, Chris Carpenter, Carlos Delgado, Ron Guidry, Roy Halladay, Fred McGriff, Denny McLain, Thurmon Munson, Dion Sanders, Hank Sauer, and Stephen Strasburg.
Fun Facts: The first stop on our baseball trip this coming season will be in Syracuse. Lots of baseball history in this town, as they’ve been sporting professional baseball since 1877 with the Syracuse Stars. The Stars fielded to Major League teams, with one in 1879 (National League) and in 1890 (American Association). Syracuse was without a team sporadically, but was mostly able to field a team either in the Eastern League or New York/Penn League. The Chiefs name can be traced back to 1934, when the Jersey City Skeeters moved to Syracuse to become the Chiefs. The current franchise came in in 1961 when the Montreal Royals, and Syracuse has had a team ever since. There have been two players in history to have four home run games under their belts. Gene Locklear did it on July 14, 1977, while Michael Aubrey hit four over the fence on May 04, 2011 against the Durham Bulls.
Logos courtesy of the Syracuse Chiefs
Kids meet more World Champion Tigers
Not one to miss out on an adventure, I packed the kids up and headed for Traverse City to a baseball card show. I really like the shows and seeing all of the cool memorabilia for sale. This kids picked up a stack of baseball and hockey cards, and the little guy got some cars and comics. The only thing I really collect now is the team sets from the places we’ve visited. It’s fun to keep track of the Minor League players this way. We were also lucky enough that signing at this show were two former pitchers from the 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers, Dan Petry and Dave Rozema. Both players were very nice to the kids and loved talking baseball. Rozema arm-wrestled Brian for his World Series ring (he lost, darn it), but they shook hands afterward anyway. Rozema loved to tell stories of when he was in the minors and how the little ballparks compared to the ones today. Petry was also nice enough to get a photo taken with the kids and we talked some college hockey, as his son played for Michigan State. We really had a fun time and a good trip. The kids Papa also met us there from downstate, so it was good for the kids to visit with him, too. It was fun for me to meet these players, too, as the ’84 team was a fun memory from my childhood. Lily and Trevor are to the age where they’re starting to appreciate experiences like this now. I hope we can make it to the show in Grand Rapids this February to meet Denny McLain!
Dan Petry with Lily and Trevor
Dave Rozema shaking hands with Brian
Photos property of M.I.B.
Baseball Trip for 2012 Finalized
Working for the government, we have to pick our vacation almost a year in advance, which can cause problems in making plans, and planning trips. It used to be we had to pick our vacation days by January or December, which wasn’t bad because most Minor League ball clubs had their schedules posted by that time. Now we have to have them submitted by October, and all I can really do is pick a couple of weeks in May, and hope for the best.
This year the Baseball Gods smiled on me a bit, as I was able to put together a nice little trip in my allotted time, featuring Minor League Baseball, NCAA Baseball, and even a trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. There is a lot of fun and excitement for me when the 2012 schedules come out, and I can start writing games down on the calendar and see how everything will fit into place. It’s not always easy, as I like to pack as much baseball into one week as possible, but it is so much fun, and really gives me something to look forward to over the long winter months. Starting the first of the year, I can start making reservations, ordering tickets, and doing some research on the best sports bars in the areas we’ll be at. Here’s a little rundown of our plans for next May, and if the world is ending in 2012…then at least I die seeing the HOF…
The first leg of our trip takes us to Syracuse, New York, to see the Chiefs host the Rochester Red Wings in International League action (Triple-A). Our first game is a Sunday matinée at 2:00 p.m., then after a long drive it’s early to bed, as the Chiefs host the Red Wings again on Monday afternoon, with a 12:00 start time. I absolutely love doubling back to be at the ballpark in the morning when the grass is still wet with dew, and it brings so much more ambiance to the experience. No time to rest on Monday, though, as we travel to Rochester after the Chiefs game to watch the Scranton/WB Yankees host the Durham Bulls (Int. League/Triple-A). Wait..what? Yes, due to the S/WB Yanks renovating their stadium, they will be playing some home games in Rochester while the Red Wings are on the road, so we pick up an extra game due to that…thanks Yanks! I’ve always wanted to see the Durham Bulls play, too, and will probably be part of their cheering section. Ok, take a second to catch your breath…
The next stop on our trip is in fabled Cooperstown, New York, home to the one and only National Baseball Hall of Fame. This will be my first time here, and probably not be able to grasp how amazing it will be until I’ve actually seen it myself. I’ve been to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, which is breathtaking in itself, but no sport has the history that baseball does. No sport has had an impact on our country’s history the way baseball has, and right now I can’t even comprehend all the things that I will be seeing while there. I’m setting aside a full day and a half to take it all in, and maybe check out Doubleday Field and see if anything is going on there. All I can say is that I’m sure I’ll have lots of pictures to share! After the second day in Cooperstown, we travel south to see the Binghamton Mets host the Trenton Thunder in Eastern League action (Double-A). I’ve heard nothing but good things about the ballpark in Binghamton, and really enjoyed all of our Eastern League games last year, so I’m looking forward to this one. Hold on, though, ’cause we’re not done yet…
The next leg on our trip takes us back west, as we stop in Rochester once again, this time seeing the real home team Red Wings host the Louisville Bats. We saw the Bats a few years ago while in Louisville, so it will be nice to see them in action again, also. After a good night rest in Rochester, we’ll keep heading west to Buffalo, New York, for a pair of games. Our first stop will be the University at Buffalo where the Bulls host the Bowling Green State Falcons of the Mid-American Conference (NCAA). This game starts at 1:00 p.m., and gives us a chance to enjoy the campus before heading downtown for the night game. Keeping with the International League, we’ll be watching the Buffalo Bisons host the Gwinnett Braves in our final game in the state of New York. I actually saw the Bisons play a couple of time back in the 90′s when I was out that way working security for the World University Games and that was my first taste of the Minor Leagues. After the Bisons game we head back to Michigan…but why stop there?
After getting back on our Great Lake State, you’d think we’d just want to get home and get some rest, right? Wrong! Plenty of time to rest later, and while we’re heading back, we go right by Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and lucky for us the Central Michigan Chippewas will be hosting their biggest rival, the Western Michigan Broncos at 2:00 p.m. in more MAC action (NCAA). After that game, we’ll hit a cross-roads. The Whitecaps will be playing that night, and we could jot down to Grand Rapids to see them play or call it a day, or trip, or whatever, and head home. In all honesty, we’ll be making that a game-time decision. If my dad’s feeling up to it, I’ll be more than happy to take in one last game. The only problem is, I usually need a vacation to rest up after all of this…but that’s what I call a good problem.
By the time this trip comes around, I’m hoping to join this century and be able to make Twitter updates from my phone or something, and if anyone is in the area for any of these games, let me know and I’ll be happy to have a ticket waiting for you at the gate. I’ll also be bringing back the ‘Logo of the Month’, featuing each of the home teams until the trip, so keep an eye out for those.
‘Caps Dominate Detroit All-Stars
Recently MiLB.com released the Detroit Tigers organizational All-Stars. Basically they honor the players who had the best seasons in their organization, regardless of age or prospect status. The Whitecaps are highly represented here, in players from the 2011 season, and alumni from previous seasons. Plenty of players here that we’ve seen and met, and hoping to see at Comerica Park someday.
Henry pictured here with the Whitecaps in 2008, is one of the Tigers Organizational All-Stars at an outfielder.
Catcher-Rob Brantly. Brantly was hitting .303 with seven homers in 75 games with the Whitecaps before being promoted to Lakeland. He totaled a .274 average, 10 long balls, and 62 RBI’s between the two leagues.
First Base-Ryan Strieby. Spending the whole Minor League season in Toledo, he led all Minor-Leaguers in home runs with 19, and second with 76 RBI’s.
Second Base-Brandon Douglas. I remember Douglas well from his time in West Michigan. He spent the entire 2011 campaign in Double-A Erie. He hit .281, had a career-high 46 RBI’s, nailed 30 doubles, and scored 72 runs.
Third Base-Nick Castellanos. We saw Castallanos play plenty of times this season, and had the opportunity to see him progress. After a very slow start, he ended up hitting .312, had 76 RBI’s, 36 doubles, and 156 total hits. Tigers are banking on him, but he’s still a few years away.
Short Stop-Audy Ciriaco. Played most of the season with Erie (101 games), but also saw some time in Toledo (14 games). Between the two levels he batted .255, with 58 runs, and 57 RBI’s. This is the third season in a row that he’s seen a little action in Triple-A, so he needs to make the jump for good next season.
Outfield-Justin Henry. Believe it or not, I’ve been sitting on this pic of Henry since 2008 when he was with the Whitecaps, and playing second base. Not sure why they moved him to outfield with the Tigers needing infield help, but maybe Douglas playing the position so well could have something to do with that. All said, Henry split time with Erie and Toledo also. He hit .314 between the two, and stole 23 bases. He drove in 47 runs for Erie to be named to the Eastern League Midseason All-Star Team.
Outfield-Jamie Johnson. In only his third season as a pro, he spent the entire season with Erie, setting personal highs in RBI’s with 51, doubles with 33, and stolen bases with 14. His 93 runs scored was tops in the Eastern League.
Outfield-Timo Perez. Perez is 36, a former World Series Champion, and still going strong. Playing in Toledo, he hit .304 and stole 16 bases. He also pounded out six homers and 32 doubles. Most impressive, though, is that he only struck out 41 times in 473 at bats.
Utiliy-Tony Plagman. Plagman spent the season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, scoring 97 runs that led the organization. He hit .257, with 18 homers, 32 doubles, and 62 RBI’s. Good turn around for him, as he only hit five homers last season for the Whitecaps.
RHP/Starter-Brennan Smith. Smith played 14 games in Connecticut, and nine games in West Michigan. He was 4-3 with a league leading ERA of 1.53 in the NY-Penn. He had an impressive scoreless streak through 34 2/3 innings.
RHP/Starter-Jacob Turner. Turner played in Detroit this season, but before that he split time between Erie and Toledo, posting a 4-5 record with a 3.44 ERA and 110 strikeouts. Kevin Eichhorn was also mentioned, after an impressive season in West Michigan where he went 11-5 with a 3.61 ERA.
LHP/Starter-Drew Smyly. Smyly pitched 14 games for Lakeland and eight for Erie in 2011. His 2.07 ERA is the lowest in the organization, and went 7-3 in Erie, and with Toledo posted a 1.18 ERA with 53 strikeouts.
LHP/Starter-Jay Voss. Between Lakeland and Erie, he won 12 games and struck out 131 batters. While with Lakeland, he won an organizational best 15 wins.
Relief Pitcher-Chance Ruffin. Ruffin played in both Erie and Toledo before swept up by Seattle as the ‘player to be named later’ in the deal that brought Doug Fister and David Pauley to the Tigers. While with Erie, he made 10 saves in 14 attempts, with a 2.12 ERA and 3-3 record. In Toledo, he saved nine games in 10 tries with a 1.84 ERA.
Photo property of M.I.B.
Machado Up for MiLBy Award
West Michigan Whitecap Dixon Machado is up a MiLBy Award this year, in the Best Minor League Photo catagory. If you like this pic of Mach ‘turning two’ against the Great Lakes Loons on August 7 at Fifth Third Ballpark, hit this link to vote for it:
The photo is in third place now, with 11% of the votes, so maybe we can push it up a couple of notches for the win.
Photo courtesy Emily Jones/MilB.com
Good Grief…
Sometimes I feel like the human version of Charlie Brown. My ex sure did pull the proverbial football out from under me many times during the last decade. The kid has some really good qualities, though, even if he is a bit nieve. I agree with him that fall is depressing, and the thought of no baseball for the whole winter basically sucks. But, at least I have my baseball movies to keep me entertained, and the hockey games almost every weekend up here. We also have countless Charlie Brown and Snoopy DVD’s to keep us entertained, too. They remind me of when I was a kid, and the kids love them.
Peanuts comic courtesy of the great Charles Schultz
Fifth Third Ballpark to get Facelift for 2012
The West Michigan Whitecaps have extended their relationship with Fifth Third Bank which include the
naming rights to the ballpark.
The original deal made with Old Kent Bank (which made Old Kent Park) in 1994, was continued after Fifth Third Bank merged with Old Kent, and the stadium was re-named in 2001. New to 2012, will be a new state-of-the-art video board, and new manually operated score board, a new electronic sign along US 131, and a new sign to greet fans at the main entrance of the stadium. The new video board will measure 28 feet tall and 55 feet wide. The high-resolution screen is 25% larger than the size of the existing scoreboard and advertising panels combined. The new manual scoreboard will be 24 feet tall by 39 feet wide, and will replace the video board currently in left field. The manual scoreboard will have Whitecaps staff stationed behind it to update the score, and will offer and old-time traditional baseball feel that will offset the high-tech new video board.
“I think that it just makes sense, as we continue to add new high-tech fan amenities like the new video board, that we also stay connected to the traditions of baseball,” stated Lew Chamberlain, who runs the ‘Caps organization. “I’ve always loved the old manual boards like the one at Fenway Park and this old-style scoreboard will play homage to baseball history. It will be great fun for the fans.”
The Fifth Third Ballpark logo will be updated to reflect Fifth Third Bank’s new logo and color scheme, and will replace the existing one along the highway, US 131. Other upgrades to the ballpark include installation of flat screen TV’s throughout the concourse that display the Midwest League standing, league leaders, and player of the week information. This will replace the A-Frame signs around the concourse, and create more room for the fans. There will also be state-of-the-art equipment upgrades in the production room to go with the new video board. These include a wireless camera system for fan shots and close-up baseball action. Posted are some artist renditions of what the changes will look like.
Lots of new stuff to look forward to in 2012. The new schedule is already out, and I’m starting to plan what games to attend. We should be able to get there in April, weather permitting.
Photos courtesy of the West Michigan Whitecaps
Michael David
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