Cubs Win! Cubs Win!

I guess the more accurate title would be Cubs lose, Cubs win, but who’s keeping track?  We had our first home win of the season on Saturday as part of the 2^nd game of a double header.  The first game was a bit depressing, so I am choosing to pass right over that and talk about the big win!  Before a large Saturday night crowd, the boys put together a great game.  The starting pitching was outstanding, with Felix Pina, going 6 innings (in a 7 inning game) that included 8 strikeouts, 3 hits and 1 run.  Michael Jennings finished the Yanks, giving up only 1 hit in the final inning.  The bats were alive, with a total of 9 hits and nearly everyone reaching base (Contreras reached on an error.  Zapata was the only one not to get on base, but he did manage to move a base runner into scoring position.)  In the end, the team put together 9 runs, giving up only 1.

Again, they showed a lot of heart and desire.  For me this was the biggest victory of the season to date.  Not only did they show the home town crowd they could do it, but they broke out of a 6 game losing streak against a very tough Yankee line-up.  This could be the start of something big! 

 

 

 

                                                       Friday's rain out

 

 

I would like to spend a few lines talking about some of the action in the stands.  I have mentioned before how much I like getting to know the families of our players and staff and I will talk about that a bit more in a moment.  One of the other treats we experience is the other visiting faces.  Being an autograph collector, I am blessed with getting an up close look at the stars of tomorrow.  We also get a chance to meet lots of former stars when they come to “the Jack”, either as minor league coaches, scouts, front office staff or merely to watch their kids play.  Dwight Smith was in attendance to watch his son Dwight Jr.  when we faced the Blue Jays.  I was able to meet him, get an autograph and thank him for the memories. Growing up a fan of the Atlanta Braves, and converting to a Cubs fans in later years, made this a very special meeting for me as I got the best of both worlds with Mr. Smith!

This homestand brought Dante Bichette to town to watch his son play for the Evil Empire.  He was gracious when I asked him to sign a couple of his baseball cards and he smiled when I told him I was looking forward to seeing another generation of Bichette’s in the big leagues.  We also had super scout Joe Bochy in attendance. You may know him as the brother of San Francisco Giants manager, Bruce Bochy.  Joe is a semi regular in Daytona and a very nice man.  I had a chance to talk with him during the rain delay (that ended in a called game) on Friday.  I love having the opportunity to see the game through different eyes.  Scouts, parents, front office people all have a different perspective of the game and the players.  I believe learning to see things from their point of view, helps to make my baseball experience a bit broader and certainly enhances my enjoyment of the game.

Another of the benefits of minor league baseball is the give-a-ways.  Although the Friday night game was postponed due to rain, we did get our replica championship rings on a stand. Not as nice as the real deal, but still something to look at with a feeling of pride for such an outstanding season.

Finally, the highlight of my game day, was getting a chance to spend some time with our manager’s wife, Dana Keller.  We met last year and I took an instant liking to her.  I love the story she tells about her and Dave.  They were friends in elementary school and high school sweethearts, before college and life saw them head in different directions.  They met up again at a high school reunion and found the spark was still there and now they are living their childhood dreams!  Who knew there were such great  love stories in baseball?  We, I did, of course, after hearing many of them!  Again, seeing the game through different eyes is always very enlightening. 

 

And with that, I will sign off for a while.  The team is heading out on the road for a 3 game stand in Clearwater followed by 2 games at Brevard.  Here’s hoping the immortal words of Lou Brown from Major League II ring true…  “ We won a game yesterday, if we win one today that's two in a row. If we win one tomorrow that's called a winning streak. It has happened before!”