What a difference a week makes.

Well it’s been seven days since my last post and the feeling around “the Jack” is quite a bit different than last weekend.  Our boys have won 6 of their last seven games and are showing they can be contenders.

Great pitching and timely hits have been the key factors in the apparent transformation.  Although there are still a high number of base runners being stranded, the clutch hits that were previously non-existent are coming through.  The mood in the stands and I sure in the clubhouse are definitely improving. 

The thing that gives me the most hope is that the improvement is being shown by the entire team.  They are all digging in and working the entire game.  This was apparent in Sunday’s walk off hit by Wilson Contreras.  After hitting into an inning ending double play earlier in the game, Wilson was able to get the job done in high fashion.  This was the first walk off hit of the season, and the first series sweep.  It followed the first wining series this year.  So, it’s been a week of firsts, all good ones!

The boys are on the road for three days before returning for a long home stand.  I will be getting all my household chores completed so I don’t miss a minute of the action. 

I’ve talked about some of the perks of being a season ticket holder and of getting to know the team and fans.  One of those perks showed up yesterday at the ballpark. Daytona Cubs former hitting coach and proud member of the 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers, Barbaro Garbey, stopped in to see some of his former colleagues and check out how the team was doing.  Barbaro is currently coaching in the Brave organization and will be handling batting instruction for the GCL Braves.  He spent a few minutes in “the Den” yesterday to say hello to some of us.  Too bad he didn’t stick around for the teams on-field celebration.  For me, it was the best game of the season to date and I look forward to may more just like it!

 

Barbaro and I at the Detroit Tigers Fantasy camp game featuring the 1984 World Series Team

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!”

Free Baseball!

Everyone likes getting something for free, well, most of the time…   Last night was our first extra innings game of the season.  It was a roller coaster night beginning with a downhill launch with the Yankees scoring a run in each of the first three innings.  Our boys scored one in the third, but gave up one in both the 5^th and 6^th.  Then the twists and turns came in.  The cubbies managed to load the bases and scored 3 single runs in the bottom of the 6^th, yet still managed to obtain their 3^rd out with the bases loaded.

They tied it up in the 8^th but gave up the winning run to the Yankees in the 10^th.  All in all they were 1 for 11 with runners in scoring positions, leaving 11 men on base for the evening.  That brings the LOB total to 99 men in 14 games….

Losing is always heartbreaking but an extra innings loss even more so.  They crowd was lively, being a Thirsty Thursday, and there was evidence of several fans, (myself included), trying to change things up to create some positive mojo for the team.

On a different note, it was a special evening for my section as we were joined by Gwen’s son, daughter-in-law and 3 of her great grand kids!  Her grandson Aidan, threw out the first pitch and it was a near perfect strike.  I think he may have gotten Ron Villone’s attention or at least caught the eye of one of the scouts in the stands.  Unfortunately, they will have to wait until he first finishes elementary school and moves on to high school before they sign him!

Overall, it was a night that left us with hope.  Again the guys scraped their way back which shows a lot of heart.  Hopefully, they will get tired of ending with an L and make whatever corrections are needed to come out on top when’s it all over. You can bet, my bell and I will be there when that happens!

Growing Pains

If you have been keeping up with my beloved Daytona Cubs, you know that they are off to a rather slow start.  Times like these separate the casual fans from the fanatics.  They also separate the men from the boys in regards to how the individual players handle adversity.  My husband is fond of saying “this is a teaching hospital!” and that is a true statement.  At this level the parent club is more concerned with the development of the players than the numbers of wins/losses on the score board.

The stats show that the team is playing rather “middle of the road” baseball.  The win/loss record shows something different entirely.

Is there a problem with the batting?

Is pitching the problem?

Obviously errors hurt.

The numbers would indicate that we should be in the middle of the pack, yet that is not the case.  Our current record is 2-10

Yes it's early in the season and baseball is a marathon, not a sprint. But for the fans and for the guys, it’s tough to deal with.  I chose to look at it in a different way.  Many times the players come to a new team thinking they already have what it takes to make it to the SHOW.  Seldom is that the case.  We have a great coaching staff in Daytona and they have a proven track record, but they cannot win games without the team playing like a team.

I know from personal experience, that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before your willing to try something different.  I think the human condition makes it difficult for us listen to advise from others and sometimes to even realize we may be the problem in a given situation.  I like the story about a life guard trying to save a drowning victim.  The drowning person struggles against the rescuer, or clings to them in such a way that they are both in danger of going under.  Finally, the lifeguard must render them still more helpless, by knocking them out entirely.  By doing so, the lifesaver can do their job and bring them safely to shore.

You might ask what does that have to do with baseball and with a severe slump?  I would say everything!  When the team realizes that by themselves they can’t put together a winning team, they will be more likely to listen to the instruction of the coaches.  Eventually, rather than 25 individual guys trying to make it to the bigs, they will come together as a team.  When that happens, (and I have faith it will!), the numbers will results will begin to change.

Either way, I’m sticking around to find out.  I love my team, regardless of the record, but dang, it sure feels good to back a winner!

Road Trip #1…..

I love being able to follow my Cubbies when they go on the road.  Being a part of the Florida State League makes it rather easy to catch away games on the weekends.  Over the years, I have enjoyed getting to know the other stadiums, fans and town that are homes to our opponents.  We try to get away on travel weekends whenever possible.  We love the travel and the team seems to appreciate familiar faces (and sounds…) when they are the away team.

Our first road trip of this season took us to Steinbrenner Field, home of the Tampa Yankees and Spring Home of the Evil Empire.  Of all the stadiums we visit, I would have to say this is my least favorite.  The facility itself is quite nice, much like a mini version of the old Yankee Stadium.  My issue is with the “policies” they have in place.   They don’t allow you to bring bats into the stadium, nor do they allow “noise makers”.  That means we can bring our cowbells in.  They are sticklers about so many things such as “don’t put your feet, bag, drinks, etc. on the dugout, No noise makers, no yada.. yada.. yada….. ad nauseam.   It is the only ballpark in the FSL where I feel unwelcomed.  It is almost as if curmudgeonly old George himself is there barking out orders!  It’s no wonder they have such a small attendance for the minor league games!  There have been many instances where the Cubs fans, family and staff in attendance far outweigh the number of the hometown crowd.

 

On the other hand, I do love Tampa.  We typically stay pretty close to the ball park.  So the travel is easy.  Additionally, they have some great restaurants in the area, particularly Cuban cuisine.  Those who know me know I love to try new restaurants almost as much as I love baseball!  Another positive note is that for some reason, we seem to have a lot of players from the west coast of Florida, so we get to see lots of their families.  This weekend was no exception.  Both Rock Shoulders and Dan Vogelbach are from the west coast of FL and both had family in the crowd.  Albert Almora’s family was also there (although they are from the Miami area and travel a lot following the team!

 

Well back to our guys.  They ended up losing the series 2-1, but Saturday night’s victory was much like the win in Brevard earlier in the month.  The team seemed to be firing on all cylinders.  Offense and defense were outstanding.  And the larger than usual home town crowd had little to cheer about. (maybe that’s why there were only a couple of hundred people at the game on Sunday?).

 

 

We had a rally going (thanks in no small part to our rally caps!), but unfortunately, the spark just wasn't enough. 

The weather was quite cooperative but we did get a small taste of what the summer has in store for us during the 1:00 pm start on Sunday.  The temps were in the mid 80’s and the sun was brilliant.  I think it’s going to be a long, hot summer.  Hopefully, the team will be cooling off the competition and it won’t seem too bad!

The ride home always seems a bit longer when we are taking home a win, but the trip was well worth it and I look forward to the next one....

 

 

A comedy of errors

Baseball is a game of inches.  A misstep, a slight hesitation, just a moment when you let your mind wander.  Any of these can be the difference between a win and a loss.  Pile a few together and you’ve created a nearly insurmountable obstacle.  That’s the best way I can explain our loss in game 2 of last night’s double header.  Game one was a pitcher’s duel.  Another one run loss that could have gone either way.  Game two was a different story. One of the reasons that baseball is my favorite sport is because it is such a cerebral game. A thinker’s game.  Nearly every other popular sport is all about brawn.  Shear power.  Baseball is so much more.  But when mental lapses occur, the end result almost always shows on the scoreboard.

There were a couple of highlights tho’.  One was Dan Voglebach’s 3 RBI blast in the 6^th inning.  Last year Dan showed us why he was drafted in the 2^nd round.  He has a lot of power and is a pretty decent defender at first.  He was a big guy.  When he arrived in Daytona this year, he had slimmed down considerably.  I spoke to his dad who told me that Dan was working out 3 to 4 hours every day to bring his weight down.  He looked great, very fit, but there was some concern that his bat might be affected.  Last night put those fears to rest.  I have no doubt he’s going to put up some impressive numbers this season.  Another highlight was the way the team kept pressing.  They were down 6-1 when they came up in the 6^th, but they put together a series of hits that had us believing that the Cardiac Cubs were going to pull it out!  Alas, they fell short, but it sure made it easy to stick around for the 14^th inning of the night.  Tonight is the final game of the series before the guys head out for the major road trip of the season.  Here’s hoping they head out with a win in their pockets.

 

Partly cloudy with a chance of rain-out...

We had our first rain out of the season last night.  The night before there was a short rain delay to start the game.  Welcome to the Florida State League!  Hopefully, Mother Nature will be kinder to us than she was last season.  Not only is it tough on the team, but the staff has to endure seeming endless tarp pulls and prepping the field for play.  It affects the ticket sales, attendance numbers and concession sales as well.  Not to mention us fans!  For those who missed it last season, one of our media moguls, Michael West, created a great video called “Tarp, The Movie trailer”.  You can check it out on YouTube or by clicking here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pft7ufdKQ7U

The first series of the season didn’t go as well as I hoped for. We finished the Brevard games 1-3.  The bright side is the 3 losses were by 1 run each and our win was by a score of 13-2!  I believe this is a very strong team and once they get acclimated, we will see great things out of this club.

Due to yesterday’s rain-out, tonight is our first double header.  We will be going up against the Dunedin Blue Jays.  We faced them in the Division Championship last year and they had a tough team, despite losing most of their prospect during the year.  Most of the players on their team have had at least some experience in FSL play. In addition they have a strong coaching staff which includes Manager, Omar Malave and my favorite active pitching coach, FSL Hall of Famer Darold Knowles.  One of the things I love most about minor league baseball is that we get to know players, coaches and their families on a much different level then in the big leagues.  I count knowing Darold and his beautiful wife Lynne as members of my baseball family and a great blessing.  It is apparent that they love baseball, life and each other!

As a side note about Darold, the first time I actually met him was in 2007.  Growing up, I was a huge fan of the Oakland A's.  My dad taught me a love for baseball, but he was a pretty traditional guy.  Being the rebellious sort, I dubbed the A's as my team, primarily because of the colorful uniform and colorful players.  As I recall, they were one of the first teams to sport long hair and facial hair.  I loved them and it drove my dad crazy.  When I was 13, I had a collection of tropical fish, all named after A's players.  I had 2 blue fish, one named Odom and one named Vida.  A catfish named...Hunter, and a beautiful red tailed swordfish named Darold.  I told him the story about my fish and he looked at me a bit strangely (to say the least), but he signed a baseball for me and I went along my way.  That same year, Daytona hosted the FSL All Star game and Darold was the pitching coach.  I bid on and won his jersey at the auction held during the game.  I wasn't able to get it signed that night, but I took it with me the next time Daytona visited Dunedein. I went up to him before the game and asked him to sign my jersey.  He replied...Hey, your the fish lady! (I blushed and said I was) and he signed my jersey.  Since that day, I always made it a point to stop and say hello to him whenever Daytona played Dunedin.  Before long, I started seeing him at League events and I met his wife, Lynne a couple of years later and we have become friends.  They are some of the many wonderful friends I have met through baseball.

But tonight, after greeting Darold and welcoming him back to Daytona with a hug, I will cheer on my boys and root for our bats to rough up his pitchers and hope we end up with a W at the end.  I'll keep you posted!