May 17

Duffy callup a huge acceleration of the Process

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Omaha Chasers, Trust The Process

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Danny Duffy

Danny Duffy pitching Friday in Reno

I called my dad yesterday to let him know I had arrived safely at the home of my host family in California. Kyle Davies had come out of the game, but Vin Mazzaro hadn’t yet made history with the worst pitching performance ever. Dad asked me who I thought would come up to replace Davies, and it did not cross my mind that a prospect would actually get the call. Not yet.

With two starters hurt, the Royals definitely needed to scramble to fill those spots with somebody. But isn’t this situation the reason we signed Jeff Suppan?

Dayton Moore could have made the textbook move of calling up the Veteran Guy he had stashed in the minors for this. Would anybody have faulted him? Even though he hasn’t been good at all in Omaha – his ERA is 4.93 but a super-low BABIP suggests that he’s actually lucky it’s that “low” – he still seemed like the predictable choice. Instead of being safe and adhering to the textbook, Moore has aggressively promoted two more prospects while leaving the grizzled veteran behind.

The Process has been accelerated with the promotions of Everett Teaford and Danny Duffy. Do you trust it?

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May 06

A tortured metaphor about the Hosmer callup

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Omaha Chasers, Trust The Process

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Eric Hosmer

One of his last games as a Storm Chaser. Photo by me!

For one of the first times all year, it is BEAUTIFUL outside here in Lincoln. I had to walk across campus to turn in some graduation-related paperwork, and on the way, I saw a 5-year-old girl who sort of summed up the Hosmer callup.

The girl must have been part of a kindergarten class field trip, and the group was walking back toward their bus. The teacher was lagging behind as the kids ran ahead, doing and saying adorable things. A little blonde girl stopped walking and stood stock-still, with her face practically buried among the branches of a flowery shrub.

As soon as the teacher caught up to the little girl, she ripped two huge handfuls of blooms off the bush, and held them high for her teacher to see. “Look!” she yelled. “FLOWWWWEEEEERRRRRSSSSS!”

Her exuberance over her find completely covered up the fact that she damaged the shrub. Maybe her teacher scolded her about it later, but in that moment, that girl found herself some pretty flowers, and nothing was going to stop her from being happy about it.

That’s how I feel about the Eric Hosmer callup. Even though plenty of other bloggers have pointed out how the timing of the callup could be damaging to The Process, I’m still counting down the seconds to tonight’s game with more fevered anticipation than any other game this year – even Opening Day. Eric Hosmer is my version of that little girl’s fistfuls of pretty spring flowers, and I’m too excited to hear the scoldings about how the shrubbery will be ruined.

May the Hos be with you…

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May 02

Super awesome Storm Chasers photos!

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Omaha Chasers, Quickies

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Due to an 11th-hour scheduling change, I got to go to Sunday’s Chasers game as a fan, for the first time ever. It was also probably my last game before I leave for California, but that’s neither here nor there. I took a bunch of pictures, and it would be awesome if you’d go look at them. And if you’re a blogger, of course, you can use them. Same deal as always.

The Chasers lost, which is too bad. But I try to examine the losses, and remember that minor league teams aren’t “teams” in the way that MLB teams are. They’re collections of individual performers trying to move up the ladder. So when Jeff Suppan is the one who coughs up six runs in a single inning, it’s not as panic-inducing as if Danny Duffy had done the same. Or the other night, when Omaha blew a lead in the 9th. It sucked, sure, but it was Luis Mendoza, and not an up-and-coming prospect who gave it up.

Losing still sucks, of course, but it’s easier to swallow if the guys who make the crappy plays are not the ones on whom The Process is centered. Now, here’s a picture of Minor League Baseball’s anti-tobacco policy being flouted.
79% sure that's Vin Mazzaro.

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Apr 29

This is the Storm Chasers team we expected

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Omaha Chasers

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Last night, the Storm Chasers won their ninth straight game, this one against the Iowa Cubs, and at home. When even the team media releases sound giddy and bubbling, you know your team is doing well. To wit:

The Omaha Storm Chasers have put together some fine performances during their current nine-game winning streak, but none have been as complete or as dominant as Thursday’s 7-0 whitewashing of the Iowa Cubs. The young stars shined brightly, the bullpen was as strong as ever and the power – which had not been on display at Werner Park until now – showed up in a big way.

Yep. By the way, the Chasers have only lost one game at home, and sadly, it was the ONE time I got to sit in the (comfortable!) stands and watch.

I’m in class, so my powers of research are limited, so here are some numbers from our hitters over the last 10 games. I think you’ll like them.

Eric Hosmer:
.457/.545/.629/1.174

As superb as these 10-game numbers are, what’s even more awesome is that this is not that far off from Hosmer’s season totals. The last 10 days of hitting aren’t some random fluke. The young man can just hit. And also walk. And steal bases, I guess?

Mike Moustakas:
.263/.349/.553

He hasn’t been in “god mode” the past 10 games like some of his teammates, but Moose is pulling up some of his low numbers from the first couple weeks. That’s encouraging, and should be celebrated. Suuuuper small sample size alert, but more of Moustakas’ walks have come in the past 10 games than his first nine. With Moustakas, of course, any examination of walks is going to contain a sample size warning, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

Clint Robinson:
.359/.432/.564

This is a VERY good line, and it’s actually a little bit worse than Robinson’s season totals. As I said on the Royalman Report podcast recently*, I was among the C-Rob skeptics, even after his Texas League triple crown. I’m happy to see him continue his dominance at a higher level, and would love to see what he can do against big league pitching – even if it’s not necessarily with the Royals.

*I think I forgot to link to that before. My bad! Go listen?

Johnny Giavotella:
.333/.366/.410

His average and slugging percentage are higher in the past 10 games than the nine before that, but his OBP remains the same, making me think his good performance at the plate during the team’s win streak is not some kind of fluke, either.

Gregor Blanco’s OBP this season is .400. In his last 10 games, it’s .433. Not too shabby.

On the not-so-positive end of things, neither of our catchers are hitting worth a darn.
Manny Pina:
.125/.222/.125 in his last 10 games,
.139/.279/.139 overall.

But, the fact that Pina does not have a single extra-base will not dampen my fandom for him. I have to have an irrational favorite somewhere.

Speaking of people who don’t have a single extra-base hit…
Lucas May:
.077/.200/.077 in 9 games played so far.

Isn’t that an utterly amazing line? Now that I realize* both of our catchers are that feeble at the plate, I will be on high alert for the Catcher XBH Watch. I’m working the games all weekend, so there won’t be real-time tweeting if one of them happens to get past first base (snicker), but I will be watching.

*What can I say? I’ve been busy. But I’m almost finished with the Semester From Hell. YAY!

Anyway, I’ll be working at some or all three of the games this weekend (I’m still not sure about Sunday). As far as I know, I’ll be on 3rd base tonight, and 1st base tomorrow. Please come and say hello! And maybe sign yourself or your kids up for a promotion!

 

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Apr 28

The BASEketball opening sequence sounds like a George F. Will column

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Quickies

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Tonight, a friend asked if I would provide a handwriting sample for her, for some kind of project. She needed a few paragraphs, written in cursive, and it didn’t matter what I wrote. So I chose to write down the opening voice-over part from BASEketball. And I found that, if you strip away the video and just put the words on a page, it sounds EXACTLY like a George F. Will column for a while. Behold:

???????There was a time in America when contests of athletic prowess were a metaphor for the nobility of man. Historic moments forged by the love of the game celebrated the human potential to achieve excellence. But as time passed, and the country neared the millennium, something went awry.

The ideal of sportsmanship began to take a back seat to excessive celebration.  The athletes caring less about executing the play than planning the vulgar grandstanding that inevitably followed even the most pedestrian of accomplishments The games themselves became subordinate to the quest for money. Stadiums and arenas became nothing more than giant billboards to promote commercial products. Players sold their services to the highest bidder, much like the hired guns of the Old West.

Soon it was commonplace for entire teams to change cities in search of greater profits.

Totally George F. Will, right? Of course, it goes on to get a little more ridiculous, and the images that accompany it are absurd. But to an uninitiated reader, there is little evidence that this comes from one of the funniest (and most poignant, somehow) sports movies of all time.

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Apr 21

How to be an Omaha Storm Chasers fan

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Omaha Chasers

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Nice jersey!! [Note: As always, views expressed here are mine, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Omaha Storm Chasers.]

Go to the stadium!

Werner Park is cool, and I’m not just saying that because it’s my workplace.

Seating: I have said this elsewhere, but it’s worth saying again in this young season: There is not a bad seat in the ballpark. There are only like 15 rows of seats, meaning no matter where you buy your ticket, you’ll be close to the field. Or, you can sit in the outfield and chase after home run balls (or let your young kids move around a bit).

Parking: Yes, some parking lots are no longer free. But you can still park in the F4 lot (at the back of the property) for free. Even if you *must* pay, most lots are just two bucks, or you can be a high-rollin’ VIP for just $5. The road that leads in to the parking lots does have a two-lane roundabout. Please use caution on that.

Food: I admit, I can’t tell you much about the food at this point. All I’ve had is a plain hot dog. I’d love input from any fans who have sampled some of the new/fancy foodstuffs and drinks.

Accessibility: As much of a treasure as Rosenblatt was, there were some HUGE accessibility issues. But those are a thing of the past. There are no metal walkways at Werner Park, and all the sidewalks in the concourses are wide and smooth. The restrooms are large and have touch-free sinks and hand dryers that seem reachable from, for example, a wheelchair.

My uniform. Someday, it'll be warm enough to shed the jacket and pants.

Free stuff!: As always, we do a ton of giveaways and on-field contests. And as always, we LOVE volunteers. If you want the chance to hang out by the Storm Chasers dugout, go out on to the lovely new field during a game, and win a prize, come find any of the GTM Sportswear Storm Girls* before the game. Believe me, they’ll appreciate your volunteerism. And even if you don’t participate on the field, pay attention to the on-field contests. Often, our contestants are competing on behalf of entire sections.

*that is what we are called, indeed.

And don’t worry – if you sit out in the outfield seating, you will still have the opportunity to catch free shirts and stuff. Shirts are shot/thrown from the back of a John Deere Gator around the entire warning track.

If you don’t live in the area (or even if you do, but aren’t at the stadium):

On the go
The team has both an Android app and an iPhone version. It’s a gazillion times better than just going to the team website on your phone, and it’s preeeeeetty, too.

On the computer
Keep up with stuff on the Storm Chasers official site.

And here are some unofficial sources for Chasers stuff:

So there are some things. Tonight is the season’s first Thirsty Thursday, where beers and small sodas are just a buck. Don’t worry, there was no way in the world we would change THAT.

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Apr 15

Five Foto Friday: Storm Chasers! Just kidding, it’s not actually Opening Day!

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Five Foto Friday

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Sometimes when it’s Friday (let’s be real, it’s not every week), I’ll share five photos that I’ve taken. This is today’s batch, and the theme is Omaha Storm Chasers players. Obviously I don’t have current pictures of them, so you’ll have to come to Werner Park to see them in their new uniforms and new park!

UPDATE: Maybe you’ve heard, but unfortunately the weather is too stupid to play in tonight. Here’s the release from the team website:

Due to inclement weather, the Omaha Storm Chasers are rescheduling their home opener at Werner Park to tomorrow, Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 7:05 p.m.

Fans holding tickets for tonight’s game can exchange them for tomorrow night or any future game (excluding July 3 and July 15) by taking their tickets to the Werner Park ticket office. Ticket office hours will be extended today until 8 p.m. to accommodate ticket holders and will open tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.

Events planned for Friday will be combined with the special events scheduled for Saturday. A news conference will be held today at 3 p.m. at Werner Park at which time the Storm Chasers management will provide media with a detailed schedule of Saturday’s events.

The Storm Chasers and Sounds will make up Friday’s game as a doubleheader on Sunday, April 17, 2011 beginning at 2:05 p.m., the regularly scheduled time.

Now, on to the pictures, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Mike Moustakas

Moose sez: WHATCHOO LOOKIN' AT?

Bullington and Holland

Greg Holland. This was his first day in the Bigs; that's why he's carrying the ball bag.

Manny Pina

Manny Pina. You're welcome, ladies.

Irving Falu

Fan Favorite Irving Falu

David Lough

David Lough reminds us of the importance of hydration.

Yes, the weather is crappy right now. But as far as anyone knows, there will still be baseball and festivities at Werner Park tonight. UPDATE: It is so crappy, the game is off. We’ll do everything tomorrow instead.  I will be there. This is what my uniform looks like, so you know how to find me.

Freebies include a Werner Park welcome mat, which I very much covet, and a commemorative lapel pin. Now, can it be time for the ballgame already? Go Storm Chasers!

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Apr 11

Celebrating a better Royals youth movement

Categories:

Omaha Chasers, Trust The Process

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I grew up with the crappy Royals, which means I’m a fan with no “good old days” to reflect warmly on, and my Royals teams have been the butt of baseball jokes for as long as I’ve been alive.

In that time, there have been a number of “youth movements.” They were all disappointing, to say the least. “Youth movement” became euphemistic for cheapness, empty promises, and lack of direction. But THIS “youth movement” has more to it. The players of this movement have promise beyond some hollow minor league numbers or a trumped-up PR campaign by team leadership who hopes desperately that the fans don’t catch on.

This youth movement is different. We know about how our farm system is historically good. But I had never thought about the second, more macro prong of the Royals prospects: they’re not only younger than the Major Leaguers they’re being primed to replace, they’re younger than everyone they’re stomping on throughout the Minors.

This struck me while looking at this fun list from Baseball America. The Royals farm system is not full of guys who are too old for their level. No, the Royals’ elite prospects are also younger than their league-mates, and are still almost universally better than all of them.

Let’s celebrate some of these youth, in pictures:

MAJOR LEAGUES

I had ZERO pics of this guy before today, so.

Tim "Seabiscuit" Collins

Tim Collins is the very youngest American League player, and the fourth (I think?) youngest in all of the Majors.

Nate Adcock is the 10th youngest player in the AL.

TRIPLE A

Hosmer

Eric Hosmer speaking at Royals FanFest

Eric Hosmer is the youngest of the Storm Chasers, and the fourth-youngest player in the Pacific Coast League. His teammate Mike Montgomery is the 7th-youngest player in the PCL.

DOUBLE A

John Lamb kept his speech short.

John Lamb accepting an award at FanFest

Wow, I need more opportunities to photograph prospects, especially John Lamb – who is one of the 10 youngest players in the Texas League. He is joined on that list by teammates Wil Myers and Sal Perez.

It’s encouraging that our players are both better and younger than their peers. It’s just another facet of hope that the Royals can become and remain a powerful baseball team.

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4 comments

Apr 11

Random survey: How do you pronounce “Coupon?”

Categories:

Not sports, Quickies

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The show “Extreme Couponing” is MESMERIZING. I had it on in the background while doing some cleaning, and was inspired to ask on Twitter:
Do you pronounce the word “coupon” like “coo-pon” or “cyoo-pon”?

So far, we’ve got 9 for coo-pon, 4 for cyoo-pon (which would have been more clear as Q-pon), and one for coo-pin.

So, there is that. I go with coo-pon myself.

[What? This is a baseball site? Oh, crap.]

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3 comments

Apr 07

Lastings Milledge couldn’t quite get under this

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Quickies

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…and now he’s been DFA’d.

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