I have a google alert set up with the nebulous search parameters of “minor league baseball”, and it coagulates everything into a daily email to me showing top stories with those words in it. I followed one such link to a blog called Plethora, which talked about an Alabama song from the 1990s that’s about [...]
Archive for April, 2009
28 Apr
The Z-Meter: 4/28/2009
The Z-meter tracks the story arcs of 25 top prospects (or players we just like) on their way to the bigs. It is named after current Washington Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman, who made the transition from anchoring the University of Virginia to starring in MLB in one year. Promoted: Jordan Zimmermann: Syracuse Chiefs (AAA) to [...]
27 Apr
Bus Leagues in Baltimore
I went to a major-league game in Baltimore this Sunday. Rangers at Orioles, with a few of our old Z-meter regulars playing, like Felix Pie and Elvis Andrus. But my real Bus Leagues surprise came when I took the advice of an usher and visited the Sports Museum that was recently built next to Camden [...]
27 Apr
Now Pitching For The Boston Red Sox…
On the heels of Saturday’s wild 16-11 win over the Yankees, the Red Sox made a roster move before Sunday’s game, optioning infielder Gil Velazquez to Pawtucket and calling up righthander Michael Bowden. Bowden made his first appearance of the season (and the second of his career) in relief of fellow youngster Justin Masterson, holding [...]
27 Apr
This Week in Bobbleheads – Week 4
April seems to have flown by, and Independent Leagues are starting. More games means more giveaways and I’m back for the weekly installment. Here we go: Philadelphia Phillies 4/28/09 Charlie Manuel – I so believe that every team in their system will do Charlie to celebrate their ’08 win. Here’s Philly’s version. Trenton Thunder 4/29/09 [...]
24 Apr
Quad Cities River Bandits Star in “Sugar”
I love a good formulaic feel-good baseball movie as much as the next guy. Especially when the premise is inventive, like it was in “Field of Dreams”. But when you get to the more Disney-esque types of films, I tend to lose interest – I feel like I’ve seen it before, as the plucky loser [...]
24 Apr
Now Pitching For The Texas Rangers…
Okay, imagine this situation: you’re a 22-year-old kid from Ohio, recently called up from the minor leagues by the Texas Rangers to pitch out of the bullpen. You join the big club, sit out there for a couple days, wait patiently for the call…and when it comes, it’s just about the most pressure imaginable: bases [...]
22 Apr
We Live for Minor-League Nickname Contests
A big thumbs-up to google alerts, which hipped me to this most recent new-team-naming contest. Normal, Illinois – which places second only to Truth or Consequences, NM as a dream place to put a baseball franchise – will be fielding a new team next season. And they want us to help name it. The top choice [...]
22 Apr
So Tell Me, Joe, How Do You Feel About Life In The Minors?
A project unrelated to Bus Leagues brought me to Baseball-Almanac.com tonight. Since it was my first visit in quite some time, I scrolled down the main page, which led to a section of articles on the minor leagues. While none of the subject matter immediately stood out, the last quote at the bottom of the page [...]
22 Apr
The Z-Meter: 4/22/2009 – Another Z Makes the Nats
The Z-meter tracks the story arcs of 25 top prospects (or players we just like) on their way to the bigs. It is named after current Washington Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman, who made the transition from anchoring the University of Virginia to starring in MLB in one year. Promoted: Jordan Zimmermann: Syracuse Chiefs (AAA) to [...]
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