More good stuff about the world of minor league baseball. If you read something that belongs in The Minor Links, please do pass it along to onemoredyingquail@gmail.com.

Raul Ibanez loves “The Office”?  I think I heart Raul Ibanez (The Hog Blog)

John Sickels breaks down the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Minor League Ball)

Nick Hill may be a darkhorse candidate to help out the Mariners bullpen within the next year or two (U.S.S. Mariner)

Rhett Barber must have broken a mirror during his senior year of high school; fortunately, his seven years of bad luck appear to be over and he is pitching well for the Alexandria Aces (The Town Talk)

“Sugar” is being released on DVD and Blu-Ray (Baseball Musings)

Marty Popham, a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians Short Season affiliate in Mahoning Valley, pitched seven no-hit innings on Wednesday before being pulled; Austin Adams gave up an infield single with two outs in the ninth to end the no-no (Indians Prospect Insider)

Cooper Brannan lost part of his left hand in Iraq about 3 1/2 years ago; he was just released by the Padres, then caught on with the American Defenders of New Hampshire (Nashua Telegraph)

That’s right, I’m taking this up a notch.  Jamie McOwen, who joins Jay Bruce on the list of historical Bus Leagues mancrushes, is attempting to extend his hitting streak to 46 games tonight in Modesto.  Because I have nothing better to do on a Friday night, I will be listening in to the team’s radio feed and updating the situation after each of McOwen’s at-bats until he gets a hit.

We’ll see how long this lasts.  (Please don’t wait until the ninth inning.)

1st at-bat, 1st inning: With one out and Tyson Gillies on first, McOwen popped out to first. Just kidding – I have no idea what I was looking at. McOwen bunted into a force out with one out and Kuo Hui Lo on first base.

10:56 PM – McOwen is scheduled to lead off the top of the third for High Desert. The Mavericks trail Modesto, 2-0.

10:59 PM – McOwen walks on four pitches to lead off the inning.  With the count at 3-and-0, High Desert’s announcer remarked that one of the amazing things about the streak is McOwen’s refusal to chase bad pitches just to preserve the streak.

11:11 PM – McOwen is now leading the league in hitting – his average stands at .354 after tonight’s 0-for-1.  Alex Liddi has gone 0-for-2 with two strikeouts to lower his mark to .353.  What does this mean in the grand scheme of things?  Ab-solutely nothing.

11:14 PM – Modesto pitcher Connor Graham has eight strikeouts through four innings.  He has allowed just two hits, both first inning singles.

11:28 PM – Graham comes out early.  I was only half-listening, but I believe they said he was coming back from an injury and being held to a strict pitch count.  He went five scoreless, allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out nine.  High Desert’s Tyson Gillies led off the sixth with a single.

11:33 PM – McOwen grounds into a 6-4-3 double play.  He is now 0-for-3 with a walk.  He will have at least one more chance to extend the streak.

12:21 PM – McOwen is due up second in the ninth against Craig Baker and his 21 saves.

12:23 PM – McOwen goes down on strikes.  Unless High Desert ties it up (Kuo Hui Lo is on first with one out in a 2-0 ballgame) the hit streak is all done.

12:25 PM – Alex Liddi strikes out for the third time in four at-bats and it’s official: Jamie McOwen’s 45-game hitting streak is done, finished.  The little * that denotes an active streak can be removed.

Andrew says I jinxed him.  I say nay.  With the media attention that dude was getting over the last week or two, there’s no way Karma looked at the hero worship being laid on him by a small minor league blog and said,  “We can’t have that.”  Karma isn’t that petty…I don’t think.  If she is, well, sorry Jamie.

Oh well, we’ll just have to find something else interesting to latch onto.  Hey, Baker has 22 straight saves for Modesto.  Hmm…

Joe Savery was Philadelphia’s first-round pick (19th overall) in the 2007 draft.  After appearing in just seven minor league games for Williamsport in the New York-Penn League, Baseball America chose him as its 90th-ranked prospect going into the 2008 season.  Savery bounced a couple rungs up the ladder, to the Clearwater Threshers in the Florida State League, but a 9-10 record, 4.13 ERA, and other question marks led BA to leave him off its list for 2009.

Savery responded to the “snub” by being promoted to Philly’s AA affiliate in Reading and promptly losing his first start of the season, 7-2 at Harrisburg, on April 16.  Since then, he has lost a grand total of ZERO games – none; nil; not a one – and won twelve consecutive decisions.

I understand that there are a lot of people who don’t like wins as a statistic.  They argue that because wins are so dependent on a variety of factors unrelated to anything a pitcher does, they tell precious little about the actual ability or value of a given hurler.  And they’re right – when judging talent, it makes sense to use numbers that the pitcher actually has some control over.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a run like the one Savery is on right now.  Twelve straight wins?  No losses for almost three calendar months?  That’s pretty cool (even if his peripherals aren’t really all that great and he has obviously received some exceptional run support).  You go, Joe.

Jamie McOwen has the night off and I just added a few new minor league blogs to my reader, so you get a short links post.  Don’t everybody thank me at once.

The longest hitting streaks for each minor league (Baseball America)

Possible outcomes for the baseball-soccer showdown in Portland (Jack Bog’s Blog)

Dinesh is pitching well, but wants to see the team win a few more games (The Million Dollar Arm Blog)

Alex Liddi wants to be the first Italian major leaguer since 1962.  He’s currently leading the California League in all three Triple Crown categories – seems like a good start (MLB.com)

I’m sure minor league day-by-day stats exist somewhere online, but I can never seem to find them. So when I wanted to know more about the ins and outs of Jamie McOwen’s 45-game hitting streak, I hit the box scores and put together some information on my own.

A few points of interest:

• McOwen has hit .398 during the streak to raise his season average from .270 to .355.
• He has gone nearly two calendar months without failing to get a hit in a game.
• He has hit more triples (5) than homeruns (3) during the streak, and nearly has as many triples as he does doubles (6).
• The streak has been extended by a single base hit twenty-five games, including the first six games.  On the other hand, McOwen has multiple hits in eight of his last eleven games.
• During McOwen’s streak, High Desert has won a 21-inning game that lasted 7 hours and 34 minutes over two days (longest in league history) and lost a 33-18 game that featured 58 hits and six errors.  He did not play in the first game and broke the California League record for longest hitting streak in the second.

McOwen’s monster streak shouldn’t be surprising.  His bio at MiLB.com notes that in 2008, he had five hitting streaks of at least seven games, so he has periods of time where he appears to lock in and see the ball well.  He has extended his current record-breaking streak with broken bat hits and infield singles, elements of luck that didn’t materialize to tie everything together last season.

1. May 10 @ Lake Elsinore – 1-5, 3B, RBI (.270)
2. May 12 @ Rancho Cucamonga – 1-4, RS, RBI, 2 SO (.269)
3. May 13 @ Rancho Cucamonga – 1-4, RS, SO (.269)
4. May 15 vs. Stockton – 1-2, 2 BB (.273)
5. May 16 vs. Stockton – 1-5, RBI, SO (.270)
6. May 18 vs. Stockton – 1-2, RS, 2B, RBI, BB (.274)
7. May 19 vs. Rancho Cucamonga – 3-6, 2 RS, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, SO (.285)
8. May 20 vs. Rancho Cucamonga – 2-4, 2 RBI (.291)
9. May 21 vs. Rancho Cucamonga – 1-5, RBI (.288)
10. May 22 @ Lancaster – 2-5, RS, SO (.292)
11. May 27 vs. Lake Elsinore – 2-3, RS, BB, SO (.300)
12. May 28 vs. Lake Elsinore – 2-4, SO (.306)
13. May 29 vs. Lake Elsinore – 1-4 (.304)
14. May 30 vs. Lake Elsinore – 1-4 (.303)
15. June 1 vs. Inland Empire – 1-3, RS, BB, SO (.303)
16. June 2 vs. Inland Empire – 1-4, RS, SO (.302)
17. June 3 vs. Inland Empire – 2-4, SO (.307)
18. June 5 @ Stockton – 1-5, RS, RBI (.302)
19. June 6 @ Stockton – 1-3, 2 RS, BB (.304)
20. June 7 @ Stockton – 3-3, RS, 2 RBI, BB (.316)
21. June 8 @ Visalia – 1-3, RBI (.316)
22. June 9 @ Visalia – 1-5, RBI, 2 SO (.313)
23. June 10 @ Visalia – 1-4, RBI (.312)
24. June 12 vs. Lancaster – 2-5, SO (.314)
25. June 13 vs. Lancaster – 1-4, RBI (.313)
26. June 15 vs. Rancho Cucamonga – 1-4, SO (.312)
27. June 16 vs. Rancho Cucamonga – 2-2 (.318)
28. June 17 vs. Rancho Cucamonga –1-4 (.317)
29. June 18 @ Inland Empire – 3-5, RS, 3B, SO (.324)
30. June 19 @ Inland Empire – 1-4, RS, SO (.322)
31. June 20 @ Inland Empire – 1-4, 2 RS, 2 RBI, BB (.321)
32. June 21 @ Inland Empire – 2-4 (.324)
33. June 25 vs. Bakersfield – 3-5, RS, 2B, SO (.330)
34. June 26 vs. Bakersfield – 1-4 (.329)
35. June 27 vs. Bakersfield – 3-5, 2 RS, 2B, 2 RBI, BB (.335)
36. June 28 vs. Lake Elsinore – 2-6, 2 RS, HR, 4 RBI (.335)
37. June 30 vs. Lake Elsinore – 2-5, 2 RS, 2B, HR, 2 RBI (.336)
38. July 1 @ Rancho Cucamonga – 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI (.340)
39. July 2 @ Rancho Cucamonga – 3-4, RS, 3B (.346)
40. July 3 @ Rancho Cucamonga – 1-3, RBI, BB, SO (.346)
41. July 4 vs. Visalia – 3-4, RS (.352)
42. July 5 vs. Visalia – 1-3, RBI, BB, SO (.352)
43. July 6 vs. Visalia – 2-4, 2 RS, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, BB (.354)
44. July 7 @ San Jose – 1-4, 2 SO (.353)
45. July 8 @ San Jose – 2-4, BB, 2 SO (.355)
Totals: 72-181 (.398), 6 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 28 RS, 12 BB, 24 SO

It’s official: I have run out of ways to say that Jamie McOwen is really good. He wasted no time extending his hitting streak to 45 games tonight, singling off San Jose’s Oliver Odle in the first inning. A hit in tomorrow’s series finale against the Giants (game time: 7 PM, Pacific Time) would tie him with Johnny Bates for the seventh longest in the history of the world (or, minor league baseball).

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:

Madison Bumgarner: San Jose Giants (A) to Connecticut Defenders (AA)
Yonder Alonso: Sarasota Reds (A) to Carolina Mudcats (AA)
Pedro Alvarez: Lynchburg Hillcats (A) to Altoona Curve (AA)

Mauricio Robles: West Michigan Whitecaps (A) to Lakeland Flying Tigers (A+)
Josh Vitters: Peoria Chiefs (A) to Daytona Cubs (A+)

As my commentary on today’s Z-meter, I’d like to pull out some stats that might sometimes get lost in the higgledy-piggledy lines I lay out here. There are some players that register as less-than-red-hot on casual examination, but are quietly doing their best at the one thing they are great at nonetheless. Here are some examples:

Kila Kaiihue – 63 walks. It’s nice to see a slugger who is willing to take the free base when it’s offered. And it seems to be offered quite frequently. Good eye, Kila!

Carlos Carrasco – 90 strikeouts. This poor guy is having an up-and-down season, despite blowing hitters away.

Pedro Alvarez – Since his promotion to AA, he’s hitting .200, but that includes three homers in 12 at bats.

Brad Brach – The meter’s designated closer has only walked seven batters in 37 late-innings appearances, which is why he’s at the 20 save plateau already this season.

Che-Hsuan Lin – His start was disastrous as he hit well below the Mendoza line. He’s inching his way back to average, and has somehow contributed 18 steals despite his early difficulty getting base hits.

Another “Don’t Panic” award goes to Maurico Robles, who has adjusted quickly to the Florida State League. His first start yielded a 16.87 ERA. His second, 6.00 with ten strikeouts. On Independence Day, he buckled down to pitch 6.2 innings with a sterling mark of 0.00. It’s going to be tough to continue that trend.

No good deed goes unpunished. After hitting over .300 in Frisco, Rangers prospect Justin Smoak got the callup to Oklahoma City, which belonged to current major-leaguer Nelson Cruz last year. Can Smoak replicate Cruz’s feat? Not soon. He’s currently hitting .077 since making the leap.

Shooter Hunt, he of the 10.70 ERA at Beloit, is down in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League on a “rehab assignment”. He’s currently 0-2  with ten walks at the kids’ table, so he might just be there for a while. If so, don’t expect him to hang around the meter much longer.

Zeke Spruill hasn’t won a game since late May, though he still sports a fairly decent 3.02 ERA. The kid’s not catching many breaks, though. He only gave up one earned run vs. Augusta, but that was enough to give him the loss. Yesterday, it was eight scoreless innings and a spotless ERA, which was only good for a no-decision.

In closing, I want to add one more player to the meter. I’m going to leave Stephen Strasburg in his honorary spot at the bottom of the meter, but I’m going to actually start tracking someone who’s picking up stats. In fact, I’m adding OMDQ’s hitting savant James McOwen, so we can continue to watch him even if his streak ends. We owe him that much.

Wade Davis, RHP – Durham Bulls (Rays): 17 Games – 8 W – 4 L - 2.84 ERA – 37 BB - 80 K

Kila Kaaihue, 1B – Omaha Royals – .264 – 51 R – 12 HR – 35 RBI - 63 BB – 0 SB – .480 SLG – .879 OPS

Alcides Escobar, SS – Nashville Sounds (Brewers): .302 - 60 R – 3 HR – 28 RBI - 23 BB – 29 SB – .428 SLG – .782 OPS

Carlos Carrasco, RHP – Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (Phillies): 17 Starts - 5 W - 8 L - 5.06 ERA - 33 BB - 93 K

Austin Jackson, OF – Scranton Wilkes-Barre (Yankees): .317 – 44 R - 4 HR – 32 RBI – 29 BB – 14 SB – .447 SLG – .832 OPS

Justin Smoak, 1B - Oklahoma City RedHawks (Rangers): .077 AVG - 2 R - 0 HR - 0 RBI – 3 BB – 0 SB – .077 SLG – .327 OPS

Lars Anderson, 1B – Portland SeaDogs (Red Sox): .262 AVG – 37 R – 8 HR - 41 RBI - 40 BB - 1 SB – .407 SLG – .764 OPS

Jhoulys Chacin, RHP – Tulsa Drillers (Rockies): 16 Starts - 7 W – 6 L – 3.43 ERA - 32 BB - 80 K

Carlos Santana, C – Akron Aeros (Indians): .266 AVG - 55 R – 14 HR - 55 RBI – 58 BB – 0 SB – .504 SLG – .900 OPS

 

Andrew Locke, OF – Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros): .324 AVG – 45 R – 11 HR – 76 RBI – 27 BB – 0 SB – .492 SLG – .863 OPS

 

Madison Bumgarner, LHP – Connecticut Defenders (Giants): 9 Games - 8 Starts - 6 W – 1 L – 1.70 ERA – 15 BB - 43 K

 

 

Jeanmar Gomez, RHP – Akron Aeros (Indians): 12 Starts – 6 W – 2 L - 3.31 ERA – 18 BB – 58 K

 

 

Yonder Alonso, 1B (injured) – Carolina Mudcats (Reds): .246 AVG – 4 R – 1 HR – 8 RBI – 6 BB – 1 SB – .377 SLG – .686 OPS

 

Kyle Drabek, RHP – Reading Phillies (Phillies): 7 Games – 6 Starts - 5 W – 0 L – 2.70 ERA – 17 BB – 36 K

 

Pedro Alvarez, 3B – Altoona Curve (Pirates): .200 AVG - 8 R - 3 HR - 7 RBI – 1 BB – 0 SB – .444 SLG – .653 OPS

 

 

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These guys have vast potential but need to work out some kinks in A-ball before they can advance.

Ian Gac, 1B – Bakersfield Blaze (Rangers): .237 AVG - 33 R – 14 HR – 37 RBI – 18 BB – 1 SB – .453 SLG – .744 OPS

Mike Moustakas, SS – Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals): .263 AVG – 43 R – 8 HR – 44 RBI – 17 BB – 7 SB – .415 SLG – .717 OPS

Che-Hsuan Lin, OF – Salem Red Sox: .260 AVG – 48 R – 4 HR - 32 RBI - 43 BB – 18 SB – .354 SLG – .717 OPS

Josh Vitters, 3B - Daytona Cubs (Cubs): .194 AVG – 2 R - 0 HR - 3 RBI - 1 BB - 0 SB – .290 SLG – .509 OPS

Shooter Hunt (rehabbing in Gulf Coast League), RHP – Beloit Snappers (Twins): 7 Games – 5 Starts – 0 W – 1 L – 10.70 ERA – 33 BB – 18 K

Collin Cowgill, OF (injured) – Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks): .277 AVG – 39 R – 6 HR – 36 RBI – 29 BB – 11 SB – .445 SLG – .819 OPS

Mauricio Robles, P – Lakeland Flying Tigers (Tigers): 3 Starts - 2 W – 1 L - 5.28 ERA - 6 BB – 17 K

Tim Beckham, SS – Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays): .283 AVG – 35 R - 4 HR - 44 RBI – 21 BB – 4 SB – .417 SLG – .753 OPS

Ezekiel Spruill, RHP – Rome Braves (Braves): 15 Games – 14 Starts – 7 W - 4 L – 1 SV – 3.02 ERA – 14 BB - 67 K

Brad Brach, RHP – Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres): 37 Games – 0 Starts – 1.42 ERA – 3 W – 2 L - 20 SV – 7 BB – 53 K

James McOwen, RF – High Desert Mavericks (Mariners): .353 AVG – 45 R – 5 HR – 53 RBI – 25 BB – 5 SB – .504 SLG – .914 OPS

Stephen Strasburg, RHP – San Diego State: 14 Starts – 13 W – 1 L – 1.32 ERA – 19 BB – 195 K

Strasburg was the #1 pick in the college draft this season, and will join the Washington Nationals system any old day now. He remains here as an honorary member.

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Prospects chosen from Diamond Cutter’s Top 25, Baseball America, and our trademark irrational sense of whimsy.

One of these days, I’ll write about something or somebody other than Jamie McOwen. It’s not completely my fault, though – HE’S the one who keeps getting hits every day.

McOwen was 0-for-3 against San Jose on Tuesday before singling with one out in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to 44 games. It is the seventh eighth* longest minor league streak of all-time; the first six were all compiled prior to 1954.

High Desert plays San Jose again tomorrow at 7:05 PDT.

*(The Baseball-Reference Bullpen link does not, for whatever reason, include Johnny Bates’ 46-game hitting streak for Nashville in 1925.)

Also, a fun tidbit that I just read at MiLB.com – McOwen’s streak-extending hit was a broken bat single. It never hurts to have a little luck.

I’m not going to write a whole lot about Cooperstown. Yes, it as an awesome visit – it’s always an awesome visit – but nothing out of the ordinary happened there. We saw a lot of cool stuff at the Hall (Tim took a ton of pictures, some of which I’ll post below), ate at the Doubleday Café (where we watched the United States take a 2-0 halftime lead on Brazil), visited my favorite book store and card shop, bought gifts for the wife and girlfriends, and left town (where we found out that the United States had blown that 2-0 halftime lead and lost, 3-2).

In a way, it was our best day. We were all exhausted, but the promise of home was within reach; we knew that the next time we slept, it would be in our own beds. Tim was finally feeling better after being sick as a dog all weekend; he and Chris and Billy were cracking jokes the whole way home. I was the only one having a tough time – I had sat with the driver for three consecutive legs of the trip and no matter how much I tried to convince myself that I would be fine until we got home, it wasn’t true. Being able to stay awake for long stretches of time has always been a badge of honor for me. I may not be smarter than most people or tougher than most people, but I can certainly outlast most people. Not this time, my friends. This time, I began nodding off in Vermont and continued fighting it most of the way home.

Ah, home. We pulled up outside my apartment and made sure Tim and I had all our stuff out of the back. It was raining, so we said some quick goodbyes and headed inside while Billy got behind the wheel to go drop Chris off. Tim and I walked up my front steps and opened the door to best thing I’d seen all weekend.

My wife smiled at us and said, “Joey, Daddy’s home!” My son looked up at me, looked past me to my brother, his godfather…and burst into tears.

And so ended the great Baseball Road Trip of 2009.

Chris thanks the man who got us through those long days and nights on the road

I could barely believe it, but Billy didn't know who Buck O'Neil was.

They had an excellent new exhibit on Hank Aaron.

Chris and I wanted to know what it felt like to chase Hammerin' Hank around the bases.

A good picture, except for the fact that we're all shadowy and stuff.

There, much better. Now we just look tired.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a joke as a baseball team and an organization (and that hurts to say, seeing as Amherst, New Hampshire’s own Neal Huntington is the general manager), but this must be said: I could see a game in every ballpark, major and minor, in the world and I’m not sure I would ever find another one as beautiful as Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. From the exterior view (where you’re driving down the street, come to a traffic light at the foot of the Roberto Clemente Bridge, and BOOM, ballpark at ten o’clock) to the interior view (with multiple gold-colored bridges rising up in the background), it’s just a fantastic place to enjoy visually.

My biggest regret about our road trip is that we didn’t get into Pittsburgh early enough to see any of the sights around the city. I would have liked to see where Three Rivers Stadium used to be, or visit Carnegie Mellon University (where the home plate from Forbes Field still resides). It was a hit-and-run visit, however; we left Baltimore around eleven, got to Pittsburgh just in time to check out the ballpark and see the game, and burned rubber for our hotel outside Harrisburg right after the game.

We parked near the ballpark and walked over, crossing the Roberto Clemente Bridge, which was closed to automobile traffic. There’s something strange about walking down the middle of the street in broad daylight. I kept waiting for a car horn to sound behind me and obscenities to be sent in my direction. When we made it to the other side, we were greeted by an awesome sight: a huge statue of Roberto Clemente as he was completing his swing and preparing to run to first. Milestones from his life and career were engraved into the base; a miniature baseball diamond was set up around his feet, with each “base” housing a sample of earth from someplace close to Clemente: his birthplace of Carolina, Puerto Rico and his two major league homes with the Pirates, Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium.

Before entering the ballpark, we separated for the first time on the trip. Billy, an avid outdoorsman, wanted to kayak down the mighty Alleghany River, so he broke off for an hour or so and went off on his own little adventure (he went as far as Heinz Field) while we went inside to watch batting practice. The first thing I noticed was that when you walk inside, the bullpens are RIGHT THERE. I hope Roman Colon likes an audience while he’s getting his work in, because he certainly had a sizeable one. We then ventured into the left-center field bleachers, which was being peppered with batting practice homeruns. Chris looked like he could’ve stayed there all day, but unfortunately we were in direct sunlight and I could feel myself baking, so I suggested we walk around and check out the rest of the place.

Some team employees were running a game under the bleachers where you spun a wheel and won some sort of prize. Chris and I signed up. He went first and won a hat that we had to walk clear across to the other side of the ballpark to retrieve. I followed and won a coupon for two free tickets to a Sunday-Thursday game of my choosing. My first thought was to give it away as a prize to one of our loyal Bus Leagues readers, but it will probably turn into a nice Labor Day road trip for my wife and I. Don’t worry, I gots other stuff for you people. We’ll get to that some other time.

After we walked to the other side of the ballpark for Chris’s hat, Billy caught up with us and we just soaked in the beauty of the place for a few minutes. Someone suggested moving closer to the field to take some pictures – batting practice was still going on – so we walked the main concourse until we were parallel to the dugouts and made our move.

Billy went down the steps first. For some reason, Chris and Tim were lagging behind. As I approached the steps, an usher popped out of nowhere and gruffly asked, “Something I can help you with?”

My first thought was, “Oh, no, not again.” What I actually said was, “No, we’re just looking to head down closer to the field and take some pictures before the game.”

Without another word, the usher gave an “Alright then son, go get ‘em” smack on the arm and walked away. I started laughing and continued down the steps. Billy had seen the usher and I talking and waited for me – he joined my laughter and we came to a sort of wordless agreement that the staff here blew the other two places out of the water. When we got to the bottom, I asked another usher about the seating capacity. He told me it was 38,000+ and they were close to a sellout tonight, with the fireworks and all (fireworks! Nobody said anything about fireworks!). If there was one area of this trip where we got just plain unlucky (besides, you know, the whole tire blowout on Day One), it was that we somehow chose games that featured two of the biggest crowds Camden Yards and PNC Park will see this season.

Our seats, then, ended up being in the general admission area in the left field bleachers. Decent seats with reasonable potential for homerun balls, but since they were general admission we lost the opportunity to get up and move around, for fear of losing the seats we had. Still, a small price to pay for a decent view of a surprisingly decent game. It was also a throwback night, with the Pirates dressed in Homestead Grays uniforms and the visiting Royals in Kansas City Monarchs gear. It was fitting, as my comment to Chris before the game was, “You know, this would be an outstanding matchup…if the year was 1979.”

(You may have noticed that with the exception of the first game, we somehow chose to see four of the worst teams in major league baseball. I have no idea how this happened.)

The saving grace of this game was supposed to be Zack Greinke. I had read that the Royals were sending Kyle Davies down and going with a four-man rotation, which meant Greinke’s turn would come on our Saturday. On Friday, though, Billy checked and saw that the Royals starter was still TBA. Coupled with rumors I had read that Bruce Chen would be getting a call-up, that seemed like bad news. “I’ll bet they’re waiting until after the game to make a roster move,” I said at the time. I’m not right often. I was right that time. We got Bruce Chen.

In the first inning, Nyjer Morgan reached base. Chen threw over once with a pickoff move that didn’t seem all that impressive. Next thing we knew, he was throwing over again…and Morgan was racing toward second. He was out by a mile. Later in the game, the same thing happened – Morgan reached base, Chen threw over, Morgan was already off to the races and out by a mile. For whatever reason, as Chris said, he just wasn’t picking up the move.

In the fourth, Chris made a bold prediction: we still hadn’t seen a homerun in almost two and a half games – Delwyn “Don’t Call Me Delmon” Young (also known as Delwyn “I’ve Never Thrown A Bat At An Umpire” Young) was going deep. At this point, Delwyn Young had four career homeruns…so of course you know that no sooner were the words out of Chris’s mouth than Young jacked the fifth homer of his career to dead center. It was just that kind of weekend.

Yadda yadda yadda, the game ended, the fireworks show was awesome, we got a group shot in front of the Clemente statue, Chris took the wheel and got us out of Pittsburgh. Our plan was to drive to Harrisburg, crash for a few hours, and head up to Cooperstown in the morning. This time, I kept Chris awake with inane conversation and approximately 352 renditions of “Once, twice, three times – ahh, ahh, ahh, oh, the humanity!” And it was a good thing, too, because there is nothing to see on the highways that cut through western and central Pennsylvania. Nothing. There were a lot of tunnels, however, which served no better purpose than to completely mess up Chris’s mind.

(For the sake of comparison, here are the videos my brother took of the fireworks in Baltimore and the fireworks in Pittsburgh. I think the latter show was better, but that’s just my opinion.)

Things started to go wrong as we approached Harrisburg, or whatever suburb of Harrisburg our hotel was in. The exit that we were supposed to take wasn’t there, so Chris got off the highway and found a convenience store where I could ask for directions. The young lady who helped us out was quite drunk and wearing a dress that left little to the imagination, but she was very pleasant and her directions for the street we were looking for were perfect. Unfortunately, we didn’t exactly follow them and had to call the hotel for help. When we got to the hotel, we were informed that there was an error in the system: since we were arriving after midnight, the system had marked us as a no-show and released our room. We still HAD a room, but the night desk clerk was new and couldn’t figure out how to get us checked in without double charging.

Chris was ready to sleep in the car by the time everything got squared away. We headed up to the room that the clerk had put us in for the few hours we would be there, opened the door, and immediately noticed that it had not been cleaned. There was trash lying around, the bed was unmade, the lights were on. It looked like somebody was still staying there. I went back to the office, got another key (for the room next door), opened it up, inspected it, and reported back with what I deemed to be the most pertinent information: “Well, there’s no dead hookers in the bathtub.” Billy and Tim grabbed the beds, Chris and I found space on the floor, and we proceeded to sleep for approximately 150 minutes before hitting the road for beautiful Cooperstown, New York.

So ended Day Three.