Jim Crikket

Savannah extended with the Mets, so cross that one off our lists. http://savannah.sandgnats.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120912&content_id=38307900&vkey=pr_t543&fext=.jsp&sid=t543

I haven't heard anything at all about the M's and Clinton. Seems like they've fielded competitive teams, so while maybe they'd prefer a midwestern MLB affiliation, just like CR does, I thought Clinton would like to keep things going as is. They had a nice renovation to their home clubhouse and workout facilities not long ago, so I'm not sure the M's could really do a lot better. I guess maybe one of the parties just saw 8-9 affiliations not renewing and decided it wouldn't hurt to see what options became available. I think the Angels' priority is (a) decent facilities at least, and ( relatively accessible airport nearby. QC and CR have good connections to LA and I assume Lexington probably does too. Burlington, Clinton, Beloit, not so much I assume. I did see that the Kernels open up the season in April by hosting Beloit. If it's not snowing, I'll probably be out there. We'll have to find one another and have a beer or a spiked hot chocolate, whichever seems appropriate at the time.

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. I’m kind of tired of reading and hearing about Stephen Strasburg and the decision by the Washington Nationals to shut him down for the season. That being the case, I’m not sure why I’m choosing now to actually write about him. But I am. I suppose the reason is that I’ve been trying to put myself in the shoes of those directly and indirectly involved with the decision to put an end to the hard-throwing phenom’s season because he’s reached what seems to some to be an arbitrarily reached innings limit in his first full season following “Tommy John” surgery. I find the exercise of shoe-filling to be helpful when it comes to second-guessing the decisions of others. Sometimes, it’s pretty easy to know how I would feel and what I would do. Sometimes, not so much. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Strasburg_PatrickReddington-300x292.jpg Have a seat son… for the rest of the season (Photo: Patrick Reddington/Federal Baseball) If I’m Stephen Strasburg, 24 year old pitcher, living my life-long dream of playing Major League Baseball, with a record breaking (for a draftee) $15.1 million 4-year contract in my pocket assuring me of being able to live comfortably for the rest of my life, and the competitive juices flowing through my veins that have driven me to reach this level, then I want to friggin pitch! Are you kidding me? My team is about to make the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s history and the first time in my adopted home city since most likely before my grandfather was born and now I’m not going to be there for the end of the ride? You gotta be kidding me! If I’m Scott Boras, Strasburg’s super-agent, I’ve got an investment to think about. Yes, I made a couple nickels off that $15+ million contract, but this is a pitcher who, if he hit the free agent market today, would easily bring in ten times that figure. Who knows how much he’ll be worth by the time he actally has enough service time in to hit the open market? It’s understandable that my client is focused on what he’s missing out on now, rather than on his future career and the earnings that come with it. It’s my job to focus on that for him. Of course I want to avoid risking career threatening injury that could come from throwing too many innings too soon and I’ll use every bit of influence and leverage I have to protect this investment. If I’m Mike Rizzo, Nationals General Manager, I’ve got an investment to think about, too. But it’s not quite as cut and dried for me as it is for Mr. Boras. Somehow, I’ve got to balance protecting the $15+ million asset I’ve already put in to Strasburg (and, if you believe the comments made by Boras in this Washington Post article, I also need to balance my relationship with Boras), with the need to not totally alienate my team’s fan base. This is a fan base that is starved for success they’ve never… ever… felt. If I screw this up and the fans stay away from the ballpark next year, I won’t have to worry about this team’s future, because someone else will have my job. On top of that, I’m risking my relationship with a clubhouse full of players that are seeing me take away a key component of their team just three weeks before the postseason begins. (Then again, a big chunk of that clubhouse seems to be represented by Boras.) If I’m a Washington Nationals fan, how do I feel? My chosen team is thissssssss close to the brass ring and Strasburg is a big reason “we” are in this position (make no mistake, as a fan of a team with the best record in baseball, I’m identifying myself with that team, so it’s all about what Rizzo is doing to “us”). Maybe if I were a Yankees fan (God forbid) and felt that sense of entitlement that comes from buying enough talent every year to almost assure my team of making the playoffs, I would have a longer term view of things. But in a town that hasn’t seen postseason baseball since 1933, this is a tough pill to swallow. On the other hand, it’s not like Strasburg is the only pitcher the Nats have. In fact, he’s arguably been among the least effective members of the rotation in recent weeks. But still… The fact is, as Twins fans, we may get the opportunity to find out exactly how we would feel if we filled the shoes of Nationals fans. Of course, we’d have to get pretty lucky. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Gibson_KevinPatakyMiLBcom-300x168.jpg Kyle Gibson (Photo: Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com_ You see, the Twins have a young pitcher named Kyle Gibson that they think a lot of and he had TJ surgery right about one year after Strasburg did. He’s thrown a few innings late this year in the minors and he’ll pitch some more in a fall league. But before Opening Day, 2013, the Twins will need to come up with a plan for Gibson. I’m not sure how the Twins will approach Gibson’s season, but I’m hoping they’re a bit smarter about it than Rizzo, Boras and, yes, even Strasburg himself, were about their situation this year. See, I don’t really have a problem with limiting Strasburg to 160-ish innings, in accordance with his doctors’ recommendations not to overwork the recently repaired elbow. In fact, I find it refreshing. I would think that any fan, especially one who cringes whenever an old schooler clearly thinks a WHIP is something Indiana Jones carries and a K/9 is a police dog, would applaud the Nationals’ willingness to apply modern medical philosophy to Strasburg. I do, however, have a problem with them being stupid about how they applied that innings limit. No matter who’s shoes I put myself in, I keep coming back to one thing. If you’re dealing with a guy who’s going to pitch in the minors or if you absolutely know you’re MLB team is going to suck, sure, just send your guy out there for 160 innings and shut him down. But if you are talking about, thinking about, or even just giving lip-service about being competitive, why the hell do you even think about putting your guy in the rotation before May 1 (and probably a couple weeks later, to be safe)? No matter which one of the roles in this little melodrama you step in to, wouldn’t it occur to you that it would be far more important to have your ace available for a stretch drive and the postseason, than to have him throwing in April’s potentially chilly evenings? Yes, games in April count as much as games in September, but games in October count a hell of a lot more than games in either of those months! The Nats have provided a service to the rest of Major League Baseball, I suppose. They’ve made a mistake smarter GMs can learn from. In the future, any GM who doesn’t hold back his tender-elbowed pitcher at the beginning of the season and thus is forced to shut him down just when things get interesting will be known to have “Strasburged” his pitcher… and there’s really no excuse for another pitcher to ever be Strasburged again. So watch closely this spring, folks. Follow along to see if Kyle Gibson starts the season in the Twins rotation or spends a month or so back in Fort Myers just keeping his arm warm until May rolls around. At the very least, he should spend a month or more in the bullpen, allowing him to stretch his innings through the full season without overworking that repaired elbow. We can expect the Twins front office to tell fans they believe the Twins will be competitive in 2013. But if Kyle Gibson is in the rotation to open the season, we’ll know the truth… that the front office does not expect their team to contend in 2013, so they’re willing to Strasburg Gibson. Either that or they’re just being as stupid as the Nationals. - JC

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. I’m kind of tired of reading and hearing about Stephen Strasburg and the decision by the Washington Nationals to shut him down for the season. That being the case, I’m not sure why I’m choosing now to actually write about him. But I am. I suppose the reason is that I’ve been trying to put myself in the shoes of those directly and indirectly involved with the decision to put an end to the hard-throwing phenom’s season because he’s reached what seems to some to be an arbitrarily reached innings limit in his first full season following “Tommy John” surgery. I find the exercise of shoe-filling to be helpful when it comes to second-guessing the decisions of others. Sometimes, it’s pretty easy to know how I would feel and what I would do. Sometimes, not so much. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Strasburg_PatrickReddington-300x292.jpg Have a seat son… for the rest of the season (Photo: Patrick Reddington/Federal Baseball) If I’m Stephen Strasburg, 24 year old pitcher, living my life-long dream of playing Major League Baseball, with a record breaking (for a draftee) $15.1 million 4-year contract in my pocket assuring me of being able to live comfortably for the rest of my life, and the competitive juices flowing through my veins that have driven me to reach this level, then I want to friggin pitch! Are you kidding me? My team is about to make the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s history and the first time in my adopted home city since most likely before my grandfather was born and now I’m not going to be there for the end of the ride? You gotta be kidding me! If I’m Scott Boras, Strasburg’s super-agent, I’ve got an investment to think about. Yes, I made a couple nickels off that $15+ million contract, but this is a pitcher who, if he hit the free agent market today, would easily bring in ten times that figure. Who knows how much he’ll be worth by the time he actally has enough service time in to hit the open market? It’s understandable that my client is focused on what he’s missing out on now, rather than on his future career and the earnings that come with it. It’s my job to focus on that for him. Of course I want to avoid risking career threatening injury that could come from throwing too many innings too soon and I’ll use every bit of influence and leverage I have to protect this investment. If I’m Mike Rizzo, Nationals General Manager, I’ve got an investment to think about, too. But it’s not quite as cut and dried for me as it is for Mr. Boras. Somehow, I’ve got to balance protecting the $15+ million asset I’ve already put in to Strasburg (and, if you believe the comments made by Boras in this Washington Post article, I also need to balance my relationship with Boras), with the need to not totally alienate my team’s fan base. This is a fan base that is starved for success they’ve never… ever… felt. If I screw this up and the fans stay away from the ballpark next year, I won’t have to worry about this team’s future, because someone else will have my job. On top of that, I’m risking my relationship with a clubhouse full of players that are seeing me take away a key component of their team just three weeks before the postseason begins. (Then again, a big chunk of that clubhouse seems to be represented by Boras.) If I’m a Washington Nationals fan, how do I feel? My chosen team is thissssssss close to the brass ring and Strasburg is a big reason “we” are in this position (make no mistake, as a fan of a team with the best record in baseball, I’m identifying myself with that team, so it’s all about what Rizzo is doing to “us”). Maybe if I were a Yankees fan (God forbid) and felt that sense of entitlement that comes from buying enough talent every year to almost assure my team of making the playoffs, I would have a longer term view of things. But in a town that hasn’t seen postseason baseball since 1933, this is a tough pill to swallow. On the other hand, it’s not like Strasburg is the only pitcher the Nats have. In fact, he’s arguably been among the least effective members of the rotation in recent weeks. But still… The fact is, as Twins fans, we may get the opportunity to find out exactly how we would feel if we filled the shoes of Nationals fans. Of course, we’d have to get pretty lucky. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Gibson_KevinPatakyMiLBcom-300x168.jpg Kyle Gibson (Photo: Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com_ You see, the Twins have a young pitcher named Kyle Gibson that they think a lot of and he had TJ surgery right about one year after Strasburg did. He’s thrown a few innings late this year in the minors and he’ll pitch some more in a fall league. But before Opening Day, 2013, the Twins will need to come up with a plan for Gibson. I’m not sure how the Twins will approach Gibson’s season, but I’m hoping they’re a bit smarter about it than Rizzo, Boras and, yes, even Strasburg himself, were about their situation this year. See, I don’t really have a problem with limiting Strasburg to 160-ish innings, in accordance with his doctors’ recommendations not to overwork the recently repaired elbow. In fact, I find it refreshing. I would think that any fan, especially one who cringes whenever an old schooler clearly thinks a WHIP is something Indiana Jones carries and a K/9 is a police dog, would applaud the Nationals’ willingness to apply modern medical philosophy to Strasburg. I do, however, have a problem with them being stupid about how they applied that innings limit. No matter who’s shoes I put myself in, I keep coming back to one thing. If you’re dealing with a guy who’s going to pitch in the minors or if you absolutely know you’re MLB team is going to suck, sure, just send your guy out there for 160 innings and shut him down. But if you are talking about, thinking about, or even just giving lip-service about being competitive, why the hell do you even think about putting your guy in the rotation before May 1 (and probably a couple weeks later, to be safe)? No matter which one of the roles in this little melodrama you step in to, wouldn’t it occur to you that it would be far more important to have your ace available for a stretch drive and the postseason, than to have him throwing in April’s potentially chilly evenings? Yes, games in April count as much as games in September, but games in October count a hell of a lot more than games in either of those months! The Nats have provided a service to the rest of Major League Baseball, I suppose. They’ve made a mistake smarter GMs can learn from. In the future, any GM who doesn’t hold back his tender-elbowed pitcher at the beginning of the season and thus is forced to shut him down just when things get interesting will be known to have “Strasburged” his pitcher… and there’s really no excuse for another pitcher to ever be Strasburged again. So watch closely this spring, folks. Follow along to see if Kyle Gibson starts the season in the Twins rotation or spends a month or so back in Fort Myers just keeping his arm warm until May rolls around. At the very least, he should spend a month or more in the bullpen, allowing him to stretch his innings through the full season without overworking that repaired elbow. We can expect the Twins front office to tell fans they believe the Twins will be competitive in 2013. But if Kyle Gibson is in the rotation to open the season, we’ll know the truth… that the front office does not expect their team to contend in 2013, so they’re willing to Strasburg Gibson. Either that or they’re just being as stupid as the Nationals. - JC

I'll play along: Beloit Snappers - Astros Burlington Bees - Royals (I think they'll stay in the midwest) Cedar Rapids Kernels - Twins Clinton Lumber Kings - Mariners renew Dayton Dragons - Reds Fort Wayne TinCaps - Padres Kane County Cougars - Cubs Peoria Chiefs - Cardinals Quad Cities River Bandits - Angels (they've had two tours in QC before) Hagerstown Suns - Nationals (stay nearby) Lexington Legends - Mets Savannah Sand Gnats - Athletics This is tough, though, because I do think there's a really good chance that St Louis stays in the QC and if that happens, my predictions change quite a bit. I think the Royals would end up in Peoria and the Angels in Lexington. I guess that would leave Burlington for the Mets.

Yeah, I thought that seemed like too many Sally teams and I see that the guy at minorleaguesource.com got caught up on the South Bend news, too. Here's the list of remaining MWL/SAL locations that I haven't seen or heard about renewals. Looks like an even dozen remaining possible landing spots for the Twins Class A affiliate. Some obviously more/less likely than others. Beloit WI – Beloit Snappers Harry C. Pohlman Field Built: 1982 Cap: 3500 Twins expired 2012 (Twins reported looking to move) Burlington IA – Burlington Bees Community Field Built 1947 (destroyed by fire), Rebuilt 1973 Cap: 3200 A's expired 2012 (A's reported unlikely to return) Cedar Rapids IA- Cedar Rapids Kernels Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium Built: 2002 Cap: 5300 Angels expired 2012 (CR notified Angels they would look for midwest affiliate) Clinton IA – Clinton Lumber Kings Ashford University Field Built: 1937, remodel 2006 Cap: 4000 Mariners expired 2012 Davenport IA – Quad Cities River Bandits Modern Woodmen Park Built: 1931, Rebuilt 2004 Cap: 4024 Cardinals expired 2012 (QC wants to renew, Cards have not committed) Dayton OH – Dayton Dragons Fifth Third Field Built: 2000 Cap: 7230 Reds expired 2012 (renewal seems highly likely) Fort Wayne IN – Fort Wayne Tincaps Parkview Field Built: 2009 Cap: 8100 Padres expired 2012 Geneva IL – Kane County Cougars Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Built: 1991, Renovated 2009 Cap: 7400 Royals expired 2012 (reportedly will sign with Cubs) Peoria IL – Peoria Chiefs O'Brien Field Built: 2002 Cap: 7500 Cubs expired 2012 (Reportedly will need new MLB affiliate) SALLY Hagersown MD - Hagerstown Suns Municipal Stadium Built: 1930, Renovations 2010-11 Cap: 4600 Nationals expired 2012 (geographic fit, would seem likely to renew) Lexington KY – Lexington Legends Whitaker Bank Park Built: 2001 Cap: 6994 Astros expired 2012 Savannah GA – Savannah Sand Gnats Grayson Stadium Built: 1926 Cap: 4000, Remodeled 2007 Mets expired 2012

I hadn't really heard anything about the A's, but like the other California teams, it probably doesn't matter much to them whether they're in the MWL or Sally from a geographic fit perspective. The Peoria JournalStar put out thumbnail sketches of the 15 MLB teams that still don't have a low-A affiliate lined up for 2013. Ten are currently in the MWL and five in SAL. http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x1903462898/Chiefs-are-searching-for-a-parent

See... I thought it looked like one of those deals where farmers claim aliens came down and made designs in their cornfields. Wouldn't it be great if it turned out there WAS life out there somewhere... AND they liked baseball!? Would you have to rename the World Series then? Yep. MLB would rename it the "Cosmic Series". Of course, they'd also just assume nobody else was as good at it as they are and wouldn't allow teams from other worlds to compete for the title... kinda like they do here on our "world".

See... I thought it looked like one of those deals where farmers claim aliens came down and made designs in their cornfields. Wouldn't it be great if it turned out there WAS life out there somewhere... AND they liked baseball!?

This article was originally published on Monday, Sept. 10, at Knuckleballsblog.com. It was with much fanfare that Major League Baseball announced a new, slightly expanded, postseason format as a part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It was reportedly solely due to the will of Commissioner Bud Selig that a way was found to implement the new format for the current season, rather than waiting one more year, when the leagues would be balanced and the spacing of postseason games could more easily be adapted to the format. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MLB-Playoff-graphic.jpg Image: MLB.com So what was the big deal? Is it really that important to the fans? I suppose that depends on the fan base you talk to. Most Twins fans probably don’t give a damn, since nothing short of a high school basketball tournament format where everybody automatically gets to play at least one game would help the Twins make the postseason this season. But what effect is the new format having elsewhere in baseball? The argument that supporters of the new format (including myself) made was that adding one more Wild Card spot in each league and making the two WC teams play a single win-or-die play-in game would keep more teams in contention later and therefore keep more fans in more cities engaged during September, when MLB tends to start hemorrhaging fans who turn their attention to football if the local MLB team has fallen out of contention. The single play-in game would also motivate teams to win their own division, rather than just settle for the Wild Card and coast through the final couple weeks of the season once that much was assured. I thought this might be a good time to take a look at whether those arguments are holding up as we enter the final three weeks of the regular season. Frankly, in the American League, I’m not sure the new format is having much, if any, effect. That’s primarily due to the AL having three highly contested division races, which certainly doesn’t happen every year. The top five non-division-leaders are also relatively closely packed together, so whether they were clawing for one WC or two, the fans in all five cities would probably be remaining engaged. Even Detroit, which would sit six games back in the WC standings and trailing four teams in the old format, remains in the thick of things since they’re only two games out of the Central Division lead anyway. In other words, whether under the new format or the old, the same eight AL teams are in contention and nobody would have the kind of lock on a playoff spot that would have allowed them to coast toward the finish in the old format. But in the National League, things are more than a bit different. As of Monday morning, all three current division leaders have healthy gaps between themselves and their nearest competitor. Washington and San Francisco have 5.5 game leads and Cincinnati has an 8.5 game lead. On top of that, Atlanta has a similar 5.5 game lead over the next non-division-leader, St. Louis. In other words, under last year’s format, we’d be coming pretty close to declaring the NL playoff bracket to be set. The Dodgers would not only trail the Giants by 5.5 in their division, but they’d be seven games out of the Wild Card race. The Pirates would be 8 games back and no other team would be within 10 games of a WC spot. If the Braves could maintain that kind of lead over the others, they’d have limited incentive to try to close the gap on the Nationals, knowing they’d enter the playoffs on equal footing with the three division winners. But these teams are not playing under the old format. In the new format, the Cardinals, rather than having their postseason hopes being on life support, are currently claiming the second WC spot in the NL. Not only that, but the Dodgers are just 1.5 games behind St. Louis and the perennial also-ran Pirates are just a game behind the Dodgers (and just 2.5 out of the final WC spot). Even the Brewers, Phillies and D’Backs, who would all be around a dozen games out of the WC race in the old format, are still hanging on to hopes with deficits half that size this year. But that’s not all. If the Braves want to avoid having to endure a single play-in game, they need to pull out all the stops and try to catch up to Washington… and the Nationals can’t just sit back and figure it really doesn’t matter if the Braves catch them or not. It matters! And while the Reds may be coming close to having their division title locked up, the Giants can’t afford to take their foot off the gas pedal and risk letting the Dodgers steal the NL West from them, either. If you look at the NL schedule of games on any given day, you would have to try very hard to find a single game with any kind of playoff ramifications under the old format. This year, there are probably at least 4-5 games every night that have potential postseason impact. I know there are plenty of people who still don’t see it as “fair” to play a 162 game schedule and have that come down to a single play-in game to qualify for the postseason. Most of those people seem to be managers and players on potential Wild Card teams. To them, I can only say, if you don’t like it, win more of those 162 games. Win your division and earn the advantage of knowing you’ll have a playoff series, rather than a single game. Earn the right to perhaps set your rotation for the postseason. And if you can’t earn it, if you just aren’t good enough through 162 games to win your division, then maybe… possibly… you might still be allowed a “second chance” play-in game. That’s what a Wild Card spot should be… a second chance for teams that haven’t won anything. I’m sure the compacted postseason schedule will be kind of messed up this season, but for my money, the new Wild Card format is working just the way I hoped it would. As much as I hate to admit it, this time Bud Selig got something right. - JC

This article was originally published on Monday, Sept. 10, at Knuckleballsblog.com. It was with much fanfare that Major League Baseball announced a new, slightly expanded, postseason format as a part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It was reportedly solely due to the will of Commissioner Bud Selig that a way was found to implement the new format for the current season, rather than waiting one more year, when the leagues would be balanced and the spacing of postseason games could more easily be adapted to the format. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MLB-Playoff-graphic.jpg Image: MLB.com So what was the big deal? Is it really that important to the fans? I suppose that depends on the fan base you talk to. Most Twins fans probably don’t give a damn, since nothing short of a high school basketball tournament format where everybody automatically gets to play at least one game would help the Twins make the postseason this season. But what effect is the new format having elsewhere in baseball? The argument that supporters of the new format (including myself) made was that adding one more Wild Card spot in each league and making the two WC teams play a single win-or-die play-in game would keep more teams in contention later and therefore keep more fans in more cities engaged during September, when MLB tends to start hemorrhaging fans who turn their attention to football if the local MLB team has fallen out of contention. The single play-in game would also motivate teams to win their own division, rather than just settle for the Wild Card and coast through the final couple weeks of the season once that much was assured. I thought this might be a good time to take a look at whether those arguments are holding up as we enter the final three weeks of the regular season. Frankly, in the American League, I’m not sure the new format is having much, if any, effect. That’s primarily due to the AL having three highly contested division races, which certainly doesn’t happen every year. The top five non-division-leaders are also relatively closely packed together, so whether they were clawing for one WC or two, the fans in all five cities would probably be remaining engaged. Even Detroit, which would sit six games back in the WC standings and trailing four teams in the old format, remains in the thick of things since they’re only two games out of the Central Division lead anyway. In other words, whether under the new format or the old, the same eight AL teams are in contention and nobody would have the kind of lock on a playoff spot that would have allowed them to coast toward the finish in the old format. But in the National League, things are more than a bit different. As of Monday morning, all three current division leaders have healthy gaps between themselves and their nearest competitor. Washington and San Francisco have 5.5 game leads and Cincinnati has an 8.5 game lead. On top of that, Atlanta has a similar 5.5 game lead over the next non-division-leader, St. Louis. In other words, under last year’s format, we’d be coming pretty close to declaring the NL playoff bracket to be set. The Dodgers would not only trail the Giants by 5.5 in their division, but they’d be seven games out of the Wild Card race. The Pirates would be 8 games back and no other team would be within 10 games of a WC spot. If the Braves could maintain that kind of lead over the others, they’d have limited incentive to try to close the gap on the Nationals, knowing they’d enter the playoffs on equal footing with the three division winners. But these teams are not playing under the old format. In the new format, the Cardinals, rather than having their postseason hopes being on life support, are currently claiming the second WC spot in the NL. Not only that, but the Dodgers are just 1.5 games behind St. Louis and the perennial also-ran Pirates are just a game behind the Dodgers (and just 2.5 out of the final WC spot). Even the Brewers, Phillies and D’Backs, who would all be around a dozen games out of the WC race in the old format, are still hanging on to hopes with deficits half that size this year. But that’s not all. If the Braves want to avoid having to endure a single play-in game, they need to pull out all the stops and try to catch up to Washington… and the Nationals can’t just sit back and figure it really doesn’t matter if the Braves catch them or not. It matters! And while the Reds may be coming close to having their division title locked up, the Giants can’t afford to take their foot off the gas pedal and risk letting the Dodgers steal the NL West from them, either. If you look at the NL schedule of games on any given day, you would have to try very hard to find a single game with any kind of playoff ramifications under the old format. This year, there are probably at least 4-5 games every night that have potential postseason impact. I know there are plenty of people who still don’t see it as “fair” to play a 162 game schedule and have that come down to a single play-in game to qualify for the postseason. Most of those people seem to be managers and players on potential Wild Card teams. To them, I can only say, if you don’t like it, win more of those 162 games. Win your division and earn the advantage of knowing you’ll have a playoff series, rather than a single game. Earn the right to perhaps set your rotation for the postseason. And if you can’t earn it, if you just aren’t good enough through 162 games to win your division, then maybe… possibly… you might still be allowed a “second chance” play-in game. That’s what a Wild Card spot should be… a second chance for teams that haven’t won anything. I’m sure the compacted postseason schedule will be kind of messed up this season, but for my money, the new Wild Card format is working just the way I hoped it would. As much as I hate to admit it, this time Bud Selig got something right. - JC

I was surprised by how sparse the crowd was in Clinton Wednesday night, too, but I think minor league playoff attendance is generally low. I believe it just demonstrates how hard MiLB front offices have to work to get decent crowds all season long. The fans who are just there for the baseball show up for the playoffs, but the fans who go for the promotions and other "extras" that minor league teams have to add to the game experience to get casual fans aren't going to be there. Congratulations to the Snappers on a very good season, despite the disappointing end.

Not much new happening on this front, but after a bit of an email exchange with a pretty good source, I'm no longer concerned much about a possible St. Paul situation. So many cards stacked against that happening and I guess I've become convinced that the rest of the MWL would sign off on that deal even if one of the existing franchises became available. The Cardinals are no longer seen as near-locks to extend with the Quad Cities, however, and assuming the Cubs do leave Peoria for Kane County (which I think everyone sees as a certainty, at this point), it will be interesting to see if Peoria and the Cardinals can put past issues aside and get back together. If not, I could certainly see Cedar Rapids having some interest in the Cardinals. Personally, I'm hoping though that the contingent of Cub fans on CR's Board would favor the Twins over their beloved Cubbies' fiercest rival. The Twins/Cedar Rapids thing still just makes almost too much sense for it NOT to happen, however. I'm told the Twins have discussed Ft Wayne at least internally, but I can't see that as making much sense for anything except as an option if CR falls through. In that scenario, the Twins could be scrambling for another non-Beloit option and Ft. Wayne certainly has great facilities. It's just not geographically where the Twins would seemingly prefer to be. At this point, I think every organization is putting together a plan A, plan B and plan C. It would be fun to be listening in when those plans start getting openly discussed on the phone lines and in the meetings rooms around the midwest.

No way we in Iowa are going to let a line like, "Is this heaven?... No, it's Iowa," fade away! I agree that the project seems pretty ambitious. I know when I was coaching kids in the 90's we would have loved to have just a nice 4-6 field complex that we didn't have to fight for time over with beer-league softball. I'm sure they'll draw decent numbers for weekend tournaments, but that's hardly a year-round activity in these parts. Then again, having taken my teams to Dyersville for tournaments many years, I know they do love their baseball there.

Beloit is in a tough spot with regard to marketing, I think. They say it takes money to make money, but you also need funding in the first place to generate that growth. Beloit is community owned and needs to at least break even financially. It's got to be tough in that market to be able to afford people who can do the kind of off-season marketing that other teams do. Cedar Rapids, for example, probably has at least twice the number of full-time year-round staff that Beloit does. In the off-season, the entire CR staff become salespeople and they are immediately going out and marketing their product for the next season. They also run the concessions for the city's JHL hockey team that plays next door to the ballpark, so there are some revenue streams Beloit probably can't match. The result is more sales, which means they can afford more staff, which makes for a better fan experience during the season. I know it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, but I suspect Beloit would love to do more during the off-season. They can only spend what they take in, however.

I'll take my shot at this. In the past 2-5 years Fort Myers or more noticeably Lee County has expressed interest to acquiring a 3rd Spring Training team. However since they have expressed their interest they have built the Red Sox a new $80 million stadium and are in the final plans to put $30 million into renovations for the Twins. It says that the Nationals have expressed interest of moving to Fort Myers but I'm sure they would only do it for a publically funded stadium and facilities. The only thing would be is if Lee County told the Twins the only way they would renovate the stadium is with the Nationals as co-tenants but I really don't know. They have been talking with the Nationals about that even after the Red Sox facilities were up. They were talking up till the primary elections changed the make up of the commission. And btw totally unrelated to Hammond Stadium. That would be exclusively Twins' territory in ST. Lee County is still talking to the Nationals, but money is the issue. Lee County is looking for a team to move in to the Red Sox old ST facility in Ft. Myers proper. The catch, not surprisingly, is that the Nationals want the same kind of improvements that the Red Sox had wanted before the deal was struck to build their new facility. City of Palms Park (which the city turned over to Lee County several years ago) isn't a bad place for a ballgame, but there's only one practice field adjacent to it. The rest of the fields and facilities for minor leaguers are about a mile away. So the Nats want out of Viera and can use an escape clause in their lease in a year or two, I believe, but Lee County's available tourism dollars are pretty much sunk between the Red Sox new facility and the improvements the Twins want at their place. Add to that the current anti-baseball political climate and it sounds to me like the two sides aren't really close to getting anything done.

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. If Wednesday night’s Beloit Snappers/Clinton LumberKings game does indeed mark the final time I see a baseball game in person this year, it was a heckuva game to end the season on! I don’t want to bury the lead, so let’s start by saying the Snappers came out on top in game one of their 3-game playoff series with Clinton, by a score of 8-6. But the score doesn’t begin to tell the story. Clinton scored twice in the bottom of the first inning, but Beloit got one back in the top of the 2nd. Clinton 2B Dillon Hazlett got that run back for Clinton in the bottom of the 2nd with a solo HR. It wouldn’t be his only dinger. Beloit scored again in the top of the 3rd to make the score 3-2 Clinton, but the LumberKings tallied another run in the 4th to go back up by 2 runs again. The Snappers closed to within 1 with an Eddie Rosario RBI double. However, when Miguel Sano flied to CF, Rosario tried to advance to third base, but was called out for having left 2nd too soon. Again the LumberKings immediately got that run back in the bottom of the 5th to reclaim a 2-run margin, 5-3. Rosario struck again with runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 7th with a single to LF. Clinton left fielder Guillermo Pimentel bobbled the ball, allowing the tying run to score, but Rosario was thrown out at 2B by the cut-off man. Still, the game stood tied at 5 runs each. Kennys Vargas started out the 8th with a double to the LCF wall. JD Williams pinch ran for Vargas and eventually scored on Stephen Wickens RBI single up the middle through a drawn in infield. But in the bottom of the 8th, Hazlett struck again with his second solo HR of the night and the game was tied yet again, 6-6. In the 9th, the Snappers parlayed an AJ Petterson lead-off single, a Nate Roberts sacrifice bunt, a Clinton error, a couple of wild pitches and an infield grounder in to two more runs. Mason Melotakis gave up a lead-off double in the bottom of the ninth and nearly threw a comeback grounder over the head of Miguel Sano, who had shifted over to play 1B after Vargas’ departure. But Melotakis settled down to get the final out on a fly ball to RF to secure the 8-6 win. They head home now for game 2 Thursday night and, if necessary, game 3 on Friday. I was a little disappointed in the size of the crowd at Clinton, but I can’t say enough about how friendly everyone I talked to was. I started the game sitting with a family from Beloit, including a young lady who, it turns out, is one of the Snappers’ batgirls at their home games. Later in the game, I moved out to a picnic area down the left field line and the Clinton fans down there pretty much adopted me for two innings, despite my Twins gear clearly making my allegiances clear. Clinton’s ballpark is another one of the older stadiums in the Midwest League, but Clinton has at least made obvious attempts to upgrade their facilities. I REALLY enjoyed the old school organ music between and during innings. I didn’t realize how much I missed that kind of thing until I heard it in Clinton! Let’s wrap with a few pictures and wish the Snappers the best of luck the rest of the playoffs! - JC http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/AshfordUnivField.jpg Outside Ashford University Field in Clinton http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/LucasKochWheeler.jpg Pitching coach Gary Lucas looks on as starting pitcher Jason Wheeler warms up with catcher Matt Koch http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/ClintonBeloitLineups.jpg Teams are introduced before the playoff game starts http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/PradaVargas.jpg Manager Nelson Prada and runner Kennys Vargas at 3B http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/LeachmanBrito.jpg Runner Drew Leachman, who had 3 hits on the night, held on by Clinton SS Bryan Brito http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/WheelerSano2.jpg Jason Wheeler pitching with Miguel Sano at 3B http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/VargasPetterson-1.jpg Kennys Vargas at 1B and AJ Petterson at 2B http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/AshfordUnivField2.jpg View from the left field picnic area of Ashford University Field in Clinton All photos by Jim Crikket/Knuckleballs

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. If Wednesday night’s Beloit Snappers/Clinton LumberKings game does indeed mark the final time I see a baseball game in person this year, it was a heckuva game to end the season on! I don’t want to bury the lead, so let’s start by saying the Snappers came out on top in game one of their 3-game playoff series with Clinton, by a score of 8-6. But the score doesn’t begin to tell the story. Clinton scored twice in the bottom of the first inning, but Beloit got one back in the top of the 2nd. Clinton 2B Dillon Hazlett got that run back for Clinton in the bottom of the 2nd with a solo HR. It wouldn’t be his only dinger. Beloit scored again in the top of the 3rd to make the score 3-2 Clinton, but the LumberKings tallied another run in the 4th to go back up by 2 runs again. The Snappers closed to within 1 with an Eddie Rosario RBI double. However, when Miguel Sano flied to CF, Rosario tried to advance to third base, but was called out for having left 2nd too soon. Again the LumberKings immediately got that run back in the bottom of the 5th to reclaim a 2-run margin, 5-3. Rosario struck again with runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 7th with a single to LF. Clinton left fielder Guillermo Pimentel bobbled the ball, allowing the tying run to score, but Rosario was thrown out at 2B by the cut-off man. Still, the game stood tied at 5 runs each. Kennys Vargas started out the 8th with a double to the LCF wall. JD Williams pinch ran for Vargas and eventually scored on Stephen Wickens RBI single up the middle through a drawn in infield. But in the bottom of the 8th, Hazlett struck again with his second solo HR of the night and the game was tied yet again, 6-6. In the 9th, the Snappers parlayed an AJ Petterson lead-off single, a Nate Roberts sacrifice bunt, a Clinton error, a couple of wild pitches and an infield grounder in to two more runs. Mason Melotakis gave up a lead-off double in the bottom of the ninth and nearly threw a comeback grounder over the head of Miguel Sano, who had shifted over to play 1B after Vargas’ departure. But Melotakis settled down to get the final out on a fly ball to RF to secure the 8-6 win. They head home now for game 2 Thursday night and, if necessary, game 3 on Friday. I was a little disappointed in the size of the crowd at Clinton, but I can’t say enough about how friendly everyone I talked to was. I started the game sitting with a family from Beloit, including a young lady who, it turns out, is one of the Snappers’ batgirls at their home games. Later in the game, I moved out to a picnic area down the left field line and the Clinton fans down there pretty much adopted me for two innings, despite my Twins gear clearly making my allegiances clear. Clinton’s ballpark is another one of the older stadiums in the Midwest League, but Clinton has at least made obvious attempts to upgrade their facilities. I REALLY enjoyed the old school organ music between and during innings. I didn’t realize how much I missed that kind of thing until I heard it in Clinton! Let’s wrap with a few pictures and wish the Snappers the best of luck the rest of the playoffs! - JC http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/AshfordUnivField.jpg Outside Ashford University Field in Clinton http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/LucasKochWheeler.jpg Pitching coach Gary Lucas looks on as starting pitcher Jason Wheeler warms up with catcher Matt Koch http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/ClintonBeloitLineups.jpg Teams are introduced before the playoff game starts http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/PradaVargas.jpg Manager Nelson Prada and runner Kennys Vargas at 3B http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/LeachmanBrito.jpg Runner Drew Leachman, who had 3 hits on the night, held on by Clinton SS Bryan Brito http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/WheelerSano2.jpg Jason Wheeler pitching with Miguel Sano at 3B http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/VargasPetterson-1.jpg Kennys Vargas at 1B and AJ Petterson at 2B http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/JimCrikket/KernelsSnappers/AshfordUnivField2.jpg View from the left field picnic area of Ashford University Field in Clinton All photos by Jim Crikket/Knuckleballs

The Twins were in the Quad Cities and I think they were fine with staying there, but the QC ownership at the time (it's since changed hands) had a shot at getting the Cardinals and took it. I believe the Twins were caught a bit offguard by that and I don't know what, if any, options the Twins had at the time, but it could have been limited. Also, they were talking about a new stadium in/near Beloit I think. In fact, they've been "talking" about it ever since the Brewers were in Beloit. I think you might say the Twins have been more than patient but the stadium outlook for Beloit is probably more bleak now than it has been in years. Beloit continues to have a franchise because the MLB/MiLB agreement makes it almost impossible to take a franchise away. I do think they're walking a bit of a tightrope, though, if they don't do something soon.

Can't say that's a huge surprise. It's pretty hard to imagine a MLB team saying, "hey, those facilities in Beloit would be great for our guys." It's really too bad they can't figure out some way to do something about a new ballpark. You just feel like it's going to be a game of musical chairs and the last MLB team to find another landing spot ends up in Beloit. That's unfortunate for both Beloit and the MLB affiliate that goes there, with both knowing it's a forced 2-year marriage. I could see the Angels or A's going to the Sally, since geography isn't an issue for either one of them although they both seem to have been in the MWL for as long as I can remember.

Yep, they got that worked out. One of them bought out the other. Since then, I think the site has changed hands at least once (maybe more). My understanding is that the current owners of the movie site are also behind Go the Distance Baseball LLC.

If you have never visited the site where the movie "Field of Dreams" was filmed, near Dyersville IA, you soon may have a new reason to visit... especially if you have kids who play baseball/softball. Go the Distance Baseball, LLC has plans to build a $38 million youth baseball/softball complex at the Field of Dreams site that will include 24 new ballfields of varying types/sizes (in addition to the original field, of course). The Dyersville City Council has approved a $5.1 million property tax rebate for Go the Distance Baseball, LLC, which is over and above a $16.6 million state sales tax rebate approved by the Iowa Legislature and Governor in April. If that ghostly voice had told Ray Kinsella to build 25 fields in his cornfields, even Ray might have thought that was a little crazy. The project is moving ahead, so I guess we'll soon find out just how true the "If you build it, they will come" thing is. Here's the artist rendering from the organization's Facebook page:

Ryan said Slama will get his chance. He didn't specifically indicate it would necessarily be with the Twins. Assuming he's exposed to the Rule 5 draft, I would assume someone might take a flyer on him to get a look at him in Spring Training. If he's still with the organization in February, it sounds like he'll get a MLB ST invite with the Twins. I think he should have gotten a call up, but it's not an outrageous sin that he's not. It's just a bit confusing more than anything else. I can understand that the Twins wanted to look at some guys they've added to the organization during the course of the year, but one would think there would have been a few innings for Slama, too.

There doesn't seem to be a financial difference of any substance. The MLB affiliate covers cost of paying players, coaches & trainers (salaries and meal per diem on road trips). They also pay a portion of equipment like gameballs, etc (I've been told it's 2/3, with minor league club paying 1/3... inventory at the end of the season becomes property of the MLB club). Minor league organization pays travel expenses (up to 17 rooms per night). But costs aside, it's worth something to the MLB organization to have their players at a facility with relatively modern clubhouse, training/workout facilities. But the financial obligations of the MLB team vs the MiLB organization are pretty much set by rule without much wiggle room. I guess that's to keep the teams from playing one potential affiliate against another in terms of what they can convince potential affiliates to kick in.financially.

James and his team mates came up one game short of qualifying for the Eastern League playoffs. Beresford himself wrapped up the season on a high note, going 7 for 9 in the final two games, lifting his batting average to .266 for the season. I assume James will be playing in Australia this winter and we'll look forward to seeing where he starts 2013.