Absenteeism

Sorry about the recent lack of posting; one of the kids is sick and quite frankly, there hasn't been a whole lot to blog on.

Having said that, you've got just a few more days to enter the blog contest - winners will be notified next Friday (January 5, 2007).

Speaking of the independent leagues (Doh!!!) over at Beerleaguer there's this brief note:

No shortage of independent league graduates

“Where would the Phillies' farm system be without the indie leagues?” asks Beerleaguer senior correspondent Martin Smith. “I’m sure I'm missing some, but here are the guys looking for Ottawa playing time who spent time in indie ball: Victor Hall; Brian Mazone; Jim Crowell; Kane Davis; Jeff Farnsworth; Jim Rushford; Pedro Swann; Gary Burnham; Evan Tartagia; Charlie Weatherby; Greg
Jacobs; Allen Davis; Tim McClaskey; Nick Mattioni. That’s a large number.”

In completely unrelated news, I hit a patch of bare pavement while skiing this morning (just a dusting of snow beneath the underpass near Mackenzie King Estate), and did a little pavement surfing before falling. Felt like I broke every bone in my body.

Must.
Lie.
Down.

Briefly

This brand new blog brings some very Phillies minor league analysis to the table - analysis far beyond yours truly. I hope he keeps up with his blog.

Definitely worth watching....

Crisis averted

Good thing we got the XBox for Christmas. I'd have been upset if I destroyed my son's baseball career before it even took flight.

Curtis Pride

Suffice it to say, I survived the XBox 360 "issue" - I actually did quite a bit better than I expected; she was very supportive of the deal! (which shows you how much I know about women).

Here's a belated Christmas gift: a Youtube video showcasing Curtis Pride. I remember the buzz surrounding Curtis back in 1993 (check out the crowds BTW) - he was the "feel good" story of the team in their inaugural season. To his great credit, people soon forgot about his deafness; the man could play ball. I remember not being able to remember if it was Cliff Floyd or Curtis Pride who was deaf - they were both just so good, and the hearing impairment became a footnote.

Curtis Pride runs a foundation, Together With Pride "who's mission is to support and create programs for hearing impaired children that focus on the importance of education and the learning of life skills along with promoting a positive self esteem. "

1993 Curtis Pride

Merry Christmas!

It's just shy of 7 a.m. and the kids and Doris are still sleeping. I should have the chance to finish my coffee, hop on the bike for two hours and take a shower before they even make signs of waking - clearly my children are not normal. My older brother and I used to be up before dawn - literally. We both delivered the Globe and Mail, and it didn't stop for Christmas day. I remember getting back to the house and everyone was still asleep; my parents would usually get up around 7 and then we'd get to open gifts before going to church.

With my limited blogging time today, I thought I'd use this window of opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! (Next week I'll be able to say that pitchers and catchers report NEXT month!)

Don't forget to enter the blog contest - you've got about 11 entries left! (email to lynxblogcontest@hotmail.com - winners names will NOT be published without prior consent).

Bustin' some more moves.

I uncovered a few more Lynx related signings yesterday. Fan favorite Ed Rogers signed a minor league deal with Boston. As many of you now know, I'm certainly no baseball analyst - what I can say about Ed Rogers though is that defensively, the man is a vacuum. Any ball hit anywhere near him had little chance of making it to the outfield. Former SWB Red Baron, Bobby Scales (who I "profiled" here also signed with Pawtucket.

The last transaction I could find yesterday involved Todd Donovan - he was signed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers.

Why did I post this?

Because it was there!





(and it was marginally "Lynx related").

Moves of the week

The big news/moves this week at the parent club level were the signing of yet another catcher, Rod Barajas and the trade of Jeff Conine.

What does this mean for the Lynx? How the heck should I know? But seriously - how the heck should I know? What they say is that it looks like Carlos Ruiz will stick with the Phillies and Barajas will back him up. If they carry a third catcher, it's likely to be Chris Coste - which means we'll likely see Jason Jaramillo.

As far as the Conine trade, that may open up a spot for Michael Bourn (rats!) in the outfield.

More discussion of the Conine deal can be found here, the Barajas signing with all the catcher implications is being discussed here.

Keep 'em coming!

Just a quick reminder: you've got just under two weeks to enter the blog contest. Since you're allowed to enter once a day, you've got about 14 possible entries left. Just send an email to lynxblogcontest@hotmail.com - winners will be notified on January 5, 2007.

Complete details can be found here.

Last reminder - today is the last chance in 2006 to visit the Skratching Post!

What he said

About 1/2 way down the page.

For what it's worth, the City's promised me a decision on whether or not they'll release the operating agreement by December 27. That only took the better part of two months. (Shakes head, sharp exhale).

Free Agent signings

I'm not going to be able to do this justice until later tonight. But if you want to take a look at one of my resources feel free. There's still a lot of 2006 Lynx players unaccounted for (e.g. Andy Tracy, Brandon Marsters, Howie Clark,...)

It appears that "Blogger" had some connectivity issues again yesterday evening, sorry if you couldn't get in (I wasn't able to update either).

Gamesmanship

OT warning.

But hey – ‘tis the season.

I’ve made what may turn out to be a rather large mistake. I bought an Xbox 360 for Christmas. My wife and I decided – about five years ago, that we wanted to avoid the whole video game trap for as long as we possibly could - we’d seen too many of our friends’ kids wind up as zombies in front of televisions. So, up until now, we’ve pretty much abstained. More accurately, we’ve forced our son to abstain (with the exception of a Game Boy). To his great credit, my son has never asked for a video game system – we caved on the Game Boy because we saw how much it interested him when his friends were using theirs. My son is not perfect, but one of the many things I love about him is that he’s not materialistic – he rarely asks us for anything.

Having said all of that, I remember the absolute joy of receiving the unexpected gift – the Six Million Dollar Man toy with the rocket ship/operating room, the Vertibird helicopter, the P-39 Bell Aircobra gas engine plane. I also remember the Christmas where Dad gave away our Christmas dinner; my Dad’s a now retired Lutheran minister, and as he explained to my furious mother, it seemed like the right thing to do. And it was – a simple thing like a dinner became someone else’s unexpected gift. A dinner we would likely have taken for granted.

So I’m committed now – although I’ve hedged my bets a little. I’m going to give the Xbox as a gift to my wife, which will allow her to set the rules pertaining to its use. Did I mention I hadn't brought her into the decision making process on this one? Something which I've obviously picked up from Dad.

If the blog falls silent after Christmas, you’ll know how well this went over.

Wow!

I've been away from the blog for a day and the stuff really backs up. Sorry.

First to the "wow". Was riding (indoors) this a.m., listening to the Team 1200 when the "20-20" update came on. One of the last items? An update on former Lynx players that have been picked up in minor league deals by the Phillies. It was a pleasant surprise to find that local sports radio is following the Lynx in the dead of winter (notwithstanding the April temperatures).

Here's a nice seasonal story from John Brazer's blog (he's the Phillies media spokesperson), which I read yesterday.

Speaking of Christmas, I'm not sure what the blogging will be like, but it may be more sporadic than it's been for the last little while - there may be a day or two without posts.

Hmmmmm....... - UPDATE

"When the arena was sold in June 2003, the Tories forgave part of the loan."

Hmmm. I wonder which arena we're talking about?

"Mike Arbour, spokesman for Finance Minister Greg Sorbara, said the former NDP government loaned the then-Corel Centre $26.8 million in 1994 for infrastructure improvements."

Oh, right. That arena.

"The provincial government has since been writing off $2.1 million annually.

Arbour said the 2003 pact allowed for a larger write-off if the Corel Centre, now called Scotiabank Place, held a major event outside hockey season.

Arbour said that the additional $4 million was for holding the 2005 NHL draft in Ottawa."

Before everyone gets all bent out of shape, I realize that we're not comparing apples with apples here. And don't misunderstand the point I'm trying to make - I'm not upset about the debt relief. Quite frankly, it makes sense to me. It's a pragmatic response on the part of the province - faced with the choice of making a little less revenue, or none at all, they elected for the former. As a taxpayer, while I may object to what appears to be the preferential treatment of another taxpayer, I'm also somewhat of a realist; cutting off our collective nose to spite our face makes no sense. And that was the option that was threatened by Mr. Bryden - essentially: "Give me tax relief, or lose all Senators related revenue when I'm forced to sell and the team leaves the marketplace".

The difference between the Senators and the Lynx? To begin with, I don't believe Mr. Pecor has ever asked for anything more than fan support - that is, increased attendance, and a solution to the parking problem. He did not, to the best of my knowledge, ask for debt relief when the team changed hands from Mr. Darwin. Maybe he should have. Perhaps it would have been a "good business" tactic, but from the very little I know about Mr. Pecor, my guess is that arm twisting and coercive bargaining are simply not his style. The Senators got a "pact" after taking their tax issue public. By contrast, Lynx ownership said very little over the last six money losing years and were slandered.

The difference for the taxpayer and the local economy? Scotiabank Place has a tenant - a tenant that pays taxes, creates jobs and pumps all kinds of money into the local economy. A mere twenty minutes east on the 417, Lynx Stadium is now an endangered species, pushed to the brink by City mismanagement (if not an entire abrogation) of the operating agreement with the team. I've said it before: it's a wonder that Mr. Pecor has put up with it for as long as he has. As a community, we're in danger of watching our civic leaders figuratively cut off our noses here; Lynx Stadium is a single use facility with one revenue generator: its sole tenant, The Ottawa Lynx. I would respectfully urge you to contact your councillor and the mayor and ask them to put the scalpel down.

** UPDATE **

Couple of things. First, one of my colleagues whom I often use as a sounding board with respect to the blog, has with some amusement informed me that he thinks my use of the word "slandered" may be a rhetorical bridge too far. In hindsight, slandered might be over the top (def: a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report: a slander against his good name.), although the figurative jury's still out. But OK, maybe "insulted" would be more appropriate.

Second, why does traffic to the blog nearly double when I take shots at the City?

Feedback

Think that head office types sit in ivory towers and aren't aware of fan criticism? Think again.

This appears to be a rather succinct, effective rebuttal from someone who decided "enough is enough".

More moves - UPDATE

Where will Greg Jacobs wind up. Jacobs last played for the Kansas City T-Bones in the Northern League (the AAA affiliate of the Seattle Mariners).

And from the Lynx website, we have news of the signings of 14 more minor league free agents.

Keep up if you can!

** UPDATE **

OK, clearly I'm having difficulty "keeping up" too. The T-Bones aren't affiliated with anyone - the Northern League is an independent league. In my defense, Jacobs did play with Tacoma, Seattle's AAA affiliate, before going over to KC.

A reminder

You've got just a little over two weeks to email your contest entries. The contest closes at midnight on January 4, 2007 - you can enter your name once a day until then. Email to lynxblogcontest@hotmail.com.

Good luck!

Things I miss most

My visit to the Skratching Post last week was a little bittersweet. It was nice to be back in the friendly confines, but it reminded me of many of the things I'm missing most about the park.

The artistry of the grounds crew

I know this sounds strange. I marvel at the work these people do - show up a 1/2 hour or so early and watch what goes on to prepare the field for play. The consistent level of quality is amazing; the field always looks the same. Pristine. They're artists with chalk, water, dirt and grass and my hat is off to them; all I can grow in my front yard without professional help is crabgrass and weeds.

The freedom for the kids

I’ve mentioned this before – but as a parent, there are fewer and fewer places where I feel comfortable enough not to watch them like a hawk. The ballpark is one of those places and a great deal of credit has to go to the security staff. The other side of it is that the fans seem to enjoy having kids around – one evening in August, I watched with amusement as Bekah wandered down to the first row and start chatting up some girls and their parents. Pretty soon the whole row was breaking up, listening to her “Yo-Yo and Hoops” impression.

The skill level of the players

I never get tired of watching the warm-up/between innning throws down to second from the catchers, nor watching the second basemen or short-stop receiving the throw – almost always a few inches towards first and low enough to swipe tag the runner. Unbelievable.

The breezeways

No matter how hot it gets, you’re always guaranteed a cooling wind through the breezeways.

The smell of popcorn and hotdogs

Comfort food at its finest. That peculiar but pleasant olfactory amalgam that is popcorn and hotdogs – it can’t be duplicated properly anywhere but in an open air, grass field stadium.

Watching night descend

Another strange one, but there’s something calming about watching the shadows lengthen until the lights take over. It’s one of those “little things”.

The voice of the Lynx

He’s been the public address voice for the Lynx for as long as I can remember – it’s nice that some things never change. We’ll always remember the game in August of 2003, shortly after the blackout, when power was cutting in and out. Eventually he gave up with the standard PA system and came and sat in the stands with a bullhorn.

"Come on, Zakky!"

Well, not yet – but someday. The fellow who sits in the stands and “encourages” every Lynx hitter (or pitcher) after they get announced. He’s a classic.

Skratch

What can I say? Seeing him at the Skratching Post made me realize how much I miss him. Hold on, I’m getting verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves. I’ll give you a topic: The Holy Roman empire was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. Discuss.

There. I feel better.

Family

It’s nice to be able to go and enjoy a day or evening with like-minded people. And it’s not just the fans – clearly, most players and coaches realize that the game extends beyond just their own ballpark. There was a game back in July or August when Buffalo was in town. A Bisons hitter’s ball went screaming into the stands along the third base line – the first guy over to see that everything was OK was Torey Lovullo, the Bisons manager. What struck me was how genuinely concerned he was; you could see that in that moment, he completely forgot about “the game” and was worried about the fan who had been struck. (this, also after he’d been razzed incessantly by people along the third baseline for standing outside the coaches box).

April can’t get here soon enough.

Paging Larry Coor

Hey "Larry"!

Could you flip me the link to your Lynx photo album when you have a moment? Now that the Cat's Pride website is no longer available, I don't have the link to your photos.

Thanks.

A little light reading

If you've got the time (and the interest), Scout.com has an article assessing the Phillies needs for next season (which is rapidly approaching). I should note, that it's my preference to post strictly Lynx type material first; of late, there's been more news from the parent club, but lest anyone think I'm more interested in Philadelphia I'd like to point out that that's not the case. My bias is Lynx first, Philadelphia/Lynx related material next. I expect that the closer we get towards spring training, and as the Lynx roster takes shape, I'll be able to provide more of the former.

And it would seem you and I aren't the only ones looking for "Lynx specific" information; of the 14 teams in the IL, the Lynx webpage ranked 3rd for page views last month.

Blogging delayed

Due to various Christmas functions. I should have something posted by this evening.

Way to go, Eddy!

Eddy Garabito signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was invited to their spring training camp! Eddy was one of those guys who quickly became one of our favorites - he also had the coolest intro. music: "Are you readdddyyyy?"

Nice to see him still around the game. Pittsburgh's AAA affiliate is in the IL - the Indianapolis Indians, so we may get to see Eddy as soon as April 27 (6:05 pm).

Who's gonna catch

Zechariah's breaking stuff this year? With the addition of Ryan Budde who was picked up in the Rule 5 draft, Ottawa's got one more prospective catcher vying for the honor.

The Phillies could conceivably carry three catchers in 2007. The scenario plays out like this; Carlos Ruiz would do the majority of catching, with Chris Coste getting to catch on occasion and playing at other spots now and then. Coste could also be one of the first off the bench to pinch-hit in a key spot. That would bring up the need for a third - read that emergency - catcher and that's where Ryan Budde comes in.

Budde has come up through the Angels farm system after being drafted in the 12th round of the 2001 Draft. He signed that July, but didn't make his professional debut until the 2002 season and the Angels didn't feel the need to protect him in the Rule 5 Draft, but that doesn't mean that they wanted to lose him.

Budde is known for his defense, which makes him the perfect third catcher on a roster. Offensively, he's going to chip in a hit here and there, but a little more there than here. He averaged just .233 in 454 minor league games since joining the Angels organization and has just 44 home runs in almost 1,500 at bats. The right-handed hitting 27 year old is about as ready as he'll ever be for a shot with a big league club though after putting in two-plus seasons at the Triple-A level.

A look back at 2006: Ryan Budde put in his second full season at Triple-A in 2006 and has yet to make his major league debut. Budde also showed a slight improvement in cutting down his walk/strikeout ratio, but still strikes out too much for the offense that he provides. After 428 at bats at the Triple-A level, the Angels hadn't seen enough to give Budde a late season audition and chose not to protect him in the Rule 5 Draft.

Analysis: This is a guy who truly could find a niche as a backup catcher. He doesn't provide offense, but he's a strong defensive catcher and he handles pitchers well. Pitchers like having him behind the plate because he blocks pitches in the dirt (he allowed just 3 passed balls in 38 games last season and none in 46 games the prior season.) He has a decent arm and can play some first base in a pinch.

Will he stick? The theory of keeping three catchers is a real possibility for the Phillies this season. If he does make the club, he'll be pretty well buried on the bench and only see the light of day on rare occasions. The Phillies have enough offense in the rest of their lineup that they could afford to have a backup catcher who didn't hit too well. Ruiz and Coste would be getting the major portion of the playing time, but if the Phillies plan on getting at bats for both of them, then having an emergency catcher would be a definite necessity.

Actually, the odds are that there is a decent shot that Budde could stick with the club as long as he impresses the coaches and the pitching staff with his defense and the ability to work with pitchers when he gets his look in the Spring.

If the Phillies decide not to keep Budde and offer him back to the Angels, there is a chance that they may not take him and let the Phillies send him down to Triple-A Ottawa to serve as an insurance policy.

From scout.com (subscriber only).

More roster speculation ** UPDATE **

Where will the Phillies most recent acquisition, Bobby Livingston wind up? As of today, the Lynx roster is only 10 players deep, three of whom are pitchers. Phillybaseballnews points out:

The way things stand now, Livingston's chances of making the big league club appear to be pretty weak. The Phillies currently have six starters on their roster, although they are actively shopping Jon Lieber to other clubs. Even if Lieber were to be taken out of the mix, Livingston would likely have to start at Triple-A since the rotation appears to be pretty well written in stone. With the trade of Gavin Floyd to the White Sox last week, Livingston will likely play the insurance role that Floyd would have played with the club.

Among other things, I'll be asking Santa for the chance to see Michael Bourn and Carlos Ruiz before they're called up for good.

** UPDATE **

Well that lasted all of a few hours:

The acquisition wasn't without controversy. The Devil Rays first claimed Livingston off the waiver wire Tuesday and immediately traded him to the Phillies. Major League Baseball stepped in Thursday, nullified Tampa Bay's claim and voided the deal with Philadelphia.

The Phillies were behind the Reds and other clubs for waiver claims. MLB awarded the pitcher to Cincinnati as a result.

"We felt that it circumvented the rules of claiming players on waivers," MLB spokesman Patrick Courtney said. "It wasn't following the order of teams on the list." Link from MLB

Pat, the level of desperation is starting to get just a little embarrassing. Zak's ready, all you have to do is call....

Reminders

Just a couple before I get to other blog stuff later today.

1. Don't forget to visit the Skratching Post this Saturday (December 16) or next (December 23). Grab one of my lynxblogspot cards while you're there (printed by "Friend of the Lynx", The UPS Store)

2. Enter the blog contest. It really couldn't get any easier - wanna win tickets, Cat Cash and/or a game worn jersey? Just email your name to lynxblogcontest@hotmail.com. Winners will be notified on January 5, 2007 - I won't publish your name if you'd prefer that the blogosphere not know you won!

Green Christmas

Sorry, I just can't seem to let this weather thing go. I was hunting around various blogs, and the Ottawa as a frozen wasteland thing kept coming up - boy, if they could see us now. I may pull the bike out again this weekend. So I apologize in advance for two things - one, I know for the most part I'm preaching to the choir on the weather and two, for using another cycling analogy. Sorry, I fall back on stuff I'm most familiar with. Actually, this isn't so much a post about the weather as it is about work ethic. But first, I need you to watch this video (after my edit, it's about 3.5 minutes).

Road to Paris

It's from the "Road to Paris" video, shot in 2001. What I love about it is Armstrong's determination - particularly when he's told he'll have to stop because it's been reported that there's three metres of snow on the road up ahead. "There's no way you can ride - no way." "Who says that...?", he challenges, and then continues to ride. The comments offered by his team director at the end are telling: Lance wins the Tour de France because he's willing to put in the time, even when the weather is crap. It reminds me of a post about this guy:


Managing against him, I knew he was a good player," Leiper said, "I had a lot of respect for him, but you never (appreciate it) until a guy like that is in your room. You can't outwork him, doing anything; lifting weights, running, anything. He does everything right. He's awesome to have everyday."

Swann said he wouldn't have it, couldn't have it any other way.

"You can't just show up at the field and expect good things to happen," he said. "You have to prepare yourself. If you need work in one area, you come early, and work on that.

"Game preparation is a big part of (how I play). I couldn't just see myself just showing up and playing the game."

I'm convinced that's why guys like Mr. Swann and Armstrong succeed - they just plain outwork everybody else.

What's that saying...

Blogging delayed, is blogging denied?

Sorry, it's been extremely busy, and I didn't have my 'blog stuff' lined up and ready to go first thing this morning, so it didn't.

I've found a really good source for Philadelphia Phillies information over at The Philadelphia Inquirer. The column/forum is in a question/answer format and is run by Todd Zolecki, the Phillies 'beat writer'. He gives a good, semi-inside perspective of the goings-on and seems to know his stuff (so far anyway). Think "Dean Brown/Gord Wilson" type access to the locker room. The other positive? The site is updated frequently.

Another perspective

On the trade. This time from the Baron's Corner.

"YOUNG ARMS: Why have the Phillies traded Daniel Haigwood and Gio Gonzalez, two young lefties that got a year ago from the White Sox?

At the winter meetings last year, the Phillies moved up in the Rule 5 draft in an effort to claim lefty reliever Fabio Castro from the White Sox. Texas, instead, grabbed Castro with an earlier pick and then asked waivers during the season. The Phillies worked out a deal with the Rangers, sending Haigwood to Texas for Castro.

Castro, 21, did well out of the pen after joining the Phillies despite his inexperience. He has a high ceiling. He is closer to the big leagues than Haigwood or Gonzalez. Some believe the latter is 2-3 years away from the majors.

To obtain a quality starter like Freddie Garcia, you have to give up something good. Plus, the Phillies feel they have other lefties coming in J. A. Happ, Matt Maloney, Joshua Outman, Daniel Bauer and Derek Griffith."

Negotiating tactics (an open letter)

Pat, Pat, Pat.

You should know that I'm smarter than I look. A few hours after I drop the hint about my son's breaking ball, the Phillies coincidentally release their list of non-roster invitees to spring training? Oddly, my boy's name was nowhere to be found.

You think I don't see what's going on here? You think it'll make me sweat - "Oooohhh, Zak wasn't invited to camp!", and that I'll panic and accept your first lowball "$3M a year for ten years" offer. Please. Give me a little credit.

Call me.
Any time.
We'll forget this little charade ever took place.

Skratching post

We paid a visit to the Skratching Post last Saturday, and got our picture taken with Skratch. Unfortunately, while Bekah talks a good game, she's still terrified of Skratch. He shouldn't take it personally though; she's terrified of Mickey, Pluto, the Trash Monster.... She demanded to come along and said she'd take her picture with him - but when the chips were down, she couldn't deliver. We got a picture together with Skratch, but she was squirming and climbing all over me trying to get as far away from the poor cat as hard as she could.

I got this one in front of the tree -



and another of the park. This one hurts - if you suffer from SAD, you might want to avoid this one. I'm pretty even keeled and I was ready to jump after taking the picture.



In a desperate attempt to keep me at the park, Skratch (or one of his litter) went out to the parking lot while I was in the store and slashed one of my tires! Fortunately an off duty tow truck operator gave me a hand.

Breaking it down

"Friend of the Lynx", Dave Gross does a nice job summarizing some of last week's moves and non-moves. And what was the deal with J.P. anyway?

Help wanted

Hey, you never know. With Scott Mathieson lost, likely for the year following Tommy John surgery, Gio Gonzalez and Gavin Floyd traded - your Ottawa Lynx may be hanging out the shingle for pitching help.

One of the guys left on the pitching roster, Joe Bisenius may stick, but his prospects look sufficiently promising that he may not (how's that for definitive?):


Early in his professional career, Joe Bisenius looked like a guy who could become an important part of a major league rotation someday. After an impressive first season in the minors though, the Phillies switched him to the bullpen and the results were a little scary. Both Bisenius and the Phillies were undeterred though and even though 2005 didn't go well for Bisenius at Lakewood, he was promoted to Clearwater for 2006. It was a move that paid big dividends.
Bisenius, 24, was taken by the Phillies in the 12th round of the 2004 Draft and signed within two weeks after being drafted. He immediately started to show dividends in the starting rotation at Batavia, but the Phillies saw something different in him. They saw a young right-hander who would make a quality reliever and probably put up even better numbers over the long-run than he would as a starter. So, the change was made and Bisenius, who accepted the change, found himself struggling with the 2005 Lakewood BlueClaws.

Showing that judging prospects is much more than just a numbers game, the Phillies did another unexpected thing when they promoted Bisenius to Clearwater to start the 2006 season. He took off and was eventually moving along again, this time to Double-A Reading, where he also found success.

Analysis: Bisenius is one of those tough calls on where to have him start the season. You could understand a return to Reading to give him more experience at the Double-A level, but an argument can be made for promoting him to Triple-A Ottawa in 2007. Odds are that he'll make a quick start at Reading and be moved along to Ottawa by about mid-season.

(from Scout.com - subscriber only, no link).

For what it's worth, my boy's got a devastating curve ball, and is available for weekend and evening home games (he can play weekdays and away games after June). I'm just sayin'.....

Updates coming

But it'll have to be in the a.m. (Sunday). Should have today's pictures from the park as well - my parting gift? A flat tire in the parking lot!!!!

Civics lessons

Bunch of things going on today. PD day for the kids, court appearance, drop by Lynx stadium. I hate to say it, but the stadium is not nearly as inviting when it's cold - and not April cold, I mean -17C with the wind chill cold. Having said that, I'm looking forward to taking the kids to see Skratch tomorrow at the Skratching Post (12 till 2 p.m.). Earlier this week, I pulled out my winter coat for the first time. Reached into a pocket and pulled out some Lynx ticket stubs from April - ahh, good times. Better times are coming though my friends, and they're just around the corner. With that in mind, as we drove out to the park today, I asked Zak which player he wanted to meet as part of his birthday party . He didn't know yet as he hadn't seen any of the new players; but this was the amazing part. I suggested he might want to meet a guy like Michael Bourn and he said he knew who he was. So I asked - "Who's Michael Bourn"? Centrefielder for the Red Barons, came the reply. How do kids remember this stuff? Who was the catcher when they were here? Carlos Ruiz. Third base? Bobby Scales. Unbelievable. Keep in mind though, that this is the same kid who can NEVER remember to make his bed or pick up his socks. Never.

From there we were off to provincial court - I had to testify as a witness to an accident from July 05. The kids were as good as gold - Zak addressing people as "sir", taking off his hat in the court room, and he displayed good, healthy respect for the police officers. This is another reason I really enjoy taking my kids to the park - they learn how to interact with adults and other people in authority. The police at the park are great - Rebekah was very reluctant at the beginning of the season to approach any officer. By the end, she recognized some of them and would talk to them incessantly (if you let her). Zak had "discussions" with security staff about the prohibition on playing catch near the Lynx bullpen. It was nice that staff weren't dictatorial about it; they took the time to explain the rule to the kids. I think these "respect" type lessons are important for kids to learn - and I think the park is a perfect venue for learning. It's also reassuring for me as a parent to see that my 3 year old daughter now recognizes the uniform of a police officer and connects it with someone she considers a "friend".

See you there tomorrow! (or the 16th or 23rd) I hope to have photos of our visit up by the end of the weekend.

Busy week

As promised, following the Winter Meetings in Orlando, it appears that next year's roster is taking shape. Gone are pitchers Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez, traded away to Chicago (White Sox) for starter Freddy Garcia. He sounds like a classy guy - money quote from the White Sox GM, Kenny Williams after the trade:

"Man, Freddy Garcia was so great," the White Sox GM said, his voice literally quivering with emotion, Wednesday night, "he thanked me for the opportunity to come over and win a World Series. He asked me, if he saw me in a bar, could he sit down and buy a drink for me. By the end of the conversation, he had me apologizing for trading him."

Larry Shenk weighs in on the Garcia signing over at the Baron's Corner.

The Phillies were also busy in the Rule 5 draft picking up three more players, Alfredo Simon (RHP), Jim Ed Warden (RHP) and catcher Ryan Budde. Given that they've picked up another catcher, it will be interesting to see what they do with Carlos Ruiz.

Former Lynx catcher, Eli Whiteside was left exposed in the draft but wasn't picked up.

Blogging delayed

Due to the deteriorating health of yours truly. The quantity (if not the quality) of posting has suffered this past week. You will recall that I had such big plans for last weekend. Instead of rest and relaxation, I wound up spending time at the office and then catching what feels like the flu. In a prolonged bit of stupidity, I then ignored the symptoms and went skiing (cross-country) in the Gatineau Hills - getting dropped faster than a hot rock in a hot rock dropping contest by someone who never drops me.

Please bear with me as I pick up the pieces (of my lungs, mostly) and recover.

Remember that kid?

Put this under the "who knew" category:




By Jeff Passan

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – All of the recent college graduates trolling the lobby at baseball's winter meetings in search of employment must engage complete strangers in games of meet and greet, and if that weren't awkward enough, picture having to drop this doozy.

"Hi. I'm Jeffrey Maier."

Actually, it's Jeff now, and he's no longer the kid who stole Derek Jeter's fly ball over the right-field wall in Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series. He graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, left as the school's all-time hits leader and dreams of running a major-league team someday.

For now, he's happy to toil as an intern in any baseball-operations department, so he will spend the next three days meeting as many people as he can. On Monday morning, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke with Maier. In the afternoon, he was introduced to Brian Ebel, the assistant trainer with the Baltimore Orioles, who 10 years later can't seem to forgive Maier.

"You got in my wallet, man," Ebel said.

Whether it's costing someone a bigger playoff share or becoming the bane of every Baltimorean, Maier long ago got used to the look when meeting people. It's the initial stunned silence, followed by the raised eyebrows, punctuated by some sort of exclamation – sometimes laudatory, others of the seven-dirty-words variety.

Time has he"I was nervous about how that would be," Maier said. "It turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. It gave me a sense of closure that I was looking for."

Now 23, Maier turned his nights on the Cape into a spiral-bound report he's handing out to prospective employers. He did some advance scouting for the independent New Haven Cutters and recently played the stunt double for the Graig Nettles' character in the movie adaptation of the book "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning."

All of that was to tide him over until this week. He's in the right spot to land a job. He's talking with the right people. And in a room full of baseball people, he's got the name everybody recognizes.

"This is what I want to do," Maier said. "I want to work in baseball."aled the wound enough for Pat Gillick, then the Orioles general manager, to have his assistant with Philadelphia, Ruben Amaro Jr., meet with Maier. He's got a sit-down with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and Peter Gammons is trying to get him face-to-faces with a few other teams, too.

After not getting drafted this year, Maier spent the summer scouting the Cape Cod League for Gammons. Here were kids he played with and against for years, and now he was on the flip side.

Phanatic!

I thought this was really funny. Here's a couple of paragraphs from the article:

Dave Raymond shakes his head. Now that was a rough night. The former Phillie Phanatic chuckles at the memory, still vivid after 18 years: August 1988, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia. An incident that lives in mascot infamy. The fuming Los Angeles Dodgers manager, eyes bulging, whaling away at the jolly green fuzzball with his own effigy, a plastic dummy swaddled in a replica Dodgers jersey, the letters L-A-S-O-R-D-A hand-stitched along the back.

Inside the costume, Raymond couldn't believe it. Was Lasorda serious? Seriously trying to hurt him? What happened to their longstanding détente? The Phanatic would mock Lasorda's waddle, or maybe his ubiquitous Slim-Fast commercials; in return, Lasorda would shout obscenities, or perhaps threaten Raymond's life.

Maybe we could get the Phanatic to go head to head with Skratch?

Here's a few more memorable mascot moments.

Class revisited

One of the first things I do before doing my Lynx blogging is to hit various sites to see what's new. Today I found that Kane Davis was signed by the Phillies to a minor league contract. Interesting. Add it to the bookmarks. I came back to the post and read through it and while I appreciated the information, I could have done without the editorial comment. I have no objection to a blogger giving his opinion, but to characterize Mr. Davis as "Grade-A baseball refuse" is, at a minimum, unnecessary.

Chalk up to my naivete, but I think these guys are people too, and this sort of arrogant criticism lacks class. When we're at the park, we cheer the guy with the .220 average as much as the next guy - probably more. How can you not want these guys to succeed? A player like FP Santangelo, who would likely have been classed as minor league refuse by this same blogger, worked his tail off and never quit on his dream. Or a guy like Brandon Marsters - who fought off the possibility of an early retirement when he suffered a cut spleen, bruised kidney, and two cracked ribs (remarkably, he played three innings after the collision that caused the injury). Last year Brandon started about every sixth game. Did we hope that he'd crush the ball every at bat? That he'd gun a guy down on the basepaths? You bet we did. Did we ever temper our emotions and support because of some writer's opinion of his talent and long term potential? Not a chance. Would we stay glued to our seats if he hit one out - after all, he'll never make the big league, right? No point in getting too excited about it. In a word, no. Because, as I've discovered, baseball is a game made for dreamers and idealists - fans and players alike.

I guess I could be criticized as being a person who doesn't often question authority - and as far as baseball goes, I'm guilty as charged. I simply believe that if people like Pat Gillick think that a talented individual like Kane Davis should get a shot, who am I to second guess?

Delayed blogging

The computer's going to be out of reach most of today, and there'll be no Wi-Fi connection where I'm headed. In the meantime, instead of reading the blog, you can enter the blog contest and complete the Lynx 15th Anniversary survey!

Can-Con

To my great shame, I didn't realize that Scott Mathieson (a Phillies prospect in Reading/SWB) was a Canadian born player until just recently. Unfortunately, it sounds as if he may miss next season. Here are his vitals courtesy of TSN.

Here's a list of current Canadian baseball players.

Ballpark analysis

Unfortunately, this analysis is limited to the Orioles system.

Ottawa Lynx (AAA-International League)

The International League is hitting .259/.328/.388 as a whole. That's 40 points of OPS less than the cross-town Pacific Coast League. The average pitcher is striking out 6.9 batters per 9 innings while walking 3.2/9 ip.

Overall, Lynx Stadium is exactly neutral, with a Run factor of 100. Interestingly, it's HR factor is low at 93, but so is the K factor at 91.

Quiet Sunday

Today is the second day that you can enter the contest. Entering is easy - just send an email with your name to lynxblogcontest@hotmail.com. Winners will be announced on January 5, 2007. One entry per person, per day.

In other news, a few former Lynx players are honing their skills down in Mexico. I was able to pick out Andy Tracey and Howie Clark. As of yesterday, after 32 games, Howie was hitting .291. Andy was also hitting .291 after 38 games played. Mexican league stats are here.

The Phillies blogosphere continues with their preoccupation over Pat Gillick's lack of free agent signings - see here and here. There was some degree of optimism over the recent signing of pitcher Adam Eaton.

Contest Day 1

Today is the first day that you can enter the contest. Entering is easy - just send an email with your name to lynxblogcontest@hotmail.com. Winners will be announced on January 5, 2007. One entry per person, per day.

"Batching-it" - OT

Ahhhhhh..... Usually once a year, my darling wife will take the kids down to see her family in Toronto - they took the train this morning at 6 a.m. Now, we normally go down as a family one or two weekends a year, but I am "persona non grata" with her mom, so it's good that I'm not always there.

My wife and I met in September of 1989 at Carleton University - she was seeing someone else at the time. We hung out together through political science and for some crazy reason started dating in September of 1992. We got engaged two weeks later and the rest is history. Doris' mother was not thrilled and summarily disowned her, and by extension, me. Never one to quit (while she was ahead, in my opinion), my wife kept in touch with her mother. We'd show up in Toronto, only to have the door slammed in our face - literally. Doris would smile, mischieviously, and then ring the doorbell again. Slam. Ring. Slam. Ring. The door would open and her mother would walk away, muttering in Chinese about her "good for nothing" daughter. We redeemed ourselves, somewhat, by producing a boy for our first child in 1997. In Chinese culture, boys are king.

Every son has a memory of the day he figuratively "passed" his father - the first time he outran him, beat him in an armwrestle, etc. For me, it was while I was struggling with a calculus problem in high school. The look of bewilderment on Dad's face said it all: for the first time, I was capable of doing something he was not. I was 17. Zak passed me when he was 4 - Doris was working late and I was giving Zak a bath. The phone rang. "Dola?" A chill ran down my spine. It was her mother. "She's not here, how are you doing Ma?" Pause. "The boy". This wasn't a request; she couldn't pronounce Zechariah and she obviously thought I was too stupid to know who she meant if she used his Chinese name. She wanted to talk to "the boy" so I handed him the phone as he splashed happily in the tub. "Who is it?", he asked. "It's your po-po." I answered, the phone still outstretched. "I don't want to talk to her." I panicked. "You have to talk to her man! I can't talk to her!" My son can speak Toisan (his grandmother's particular Chinese dialect), I can't. He glared at me the entire ten minutes he was on the phone with her. I smiled at him sheepishly, with the same helpless expression my Dad had when I couldn't figure out integrals.

Okay - so now we're wayyyyy OT. But, I'm batching it this weekend, which means three things:

1) Sleep
2) Catching up on movies
3) Sleep.

(And a little blogging.)

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to sign up for the contest!

Catching up with Mike Costanzo

Earlier last month (can you believe it's December? Only 15 weeks (or so) till baseball!) I profiled
Mike Costanzo, a 3rd base prospect. Here's the recent update:

First, I want to thank everybody who offered condolences on the death of my best friend Dominic. It’s nice to know that fans care about more than just what happens on the field.
In all honesty, there hasn’t been much going on. I’m continuing my workouts with my personal trainer and continue to get ready for the season. I still haven’t found out whether I’ll be starting in the minor league camp or heading for the major league camp. If I’m sent to the big league camp I’ll be headed to Clearwater in late-January, but won’t have to be down there until mid-February if I start out in the minor league camp. Either way, I’m just getting anxious to start playing again.

I talked to Greg Golson the other day. Basically, we just checked in to wish each other a Happy Thanksgiving. This will be a big season for both of us.

Thanksgiving here was great. My Aunt put together a great meal and it was unbelievable. We all had a great time. Now, I’m looking forward to Christmas. We celebrate with an Italian tradition called the Feast of Seven Fish. Basically, you eat seven fish and spend some quality time with the family. We’ll be at my Grandmother’s for that and I can’t wait. That’s always been a favorite of mine.

One of the e-mails asked me if my life has changed much since I signed my contract. Basically, I think that I’m the same person. It’s nice to have money to buy things, but I’m not the kind to go nuts with things like that. Believe me, I know how lucky I am to be able to live out a dream and that’s what I keep focused on. The material things are nice, but there is a lot more to this than just those things.

Remember, you can send me an e-mail and I’ll try to answer them. I look forward to hearing from you and am enjoying keeping everybody up on what’s going on with my career. Thanks for being interested.

The Crosscutters

Replacing the Batavia Muckdogs as the Phillies Low A affiliate is the Williamsport Crosscutters. They play at Bowman Field, which dates back to 1926 (!). Shortly after starting the blog, I began looking at some of these minor league parks and was amazed at the history behind some of them. Ballparkwatch has an exhaustive directory of all the baseball parks, as well as a list of "endangered" parks and a list of parks from the past.

This piece on Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston is worth the time.