On this Memorial Day 2007, while folks are attending a Frontier League contest, it's important to commemorate the service of our armed forces. After all, baseball has played an important part in the war effort over the years, from keeping people employed during war time to providing our soldiers with a diversion by way of radio, television, and now the Internet.
In fact, during World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt wrote a letter to then Commissioner Kenesaw "Mountain" Landis asking that Major League Baseball continue to play its games, including a number of night games so that the first shift workers could enjoy the national pastime. You can take a look at that letter by CLICKING HERE.
I hope that this Memorial Day we will pause to remember those that have fallen defending our freedoms and maybe thank a soldier or a soldier's family for the great sacrifices that they are making for our country. I, for one, will sing the National Anthem just a little louder today at the game.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
BACK TO CHILLICOTHE
Tonight I got to go home. Well, at least it felt that way. In all of my wanderings around the Frontier League, I always look forward to going to Chillicothe's V.A. Memorial Stadium. It's more like a family reunion than a baseball game.
The Paints are the only team left from the League's inaugural 1993 season. Their history is really the Frontier League's history. Chillicothe hurler Brian Tollberg was the first FL alum to make it to the Big Leagues when he took the hill for the San Diego Padres in 2000. Paints players, like Scott Pinoni, Gator McBride, Mitch House, and Rick Blanc, helped create a rabid fan base in Ross County, Ohio that is unrivaled.
Out of all the people affiliated with the team over the years, the person whose memory means the most to me is former manager Roger Hanners, rest his soul. Roger was the Paints' skipper for most of the club's first nine years. A former star athlete in baseball, football, and track, he was drafted by the Yankees and played minor league ball until an injury halted his career.
Roger Hanners taught me more about baseball than anyone and not just the game between the lines. He knew what made people tick and how to maneuver them to his way of thinking. Most of his players didn't know about his athletic background - he didn't feel the need to tell them. They just knew him as "the old man" and they loved him just the same. Every year I go to V.A., I realize how long it's been since Roger let me buy him an after-game meal at Denny's. I miss him.
If you're ever in South Central Ohio, you should look to see if the Paints are playing at home. You'll see baseball the way you'd like it to be - played hard with tradition.
SCOUT NOTES: Umpire Matt Neader did his usual outstanding job during the opening series at Florence - no one would have known that he is coming back from Achilles tendon surgery . . . Speaking of umpires, congrats to Chuck Robinson for being named athletic director at Athens (Ohio) High School.
The Paints are the only team left from the League's inaugural 1993 season. Their history is really the Frontier League's history. Chillicothe hurler Brian Tollberg was the first FL alum to make it to the Big Leagues when he took the hill for the San Diego Padres in 2000. Paints players, like Scott Pinoni, Gator McBride, Mitch House, and Rick Blanc, helped create a rabid fan base in Ross County, Ohio that is unrivaled.
Out of all the people affiliated with the team over the years, the person whose memory means the most to me is former manager Roger Hanners, rest his soul. Roger was the Paints' skipper for most of the club's first nine years. A former star athlete in baseball, football, and track, he was drafted by the Yankees and played minor league ball until an injury halted his career.
Roger Hanners taught me more about baseball than anyone and not just the game between the lines. He knew what made people tick and how to maneuver them to his way of thinking. Most of his players didn't know about his athletic background - he didn't feel the need to tell them. They just knew him as "the old man" and they loved him just the same. Every year I go to V.A., I realize how long it's been since Roger let me buy him an after-game meal at Denny's. I miss him.
If you're ever in South Central Ohio, you should look to see if the Paints are playing at home. You'll see baseball the way you'd like it to be - played hard with tradition.
SCOUT NOTES: Umpire Matt Neader did his usual outstanding job during the opening series at Florence - no one would have known that he is coming back from Achilles tendon surgery . . . Speaking of umpires, congrats to Chuck Robinson for being named athletic director at Athens (Ohio) High School.
Monday, May 21, 2007
OPENING DAY 2007
Well, it's that time of year again - Opening Day. What a great time to be a Frontier League fan. I've been traveling the League's cities for nearly all of its previous 14 seasons and I can tell you that there is no more exciting time to watch a baseball game. If you're already a fan, you know what I'm talking about. If you're new to the League, stay tuned for the FL's own brand of fun.
The League's front office, in a momentary lapse of wisdom, has asked me to write this season about my experiences on the road. This isn't the first time that I've done so. Some of you might remember a column I wrote on the web site a few years ago. Now, with the ease of coming at you in the blogosphere, I am ready to tackle the job of being a baseball pundit again.
You should know that two new teams enter Frontier League play this season: the Slippery Rock Sliders and the Southern Illinois Miners. The Sliders are playing at Slippery Rock University's Jack Critchfield Park, a neat little stadium tucked into the hills north of Pittsburgh. The Rock will be a great host for FL play. Its facilities, maintained beautifully by head coach Jeff Messer, and its sports management program, which has supplied enthusiastic students, have set a terrific foundation for the team this summer.
The Miners are entering the League with a brand new stadium in Marion, Illinois and an experienced, creative staff that will raise the bar for future expansion teams. The stadium features a synthetic turf similar to the playing surface at Chillicothe's V.A. Memorial Stadium. That will allow the Miners, like the Paints, to use their facility for all kinds of events, sports and otherwise. Ask Chillicothe GM Bryan Wickline how many days V.A. was idle this past year.
That's it for now. I look forward to bringing you the flavor of the Frontier League this season. Check back - when I'm not checking into a hotel or loading up the van, I'll try to get behind the scenes and fill you in on the goings-on. See you at a game!
The League's front office, in a momentary lapse of wisdom, has asked me to write this season about my experiences on the road. This isn't the first time that I've done so. Some of you might remember a column I wrote on the web site a few years ago. Now, with the ease of coming at you in the blogosphere, I am ready to tackle the job of being a baseball pundit again.
You should know that two new teams enter Frontier League play this season: the Slippery Rock Sliders and the Southern Illinois Miners. The Sliders are playing at Slippery Rock University's Jack Critchfield Park, a neat little stadium tucked into the hills north of Pittsburgh. The Rock will be a great host for FL play. Its facilities, maintained beautifully by head coach Jeff Messer, and its sports management program, which has supplied enthusiastic students, have set a terrific foundation for the team this summer.
The Miners are entering the League with a brand new stadium in Marion, Illinois and an experienced, creative staff that will raise the bar for future expansion teams. The stadium features a synthetic turf similar to the playing surface at Chillicothe's V.A. Memorial Stadium. That will allow the Miners, like the Paints, to use their facility for all kinds of events, sports and otherwise. Ask Chillicothe GM Bryan Wickline how many days V.A. was idle this past year.
That's it for now. I look forward to bringing you the flavor of the Frontier League this season. Check back - when I'm not checking into a hotel or loading up the van, I'll try to get behind the scenes and fill you in on the goings-on. See you at a game!
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