A Prince of a Man

Here it is, this is the blog that I promised. . .

I have told you previously that one of the best things about my job is the people I get to meet. This past season, I had the extreme honor of meeting and visiting with former Negro League player Prince Joe Henry. The Grizzlies did a salute to the Negro Leagues Night on August 3rd against the Chillicothe Paints. Hopefully people know the story of Prince Joe, but probably not everyone.

Joe is a Brooklyn, IL native who played roughly four full (parts of eight) seasons in the Negro Leagues, beginning with the Memphis Red Sox in 1950. Injuries forced him to leave the game in 1952, but he resurfaced with the Indianapolis Clowns in 1955. His nickname comes from some of things he did while "playing" with the Clowns, like turning his back to the pitcher before spinning around when the pitch came. When he hit a home run he would slap the catcher's hand, slap the umpire's hand, even have a conversation with a fan before circling the bases. He once came to the plate in the middle of the summer in a full tuxedo, tails and all. He was Clown Prince Joe Henry. Or Prince Joe. When it was decided in the early 2000's that Negro Leaguers would get a pension from MLB, Joe applied, only to be denied, numerous times, for various reasons. I won't get into the full story, though I will include some links to a couple of really nice stories regarding that issue.

The reason I wanted to write is because of what Prince Joe did for me. He transported me to a time I can only now read about. We talked for two half innings (one of them a long inning) on that humid, hazy August night, and it wasn't enough. I usually keep guests for a single half inning, yet I could have spent hours visiting with Joe about the things he saw, the players he played with, and what he called a better education than you could get at any college in America.

He told me the Grizzlies brought him back to a game he loved, and a game that he thought he was through with, yet I think anyone that had a chance to visit with Joe felt the same about him. Joe reminded all of us what the game is meant to be and why we work in this wonderful game. He was eloquent and nostalgic and just a true joy to visit with. Of all the interviews I have had the chance to conduct, this was my favorite. Hands down.

Price Joe still lives in Brooklyn, IL. He suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and, I believe, he is confined to a wheel chair. Don't let that fool you, he is as sharp as I assume he ever was. He writes a column for a weekly newspaper, the Riverfront Times. It is called Ask a Negro Leaguer. Fans write in with questions and he answers. I haven't seen the column for a couple of weeks and I hope they haven't discontinued it.

I think there are plans to repeat our salute to the Negro Leagues next season with the Grizzlies. I am sure, if at all possible, Prince Joe will be part of our night. If you're a baseball fan and in the area, or you're a Grizz fan and you missed the first night, don't miss it again. It will be well worth it. Trust me.

Below are some of the articles I mentioned, as well as a link to our audio page, which I included part of that interview-where he talks about his situation. It is mostly the second half-inning we spent together, simply because it was shorter.

http://riverfronttimes.com/2004-11-17/news/prince-joe-s-lament/

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1999290

http://www.gatewaygrizzlies.com/team/archive/

More to come

So I've changed the layout/color scheme. Let me know if you like, or not. . .
If you don't know, I have had A TON going on since the season closed. I apologize for not getting more up here. I have a blog planned that I have been wanting to do for a while. I'll get that up soon. I swear!

Above is part of what has kept me so busy recently. That is Katherine Marie (Katie) Pott. She was born on the 13th. She is our second daughter. She joins big sister Madeline (2) at home in St. Louis. Katie, and wife Emily are doing fine.

As I said more to come, so stay tuned. . .

Saturday

Just back from Washington. . .

I was wrong. Not about the guys being optimisitc, or about spirits being up, just that the Grizz would still be playing. I certainly didn't think the umpires would play such a prominent role. Not making excuses, just saying way too much influence on a game that should have been decided by the players on the field.

I'll write some more about the season in a day or so. For now thanks to everyone who listened on a nightly basis, and for those that sent e-mails from all over! I certainly appreciated it. I hope I accurately conveyed the games, and emotions/feelings that go along with them! I had a great year. This was a talented and dedicated group of players/coaches!

Friday night pre-game

Backs against the wall. . .or something like that. Use whatever cliche you care to, the Grizzlies need to win, or their tremendous 2007 season will come to a disappointing end. I have a good feeling about tonight. I didn't say the series. . .I said tonight. The guys are in great spirits and nobody seems ready to be finished. Hollenbeck has pitched well against the Grizzlies this year-14 innings, 15 strikeouts. But, they beat Hollenbeck once this year (with Toro on the mound and in this park!) and the other time the Grizzlies faced him-they won the game though Hollenbeck didn't get the loss. Plus remember Albert Ayala with the Rascals? He shut the Grizzlies down twice. The third time, he lasted 1.1 innings the third time he faced this team.

The playoffs are weird, in any sport, often it is a team that does something they haven't done all year and they win because of it. Sometimes a team that isn't supposed to win does. (See '06 Cardinals or '03 Grizzlies) Only time will tell what this team can do. These guys aren't thinking about anything but tonight.

I'm optimisitc. I think everyone is. I'll write again post-game.

Not time to panic

It was a rough series in Chillicothe, there's no two ways about it. Runs were hard to come by, unless someone was going deep. Tough way to start with the blown lead in the ninth on Friday, probably set the tone. The thing to remember is this team is still 10 1/2 games up in the division and one of the better relievers is on the injured list, but could come off by the start of the next roadtrip. That will be a huge help.

Big home stand, a chance to put more distance between the club and the rest of the divison, and a chance to get some revenge on the ol' Paints.

Should be a fun home stand. The one-millionth fan could be as early as tomorrow night. Quite an accomplishment. Happy to say I was part of it from the start.

Hopefully see you at the ballpark. If not, tune in on 1490 or gatewaygrizzlies.com. Drop me a line or two if you're tuning in!

On the road. . .

The road trip continues in Chillicothe. Always a great place to see a game. Evidently I'll be broadcasting from the stands. Can't say that I have done too much of that. Anyway, here are some notes I've done heading into the Chillicothe series this weekend. Tune in in 1490, or online, and keep sending me the e-mails!

The Grizzlies. . .
Are coming off a series win at Florence. The Grizzlies won the first and last game of the series. The Freedom took the middle game. The Grizzlies are now 6-6 since the All-Star break. They lead Windy City by 1/2 game for the best record in the Frontier League. They lead the West Division by 13 1/2 games over the Southern Illinois Miners. Their team batting average of .275 is fourth best in the Frontier League. Their team ERA of 3.93 is the lowest in the league. The Grizzlie won their 40th game on Sunday July 22. This is the fastest the Grizzlies have ever reached 40 wins in a season. The previous best was 2004 when they won their 40th game on August 2nd.

The Grizzlies are. . .
42-16 overall
24-8 at home
16-7 on the road
26-6 vs. the West
14-9 vs. the Central
2-1 vs. the East

Series stuff. . .
This is the first meeting between the two teams this season. Last season the Grizzlies were 3-8 against the Paints, and just 2-6 at V.A. Memorial Stadium. The Paints swept a five-game series in Chillicothe in August where they outscored the Grizzlies 25-4. The Grizzlies are just 11-22 all-time against the Paints. They are 7-11 at V.A. Memorial Stadium.

Last time out. . .
Chris Gibson's two-out RBI single in the ninth inning Thursday night lifted the Gateway Grizzlies to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Florence Freedom at Champion Window Field in Florence, Ky. The at-bat was Gibson's first of the night, after entering the game an inning earlier as a pinch runner. The ninth inning was kept alive on a two-out error by former Grizzlie Jesse Acosta. The Grizzlies trailed 3-2 in the fifth when Stephen Holdren connected on his 17th home run of the year to right center. The blast tied the game at three. The Grizzlies took an early lead, getting a run in the second inning. Holdren tripled off the right field wall with two outs. Josh Dietz followed with a base hit to make it 1-0 Grizzlies. The Freedom evened the score with a run in the bottom of the inning. Holdren walked with the bases loaded in the third to put the Grizzlies up 2-1. Holdren finished the night 3-4 with two RBIs. Dietz was 3-4 with an RBI. Brandon Kellbach (6-0) earned win in relief. He tossed the eighth, allowing one hit and striking out one. Eric Ridener gave up a hit and struck out one for the save. The save, his 17th of the season, ties a Grizzlies single season record set last season by Todd Pennington. Erik Dessau started for the Grizzlies. He went seven innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on 10 hits. He struck out five.

On the hill. . .
Friday: RHP Jason Herman (2-1, 3.13)-Began the year in Winnipeg (Northern League) where he was 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA.
-Tossed a season-high eight innings July 22 vs. Evansville.
-Is 1-0 with a 1.17 on the road.
-Is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA as a starter.

Saturday: RHP Jeremy Dow (1-0, 5.59)-Made nine relief appearances before his first start.
-Is 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA as a starter.
-Is 0-0 with an 8.41 ERA in 10 relief appearances.
-Allowed a season-high 11 runs in 1.2 innings in relief vs. Windy City July 13.

Sunday: RHP Nathan Roush (4-3, 4.91)
-Placed on injured reserve at the end of June for shoulder discomfort.
-Tuesday was his first start since June 28, went seven innings in a win at Florence.
-Longest outing of the year was June 28-eight innings.
-All seven decisions have come in seven road starts this season, where he has a 3.20 ERA.
-Struck out career-best nine in complete game 5/28 at River City (Game 2 of DH)

Going deep. . .
The Grizzlies homered four times in the previous series at Florence. They have now hit a league-high 85 home runs this season. 58 of those homers have come at home. They are on pace to hit 139 home runs this season. The league record is 124, set by Florence in 2005. The Grizzlies record is 114 set in 2004.

Don’t walk. . .
Grizzlies pitchers have allowed a league-low 177 walks for the season.

Comeback kids. . .
25 of the Grizzlies’ 42 wins have come after the team was trailing at some point in the game. Five times this year the Grizzlies have won when trailing after eight innings. The Grizzlies have 11 wins, including last night, in their final at-bat this season. Both totals are tops in the FL.

Taking attendance. . .
The Grizzlies have now drawn 124,410 fans for the season through 32 games. Their average of 3,888 places them third in the league. The Grizzlies are over 100,000 fans for the fifth consecutive season. They were the second team this year to break the 100,000 mark. The Grizzlies will welcome their one-millionth regular season fan during the next home stand. To date, the Grizzlies have now drawn 991,171 fans for their history.

Holding down the fort. . .
Stephen Holdren enters the series among the league leaders in quite a few categories. . .
Hitting (10th-.330), home runs (2nd-17), RBIs (Tied 4th-47), triples (Tied 1st-7), on-base pct. (3rd-.435), slugging pct. (1st-.684), extra-base hits (Tied 1st-32). His seven triples are a new single-season franchise record for the Grizzlies.

“Mike”d up. . .
Mike Breyman now has 314 hits for his Grizzlies’ career, making him the club’s all-time leader. He has 48 home runs for his career, making him the all-time leader in that category. He also has 196 RBIs for his career to lead all-time. Breyman began the year within striking distance of 12 Grizzlies’ career offensive records, most of which held by Phil Warren. He has already broken or tied nine of those records. He is also the all-time leader doubles, extra base hits, runs scored, and walks. He is tied with Warren with three career grand slams. He hit his third earlier this year. Breyman has reached base safely in every road game he has played in. His 25 game road on-base streak is the best in the league.

Riding the wave. . .
Eric Ridener has continued the Grizzlies tradition of dominant closers. The former Pirates farmhand saved his 17th game last night, tying the Grizzlies single season record set last year by Todd Pennington. His next save will also tie him with Mike Golden for the career save record. Golden had 18 in two seasons with the Grizzlies. Ridener’s 17 saves have come in 17 save opportunities. He has not allowed a run in a save situation this season.

Great Scott. . .
Former Grizzlies pitcher Scott Patterson is now pitching for the Double-A Trenton Thunder in the New York Yankees organization. He has appeared 32 times this season, including three starts, and is 3-1 with a 0.98 ERA. He also has three saves. In 55 innings he has 69 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Up Next. . .
The Grizzlies return home for a six-game home stand against Florence and Chillicothe July 30-August 4.

Baseball and the Fourth. . .

Baseball and the fourth of July really are a tradition, and since 2002 that tradition has included the Grizzlies at GCS Ballpark. It is one of my favortite nights of the year, every year. Last night was no different. There's always a big crowd and then there's the fireworks at the ballpark and then the fireworks in downtown St. Louis. No weather worries last night either. Actually there were probably some worries, but nothing ever materialized! And last night the Grizzlies even offered something rare on the fourth-a win!

This team is exciting and if you haven't see it, you should. Not just because they hit a lot of home runs and score a lot of runs, which they do both of, but because they play good baseball. They find ways to win, even when not playing their best baseball. Four wins when trailing after eight innings this year. That's rare, but that's the attitude of this team. It's fun to be around. Two more with the RiverHawks then off to Chicago for a three-game set with the Windy City ThunderBolts-the only team in the league with a better record than the Grizz! I think you'll really be able to judge this club following the All-Star break. Windy City comes to GCS for the three games right after the break too. Then we'll see where this club stands. Either way, I imagine it will be a good second half! Stay tuned. . .

Roster Move

The Grizzlies have made just their second roster move of the season. Last night, the Grizz parted ways with RHP Drew Himes while signing LHP Kyle Warren. Unforunately Himes just wasn't getting the job done. Nice guy and I certainly wish him well. Warren is a former Braves farmhand. He was 4-2 with a 6-plus ERA over the last two seasons with the Gulf Coast affiliate. Alot of walks, 19, in 30 plus innings, compared to 15 strikeouts. He is still young-just turned 21. Hopefully Randy (Martz) can get the walks down! We'll see. . .

Early season ramblings

This one's for Charlie Lisk. (Lisk was upset that I hadn't updated the blog for a while.) Speaking of Charlie. . .He accidentally cut his thumb prior to yesterday's game at RC. He was working on the handle of a bat and the knife slipped. . .he missed yesterday's game but we wish him back in the lineup soon. Until then Jason Arrowood will backstop. Jason hit a lead off double in the seventh last night, unfortunately he was left on base. He narrowly missed his second homer of the year in the ninth.

Phil did some changing of the lineup last night, presumably to shake up the troops a bit after two losses. I like some of the changes, but it didn't change the outcome. I am sure the Grizz are glad to be done with the Rascals for a while. In fact playing a team not named Rascals or Miners is going to be a bit of a relief.

Back to the lineup change. I like the idea of Chris Gibson at the top of the lineup. He is hot. He was 9-16 (.563) in the RC series. He is getting on base and I think could potentially be a running threat at the top. We'll see how things go. Acosta was moved to the nine spot last night, which almost gives you another lead off guy. He wasn't getting on base like was hoped, but he seems to have a knack for getting a key hit when the Grizzlies need it. He has had some real nice at-bats too.

Not much else. I'll watch, like everyone else, to see how the guys react to a three-game slide following the nine game win streak. It might just take a change of competition. RC broadcaster Josh Anderson told me the Grizzlies should be able to handle Evansville. We'll find out!

Spring Trading for the Grizzlies

Just a quick thought on a recent deal the Grizzlies made. This past Saturday they sent pitchers Anthony Rebyanski and Cory Lapinski(LHP) to Windy City for RHP Toro Trevino and catcher Charlie Lisk. I can't really speak for Lapinski, I didn't know much about him, nor did I see him throw, but I heard he looked good. As for Rebyanski I was excited about him coming back to the Grizzlies. I liked the way he pitched and I think with the right coaching he had the chance to be very good. Evidently he had the right coaching because what I hear he was throwing very well this spring. All that being said. . .I like this trade.

Trevino was 7-3 last season with a 3.86 ERA. His strikeouts to walks were more than two to one. All that aside his motion is quite deceiving on the mound. If you remember him from last year, or if you're a season ticket holder got a chance to see him last night at the intrasquad here you'd know what I mean. He throws with about a three-quarters arm angle most of the time. . .but can drop down completely side arm to really fool you! He looked good last night.

About Lisk, he was drafted in the 24th round in 2001 by the White Sox. He kicked around their system for a while. He began last season in the Marlins system, but failed to get a hit in just six at-bats. He was released and split the rest of the season between Edmonton in the Northern League and the ThunderBolts. For Windy City he played 26 games (98 ABs). He hit .316 with a homer and 18 RBIs. He is big, 6-4, 225. He is also versatile and saw some time at 3rd base for the 'Bolts. Between he and Arrowood I would say the catching position should be fine.

Overall I like the trade. I wish Anthony the best of luck with WC and just hope he doesn't stick it to us when we play them! He is a good pitcher and a good guy.

Only eight days now until the season starts for real! More to come. . .

Welcome!

While this isn't the first post, obviously, it may well be the first post some new visitors to the blog see, as I assume more and more Grizzlies fans will discover the site with the new link being added to the club's site. . .

What a day today, huh? Bright, sunny definitely feels like baseball season. Too bad I am inside a Bread Co. typing away. Actually I am just here to test out the wireless and make sure the ol' machine is working so to be ready for another FL season!

Only a bit of news to pass on today: Look for a big announcement regarding an exciting player that manager Phil Warren has signed! I think most Grizzlies fans will be pleased! Can't say anymore except to expect the news Monday probably. Only about a month left til Opening Night with the new Miners. Starting to get excited. . .I'm off to take advantage of the nice weather!

Champion Patriots

UPDATE 2/28: South beat Vashon tonight 59-58 in OT. Scott Pohle had 19 points, including three three-pointers. Ben Hoener hit the game-winner after driving to the hoop with about 3 seconds to go in the extra period. Next up: a Suburban West rematch with Lindbergh Saturday at 1:00 at UMSL!

Pardon me for sounding like Newschannel Five's Frank Cusamano here: If you think high school sports has nothing to offer, you're not paying attention.

Last night I had the opportunity to watch the Class 5 District 4 Championship game between the top-seeded Chaminade Red Devils and the second-seeded Parkway South Patriots. The game was being played at Chaminade and frankly not many folks were giving the Patriots much of a chance in this one. At this point I'll tell you I am not only a fan of Parkway South, but also the P.A. Announcer for home games and a close friend of mine is the assistant there.

Early on it looked like South may run away with the ball game. They went up 13-4 to start the game, and held a 15-9 advantage after a quarter. The home standing Devils took it to the Patriots in the second quarter, outscoring South 19-14 and led by 11 at half.

It was 44-33 and a friend of mine, and brother of the assistant coach, turned to me and said South may lose this one by 25 points. I agreed. Then South changed the game. The scored 10 unanswered points and ran away with a 23-14 third quarter to even the game at 52 headed into the final eight minutes.

The fourth quarter was back and forth and I think the largest margin was Chaminade getting to a five-point advantage at one point. South again fought back. They led by a point with 11 seconds to play when sophomore sensation Ben Hoener got the ball off an in-bounds play. He was fouled, and like usual, hit both of his free throws. He had hit seven of eight on the night and leads the team hitting 77 percent of his shots from the line for the year.

Chaminade had one last chance to tie, but junior John Simon's three-point attempt missed as time expired sending the Patriot faithful flooding on the floor. Thankfully the Suburban West Conference doesn't have a rule for rushing the court! (See previous post below)

Senior Julian Gilliam led the way for the Pats with 16 points. Hoener was close behind with 15 for the game, and I would be remiss to not mention all of the starters. Junior center Phil Atkins added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Antonio Bryant scored eight and had six rebounds, including five on the defensvie end. I thought Freshman Scott Pohle had a great game. He chipped in eight points. He had a pair of three's early in the game, and forced Chaminade to keep a guy on the wing specifically to stop his outside shot.

It was a great game in a great atmosphere, and in the end the team I was rooting for took home the hardware! Congrats to South coach Mitch Stevens, assistant Mike Shanfeld and all of the Patriots-including the loud and suporrtive student section! It was a championship hard-earned and well deserved!

By the way the Patriots play Wednesday night a UMSL against perrenial power Vashon. Maybe I'll see you there?

The Storm over Storming the court

OK I am fired up. . .

I was appalled to learn that the SEC had fined Vanderbilt $25,000 after fans stormed the court following the men's basketball team's victory over top-ranked Florida. Are you kidding me? Aren't there more important things the powers that be at the SEC should be worrying about? Apparently it was Vanderbilt's second offense (a first offense costs you $5,000). The NCAA said the SEC is the only conference in the country that has such a penalty.

This only gets worse. . .Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski was on the Dan Patrick show yesterday and actually said he doesn't have to worry about Duke students rushing the floor because he tells the fans that since Duke is expected to win every game they host that the only reason they should ever storm the court is after a National Championship and obviously that's not going to happen at Cameron Indoor. He said it validates the other team, and they don't want to do that! I don't care about the record or anything that's just straight arrogant and just makes me detest Duke even more. Then today on the Mike and Mike in the Morning show on ESPN Radio Mike Greenberg says there are certain schools that should just be above rushing the court. PLEASE!

I have a fond memory of my first real college basketball experience. I was a freshman at the University of Dayton. Arch-rival Xavier was in town for a mid-week showdown. UD was nothing special that year, probably around .500. Xavier was ranked 12th in the country and I think maybe unbeaten. The game was televised by ESPN2-which was also a rarity! I sat in the student section with the rest of the "Red Scare" and when Dayton knocked off Xavier we rushed the court for all to see! Great moment! I loved it.

Why would you take that away from college kids? I fully understand that there can be safety issues, but I think for the most part it is a rush of emotion. It's a great part of the college experience.

Tom Izzo was on with "Mike and Mike" this morning also speaking on the issue. Greenberg specifically asked him about the fans rushing the court after last night's win over top-ranked Wisconsin. Michigan State was one of the schools Greenberg thought should be above the idea of rushing the court. "Greeny" noted that since MSU was a good program they should be expected to win-even pointed out that they were National Champs in 2000. First off Izzo pointed out that it was MSU's first win over a top-ranked team in a long time. (Magic vs. Bird I think). He also noted that while they were champs in 2000 that was seven years ago and none of the current players or students were there. He actually likes the idea of the kids rushing the floor, and lamented [the SEC] for trying to regulate everything. Then he told a great story:

A few years back when Michigan State was number one in the country they were beaten at Indiana, where the students rushed the court. A police officer offered to escort Izzo off the floor. Izzo refused, saying that he wanted to stay and watch! He said the students rushing the court were the best compliment he could have asked for.

Bottom line: NO SCHOOL is above rushing the court, and NO SCHOOL should be penalized for what is basically harmless fun. Granted, there are wins I don't believe are worth a court storming but to take away the opportunity-that is just ludicrous!

Bing was Devine

I was saddened to hear that former St. Louis Cardinals GM Bing Devine had passed away this past weekend. . .

Working in baseball, even minor league baseball, has certainly given me many great things. I have a championship ring, I have called a no-hitter, I have called two major league games (for demo purposes) and have met many great people along the way. Some folks are just a quick interview, some remain friends. I think Mr. Devine was somewhere in between for me.

I certainly wouldn't say we were friends, I only met him three times, but he was more than just a quick interview. I actually got to interview him twice, but I talked to him for a much longer time than just what made it on the air. Like most broadcasters, I like to talk to the guests prior to our interview just to get an idea of what we will talk about and frankly whether or not the person will make for a good interview. With Mr. Devine it was easy. We just started talking before a Grizzlies game one afternoon. He had come out with Tom Wheatley of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The two were out to promote their recent book.

Anyway, Mr. Devine spoke to me like an old friend-I really felt that way. He told me stories, and related experiences he had in the minor leagues to what we were doing. When we did go on the air a few hours later all I had to do was probe him to tell the good stories. He didn't disappoint.

I know I'm not alone in the feeling about Mr. Devine. It makes me feel privileged to work in baseball, and thankful that I get to meet and interact with the people I do. Mr. Devine is just the latest example to come to mind.

By the way if you are interested you can hear that interview from June 2004 here: http://www.gatewaygrizzlies.com/team/archive/

Baseball writers' dinner

I had the pleasure of attending the 49th annual Baseball Writer's Awards dinner last night at the Millenium hotel in downtown St. Louis. Thanks to my father-in-law Ron Stenson and his friend Kevin Risinger for setting me up with the ticket. This is the second time I have been and I was a little disappointed, but not nearly as much as other people I know.

The dinner was celebrating three World Championship teams. Of course the '06 team-but also the 1967 and 1982 teams. Great, except that the marquee names from those teams were not even there. No Bob Gibson, Red Schoendienst, or Stan the Man (the GM that year) were there from 67. No Willie McGee, Ozzie Smith or Whitey Herzog from the 82 squad. No Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds or Yadier Molina from the current champs. So that was a bit of a downer. It ran a bit longer than it probably could have, especially considering the number of folks that were not there to accept awards.

Tony LaRussa was far and away the best speaker. He plays to the crowd, is eloquent and most of the time (perhaps unexpectedly) funny. He certainly knows when to say what-and what will play to the St. Louis fans. He's not afraid to make light of himself either. With so many of the players being gone-he accepted quite a few of the awards, including Scott Rolen's gold glove award. I think most are aware of his "fued" with Rolen during the post-season. . .TLR referenced Rolen not being able to make it because of the weather. . ."and then he heard I would be accepting on his behalf and he said he take a rocket to get here on time," LaRussa said. Funny stuff.

The other highlight was the commissioner, Bud Selig, who was attending the dinner for the first time in a few years. Say what you will about the commissioner, I still thought it was pretty cool of him to make it in for the dinner. I don't think that I have seen him speak in person before. Of course we was very complimentary to St. Louis as a baseball city. He accepted an award, but brought the house down with his official announcement that St. Louis will play host to the 2009 MLB All-Star game.

Overall I enjoyed the night, and think the dinner is generally a nice night for baseball fans. I have heard that the tradition is becoming more and more rare. In fact some one told me last night that only Boston, New York and St. Louis continue with the baseball writer's awards dinners. I don't know if that is true but if so that is too bad. It's nice to think about warm baseball on a cold winter night!

First Blog. . .

Here it is. This is the first, of what I hope will be many, or at least regular posts. I enjoy reading other blogs so I figured why not add my own. As my intro says I don't plan on getting too controversial-the key word there being plan. I do have a tendency to get fired up over some things.

I will devote most of the posts, especially over the summer, to the Gateway Grizzlies and the goings on of the Frontier League team. It does consume a great deal of my time and therefore my thoughts.