Grizzlies hitting academy

UPDATE 12/19: The website is now live and Phil tells us that things are on track to "open the doors!" Here's the site: Grizzlies Baseball Academy

WOW! That's all I can say. Grizzlies manager Phil Warren and hitting coach Darin Kinsolving are getting ready to unveil the new Grizzlies hitting academy at GCS Ballpark, the Grizzlies home.

I had a chance to tryout the new Pro Batter, which is the centerpiece to the academy and again I say WOW!

Quickly, the pro batter is a computerized hitting tool that allows hitters to see a varitey of pitches. And unlike a traditional pitching machine the pitch is generated from behind a screen that shows an image of an actual pitcher. You feel as if you are facing live pitching. You can adjust the type of pitch, the speed of the pitch and the location. And it is specific to each hitter even taking in to account the height of the hitter, and whether or not the hitter is right or left handed to properly adjust the strikezone.

I started off with a 70 mph fastball, which was not too tough. From there I progressed to a slurve, which buckled my knees. The curve was challenging and the slider I could hit. Finally I faced five fastballs at 100 mph! I am happy to say I was able to get a bat on two pitches at 100 mph. Keep in mind these were right down the middle, and I watched the first two go by without even attempting to swing the stick!

It is an impressive piece of equipment, to say the least, and, I am certain, a valuable learning tool! With the expertise of Warren, Kinsolving and the other instructors it is safe to say the Grizzlies have knocked it out of the park with this one!

There are two other "cages" in the facility-one for hitting live pitching/soft toss and the other that features a pair of indoor pitching mounds for pitching instruction.

They'll likely be open by this time next week and I know a website will be coming online soon, but for now if you want more information or want to reserve a time slot call 618-781-8170.

New Gig

As most of the folks who read this probably already know, I have started a new job. On Monday I began as the Assistant to the Athletic Director at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

It's really a long title for broadcaster! I will be the voice of men's basketball, primarily. We will also broadcast as many women's games as we can-which won't always feature me as the voice. We will also broadcast other sports as we can.

I will also assist in other areas for Athletics, especially in promoting the school and teams as the Cougars make the switch from Division II to Division I.

It's an exciting time to be a Cougar, and I am proud to be one.

Read the full release here!

Enough of the "upstart Rays."

Can we all please stop referring to the Tampa Bay Rays as the "upstart Rays"?

I think they have probably heard enough of that themselves. Although more likely they don't care.

I understand at the beginning of the post-season referring to them this way, but not anymore. Not after they dispatched the White Sox with relative ease, and have won three straight from the BoSox, not to mention scoring 31 runs in those last three games. The argument is probably that there are more people watching now, not die-hard baseball fans, blah blah blah. Fine. No more. People that are watching the series get it.

The Rays are now on the brink of becoming the American League Champions by eliminating the Defending World Champion Boston Red Sox. Even if they somehow collapse and lose the final three games of the ALCS it is my belief they have gotten past the "upsart" thing. The Indians aren't "upstart" are they? They lost the final three games of the ALCS last year to the Sox. The Yankees coughed up a 3-0 ALCS lead in 2004 to Boston. Point is it can happen to an established team just as easy as a team making their first post-season appearance. Anyway I don't see it happening anyway.

Enough.

Happy Birthday

It’s almost the end of the day as this goes up on the net, but it’s important that it goes up today. Today my dad would have been 58. He never made it to his 57. He passed the day before, one year ago yesterday.

It was my dad who made me a baseball fan, and obviously, a Cardinals fan. Because he was and my grandpa (still is). I went to a lot of games with my dad. More than I can remember. Obviously the time was special. It was our time. Just me and him. My parents were divorced at an early age and I didn’t live with dad. But on those baseball nights we got to be together. Even then I knew I knew it was special. I just didn’t know it would be over so soon.

I did live with my dad for a little over a year. After I graduated college and before I got married, I lived with him and my grandpa. I’m so thankful we had that time. All three of us. I was busy and in and out, but it was the most time I probably spent with either of them. Now I wish it had been more.

Sometimes I think it isn’t fair that I only got 29 years with him. Then I remember that my three sisters got less. My youngest sister didn’t get 18 years with him.

It’s mostly unfair for my youngest daughter and my niece and any other siblings or cousins to come. They’ll never know “PawPaw Lam.” My oldest daughter remembers, but only a little. He was good at being a grandpa and I think we all would have loved to see him get to do a little more of it.

Dad was the strongest man I ever knew. He was in a major car accident at the age of 16 which cost him both of his legs. He started his own company making artificial limbs and changed countless lives over 20-plus years in the business. The accident should have killed him-ultimately it did. He contracted Hepatitis C during one of the many blood transfusions that followed his accident. That was in 1966. It stayed dormant for 35 years. He received a liver transplant in 2004 and was strong for a couple of years. The Hepatitis came back and stronger.

For my 29 years he was the greatest man I knew. He remains so. He wasn’t perfect. No one is. But he did a lot of good for a lot of people. Nobody treated people like my dad.

Although not professionally, I’d like to think I followed in his footsteps. In the way he treated people and in the example he set as a person, and my father.

I need to thank my cousin Lisa for encouraging me to write something here. Lisa was also my dad's god daughter.

We love you and miss you every day! Happy Birthday dad!

So Long for just a while. . .

Just a quick wrap on the season that was. Losing in the playoffs hurts. Really it does. When you finish the season in the regular season it doesn't feel the same way. Not that it isn't somewhat sad when any season ends, but if the club doesn't make the playoffs then the end is clear-you expect it, plan for it even. When it is the playoffs there is always hope that there is one more game, or one more series. Then there just isn't.

All that being said the final week of the regular season this year was some of the most thrilling baseball I have been a part of-mainly because of the circumstances. All year long it seemed as if the team was snake-bitten. Things would start to look up, only to have something else go wrong. So then to get a week or so away from the end of the regular season, trailing the wild card by two games and needing to reel off a good string of consecutive victories just to get a chance to go on it all seemed unlikely. Things would have to go the Grizzlies way and they'd need some breaks and it all happened. Guys stepped up and they played loose and had fun and made that run. I really had fun calling that run.

I'm not going to try to look back and analyze what went wrong, or what could have gone better. Like I said it was a thrilling run and fun to be a part of. Phil Warren and Darin Kinsolving and Randy Martz should be commended for the job they did.

There's a ton of young guys on this team and that means, at least, good competition next Spring. You know Phil and staff will be well prepared come May for another season in the sun!

Bye to Chillicothe. . .
I guess most FL fans know that Chillicothe will be leaving the league next year, which is one of a few league changes. As you probably know Chillicothe has long been one of my favorite places to go during our season. I will miss it greatly and wish everyone involved nothing but good things!

Listen up. . .
I've posted a few of the more notable highlights from this past season on the Grizzlies website. Click on the "team" tab on the left of the website. One of the choices is audio archive. A couple of Mike Breyman's highlights are up there as well as the end of the no-hitter against Kalamazoo.

Batter up. . .
Maybe you've heard. Maybe you've noticed construction near the Kid's Zone here at the ballpark, but Grizzlies manager Phil Warren and hitting coach Darin Kinsolving are getting set to open a hitting academy. The building won't be anything fancy, but the training and equipment certainly will. The Grizzlies hitting academy will open later this fall with instruction for players of all ages.

Keeping reading here this off-season. I'll try and keep everyone updated on all things Grizzlies and any news with me too!

What a Night!

What a night it was last night at T.R. Hughes Ballpark. Believe it or not, the big win was secondary. Sincere congratulations to Mike Breyman for becomming the Frontier League's all-time hit leader. It was my honor to be behind the mic for nearly all of Mike's hits, and the of course the two last night that sent him over the top!

As it turned out River City was probably the second best spot for Mike to break the record. P.A. announcer Randy Moelman and their music guy Andy set it up nicely. Randy made a nice announcement and Andy played the soundtrack from the Natural in the background. Something worthy of Grizzlies' music man Jarrod Frey! Plus the fans gave Mike a sincere stading ovation. Classy all the way around!

It was a fantastic night and, again, I was honored to be part of it!

Grizzlies are still in the hunt, can't hurt that the 'Hawks are in town for three. Hope its as memorable a weekend as it was Thursday night!

Thanks to Paul Baillargeon for the photo!

It's only one game. . .

So I approach with cautious optimism, but last night looked more like the Grizzlies team that we all know and love. It was a complete 180 from the night before. 10 hits-for the first time in more than a week and good pitching. I think Ridener was a little gassed heading into the ninth, and that's why he couldn't finish it. Otherwise it was a solid performance by him. Congrats to him for setting a franchise mark for appearances. And this is only his second year here.

Gotta get tonight's game. Blacksher give you a good chance. Here's hoping they play like last night and not revert back to Tuesday.

What has happened?

A lot since I last wrote, just a week or so ago. It feels like this team has been out of the playoff race for months, when in reality they were IN the wild card spot going into Sunday's game at Windy City and just a game out before last night's loss to the Wild Things. It seems like they have cashed in the season and that's a shame. As long as I have been here it has never seemed like the team has given up-it seems like it now. It all seemed to fall apart the day Campbell left-last Wednesday in Evansville.

I realize the Campbell move was a big blow, but there are two points that should be made regarding that move.

First off Phil Warren did that as a favor to Michael. He wanted to help Campbell, and felt like a move to the Atlantic League would do that. He didn't want to be the manager that held him back. That is comendable on Phil's part. He also didn't know that he would essentially be penalized by the Frontier League because he wasn't able to replace Campbell on the roster. Rules are rules and Frontier League rules state you can't replace a player who left after the trade deadline unless they were purchased by a Major League organization. Tough break Grizzlies.

The second point is that Campbell wanted to leave. Plain and simple. Phil put the decision in Michael's hands, and he chose to leave. If he didn't want to be here how much help would he have been anyway?

Either way it is hard to replace his productivity. The guys need to step it up. Hope they can.

As always. . .stay tuned!

State of the Grizzlies with 20 games to play

I wrote last time that it was important to win a game in that series at Southern Illinois. I thought it was. As it turns out the Grizzlies lost a heartbreaking game. They were 30-30 after that series. Things have turned since then. They are 11-6 since that point. Their only series loss came at home against Kalamazoo. The first half of this season long 12-game road trip went well. They were 4-2 vs. the Michigan teams and that is important. Last night here in Evansville was a good start (albeit ugly) to the second half of the trip. They need to finish the trip strong, especially against the red-hot Thunderbolts. Windy City has won 11 of their last 12 and are nipping at the heels of Southern Illinois in the West.

Not sure if everyone is aware of how the playoffs work in the Frontier League. The two division winners get in as the one and two seeds with the two next best records (regardless of division) getting in as the three and four seeds. Right now the Grizzlies are in the fourth spot. It is different because when the playoffs have been like this in the past, at least since the Grizz have been in the league, it has come up three East teams and the West winner. Obviously that is not the case this year. The Grizzlies own tie-breakers against Florence and Traverse City if they were to finish second in the East. Washington could get into that spot too, so it makes for a big series when the Grizzlies come home for them the 19th. They also need to take care of Midwest and by take care of I mean sweep. Nothing else can be acceptable.

Good move for the Grizzlies-acquiring Willie Keene from Southern Illinois. It is tough to see Manny go, but I really believe he will benefit greatly from increased and more consistent playing time. That is the difference between his season this year and last. Keene is going to provide the Grizzlies a stable outfielder who can hit consistently. House wasn't getting it done. I was sorry that the move didn't work out, but Kevin knew it. He told me yesterday when he was leaving it was going to do him well to clear his head and step away from the game.

Bottom line this team seems to be in good position. And should they get in I expect better results from a more prepared playoff team. Not that it should be hard to improve upon an 0-3 post-season from a year ago but to a man EVERY player I have asked believes that this team will be in better position for playing close, meaningful games down the stretch-something that didn't happen last year.

It should be a great last 20 games and don't think this team is going to settle for being just the four seed. They are gunning for the West title and they're right there to get it. We'll see how the series goes at Windy City and remember the final three games of the season will be against Southern Illinois at GCS! Should be fun! Stay Tuned. . .

Power Outage

Wish I knew what has caused it, but I don't. The thing is the Grizzlies have shown nothing on offense the last five games really. And even into that Evansville series if you think about it. The pitching has come around, BIG time but the hits haven't. Coming into tonight's finale at Southern Illinois the Grizzlies are tied for the fourth-best team ERA at 4.71. Think about that-there was a time when this pitching staff was last in the league, and the ERA was nearly double that. With Kevin House and Robbie Minor at the top of the lineup they have good speed now-if they get on base. With Breyman/Lisk/Holdren in the middle it should still be a formidable lineup. Now they just need to get back to doing what they do. Mike Breyman really hasn't hit all year. Hopefully he is due. Can you imagine the final month with a red hot Breyman?

I tend to panic less than some. I think Phil Warren and Darin Kinsolving are worried a little bit. I am less worried. I am more encouraged by the strong pitching than the lack of offense. Last year the Grizzlies had a nearly unstoppable offense look where that got them in the playoffs.

I think tonight is a must win. Not because of standing, because if we have learned anything from this season in the West it is that teams can move up and down pretty quickly in this crowded race. I think this game is more important for the confidence of this team in this ballpark. Don't forget there is a real chance that these two teams-the Grizzlies and Miners-could meet in the first round of the post-season. If that happens the Grizzlies would be well served to have won at least one game in this park this year. Weird, because last year the Grizzlies had a better record in Marion against the Miners than in Sauget.

The next nine games could REALLY make or break the Grizzlies. They're home for nine straight and they need to hold serve at home, because then they're on the road for 12in a row. That's a long time away from home, and they're going to be facing Traverse City and Kalamazoo-the East's top two teams at least for now. If they can pile up some wins at home it will make whatever happens on the road easier to digest-plus it will build some more confidence and some good will before hitting the road for essentially two weeks in the heat of August.

I fully believe this team has what it takes to compete until the end, if they want to. The last two days have felt kinda blah. Like no one really cared if they won or not. If that is the case then forget it. If they want it I think they have got the pieces and ultimately the talent. We'll see.

I owe you

A new post.

I'm not very good at this blog thing, am I? It seems when the season gets rolling I am most often doing Grizzlies things. When I am not at the park or on the road I'm with the family. We're on the road now, so I'll try and get a few thoughts down during this three-game series in Marion. It's going to be an important one.

More tomorrow. . .

Rock the Vote

Thanks to my friend, and former Grizzlies centerfielder, Mark Schulte for this one. . .

You can vote here for former Grizzlies right-hander Scott Patterson for the Triple-A All-Star Game. It would be nice to get a former Grizzlie in the game.

Take some time and vote!

Just a couple of things

Chillicothe and more. . .
I really enjoy coming to Chillicothe. Maybe the facilities aren't the greatest, but they treat you like Kings and there's something about V.A. Memorial Stadium that gives you a nostalgic baseball feeling. That being said, I wish the team had the same good feelings. They must not, because the Paints have owned the Grizzlies in Chillicothe. If my records are right, the Paints have won at least the last nine games at V.A. The Grizzlies overall record in Chillicothe dropped to 7-15 all-time after last night's beating. Maybe the two games today can help turn things around. The road has not been a kind place to the Grizz. If you're keeping track, you know the Grizzlies are now 0-7 away from the friendly confines of GCS. I thought the last series against Evansville would have really helped turn things around. They won three games, and did it, for the most part, without the long ball. Sure they hit a few, but they played three pretty solid all around games. Sunday was probably the most complete game the Grizzlies have played this year. They had 14 hits and were driving in runs. Brandon Williams went seven strong innings, then they got a pair of scoreless innings from Alex Merricks and Zach Gray. As I said, hopefully the two tonight will be better. Tune in beginning at 4:50 central time. 88.7 FM or online at KMOX.com!

Changes. . .
Speaking of Alex Merricks-neither he or Billy McKinney was very happy here and both requested trades. They thought they should be starting. Both them were dealt to San Angelo of the United League.

Patty's a Yankee. . .
In case you haven't heard, former Grizzlie Scott Patterson is now a New York Yankee. He is the first Gateway alum to make the bigs. Big congrats to him. Obviously everyone in the organization is happy for him. I had no idea how proud I would feel for him. I am ecstatic for Scott, and have no doubt he worked his butt off to get to the Major Leagues. I feel a real sense of pride in his accomplishments when I had nothing to do with it what so ever! I hope he flourishes for the Bombers.

That'll do it for now.

Weekend Musings

NCAA. . .
The Division II Baseball Championships are wrapping up as I write this. I haven't been here for most of the tournament because we have been on the road. Just walking around talking with some of the fans has been fun today. From all accounts the Grizzlies staff has done a great job. I know Jeff O'Neill has worked his [tail] off, as he does for all of the "extra events" at the ballpark. The other staffers have been busy as well, namely Brent Pownall, Will Myers, Jason Murphy and CJ Hendrickson. That's not saying anything for our GM Steve Gomric who has had to take this on after being named GM in April. Congrats to all of our staff as well as the staffs at SIUE and UMSL for making this happen.

SIDS. . .
I had the pleasure of emceeing an event this morning for SIDS Resources. Thanks to Lori Behrens for inviting me out. They held their first annual Strides for SIDS walk/run in Forest Park. A commemorative ceremony was held prior to the run getting started. It was a moving tribute for/with the families that have lost little ones. It was tough to get through. I thought it was a beautiful ceremony and I was proud to be a small part of it. I am thankful for the opportunity and glad they had a good weather day.

The Grizz. . .
Finally on to the Grizzlies. A tough first week for the hometown team. I really don't think it is one particular thing that has gone wrong, but a combination. Last night they looked good and all parts seemed to click and because of it they took down previously unbeaten Evansville. It showed me and the fans would good can come when they all play together. Hopefully they can keep it up. Some moves today and the next few days should help. I guess we shall all see.

I'll try to check in from the road next week. Should be fun-I like going to Chillicothe.

Spring Training thoughts and more

Finally it is here, Grizzlies baseball back at GCS Ballpark. Spring Training officially opens today around the Frontier League. I, couldn't be more excited. Too bad the weather isn't great, but that's ok the guys are still going to work out this afternoon. Several players have been for a week or so, but now the real fun starts. Should be a good season. We shall all see.

Other thoughts. . .
As you probably know, GM Tony Funderburg has left the Grizzlies. I know this is a great opportunity for Tony and his family, it is also a great loss for the Grizzlies. Tony had been here since before the team played a game. There was a time when he (and I) were one of just three employees. Personally it is sad for me, simply because Tony taught me this business, and I mean that. Not the broadcasting but the baseball business-the pro sports business. It was Tony who taught me how to sell by going on some of my first appointments with me. He taught me how to talk to clients, how to relate with them, and ultimately how to get them involved in what we were doing. For that I am eternally grateful and will miss him. The Grizzlies will be fine, don't get me wrong. Steve Gomric will do a great job, and already has. Steve has taught each of us a thing or two about the business too. I don't expect any sweeping changes since we are so close to the stadium, but Steve knows what he is doing and knows what it takes for this organization to keep operating at the high level fans have come to expect. It will be a great season!

Something else you may have heard-the Grizzlies will be gracing the (powerful) airwaves of WSIE FM this summer. 88.7 FM is the campus station at SIUE and I am so excited that they will be carrying our games. This is a legitimate signal and Grizzlies fans should be able to hear our games no matter where they are. Honestly it is that strong. We're also partnering with KMOX.com, which also affords us some promotion on the "mighty 'mox." KJFF, 1400 AM, will return to carry their usual load of Grizzlies games. All in all it should be a nice set up for our games this year.

Getting away from the Grizzlies. . .but not baseball: Rick Ankiel, wow!
What a night the Cards centerfielder had last night, huh? If you didn't see it, do yourself a favor and find some highlights of him throwing out not one, but two, base runners at third. It was sensational. I must admit I was very very skeptical of the plan to bring Ankiel back as a hitter/outfielder. I thought it was a waste of money. I did not think it would work. I was wrong. I am big enough to admit it. He is a phenomenal athlete and his contributions have been many to this Cards team that has been fun to watch. By the way I did not think the birds would be as bad as many national writers and media types thought, however I also didn't think they'd have the best record in baseball at the beginning of May. For the record I picked them third in the Central behind Chicago and Milwaukee with a record of around 74-88, I think. I wrote it down, as I do every year with a couple of friends, before the season starts. We seal it up in an envelope. We open our picks during the World Series to see how we did. My pick for the Series this year was Cleveland and the Mets. I picked Cleveland to win it all.

That's it for now. Once again I will try to be more diligent in my updating of the blog during the season. Feel free to comment, and get on me if I'm not on top of it!

Just checking in

Quick weight-loss update: I realized I haven't updated you on the end of the competition. I lost the most weight, 34.5 pounds, didn't win the money. Someone else got me by a few percentage points. Oh well. I think I have made a permanent change as far as eating better and I am happy about that.

Baseball season is here: At least for the big boys. Can't tell you how happy that makes me. Had a chance to get to Cards opening day with the Grizzlies crew. We actually got to go twice-thanks to the rainout. We had the pleasure of sitting in the Champions Club. All I can say is congrats to the Cardinals for that masterpiece. All-you-can eat/drink in a beautiful setting. The buffet included some typical ballpark fare, but also some non-traditional food, including pasta and mussels, beef tips, roast pork, barbecue brisket and some great desserts. Some of the best brownies I have ever had. It was great, and that club is no doubt going to be a hit (pun fully intended) for the birds.

As for the team, to loosely quote the movie Major League they don't look too stinking bad. I was part of the group that said that I thought they would be better than people think anyway and after the opening series against the Rockies I'll stick to it. I don't really think they'll compete for the division, but it won't be as gloomy a season as some would have you believe. For the record my pick to win the division is the Cubs. I have the Mets and Indians in the World Series with the Indians winning.

I'll be at the game tomorrow afternoon as well. I am headed down with my father-in-law and his brother. Looking forward to nice afternoon. I am meeting Nationals broadcaster Bob Carpenter before the game. I first met Bob a few seasons ago at a Cards opening day. He has been kind enough to help me out on a number of occaisions. He has sort of become a mentor to me, and I sure appreciate him taking his time to help out a lowly indy guy like myself.

That's it from me today. Look for more Grizzlies news soon as we approach our eighth season.

Did I mention I love this time of year?

I do love this time of year, honestly, but it can also be gut-wrenching if you are a fan of a "bubble team" which I am. A Dayton alum actually. This certainly isn't the first time the Flyers have been in this situation. A couple of years back they were a 10-seed in the NCAAs and they were the very last team revealed on the selection show. Talk about nerve-wracking. I'm only a fan. Can't imagine being a player.

Anyway, they had the opportunity to put themselves far far from any bubble talk this year. They had two huge non-conference wins-at Louisville and then vs. Pitt. They beat Pittsburgh by 25 when the Panthers were fifth ranked. They were 14-1, nationally-ranked and then injuries absolutely devestated this program. They lost two players-one being their second leading scorer who hasn't played since. They only recently figured out how to win without him and finished the regular season 20-9, and 8-8 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. They are the 8 seed in the conference tourney which begins tomorrow. They open up their tournament with #9 Saint Louis. There prize for a first-round win is a match-up with rival and #1 seed Xavier!

I am not going to make all kinds of comparisons here and try and make a case for Dayton. It is too hard, and really doesn't mean much. Besides if that is what you want there are plenty of places to find it and plenty of people who like to predict the tournament field. Don't get me wrong, I love to look at it and try and hash it out, but the fact remains it is up to that committee and you can show me all of the numbers and compare all of the records you want-what it comes down to is what teams the individuals on the committee feel deserve to be there.

Do I think Dayton deserves to be there? Probably. I think they absolutely needed to win their last three conference games to get to .500 in league play. I originally thought they needed three conference tourney wins to get them to 23, then I saw the A-10 tournament draw and thought maybe 22 wins with one of them being over Xavier would get them in. Then some upsets in other conference tourneys and now I am just not sure what gets them in as an at-large. The one thing that remains certain is that if they can somehow reel off four wins in four days there in! Pretty simple. So I'll be rooting for just that.

I'll have my red and blue on tomorrow afternoon and probably tuning in to Bob Ramsey and Earl Austin Jr. on the Billikens broadcast. Game time is 11 am St. Louis time.

Go Flyers!!

One of my favorite times of the year!

Here we are, March! What a great time on the sports calendar. MLB starts in a few weeks, but before that. . .March Madness! I don't know if I can leagally use that term, but I'm not profiting from the site, so I'll use it. Point is this is a great time of the year, easily one of my favorites, and it starts tonight.

The Missouri Valley Conference tournament kicks off tonight at Scottrade Center with their opening round games. #8 Indiana State takes on #9 Wichita State is at 6:00 and then #7 Missouri State takes on #10 Evansville at 8:30.
By the way our GM, Tony, is a Missouri State alum and will be rooting hard for the Bears this weekend!

This will be the third consecutive season I have had the pleasure to work with the Valley staff during the tournament. I'll be one of a legion of media assistants. The Valley staff does a fantastic job on putting on the tournament and I am proud to be a part of it. The basketball is some of the best you'll find. The fan support is outstanding and it makes for a great atmosphere.

As you may know my heart lies with a certain Atlantic 10 team that is perched squarely on the bubble right now, the Dayton Flyers. I won't get into the Flyers at this point. I will talk more about them next week. I will only say they end the regular season on Saturday at home against St. Joe's. They need that win to stay in the NCAA conversation.

So join me at Scottrade Center this weekend, and don't forget the FL radio show airs Saturday afternoon. Details on that below!

Fronter League Radio, Sports Trivia and More

Just a few things from me today:

First off there is a new radio show dedicated to the Frontier League. It is a podcast and has been running for a couple of weeks now. Stan Murray and Tim Perry do the show. Tim is the official, unofficial historian of the league. He also has a great site for FL info as well. It is worth a listen if you're interested in the goings on around the league during these cold times. There is usually a segment with a guest discussing different league teams. And yes, I was recently a guest. We taped it yesterday and it will air again beginning March 8 I believe. Check out the radio show. Also check out Tim's website

The Grizzlies will once again be involved in the Sports Trivia Championship tomorrow night at Scottrade Center. The event benefits the St. Patrick's Center. We have donated some items, including some ticket packages for the winners! We also get to participate, so look out if you're playing. Just kidding. We don't see to be a threat to any serious contenders, but we'll have a good time.

Finally, the Division II college world series is likely coming to GCS Ballpark. You may have read something about it in the Belleville News Democrat on Sunday. We'll have an official announcement when we can!

That's it for now.

Shameless Self-promotion

I'll be working the Saint Louis University basketball game tonight as the Public Address voice inside Scottrade Center!

I'll be filling in for Guy Phillips tonight as the Billikens host the Xavier Musketeers. Game is on ESPN 2 as well. . .tune in maybe you can catch me in the background!!

Weight-loss updates

Here are the results of my weekly weigh-ins.
(Check below for details on the weight loss)

Starting weight: 221 pounds-total weight loss is in parenthesis
One week, January 14: 213.5 (7.5 pounds)
Two weeks, January 21: 209.5 (11.5 pounds)
Three weeks, January 28: 206 (15 pounds)
Four weeks, February 4: 203 (18 pounds) Even with a Super Bowl blowout!
Five weeks, February 11: 199.5 (21.5 pounds) I believe I am leading the pack. The half-way weigh-in is Wednesday. We'll see.
So you know, Didn't win the half-way. Lost the most weight not the highest percentage. On with the updates:

Six weeks, February 18: 196 (25 pounds)
Seven weeks, February 25: 193.5 (27.5 pounds) I wasn't confident of a good week and still dropped two and a half! As long as the weight is still dropping I'm ok with that.
Eight weeks, March 3: 193.5 (27.5 pounds)
Uh-oh, now the weight isn't dropping, at least not this past week. I'll have to work a bit this week. It'd be nice to hit the 30 pound mark!
Nine weeks, March 10: 191.5 (29.5 pounds) couldn't quite get to 30 total, but at least I lost this week!

New Year, New Goals

Ok, ok, ok I know I still don't update this as I should. It can just be a New Year's resolution. Though I really hate making "resolutions." Doesn't that just set you up for failure. It sure seems to.

That being said, I am trying to lose weight. In fact quite a few folks on staff here with the Grizz are trying to lose weight, so we turned it into a contest. For cash! We all entered with $50 and go about trying to drop the pounds over a 12-week period. The person with the best weight-loss at the half-way point gets their entry fee back. The person with the best weight-loss after 12 weeks gets the rest. Best-case you lose the weight and you win 500 bucks in the process. By the way we go by percentage.

Soooooo, I thought I'd keep folks informed about my progress. I'll just let you know how I am doing and leave the other guys' to themselves.

We only weigh in three times publically: at the start-January 7, at the half-way point-February 18th and at the end-March 28th. I try to track weekly. From now on you can check my progress in subsequent postings.

I'll keep you updated. Wish me luck.