Wednesday, April 30th

Twins Talk

Minnesota 3 Chicago 1
Minnesota 12-14 2.5 games back

• POG:Boof Bonser- Boof was the best i have seen him in a very long time last night going 7 innings and only giving up a solo Hr to Joe Crede in the 7th and only giving up 6 hits on the night. Boof only walked 1 while striking out 8 White Sox batters. The thing that really impressed me was the curveball he had last night it had really good bite and he could throw it for a strike something he normally can't do. With the good start it lowered Boof's ERA to 3.75 on the season.
• Jason Kubel continues to impress me with a 2 run Hr in the 4th inning to give Boof Bonser all the room he would need. Jason has had a good April hitting his 4th Hr of the month and has 16rbi's this month. I really didn't see it happening I really thought Jason was a bust going into the year and now i have more confidence in him than alot of other players hopefully he can keep it up.
• The Twins offense is so much better with Michael Cuddyer in the lineup then without him. I think he watches to many pitches,but when he is in the lineup there is that threat that we were missing when he was out.
• Today, the Twins finish up their short 2 game series with the Sox at the Metrodome. Gametime is at 12:10 with Nick Blackburn getting the start for the Twins vs Nick Massat of the Sox

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 9 Pawtucket 3

Rochester 13-13 4.5 games back

• POG: Darnell Mcdonald- Darnell continues his strong start going 3-5 with 3rbi's and 2 runs scored to raise his average to a team high .328. Like i said yesterday he is not a prospect, but he is a very good minor league player and like I said every organization needs players like that because every team wants to win and Rochester is no different. With the 3 rbi's it brings his total up to 13 on the season which is 2nd on the team and thats even more amazing considering he started the season on the DL.
• Brian Duensing had a dreadful 1st inning giving up 3 runs on 3 hits. After that he showed why he is a good pitcher by shutting the door for the rest of his outing. Brian went 6 innings and gave up just those 3 runs on 7 hits to bring his ERA to 2.75 on the season. Alot of pitchers would of fell apart after the early runs but that shows you how much grit he has to come back and put zeros on the board.
• Philip Humber pitched a scoreless inning to get the win for the Red Wings. With Liriano and Slowey getting a few starts the logical thing is for Humber to spend some time in the bullpen.
• Today, the Red Wings finish up their homestand with Pawtucket. Gametime is at 11:05am as its getaway day with Francisco Liriano getting the start for the Red Wings. It will be interesting to see how Liriano responds to being back in the minors.

New Britain Business

New Britain 7 Binghamton 1

New Britain 11-12 5.5 games back

• POG:Matt Moses- Matt came out of a bit of a slump going 3-5 with a double and an rbi for the Rock Cats. With the 3 hits Matt raised his average to .282 on the season. Matt is a guy that Twins scouts are looking for to break out because there are alot of people in the organization that are very high on him and are hoping that he can get his swing going and make it. He is definatly someone you should keep your eye on to see how he adjusts to being in the outfield now. Moving to the outfield helped Michael Cuddyer because he didnt have to think so much so hopefully it works for Matt Moses.
• Oswaldo Sosa had probably his best start of the year going 5 innings and only giving up a run on 2 hits for the Rock Cats. With the good start it lowered his ERA to 5.75 and gave hime his first win of the year. Hopefully, Oswaldo can find his rythm now and keep it going.
• Brock Peterson continued his strong production month by getting 2 more rbi's to bring his monthly total up to 20. I will take that every month out of him and if he does that he won't be with New Britain very long.
• Tonight, the Rock Cats continue with game 2 of their 3 game series with Binghamton. Gametime is at 5:35 with Yohan Pino getting the start for New Britain.

Fort Myers Musings

• The Miracle had the day off yesterday and start a series with Clearwater tonight. Gametime is at 6pm with Alex Burnett getting the start for the first place Miracle.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 3 South Bend 2 Final 10 innings

Beloit 9-16 9.5 games back

• POG:Ben Revere- I could pick other players for this, but yesterday was a big day for Ben as he went 2-4 for his first hits for the Snappers in his first full professional year. Ben has alot expected out of him so it will be interesting to see how he fulfills expectations for the Snappers and the Twins organization.
• Danny Lehman has not gotten alot of playing time, but he made the most out of it last night going 3-4 with an rbi and a run scored. Makes you wonder if maybe that will be the sign of more playing time for Lehman.
• Steven Hirschfeld was solid in his first start in a while going 5 innings and only giving up 1 run while scattering 7 hits. If he can continue that he will get many more starts for the Snappers as they struggled to get consistant strong starting pitching.
• Today, the Snappers finish their series with South Bend before going on the road. Gametime is a early 11am start with new Snapper Santos Arias getting the start for the Snappers.

Tuesday, April 29th

Twins Talks
11-14 3.5 games back

• The Twins had a much needed day off and begin a short 2 game series with the Chicago White Sox in Minneapolis tonight. Gametime is at 7:11pm with Boof Bonser getting the start against Gavin Floyd.

Rochester Wrap

Pawtucket 8 Rochester 6

Rochester 12-13 4.5 games back

• POG:Jason Pridie- Jason continued his hot streak going 3-5 on the night with a run scored for the Red Wings. With the 3 hits it raised Jason's average to .295 on the season. He got off to a slow start but has gotten a hit in 13 of his last 14 games. In his last 10 games he is hitting .311 with a homer and 6rbi's. I have to admit i was not sold on him when we got him and was really not sold on him when he got off to a slow start but he has shown he belongs and might have a spot with the Twins before long.
• Kevin Mulvey had his first rough start of the year and man was it rough. He only lasted 4.2 innings and gave up 7 runs on 9 hits to raise his era to 3.21. I know it was a rough outing but im not worried he was bound to run into a bad game and lets see how he rebounds from it that is the key.
• Darnell Mcdonald continued his power surge with a grand slam and 4 rbi's to bring his totals up to 2hr and 10 rbi's. I know he doesnt have much of a major league future but he is a good minor leaguer that every minor league needs to have players like him.
• Tonight, the Red Wings continue their series with Pawtucket in Rochester. Gametime is at 5:35pm with Brian Duensing getting the start for the Red Wings

New Britain Business

10-12 6.5 games back

• The Rock Cats had a day off yesterday and tonight they begin a series with the Mets in Binghamton. Gametime is at 5:35pm with Oswaldo Sosa getting the start for the Rock Cats.

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 4 Lakeland 3

Fort Myers 14-11 First Place

• POG:Danny Valencia- Danny helped the Miracle break out of a 4 game losing streak and avoid a sweep at the hands of Lakeland. Danny went 2-4 at the plate including the 3 run double that tied the game as the Miracle came back from a 3-0 8th inning deficit to pull it out. With the 2 hits it raised his average to .284 and brought his rbi's up to 18 on the year. Danny was in a little bit of a slump but he came out of it in a big way to help the Miracle get a big win.
• Tyler Robertson was solid on the mound going 6 innings and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits to lower his era to 2.84 on the season.
• Toby Gardenhire was promoted to New Britain before the game to help out with injuries up there and i believe im not 100% sure on this but i think Daniel Berg was activated off the disabled list to take his spot.
• Tonight the Miracle begin a series with Clearwater in Fort Myers. Gametime is at 6pm with Alex Burnett getting the start for the Miracle.

Beloit Beat

South Bend 7 Beloit 1

Beloit 8-16 9.5 games back

• POG:Steve Singelton- In a game without alot of good things happening for the Snappers Steve's rbi triple was one of the few things that you can look at as a positive sign. With the triple his average is now at a good .368 and his rbi total is at 12. Steve is the most consistant player on this Snappers ballclub you know every game out he is going to get a hit or 2 for you and play good defense.
• Brian Kirwan had his 1st rough outing of the year going 4.1 innings and giving up 5 earned runs on 8 hits to raise his era to 3.71. He has been the most consistant pitcher on the staff so hopefully he can rebound from this.
• The Snappers made some roster moves before the game and the biggest was promoting 2007 first round pick Ben Revere to the Snappers. Also being promoted was pitchers Santos Arias and Bradley Tippett. To make room for the players they put Deibinson Romero and Mike Mccardell on the disabled list and releasing relief pitcher Dominique Rodgers. It will be interesting to see how much Revere plays and how he does for the Snappers and see if he stays with the team or if it is a short term thing.
• Tonight the Snappers continue their series with South Bend in Beloit. Gametime is at 6:35 with Steven Hirschfeld joining the rotation to take the place of Mccardell who is on the disabled list.

top 10 prospects stats

we are nearing the end of the month of april and when we do i am going to do a series on the pitchers and hitters of the month at every level. But for today i am going to go back to who my top 10 twins prospects were and how they are doing this season so far hope you enjoy.

1. Deolis Guerra- P Fort Myers 2-1 3.75 ERA 4 starts 24inn 25 hits 10earned runs 10bb 19strikeouts whip1.38
2. Carlos Gomez- CF Twins 22games .255 1hr 6rbi 10sb 5 2b 1 3b 34tb 2bb 24k's .271obp, .633ops, 1error
3. Tyler Robertson- P Fort Myers 0-1 2.79ERA 4starts 19.1innings 22hits 6earned runs 9bb 21strikeouts whip 1.60
4. Kevin Mulvey- P Rochester 2-1 1.16ERA 4starts 23.1inn 20hits 3earned runs 7bb 25strikeouts whip 1.16
5. Anthony Swarzak P New Britain-2-0 2.08ERA 5starts 26innings 22hits 6earned runs 4bb 29strikeouts whip 1.00
6. Ben Revere- playing in extended spring training don't have any stats for that will start in Elizabethton i believe in June
7. Alexi Casilla SS Rochester- 21games .176 2rbi's 3sb 3doubles 15tb 13walks 16k's .321 obp, .542 ops, 5errors
8. Jeff Manship P Fort Myers- 3-0 3.38ERA 5starts 26.2innings 25hits 10earned runs 10bb 23strikeouts whip 1.31
9. Trevor Plouffe SS New Britain- 19games .272 1hr 9rbi 3doubles 2triples 32tb 3bb 22k's,sb, .314obp, .709ops
10. Philip Humber P Rochester- 0-3 5.24ERA 5starts 22.1inn 29hits 13earned runs 11bb, 12strikeouts

As you can see there were some good months and some not so good months so the ones struggling can turn it around.

Monday, April 28th

Twins Territory
Texas 10 Minnesota 0
Minnesota 11-14 3.5 games back

• POG:Brendan Harris- Brendan continued his strong start for the Twins going 2-2 for the day and 6-12 for the series to raise his average to a team high .309 for the season. Brendan has shown that last year was not a fluke and that he belongs at the major league level as a starter.
• Livan Hernandez was awful yesterday only going 2.2 innings and giving up 7 runs on 9 hits against a good Texas lineup. That is 2 bad starts in a row for Livan so hopefully he can rebound but i am not counting on it because he is what he is and you know what your getting when you sign a guy like Livan Hernandez.
• Mike Lamb got 1 hit to raise his average to .219 i know its not very good but its small steps because the Twins need him to hit or it will be a long year so hopefully he can keep it going.
• Today the Twins have a much needed day off today before they take on the first place Chicago White Sox.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 5 Leigh Valley 1

Rochester 12-12 4.5 games back

• POG:Chris Basak- Chris hit a tie breaker 2 run homerun in the 7th inning to allow the Red Wings to get their 2nd straight win and 4th in 5 games. Chris went 1-4 with 2 rbi's and a run scored. It wasn't a huge game but his homerun was huge for the Red Wings because Leigh Valley had just tied the game in the bottom of the 6th and get the lead back was huge for the Red Wings.
• Heath Totten probably made his last start for the Red Wings with the additions of Francisco Liriano and Kevin Slowey to the Red Wings pitching staff. But he was solid going the first 3 innings and only giving up 3 hits while striking out 2. I think he will be a strong addition to the Red Wings bullpen and has exceeded my expectations for him so far.
• Tim Lahey pitched the last 2 innings to pick up his first save of the year for the Red Wings. He didn't give up a hit while striking out a batter. Tim will probably get the majority of the save opprotunity's while Bobby Korecky is with the Twins so look for him to continue to pitch good for the Red Wings.
• Tonight the Red Wings begin a series with the Pawtucket Red Sox in Rochester. Gametime is at 5:35 with Kevin Mulvey getting the start for the Red Wings.

New Britain Business

Trenton 7 New Britain 5

New Britain 10-12 6.5 games back

• POG: David Winfree- David had a really solid game going 2-4 with his 4th Homerun of the year. With the Homerun he had 2rbi's and 2 runs scored on the day. With the 2 hits it raised David's average to .219. The Twins need David to keep improving because if you can find someone who can hit it out of the park you have to keep him in the system, but he needs to improve that average if he wants to stay in the Twins organization.
• Jay Rainville struggled again yesterday only going 4 innings and giving up 6 runs on 9 hits for the Rock Cats. That is 2 bad starts in a row I don't know if there is anything wrong with him or not all i know is he needs to pitch better. Going into the year there were alot of people high on him and the last 2 starts are not going to get it done so hopefully he can turn it around.
• Luke Hughes had another stellar game for the Rock Cats going 2-5 with his 8th homerun of the year and raising his team high average to .356. He has been the surprise player of the month in the entire Twins organization so hopefully he can keep it going.
• Today the Rock Cats have the day off before they begin a series with the Mets in Binghamton Tuesday.

Fort Myers Musings

Lakeland 8 Fort Myers 3

Fort Myers 13-11 1.0games back

• POG:Toby Gardenhire- Toby had another solid day at the plate going 2-4 on the day to raise his average to .333 in limited duty. Toby has been very good offensively and as a backup player whenever his number is called he has come in and produced. Im sure his Dad is very proud.
• Deolis Guerra had his first rough start of the year going 5 innings and giving up 7 earned runs on 9 hits to raise his era to 3.75. Im not too worried about him because its hard to keep up the performance he was doing before becuase he was awesome so 1 bad start doesn't bother me lets just hope he rebounds next time.
• The Miracle need to get off the shnide as they have lost 4 straight games to go from 13-7 to 13-11 and from first place to 2nd place.
• Tonight the Miracle finish their series with Lakeland in Lakeland. Phenom Tyler Robertson gets the start for the Miracle trying to break that losing streak gametime is at 6pm.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 5 Wisconsin 3

Beloit 8-15 8.5 games back

• POG:Chris Parmalee- Chris broke out of a 1-22 streak with a grand slam in the 6th inning to put the Snappers on top. Chris is still 2-26 which is only a .077 average. So hopefully that Homerun was the start of something good for him. With the homerun it was his 5th of the year and his 18th rbi's for the year.
• Daniel Berlind had a solid start going 5 innings and giving up 2 runs on 4 hits to pick up his first win of the year. Daniel lowered his era to 5.40 on the year for the Snappers. The Snappers count on Daniel to bring innings and keep the hitters in the game so hopefully he can keep it coming.
• The Snappers bullpen who i think is the strength of the team went the last 4 innings and only gave up 3 hits, an unearned run and struck out 8 batters for the Snappers.
• Tonight the Snappers begin a series with South Bend in Beloit. Gametime is at 6:35pm with Brian Kirwan getting the start for the Snappers.

Vikings Draft

The Vikings just finished their 2008 Draft and came away with 5 good players and 6 if you want Jared Allen who they acquired in a trade before the Draft for our 1st round pick and both our 3's.



2nd Round

• Tyrell Johnson S Arkansas St- The Vikings gave up their 4th round pick to Philadelphia to move up 4 spots in the 2nd round to select Johnson. In alot of mock drafts i saw him getting a 1st round grade and Darren Sharper is not getting any younger. I see him taking over in a year or 2 and bringing everything a Safety in the Cover 2 needs to bring. He can get deep to stop the deep pass and can move up in the box and help out against the run. The thing that brought him up was at the combine he ran a 4.4 40yard dash. He was the sunbelt defensive player of the year and i think he is learning from a pro and will be an outstanding safety in a few years.

5th Round

• pick 137 John David Booty- The Vikings had to trade up with Green Bay to get the quarterback they wanted and had to surrender their 7th round pick to get him. I am very high on Booty because he is perfect for the Vikings because he is a very accurate passer and ran a similiar offense at USC. What i really like about him is he is used to big game situations and is a coaches son so they knows hard work. If you can handle the pressure of being the QB at USC i think you can handle everything. Maybe not next year but in 09 if Jackson doesn't work out i think Booty could be the starting QB for the Vikings and will be a good one.
• pick 152 Letroy Guion DT Florida St- This is a project for the Vikings he did not start alot of games in college, but he has the size the Vikings are looking for. Pat Williams is 34 years old and eventually you need to find a replacement for him and Letroy is a hit or miss prospect because alot of people are high on him and hopefully he can play with a chip on his shoulder and prove the Vikings right in using the pick on him.

6th Round

• pick 187 John Sullivan C Notre Dame- I really like this pick it is a developmental center who possibly could take over for Matt Birk. I would sign Birk to a short term contract to give John time to develop his body a little. He will be facing guys bigger than he ever faced before so he needs to gain some weight and go against the bigger nose guards a little bit better.
• pick 193 Jaymar Johnson WR Jackson St- I think this was a little bit of a reach since we already have some guys with return ability. I think he is too small to help out at the wide receiver position so really his only way he can help the team is to return kicks and punts but i think they had other spots they could of went with.

• Draft Grade A-
• I think they had a solid draft the only one i question is Jaymar Johnson but the rest filled depth questions and if you add Jared Allen it was a good weekend for the Vikings.

Sunday, April 27th

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 10 Leigh Valley 0

Rochester 11-12 5 games back

• POG: Glen Perkins- Glen had his first great start of the season last night throwing a complete game for the Redwings and only giving up 2 hits and walking 1 while striking out 7 on the night. Its the game we have been waiting for all year from Perkins becuase he is very talented and last night he finally showed what we have been expecting all year. Hopefully he can keep it up and if he can it really helps the Red Wings.


• Howie Clark hit his 1st homerun of the year and drove in 4 runs to pace the Red Wings 20 hit attack. Everyone had atleast 2 hits for the Red Wings. Hopefully, that is a start of things to come as the hitters got going.


• Denard Span made his return with a 2-5 game with a walk and a run scored and also a stolen base.


• Rochester finishes their series with the Iron Pigs today at Leigh Valley. Gametime is at 12:35 with Heath Totten getting the start for the Red Wings

New Britain Business

New Britain 7 Trenton 4 12innings

New Britain 10-11 5 games back

• POG:Steve Tolleson- Steve had a huge game for the Rock Cats going 3-6 with his 2nd Homerun of the year and 3rbi's with 2 runs scored. With the good game it raised Steves average to .230 on the year. Steve has gotten off to a slow start so hopefully this game will be a catalyst for Steve to put up the numbers he's capable of.


• Brandon Roberts got the game winning hit for the Rock Cats a rbi single to break the tie in the top of the 12th for the Rock Cats


• Anthony Swarzak rebounded after a rough 1st inning to go 6 innings and only gave up the 3 runs he gave up in the first. You knew he wasnt going to keep pitching like he was early on but he gave his team a chance to win and thats all you can ask for from a pitcher.


• Today the Rock Cats finish their series with the Thunder in Trenton. Gametime is at 12:05 with Jay Rainville getting the start as he tries to rebound after a terrible start his last time out.

Fort Myers Musings

Lakeland 3 Fort Myers 2

Fort Myers 13-10 First Place

• POG:Kevin Slowey- Kevin made his 2nd and final rehab start with the Miracle and went the first 5 and didnt give up a hit or run while walking 1 and striking out 5 for the miracle. It was only a pitstop for Kevin as he is on his way up to Twins with another pitstop in Rochester for a couple more starts, but he will be with the Twins before long.


• The Miracle were only able to muster 2 hits against a really good pitcher for Lakeland so there wasn't alot of good things to say about the Miracle hitters.


• Matthew Fox had a rough outing going 2 innings and giving up 3 runs in relief of Slowey. It was a surprise because Fox had been really solid for the Miracle before this game so hopefully he can shake it off.


• Today the Miracle continue their series with Lakeland in Lakeland. Phenom Deolis Guerra gets the start for the Miracle as they try to break a 3 game losing streak.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 6-5 Wisconsin 3-0

Beloit 7-15 9.5 games back

• POG:Steven Singelton- Steve went 3-7 in the 2 games for the Snappers. With the 3 hits it raises his average to a team high .368 on the season. Steve is the most professional hitter the Snappers have on their team.
• The Snappers got some bad news with Deibinson Romero is going to miss 4-6 weeks with a torn Meniscious.
• More bad news with Pitcher Michael Mccardell who has been the most consistent pitchers the Snappers have had. He has bone chips in his elbow hopefully rest will help that get better. But like Seth says Johan Santana had bone chips before his first cy young. So hopefully he can come back healthy along with Romero.
• Today the Snappers finish their series with Wisconsin this afternoon in Wisconsin. Gametime is at 1:05 with Daniel Berlind getting the start for the Snappers.

Saturday, April 26th

Rochester Wrap
Leigh Valley 6 Rochester 2

Rochester 10-12 5.5 games back

• POG:Randy Ruiz- For the 2nd consecutive day Randy had a impact for the Red Wings. He was 1-4 with 2 more RBI's for Randy to bring his rbi total to up to 12 on the season. Hopefuly, he can keep it going because the Red Wings offense needs his bat in there for the Red Wings to continually get runs.
• Philip Humber struggled again on the mound only able to make it 4.2 innings and giving up 4 runs on 8 hits. I don't know what to say about this guy becuase he has too much talent to have a era in the 5's in AAA. He needs to look himself in the mirror and figure things out if he wants to make it with the Twins.
• The Twins sent down Francisco Liriano and Denard Span so that should help the Red Wings. The only bad thing is they lost closer Bobby Korecky so they will need to find a new person to close for the red wings.
• Tonight the Red Wings continue their series in Leigh Valley as the series moves to Leigh Valley. Gametime is at 6:05 with Glen Perkins getting the start.

New Britain Business

Trenton 8 New Britain 3

New Britain 9-11 5.5 games back

• POG: Luke Hughes- for the record 4th straight day Luke got the pog by going 1-4 with his 7th homerun and 3rd in 3 days and 2rbi's. With the game his average actually lowered to a team high .367. Luke continues to be the class of the Rock Cats and i find it hard to see him staying with New Britain for very much longer especially with Rochester continuing to struggle swinging the bat so it will be interesting.
• For the first time this year Ryan Mullins struggled getting his 2nd loss of the year only going 4 innings and giving up 5 runs and 7 hits to raise his era to 2.33. The tall lefty will be fine all good pitchers have days that are unforgettable and this is one for Ryan and he will be fine.
• I don't know why the Twins organization continue to put up with Danny Graves who was awful again going an inning and giving up 2runs on 3 hits. I just don't see why they keep him in the organization it is just a waste.
• Today the Rock Cats continue their series with Trenton in Trenton. Gametime is at noon today with phenom Anthony Swarzak getting the start for the Rock Cats.

Fort Myers Musings

Tampa 3 Fort Myers 2

Fort Myers 13-9 First Place

• POG: Jeff Manship- Jeff had his best start of the season last night going 7 innings and only giving up 3 hits and 1 run for the Miracle. Jeff is the leader of that great pitching staff and seems like when he is on he is tough to beat.
• The Miracle's defense left them in the late innings with late errors by Toby Gardenhire and Zach Day. Usually, the Miracle have good defense and i think it was an anomaly so we shouldnt worry about them except it cost them a win.
• Toby Gardenhire had a good night at the plate but im sure he wishes he could take back that error. But at the plate he went 3-4 to raise his average to .314. With games like that Toby will find more and more playing time.
• Tonight, the Miracle begin a series in Lakeland wiht the Flying Tigers. Gametime is at 5pm with Kevin Slowey making a rehab start for the Miracle. He is expected to throw about 70 pitches tonight before he moves onto Rochester.

Beloit Beat

• Last nights game with Wisconsin was rained out and will be made up with a double header today. The first game's starter pitcher is David Bromberg with gametime at 1pm. The second game's starter will be Michael Tarsi after the first game.

Mock Draft 11.0 final mock draft

1. Miami- Jake Long OT Michigan

2. St. Louis- Chris Long De Virginia

3. Atlanta- Glen Dorsey DT LSU

4. Oakland Darren Mcfadden RB Oakland

5. Kansas City- Derrick Harvey DE Florida

6. New York Jets- Vernon Gholston DE Ohio St

7. New England- Sedrick Ellis DT USC

8. Baltimore- Matt Ryan QB Boston College

9. Cincinnatti- Keith Rivers LB USC

10. New Orleans- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida

11. Buffalo- Devin Thomas WR Michigan St

12. Denver- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois

13. Carolina- Ryan Clady OT Boise St

14. Chicago- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh

15. Detroit- Leodis Mcklevin CB Troy

16. Arizona- Jonathon Stewart RB Oregon

17. Kansas City- Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt

18. Houston- Dominique Rodgers Cromartie CB Tennessee St

19. Philadelphia- Jerod Mayo LB Tennessee

20. Tampa Bay- Aqib Talib CB Kansas

21. Washington- Phillip Merling DE Clemson

22. Dallas- Felix Jones RB Arkansas

23. Pittsburgh- Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina

24. Tennessee Titans- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma

25. Seattle- James Hardy WR Indiana

26. Jacksonville- Calais Campbell DE Miami

27. San Diego- Gosder Cherlious OT Boston College

28. Dallas- Limas Sweed WR Texas

29. San Francisco- Desean Jackson WR California

30. Green Bay- Dan Conner LB Penn St

31. New England- Forfeited

32. New York Giants- Kenny Phillips S Miami

Mock Draft 10.0

1. Miami- Jake Long OT Michigan
2. St Louis- Chris Long DE Virginia
3. Atlanta- Glen Dorsey DT LSU
4. Oakland- Darren Mcfadden RB Arkansas
5. Kansas City- Derrick Harvey DE Florida
6. New York Jets- Vernon Gholston DE Ohio St.
7. New England- Keith Rivers LB USC
8. Baltimore- Matt Ryan QB Boston College
9. Cincinnatti- Sedrick Ellis DT USC
10. New Orleans- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida
11. Buffalo- Devin Thomas WR Michigan St
12. Denver- Brandon Albert OT Virginia
13. Carolina- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois
14. Chicago- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh
15. Detroit- Leodis Mcklevin CB Troy
16. Arizona- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee St
17. Kansas City- Ryan Clady OT Boise St
18. Houston- Jonathon Stewart RB Oregon
19. Philadelphia- Limas Sweed WR Texas
20. Tampa Bay- Aqib Talib CB Kansas
21. Washington- Phillip Merling DE Clemson
22. Dallas- Felix Jones RB Arkansas
23. Pittsburgh- Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina
24. Tennessee- James Hardy WR Indiana
25. Seattle- Desean Jackson WR California
26. Jacksonville- Calais Campbell DE Miami
27. San Diego- Gosder Cherlious OT Boston College
28. Dallas- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma
29. San Francisco- Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech
30. Green Bay- Jerod Mayo LB Tennessee
31. New England- Forfeited
32. New York Giants- Kenny Phillips S Miami

Friday, April 25th

Rochester Wrap
Rochester 8 Leigh Valley 2
Rochester 10-11 4.5 games back

• POG:Brian Duensing- Brian continued his revival with another solid start for the Red Wings. He went 7 innings and only gave up 1 run on 3 hits to lower his ERA to 2.40 on the year. His last 2 starts have been awesome in 12.2 innings Brian has only given up 2 earned runs and 7 hits. I don't understand why he doesn't get more press because i feel he is the ace of the Red Wings staff and is ready for a callup to the Twins. The only problem is the surplus of pitching but i really believe by the end of the year he will be in the major leagues either with the Twins or possibly some where else.
• Jose Morales continued his resurgence by going 3-4 with 2 Rbi's for the Red Wings. In his last 4 games Jose is 6-15 a .400 average with a homerun, 4rbi's and a run scored. Jose is getting back to being the offensive force the Red Wings knew that they had in him and someone you have to keep an eye on.
• Randy Ruiz had one of his first good games of the year going 2-3 with his first hr and 4 rbi's for the Red Wings. Randy like Jose Morales has to get it going for the Red Wings if they are going to contend in the International League and he can do it he has hit everywhere he has been so hopefully he can keep it up.
• Tonight, the Red Wings finish their series with Leigh Valley as they go for the sweep. Gametime is 6:05 with Philip Humber on the mound trying to get on track for the Red Wings.

New Britain Business

Trenton 2 New Britain 1

New Britain 9-10 4.5 games back

• POG: Yohan Pino- Yohan was the toughluck loser going 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, but the Rock Cats hitters couldn't help him out so he took his first loss of the season. It is 3 consecutive quality starts for Yohan and he is turning out to be one of the best pitchers on the staff and a quality prospect the Twins need to look at.
• After being in such a groove offensively the Rock Cats ran into a buzzsaw in Trenton and were only able to scrape 1 run across on 7 hits. You know what they say good pitching always beats good hitting and every once in a while your going to have a night like that. Hopefully, the Rock Cat hitters can get back on track tonight.
• Only bright spots offensively were Dustin Martin who went 2-4 to raise his average to .358 and David Winfree who hit his 3rd homerun of the year to give the Rock Cats their only run of the ballgame.
• Tonight, the Rock Cats try to get back into the winning column as they play game 2 against Trenton. Gametime is at 6:05pm with Ryan Mullins getting the start for New Britain.

Fort Myers Musings

Tampa 4 Fort Myers 2

Fort Myers 13-8 First Place

• POG: Cole Devries- Cole had his first quality outing in my opinion of the year going 5 solid innings and only giving up 2 earned runs and striking out 5. Cole is a hit and miss pitcher who has struggled so far this season. Hopefully, this start will get him going so that he can reach the potential we all want for him because he has a good arm he just hasn't shown it this year so far.
• It was a rough day at the plate for the Miracle only able to muster 6 hits on the game. But they have been hitting really well and theres no reason to think this will last longer than a day.
• On a positive note Rene Tosoni went 1-4 to raise his average to a team high .339 a point ahead of Brian Dinkelman. Should be fun to watch because those guys are going to be battling all year for the team batting lead.
• Tonight, the Miracle finish their series off with Tampa in Tampa. Gametime is at 6pm in Tampa with Jeff Manship getting the start for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Day off

Beloit 6-14 9.5 games back

• Beloit had the day off and begin a series with Wisconsin tonight. Gametime is at 6:35pm with David Bromberg getting the start for the Snappers

Mock Draft 9.0

1. Miami- Jake Long OT Michigan

2. St Louis- Glen Dorsey DT LSU

3. Atlanta- Matt Ryan QB Boston College

4. Oakland- Vernon Gholston DE Ohio St

5. Kansas City- Chris Long DE Virginia

6. New York Jets- Darren Mcfadden

7. New England- Brandon Albert OT Virginia

8. Baltimore- Sedrick Ellis DT USC

9. Cincinnatti- Ryan Clady OT Boise St

10. New Orleans- Keith Rivers LB USC

11. Buffalo- Devin Thomas WR Michigan St

12. Denver- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois

13. Carolina- Derrick Harvey DE Florida

14. Chicago- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh

15. Detroit- Leodis Mcklevin CB Troy

16. Arizona- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida

17. Kansas City- Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt

18. Houston- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee ST

19. Philadelphia- Kentawn Balmer DT North Carolina

20. Tampa bay- Aqib Talib CB Kansas

21. Washington- Phillip Merling DE Clemson

22. Dallas- Felix Jones RB Arkansas

23. Pittsburgh- Gosder Cherlious OT Boston College

24. Tennessee- James Hardy WR Indiana

25. Seattle- Desean Jackson WR California

26. Jacksonville- Jerod Mayo LB Tennessee

27. San Diego- Jonathon Stewart RB Oregon

28. Dallas- Limas Sweed WR Texas

29. San Francisco- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma

30. Green Bay- Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech

31. New England- forfeited

32. New York Giants- Dan Conner LB Penn St

Thursday, April 24th

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 5 Leigh Valley 3
Rochester 9-11 4.5 games back

• POG: Jon Knott- Jon came out of his slump a little bit going 2-3 with his first Hr of the years as the Red Wings came back in the bottom of the 8th inning to get the win. Jon has really struggled this year hitting only .214 so he needs to get going with the bat because he is a much better hitter than that.
• Kevin Mulvey had a solid start again giving up 1 earned run in 5.2 innings for the Redwings. He was a little more wild walking 4 while striking out 5 batters, but overall he has been the most consistant starter for the Red Wings and probably the first one to get the call if something happens.
• The Red Wings continue their horrible defense with 3 more errors on the night. That is one reason that not many people will get promoted cause if you dont play defense you wont be in the majors.
• Rochester continues their series with Leigh Valley tonight at 5:35 gametime. Brian Duensing gets the start for the Red Wings.

New Britain Business

New Britain 15 Reading 6

New Britain 9-9 4.5 games back

• POG: For the 4th straight day i have to give it to Luke Hughes. Luke went 4-5 with his 5th and 6th homeruns and 5 rbi's and 2 runs scored to raise his average to .380 on the season. I have said it before but i think Rochester could use his bat in their lineup. With a player like him you need him to either sink or swim to see how big of a future he has for the Twins.
• The Rock Cats continued their offensive explosion by scoring 15 runs and 21 hits. In the last 2 games they have scored 22 runs and 35 hits.
• Oswaldo Sosa got hit pretty good giving up 4 runs and 8hits in only 3 innings but the bullpen did a decent job and with the sticks they had it was a easy win.
• Tonight the Rockcats travel to Trenton to take on the Thunder for a 3 game series. Yohan Pino gets the start for the Rock Cats in the opener

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 8 Tampa 1

Fort Myers 13-7 First Place

• POG: Wilson Ramos- Looks like Wilson is breaking out of a early season slump by going 3-5 with a double and 2 rbi's. Wilson Ramos is a key to this offense and getting him going is the key for the Miracle scoring runs.
• Alex Burnett had a good outing going 5.2 innings and only giving up 2 hits and 1 run while walking 4 and striking out 3
• A big encouraging note was the return of Danny Hernandez. Hernandez has been battling injuries who made his Miracle season debut by going the 9th inning without giving up a hit for the miracle.
• This morning the Miracle continue their series with Tampa with an early 10 am game today. Cole Devries got the start for the Miracle.

Beloit Beat

West Michigan 5 Beloit 4

Beloit 6-14 9.5 games out

• POG: Brian Kirwan- Brian continued his strong start on the hill for the Snappers going 7 innings and only gave up 3 earned runs while striking out 2. His ERA now stands at 2.42 on the season. Brian is one of the most consistant pitchers on the Snappers staff.
• Garrett Olson was the shining star offensively going 3-6 with a run scored for the Snappers.
• Blair Erickson blew it in the 13th he did not get an out and gave up the winning run to raise his era to 7.36 and his record to 0-3.
• The Snappers get a well needed day off before they face the Wisconsin Rattlers in a series this weekend.

Mock Draft 8.0

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT Michigan
2. St Louis Rams- Glen Dorsey DT LSU
3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan QB Boston College
4. Oakland Raiders- Darren Mcfadden RB Arkansas
5. Kansas City Chiefs- Chris Long DE Virginia
6. New York Jets- Vernon Gholston DE Ohio St
7. New England Patriots- Branden Albert OT Virginia
8. Baltimore Ravens- Keith Rivers LB USC
9. Cincinnatti Bengals- Sedrick Ellis DT USC
10. New Orleans Saints- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida
11. Buffalo Bills- Devin Thomas WR Michigan St
12. Denver Broncos- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinios
13. Carolina Panthers- Ryan Clady OT Boise St
14. Chicago Bears- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh
15. Detroit Lions- Derrick Harvey DE Florida
16. Arizona Cardinals- Leodis Mcklevin CB Troy
17. Kansas City Chiefs- Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt
18. Houston Texans- Dominique Rodgers- Cromartie CB Tennessee ST
19. Philadelphia Eagles- Limas Sweed WR Texas
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma
21. Washington Redskins- Desean Jackson WR California
22. Dallas Cowboys- Aqib Talib CB Kansas
23. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina
24. Tennessee Titans- James Hardy WR Indiana
25. Seattle Seahawks- Dustin Keller TE Purdue
26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Phillip Merling DE Clemson
27. San Diego Chargers- Jonathon Stewart RB Oregon
28. Dallas Cowboys- Felix Jones RB Arkansas
29. San Francisco 49ers- Jerod Mayo LB Tennessee
30. Green Bay Packers- Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech
31. New England Patriots- Forfeited
32. New York Giants- Kenny Phillips S Miami

Wednesday, April 23rd

Rochester Wrapup

• Rochester had the day off but begin a series with Leigh Valley tonight at 5:35 in Rochester with Kevin Mulvey gets the start as the Red Wings try to improve their 8-11 record.

New Britain Business

Reading 11 New Britain 9

New Britain 8-9 5.5 games back

• POG: Luke Hughes- For the record 3rd straight day Luke gets player of the game honors with a 2-5 game with his 4th homerun and scored 3 runs for the Rockcats. With the 2 hits it raises his team high average to .348. Makes a person wonder how long is he going to be in New Britain with Rochester really struggling offensively. Luke would be an upgrade at 3rd base for the Red Wings, but i think they are going to give it a little more time to see if he comes down to earth or if he is that good.
• Jay Rainville got lit up last night going 3.2 innings and giving up 13 hits and 10 runs while walking noone and striking out 1. He has really struggled this year and he needs to get it going because he has been the worst pitcher for New Britain and there are guys in Fort Myers waiting for the call.
• Seems like the Rock Cats have come out of their offensive slump getting 14 hits on the night so if they can get their pitching in order they will win some games.
• Today the Rockcats finish their series with Reading with an early 9:35am game today in New Britain. Oswaldo Sosa goes for the Rock Cats as they try to rebound.

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 10 Lakeland 9

• POG: Juan Portes- Juan led the Miracle back from a 9-3 deficit with a 2 run homerun in the bottom of the 9th to win the game for the Miracle. He went 2-4 with 3 rbi's and 2 runs scored. He is the hottest player on the miracle team going in his last 5 games he is 10-21 which is a .476 average to raise his average to .302. He is on fire so lets see if he can keep it coming.
• Tyler Robertson was not helped out much by his defense as they committed 3 errors which led to 5 unearned runs. I thought he pitched decent and a little defense behind him he would of had solid stats so i am not too worried about him.
• Johnny Woodard continued his strong start going 3-4 with 2 runs scored to raise his average to .317
• Tonight the Miracle begin a 3 game series with the Yankees in Tampa. First pitch is at 6:05 with Alex Burnett getting the start for the Miracle.

Beloit Beat

West Michigan 5 Beloit 3

Beloit 6-13 9.5 games back

• POG: Mark Dolenc had a solid game going 2-3 with a run scored for the Snappers to raise his average to .283. The good thing about Mark is he is very flexible he can play so many different positions and does a good job wherever you put him.
• Daniel Berlind had a solid outing going 4 innings and giving up only 2 earned runs his defense betrayed him by giving up 2 unearned runs to make his out look worse than it actually was.
• Lets be honest Beloit is not a very good team and it doesn't help when Chris Parmalee is in a 0-13 streak to lower his batting average from .351 to .255. If they are going to win some games he has to be the key to it or they will continue to struggle.
• Tonight the Snappers continue their series West Michigan. Game time is 6:35 with Brian Kirwan getting the start for the Snappers

Mock Draft 7.0

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT Michigan
2. St Louis Rams- Glen Dorsey DT LSU
3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan QB Boston College
4. Oakland Raiders- Darren Mcfadden RB Arkansas
5. Kansas City Chiefs- Branden Albert OT Virginia
6. New York Jets- Vernon Gholston DE Ohio St
7. New England Patriots- Chris Long DE Virginia
8. Baltimore Ravens- Sedrick Ellis DT USC
9. Cincinnatti Bengals- Derrick Harvey DE Florida
10. New Orleans Sainst- Keith Rivers LB USC
11. Buffalo Bills- Devin Thomas WR Michigan St
12. Denver Broncos- Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt
13. Carolina Panthers- Ryan Clady OT Boise St
14. Chicago Bears- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh
15. Detroit Lions- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois
16. Arizona Cardinals- Mike Jenkins CB S. Florida
17. Minnesota Vikings- Leodis Mcklevin CB Troy
18. Houston Texans- Jonathon Stewart RB Oregon
19. Philadelphia Eagles- Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Aqib Talib CB Kansas
21. Washington Redskins- Desean Jackson WR California
22. Dallas Cowboys- Felix Jones RB Arkansas
23. Pittsburgh Steelers- James Hardy WR Indiana
24. Tennessee Titans- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma
25. Seattle Seahawks- Dustin Keller TE Purdue
26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Phillip Merling DE Clemson
27. San Diego Chargers- Gosder Cherlious OT Boston College
28. Dallas Cowboys- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee ST
29. San Francisco 49ers- Limas Sweed Wr Texas
30. Green Bay Packers- Jerod Mayo LB Tennessee
31. New England Patriots- Forfeited
32. New York Giants- Dan Conner LB Penn St

Tuesday, April 22nd

Rochester Wrap

Scranton 3 Rochester0

Rochester 8-11 5 games back

• POG: Glen Perkins- It was not an easy decision because Glen was not great, but compared to the hitters he was great. Glen went 5 innings and gave up 1 run on 6 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. The only problem is he was only able to go 5 innings because he threw 99 pitches in his 5 innings. I have said this before but i think his future is in the bullpen because he is better in short bursts than for many innings. Last night's performence lowered his era to 4.26 on the season.
• The Red Wings had no answer for pitcher Darrell Rasner of Scranton only getting 2 hits for the night. Its tough to win a game with only 3 hits so they need to do better.
• The Red Wings bullpen struggled again giving up 2 runs in 4 innings in a game in which they needed to be perfect with the lack of hitting and they couldnt hold them down
• The Red Wings have the night off before they begin a series with Leigh Valley tommorrow in Rochester

New Britain Business

New Britain 5 Reading 2

New Britain 8-8 4.5 games back

• POG: Luke Hughes- For a record 3rd straight game Luke gets player of the game by going 2-4 with his 3rd HR of the year with an rbi, a run scored and also a walk. With the great game Luke improved his average to a team high .344 for the Rock Cats
• Anthony Swarzak struggled for the first time this season only lasting 4 innings. The problem was he had trouble throwing strikes, but he found a way to get out of some jams only giving up 2 runs in the 4 innings. He gave up 7 hits and walked 3 batters while striking out 5. He raised his ERA to 1.35 on the year, but im not worried at all about him because he has been awesome this year and he wasnt terrible last night its just he set such a standard that when he gives up a run he looks terrible. I look for Anthony to rebound in his next start and be the pitcher we have seen so far.
• Armando Gambino was awesome last night going 3.1 in relief of Swarzak and throwing scoreless ball and let the Rock Cats offense take over. He gave up 4 hits and struck out 4 without a walk to lower his era to 1.80.
• Tonight the Rockcats continue their series with Reading. First pitch is at 5:35pm with Jay Rainville getting the ball for the Rock Cats

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 10 Lakeland 4

• POG: Johnny Woodard- Johnny continued his hot streak with a Hr and 5 rbi's to raise his average to .286. In his last 4 games he is 7-16 with 6 rbi's and 4 runs scored. Johnny when healthy brings a big bopper to the lineup that they need so hopefully he can keep it coming.
• With the win the Miracle moved back into a first place tie with Dunedin at 11-7
• Danny Valencia continued his resurgence going 3-4 with an rbi to bring his average to .279 on the season. Like i said with Woodard when Danny is hitting it makes everyone better. But not to be outdone was Rene Tosoni went 4-5 to bring his average up to a team leading .373. Last night our 1-5 went 13-21 which is a .619 average with a Hr and 9 rbi's all i can say is wow
• The pitching kept its end too Kevin Slowey got the start and went 3 innings and only gave up a solo homerun and struck out 5 in his 3 innings of work.
• Deolis Guerra came in relief and was ok not as good as he has been but still solid going 4 innnings and gave up 2 earned runs on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3 to bring his era up to 1.42. He did fine but when you come into the game with a .60 era it doesnt take much to go up.
• Tonight the Miracle finish their 3 game series with Lakeland in Fort Myers. Game time is at 6:05 with phenom Tyler Robertson getting the start for the Miracle.

Beloit Beat

West Michigan 2 Beloit 1

Beloit 6-12 9.0 games back

• POG: Michael Tarsi- For the first time this year Micheal showed what he is made of on the hill going a complete game and giving up 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 4 without a walk. This is the kind of performance the Snappers have been waiting all year out of Michael and if they are going to have a decent year they need more of the same out of Michael Tarsi
• Once again the Snappers struggled with the bat only able to get a run on 6 hits
• Chris Parmalee has struggled since his big game last week going 0-10 since he went off to lower his average by about 70 points.
• Deibinson Romero got the only run with a Hr but the bigger issue is he has really struggled this year so far at the plate in the field. There are alot of people that are very high on him but he has not delivered. He is only hitting .214 with a Hr and 7 rbi's with 7 errors already. He is way too talented to keep this up but its a little disconcerting because some people including myself looked at him as the 3rd basemen of the future but if he is struggling this much at Beloit whats it going to be like for him as he goes forward. I believe he will turn it around but he needs to get better in every sense of the game offensively and in the Twins organization he needs to play better defensively or he wont be around long so he is someone to keep an eye on.
• Tonight the Snappers continue their series with West Michigan. First pitch is at 5:35 with Daniel Berlind getting the start for the Snappers.

Mock Draft 6.0

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT Michigan
2. St Louis Rams- Glen Dorsey DT LSU
3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan QB Boston College
4. Oakland Raiders- Darren Mcfadden RB Arkansas
5. Kansas City- Chris Long DE Virginia
6. New York Jets- Vernon Gholston DE Ohio St
7. New England Patriots- Brandan Albert OT Virginia
8. Baltimore Ravens- Leodis Mcklevin CB Troy
9. Cincinnatti Bengals- Sedrick Ellis DT USC
10. New Orleans Saints- Keith Rivers LB USC
11. Buffalo Bills- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida
12. Denver Broncos- Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt
13. Carolina Panthers- Derrick Harvey DE Florida
14. Chicago Bears- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh
15. Detroit Lions- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois
16. Arizona Cardinals- Aqib Talib CB Kansas
17. Minnesota Vikings- Ryan Clady OT Boise St
18. Houston Texans- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee St
19. Philadelphia Eagles- Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Devin Thomas WR Michigan ST
21. Washington Redskins- Phillip Merling DE Clemson
22. Dallas Cowboys- Felix Jones RB Arkansas
23. Pittsburgh Steelers- Gosder Cherlious OT Boston College
24. Tennessee Titans- Limas Sweed WR Texas
25. Seattle Seahawks- Dustin Keller TE Purdue
26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Calais Campbell DE Miami
27. San Diego Chargers- Jonathon Stewart RB Oregon
28. Dallas Cowboys- Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech
29. San Francisco 49ers- Desean Jackson WR California
30. Green Bay Packers- Dan Conner LB Penn St
31. New England Patriots- Forfeited
32. New York Giants- Kenny Phillips S Miami

Monday, April 21st

Rochester Wrap
Rochester 7 Scranton 4

• POG: Jason Pridie- Jason continued his strong resurgence for the Red Wings with a game winning 3 run Hr in the top of the 9th to culminate a good comeback for the Wings. Jason has been very solid lately to bring his average to .274. Yesterday he went 1-4 with the hr 3 rbi's and 2 runs scored.
• Philip Humber continues to struggle on the mound for the Wings giving up 4 runs in 5 innings of work. I know people are wondering if Francisco Liriano should of been brought up, but who else could they of brought up Humber has not done enough at Rochester to warrant a recall with an era of 5.09. At the time Liriano was the only one who could of been recalled. Yesterday Humber gave up 4 runs in which 3 were earned in 5 innings with 4 walks and a strikeout. Thankfully the Wings offense and bullpen bailed him out he really needs to step it up if he wants to be with the Twins sometime this year.
• Jose Morales continues his hot streak going 1-4 with his first hr of the year and continuing his resurgence.
• Tonight, the Red Wings finish their 2 game series vs the Yankees in Scranton. First pitch is at 6:00pm with Glen Perkins getting the start.

New Britain Business

New Britain 5 Trenton F/12innings

• POG: Brock Peterson- I was struggling to who to give the player of the game honors to yesterday considering it was a well played game. But with the pressure on his shoulders Brock Peterson came up big. He had a 2 out rbi single in the bottom of the 12th to send the faithful home happy. He was 1-5 with that rbi to win a game the Rock Cats had to have after coughing up a 9th inning lead the prime time players need to step up and thats what Brock did.
• Another good start for Ryan Mullins he went 6 innings and gave up 3 runs, but only 1 of them were earned to lower his era to 1.57. I really believe that Ryan is ready to take the next step and try his hand up at AAA in Rochester. He has been dominant at New Britain and i think he has deserved a chance to see if he is ready to take the next step. Keeping him with the Rock Cats is not a bad deal it will help the team win games, but i think his talent would be better served in Rochester.
• I have been really disappointed in Jay Sawatski this year he has given up leads left and right and he did it again yesterday. Putting the first 2 guys on in the 9th which led to Trenton tying the game. He needs to get this fixed because right now he is just not very good.
• Tonight, the Rock Cats start a 3 game series with Reading in New Britain. Game time is at 5:35pm with Phenom Anthony Swarzak getting the start.

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 6 Lakeland 2

• POG: Danny Valencia- Danny came out of his slump with a 2-4 night with his 3rd homerun of the year and 3 rbi's to raise his average to .246. Danny is too talented of a player to be hitting in the .230's. I have a lot of hope for Danny as he is going forward and i think this is just the beginning of his revival and by the end of the year Danny will be putting up the kind of numbers he had last season in Beloit and Fort Myers
• Jeff Manship had a very solid outing probably his best of the year to be honest. He went 5.2 innnings and gave up only 2 runs on 6 hits. He is a key to success of the Miracle pitching staff becuase he brings leadership and a guy that knows how to pitch so hopefully he can keep it going.
• Brian Dinkelman continued his hot streak going 2-2 with 3 walks and 2 runs scored. With the good day it raised his average to an unbelivable .351. All i can say is wow and hopefully he can keep it going.
• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with the flying Tigers in Fort Myers. Gametime is 6:05 with Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey making a rehab start for the miracle.

Beloit Beat

Wisconsin 4 Beloit 3

• POG: Ramon Santana- There is not alot to get excited about with the Snappers as they dropped another one to fall 8 games back already. But Ramon Santana continues to fill the box score every game. Yesterday he went 2-3 with a stolen base, a double, a run scored, and his first hr and rbi of the season.
• Another quality start by Michael Mccardel who has been the most consistant starter for the Snappers. Yesterday he went 5 innings and only gave up 1 run.
• For a 6-11 team with every positive there will be 2 negatives but the biggest negative is the bullpen or should i say lack of bullpen. Yesterday Mccardell left with a 3-1 lead and hoping to get a win. But in the last 4 innings the bullpen gave up 3 runs and 3 hits along with 3 walks to yank a victory away.
• Tonight the Snappers begin a series with the Tigers in West Michigan. Michael Tarsi gets the start for the Snappers with gametime at 5:35pm.

Mock Draft 5.0

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT Michigan
2. St Louis Rams- Glen Dorsey DT LSU
3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan QB Boston College
4. Oakland Raiders- Chris Long DE Virginia
5. Kansas City- Branden Albert OT Virginia
6. New York Jets- Darren Mcfadden RB Arkansas
7. New England Patriots- Vernon Gholston LB Ohio St
8. Baltimore Ravens- Sedrick Ellis DT USC
9. Cincinnatti Bengals- Ryan Clady OT Boise St
10. New Orleans Saints- Keith Rivers LB USC
11. Buffalo Bills- Leodis Mcklevin CB Troy
12. Denver Broncos- Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt
13. Carolina Panthers- Derrick Harvey DE Florida
14. Chicago Bears- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh
15. Detroit Lions- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois
16. Arizona Cardinals- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida
17. Minnesota Vikings- Dominique Rodgers-Cromratie CB Tennessee St
18. Houston Texans- Aqib Talib Cb Kansas
19. Philadelphia Eagles- Devin Thomas WR Michigan St
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Desean Jackson WR California
21. Washington Redskins- James Hardy Wr Indiana
22. Dallas Cowboys- Felix Jones RB Arkansas
23. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina
24. Tennessee Titans- Phillip Merling De Clemson
25. Seattle Seahawks- Limas Sweed WR Texas
26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Gosder Cherlious OT Boston College
27. San Diego Chargers- Dan Conner LB Penn St
28. Dallas Cowboys- Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech
29. San Francisco 49ers- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma
30. Green Bay Packers- Jonathon Stewart RB Oregon
31. New England Patriots- Forfeited
32. New York Giants- Kenny Phillips S Miami

Sunday, April 20th

Rochester Wrap
Scranton 1 Rochester 0

• POG: Brian Duensing- Brian continued his strong start this season going 5.2 innings and only giving up 1 run on 4 hits. After a slow start he has been really solid the last few starts and has really come on. With the solid start it lowered his era to 2.74 on the young season and his record dropped to 1-3.
• Julio Depaula really struggled again when he came in the 6th inning there was runners on first and third with 2 outs and he walks 2 hitters in a row to force in a run. I know Brian Duensing got credit for the run but i blame Depaula. He has good stuff he just walks to many hitters in 12.2 innings so far he has walked 12 batters. Until he gets his control better he will never make it to the majors.
• You could tell that the Red Wings really missed the bat of Brian Buscher who earlier in the day had gotten called up to the Twins after Adam Everett got put on the disabled list. The Red Wings were only able to mount 3 hits off Scranton pitching and its becoming obvious the Red Wings have little hitting and its going to be a tough year.
• Today the Red Wings continue their series with the Yankees in Scranton. Game time is 12:30 today in Scranton with Philip Humber getting the ball for the Red Wings.

New Britain Business

Trenton 5 New Britain 3 F/11innings

• POG: Luke Hughes for the second consecutive day gets player of the game honors for the Rock Cats. Luke went 3-5 with his 2nd hr of the year and also scored 2 runs for the Rock Cats. With the 3 hits it raises his team high average to an impressive .365 on the year. He has really impressed me and if he keeps it up wouldnt surpise me to see him in Rochester before the end of the year.
• Yohan Pino continued his strong start going 5 innings and giving up only 1 run on 3 hits and left with the lead.
• For a change the bullpen did not get the job done giving up a 3-1 lead. Jason Miller was awful giving up 2 runs in his 2.1 innings of work. In extra innings Ben Julianel was awful giving up 2 runs in the 11th and barely getting out of the 10th. He is a good pitcher who will help you more than he will hurt you.
• Today the Rock Cats continue their series with the Thunder in New Britain. First pitch is at 2pm with Ryan Mullins getting the start for the Rock Cats.

Fort Myers Musings

Sarasota 2 Fort Myers 1

• POG: Juan Portes- Juan was a bright spot for the Miracle going 3-4 on the night with his 4th rbi of the year. The Miracle had many chances but couldnt put the hits together to score runs. Juan raised his average to .289 on the season and seems to be coming around after a little slow start.
• Cole Devries had a solid start for the Miracle going 5 innings and giving up only 2 runs which should be looked at as a step forward for Cole who had been struggling so far this season.
• With the loss the Miracle drop to 9-7 and drop into 2nd place behind Dunedin a game behind them.
• Today the Miracle take on the Flying Tigers in Fort Myers. First pitch is at 4:05 with Jeff Manship getting the start for the Miracle.

Beloit Beat

Wisconsin 5 Beloit 3

• POG: Steve Singleton was the hitting star for the Snappers going 2-4 with his 2nd Homerun of the season and drove in his 10th and 11th runs of the year. He has been the most consistant hitter for the Snappers all season raising his average to .400 on the season.
• David Bromberg had his first quality start of the season going 6 innings and only giving up 2 runs. He has been the real disappointment of the team with a run of bad starts and he is the one people were expecting the most out of so hopefully this was the beginning of things to come.
• The Snappers bullpen did not come to the office either Spencer Steedley got the loss in relief for the Snappers giving up 2 runs in 2.1 innings. He is a good pitcher and that wont happen very often.
• Today the Snappers continue their series with the Rattlers in Wisconsin. Gametime is at 2:00 pm with Micheal Mccardell getting the start for the Snappers.

Liriano Start 2

Francisco Liriano had his 2nd start of the season last night and had some good points and some bad points.

• He threw 88 pitches and got threw 5 innings of work
• He seems to be able to locate his slider and changeup and they both have good break on them.
• His velocity is still down he is only throwing 89-92 on his fastball and only 80-82 on his off speed pitches
• He can't locate his fastball at all yet its all over the place
• In 88 pitches he only threw 47 strikes

What does all this mean i look at it is a work in progress and i like that he is doing this up here because he pitched good enough to win last night if we could of hit we could of got him a win. Its like baby steps he was a little bit better than his first start and i think that will continue. I think it will be a year long thing but i am hopeful after this start that eventually we will see the Liriano of old. The reason i say that is he had some bite on some of this sliders and changeups that is something we didnt see in his last start. Be patient with him and i think you are going to see The Franchise back by the end of the year.

Wadena-Deer Creek Shockers

TT: Briefly can you tell me about 2007 season with your record and how you did in the playoffs and any special acheivements worth noting.

RJ:Around .500 no acheivements

TT:Is there any key additions to the team?

RJ: No

TT: is there any key losses from the team?

RJ: No

TT: What do you view as the teams strengths this season?

RJ: Pitching

TT: What are some things the team needs to work on to be the best it can be come playoff time.

RJ: hitting with runners in scoring position

TT: What are the expections you have for your team going into the season.

RJ: regions and a dent in regional playoffs

TT: If you could say what player is the key to your success or failure and why

RJ: Jamie Nordland

TT: Break down your league for me and where do you see your team fitting into your league.

RJ: tied for second....D.L. Shockers, Bluffton, Bertha

TT:Where do you see amateur baseball going in the next 5 years.

RJ: The Same

TT: If you could change something about amateur baseball what would it be.

RJ: Some how bring it back to is old status of that was the only thing in town to do.

I would like to Thank Randy Jahnke for answering my questions on the Shockers. I know he didn't shed too much light on them but from my experience playing them they have solid pitching with the George brothers. Solid defense should be a strength with them up the middle and a team people should check out and watch some good baseball

Saturday, April 19th

Rochester Wrap
Rochester 1 Richmond 0

• POG: Jose Morales- Jose is coming out of a god awful early season slump going 2-4 last night and throwing out a runner at 2nd base. He is too good of a hitter to struggle this much with the bat. With the 2 hits it raises Jose's average to still a terrible .143 on the season but it looks like he is coming around.
• Heath Totten had a solid start as he is continuing to build up arm strength going 4 innings giving up 0 runs on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts. I was really skeptical on him but he has been solid so far as a starter.
• Jason Pridie continued his hot streak getting a hit and driving in the only run of the game.
• Tonight, the Red Wings try to build on their series with Richmond as they travel to Scranton to take on the Yankees. First pitch is at 6pm with Brian Duensing getting the ball for the Red Wings.

New Britain Business

Trenton 8 New Britain 4

• POG: Luke Hughes- Luke continued his hot streak going 3-4 with a double and a rbi and a run scored. He has really been hot after starting out slow he has raised his average to a great .340 on the season.
• Oswaldo Sosa struggled again for the Rock Cats going only 4innings and giving up 5 hits and 4 runs to raise his era to 5.84. I was expecting more out of him i thought he would do better than he has so far this season.
• Dustin Martin has cooled down from a hot start and it makes you wonder why we are not seeing Brandon Roberts in there more.
• Tonight the Rock Cats continue their series with Trenton in New Britain. First pitch is at 5:35pm with Yohan Pino getting his 2nd start of the season trying to get that first win out of the way.

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 5 Sarasota 3

• POG: Rodolfo Palacious- For someone who has hardly any playing time at all for the Miracle to come out with 2 hits and 2rbis says a lot. Makes you wonder why he hasn't been playing a little more.
• With the win the Miracle moved into a first place tie with Dunedin in the Western Division of the Florida State League.
• Danny Vais improved to 3-0 on the young season going 1.1 innings in relief of Alex Burnett to get the win. His ERA now stands at 0.75 on the season. He is developing into quite the bullpen guy and someone you can count on for good innings.
• Tonight the Miracle try to go into first place all by themselves as they finish their quick 2 game series in Sarasota against the Reds. Cole Devries gets the ball for the Miracle with game time scheduled for 5pm.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 5 Wisconsin 3 Final 5innings

• POG: Joe Benson- Joe shrugged off a early season slump with his first homerun of the season and also reaching on a walk. His job is to get on base and that is something he has struggled with so far this season. His OBP is only .357 and its usually higher than that so thats something he needs to work on.
• Brian Kirwan continued his early season success going 4.2 innings and giving up 2 runs to bring his ERA to 1.76. Brian has been the most consistant starter for Beloit so far and hopefully he can keep it up.
• Its obvious that teams don't want to pitch to Chris Parmalee right now so it was a positive sign that he took 2 walks last night. If he can continue to show that kind of patience at the plate his strikeouts will go down and his walks will go up which will only help him.
• Tonight the Snappers continue with their series with the Timber Rattlers in Grand Chute,Wisconsin. Game time is 6:30pm with David Bromberg getting the start for the Snappers.

Wolf Lake Wolf Pack

Boone Caughey of the Wolf Pack was nice enough to answer my questions about the Wolf Pack and their upcoming season.

TT: Briefly can you tell me about 2007 season with your record and how you did in the playoffs and any special acheivements worth noting.

BC:We finished with a 23-8 record, won Region 16C, and advanced to the state tournament where we lost in the first round. Our goal the last few years has been to win the state tournament, which we obviously didn’t accomplish, but overall I’d say that 2007 was a success. We won a tournament in Brookings , SD which was fun, in part because the trophy is absolutely huge. I’m not kidding, it’s probably four feet tall.

TT: Is there any key additions to the team?

BC: We haven’t signed anyone new yet but a couple guys have expressed an interest. We are getting a couple guys back from injuries so that’ll help.

TT:Is there any key losses from the team?

BC: Not that I know of.

TT: What do you view as the teams strengths this season?

BC: We’re strong up the middle and our pitching staff is pretty solid

TT:What are some things the team needs to work on to be the best it can be come playoff time?

BC: Our coaching needs improvement

TT:What are the expections you have for your team going into the season?

BC: I expect Ron Litzau to concoct a lame excuse why he has to DH, Shane and Ryan Hendrickson to each break a bat per game in BP, Isaac Hjermstad to pick up about 30% of the signs, the temperature to be at least 95 the day we play at the always lovely Matt Leritz field, and finally I expect to win all but a handful of the team poker tournaments.

TT: If you could say what player is the key to your success or failure and why?

BC: Whoever is pitching that day. It’s a lame answer but picking one guy is impossible.

TT:Break down your league for me and where do you see your team fitting into your league.

BC: We play in the North Division of the Lake and Pine. Wolf Lake and Midway have finished 1-2 for as long as I can remember, and I expect the same this year. However, Lakes Area Lightning is new to our division in 2008 and I think they’ll be far more competitive than Nevis , the team they’re replacing, so it should be interesting. Nimrod and Red Eye are two of the top teams in the South Division and I expect them to battle for the top spot again this year.

TT: Where do you see amateur baseball going in the next 5 years?

BC:Unfortunately amateur baseball is on a downswing and I don’t see that changing over the next five years. Ten years ago it was not uncommon to see a 16 year old and a 45 year old on the same field. Now the 16 year old works a summer job or sits on the computer, and the guys that used to play forever retire at 30 so they can be at the lake all summer. It’s a shame

TT: If you could change something about amateur baseball what would it be?

BC: I would get rid of the draft.

I would like to thank Boone for answering my questions about the upcoming season and im sure the Wolf Pack will have another outstanding season this year. They are one of the best teams in this area so casual fans if you get a chance to watch them go ahead and do it you will see good baseball.
BC:

Friday, April 18th

Rochester Wrap
Rochester 2 Richmond 1

• POG: Kevin Mulvey- Kevin continued his strong start to the season going 7 strong innings for the Red Wings. He only gave up 6 hits while walking nobody and striking out 9 in the impressive outing. It amazinging heighted his ERA to a great 1.02 ERA on the season. He has only given up 2 runs in 17.2 innings so far with only 3 walks and 20 strikeouts on the young season. All i can say is wow and hopefully he can keep it up.
• Brian Buscher continued his strong start giving the Red Wings all the runs they needed with a 2 run hr in the 3rd inning. Brian is hitting .352 this spring and possibly might be getting a promotion to the Twins soon.
• Mariano Gomez has been a pleasant surprise so far this year. Yesterday he went 2 shutout innings to pick up the save and lower his era to 0.87 on the season.
• Today the Red Wings finish their 5 game series with Richmond in Rochester first pitch is 6:05. Heath Totten is on the mound for Rochester

New Britain Business

Trenton 7 New Britain 4

• POG: Brock Peterson- Brock continued his recent surge with a 3 run HR in the 1st inning to raise his average to .196 on the young season.
• Jay Rainville pitched solidly giving up only 3 runs in 5 innings for the Rock Cats lowering his era to 5.40.
• Jay Sawatski continued his struggles this season giving up 4 runs in only 2 innings of work. He has really struggled this year and you have to wonder if he has much of a future considering that he is 28 years old and he is struggling at AA.
• Tonight the Rock Cats continue their series with Trenton in New Britain first pitch is at 5:35. Oswaldo Sosa is on the mound for the Rock Cats

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 3 Clearwater 2

• POG: Johnny Woodard continued his strong resurgence for the Miracle going 3 for 4 at the plate to raise his average to .273 with a run scored for the Miracle.
• Tyler Robertson was good again keeping runs out when he did not have his good stuff only giving up 1 unearned run in 5 innings. He walked 2 while struck out 5 to lower his era to 2.57 on the season.
• Anthony Slama continued his strong start going 1 inning to get the win for Miracle. He has worked 8 innings so far this season without giving up a run.
• Tonight the Miracle begin a short 2 game series with the Sarasota Reds in Sarasota with the first pitch at 6:05. Alex Burnett gets the start for the Miracle.

Beloit Beat

• Beloit had the day off yesterday but today they begin a 3 game series with Wisconsin in Beloit. First pitch is at 6:30 with Brian Kirwan getting the start for Beloit as the Snappers try to get back on track after losing their last game.

Mock Draft 4.0

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT Michigan


2. St Louis Rams- Glen Dorsey DT LSU


3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan QB Boston College


4. Oakland Raiders- Chris Long DE Virginia


5. Kansas City- Brandon Albert OT Virginia


6. New York Jets- Darren Mcfadden RB Arkansas



7. New England Patriots- Vernon Gholston LB Ohio State



8. Baltimore Ravens- Aqib Talib CB Kansas



9.Cincinnatti- Sedrick Ellis DT USC



10. New Orleans- Keith Rivers LB USC



11. Buffalo- Devin Thomas WR Michigan St

12. Denver- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh

13. Carolina- Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt

14. Chicago- Ryan Clady OT Boise St

15. Detroit- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois

16. Arizona- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida

17. Minnesota- Derrick Harvey DE Florida

18. Houston- Leodis Mcelvin CB Troy

19. Philadelphia- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma

20. Tampa Bay- Limas Sweed WR Texas

21. Washington- Kenny Phillips S Miami

22. Dallas- Dominique Rogers-Cromartie CB Tennessee ST

23. Pittsburgh- James Hardy WR Indiana

24. Tennessee Titans- Desean Jackson WR California

25. Seattle- Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina

26. Jacksonville- Phillip Merling DE Clemson

27. San Diego- Gosder Cherlious OT Boston College

28. Dallas- Felix Jones RB Arkansas

29. San Francisco- Jerod Mayo LB Tennessee

30. Green Bay- Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech

31. New England- Forfeited

32. New York Giants- Dan Conner LB Penn St

Bluffton Braves

Kyle Dykhoff of the Braves was nice enough to answer my questions about the Braves and their upcoming season.

TT: Briefly can you tell me about 2007 season with your record and how you did in the playoffs and any special acheivements worth noting.

KD:I Believe our record was about 17-13 and we got 3rd place in regions with both losses coming to Carlos. The 2007 season was one of our better seasons in awhile. A lot of our losses came in heart-breakers. Our season highlights consisted of coming back from 5 runs down to defeat Perham in a league playoff elimination game.

TT:Is there any key additions to the team?

KD:Our team will be adding two promising highschool kids . Nick Goeden is a infielder with great speed and Josh Sweere is a big kid who should be able to have good power like his older brother Marc (1b)

TT: Is there any key losses from the team?

KD: Our one key loss could be our veteran catcher Wayne Dykhoff who is contemplating retirement. Wayne is a great hitter and is probably the best game caller in the league behind the plate.

TT: What do you view as the teams strengths this season?

KD: Our biggest strength is our pitching. We have three above average starting pitchers(Cody Geiser,Dustin Geiser, Kyle Dykhoff)

TT:What are some things the team needs to work on to be the best it can be come playoff time?

KD: Our team needs to be able to have more quality at-bats where we put the ball in play hard.(less strikeouts and pop-ups)

TT: What are the expections you have for your team going into the season?

KD: We want to go to state this year! We have got third place in regions two consecutive years. We could have everyone back this year and we expect to get over the hump.

TT: If you could say what player is the key to your success or failure and why?

KD: Our team revolves our left-handed sticks, (Brent Weller, David Klinnert, and Marc Sweere) with Marc Sweere being our best hitter.

TT:Break down your league for me and where do you see your team fitting into your league.

KD: Detroit Lakes-Team to beat ,Great line-up, weak pitching Bertha-Young but talented WDC-Great potential and pitching, can't seem to pull things together NYM- Weakest team in division Perham-Very young, good potential, Veterans key to success. Bluffton- Should challenge DL for division

TT:Where do you see amateur baseball going in the next 5 years?

KD:Amateur Baseball is big in our area, should stay strong

TT:If you could change something about amateur baseball what would it be.

KD: Nothing

Bluffton has a good young team and baseball fans their I know from experience like to come check them out. Any baseball fan should go check them out and you will be impressed they play the game the right way and you will have a good time. A thank you to Kyle Dykhoff for being so nice and answering my questions good luck this year.

Thursday, April 17th

Rochester Wrap
Richmond 5 Rochester 4

• POG: Jason Pridie- Seems like Jason is coming out of an early season slump going 2-4 with 3 rbi's for the Red Wings. The 2-4 brought his avearge up to .255 hopefully he can keep it going.
• Glen Perkins continues to struggle starting maybe they should put him back in the bullpen. He went 4.1 innings and gave up 8 hits and 4 runs thats just not going to cut it.
• Julio Depaula threw 3.2 shutout innings
• Bobby Korecky then came on and gave up the go ahead run not a huge deal he doesnt do that very often so i wouldnt be too concerned.
• Today the Red Wings plays game 4 of their 5 game series with Richmond with first pitch at 12:35 in Rochester. Kevin Mulvey gets the start for the Red Wings.

New Britain Business

New Britain 4 New Hampshire 1

• POG: Anthony Swarzak- Anthony continued his strong start for the Rock Cats going 6 innings giving up only 3 hits and 0 runs with 0 walks and 10 strikeouts. He has been so impressive this year with a miniscule 0.56 in 3 starts for the Rock Cats. Makes you wonder if maybe he is ready for a promotion to Rochester and he is showing that he is back on track to being one of the top prospects for the Twins.
• Brock Peterson went 2-4 with 4 rbi's to lead the hitting attack for the Rock Cats
• Luke Hughes went 2-3 with 2 walks to help out the hitting for the Rock Cats
• Today the Rock Cats begin a series with the Trenton Thunder with the first pitch at 11:05am in New Britain. Jay Rainville gets the start for the Rock Cats.

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 4 Clearwater 1

• POG: Deolis Guerra- Deolis continued his unbelievable start for the Miracle this season getting his first win by going 5 innings and only giving up 4 hits with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts to lower his ERA to an impressive 0.60 for the season. Just listening to the game on the radio the announcer went on and on how impressive his changeup is for a 18 year old. I have to wonder as great as Johan Santana is how can you let a guy this talented get away. The way i look at it is their loss is our gain and the Twins will be patient with him but he will be in a Twins uniform in a couple years.
• Danny Graves made his 2nd appearance for the Miracle and after giving up a leadoff triple pitched much better the rest of his outing.
• Danny Santiesteban was the hitting hero for the Miracle with a 3 run Hr in the 2nd inning for Miracle giving them all the runs they needed.
• Today the Miracle continue their series with Clearwater with the first pitch at 6:05 in Fort Myers. Tyler Robertson gets the start for the Miracle should be interesting to watch.

Beloit Beat

Dayton 9 Beloit 2

• POG: Jair Fernandez the throw in player the Twins acquired when we let the Mariners keep R.A. Dickey went 3-4 for the Snappers for one of the only bright spots for Snappers.
• Why would they not play Chris Parmalee when he had 7 rbi's the day before. Nothing like the coaching staff stop the momentum.
• Michael Tarsi was well thought of going into the season, but he has been terrible this year so far. He is 0-3 with a 16.68ERA its early but its something to keep an eye on.
• The Snappers have today off before beginning a 3 game series this weekend with Wisconsin in Beloit.

Pelican Rapids Lakers

Tyler Zierke of the Lakers was nice enough to answer my questions about the Lakers and their upcoming season.

TT: Briefly can you tell me about 2007 season with your record and how you did in the playoffs and any special achievements worth noting.

TZ: The Lakers 07 team had a subpar year. I believed we finished fourth in the countryside league ahead of Frazee. In the playoffs we lost to Frazee and then lost to Vergas.

TT: Is there any key additions to the team?

TZ: The Lakers have some new faces and some former Lakers returning to the lineup. Tom Wacker, Matt Malone, Chris Ostile and Brian Heston have left the Flames organization are coming to play with Lakers. Andrew Johnson and Josh Rudie are coming back after a year off. Greg Sjostrom moved back to the lakes area is is planning on making a return. Pat Lisko is also making his return to Laker lineup after spending the last two years with the Moorhead Brewers.

TT: is there any key losses from the team?

TZ: No key losses

TT: What do you view as the teams strengths this season?

TZ: Pitching and catching will be the strengths to the Lakers this year. Starting pitchers will be Josh Holmes, Adam Johnson and Andrew Skow Anderson. Along with a strong bullen of veteran pitchers in Matt Malone, Brian Heston, Andrew Johnson and Tyler Zierke. The catching will be split up between Ryan Mason, Tom Wacker and Pat Lisko. The overall speed of the team increased with the addition of the new players.

TT: What are some things the team needs to work on to be the best it can be come playoff time?

TZ: Hitting will be one of things we need to work. Our pitching will keep us in the game but if we can hit the ball we should have a pretty good year.

TT: What are the expectations you have for your team going into the season?

TZ: The Lakers have a good chance of making the region tournament

TT: If you could say what player is the key to your success or failure and why?

TZ: I don’t know if one player is the key to our success or failure. I think it more so getting big hits when needed, not making the mental mistakes and making the routine plays.

TT: Break down your league for me and where do you see your team fitting into your league?

TZ:As many people have been saying the gap is getting small between FF and the other teams. FF has lost some players that have anchored them for the past couple years but will have a solid team. Dent is young and some excellent talent. Pelican will have solid pitching but can we get the big hits? Vergas is always competitive but without the addition of new players they the still compete. Frazee will be young and with the loss of four veteran players will struggle this season. Hawley should be competitive but since they are new I am not sure what to expect from them.

TT: Where do you see amateur baseball going in the next 5 years?

TZ: I think amateur will be around, a lot of young are going out and enjoying the game.

TT If you could change something about amateur baseball what would it be?

TZ: No real changes.

Knowing a lot of the guys on the Lakers they should be very competitive so all baseball fans in the area go check them out and you will see some very good baseball. Thanks again Tyler for answering my questions and good luck on the upcoming season.

Tuesday, April 15th

Rochester Wrap
Rochester 9 Syracuse 4

• POG: Brian Buscher- Brian continued his strong start for the Red Wings going 2-3 with his 3rd HR of the year and driving in 2 runs and also scoring 2 runs. It brings his season average to .342 on the young season.
• The Red Wings drew 4 more walks to continue a trend they would like to see all year long.
• Brian Duensing got the win going 5.2 innings only giving up 3 runs for his first win of the season.
• Today the Red Wings have a doubleheader with Richmond with game 1 starting at 5:05pm. Phillip Humber gets the start in game 1 while Casey Daigle gets the start in game 2.

New Britain Business

New Britain 7 New Hampshire 2

• POG: David Winfree- David came out of an early season slump to lead the Rock Cats to a victory. Winfree went 2-5 on the night with his 2nd HR with 3 rbi's. The good night brought his average to .200 that just shows how much he struggled to start the year.
• Yohan Pino was strong on the mound going 4 innings without giving up a run. He walked 1 and struck out 3 in a strong outing for Yohan.
• Jason Miller worked 4 innings to pick up the win for the Rockcats giving up 2 hits and 2 runs for the victory.
• Today the Rockcats take on Fisher Cats in game 2 of their series in New Hampshire. Game time is 5:35pm with Ryan Mullins getting the start for the Rock Cats.

Fort Myers Musings

off day

• The Miracle had the day off and start a series with Clearwater in Fort Myers. Gametime is 6:05pm with Jeff Manship getting the start for the Miracle.

Beloit beat

Dayton 10 Beloit 4

• POG: Garrett Olson- Garrett had a great game for the Snappers going 3-5 with a double and a run scored to bring his average up to .282 on the young season.
• David Bromberg was strong for the Snappers going 5 innings and only giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. He walked 4 while striking out 7 on the night.
• The Snappers defense betrayed them they committed 4 errors on the night which led to 7 unearned runs. Your not going to win very often with 7 unearned runs so they need to tighten up that defense.
• Tonight the Snappers continue their series with the Dragons. First pitch is 6:30pm with Michael Mccardell gets the start for the Snappers.

Staples Legionaires

A member of the Staples Legionaires was nice enough to answer my questions about the season for them and i hope you all enjoy.

TT: Briefly can you tell me about 2007 season with your record and how youdid in the playoffs and any special acheivements worth noting.

SL: Our regular season record was 3-21, 3-13 in the Lake & Pine League. We lostboth of our 2 playoff games which was a best of 3 series with the Wolf LakeWolfpack (who I believe ended up winning region 16C and going to state).The '07 season was our 2nd year having a team, this coming season will be our 3rd.

TT: Is there any key additions to the team?

SL: Jeff Johnson, a long time high school varsity and amateur umpire in thearea, will be taking over as our 3rd manager in 3 seasons, but will allowus to have a non-player/manager for the first time. His 2 sons, Zack andGunner Johnson, will be coming over to our team from the Nimrod Gnats. For the past 4 seasons Zack has played as either the starting CF or SS for a good Nimrod team that went to regions each of those years. Zack hit for a .329AVG last season, and is also probably one of the fastest 2 or 3 players in all the L&P League, and the Legionnaires need his speed. Gunner is still a young highschooler, but may earn a starting spot this season

TT: Is there any key losses from the team?

SL: Manager/Backup catcher David Lundberg is leaving the team after moving to a new area

TT: What do you view as the teams strengths this season?

SL:We don't have much for power hitting, but we might be able to more than make up for that with our speed on the bases and at the plate. Our lineup will have a number of guys that will be threats on the bases and that are very capable hitters at the plate that find ways to get on base and move runners over. Our defensive depth in the outfield may have us with more good outfielders than we're able to find playing time for.

TT: What are some things the team needs to work on to be the best it can become playoff time?

SL: Improving our defense will be the biggest issue. We especially will need to find guys to fill holes at catcher and 3rd base. Our pitching depth also looks like it may be shorter than we'd like

TT: What are the expections you have for your team going into the season?

SL: After last season, I think most of us on the team are hoping to be a middle of the pack team in the league, and to be playing good enough come playoff time to just have a shot at winning a few games and making it to regions

TT: If you could say what player is the key to your success or failure and why?

SL: David Anderson is key to our pitching success, he threw more than 30% of our innings last season. Centerfielder Jason Bachman probably had the teams best offensive year last season, batting .333 and scoring 18 runs. It will also be interesting to see how Justin Kolling has recovered from last years season ending injury. A month into the season, Justin was hitting .407 with 7 runs scored before dislocating his shoulder, breaking a collar bone, and needing offseason elbow surgery all due to a play where he ran into the foul pole at full speed while making an amazing catch at the fence

TT: Break down your league for me and where do you see your team fitting into your league.

SL:Each of the last few years, Wolf Lake, Nimrod, and Midway have taken 3 of the 4 region spots from our league. This year I expect the top tier to be made up of Wolf Lake, Midway, and the league newcomer Lakes Area Lightning(from Brainerd). The middle pack will be made up of Nimrod, Red Eye,Sebeka, Verndale, and I believe also Staples, and I expect all these teams to be pretty much equal. I would expect Huntersville to be the only bottom dweller, but after last season the other teams in the league would probably tell you that they think Staples belongs in that group as well.The North Division is made up of Staples, Wolf Lake, Midway, and LakesArea, so at least 1 of those 3 teams that I consider to be the best in ourleague will not make the region tournament. The South Division is made up of Nimrod, Red Eye, Sebeka, Verndale, and Huntersville, and I don't see it being as nearly as top-heavy as the North Division.

TT: Where do you see amateur baseball going in the next 5 years?

SL: Don't really have any thoughts on this

TT: If you could change something about amateur baseball what would it be.

SL:I would move a large number of the top C teams up to class B. It doesn'tmake sense to me that Class C is so large that only about 10% of teams makeit to the state tournament, when at the same time the number of teams inClass B is so small that like 50% of the teams go to state.