Results tagged ‘ Chicago Cubs ’
Baseball and Christmas
Christmas for me is the perfect time to buy the kids some baseball stuff, and what else would I be asking Santa for? We all made out pretty well last week and have had the chance to play with our stuff. The kids got a new batting tee and a hitting tool, so as soon as the snow is gone, we’ll be putting those to use (if not sooner in the gym). I got a ‘Pride of the Yankees‘ and a coaching DVD from the kids, and they got the third installment of the ‘Sandlot’ series. I also got some Under Armour baseball gear!
Lily got a couple of shirts, a LSSU Softball shirt and an Under Armour softball shirt. She also got a new softball for us to play catch with. She got a new bat just before Christmas, because she needed it for her clinics.
Trevor made out like a bandit. He happy and surprised to get his new Cubs jersey. He also got a couple of t-shirts, a Battle Creek Bombers and Michigan State baseball one. He also got a new ball glove, an Easton that fits him great. Like a good dad, I already had it treated an oiled and ready to go!
Brian’s favorite mascot is the Whitecaps’ Crash the River Rascal, so he got a pillow pet and plush of him. He also got a Crash puzzle we’ve been having fun with. A Scooby-Doo baseball pillow case closed the deal for him, though. No problems getting him to go to sleep, now.
The gift I’m most proud of, is the one I got for my Dad. I found a game work Michigan Battle Cats jacket that he loves. He’s from Battle Creek, and it reminds him of my grandpa, and they used to watch Battle Cat game together many times before he passed. I hope everyone has as much fun over the holidays that we are, and a Happy New Year, too!
Photos property of Minoring In Baseball
Carreno now a Cub
The Detroit Tigers sent 21-yr-old right-handed pitcher Marcelo Carreno to the Chicago Cubs along with cash considerations to complete the trade made on August 5 for utility man Jeff Baker. Deal stipulated two players to be obtained by the Cubs, but Detroit was able to throw in some money to complete the deal with just Carreno. This didn’t turn out to be a great deal for the Tigers anyway, as they designated Baker for assignment to the minors on August 31. This move made room for them to bring up former Whitecap Avisail Garcia from Double-A Erie, and he seems to be playing well in the playoffs for them. Baker just never really found his groove in Detroit, as he was supposed to replace Ryan Raburn, but both ended up in the minors. Baker was then traded to the Atlanta Braves, only to have Detroit pick up pitcher Greg Ross in that deal. So, the Tigers gained a pitcher and lost one, so no real harm done, I guess. I’ll be tracking these guys in the minors, though, and see how their stats compare. Carreno, however, spent the last two seasons in West Michigan. In 2011 he was 7-10 with a 4.55 ERA and 115 strike outs. This season he improved to 9-8 with a 3.23 ERA and 119 strike outs. Carreno did have some solid games for the ‘Caps while they were vying for a playoff bid, including a 13 strike-out performance against the Dayton Dragons. We wish him all the best in the Cubs organization!
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Whitecaps Update 8/10
Playoff Push: It’s hard to believe, but after finishing the first half of the season in last place the Whitecaps are in contention for the final wild card playoff spot in the Midwest League. At his point their majic number is down to three over the Lansing Lugnuts. The ‘Caps helped themselves by racking off 12 straight wins in August, tying a franchise record set July 14-25, 1999. If they can hold on make the playoffs, it would make it six straight years for the ‘Caps and 14 in the 17 yr. history of the team. There current record is 34-29 and are five games up on Lansing.
Quade Takes Over Cubs: Former West Michigan Whitecap’s manager Mike Quade was named interim manager of the Chicago Cubs this month after Lou Piniella stepped down for personal reasons. Qaude managed the Whitecaps to a 77-61 record in 1996, and led the club to it’s first Midwest League Championship back when they were affiliated with the Oakland Athletics. Quade has 17 years and 2, 378 games of experience as a manager at the minor league level and seven years experience at the major league level. He’s in his eighth season with the Cubs, having served as third base and outfield coach.
Guests At Fifth-Third Ballpark: The second half of the season saw some pretty impressive guests visit the Whitecaps. For Tiger Fridays, former players Jack Morris, Mike Henneman, Dick McAuliffe, and Frank Howard were in attendance signing autographs. Also visiting the ‘Caps for soccer night was former Portage Central All-American and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsay Tarplay. She told the Grand Rapids Press: “My older brother played baseball in high school and at Western Michigan, so I grew up watching him. And I played softball for several years, so I’m a big fan of baseball.” Baseball fans are a big fan of you, too, Lindsay. I decided to post the pic of her over the ballplayers simply because she’s kinda cute..
Feeney Sets Record: ‘Caps pitcher Trevor Feeney set a new Whitecaps record Monday night, throwing 179 2/3 innings this season. The mark was formly held by Nate Cornejo who pitched 174 2/3 innings in 1999. If the ‘Caps do sneak into the playoffs, there’s a chance he might being starting game one as well. “I could either pitch five days from now or pitch the playoff opener”, he told the Grand Rapids Press. “It would definately be a big game and a new experience for me. I’ve never pitched in a three-game series before.” West Michigan manager Joe DePastino wouldn’t mind him starting either, and was impessed with him breaking the record. “If we can, he’ll start game one, but it would depend if and when we clinch. There’s a lot of stuff to be determined and what Detroit tells us to do.” The record shows improvement in Feeney, who threw on 151 innings during his first two minor league seasons. So far in 2010 he’s pitched into the seventh inning in 18 of 28 starts.
Quade photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Tarplay photo courtesy of the Kalamazoo Gazette
Feeney photo property of M.I.B.
2010 Baseball Trip: Day 3-Peoria, IL
Peoria Chiefs vs. Clinton LumberKings: We didn’t have a whole lot of time to celebrate the Kernels victory before hitting the road again to Peoria. We made it to O’Brien Field about 30 minutes before game time, which is good enough to get our merchandise, grab a brew, and get ready for more baseball. It was Monday, and unfortunately not much of a crowd. We missed the big crowds over the weekend with Star Wars night and a Little League ceremony. Still, half price tickets should be drawing the people in anyway. O’Brien Field is nicely fit into downtown Peoria, and the Chiefs share their home with the NCAA Bradlay Braves. It was a beautiful night for baseball, but a quik game tied at 1-1 in the ninth. The Chiefs sent up a pinch hitter with two outs who hit a walk-off homer with the bases loaded for the win. Pretty exciting at the end. Final: Chiefs 4, Lumber Kings 1. Worst: The scoreboard. One half never worked, the other half only part of the time. Best: Half priced seats every Monday.
Photos property of MIB
2010 Baseball Trip: Day 2-Des Moines, IA
Iowa Cubs vs. Omaha Royals: Our only game on day two took us to Des Moines for some AAA Pacific Coast League action. The game started at 1:00 p.m., and the day was hot and sunny. About the third inning, though, all that changed. A huge storm cloud decided to nest over the field and give us some rain. Not too much, enough to get you a little damp, but not enough to call the game. If you think that a little rain is enough to chase me from a ballgame, though, you’re wrong. We stayed as long as the game was on, and that was the 8th inning. It finally decided to pour on us. Oh, well, 8 innings is still pretty good. I didn’t get a chance to explore Principal Park as much as I would have liked, but our seats were good and there really didn’t seem that there was a bad seat in the house. There was a lot of fans packed in for a Sunday game, but a lot left after the rain started. Our lunch consisted of a beer, a Chicago Dog, and some popcorn. I did like the park, though, and would recommend a game here if you’re in the area. Final: Royals 5, Cubs 4. Best: The scoreboard reading ‘Out of Towners’ and ‘Local Boys’. Worst: Lots of people. If you don’t mind large crowds, this shouldn’t bother you.
Photos property of MIB
Minoring In Baseball
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