Inside The Headset

Monday 31 August: Princeton 6, at Greeneville 2

2009-08-31T23:26:00.002-04:00

As the season dwindles down, the P-Rays are playing very complete baseball.
Strong starting pitching, solid work from the bullpen, error-free defense, timely hitting and a little power. All the elements were there again tonight.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_31_prirok_gvlrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_31_prirok_gvlrok_1

Believe it or not, tomorrow is the final game of the 2009 season. The P-Rays close out their series at Greeneville, and we'll bring it to you on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com. Our broadcast begins with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT; game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm at beautiful Pioneer Park.

Reminder: During the "Dugout Show" segment of the pre-game show, we'll bring you part two of our conversation with Mitch Lukevics, the Tampa Bay Rays' Director of Minor League Operations.

Sunday 30 August: Princeton 7, at Greeneville 3

2009-08-30T23:09:00.004-04:00

Princeton clinched a winning season with its doubleheader split at Johnson City yesterday.
Today, the P-Rays clinched 2nd place in the Appalachian League Eastern Division.
Not a bad day at all.

Today's decisive inning was the top of the 5th. Princeton scored five runs, highlighted by two-run home runs from Alejandro Torres and Ryan Wiegand.

Here's today's boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_30_prirok_gvlrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_30_prirok_gvlrok_1

Hard to believe, but we're down to the last two games of the season.
We'll bring you the penultimate game tomorrow night (Monday 31 August) on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com.
Our broadcast begins with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. The P-Rays and Greeneville Astros play the second of their three-game series starting at 7:00 pm EDT.

Note: During the final two P-Rays Pre-Game Shows, we'll feature an interview with Mitch Luckevics, the Tampa Bay Rays' Director of Minor League Operations.
Mitch is a good guy and long-time baseball man. It'll be an interesting and informative conversation.

Thursday 27 August: Princeton 14, at Johnson City 2 (7 Inning Game)

2009-08-27T22:14:00.002-04:00

Maybe this is the kind of game that will lift the P-Rays for the rest of the season.
The highlight of the contest was Princeton's first grand slam of the season, delivered by young 3B Julio Cedeno in the top of the 3rd.
Cedeno went 4-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and six RBIs.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_27_prirok_jcyrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap (it'll take some time to read):
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_27_prirok_jcyrok_1

The P-Rays and Cardinals now brace for a quick turnaround and a doubleheader tomorrow morning.
We'll start our broadcast with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 11:00 am EDT, with first pitch set for 11:30 am. There will be two seven-inning games.
Tune in to Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) or log on to theriver102.com.

Thursday 27 August: Princeton 7, Johnson City 4

2009-08-27T18:01:00.002-04:00

It took nearly 34 days, or approximately 816 hours (give or take), but it was worth the wait.
The P-Rays claimed victory in the completion of a game suspended by bad weather back on July 25 in Princeton.
The P-Rays broke open a close contest with a four-run 7th inning, highlighted Jason Patton's bases-loaded, two-run double.
The victory snapped the Princeton's three-game losing streak and was their 18th in 31 road games.

Boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_25_jcyrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

Recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_25_jcyrok_prirok_1

The P-Rays and Cardinals are scheduled to play a seven-inning game later today at Howard Johnson Field.
But at the time of this writing (6:15 pm EDT), bad weather is threatening and the start of the game is in doubt.

26 August: at Bluefield 6, Princeton 3

2009-08-26T23:31:00.002-04:00

The most important number tonight was: 2-12 RISP.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_26_prirok_blurok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

Here's the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_26_prirok_blurok_1

Despite the loss -- the 16th in the last 24 games for Princeton -- the P-Rays still lead Bluefield for 2nd place in the Appy League East by .0005 in winning percentage.

Princeton visits Johnson City tomorrow. The two teams will complete their suspended game from July 25 at Hunnicutt Field (tied 2-2 after four innings), then play a seven-inning game.
The broadcast on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com begins at 3:30 pm EDT.

Tuesday 25 August:: Burlington 2, at Princeton 1

2009-08-25T21:24:00.001-04:00

Princeton snapped an 18-inning scoreless streak with a run in the bottom of the 9th.

But that lone run was not enough as the P-Rays dropped this series (2-1), and the season series (5-4) to the worst team in the Appalachian League.

To make matters worse, Princeton finishes 2009 with a losing record at home (14-16).

Princeton hit just .204 in this series -- after a ten-hit outburst in a victory in game one. Burlington hit only .149, but won the last two games by virtue of a 6-3 advantage in extra-base hits.

Tuesday's boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_25_brlrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_25_brlrok_prirok_1

The P-Rays start a season-ending nine-game road trip with a single game at Bluefield tomorrow night (Wednesday 26 August).
Princeton has already secured this year's Mercer Cup series against the Orioles, but needs a win to hang on to second place in the Appy League East.
We'll start our broadcast with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. Game time at historic Bowen Field is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
Tune in to Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) or log on to theriver102.com.

Princeton needs to win four games on this road trip to insure a winning season.

Monday 24 August: Burlington 3, at Princeton 0

2009-08-24T21:29:00.003-04:00

Manager Jared Sandberg has spoken about how some P-Rays players may be "counting down the days" until the end of the season, especially after Princeton faded out of the pennant race in the Appalachian League Eastern Division.
Tonight, to put it bluntly, it looked that way.
The P-Rays got shut out by the worst team in the league, mustering only three hits and falling below .500 at home for the season.
Oh, well, that's baseball.

Here's tonight's boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_24_brlrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And tonight's recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_24_brlrok_prirok_1

The P-Rays play their final home game of 2009 tomorrow night (Tuesday 25 August), hosting the Burlington Royals.
We'll bring it to you starting at with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm. Tune in to Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and/or to theriver102.com.

=================================================

NOTE:

Games times have been changed for Princeton's series at Johnson City later this week.

On Thursday 27 August, the P-Rays and Cardinals will resume their suspended game from July 25 (it was tied 2-2 after four innings), then will play a seven-inning regulation game.
Those games will start at 4:00 pm EDT, with an air-time of 3:30 pm.

On Friday 28 August there will be a 7-inning doubleheader, with an early start time of 11:30 am EDT. The doubleheader will help the teams make up the game they lost to rain at Hunnicutt Field on July 26.
The early start time is set to accommodate the start of the high school football season in Tennessee that night. Our air-time will be at 11:00 am EDT.

The series concludes with a 6:00 pm game on Saturday 29 August.
Due to Concord University football on Classic Rock 102 The River (102.3 FM WMTD) and theriver102.com, the P-Rays game will be moved to News Radio 620 WWNR in Beckley (which simulcasts on 101.1 FM). Princeton residents will also be able to hear the game on AM 1490 WAEY, and the game will be webcast on wwnrradio.com.
Paul Van Scott, a former P-Rays announcer, will fill on play-by-play on Saturday night.

The Concord football game at Southern Virginia University on Saturday 29 August will be broadcast on Classic Rock 102 The River and webcast on theriver102.com starting with the Mountain Lion Preview Show at 5:30 pm EDT. Kickoff will be at 6:00 pm.
I'll have the call of that game and will be joined in the booth by former Mountain Lion coach and athletic director Greg Quick.

Sunday 23 August: at Princeton 7, Burlington 0

2009-08-23T18:36:00.002-04:00

Starting pitcher Joey Dettrich gave the P-Rays a superlative outing, Kirby Yates was strong in relief, the bats were booming and all was well on a "Hippie Day" Sunday at Hunnicutt Field.

The P-Rays need four wins in their last 11 games to secure their first winning season since 2005.

Boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_23_brlrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

Recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_23_brlrok_prirok_1

Princeton's penultimate home game is tomorrow night. It's game two of the three-game series with Burlington, and we'll bring it to you on the air on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and online at theriver102.com.
Our broadcast begins at 6:30 pm EDT with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show. Game time is at 7:00 pm at Hunnicutt Field.
Princeton is scheduled to start RHP Deivis Mavares.

Saturday 22 August: Bristol 4, at Princeton 1

2009-08-22T21:38:00.002-04:00

Another frustrating night in a frustrating homestretch for the P-Rays.
After an impressive 13-hit performance last night, Princeton mustered only five hits tonight, went 0-7 with runners in scoring position and lost a game in which the White Sox committed five errors.

Boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_22_brirok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

Recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_22_brirok_prirok_1

Princeton splits the six-game season series with a Bristol team that left town with a 22-34 record.

The P-Rays open their final home series of the season tomorrow (Sunday 23 August) with an afternoon game with the last-place Burlington Royals. LHP Joey Dettrich is scheduled to be Princeton's starting pitcher.
We'll bring the game to you starting at 3:30 pm EDT with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show. First pitch on "Hippie Day" at Hunnicutt Field is scheduled for 4:00 pm.

Friday 21 August: at Princeton 9, Bristol 0

2009-08-21T21:33:00.002-04:00

After frustrating week, Princeton busted out in a big way in snapping its four-game losing streak.
The P-Rays erupted for 13 hits, including home runs from Jason Patton (his first) and Cody Rogers (his 6th).
Patton and Rogers each wound up 2-4 with two RBIs on the night. Same thing for Tomas Francisco. Ramon Novas was 2-4 with an RBI, and Geno Glynn finished 3-3 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored.
Starter Zac Rosscup paced the Princeton pitching staff, scattering three hits and striking out six in five innings. Scott Shuman and Tyler Oakes finished up Princeton's third shutout of the season.

Princeton finally got its 30th victory of the season.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_21_brirok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_21_brirok_prirok_1

The P-Rays and BriSox conclude their season series tomorrow night at Hunnicutt Field.
Princeton is set to start RHP Trevor Shull against Bristol RHP Rene Garcia.
We'll bring the game to you on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com. The P-Rays Pre-Game Show starts at 6:30 pm EDT, with game time at 7:00 pm.

Thursday 20 August: Bristol 8, at Princeton 4

2009-08-20T23:35:00.003-04:00

Ugh.
As in ug-ly.
The P-Rays committed six errors in losing their fourth straight game. Three of those errors came in the top of the 9th and Bristol leading 5-4; the White Sox exploited the Princeton bumbling to blow open the game.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_20_brirok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_20_brirok_prirok_1

The P-Rays and White Sox play game two of their three-game series tomorrow night, Friday 21 August. We'll bring it to you on Classic Rock 102 The River (102.3 FM WMTD) and theriver102.com, beginning with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT.
Game time is 7:00 pm at Hunnicutt Field.

This losing streak has to end sometime. It just has to.

Tuesday 18 August: at Kingsport 5, Princeton 2

2009-08-20T12:25:00.004-04:00

A disappointing end to a disappointing series.
Kingsport had one of the worst home records in the league prior to hosting Princeton, but took three of four from the P-Rays.
The upside to this game was the performance or Rays starting pitcher Wilking Rodriguez. The 19-year old righthander from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela didn't allow a hit in his five innings. The only K-Met to reach base was Joe Bonfe, who drew a one-out walk in the 5th inning, on a 3-2 pitch.

Here's the boxscore:
http://appalachian.league.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l120&t=g_box&gid=2009_08_18_prirok_kptrok_1

And the recap:
http://appalachian.league.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l120&t=g_box&gid=2009_08_18_prirok_kptrok_1

The P-Rays get Wednesday off. The next day (Thursday 20 August) Princeton begins its final homestand of the season, with the start of a three-game series with the Bristol White Sox.
Tune in to Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com, starting with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. The game begins at 7:00 pm EDT.

Monday 17 August: at Kingsport 7, Princeton 0

2009-08-17T22:43:00.003-04:00

Perhaps the dog days are biting down on Princeton.
The P-Rays fell behind early and never got going tonight.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_17_prirok_kptrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_17_prirok_kptrok_1

With the division title out of reach, Princeton finds itself in a position battle with arch-rival Bluefield. The Orioles have moved to within just one game of the P-Rays for second place in the Appalachian League East.

Princeton concludes its series with Kingsport tomorrow night, Tuesday 18 August. We'll broadcast it for you on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com, starting with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
Wilking Rodriguez will be Princeton's starting pitcher. Yohan Almonte will start for Kingsport.

Sunday 16 August: Doubleheader: Princeton 3, at Kingsport 2 (Game One); at Kingsport 4, Princeton 3 (Game Two, 8 Innings)

2009-08-17T00:28:00.002-04:00

The P-Rays kept the Appalachian League's top hitting team pretty much in check, but settled for a split.

Here's the game one boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_16_prirok_kptrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_16_prirok_kptrok_1

This is the boxscore for game two:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_16_prirok_kptrok_2&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap of same:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_16_prirok_kptrok_2

The P-Rays split, combined with Danville's 5-4 win at Elizabethton, drops Princeton seven full games out of first place with 17 to go.

Princeton and Kingsport play the third game of their four-game series tomorrow night, Monday 17 August.
Tune in for the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com. Game time will be at 7:00 at Hunter Wright Stadium.

Saturday 15 August: Bluefield 5, at Princeton 3

2009-08-15T21:55:00.003-04:00

This was just the third loss in ten meetings with their Mercer Cup rivals, but it drops Princeton 6 1/2 games behind Danville for first place in the Appalachian League Eastern Division.
The P-Rays are down to their last 19 games of the season.

There was controversy again tonight. Cody Rogers led off the Princeton 4th with a double off the wall in left, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.
Bluefield 1B Corey Thomas got in Rogers' way as he tried to run the bases, slowing Rogers down. It seemed everyone in the ballpark saw the 'interference' except the umpires. The non-call ultimately cost Princeton a run in what was, at the time, a 1-0 game.
That said, Princeton's pitching was a little wobbly tonight. P-Rays pitchers allowed 11 hits to a Bluefield squad that came into the game hitting just .246.
So the non-call may not have ultimately mattered. But you never know.
Bluefield starter Vito Fabrizio was tough, shutting out Princeton over seven innings.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_15_blurok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_15_blurok_prirok_1

Princeton finishes 4-3 in the seven-game homestand.

Princeton opens a four-game series at Kingsport tomorrow, Sunday 16 August, with a twi-night doubleheader.
We'll have it for you on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com, starting with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 5:30 pm EDT. Game one of the doubleheader starts at 6:00.

Princeton defeated the K-Mets in their only two meetings so far this season. The P-Rays won 10-4 on July 15 and 12-9 the following night. The game of July 17th was rained out, precipitating (so to speak) the doubleheader at Hunter Wright Stadium tomorrow evening.

Friday 14 August: at Princeton 8, Bluefield 2

2009-08-14T22:03:00.003-04:00

Well-rounded effort by the P-Rays tonight. Three-run rallies in the 3rd and 7th innings bracketed a two-run rally in the 6th.
Geno Glynn went 3-4, including his first professional home run, Tomas Francisco delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single in the 6th, and starting pitcher Deivis Mavares was solid for the second consecutive outing.
Princeton clinched the Mercer Cup championship last night. Tonight's win lifts the P-Rays to 7-2 against Bluefield this season.
It's been noted before, but, from a Princeton perspective ... even with the trophy in hand, it's always nice to beat Bluefield.

Here's tonight's boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_14_blurok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_14_blurok_prirok_1

Princeton and Bluefield wrap up this series of the Mercer Cup competition tomorrow night, Saturday 15 August, at Hunnicutt Field.
We'll bring it to you starting with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM and theriver102.com. Game time is scheduled for 7:00.

Thursday 13 August: Doubleheader: Bluefield 2, at Princeton 0 (Game One); at Princeton 3, Bluefield 1 (Game Two)

2009-08-13T21:38:00.003-04:00

The Princeton Rays clinched the 2009 Mercer Cup championship over the Bluefield Orioles tonight, but it didn't come easy and it didn't come without a hullabaloo.

Princeton's offensive struggles continued in the first game, as first-round draft pick Matt Hobgood and Andrew Huebner combined to shut out the P-Rays on two hits.

In the second game, Princeton was able to break through, snapping a 1-1 tie with two runs in a controversial 5th inning.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Brian Bryles hit a ground ball to Orioles 2B Gary Helmick. Helmick threw to SS Javier Santana to force out Ty Morrison at second, and it appeared Bryles beat the relay throw to first.

Dan Rhault scored from third and Princeton had a 2-1 lead, and it appeared Kyle Spraker had scored as well, hustling to the plate all the way from second to put the P-Rays ahead 3-1.

(Notice my use of the word "appeared?")

However, base umpire Mike Cafaro made a somewhat dubious interference call on Morrison, which meant he was out and Bryles was automatically out at first. Double play.

Several "discussions" followed between the P-Rays coaches and the umpiring crew. The interference call stood. Rhault's run stood as well, although Spraker was ordered back to third.

This all went on in full view of Appalachian League President Lee Landers, who was in attendance tonight.

But, perhaps in a case of poetic justice, Princeton scored its third run when the next batter, Ryan Wiegand, hit a pop-up to shallow center. The sure-handed Santana appeared to have it measured, but Helmick bumped into him and the ball fell to the ground. Spraker scored on the error to make the score 3-1.

Princeton starter Joey Callender benefited from the late, if somewhat unusual, run support to record the first complete-game victory of his brief professional pitching career.

Here's the Game One boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_13_blurok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_13_blurok_prirok_1

Here's the boxscore for Game Two:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_13_blurok_prirok_2&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap for same:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_13_blurok_prirok_2

Princeton and Bluefield meet again tomorrow night, Friday 14 August, in the second game of the "Mercer County Nights of Hope Baseball Series" to benefit the American Cancer Society.

The "Nights of Hope" game is at Princeton was originally scheduled for July 30, but was rained out.

Here's a link to a page on the P-Rays website with more information:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_13_blurok_prirok_2

Don't miss out on the silent auction.

We'll bring you Friday's game on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com. The P-Rays Pre-Game Show starts at 6:30 pm EDT, with game time at 7:00 at Hunnicutt Field.

Wednesday 12 August: Danville 4, at Princeton 2

2009-08-12T23:11:00.002-04:00

Since their last off day, on August 3, the P-Rays have lost three straight series and six of their last nine games.
They've gone from a season-high 10 games over .500 and being as close as two games out of first place to falling five games back of Danville in the Appalachian League East.
Time is growing short, and this loss tonight did not help.
Small mistakes hurt.
Princeton starting pitcher Joey Dettrich gave up a three-run home to Danville 2B Matt Weaver, who was batting 8th in the Braves lineup (it was Weaver's first professional home run).
The P-Rays had two base runners picked off. The first was Kyle Spraker, at first base, after Princeton got two on with nobody out in the 1st inning against D-Braves starter Brett Oberholtzer. The other picked-off runner was Cody Rogers, at third base, in the bottom of the 5th, with Princeton trailing 3-2.
In a short-season pennant race, the margin of error is slim.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_12_dnvrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_12_dnvrok_prirok_1

The P-Rays host the arch-rival Bluefield Orioles in a Mercer Cup doubleheader tomorrow evening, 13 August.
We'll have it for you starting at 5:00 pm EDT with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show. Game one of the seven-inning DH will start at 5:30, with game two following 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Tune in to Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) or log on to theriver102.com.

Princeton leads this year's Mercer Cup series five games to one. The P-Rays will clinch this year's Cup championship with one more victory over the Baby Birds.

Tuesday 11 August: at Princeton 10, Danville 2 (completion of suspended game); Danville 13, Princeton 0 (7-Inning Game)

2009-08-11T23:35:00.002-04:00

Danville pitcher Cory Rasmus made history in the second of the two games at Hunnicutt Field tonight.
The 21-year old right-hander threw a seven-inning no-hitter as the Braves rolled to a 13-0 victory.
It was the first no-hitter thrown against the Princeton franchise.

Princeton looked powerful in the first game, totaling 13 hits in a 10-2 victory -- the completion of the game suspended from last night.

Here's the boxscore of Rasmus' no-hitter:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_11_dnvrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap of that game:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_11_dnvrok_prirok_1

Here's the boxscore of the P-Rays' win in the completion of the suspended game:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_10_dnvrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_10_dnvrok_prirok_1

The split leaves Princeton where it started tonight -- four games behind the Braves for the lead in the Appalachian League Eastern Division, with just 24 games left to make up the deficit.

The P-Rays and D-Braves complete this three-game series -- and their season series against one another -- tomorrow night, Wednesday 12 August, at Hunnicutt Field.
We'll bring it to you starting with "The P-Rays Pre-Game Show" at 6:30 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com

More Rain. Again.

2009-08-10T21:31:00.002-04:00

A downpour forced tonight's game between the Princeton Rays and Danville Braves to be suspended until 5:00 pm EDT tomorrow (Tuesday 11 August).
Princeton is leading 2-1 in the bottom of the 4th, with a runner at first and nobody out.

The suspended game will be played to its scheduled nine innings. After that game ends, there will be a seven-inning game between the same two teams.

We'll start our coverage tomorrow with "The P-Rays Pre-Game Show" at 4:30 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com.

Sunday 9 August: Princeton 10, at Burlington 3

2009-08-10T00:58:00.002-04:00

Now this is more like it.
Princeton's offense awoke from its slumber, starting pitcher Deivis Mavares threw six strong innings, the bullpen was solid, the defense air-tight, and the P-Rays salvaged the last game of the series and the road trip.
Hopefully this portends good things for the uber-important series with first-place Danville starting Monday night.

Here's the Sunday boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_09_prirok_brlrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_09_prirok_brlrok_1

We'll bring you game one of the series with Danville Monday night on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com, starting at with "The P-Rays Pre-Game Show" at 6:30 pm EDT. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm at Hunnicutt Field.

Saturday 8 August: at Burlington 5, Princeton 3

2009-08-09T13:07:00.003-04:00

(Now that I've found wi-fi access at the hotel I can post last night's Princeton Rays results.
Why is it that so many hotels limit their wi-fi to the lobby and make it nearly impossible to get access in the rooms? In this modern age, that's like removing the showers from the rooms and telling everyone to just clean up in the lobby.
I feel a rant coming on. But I'll save it for another time.)

Maybe it's the lingering after-effects of the day off last Monday, but Princeton has yet to return to form ever since.
The P-Rays put in another spotty performance Saturday night in falling to 1-4 on the current road trip.
Burlington, meanwhile, has won its last five games after starting the season a league-worst 11-29.

Here's Saturday night's boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_08_prirok_brlrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the accompanying recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_08_prirok_brlrok_1

Princeton concludes its road trip with the series finale at Burlington Sunday evening.
We'll bring it to you starting at 5:30 pm EDT with "The P-Rays Pre-Game Show."
First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm EDT.

Friday 7 August: at Burlington 2, Princeton 1

2009-08-07T21:43:00.002-04:00

In a close, one-run game, little things make a big difference.
For example, Princeton going 1-12 with runners in scoring position.
That RISP category hurt.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_07_prirok_brlrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_07_prirok_brlrok_1

Game two of the series is tomorrow night at Burlington Athletic Stadium. Tune in at 6:30 pm EDT for the P-Rays Pre-Game Show on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com. Game time is slated for 7:00.

Thursday 6 August: Doubleheader: Princeton 6, at Danville 2 (Game 1); at Danville 3, Princeton 2 (Game 2)

2009-08-06T21:06:00.003-04:00

Princeton's pitching was very solid today. The P-Rays' staff made only two mistakes in 14 innings, each to Danville's star first baseman Riaan Spanjer-Furstenberg.
The first mistake (a two-run home run in game one) didn't hurt. The second mistake did -- RSF's two-out, three-run double in the 3rd inning of game two proved to be the difference in a close game.

Trevor Shull scattered six hits in his complete game victory in game one.

Here's the game one boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_06_prirok_dnvrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_06_prirok_dnvrok_1

This is the game two boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_06_prirok_dnvrok_2&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_06_prirok_dnvrok_2&t=g_box&did=milb

The P-Rays are three games behind Danville for first place in the Appy League East. Princeton has 29 games remaining, including three more with the Braves starting next Monday at Hunnicutt Field.

The P-Rays open a series at Burlington tomorrow night. We'll bring it to you starting with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. Game time is at 7:00. Left-hander Joey Dettrich is scheduled to be Princeton's starting pitcher, with the Royals set to go with righty Chase Hentges.

Tuesday 4 August: at Danville 3, Princeton 0

2009-08-04T21:20:00.002-04:00

For whatever reason -- maybe it was having yesterday off, or maybe it was the summer heat in Southside Virginia -- the P-Rays weren't as sharp as we've seen from them lately.
Danville starting pitcher Matt Crim baffled the Princeton lineup, Luis Avilan finished up, and the P-Rays could muster only five hits as their seven-game losing streak came to an end.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_04_prirok_dnvrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_04_prirok_dnvrok_1

Princeton falls to three full games back of Danville for first place in the Appalachian League Eastern Division.

Game two of this series is tomorrow night. We'll bring it to you on Classic Rock 102 The River (102.3 FM WMTD) and at theriver102.com. Air-time is 6:30 pm EDT for the 'P-Rays Pre-Game Show,' with first pitch scheduled for 7:00.

Sunday 2 August: Princeton 5, at Pulaski 4

2009-08-02T22:00:00.002-04:00

Princeton completes a big weekend sweep at Calfee Park.
The bullpen was steady, allowing three hits and no earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Ty Morrison provided the big hit -- a two-out, three-run homer in the top of the 8th that broke up a 2-2 tie.

The P-Rays have won seven in a row and 15 of their last 19. Princeton remains two games behind Danville for first place in the Appalachian League East.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_02_prirok_pulrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_02_prirok_pulrok_1

Princeton -- like everybody else in the Appalachian League -- gets tomorrow off.
The P-Rays return to the field Tuesday night, 4 August, starting a six-game road trip with a big series at first-place Danville.
We'll bring it to you starting at 6:30 pm EDT with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show. Game Time at Legion Field is set for 7:00.

Saturday 1 August Doubleheader: (Game 1) Princeton 5, at Pulaski 3; (Game 2) Princeton 13, Pulaski 7

2009-08-02T00:15:00.002-04:00

Yet another lengthy rain delay at Calfee Park -- 94 minutes.
Add that to the 170 rain delay the last time Princeton visited Pulaski, and that's 264 minutes.
That's four hours and 24 minutes of rain delays.
Four hours and 24 minutes of our lives we'll never get back.
All we can do now is hope -- hope that, when rain is imminent in Pulaski, the grounds crew will actually put the tarp on the field. It'd be a nice change.

Can you sense the sarcasm I'm trying to convey?

Still, one must wonder what's worse: Being rained out two straight days, or having to endure a long rain delay and playing until after midnight?
There's no easy answer to that question.

Here's the game one boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_01_prirok_pulrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_01_prirok_pulrok_1

Here's the game two boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_08_01_prirok_pulrok_2&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_08_01_prirok_pulrok_2

The 13 runs the P-Rays scored in game two was a season-high, eclipsing the 12 Princeton scored in its win over Johnson City on July 24.

The P-Rays and Pulaski Mariners conclude their season series tomorrow night, Sunday 2 August, again at Calfee Park.
We'll bring it to you starting at 6:30 pm EDT with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 -- if it doesn't rain.

When It Rains....

2009-07-31T14:29:00.002-04:00

...Baseball games get postponed.

The seemingly near-constant rain in Princeton has forced a postponement of tonight's game between the P-Rays and the Pulaski Mariners. It's the second straight day bad weather has prevented play at Hunnicutt Field.

Tonight's game will be made up as part of a 7-inning doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday 1 August, at Calfee Park in Pulaski. Game one will start at 6:00 pm EDT.

We'll bring you both games on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com. Our broadcast begins at 5:30 pm with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show.
Weather permitting, of course.

No Baseball Today

2009-07-30T20:53:00.002-04:00

The Princeton Rays game against the Bluefield Orioles tonight, 30 July 2009, is postponed because of wet grounds.

It will be made up as part of a 7-inning doubleheader on Thursday 13 August, at 5:30 pm EDT.

The "Mercer County Nights of Hope" game originally scheduled for tonight will be held instead on Friday 14 August.

Tomorrow, the P-Rays open a series with the Pulaski Mariners. We'll bring it to you starting at 6:30 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com.

Wednesday 29 July: Princeton 7, at Bluefield 6 (11 innings)

2009-07-29T23:16:00.003-04:00

Depending on how the rest of this season plays out, we may look back at this as a pretty important win for Princeton.
On a rainy night in Bluefield (bad weather delayed the start of the game by 19 minutes), the P-Rays overcame a sloppy start and a 6-2 deficit to grab yet another victory over their Mercer Cup rivals.

Ryan Wiegand (4-6) tied the game with a two-out, two-run single in the 7th, and Cody Rogers broke the tie with a solo home run in the top of the 11th. It was Rogers' third home run in as many games in this series, and he did it in front of family visiting from Texas.

Starting pitcher Trevor Shull had a rough outing but the bullpen excelled. Jeff Cinadr and Alex Koronis combined for 6 1/3 innings of shutout relief, with Koronis getting his first win of the season.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_29_prirok_blurok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_29_prirok_blurok_1

Princeton has won four in a row and 12 of their last 16 and remains 2 1/2 games behind Danville for first place in the Appy League East. The P-Rays are 4-1 in extra-inning games this season.
Bluefield has lost three straight, all to the P-Rays, after sweeping three games from Danville last weekend.

The P-Rays and Baby Birds conclude their four-game series tomorrow night, with the venue moving to Hunnicutt Field. We'll bring you the game starting with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT; first pitch is at 7:00. Tune into Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) or listen on-line at theriver102.com.

Tomorrow will be the second in the "Mercer County Nights of Hope" series. The players on both teams will wear pink caps, and the caps will be up for bids in a silent auction during the game. After the game, the winning bidders will be announced and the players will autograph their hats.
All proceeds go directly to the American Cancer Society.

Tuesday 28 July: Princeton 8, at Bluefield 2

2009-07-28T21:51:00.002-04:00

The P-Rays got the bats going again (16 hits) and got a solid outing from starting pitcher Zac Rosscup.

Julio Cedeno went 4-5 with 2 RBIs; Cody Rogers finished 3-5 with a home run, three runs scored and a stolen base.

Rosscup allowed only three hits and two unearned runs in five innings. Joey Callendar and Jairo De La Rosa combined to give up just one hit in four innings of relief.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_28_prirok_blurok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_28_prirok_blurok_1

Princeton is now a season-high six games over .500 but still trails Danville by 2 1/2 games in the Appy League East.
The P-Rays lead the 2009 Mercer Cup Series four games to one.

The P-Rays and Baby Birds meet in game three of their current four-game series Wednesday night. We'll have the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT, with game time at 7:00.

Tomorrow night is the first in the "Mercer County Nights of Hope Baseball Series." The series is dedicated to raising money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer.
Each team will wear pink caps for the "Nights of Hope," and the caps will be auctioned off after each game. All the proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.

Monday 27 July: Princeton 3, at Bluefield 0

2009-07-27T21:37:00.002-04:00

Princeton gets its second straight shutout. Wilking Rodriguez was superb as the starting pitcher, and Kirby Yates was solid in relief.
Cody Rogers provided the big blow on offense -- a two-run home run to cap off the P-Rays' three-run rally in the top of the 3rd.
The win keeps Princeton 2 1/2 games behind Danville for first place in the Appy League East.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_27_prirok_blurok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_27_prirok_blurok_1

Game two of this four-game series is tomorrow night, Tuesday 28 July, at Bowen Field.
You can hear it on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com.
Our broadcast begins with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. The game will start at 7:00.

===================================================

A reminder: The games between Princeton and Bluefield this Wednesday and Thursday are the "Mercer County Nights of Hope Baseball Series." The "Nights of Hope" are aimed at raising money and awareness in the fight against cancer.
There are many special features and events associated with the "Nights of Hope." To find out more, call the Princeton Rays at (304) 487-2000, the Bluefield Orioles at (276) 326-1326, or the local chapter of the American Cancer Society at (304) 327-8770.

Sunday 26 July: P-Rays Rained Out

2009-07-26T13:32:00.003-04:00

Bad weather keeps getting in the way of baseball in Princeton.

Lightning and rain forced last night's game between the P-Rays and the Johnson City Cardinals to be suspended after four innings, with the scored tied 2-2.

The rain never really stopped since Saturday night, which means today's schedule is washed out.

The lost games will be made up when Princeton visits Johnson City next month. Weather permitting, of course.

Here's the tentative schedule for that series at Cardinal Park:
Thursday 27 August: Completion of the suspended game of July 25, followed by a seven-inning game. The start time is 6:00 pm EDT.
Friday 28 August: A doubleheader of seven-inning games, starting at Noon EDT. Note the early start time.
Saturday 29 August: A single, normal, nine-inning game, starting at 6:00 pm EDT.

The P-Rays return to play tomorrow, with the opener of a Mercer Cup series at Bluefield. We'll have it for you starting at 6:30 pm EDT, on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com.

Friday 24 July: at Princeton 12, Johnson City 0

2009-07-24T21:40:00.002-04:00

The P-Rays set a season-high in runs scored on the same night the pitching staff earned its first shutout of 2009.
Joey Dettrich bounced back from a rough outing last Sunday against Pulaski and was stellar: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
Ryan Wiegand went 4-4 with two doubles and 3 RBIs. Cody Rogers was 2-5 with a pair of doubles and 3 RBIs. Geno Glynn reached base four times; he wound up 2-4 with a double, two RBIs and four runs scored.
It was Johnson City's fourth consecutive loss and the first time they've been shut out this season.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_24_jcyrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_24_jcyrok_prirok_1

Princeton has moved to within 3 1/2 games of first-place Danville in the Appy League East.

Game two of the series is Saturday night. Deivis Mavares makes his first start of the season for the P-Rays, while Johnson City counters with Jesse Simpson (1-0, 1.35 ERA).

We'll start our broadcast with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 at Hunnicutt Field. Hear the game on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com.

Saturday night's game is "Team Picture Night" at Hunnicutt Field. The first 500 fans get a free, full-color photograph of the 2009 Princeton Rays.

Thursday 23 July: at Elizabethon 8, Princeton 5

2009-07-23T22:04:00.002-04:00

The heavy-hitting E-Twins hit three home runs in denying the P-Rays their first series sweep of 2009.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_23_prirok_elirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_23_prirok_elirok_1

After taking two out of three from the first place team in the Appy League West, the P-Rays go against the second-place team starting Friday.
The Johnson City Cardinals visit Hunnicutt Field, and you'll hear the game on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com
Air-time is 6:30 pm EDT. Game time is at 7:00.

Wednesday 22 July: Princeton 11, at Elizabethton 8

2009-07-23T00:07:00.003-04:00

The P-Rays put up a season-best in runs and hits tonight and needed all of them. Princeton led 8-1 before Elizabethton rallied to make it close at the end.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_22_prirok_elirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb
And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_22_prirok_elirok_1

The P-Rays and E-Twins meet for the last time in the regular season on Thursday. Should Princeton win, it would be the first series sweep of the season.
We'll bring the game to you on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com. Air-time is 6:30 pm EDT; game time is 7:00 pm.

Tuesday 21 July: Princeton 3, at Danville 2

2009-07-21T22:46:00.002-04:00

Big win for the P-Rays tonight over the team with the best record in the Appalachian League.
Princeton and Elizabethton have split the four games they've played against one another this seson, with three of those games decided by one run.

Princeton's pitching was solid all night. Starter Wilking Rodriguez kept the league's leading offense in check. The only real mistake was the home run allowed by reliever Deivis Mavares, but he recovered to get the win. Jairo De La Rosa overcame a stumble by the defense in the bottom of the 9th to earn his first professional save.

Here's tonight's boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_21_prirok_elirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_21_prirok_elirok_1

Game two of the three-game series is Wednesday 22 July at O'Brien Field. Our broadcast starts with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT, followed by the game at 7:00.

Monday 20 July: Pulaski 6, at Princeton 4 (12 innings)

2009-07-20T22:49:00.002-04:00

Princeton ran out of miracles tonight.
The P-Rays forged another rally in the bottom of the 9th to force extra innings, but couldn't replicate it in the 12th -- despite putting runners on second and third with one out.
Ouch.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_20_pulrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb
And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_20_pulrok_prirok_1

This is beginning to sound like old news, but ... Pulaski continues to get the measure of Princeton. The Mariners' record is 50-45 since the return of professional baseball to Pulaski in 2008; they're 12-3 against Princeton, and 38-42 against everybody else.

The P-Rays now face the challenge of bouncing back from Monday night's tough loss by visiting Elizabethton. The Twins, at 21-6, have the Appy League's best record and are 2-1 against Princeton this season.
We'll bring the game to you on the air on Classic Rock 102 The New River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and online at theriver102.com.
Air-time is 6:30 EDT.

Sunday 19 July: at Princeton 10, Pulaski 9

2009-07-19T20:37:00.002-04:00

Roller-coaster ride for the P-Rays today. They put up six runs on eight hits in the first three innings to lead 6-3, then watched as Pulaski's bullpen retired 17 Princeton hitters in a row.
But, down 9-6 in the bottom of the 9th, the P-Rays put together a logic-defying rally to nab the victory.
Against those darn Pulaski Mariners, any win is alright.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_19_pulrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb
And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_19_pulrok_prirok_1
(The "Princeton Bottom 9th" section makes for particularly good reading.)

The finale of the series and the homestand is Monday night, July 20. You can hear it on Classic Rock 102 The New River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com, starting at 6:30 pm EDT. First pitch is set for 7:00 at Hunnicutt Field.

P-Rays Doubleheader vs Pulaski, 18 July

2009-07-18T22:58:00.002-04:00

Princeton splits with the Mariners.
The P-Rays rally for a 7-6 win in a goofy first game, then the bats go flat in a 5-1 loss in game two.

Here's the game one boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_18_pulrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb
And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_18_pulrok_prirok_1

Game two boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_18_pulrok_prirok_2&t=g_box&did=milb
And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_18_pulrok_prirok_2

The third game of the four-game series is set for Sunday, July 19, at Hunnicutt Field. Air-time is 3:30 pm EDT, with game time at 4:00, on Classic Rock 102 The New River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and theriver102.com

Pulaski is 11-2 against the Princeton Rays since the start of the 2008 season.

Thursday 16 July: at Princeton 12, Kingsport 9

2009-07-16T22:26:00.002-04:00

The bad news: This one got a little ugly.
The good news: The P-Rays set a season-high for runs for the second straight night.
The better news: It's Princeton's third consecutive win, and the fourth in their last five games.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_16_kptrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb
And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_16_kptrok_prirok_1

Princeton tries for its first series sweep of the season with the finale against Kingsport Friday night. Tune in to Classic Rock 102 The New River (WMTD 102.3 FM) or listen on-line at theriver102.com.
Our broadcast begins with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. Game time is at 7:00 at Hunnicutt Field.

July 15: at Princeton 10, Kingsport 4

2009-07-15T21:55:00.004-04:00

The P-Rays kept the offense going, totaling 12 hits and scoring double-digit runs for the first time this season.
With the victory, Princeton moves past Bluefield into second place in the Appy League East, 2 1/2 games behind Danville. (The Braves had their five-game winning streak ended by Elizabethton Wednesday night, 4-2.)
Cody Rogers led the P-Rays at the plate, going 4-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Ryan Wiegand went 2-5 with a double and 2 RBIs. Julio Cedeno wound up 2-3 with a two-run home run, his first HR of the season.
Starting pitcher Omar Bencomo cruised through the first five innings, allowing only a bloop single on 44 pitches. The P-Rays defense faltered behind him in the 6th, when Kingsport benefited from three Princeton errors to score all four of their runs.
But Bencomo got plenty of run support in getting the win, improving his record to 2-0.

Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_15_kptrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_15_kptrok_prirok_1

The Princeton offense, which has struggled through the early part of the season, has scored 25 runs on 45 hits in the last four games.
Over that same stretch, the P-Rays' pitching staff has allowed six earned runs on 24 hits.

The second game of the three-game series with Kingsport is Thursday night. Air-time is 6:30 and first pitch at 7:00 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102 The New River and theriver102.com.

(My apologies on not posting the results from Monday's 6-1 win at Bluefield. There was a server error at Bowen Field -- reminding us that while the internet is everywhere, it's not always reliable.)

P-Rays Results From Sunday July 12

2009-07-12T19:10:00.002-04:00

Mixed news today.

Princeton wins the first game of its series against Bluefield, 8-1:
(box score)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_11_prirok_blurok_1&t=g_box&did=milb
(recap)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_11_prirok_blurok_1

But the P-Rays drop a tough one in the second game, 2-1:
(box score)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_12_prirok_blurok_1&t=g_box&did=milb
(recap)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_12_prirok_blurok_1

The game two loss prevented Princeton from moving past Bluefield in the second place in the Appy League East. But the P-Rays can grab that spot with a win in the series finale Monday night.
Of course, you'll hear that game on Classic Rock 102 The New River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and at theriver102.com. Air-time is 6:30 pm EDT, with first pitch at 7:00, from Bowen Field.

P-Rays Postponed

2009-07-09T18:45:00.003-04:00

The Princeton Rays game against the Pulaski Mariners tonight (July 9) at Hunnicutt Field is postponed due to rain.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in Princeton on Saturday, July 18. The first game starts at 5:30 pm EDT, with our broadcast on Classic Rock 102 The River and theriver102.com to begin at 5:00 pm.

The P-Rays and Mariners conclude their split series tomorrow night in Pulaski. We'll have it for you on Classic Rock 102 The River and theriver102.com starting with the P-Rays Pre-Game Show at 6:30 pm EDT. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
Wilking Rodriguez was tonight's scheduled starting pitcher for Princeton. Don't be surprised if he gets the start tomorrow at Calfee Park.

The Rays will try to recover from last night's 3-0 loss, the second time Princeton has been shut out this season. Here's the boxscore:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_08_pulrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

And here's the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_08_pulrok_prirok_1

The P-Rays have lost nine of their last ten meetings with Pulaski.

P-Rays Results From Monday July 6

2009-07-06T23:07:00.002-04:00

(I've been a little negligent getting these posted. My apologies.)

The P-Rays split a doubleheader with Elizabethton Monday night.
Game One: Elizabethton 5, Princeton 2.
Game Two: Princeton 5, Elizabethon 4.
The Rays' win in the nightcap was just the second loss of the season for the E-Twins, who boast the league's best record.

Here's the box score from the first game:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_06_elirok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb
Here's the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_06_elirok_prirok_1

The game two box score is here:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_06_elirok_prirok_2&t=g_box&did=milb
And here's the nightcap recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_06_elirok_prirok_2

The third and final game of the series is Tuesday night. Broadcast time is 6:30 pm EDT, with game time at 7:00 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102 The New River and at theriver102.com.

Princeton Rays Result: Thursday July 2

2009-07-03T00:46:00.002-04:00

Tough one tonight. Here's the box score from the Appy League website:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_07_02_prirok_dnvrok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

Here's the recap:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2009_07_02_prirok_dnvrok_1

Sometimes, one bad inning makes all the difference.

The second game of the series is Friday at 5:30 pm EDT, on the air on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River, and online at theriver 102.com.

Princeton Rays Score: Monday 29 June 2009

2009-06-29T21:46:00.002-04:00

Not a Happy Monday for the P-Rays. Greeneville jumped on Princeton starter Wilking Rodriguez early and knocked him out after only 2 1/3 innings. The Rays also hurt themselves with four errors.

On the bright side, Princeton's Cody Rogers hit his first professional home run -- a rocket shot in the 5th.

The Astros win the first game of the three game series, 9-3. Here's a link to box score:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_06_29_gvlrok_prirok_1&t=g_box&did=milb

The P-Rays and Astros meet again Tuesday night, June 30, at Hunnicutt Field. You can hear the game on Classic Rock 102 The New River (WMTD 102.3 FM), and on-line at theriver102.com. Broadcast time is 6:30 EST.

Another Update On Chicago's Tangled Webio

2009-06-24T10:27:00.002-04:00

Ask anyone who's worked in radio, and they'll tell you stories about working for unsavory bosses and/or owners.
But the ongoing controversy over web-only sports talk radio in Chicago takes it to a new level.
The fallout continues to rain down on the guilty -- and the innocent. Here's the latest:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-wed-phil-0624jun24,0,18729,print.column

Life In The Minors

2009-06-20T19:02:00.003-04:00

Greetings from Hunnicutt Field in Princeton!

At the time of this writing, it's exactly 72 hours to first pitch of the 2009 season for the Princeton Rays. That's not a lot of time.
Over the last few days friends and colleagues have been asking who'll be on the P-Rays roster this year. As of now, three days from Opening Day ... I honestly don't know.

The team hasn't officially released a roster, which is good -- General Manager Jim Holland began work on a first draft yesterday, only to see unexpected changes come up. Some players who were expected to be here won't be coming, and some players who weren't expected here will.

Appalachian League teams are allowed to carry 35 players on their rosters, with 30 players active for any given game. Right now, there are 26 players in Princeton, with another due to arrive tomorrow. So that leaves eight spots to be filled before Tuesday's first game.

There's been at least one newspaper story about the '09 P-Rays, based on that first-draft roster. But the unexpected changes have rendered part of that story already obsolete; three players the story mentioned aren't here at Hunnicutt Field and likely won't play in Princeton, at least for now, while some players not mentioned in the story are here and more of the same are on the way.

Friday night, at around 11:30, in Jim's office, he asked me, "Do you have that first roster from earlier today?"
I told him I did.
"Well, throw it out. We're making some changes."

That's how it goes in the minor leagues.

As the P-Rays' radio broadcaster, I'm allowed access to certain information and trusted to keep it mum before it becomes public knowledge. Like with this roster. I have a list of players that are here right now (so I can prepare for the broadcasts) but I can't officially say who they are.

But I can reveal a few things:

Unlike 2008, when the majority of the P-Rays' roster was made up of players who were with the team the previous season, newcomers will outnumber the returners in '09.
The P-Rays will have an entirely new infield.
Two players who were infielders in the Tampa Bay organization will be converted to pitchers.
The outfield, with three returning starters from '08 (Brian Bryles, Ty Morrison, Ramon Novas) could be the strength of the team, especially early in the season while the newbies adjust to professional baseball.
This is mere speculation, but Jason McEachern could be Princeton's Opening Day starting pitcher. The youngster excelled with the P-Rays last year (3-0, 1.44 ERA, 25 IP, 17 H, 16 K in nine apperances) as a 17-year old. But, as the Violent Femmes once sang, "this is only a guess."

NOTE: For the second time in as many years, I'll be hosting the "P-Rays Preview Show" the day before Opening Day. It's an hour-long look ahead to the 2009 season. Tune in to Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River (WMTD), Monday, June 22, starting at 6:00 pm EDT.

And Again...

2009-06-17T22:44:00.001-04:00

...the latest on the web-only sports talk station in Chicago. It gets weirder and sadder at the same time.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-webio-hernandez-missing-jun16,0,5222640.story

"The Madoff Of The Midway"

2009-06-15T19:52:00.006-04:00

While the concept of webcast-only sports talk broadcasting is bound to succeed one day
(http://insidetheheadset.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-path-for-sports-talk.html), its immediate future in the nation's third-largest market has become uncertain.

What is it about scandals and Chicago?

Here was the first notice that something was awry:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-13-mike-north-jun13,0,1822596,print.story

Then it became more than just a broadcasting-related situation:
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/people/1622062,CST-NWS-North14.article#

Then, inevitably, investigators followed the money:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sec-chicago-sports-webio-jun15,0,7147350,print.story

Look for further updates as events warrant.

Do Yourself A Favor

2009-06-15T16:34:00.003-04:00

If you haven't already, bookmark this:

http://www.realclearsports.com/

Realclearsports.com is, in essence, a one-stop shop for the latest work from some of the leading opinion makers in sports media, from newspaper columnists to bloggers.

It's timely, too, updated twice a day. For example, at the time of this writing (4:45 pm EDT, Monday 15 June 2009) realclearsports.com has links to 35 articles on its main page.
Topics run the gamut: The Los Angeles Lakers' NBA championship ... how Mario Lemieux played a role in the Pittsburgh Penguins' Stanley Cup run ... baseball uberprospect Bryce Harper ... an update on former heavyweight boxing champion Riddick Bowe ... why Chris Berman of ESPN doesn't cover The Masters ... and so on, and so on, and so on.

In all, it's an on-line must-have for sports fans.

In the interest of full disclosure, I get no benefit for posting this link. I just happened to stumble upon the website one day and was quite impressed. Hopefully, you'll feel the same. Enjoy.

A New Path For Sports Talk

2009-06-12T10:51:00.004-04:00

This sometimes reads more like a p.r. release than a news article, but it shows one very possible future for sports talk broadcasting:
http://www.examiner.com/x-11183-Chicago-Business-Examiner~y2009m6d10-Chicagosportswebiocom-is-changing-the-Chicago-media-industry

It's no great shock that this idea is working so well in Chicago, which fancies itself as "the best sports town the country."

The fans in Chicago are passionately devoted and enjoy no shortage of topics to discuss.
When it comes to major professional teams, they have the Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox and Blackhawks.
For major colleges, they have Northwestern and Notre Dame, not to mention Chicago's large contingent of Illinois alumni.
Chicago is big on high school sports, too.
On top of that, Chicago sports fans are never bashful about sharing their opinions. Trust me.

Hypothetical Question

2009-06-12T07:29:00.002-04:00

If they stage an NBA Finals, and hardly anybody I know cares, do I have to blog about it?

Inspired By Bill Maher (?)

2009-06-09T19:49:00.007-04:00

Here's an insightful piece called "New Rules for Sportscasting," from Leonard Shapiro in the June 9, 2009 Washington Post.
Shapiro focuses on the D.C. area, of course, but the issues he brings up are universal.
My comments are included.

*********************

New Rule: If you really do want to be taken seriously as a member of the media, you are not supposed to be abjectly rooting for the home team.

During the Washington Capitals recent playoff run, I heard more than one local broadcaster end sportscasts or individual reports on the team with an emphatic "Let's Go Caps!" If you want to scream your lungs out for the home team in the privacy of your own den, knock yourself out. But up in the press box, broadcast booth or your station's studio, knock off the cheerleading and act like a professional.

Comment: Agreed. "No cheering in the press box" is a time-honored rule in sports media, and it should apply to booths and studios too. As a play-by-play announcer, I can tell you this: There's nothing wrong supporting the home team, but play-by-play is a form of journalism. Reporting in its purest form.

So, if a play-by-play announcer homers it up for the home team, that announcer isn't telling the straight truth. In reporting, not telling the truth is, well, lying. Lying undercuts, if not destroys, a reporter's credibility.

I'd like to think that when I'm calling a game for, say, the Princeton Rays or the Concord Mountain Lions, I'm calling the game for the fans of those teams, and that listeners will be able to recognize that. I know what audience I'm working for. And, honestly, I want the teams I call games for to do well. But I won't gloss over the teams' shortcomings, nor will I ignore the opponent when it does something well.

*********************

New Rule: Along the same lines, when you're on the job, and especially on the air, don't wear clothing -- golf shirts, team jerseys, ball caps, whatever -- with a local team logo visible. Similarly, if you're a local sportscaster posing for a magazine cover in your own market, resist all attempts by editors or photographers to be dressed in the colors, jerseys, shirts, sweats of any local team, even if you work for the "official station of the _____." I won't name names this time for recent guilty offenders, but you know who you are. Here's another new rule. No free passes next time.

Comment: This applies more to TV than radio. It's also a little tricky at the local level. When I'm calling a P-Rays game, for example, I'll often wear a team-provided polo shirt, especially on the road, where people don't know me like they do in Princeton. Wearing team clothing shows that I am indeed working on behalf of the team (even though the team doesn't pay me).

In the last decade or so, the dynamic between sports teams and their broadcast outlets has evolved from a cooperative effort between two separate entities into a blended partnership (eg, the relationship between the NHL and NBC). So, look for this "transgression" Shapiro is upset about happening more and more.

*********************

New Rule: I assume Rob Dibble had a chance to meet Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Bob Wolff when the Nationals honored the former Senators play-by-play man (1947-60) Saturday night at the stadium.

Wolff would be too much the consummate gentleman to tell Dibble to cease and desist in referring to the Nationals on the air as "we," as in "we need a hit here" or "us," as in "they're killing us with three-run homers" or "our," as in "our pitching is dismally dreadful."

So let me suggest in my own loutish way that Dibble simply substitute "the Nats" or "the Nationals" or "Washington." Last time we looked, Dibble never threw a pitch, never swung a bat in a Nats' uniform. Even if he's now being paid by the team, and even if he has been properly critical of the club on the air, we, us and our translates to homer in my book, and likely Bob Wolff's as well.

Comment: I am completely on-board with Shapiro here. When you're broadcasting a game, you never, never, NEVER say "we." Never. Unless you're a current player, coach, trainer or manager for the team ... in which case you wouldn't be in the broadcast booth in the first place.

When it comes to sportscasting crimes, being a homer can be a misdemeanor, but saying "we" is a felony.

Off topic: It was nice to see Bob Wolff be honored by the Nationals.

*********************

New Rule: Enough already with Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN-980, Washington's only all-sports talk radio station. It's not so much the show I object to as its predominately national subject matter.

Yes they get world-class guests on a moment's notice, just as all the ESPN radio hosts do thanks to the power of the so-called Worldwide Leader. But if you're stuck in traffic on the Beltway on the way to work first thing in the morning, wouldn't you rather hear about teams and athletes in the local market, the way it is in many cities around the country?

Comment: In an ideal world, every sports talk market area, large or small, would feature only local programming. But ours is not an ideal world, especially in these times of economic uncertainty. Many times it's simply cheaper for a sports talk station to run syndicated programming like 'Mike & Mike' -- especially in small markets. (If you don't know how miserly some owners of small-market stations can be, just ask anybody who's been in radio for a few years. They'll tell you some stories....)

Then there's this cold, hard reality: Most smaller markets simply don't provide enough news and content to support a daily, four-hour morning show. Trust me. There's just not enough going on, and too small a population to rely on listener phone calls to help fill out the show. Heck, some stations at which I've worked don't even have the capability to take listener phone calls in the first place.

But why a market area as large as Washington DC doesn't have a local morning show is baffling.

That said, 'Mike & Mike' is a very good show.

*********************

New Rule: ESPN SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt sadly is the latest in a long line of TV sports anchors (Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Patrick, among others) to shamelessly pitch products in on-air commercials.

These days, Van Pelt appears in advertisements shilling for Titleist golf balls, and he should know better. He's essentially delivering news every night he's on, and often goes out in the field as a reporter and interviewer. Television anchors and reporters don't endorse products on the air. Ever see Tom Brokaw, Katie Couric or Britt Hume, among many others, do commercials? Van Pelt, a guy whose on-air work I've admired since his early days at The Golf Channel, is better than that. Next time, take a pass.

Comment: Again, I agree completely. And I say that as a fan of Scott Van Pelt.

It's impossible to be an objective journalist AND a product endorser. In Van Pelt's case, it would be one thing if he was strictly an entertainment personality, but his job calls for him to be an objective reporter covering a great many topics. He could, conceivably, be more critical of a golfer because that golfer doesn't use the products Van Pelt endorses. Which would damage his credibility.

On a local level, I've heard at least one broadcast news personality voice a commercial for a political candidate during an election campaign -- a staggering contradiction and conflict of interest. When that happens, a newsperson goes from being a reporter and a journalist to a mere shill -- sacrificing credibility in the process.

*********************

New Rule: Do we really need a half-hour studio show before every game in the NBA Finals? In previous postseason series, ESPN and TNT gave us hour-long pre-game shows and those were far too long, despite the presence of always entertaining Charles Barkley on TNT. At this point, anyone following the NBA knows all there is to know about both teams in the Finals, so why not a 15-minute pre-game starting at 8 p.m., a few minutes more for courtside introductions and analysis from the game broadcasters and tip-off at 8:30 p.m., the better to finish just in time for news at 11?

Comment: The length of pre-game or pre-event programs on network TV has become insufferable. For examples, look to the interminable pre-race shows for the Triple Crown horse races, or any NASCAR Sprint Cup event.
But I'll let you in on a little secret. Longer pre-event shows mean more spots for commercials, and more commercials give the networks a chance to make more money. So, unless there's a viewer revolt these shows are here to stay.

*********************

New Rule: The LPGA Championship, one of the four women's majors on the tour's ever-shrinking schedule, is being played this week in Havre de Grace, Md. But don't look for it on any of the major over-the-air networks this weekend. Instead, all tournament coverage will be aired by the Golf Channel, which means millions of potential viewers without the cable network in their basic package will be shut out. What a shame. And now that the LPGA owns the tournament outright, it's a must fix for the future.

Comment: This could be a sign of doom for the LPGA. Sure, the women don't have the same distance as the men on the professional tour, but the ladies play at a level the vast majority of us -- male or female -- can only dream of attaining. To me, good golf is good golf, and an LPGA major is as entertaining and pressure-packed as the PGA's. But I'm in the minority with that perspective, and it's a sign of big trouble for the LPGA if it can't get one of its majors on broadcast TV.

*********************

New Rule: Props to Richard Sandomir of the New York Times for pointing out that ABC's broadcast of the Belmont Stakes included a number of features that had already run earlier in the day on corporate cousin ESPN's pre-Belmont coverage before ABC went on the air for its own pre-race show.

"Synergy Results In a Lazy Broadcast" was the spot-on headline over the Times story Sunday. And while this synergy surely saved the parent Disney Company a few bucks in production costs, bottom line is that viewers watching both networks deserved better. One totally unnecessary feature aired on both networks included Kenny Mayne sitting in a pick-up truck with Mine That Bird trainer Chip Woolley playing a (badly) scripted game of Twenty Questions. We have only one: How did that get on the air in the first place?

Comment: This is the downside of the Disney/ESPN/ABC synergy. If pre-game and pre-event shows were shorter, there wouldn't be room for subpar feature pieces and the blatant overlaps Triple Crown fans had to put up with. A possible solution would be for ESPN to make such features available only on their website.

Ask yourself this: If a politician ran for election promising to shorten pre-game and pre-event shows on network TV, you'd vote for that person, wouldn't you?

Ex-(Princeton)Rays

2009-06-09T10:36:00.004-04:00

One thing about Princeton Rays fans is that their loyalty is not fleeting. They're keenly interested in following the progress of former P-Rays as they work their way up the baseball ladder.

So, from time to time here on Inside The Headset I'll provide updates on how former Princeton Rays players are faring.

With the Tampa Bay Rays poised to add scores of new players via the First Year Draft -- which starts at 6:00 pm EDT today -- now is a good time for the first update.
We'll focus on a group of last year's P-Rays who are now with the Class A Bowling Green (KY) Hot Rods of the South Atlantic League.

The player generating the most interest among baseball fans -- inside and outside of the Rays' organization -- is shortstop Tim Beckham. The 19-year old was the first overall pick of last year's draft and began his professional career in Princeton.

This year, the youngster from Georgia is doing well at Bowling Green. He's played in 51 of the Hot Rods' 57 games so far, the most games of any position player. Beckham leads the team in batting average (.297), at-bats (192), hits (57), and is tied for the lead in RBIs (31).
By comparison, Beckham hit .243 with the P-Rays in 2008.

As he continues to learn in the professional ranks, Beckham finds himself leading the Hot Rods in strikeouts (47), and errors (17). He's also 2-8 in stolen base attempts.

Scouts predicted in the run-up to last year's draft that Beckham's power numbers will rise as he matures physically. Looks like they were right. Beckham is second on the Hot Rods in slugging percentage (.427) and OPS (.788). Last year, he slugged .345 and had a .642 OPS.

Tim Beckham's older brother Jeremy, who also started his professional career with Princeton last year, is also at Bowling Green in 2009.

The elder Beckham is hitting .276 in 24 games with the Hot Rods, with an outstanding .447 on-base percentage. Last year, Jeremy hit .260 for the P-Rays before being called up to Class A Hudson Valley after 18 games in Princeton.

Outfielder Justin Reynolds is having a bit of a rough go with Bowling Green, hitting .218 in 33 games. But the speedy 22-year old from Dallas, Oregon is 5-7 in stolen base attempts.

Four members of Princeton's 2008 pitching staff are now at Bowling Green. The best of that lot, arguably, is Matt Moore.

Moore just missed winning the Applachian League ERA title last year (he was 1/3 of an inning short being eligible for the title), and after a bumpy start at Bowling Green the left-hander has found his groove.

Moore's low point this season came against Savannah May 14, when the Sand Gnats touched him up for four earned runs on four hits and six walks in only 2 2/3 innings.
Moore responded with four straight impressive appearances; in that time, in a combined 18 1/3 innings pitched, Moore has allowed 12 hits and 10 walks, while striking out 28, with an ERA of 1.96.

The high point for Moore came in his last start. June 6, at Asheville, Moore was unhittable -- literally. In seven innings, he gave up no hits, walked only two and struck out 12.

Overall this season, Moore is 3-2 with a 3.30 ERA. He's recovered from a bout of early-season wildness (26 walks in his first 28 innings, a rate of 8.4 walks/9 IP) and is piling up the strikeouts. His 12 K's against Asheville last Saturday raised his season total to a team-high 69, for a stellar rate of 13.4 K/9 IP.
That's good in any league.
So is Moore's opponents' batting average: .175.

One of Tampa Bay's organizational philosophies is to limit their young pitchers to a strict pitch count. So it's a promising sign when someone in the lower minor leagues goes deeper into games, like Joe Cruz is doing at Bowling Green. After averaging about 3 2/3 IP in his first five starts, Cruz has gone five innings or more in his last three.

Overall, the 20 year-old Californian is 1-2 with a 3.03 ERA. In a total of 35 2/3 IP, he's walked only nine while striking out 39. That's a strikeout/walk ratio of 4.3:1, not to mention a rate of 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Jamie Bagley and Mike Jarman gave last year's Princeton squad a lights-out right-lefty bullpen combo. Each is with Bowling Green this season, but their roles have changed.

Bagley is still a reliever, and he leads the Hot Rods with eight saves in 19 appearances. He started the season looking invincible, not allowing a run in his first ten outings, but has cooled down lately. Bagley's been scored upon in each of his last four appearances, with an ERA of 7.56 over that time. Still, he picked up the win last Saturday against Asheville.

Jarman is now a starter, a role he held in his college career. With Bowling Green, he's overcome a stint on the seven-day DL to go 4-4 with a very respectable 2.72 ERA. In 43 IP, Jarman has walked only ten while striking out 31.

Caution: Subject Matter May Be Disturbing....

2009-06-05T23:17:00.003-04:00

...Especially for those who understand and appreciate the enduring value of local broadcasting.

At Southern Communications, we take great pride in being locally owned.
We're not run out of a corporate board room somewhere out of town, like some other broadcast organizations in our area. The guy that owns Southern Communications, Shane Southern, grew up in southern West Virginia and lives in Monroe County.

Shane's commitment to his home area is a big reason why we broadcast so much local sports here on Classic Rock 102 The New River. We cover the Princeton Rays, Concord Mountain Lions and Summers County Bobcats. That means we do more sports in Mercer and Summers counties, by far, than any broadcast organization in the Two Virginias. By far. Nobody else is even close.

Being locally-owned makes us unique in this age of conglomerates. In this case, unique is good, since large, centrally-controlled broadcast organizations are increasingly proving they can't do four things:
1. Run a business
2. Run a radio station
3. Understand what "local" programming means
4. Appreciate what their listeners want and need from their hometown stations

I recently found this blog and wanted to share it with you. It doesn't deal with local sports, but it sheds a light onto some of the horror stories emerging from corporate radio:

http://insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com/2009/06/games-radio-consolidators-play.html

Other broadcast groups say they're local, but they're run by someone in, for example, New York or California.
Southern Communications' headquarters is at 306 South Kanawha Street in Beckley. The owner has an office there, and not just for show. He works there everyday. Stop by and see us sometime.

Who Might Be The Newest Princeton Rays?

2009-06-05T14:29:00.004-04:00

Major League Baseball's annual First Year Player Draft is important for the Appalachian League, a traditional professional launching pad for newly-acquired players.

Last year, for example, 13 of the 50 players selected by Tampa Bay wound up playing in Princeton. That included the draft’s overall first selection, SS Tim Beckham, who signed quickly and played nearly the entire Appy League season with the P-Rays. (Beckham is now with Class A Bowling Green.)

This year’s draft is unique for Tampa Bay. The Rays’ history of futility meant the organization usually wound up at or near the top of the draft order, but 2008’s exhilarating run to the World Series has dropped Tampa Bay to near the bottom. Still, that’s a nice problem to have.

One way to tell the draft is becoming a big deal is the growing amount of media attention surrounding it.

In MLB’s case, the increasing media interest is self-generated. This year’s draft is expanded from two days to three, and the first three rounds will be televised live in prime time on MLB Network on Tuesday, June 9, starting at 6:00 pm EDT.

The remaining rounds will be staged outside the glare of live TV coverage. Rounds 4-30 will take place on Wednesday, June 10, starting at noon. Rounds 31-50 are set for Thursday, June 11, starting at 11:30 am.

Like the drafts staged by the NFL, NBA and NHL, baseball’s selection extravaganza is inspiring a growing cottage industry of mock drafts. Here are prognosticators’ predictions on who Tampa Bay will take in the early rounds (and who may wind up in Princeton in 2009):

* Andy Seiler at minorleagueball.com predicts the Rays will take LHP Chad James from Yukon High School (Oklahoma): “James still plays somewhere in the first round, and I think the Rays would be thrilled to get one of the top prep lefties this far down.”

Seilers goes further, saying Tampa Bay will take RHP Brooks Pounders from Temecula Valley HS (California) in the 2^nd round, with the 78^th overall pick: “Pounders has baseball bloodlines, with his dad having been a third round pick by San Diego 25 years ago. Tampa Bay likes prep pitchers in this range.”

In the 3^rd round, with the 108^th pick, Seiler says Tampa Bay will go with LHP Tyler Kehrer from Eastern Illinois.

* Michael Huang at sportingnews.com says Tampa Bay will use its first-round pick on RHP Alex Wilson from Texas A&M, adding: “(Wilson) took the loss in head-to-head matchup with (the Texas) Longhorns. Still throwing in the high 90s.”

* Projectprospect.com’s Adam Foster believes Tampa Bay will select OF Jared Mitchell from LSU in the first round.

* According the mlbdraftsite.com, the Rays will pick OF/2B A.J. Pollock from Notre Dame in the first round, SS Robbie Shields from Florida Southern College in round two and 6’5” 195-pound RHP Sean Black from Seton Hall in round three.

* Mymlbdraft.com says the Rays will go with C/3B Wil Myers in the first round. Myers is a 6’3” 185-pound junior at Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, NC.

* Baseballdraftreport.com has long player capsules in its mock draft. The site predicts Tampa Bay will use its first round pick to take OF Brian Goodwin from Rocky Mount High School in North Carolina: “What to get the team that has everything actually applies with the Tampa franchise – this is an organization in amazingly good shape going forward. They lost in their first crack at the ultimate prize, but, I assure you, there will be other chances. They really are the team that has everything.

"One spot that could use an organizational restocking – the outfield. The days of Dukes, Hamilton, Crawford, Baldelli, Gomes, and Young all on the organizational depth chart are long gone. True, Carl Crawford and BJ Upton make up two thirds of the reigning AL champion outfield and, yes, Desmond Jennings is a darn good prospect when healthy, but even with all that talent it unbelievably could still be considered one of the weaker parts of the team. Crazy.

"Goodwin is a potentially elite defensive centerfielder with plus speed (6.5 to 6.65 second 60 times) and a plus arm. Shields, (Indiana University C Josh) Phegley, and (University of Tennessee OF Kentrail) Davis all work as college bats who play positions of need who could be considered if they fall.”

* Someone named “Morisato” at realsportsbloggers.com says the Ray will take RHP Jason Stoffel of the University of Arizona in the first round: “One of the top relievers in the draft, Stoffel has big enough stuff to potentially succeed as a starter as well. He throws in the low 90’s, but his fastball has good life on it and induces a lot of ground balls. His curveball is a plus pitch and when coupled with the fastball, gives him a great two pitch mix. He has a changeup as well, but he hasn’t used it much in college. As a closer, he has a bulldog mentality on the mound. All in all, he might be able to succeed as a starter if given a shot, but he’s a bad ass as a closer. He’s a nice pickup for Tampa.”

With or without newly-drafted players, the Princeton Rays open their 2009 season Tuesday, June 23 against Burlington. We’ll broadcast that game – and every other game the P-Rays play – on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River.

P-Rays Q & A

2009-06-04T11:42:00.004-04:00

A sure sign of spring for me is making appearances on behalf of the Princeton Rays at Little Leagues around the Two Virginias. P-Rays' GM Jim Holland and myself -- often accompanied by team mascot Roscoe The Rooster -- enjoying getting out and talking baseball with players and fans of all ages.
We get a lot of questions when we're out and about. With this year's schedule of meet-and-greets complete, it's a good time to address the most commonly asked of those questions.

Many of the questions have to do with Roscoe, whom Jim and I readily acknowledge is the undisputed star of the show.

Why do you have a chicken for a mascot?
Actually, Roscoe is a rooster, not a chicken. (There's a big difference, especially to Roscoe.) Princeton has a rooster for a mascot because of the city's time as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Roscoe first joined the team as "Roscoe The Reds Rooster" (which has a nice sound to it) and did such a good job that he stayed on after Princeton became an affiliate of Tampa Bay.
His official name is now "Roscoe The Princeton Rays Rooster," and you'll see him at every home game this season.

Is it hot in that chicken costume?
Again, Roscoe is a rooster. He tells me that, yes, it can get warm. But Roscoe, being the easy-going, fun-loving rooster he is, knows being a little warm from time to time is just part of the job.

Is there a Mrs. Roscoe?
Yes. Roscoe is a happily married rooster. He also has relatives all around the area.

Where is Roscoe from?
Roscoe was born and raised in Princeton and is proud to call the Two Virginias his home. He loves working in baseball and loves meeting all the fans who come out to Hunnicutt Field.

Why can't I pull on Roscoe's tail?
Look at it this way -- how would you like it if someone pulled on your tail?

How come Roscoe isn't with you all the time?
(We get this question at appearances where Roscoe isn't with us.)
Just like anyone else, Roscoe sometimes has responsibilities outside the workplace. He has other obligations, such as family events and the like. Scheduling conflicts arise from time to time.

What's Roscoe really like?
Roscoe is a great guy -- er, rooster -- to work with. He really loves his job. He always stops by the radio booth to say hello during games. He doesn't talk much, though.

Where are the players? How come they're not with you?
The Appalachian League, the league Princeton plays in, has what's called a "short season." Appy League teams play 68 games -- compared to 162 in the Major Leagues and 140 in most full-season minor leagues. The Appy League season traditionally doesn't start until mid- to late June (this year, Opening Day is June 23).
The players who will wind up on the P-Rays are still playing and practicing at spring training facilities in Florida, in what's called "extended spring training."
They'll stay at "extended" until they report to Princeton. This season's team gets to town on June 19.

Are the Princeton Rays like a high school or college team?
No. There are many players of high school and college age, but they are professional baseball players on a professional minor league team. Playing baseball is their job. They get paid for it.

How do you get your players? Is it just Princeton people who can play on the team? Are there tryouts or something?
No, playing for the P-Rays is definitely not limited to residents of the Princeton area. Players are assigned to Princeton by the front office in Tampa Bay, the P-Rays' parent club.
Tampa Bay gets its players like every other team in professional baseball and other pro sports -- by drafting them or signing them as free agents.
Tampa Bay, like every other team in the Majors, has scouts all around the country and Latin America. Scouts find players and evaluate their talent. If the scouts like what they see, they recommend a player to the front office, and from there Tampa Bay officials decide whether to draft him. If a player goes undrafted, he may be signed as a free agent.
By the way, this year's draft is next Tuesday, June 9.
Major League teams don't hold tryouts as much as they used to. Scouting has become much more extensive and sophisticated over the years, so if a young amateur player shows potential, scouts know about him. It's extraordinarily rare for a talented prospect to fall through the cracks anymore.

What are the players like?
They're young guys who come from many different places, and even speak different languages. But they have one thing in common: Getting to the Major Leagues, or "Making The Show."

How do I get tickets?
Princeton Rays ticket prices are very budget-friendly and there are several ticket packages available. For more information, go to the P-Rays' website: princetonrays.net. You can also order tickets by e-mail at raysball@citlink.net, or by calling the P-Rays office at (304) 487-2000.

Where can I get hats and t-shirts and stuff like that?
The P-Rays have a new look this year, to match what Tampa Bay wears at the Major League level. Gone is the old green-and-black colors, replaced by Tampa's navy blue-and-gold.
P-Rays souvenirs are sold in a shop adjacent to the right field seats at Hunnicutt Field on game days. You can also order by e-mail or phone (see above).

Where do the P-Rays play?
Princeton plays at Hunnicutt Field, which is adjacent to Princeton High School and the Mercer County Technical Education Center.
Here's more information, from the team's website:

Directions
Take Exit 9 off I-77; take US 460 West to Downtown Princeton exit and take a right turn; take left turn at next traffic light onto Stafford Drive; Drive appx. 500 yards past Princeton High School and take left turn immediately before Subway sandwich shop. Main stadium entrance is in the right field corner.

Parking
Parking is free and lots are located behind the outfield fence of the stadium.

General Info
There is ADA-approved handicap accessible seating in both the first base bleachers and in the grandstand. Public restrooms are located on both sides of the stadium underneath both the first and third base bleachers. Uniformed security is on-site at all P-Rays' home games. The concession stand is located underneath the grandstands behind home plate. The souvenir stand is located in the first building at the stadium's main entrance. Gates open one hour prior to game time. All free promotional premium items on "giveaway" nights are distributed at the main gate in the right field corner only.

Who's going to be good in the league this year?
That's always very difficult to predict since Appy League teams don't know what players they'll have until just days before the season starts.
For further explanation, see the "It's Not Easy Making Appy League Predictions" entry from May 28 here on Inside The Headset.

Do you guys get to fly to games?
The Appy League is a "bus league" and the teams aren't really all that far away from each other. We take a nice charter bus to road games. The longest trip is to Burlington, North Carolina, which is about 3 1/2 hours. Most trips fall into the 2-3 hour range.

Does Roscoe get to travel with you?
Roscoe has a lot of things to do in and around Princeton, so he stays home when the P-Rays are on the road. Besides, if he went to another team's ballpark he'd be on another mascot's turf, and that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do.

Are games on the radio?
Yes. You can listen to every P-Rays game on Classic Rock 102 The New River (102.3 FM). You can also listen on the internet. Go to princetonrays.net or theriver102.com for the webcasts. The season starts June 23, when the Burlington Royals come to Hunnicutt Field.

It's Not Easy Making Appy League Predictions

2009-05-28T12:35:00.005-04:00

As the play-by-play guy for the Princeton Rays, with the season just about to start, more and more I'll be asked, "How are the Rays gonna do this year?"

Right now, the best answer is, "I have no idea."

That's due to how things work in a rookie-level circuit like the Appalachian League. Opening Day is June 23, but we won't know which teams have which players until just a few days before.

Predicting how a Major League team will do, or a AAA or AA team, is comparatively easy. Prognosticators usually know well in advance which player will be at which level, and can reference each player's performance in the Cactus or Grapefruit leagues.

Meanwhile, players that will ultimately wind up on Appy League teams are in "extended spring training," which has been going on since started higher-level teams (MLB/AAA/AA/Full-Season A) began their regular seasons in late March/early April.

By now, each organization has a pretty good idea which players will wind up in the Appy League, a step above in a Short-Season A league, or a step below in the Gulf Coast League.

But that knowledge is only temporary.

The annual First-Year Amateur Draft starts June 9. When it's over, each organization will have selected about 50 new players, which will have to signed, evaluated, and assigned to a team. Some players won't be signed in time to play this season. Many others, usually lower-round selections, will sign quickly and make at least a cursory appearance at extended spring training.

The influx of new players puts the potential rosters of low minor league teams teams in turmoil. A player who may have been a lock for an Appy League spot, for example, could get moved up or down a level depending on who his organization drafts. That player may not know which team he's assigned to until the very day that team breaks camp.

Obtaining statistics from extended spring training can be a daunting task. Finding a position player's batting average or a pitcher's ERA isn't nearly as simple as it is when it comes to MLB or the higher minor leagues. Which makes it difficult to tell who's excelling and who's struggling in the run-up to the regular season.

On top of that, in the Appy League, even when the rosters are set, they're certainly not set in stone. Player turnover is a fact of life and changes come at the strangest of times.

Case in point: Last season, Princeton hosted Pulaski on Opening Day. Literally just minutes before the first pitch, someone from the Mariners' organization hurried to the press box to announce that the two draft picks had just signed and would be joining the team shortly. As that announcement was made, two players, carrying their luggage, walked across the field to the Mariners' dugout.

There are certain things that are a given in the Appalachian League no matter what the year.

But the only sure thing is that there are no sure things.

An Open Letter to Tony George

2009-05-27T10:03:00.006-04:00

To: Tony George
Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Re: Open-wheel racing in America

Dear Tony,
This is your fault.

=================================================================================
(From the May 27, 2009 USA Today:)

Indianapolis 500 losing television drawing power

by Michael Hiestand, USA TODAY

You have to wonder: What's left, theoretically, that could resurrect the Indianapolis 500's drawing power?

The merger of what had been two competing Indy-style circuits, ending a split that had supposedly hampered the sport for years, came last year. Danica Patrick was supposed to bring star power if she could also be a contender on the track — and she finished third in Sunday's race.

But ABC's coverage drew just 3.9% of U.S. TV households. That's down 13% from last year, down 40% from coverage four years ago — and the lowest rating since the 500 got live start-to-finish TV coverage in 1986.

And if the recession kept some viewers off the roads this Memorial Day weekend, it didn't mean they wanted to watch cars on TV.

===================================================================

Tony, I used to be a rabid open-wheel fan, especially in the heyday of the CART series. I'd watch every race on TV and attend 3-4 races a year.

But then you concocted your Indy Racing League brainchild and the walls caved in.

You don't need me to remind you that the schism you created between CART and the IRL in the mid '90s opened the door for NASCAR's massive growth and put American open-wheel racing solidly in the death-spiral that currently swirls around it.

What's most galling is your justification for the split. You wanted American drivers, in American-built cars, racing on American ovals.
What we have are Japanese engines in Italian chassis with an international cast of drivers competing in a series that visits foreign countries and includes street circuits and road courses.
Which is what open-wheel racing in the US used to provide us -- before your power grab.

What were you thinking?

Despite its travails, open-wheel racing is still viable, somehow, yet finds itself at a crossroads. There are conflicting predictions of its future and your role in it. USA Today had another story this week, lauding your Indy Racing League for so far avoiding the economic pitfalls that have struck NASCAR and Formula 1. Meanwhile, speedtv.com reported earlier this week you'd been removed as CEO of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a story you were quick to deny.
But the ratings prove that the very foundation of your IRL -- what old-timers still call "The 500 Mile" -- is inspiring viewers to stay away in droves.

Whatever the future holds, open-wheel racing and its fans would benefit from you not being a part of it.

Sincerely,
Disgruntled in West Virginia

A Nominee Who's Already Made History

2009-05-26T09:34:00.007-04:00

The breaking news today is President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. If Sotomayor sounds familiar to baseball fans, Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel explains why.

The day Sotomayor saved baseball

By Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel

May. 26, 2009 8:25 a.m.

Sonia Sotomayor, a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Barack Obama.

Baseball fans with good memories may recall that it was Sotomayor, then a federal judge, who ruled in March 1995 against Major League Baseball owners, ending a 232-day strike.

At the time, Sotomayor granted an injunction sought by the National Labor Relations Board and ordered owners to restore free-agent bidding, salary arbitration and the anti-collusion provisions of baseball's expired collective bargaining agreement.

"The loss of playing time to the players can't be more than adequately compensated by monetary damages," Sotomayor said.

Sotomayor made her ruling that year just days before the start of the season. Owners at the time had voted to use replacement players who had been in spring training.

By April 1, baseball's lawyers agreed to postpone the season opener. The next day, owners accepted the players' offer to return to work. Exhibition games began April 13, and opening day was set for April 26.

Owners ultimately appealed Sotomayor's injunction. But in September 1995, an appellate court upheld Sotomayor's ruling, saying she was correct in ruling that the owners acted improperly in unilaterally implementing new work rules earlier in the year.

Ultimately, Sotomayor's decision saved the baseball season that year because it prompted the players to end their strike and get back on the field.

A Big Ten Guy Weighs In

2009-05-21T13:57:00.004-04:00

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno made some waves recently, with his suggestion that the Big Ten add a 12th team to make the league eligible to stage a conference championship football game.

The waves JoePa created crashed over the national sports media, with many pundits suggesting Notre Dame would be the natural choice to be the twelfth team.

But as former Big Ten football coach Lee Corso is noted for saying, "Not so fast, my friend."

As someone born and raised in a Big Ten state and a proud graduate of a Big Ten university, I have a vested interest. With that in mind, here's one perspective on Notre Dame:
You don't want us, and we don't want you.

Let's backtrack a bit.

Speculation over Notre Dame joining the Big Ten has risen and fallen over the years. About 10-15 years ago, it appeared that it was going to happen, but Notre Dame balked. The rumors started up again a few years ago, but the two sides wound up farther apart than before.

This time, more importantly, Notre Dame came off as dismissive, which created hostility within Big Ten Nation.

Ask many Big Ten fans, and they'll tell you -- Let Notre Dame have its national TV contract and Big East membership; if the Big Ten expands, it will bring in a team that wants to be in.

(Then again, we're talking about the Big Ten, which isn't exactly forward-thinking. Case in point: The league spent years resisting the idea of a post-season basketball tournament, effectively handing the national spotlight to the ACC, SEC, Big East and Big XII. But at least the Big Ten realized what it was missing, and now its tournament is one of the most visible in the country.)

If and when the Big Ten adds a 12th team, it won't be in South Bend.

Louisville would be an appealing candidate. Pitt would be a good fit, and would instantly be part of geographic arch-rivalries with Penn State and Ohio State. But it's hard to imagine the Panthers leaving the Big East. The same holds for Rutgers, and especially for Syracuse, which was a charter member of the Big East.

More likely possibilities to join the Big Ten are two Big XII schools: Missouri or Iowa State.

Each is a perfect geographic fit, each meets the conference's rigorous academic standards, brings in tailor-made arch-rivalries and has historically expressed an interest in joining the Big Ten.

Moreover, while they wouldn't reach into East Coast media markets, they'd be better fits for when the Big Ten goes to two divisions:
Big Ten East: Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue
Big Ten West: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Missouri/Iowa State

A football championship game will get the green light once the divisions are set. Look for it to be rotated among domed stadiums around the league -- Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Ford Field in Detroit and the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
Or, if the conference wanted to play in real football weather, the game could go outdoors to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Soldier Field in Chicago or Browns Stadium in Cleveland.

One day, the Big Ten will have to expand. The trend toward bigger and bigger mega-conferences makes it inevitable. So it will happen.
It just won't include Notre Dame.

More Notes on the Atlantic Regional

2009-05-18T12:08:00.002-04:00

Each of the three WVIAC teams in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region tournament are eliminated -- two of them quickly, the other heartbreakingly.

WVIAC champion Shepherd was the first conference team to bow out of the playoffs in West Lawn, PA, falling to West Chester 10-1 on Friday.
West Chester starting pitcher Bret Moyer shut down the Rams' offense. Moyer allowed only two hits in eight innings, striking out nine while improving his record to 10-1.
Meanwhile, the Golden Rams banged out 14 hits -- five for extra bases -- against four Shepherd pitchers. West Chester catcher Bob Stumpo was the star, going 4-5 with a home run, a triple, three runs scored and three RBIs.

Concord was the next WVIAC team to get knocked out, dropping a 9-4 decision to Kutztown Friday afternoon. The Golden Bears reached Concord starter Trey Smith for three runs in the top of the 1st; Concord squared the game with two runs in the bottom of the 1st and a single run in the 3rd.
But the Mountain Lions' defense betrayed them in the top of the 4th. Concord committed two errors and uncorked three wild pitches, allowing Kutztown to score four unearned runs to take the lead.

For the second straight year, Concord ended with four consecutive post-season defeats -- two at the conference tournament and two in the regional.
On the upside, coach Kevin Garrett loses only three seniors (C Will Moody, OF Tim Merolillo, P Allen Schurdell) from this year's 27-15 club. With the bulk of the roster due back -- including Brooks Cullen, Donovan Huffer, Greyson Schramm -- the Mountain Lions will be one of the favorites to win the WVIAC in 2010.

West Virginia State wound up as the WVIAC's last hope. The Yellow Jackets downed Kutztown 4-1 on Friday morning, then fell into the losers' bracket after a 4-1 defeat to Mercyhurst Friday night.
WVSU rebounded with a superlative performance from Eric Workman to eliminate Kutztown 6-1 Saturday afternoon. The senior from Ivydale was the Jackets' starting pitcher, and he threw a complete-game six-hitter. Meanwhile, at the plate, Workman flashed his conference Hitter of the Year credentials, going 3-4, including a two-run single in State's decisive three-run rally in the bottom of the 5th.
The Yellow Jackets had to immediately follow their win over Kutztown in the afternoon with a night game against Mercyhurst, and the quick turnaround may have had an impact. Mercyhurst jumped out to a 5-0 lead after three innings, chasing WVSU starter Mike Barron in the process.
WVSU replied with a three-run rally in the bottom of the 4th, another three-run rally in the 5th and a single run in the 7th to go ahead 7-5.
But the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. Mercyhurst answered with a game-tying two-run rally in the 8th, then took the lead in the 9th on John Blike's pinch-hit RBI double.
The Yellow Jackets then had to wait out an agonizing 97-minute rain delay before getting to bat in the bottom of the 9th. Josh Bower drew a walk to lead off the inning, and advanced to third with two outs. But Mercyhurst's Jamie Walczak struck out State DH J.D. Broderick on a 2-2 pitch to end State's season.

WVSU coach Cal Bailey will have some roster restructuring to do for 2010. The Jackets will lose eight seniors, among them Workman, Broderick, 1B Michael Deleeuw and 2B Chad Chambers. But, as always seem to be the case in Institute, the cupboard won't be entirely bare. Among a strong core group of returning players are Bower, WVIAC home run champion Bo Darby, 3B Joey Jobst, C Jeremy Fisher, pitchers Ryne Holstine and Jacob Kight and P/INF Nate Koepsel.

NOTES:
Concord's Cullen, Shepherd 3B Brian Collins and West Virginia State's Workman and Chambers earned spots on the All-Atlantic Regional Team .... West Chester completed an undefeated run through the regional with 14-0 paddling of Mercyhurst in Sunday's championship game; the Golden Rams outscored their opponents 35-6 in their four wins at Owls Field .... West Chester advances to the Division II National Championship Tournament starting Friday, May 23 at the U.S. Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, NC .... Joining the Golden Rams in the championship field are Grand Valley State, Mesa State, Dowling, Belmont Abbey, Lynn and UC San Diego. Central Missouri and Emporia State were playing for the eighth and final championship berth in their regional final at the time of the writing of this article Monday afternoon .... The next potentially big event for the WVIAC's star players is baseball's amateur draft on Tuesday, June 9.

LOB = SOL

2009-05-15T13:39:00.002-04:00

The first round of play at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional baseball tournament is over, and it was marked mostly by frustration for WVIAC.
Both Concord and Shepherd had little trouble runners on, but much trouble in bringing them in to score.

The Mountain Lions left 11 runners on base, five in scoring position, in their 5-3 loss to West Chester. Concord went just 2-14 with runners in scoring position in suffering a third consecutive loss.

The Rams were actually outdone in the LOB category by Mercyhurst, 11-10, in the Lakers' 3-1 win. The outcome hinged on taking advantage of opportunities. Mercyhurst scored all the runs they would need with two outs in the 1st inning; Shepherd starter Matt McCarty set the table by hitting a batter and walking another, the Lakers then got consecutive RBI singles from Ethan Santora and Trey Bennett.
Meanwhile, Shepherd wound up out-hitting the Lakers 9-4, but left the bases loaded twice.

West Virginia State got the WVIAC into the win column with their victory over Kutztown. The Yellow Jackets got a strong effort from starting pitcher Shane Long (8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER) and clutch 9th-inning RBI single from Joey Jobst and an RBI fielder's choice from Nate Koepsel. The rally broke open a close game and propelled the Jackets to a 4-1 win.

Rain has wreaked havoc on the tournament in West Lawn, PA. The start of play Thursday was delayed by two hours, Shepherd and Mercyhurst had to wait out a 40-minute rain delay before finishing their matchup, and the WVSU-Kutztown game was rained out Thursday night and had to be played at 9:00 am Friday.
The delays could result in nine games having to be played between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon. That's a lot of baseball....

Not Over Yet

2009-05-11T12:06:00.002-04:00

Concord baseball coach Kevin Garrett has described the last month or so as a "roller-coaster ride."
In that month, the Mountain Lions:
> Stumbled through losing three out of four games in an important series against West Virginia State, which ultimately cost Concord a chance at the WVIAC Southern Division title....
> Recovered to win nine straight games, secure a spot in the conference tournament and put themselves firmly in the running for, at the very least, an NCAA tournament at-large bid....
> Saw their league-leading offense fall silent while going two-and-out at the WVIAC tournament, putting themselves back on the NCAA bubble.

But Garrett's roller-coaster ride has yet to stop. In fact, it just got a lot more exciting.
The Mountain Lions found out late Sunday night that they had earned the sixth and final spot in the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament, which starts Thursday, May 14, in West Lawn, Pennsylvania.
"We sat around all week, not knowing if we were in or not," Garrett said of the long week between the end of the WVIAC tournament May 3 and the announcement of the NCAA bids. "That's the worst part, not knowing. So we practiced like we were in. Everybody on our team was extremely excited (when the bids came out)."

It's typical for college baseball teams to play 50 or more games in a season. But soggy weather this spring has limited Concord to only 40.
The Mountain Lions' 27-13 record, on the surface, isn't as impressive as some other teams in the Atlantic Region. Fellow WVIAC teams Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown didn't get a bid, despite respective records of 30-17 and 29-15. Slippery Rock, of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, is also left out despite finishing 36-15.
So how did Concord get in?
"Strength of schedule was the number one thing for us," said Garrett, who makes a point of scheduling tough opponents, "and our in-region record against ranked opponents."
Highlighting Concord's in-region performance this season: A three-game sweep at eventual WVIAC champion Shepherd April 4-5, and a doubleheader sweep of Seton Hill in Athens on the final day of the regular season.
Concord also enhanced its NCAA chances by splitting two games with Wayne State (Nebraska), which is 42-13 and the #3 seed in the Central Region, and by playing two games at Armstrong Atlantic State during spring break. While the Mountain Lions lost both games to AASU, the Pirates went 38-18 this season, a number that surely helped Concord's strength-of-schedule.

So the roller-coaster ride continues.

Which presents a particular series of challenges and a greater workload at what is already a very busy time of year -- it's finals week on the Campus Beautiful.
"Their finals are the number one priority right now," Garrett said of his players on Monday. "Since we are leaving on Wednesday (May 13), they need to reschedule their finals for today and Tuesday."
But Garrett acknowledges that's a nice problem to have for a team who could just as easily be spending today packing up its equipment and going through end-of-the-season interviews with an eye on 2010.
Instead, it's on to the Regional, and a meeting with top seed West Chester. The Golden Rams are 42-10, won the PSAC East Division by five games and clubbed West Division winner Mercyhurst 16-2 in the conference championship game last Thursday.
"They are a very good baseball team," Garrett says of West Chester. "Depending on what national poll you look at, they are as high as second. (They are) the number one seed in the region (and) have held that number one spot pretty much the whole season. Once you reach this level, there are no weak teams."

The regional may as well be called "The 2009 WVIAC-PSAC Challenge." Besides the Concord-West Chester matchup, other first round games have Shepherd against Mercyhurst and WVIAC runner-up West Virginia State meeting Kutztown, which finished second in PSAC East.
"It gives us a 50% chance to advance a team from the WVIAC to the (Division II) World Series," Garret said of the weekend ahead. "It’s a nice feeling to say that you are one of 48 teams in the nation practicing right now."

Let the roller-coaster ride keep rolling.

There's a Wrong Way, Part II

2009-05-10T14:32:00.004-04:00

Reading how David Steele was unceremoniously fired from the Baltimore Sun got me to thinking....

There's an old saying in my line of work: "You haven't really worked in radio until you've been fired."
If that's true, then I have indeed "worked in radio."
I've been fired from radio stations twice. Each time it had nothing to do with my work.

The first time, I was fired from a small station in my home state. I'd been there seven years and had figuratively helped build the station from the ground up. The general manager hired me away from another station because, as he said, "we want to start a Sports Department and you're the best guy to do it."

The GM let me essentially run my own shop. We did good work, had fun doing it, and had a Sales Department that was in our corner. Eventually, Sports became the station's most profitable department.

But, one day, as happens in radio, the station was bought out. New ownership came in and new managers took over. Among them was a new GM who took great pains to tell everyone that he had experience in Chicago and New York.
What relevance that had to running a small station in a small town in a small state, we were uncertain. But it was important to him that we knew.

(About that same time, my grandmother passed away. The day she died, I was down with a terrible case of influenza, so I couldn't make it to the hospital in time to say goodbye. That still bothers me to this very day.)

After taking over, the new GM made cuts -- of costs and people. He let go a bunch of part-timers, including those that worked under me.
As a result I was expected to be at the station at 5:00 am for the morning shift, and stay there until the evening news was done at 6:15 pm.

Bad Sign #1.

The new GM also called a series of "important planning meetings for the entire air staff," only to conspicuously un-invite me.

Bad Sign #2.

At one of those "important planning meetings" the new GM told the staff that he was thinking of eliminating Sports. However, we had already promised our sponsors a certain amount of games and related programming, and eliminating Sports would mean a loss of revenue. So the new GM swore everyone to secrecy until he made a final decision.

Bad Sign #3.

Soon after our sports broadcast season ended (about two months after my grandmother died), the new GM called me in for a meeting.
He started it by asking, "You recently lost a relative, right? Your grandmother or something? Must have been tough. How are you feeling about it?"
"Well, you're right, it has been tough," I said. "Especially since I was so sick on the day she died, and...."
He raised his hand and cut me off.
"Yeah, well, get over it."
(Get over it?)
While I bristled over his callousness, he explained that, in his experience in New York and Chicago, he found that nobody -- and he emphasized "NOBODY" -- listens to sports on the radio anymore. So he was eliminating the Sports Department and me along with it.
Effective immediately.
I sat there, shocked and saddened.
No thank you's, no pats on the back, no handshakes, no "hang in there."
Just a curt, "This meeting is over. You have 15 minutes to clean your desk and leave the building."
Quickly and quietly, I did.

The new GM promised me a severance package and a three-month continuance of my health insurance.
Three days later, he reneged.
Three days after that, after I'd filed for unemployment (with no severance to fall back on, I had no choice), he challenged my claim.
It got nasty.
He fabricated a story that I'd "made a statement harmful to the station's reputation" while calling a game. He also alleged I'd been "combative and insubordinate after being provided the opportunity to pursue other professional possibilities."
That led to an investigation by the state.
The new GM couldn't substantiate his allegations, because they were, well, a fabrication. An audiotape review proved I'd made no "hurtful" statement, and a state deposition of the station's internal memos revealed the GM had conspired to make up his story.
The state investigator told me "the plaintiff's allegations are unfounded ... and, between you and me, this is one of the easiest decisions I've ever made."

The station lost a lot of sponsors, and, with them, a lot of revenue.

The moral of the story is that I can empathize with David Steele.
Even when you can see your firing coming, it still hurts when it arrives.
It hurts even more when the person doing the firing adds to the pain.
There's a right way to fire someone, and a wrong way.

There's a Right Way and a Wrong Way

2009-05-10T14:18:00.003-04:00

We all know times are tough. We also know times are even tougher in the newspaper industry, which is hemorrhaging jobs. We further know that the bottom line is a cruel master and that it's difficult to fire somebody.

But this is ridiculous.

Here's the story behind how a man lost his job, and a venerable newspaper lost a very good baseball writer.

(Credit: Realclearsports.com)

May 05, 2009
Press Box Layoff: How the Baltimore Sun Fired Me
By David Steele

Full disclosure: the first two times I was given stunning news about my newspaper job – in 1986 at the about-to-merge St. Petersburg Evening Independent, and in 1991 at the about-to-be-defunct National Sports Daily – I didn’t get it face-to-face either time. Also full disclosure: the latter time, I learned while in the press box at a Baltimore Orioles game, too.

Of course, I was, respectively, 21 and 26 years old back then. It’s a little different when you’re 44, when you’ve been in the business more than half your life … and when it’s your specific job, not your entire newspaper, which has just become defunct. And when the people responsible for giving you the news were a few dozen blocks away, calling you on your cell phone in the middle of a baseball game you thought you were going to write a column about for the next day’s paper.

To answer your question: yes, it felt just as bad as you imagine it would. To answer another of your questions: no, I have no real desire to visit the press box at an Orioles game any time soon. Next time, maybe I’ll be told that they’re foreclosing on my house during the seventh-inning stretch.

It’s sort of funny that even five days later, there were a lot of people in the news industry who thought it was an unconfirmed rumor: that three of the more than 40 Baltimore Sun staffers laid off on Wednesday, April 29, found out when their editors called their cell phones while they were at that fateful Orioles game. Let me confirm that definitively for everybody, because I was one of the ones who got that call, the second of the three, if my timeline is correct. A fourth got a similar call, but with the option of moving out of sports to return to a previous news reporter position. Otherwise, the list of injured bystanders was me, our other general sports columnist Rick Maese, and photographer Elizabeth Malby.

All of us had shown up at Oriole Park at Camden Yards that morning (for a 12:35 first pitch) heartbroken over a staff purge the previous afternoon and apprehensive about if, or when, another wave might come. I had seen a collection of goodbye emails from those staffers, mainly editors – including one of the best in my department, an experienced and invaluable voice in Ray Frager – that morning before I headed to the game. Other names I heard about on a phone call from a friend and former colleague while driving to the ballpark, seemingly sacred names, all of them presumably vital to the very act of putting the paper out every day, until that day at least.

The Sun contingent at the ballpark confirmed the rest of the names, including another longtime editor, George VanDaniker, whom I had just spoken to the afternoon before … to ask to leave me a parking pass for this game in my office mailbox. I had picked up the parking pass that morning, and thought that the security guard posted at the entrance to the walkway from the garage was there because of a recent spate of car break-ins. In hindsight, I probably should have been a little more attuned to the hints screaming out at me, instead of, you know, the game I had to write about later that day.

As game time approached, everybody was speculating about the next possible string of layoffs, with worst-case scenarios putting it at the end of the week. I was nervous, but a few of the others on hand were much more so, because they had come to the Sun since I had arrived and were sure they were the most vulnerable. I didn’t feel that much safer, and it was no relief whatsoever to think that they might be out in the street even if I would survive for the time being. It was impossible to think that your days there were suddenly numbered, no matter how big or small that number was.

Days? It turned out that what was numbered were our hours.

Not long before the game started, Liz left the press box and headed down to the field with all her gear, and we decided we’d talk later about what had gone on at the paper the day before. I made a couple of calls about columns I was planning for the weekend – Morgan State’s basketball coach signing a new contract and the first celebration of Negro Leagues Day at city hall on Saturday. Things got underway, and for a while, my predominant thought was how cold it was for late April, after several days in the 90s, and how a column idea wasn’t exactly jumping out at me so far.

Soon, Peter Schmuck, our columnist/blogger, told me that he had just been told to write live for the next day. That’s crazy, I said, we can’t have two columns from this game. There must be a mistake. Or some other news is breaking and I need to switch. Or my editor forgot that I told him I’d be here. Or something. Oh, it was something all right, but again, the giant hint just whizzed right over my head. Schmuck figured it was a mistake, too, and dashed off an email to tell our editor that we were both here, so let’s try to clear this up.

Not long after that, around 2 p.m., one of the other writers pulled me aside: “Maese just sent a text saying he got laid off." It was a perfectly legible sentence, but it made no sense to anyone there. It’s the middle of the game, they just had layoffs yesterday, he’s a prominent columnist … huh? It wasn’t anything to joke about, but it didn’t sound true at all. But he had, for the moment, disappeared from his seat.

I went back to my seat and saw that there was a message on my cell from the office. I hadn’t turned the ringer back up after the manager’s pre-game press conference, so I hadn’t heard it. The message: call back as soon as you get this. Good, I thought, we’ll straighten out this business of who is writing for the next day. Which, technically, is what happened. Still, apparently, I was either completely clueless or in total denial, I’m still not sure which.

It didn’t matter. I called back and got the voice mail. At 2:34 p.m. (that time-stamp is kind of stuck in my head for the time being), the office called back. I went into a hallway behind the press box and answered it with something like, “Hey, what’s up?’’ Or “What’s going on?’’ Along those lines.

My editor greeted me, paused, took a deep breath. “David, I’m sorry you have to be told this way …"

I actually doubled over. It wasn’t a sharp pain, and it wasn’t like I was about to get sick. It was more like a knot in my stomach. I know I said, “Aw, shit,’’ but I don’t know how loud I said it, apparently not loudly enough for my editor to take note of it. The rest is a little fuzzy, something about just now getting the list and the union and not wanting me to hear it from someone else and getting paid through the end of May and severance and human resources and return your possessions to us and thank you for your hard work and professionalism and blah blah blah.

Brief digression:

In October 1986, I was on a road trip to cover the Buccaneers-Chiefs game in Kansas City, and when my flight landed in Tampa the following night, the friend who picked me up at the airport was holding up a copy of the paper announcing it was going to merge with the St. Pete Times in a month or so. Back then, there were no cell phones, or at least I didn’t have one of those suitcase-sized ones. The editors knew I was traveling that day, so there was nothing else they could do.

In June 1991, I was at old Memorial Stadium, assigned to do the usual summary and notes for the game that night. I overheard two people in the press box saying what a shame it was that the National didn’t make it. I called my answering machine (again, no cell phones, or even pagers), and first heard a friend expressing the same sentiment, then an editor saying to call the office right away, the messages minutes apart. The main office was in New York, and reporters for the various editions were spread across the country. Teams of editors were working the staff phone lists as fast as they could, but no one had made it to “S’’ in time. Again, logistically, not much else could have been done. Both times, I thought I was just really unlucky to have two papers die from up under me at a young age.

For some reason, I stuck with it, moved around some more, worked my way up to columnist, then made it to the paper less than an hour up the road from where I grew up, the paper I felt I knew all about even if I didn’t see it every day, the paper I knew so many people at long before I ever started working there. A paper that got into huge trouble soon after I got there – and by “got into huge trouble,’’ I mean, “was bought by a so-called financial wizard who deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail’’ – but one I felt more attached to than any other one I’d been at.

And just like that, I was unattached, by phone, while on an assignment.

The next couple of hours were a flurry of shocked expressions and reactions, condolences, bitterness and dread, plus lots of phone calls to family members and friends whom, ironically, I didn’t want to hear the news from someone else. Rick – who is roughly the age I was when the National sank – looked as if someone had drained all the blood from his body.

The overriding theme from all concerned: “They couldn’t tell you to your face?’’

They had their reasons. Step back far enough and squint really hard and you can see them. As long as you ignore the fact that they made arrangements to get a replacement column into the paper long before they ever dialed my number. And the fact that if you go up high in the stands behind home plate, you probably can see the Sun building from Camden Yards. It’s not a plane flight away. It’s literally walking distance; Sun people with tickets had been making that walk since the ballpark opened. In fact, that day, not long after a water main had broken downtown and ground traffic to a halt, walking probably would have been faster.

Not that there is any good way to tell someone he’s been laid off, just as there is no good way to fire a manager. But there’s a way not to fire him – ask Willie Randolph. (I’m now in the market for a Willie Randolph Mets jersey to commemorate the occasion.)

Then, there is this to consider: the people ultimately responsible, for the gutting of the paper and the callous treatment of its employees, whether they were in the office at the time or not, are a plane flight away. Clearly, to them “Baltimore Sun’’ is just a line on a balance sheet. Or a bankruptcy claim, in this case. Practically speaking, none of us should even have had low expectations for how this would be handled. “No expectations’’ was probably shooting too high.

Eventually, I packed up to leave (since I now knew I didn’t have to write) and decided to send a goodbye email to the people back at the paper, and grab a couple of numbers for the editors let go earlier, Ray and George. I couldn’t log in. My email password had already been canceled.

So I gathered my things and went down the hall to where the photographers develop and send their shots from the game. Liz was in the back, on her computer, game photos on the screen, talking on her cell … to her editor. She tilted her head toward me. “I just got laid off,’’ she whispered.

“You too?’’ I replied.

David Steele is a sports columnist, formerly of the Baltimore Sun and San Francisco Chronicle. He may be reached at dcsteele@hotmail.com.

Closing Thoughts on the WVIAC Baseball Tournament

2009-05-06T13:37:00.003-04:00

The 2009 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament has come and gone, and it's time to clear out the notebook with some final impressions....

Good pitching DOES beat good hitting.
Shepherd cruised to the title on the strength of its pitching staff. Over the four games the Rams played, their team ERA was a stellar 2.50, 1.82 runs a game better than the second-best team, Seton Hill -- which went two-and-out.

Rams' starter Matt McCarty was the star. Going 2-0 in two starts less than 72 hours apart, the senior from Stephens City, VA allowed only nine hits and three earned runs in 13 innings pitched (a 2.08 ERA).
In his first start, McCarty beat Concord, which went into the tournament with a league-leading .364 team batting average. He allowed the Mountain Lions only one run on four hits in six innings, while striking out ten.
In his next start, on two days' rest, McCarty arguably did better. He helped the Rams clinch the championship by limiting heavy-hitting West Virginia State to two runs and five hits over seven innings. (During the regular season, the Yellow Jackets hit .351 and bashed 66 home runs in 39 games.)

Shepherd's pitching neutralized WVSU's hitting in their two tournament matchups. In the Yellow Jackets' three wins in Johnstown (one over Fairmont State and the other two against Davis & Elkins) they totaled 59 hits with a .450 average and six home runs. In their two meetings with Shepherd, State mustered 15 hits, a minuscule batting average of .214 -- and no home runs.

The other way CAN be the best way.
The quirky dimensions of Point Stadium and the prevalent pitching philosophy in college baseball combined to make the park a haven for hitting to the opposite field.

In this aluminum bat-dominated era, most pitchers are reluctant to work the inside corner; a mistake there against a good hitter can lead to disaster. So, most of the better hitters in Johnstown faced a steady stream of pitches on the outside corner.

Right-handed hitters happily pinged pitches off the short porch in right, just 290 feet away, for easy doubles. Meanwhile, lefties battered the 40-foot high "Mesh Monster" fence in left field, where it's only 336 feet to the alley.

Don't expect that hitting approach to change anytime soon.

It's not about us, it's about them.
In an earlier post here on "Inside The Headset" I detailed the problems we had in trying to webcast the games at Point Stadium. While those problems did little to improve our happiness level, and certainly annoyed the fans who couldn't make it to Johnstown, they didn't diminish the teams' experience in Johnstown.

By most accounts, the players enjoyed their time at the tournament. So did the coaches, who appreciated Point Stadium's ability to withstand bad weather and still be playable, which helped the weekend stay essentially on schedule.
The Point's artificial surface and good drainage allows it to quickly recover from rainy weather. Good thing, too, since rain affected just about every day of the tournament.

The proximity of several hotels within walking distance of Point Stadium also aided the teams in their turnaround between games and removed a big logistical concern for the coaching staffs.

So, while it was a pain in the you-know-what for us in our attempt to broadcast the games, and the weather wasn't exactly ideal, it was a largely positive tournament experience for the teams involved. Which is what really matters.

Good help is hard to find....
...but not at Point Stadium. The tournament staff was outstanding from start to finish.

The grounds crew from the City of Johnstown was stellar in getting the field ready in the face of the frequent rain. The athletic training staff from the host school, Pitt-Johnstown, was constantly on call and responded quickly when needed.

Also doing superlative work was UPJ's sports information staff, which handled the official scoring, live stats, public address announcing, etc., and put out any fires that popped up.

A lot of hard work and long days go into planning and running an event like this. The UPJ staff handled it without a hitch.

I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks and warmest regards to SID Chris Caputo, along with Nikki Babik, Scott Mamula, Elissa Till, Todd Williams, and everyone in the UPJ staff for making my stay in Johnstown so enjoyable. Thanks too to Seton Hill SID Jason Greene for his help.

Thanks again to Reid Amos, "The Voice of the West Virginia Conference," for his yeoman work in troubleshooting the webcast problems and allowing us to broadcast the games that we did.

Thanks as well to WVIAC Associate Commissioner Will Prewitt, who supervised the baseball tournament while also staying on top of the conference softball tournament and track and field meet, and did his usual quality job. Also, Will, thanks for the ride.

I've been invited back to be a part of the tournament next year and am already looking forward to it.
Consider me there.

Hinton, We Have A Problem

2009-05-05T15:05:00.003-04:00

Rain is good for your lawn. Rain is good for farmers. Rain is good for many things.

But today, rain is not good for Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River.

The days upon days of bad weather that we've been experiencing in southern West Virginia has wreaked a bit of havoc on The New River's transmitter building in Hinton.

Our chief engineer, Randy, is on the scene and busting his you-know-what to get us back on the air. However, it's uncertain if that will happen in time for tonight's edition of our "Mountain Lion Weekly" Concord sports talk show.

So here's what we're going to do.

For the convenience of our featured guest, CU's former Director Athletics Greg Quick, we're postponing tonight's show. We'll make it up next Tuesday, May 12, at the regular time (6:00 pm EDT).

This is an edition of "MLW" that you don't want to miss, for a couple reasons.
One, it's the last show of the season.
Two, there have been several important recent changes in Concord's athletic department, and Greg Quick is the perfect person to tell us all about them.

The management and staff of Classic Rock 102.3 WMTD-FM The New River apologizes for any inconvenience.

In an unrelated note: Today, we are precisely six weeks away from the start of the 2009 Princeton Rays season. That's 42 days and counting....

It's Up To You, New York, New York....

2009-05-05T13:24:00.003-04:00

There's an old saying that "What's good for the Yankees is good for baseball."
That may no longer be the case.

The Yankees are being vilified this season -- and rightly so -- for their bumbling efforts at public relations. Their bloated ticket prices have resulted in the embarrassment of thousands of empty seats, right behind home plate, where everyone can see them on TV.

Turns out the Yankees are also stumbling when it comes to media relations. For proof, here's an illuminating article by Bob Raissman in the May 5, 2009 New York Daily News (Yankee haters will enjoy this):

YANKEES PUT SQUEEZE PLAY ON MEDIA AT THE NEW STADIUM

Considering the peculiar media vibe floating around those empty seats inside Yankee Stadium, Joe Girardi's Sunday soliloquy about the publishing industry, specifically Selena Roberts' book on Alex Rodriguez, was not surprising.

Girardi sounded like someone looking to control something he has absolutely no business controlling. This urge to play King Fool may have filtered down from the Yankees' high command.

After all, the suits are already putting the squeeze on the electronic media. In terms of access and money, life is being made uncomfortable.

The campaign may not be totally adversarial. It's part of Yankee brass' obvious strategy, authored by Bombers COO Lonn Trost, of wringing every penny out of the new building. It could also be a miscommunication of security policy. Or maybe it's just stupidity.

The latest episode came during the weekend series with the Angels. Paul O'Neill, a revered former Yankee, now an analyst for the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, was asked by security to leave the indoor batting cages, where he was watching Yankees hit, prior to one of the games.

A security guard told O'Neill, the man George Steinbrenner called "warrior," he could not loiter in the area. O'Neill had another reason to be perturbed. Security would not allow his wife, Nevalee, into the Stadium "wives room." She was told by security it was for "current" wives only.

Think about it. Here's O'Neill, a guy who bled for the franchise, trying to prepare for a broadcast. Not only is he told to take a hike, so is his wife. O'Neill was not the only broadcaster ejected from a part of the Stadium over the weekend.

The Angels bring multiple announcers (including voices who work Spanish language broadcasts) on the road. The mouths rotate between radio and TV. At times, some of them are not on the air. During those breaks, they need a place to watch the game. There were two empty Stadium broadcast booths during the series. Angels voices, not on the air, used one of them to chill.

Until they were booted by security.

The Angels broadcasters were told they weren't allowed to sit in the empty booth. When asked Monday if the voices had been mistaken and were sitting in a private box reserved for patrons, an Angels source said: "No, it was a broadcast booth." When asked if security invited the broadcasters downstairs to sit in those empty seats behind the plate, the source laughed and said, "no."

The announcers wouldn't be able to expense one of those $1,000-plus seats. Still, when it comes to the electronic media, money is an issue. Yankees suits, according to industry sources, have increased the fee they charge local TV outlets to do live reports inside the Stadium. Earlier in the season, sources put the price at $4,000 a pop. After negotiations the price has dropped.

Networks already are paying billions to MLB for TV rights fees. When these networks, or a local TV station, broadcast a game, they also must pay the home team a "park and power" fee. The fee is paid so a network can park its trucks outside the Stadium, "plug in" and transmit the telecast.

Network sources say they are being asked to pay the Yankees a much higher fee (about $12,000 per game) to "park and power" than they did at the old Stadium. The charge in the old building was around $3,000. The price hike is not sitting well with the networks. Some of the suits, convinced the Yankees are price-gouging, have taken their case to MLB. The situation has yet to be resolved. (The Mets currently are in negotiations over their "park and power" fee at Citi Field, which also was increased).

Some outlets use walkie-talkies for internal communication during a broadcast. A source said the Yankees want these outlets to now pay to use their equipment and frequency. Part of the reason for this is that the Yankees claim "other" walkie-talkies interfere with their "wireless food service."

Recently, when one broadcast crew tried using its own walkie-talkie inside the new Stadium, the frequency was jammed.

The Yankees also insist broadcast outlets use their microphones to pick up game audio. Some networks are not thrilled with the quality of the audio produced by Stadium mikes.

Even during Steinbrenner's most manic times, he was not inclined to engage in this kind of media strategy. The Boss would be more direct, like telling his Al Yankzeera puppets to keep Don Zimmer off camera. Or instructing his PR man to prohibit Tony Kubek, the former Yankees shortstop and MSG contrarian, from interviewing any of his players.

The approach now is different. O'Neill watching batting practice is a security issue. Angels voices in a vacant booth are a threat to the Yankees empire. Broadcast crews, like fans, pay much more to enter. Then there's Girardi's meteoric ascent to literary critic.

Plenty of material.

For another book.

So, where's the WVIAC baseball webcast?

2009-05-02T19:19:00.002-04:00

Here it is, Saturday night, Day 3 of the 2009 WVIAC Baseball Tournament, and I'm enjoying my time here in Johnstown, PA.
The tournament has given us a little bit of everything. One of the favorites -- North Division champion Shepherd -- is 3-0 so far and will play in the championship game tomorrow afternoon.
Two division runners-up who were expected to contend -- Concord and Seton Hill -- have headed home after going 0-2.
The Cinderella team is Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons came into the tournament with a 14-22 record, but shocked Seton Hill and Concord before falling to a 32-win Shepherd squad Saturday afternoon to drop into the loser's bracket.
Even Davis & Elkins, which finished second to Fairmont State in the "mediocre" Central Division, showed a lot of grit before being eliminated by powerhouse West Virginia State.
So there are many intriguing storylines.
Unfortunately, baseball fans around the conference (and around the country, via the internet) aren't hearing any of them right now.
Why?
If you're scoring at home, you'd put it down as "E ISP."
The internet service provider for Point Stadium has, figuratively, dropped the ball. The problem is that the computer we're using to stream audio for the broadcast was supposed to have been assigned what's called a "static IP." That is, an internet protocol address (every computer has one) that will not change, no matter what.
But somewhere along the line, the ISP didn't do that.
There have brief, sporadic outages in internet service here. Each time that's happened our streaming computer was assigned a new IP address. In essence, when the IP address changes, the ISP's network doesn't recognize our computer as a streaming computer anymore and won't carry the audio.
So with the IP/ISP snafu we're SOL.
However, experts are working on the problem and we hope to resume our coverage for Championship Sunday tomorrow.
Thank you for your patience.

First Impressions From Point Stadium

2009-04-30T15:03:00.002-04:00

This weekend I'll have the honor of calling the last three days of the WVIAC Baseball Tournament.
Reid Amos -- the Voice of the WVIAC -- is unavailable due to obligations at his day job as West Liberty State's Executive Director of Media Operations. West Liberty is completing its transition to university status this weekend, which is a really big deal on the Hilltop. That'll keep Reid busy, so I'm pinch-hitting. So to speak.

The tournament is being held at historic Point Stadium in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It's my first visit here, and here are some unsolicited first impressions....

"The Point" is a multi-use facility; the host school, Pitt-Johnstown, plays baseball here in the spring, and there's high school football in the fall.
As such, the dimensions for baseball are quirky. It's just 290 down the lines, and only 336 to the alley in left field. There's an enormous fence on the left field side, 40 or so feet high, aimed at preventing a flood of cheap home runs. The uppermost 25 feet of the fence is wire mesh, supported by large, vertical steel columns.
That fence is crying out for a nickname. "The Green Monster" is already taken, so I was thinking of "The Mesh Monster" or "The Big Screen" instead. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Point Stadium rewards pull hitters, especially right-handers. But a ball hit straightaway will need a lot of juice to get out of the yard. It's 395 to the alley in right and 410 to dead center.

The playing surface is almost entirely artificial turf. The only dirt areas are the pitchers mound and home plate. Everything else -- infield, outfield, baselines, warning track, cutouts around the bases, all of it -- is turf.
That might offend some purists, but it has its benefits. An artificial surface can handle the tournament workload, with up to 11 games to be played in four days. It also takes rain well; tournament staffers tell me the field can be playable within only five minutes after a rain storm ends. The value of that quick of a turnaround is immeasurable in a weekend in which time is precious and an NCAA bid is at stake.
Artificial turf is also good news for the fielders, since it almost completely removes the possibility of a bad bounce.

Aside from the holy-cow-that's-deep dimensions between the alleys, Point Stadium is a hitters' park. Anything hit down the lines doesn't need to go far to get out; the artificial surface can turn seemingly routine grounders into singles and routine singles into extra-base hits. There's also not much foul territory, especially down the lines. That can keep at-bats alive longer than in many other parks.

The staff here is enthusiastic and really seems to enjoy being here. As a member of the media, I can tell you that means a lot.

Visually, Point Stadium is set in a very interesting area. It's called "The Point" because it sits at the confluence of the Stoneycreek and Conemaugh rivers, which combined to cut a deep valley into the western Pennsylvania hills. One such hill towers over the right field side of the stadium; Johnstown's old steeltown cityscape looms beyond center, and, across the street that runs parallel to the third base line is a series of abandoned steel mills that stand sentinel over what once was the economic lifeblood of the region.

Also, much of the movie All The Right Moves was filmed in Johnstown and at "The Point" (long before the installation of the artificial surface). What's more, it's just a long home run away from War Memorial Arena, home rink of the Johnstown Chiefs in the classic sports movie Slap Shot.

Time permitting, I'll bring you more thoughts from the WVIAC Tournament as the weekend goes along. You can hear every game, starting at 11:50 am Friday, online at smallcollegesports.com.

ESPN Radio and local sports-talk radio

2009-04-24T10:55:00.002-04:00

Perhaps you've seen ESPN Radio's new TV campaign, in which the Worldwide Leader differentiates itself from other, likely smaller, less national sports-talk radio outlets.

The spots portray non-ESPN personalities as as near-caricatures whose reliance on gimmicks like sound effects and catch phrases makes them more annoying than entertaining. They're good spots and get the point across.

They're also spot-on in that ESPN Radio, at the national level, is, in my opinion, the best game in town. (So to speak.)

But the spots stumble in one important respect: Most ESPN Radio affiliates don't carry network programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Those affiliates run local programs too.

Which is when they can become just like the caricatures in the TV commercials.

That's not to say all local sports-talk programs are cliched. All around the country, there are outstanding hosts, reporters and personalities that do solid, respectable, award-winning work.

But for every local program that excels, there are several others that become precisely what the Worldwide Leader tells us to avoid.

It's no great revelation to say that most local sports-talk programs are personality-driven. It's also no great revelation that, in radio, "personality" can be just another word for "ego."

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. As someone who's been in sportscasting for years I know that it requires a little bit of an ego to turn on a microphone and presume that anyone will be interested in what you have to say.

But there can be a fine line between "a little bit" and "excessive." In sports talk radio, it's a line that often gets not blurred, but erased.

Which explains why many local sports radio hosts are yellers, screamers and grand standers. Or confrontational. Or come off like they're always right -- about everything. Or convinced that their opinions on any topic, or the tiniest details of their personal lives, are even remotely interesting to their listeners. The show is about them, for better or worse.

I've hosted talk shows. It was always my goal to get the facts right, be informative and entertaining ... and steer the focus of the show away from me and on to the news of the day and the show's guests. To put it another way, if I worked in a maternity ward I would know that the family wants to see the baby, not the obstetrician.

But in local sports radio, my outlook isn't universally shared.

So, when you see the TV commercials for ESPN Radio, have a chuckle and appreciate them for what they're saying.

And what they're not.

Baseball is an Every Day Game

2009-04-23T12:57:00.004-04:00

Most everyone who knows me knows that I’m from Wisconsin. I have a lot of friends there, and the other day I was talking with one who’s a pretty devoted fan of baseball in general and the Milwaukee Brewers in particular. Our conversation went something like this:
“I’m not in a good mood today, Kyle.”
“Why? What's wrong?"
“I wanted to listen to the Brewer game today, but the station I usually listen to didn’t have it.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know, but it p----- me off. I had to find some other station far away and it barely came in.”

What went unsaid is one of the universal truths of professional baseball: It’s an every day game.
The length of the season and the amount of games make it so, and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
Did your favorite team lose today? They’ll have a chance to win tomorrow.
Is your favorite player on a hot streak? You won’t have to wait long to see if he can keep it going.
Did something historic occur? If not today, it might happen the next day.
Was there a rainout? Don’t worry, there’s another game just around the corner.Is your team in a pennant race? The drama will continue tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that….
Baseball is an every day game.

The nature of baseball as an every day game is something we respect at Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River – the flagship station of the Princeton Rays. That’s why we’ll broadcast every game the the P-Rays play, no matter where or when it is.
Baseball is an every day game.

Baseball is also a wonderful sport on the radio. Yet, as a low minor league, the Appalachian League – of which the P-Rays are a member – doesn’t attract a lot of radio or broadcast coverage. In fact, last season, Princeton was the only one of the league’s ten teams to have all of its games broadcast on the radio.
Some Appy League teams will broadcast a portion of their schedule. For example, Greeneville has had many home games and select road games on radio. Bluefield has had its road games on the radio, but not home games. But we’ll bring you each and every P-Rays on game on The New River.
Baseball is an every day game.

It’s also woven into the fabric of summer. Who amongst us hasn’t been working on the yard, camping, or just sitting on the porch and shooting the breeze -- with a baseball game on the radio? It’s as much a part of summer as cookouts and heat waves.
Baseball is an every day game.
(Except for off days, of course, but there are only three during the 71 days of the Appy League season.)

I live in a city within the broadcast area of a radio station affiliated with a Major League team. But the station doesn't carry all the team's games. I never know from one day to the next if a game will be broadcast, even if it's on the schedule. So I don't rely on that station and will instead tune into out-of-town stations to hear other Major League teams, or will listen to a minor league game online.
Baseball is an every day game.

The Tampa Bay Rays' front office sends me a daily update on the club’s minor league affiliates. It helps me follow the progress of former Princeton Rays as they work their way up the ladder. Some will make it all the way to the Majors; most will not.
Every daily update brings with it something new. Every day the numbers are different. Every day the fortunes change for the young men who are trying to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
Baseball is an every day game.

There are many reasons why some Appy League teams don’t have their entire seasons broadcast, whether on the air or online. It requires a major commitment by a radio station and/or team to present a full-season schedule, even for the short-season Appy League. It can be difficult to find adequate staffing, and it can be a challenge for salespeople to sell baseball broadcasts to potential sponsors.
What’s more, some teams in Minor League Baseball believe that broadcasting their games – particularly home games – will harm attendance.
However, the Princeton Rays saw their attendance rise in 2008 – the first year all their games were broadcast on the radio.

We’re fully aware of the challenges involved with broadcasting a full season of Princeton Rays baseball. We’ve embraced those challenges.
So when the 2009 season comes around – Opening Night is June 23 – you’ll hear every game on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River.
We can’t wait to get started.
Baseball is an every day game.

'Mountain Lion Weekly' Update

2009-04-20T11:55:00.003-04:00

We're down to the last three installments of 'Mountain Lion Weekly' here on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River.
Here's our scheduled guest list:
Tuesday, April 21: Concord football coach Mike Kellar
Tuesday, April 28: Concord baseball coach Kevin Garrett
Tuesday, May 5: Concord Director of Athletics Greg Quick

Each guest will have a lot to talk about.
Kellar and his staff are in the midst of their first spring practice season; Concord's annual spring game is Saturday, May 2 at 6:00 pm at Callaghan Stadium.
Garrett is trying to guide a young Lions team back to the WVIAC tournament, which begins April 30 in Johnstown, PA (more on that in a later post).
Quick has gone through many changes this academic year, and there are more changes on the way for the CU Athletic Department.

'Mountain Lion Weekly' is an hour-long talk show devoted to Concord athletics. It can be heard Tuesdays at 6:00 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River and on-line at theriver102.com.

The P-Rays Fans Mailbox is open!

2009-04-17T11:44:00.004-04:00

New for the 2009 season, we've added a way for you to talk directly to us. We've created an e-mail account for Princeton Rays fans to submit questions, comments or observations.

The address is princetonraysmailbox@gmail.com.

Should you have a question about a P-Rays player or coach, want to know more about the goings-on around the Appalachian League, wish someone a happy birthday, tell us that you're listening or when you're going to be at the ballpark, or whatever, that's the place to go.

We'll check the mailbox frequently. If we like what you've submitted, we'll put it on the air during our full season of Princeton Rays broadcasts on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River.

For your e-mail to be eligible to go on the air you must include your first and last names, hometown, age, e-mail address and phone number where you can be reached.
By the way, these requirements are deal-breakers.
All information will be kept absolutely private.

We're looking forward to hearing from you at princetonraysmailbox@gmail.com.

Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River is in our second season as the exclusive full-season flagship station of the Princeton Rays. We'll broadcast all 68 games, home and away. Opening Night is June 23 vs. the Burlington Royals at Hunnicutt Field.

Schedule Change

2009-04-14T09:11:00.002-04:00

We have a change in our featured guest for tonight's edition of the "Mountain Lion Weekly" radio show.

Concord baseball coach Kevin Garrett -- scheduled to appear tonight -- has come down with the flu. (I just got off the phone with him and he's in rough shape.)

So tonight's feature interview will be with Concord cheer team coach Lisa Blankenship. Lisa was scheduled for "MLW" a few weeks ago, only to see bad weather scrub the show. But we recorded a conversation and we'll play it back tonight.

"Mountain Lion Weekly" is an hour-long program devoted to Concord sports. You can hear it tonight at 6:00 on the air on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River, and online at theriver102.com.

Harry Kalas, 1936-2009

2009-04-13T14:51:00.002-04:00

Sportscasting icon Harry Kalas passed away today at the age of 73.
His death has stunned and saddened sports fans in Philadelphia -- where his tenure as the Phillies' play-by-play announcer earned him a deserved spot in the Hall of Fame -- and all around the country.
Count me among his many admirers.
What made him so special?
First, his voice. Kalas seemed literally born to be a baseball announcer. He was gifted with smooth, deep baritone. In broadcasting terms, he had the pipes.
Second, his style. "Measured" would be one way to describe it. "Deliberate" is another. (Maybe we should coin the adjective "Kalasian" to label how he went about calling a game.)
Broadcasting baseball well requires proper pacing, and Harry Kalas had the gift for it. He knew when to speak quickly and when he could take his time.
He also knew when not to talk and let the sounds of the event take center stage. Such a knack is something younger sportscasters should always remember, and something even some long-time announcers never really grasp.
Third, his personality. Kalas' colleagues and former players alike remember his kindness and affability. He was a big-time announcer who didn't big-time people. That's something we can all learn from.

===================================================================

Message boards are filling with condolences and remembrances. Here's one that's particularly fitting, from a poster named "Leetee 1955" on the Washington Post website:

"I've been trying to figure out why Kalas's death bothers me so. Now I know. It's because I'm becoming more aware of my sports fan mortality. When Washington had no team of its own between 1972 to 2004, I became more a fan of the sport of baseball than any specific team. At night I could listen to Chuck Thompson and Bill O'Donnell in Baltimore; Ned Martin and Jim Woods in Boston; Joe Tait and Herb Score in Cleveland; Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey in Detroit; Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer, Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner in New York; Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall in Cincinnati; Kalas and Richie Ashburn in Philadelphia and Jack Buck in St. Louis. These guys had an affinity for the game and could weave in some of the most marvelous stories in their play-by-play. They weren't the slave-to-statistics, check-out-my catchphrase guys most teams employ today. They were your companions, taking down the byways of baseball on leisurely nights once the out-of-town signals began to come in to my transistor radio. We as baseball fans are diminished by the losses of many of these guys, the likes of which we will never, unfortunately, hear again."

As I prepare for another season of calling Princeton Rays baseball, I can only hope to do well enough to make someone like Harry Kalas proud.
Rest in peace, Mr. Kalas, and thank you.

Joe Alexander Update

2009-04-13T14:38:00.002-04:00

Former WVU star Joe Alexander will wrap up his rookie NBA season this week.
It's been a difficult season for Alexander and the Milwaukee Bucks, whose playoff aspirations could not recover from major injuries to stars Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut.
Bucks fans are divided over Alexander's potential (see poll). However, according to this article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the team still seems sold on him and his work ethic is drawing raves.

Growing pains: Frustrating first year for Alexander

By Tom Enlund of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Apr. 12, 2009

enlarge photo

(Jack Orton)

Joe Alexander’s athleticism continues to intrigue the Bucks, but the rookie has had difficulty adjusting to the NBA.

Will Joe Alexander develop into a solid NBA player?

Yes: 51%

No: 49%

Total Responses: 1346

Ask Milwaukee Bucks forward Joe Alexander about his rookie season in the National Basketball Association and he flashes back to his early days at West Virginia University.

That is not necessarily a good thing.

"It's been like my freshman year in college was . . . real, real frustrating," Alexander said. "It seems like everything you do is wrong and in your own head you think it's right, but it turns out to be wrong again. That's just the way it is because you're inexperienced.

"It was harder than I thought it would be because by the end of your college career, everything is just so easy because I knew the game real well. But I didn't anticipate the game being so different at this level and there being so much more thought involved and strategy involved."

Two games, including one Monday night against the Orlando Magic at the Bradley Center, remain in what has been a challenging and trying season for Alexander, who was the eighth overall pick of the 2008 draft. At times, the intricacies of the pro game have been a bit overwhelming for the 22-year-old Alexander.

Coming out of college, Alexander was known for his exceptional athleticism but was viewed as a green prospect who would need plenty of seasoning in the NBA. The Bucks knew they would need patience with Alexander in teaching him the pro game and that has proved to the case.

"The mental part is absolutely the hardest part," Alexander said. "Physically, there's nothing wrong with the skills that I have. I can do that, which just shows you how much mental preparation and work that goes into the games because someone like me who physically can obviously play, I wasn't able to play when I first came in. That shows how much strategy and thinking and mental control (is involved)."

Among the problems Alexander has encountered has been harnessing his energy and just being in the right place at the right time on the court.

"I didn't know where to be," Alexander said. "It's not about thinking too much. It's just not knowing where to be. The professional game is a game of inches and angles where if I'm facing slightly the wrong way, I'm going to get burned. Or, 6 inches to the right or left and I'll be in the right spot. So those are little things that you have to learn and it takes a long time to do that."

Alexander's need to learn has been noted by his teammates, as well.

"Joe is so raw athletically," veteran forward Malik Allen said. "He still has a ways to go but the big thing is just channeling his athleticism. He's always been so used to going fast. Also, just learning the NBA game and playing in a system. They've asked him to play a couple different positions (small forward and power forward) so I think that's been on his mind but overall, his effort has been great and he's been willing to learn and I think that's the biggest thing. He's starting to show some flashes of being able to play."

Alexander's work ethic has never been questioned. He is often on the practice court working with assistant coaches long after the other players have left. On game nights, he is on the court early working on his game. The encouraging thing for Alexander and the Bucks is that, slowly but surely, progress is being made and that is translating into playing time.

Alexander has played in 57 games, averaging 4.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game. But coach Scott Skiles has turned to him more often in some recent games.

"It's very encouraging," Alexander said. "I think that if at the end of this year my minutes had really gone down, it really would have been tough for me mentally because I'm OK with not being considered good and not playing a lot. But I'm not OK with not getting better and not improving. So I'm really, really glad that toward the end of the year my minutes started to pick up because that's a sign of getting better."

Skiles agrees.

"He's made progress," he said. "It's not always evident in the games but it's evident to us when we're around him every day. Lately, I've been giving him some more minutes and he'll block a shot or he'll do something to affect the game. He's still got to get himself a little bit more under control. Slow down a little bit. But he's starting to take his shot with a little bit more confidence and he's moving around the floor better. He's made good progress."

Proof That Common Sense May Yet Exist

2009-04-08T16:20:00.003-04:00

As the flagship station for the Princeton Rays, we at The New River 102.3 FM are gearing up for the 2009 season. There's always a lot of sports-related talk around the station, and different people have different opinions about different issues.
But one thing on which everyone agrees is that Major League Baseball playoff games start much too late at night -- especially the World Series.
However, there may be hope.
This is an excerpt from Bob Wolfley's "SportsDay" column in the April 7, 2009 edition of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
It's about time -- literally and figuratively.

Bob Wolfley | SportsDay

Earlier Series start wanted

Posted: Apr. 7, 2009

Fox Sports and Major League Baseball are working on an agreement to start 2009 World Series games sooner than they have in the past.

Both the network and baseball, in an almost annual October ritual, have been criticized for starting those games too late.

The president of Fox Sports, Ed Goren, said Tuesday that the two sides had been working to reach an agreement to get to the first pitches in those games sooner.

"We are working with baseball and I think we all have the same agenda," Goren said. "And this is to get to first pitch more efficiently than we have in the past. We are continuing to have discussions to make that happen."

Goren declined to be specific about how much sooner the sides are considering, but an industry source suggested all the first pitches in the Series might come as soon as 7:50 p.m. Eastern and perhaps no later than 8 p.m. Eastern.

In the Central time zone, that would be 6:50 and 7 p.m.

In order to accomplish that, Fox might go to air one-half hour earlier than it has in order to start the pregame programming. That would allow Fox to get to the first pitch sooner.

In the past, Fox typically has gone to air at 8 p.m. Eastern, with the first pitch coming around 8:20 p.m. in Games 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7. In Games 1 and 3, when player introductions take place, Fox goes to air at 8 p.m. Eastern, with the first pitch in the 8:35 p.m. range.

"The real question is how early we will be getting to first pitch," Goren said. "It will be earlier than in the past. I'm confident we will come up with a plan that will be effective."

Commissioner Bud Selig said during an interview with Sirius XM Radio on Monday that it was his desire to put in place earlier start times for the World Series this season.

Selig also said he would like to see a day game start for a Series game.

"I'm working hard because I happen to believe not only in a late afternoon game but in earlier starting times and I'm not going to be happy until we get those."

Goren said Fox was not considering an early afternoon start for any Series game. He did not address the issue of a late afternoon start.

"I don't expect that to happen," Goren said, referring to a day game start of 2 p.m. Eastern. "There is just a financial impact of selling commercials in an afternoon game compared to prime time."

Goren said viewers were not going to see day game starts in championship series in any major team sport: baseball, NBA or NHL, for example.

MLW Update

2009-04-05T16:04:00.002-04:00

Concord's academic year is winding down, but there's still much to talk about on our Mountain Lion Weekly program.

Tuesday, April 7, the featured guest will be men's basketball coach Steve Cox. We'll wrap up the 2008-09 season, update recruiting and look ahead to '09-'10.

The following Tuesday, April 14, CU baseball coach Kevin Garrett is set to join MLW. Concord is one of the favorites to win the WVIAC this year, and, at the time of this writing, the Mountain Lions are coming off an important three-game sweep at Shepherd.

Keep checking here for further MLW scheduling updates.

Mountain Lion Weekly is an hour-long talk show devoted to Concord athletics. You can hear it Tuesday evenings at 6:00 EDT on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River and at theriver102.com.

Concord Men's Basketball: Review/Preview

2009-03-26T17:04:00.002-04:00

When Liki Turner’s baseline jumper barely beat the buzzer and bounced Concord in the first round of the WVIAC Tournament, it provided a fitting finish to the season.

Concord played well and never quit, yet came up just short.

So to speak.

With only one player taller than 6’5”, Concord head coach Steve Cox went into the season worried about rebounding. His worries were well-founded. The Mountain Lions ranked near the bottom of the WVIAC in total rebounds, offensive rebounds and rebounding margin – and Concord finished 10^th in the league with a record of 10-18.

The box score from the tournament game at Shepherd shined a klieg light on Concord’s shortcomings. The Mountain Lions shot .553 from the field, 10-20 from 3-point range and 14-19 from the free throw line, committed only 14 turnovers, and held Shepherd to .426 shooting, .381 from the arc.

But Shepherd outrebounded Concord 39-29, including a 19-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. Shepherd’s 6’8” center Justin Jarman alone grabbed 15 boards, nine on the offensive end. Numbers like that allowed Shepherd to attempt 21 more field goals than the Mountain Lions, including Turner’s game-winner.

The 2008-2009 season ended with a heartbreaker. But Concord showed great heart just to put itself on the verge of upsetting a higher seed, in the conference tournament, on the road.

After starting the season 2-1 – including a stirring run to the championship of the Currance Classic Tournament in Bluefield the weekend after Thanksgiving – the Mountain Lions slid into an 11-game losing streak, with seven of those defeats by 12 or more points.

At 2-12, many other teams might have started looking ahead to next year. But Concord instead rallied to win eight of its final 14 games and just missed earning a trip to Charleston for the conference quarterfinals.

The turnaround can be attributed largely to shooting, a must-have for Concord’s guard-dominated lineup. Much of that turnaround was due to the return to form of Matt Parker, who was slowed by nagging injuries for the first part of the season. But, once healthy, Parker combined with Cordale Boyd, Rafee Smith and Cory Willard to stretch opposing defenses nearly to the breaking point.

The Mountain Lions ended their 11-game losing streak with an 89-77 win over Shepherd in Athens January 24^th. That victory began a stretch in which Concord won seven of nine games that lifted them out of 15^th place in the WVIAC.

Over those nine games, Concord shot a remarkable .540 from the field and an impressive .442 from three-point range. In seven of those nine games, the Mountain Lions made at least 10 three-point shots.

Indeed, for the season as a whole, three-point shooting had a huge role in Concord’s chances of success. In the Mountain Lions’ ten victories, they .462 from the arc and made an average of 10.4 3-pointers. In Concord’s 18 losses, those numbers fell to .321 and 7.6.

Steve Cox will have to replace four seniors from this year’s team. The most noteworthy departure will be that of Cordale Boyd, whose value and versatility showed in the numbers -- he led the Mountain Lions in ten of the 22 major statistical categories, including scoring, assists, steals, offensive rebounds, field goals attempted and field goals made.

What’s more, Boyd attempted and made nearly 40% of Concord’s free throws – a significant number for a team that was last in the conference in free throws attempted and next-to-last in free throw percentage and free throws made.

Boyd got to the line so frequently because of his ability to drive to the basket, another aspect of his game that will be sorely missed.

Boyd finished his senior season among the conference leaders in scoring, field goal percentage, steals and assists. Yet he wasn’t flashy, and went about his business so quietly that he somehow wound up as only an Honorable Mention when the All-Conference team was announced in early March.

Seniors Ryan Vance and Jeremy Lewis didn’t get as much attention as Boyd, but they excelled as what are called “program players” – they worked hard in practice, provided leadership to younger teammates and produced when called into action. In fact, Lewis’ energy level in practice helped him solidify a spot in the rotation as the season progressed.

Then there’s Derek Calloway. After a bumpy first half of the season, during which foul trouble and inconsistent decision-making curtailed his playing time, the man whose teammate dubbed “Old School” emerged as Concord’s “glue guy,” doing the little things and the dirty work that were instrumental in the team’s progress.

Concord became a much better team once Calloway reined himself in and played deeper into games. He wound up leading the team in rebounding, blocked shots and assist-turnover ratio (an impressive 1.66), was second in steals and, while he didn’t shoot often, ended at a respectable .541 from the field. He also became an expert passer out of the post and took pride in his knack for setting up Boyd, Parker, Smith and Willard for open shots.

Calloway also fully embraced his role. Case in point: On the trip back from Concord’s 90-69 win at Salem International February 9, a game in which the Mountain Lions shot .545 and put four players in double figures, Calloway perused the box score and said, “I got my two shots.”

That was enough for Old School, who wound up that game with seven rebounds, two assists and a steal, to go with two points.

At first blush, Concord’s 2009-2010 season shapes up much like this ’08-’09 -- the Mountain Lions will be undersized, guard-oriented and will only go as far as their outside shooting takes them. That said, Steve Cox has a solid three-guard core to build around.

Parker and Willard will give Concord the WVIAC’s top returning three-point shooting duo; in conference games they combined to make 139 3’s and hit on a .450 clip. For the season as a whole, Willard led all freshmen (and was fifth in the league) with 98 3-pointers made and was named to the WVIAC’s All-Freshmen Team.

Rafee Smith will return for his junior season as a shooting guard-small forward hybrid and will be relied on to do more scoring. Look for Smith to get more shots than the 8.4 per game he took as a sophomore and to add to what was a solid average stat line in ’08-’09: 11.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .521 FG, .727 FT, .361 3-point FG and 1.51 assist-turnover ratio.

Aside from that trio Cox faces some big questions.

Who will succeed Boyd at point guard?

Sophomore-to-be Thomas Brown is one candidate. He bookended the season with two outstanding performances – 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the season opener against Alderson-Broaddus, and a 26-point outburst against Shepherd in the conference tournament. But between those superlative efforts were extended bouts of wayward decision-making that landed him on the bench.

Chance Smith showed flashes of potential as a sophomore and is perhaps Concord’s quickest player. But he too was prone to stretches of inconsistency and needs to improve his shooting.

Rustin Jessee could be the answer … if he can show the form that led Cox to bring him to Concord in the first place. Jessee was slowed by persistent foot problems that impacted his fitness (and his minutes) in the first half of the season, and just when it seemed he had overcome those woes, the problem flared up and knocked Jessee out of the lineup for the last 11 games of the season.

If Jessee can make a complete recovery, he should give Concord a steady, savvy starter at the point and allow Brown and Chance Smith more time to develop.

This will be a position to watch as the Mountain Lions try to follow up on a season in which they committed the fewest turnovers in the WVIAC.

What about rebounding?

Calloway and Boyd are gone, taking with them nearly a third of Concord’s rebounds. Among the potential returners, Daniel Johnson will be counted on most to fill the void. But the transfer from Potomac State is only 6’5” and had difficulty against taller opponents down the stretch.

Sophomore-to-be Derek Lewis could be poised for a significant step up; he has size (6’7”) and a year of experience behind him. Plus, Lewis rebounded at a rate of one every 3.5 minutes of time played. If he’s able to maintain that pace and plays, for example, 25 minutes a game next season, he’d average seven rebounds a game.

That would be a big improvement for a CU team whose top rebounder averaged 4.9 a game in ’08-’09.

The Concord coaching staff is also high on the potential of Damian Tunstalle, the Beckley Woodrow Wilson High School product who had to miss his freshman season with a knee injury suffered last summer. But, when healthy, Tunstalle he’s a leaper who would boost the Mountain Lions’ rebounding. He also has a Boyd-like drive to slash to the basket.

Who’s on the schedule?

Last season Concord endured a non-conference gauntlet that included:

Two games each against Johnson C. Smith and Tusculum. The Bulls went 23-8, won the CIAA championship and reached the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers finished 20-11, just missed winning the SAC tournament and also earned an NCAA bid.

NAIA power Bluefield College, which wound up 27-7, 18-0 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference and reached the second round of the national tournament.

The biggest non-conference challenge of all -- a visit to NCAA Division I Morehead State. The Eagles wound up winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and went toe-to-toe with mighty Louisville in the NCAA Tournament before being succumbing in the second half.

Safe to say Concord didn’t fill up on cupcakes in 2008-09.

Next season, the WVIAC will expand from 20 to 22 conference games, leaving Cox to fill only five vacancies. Tentatively, Concord is set to play in a two-game classic at Lincoln Memorial of Tennessee in mid-November, taking on the host school and Carson Newman. CU is also expected to return to the Currance Classic in Bluefield for games on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Mountain Lions fill out their non-league calendar by hosting Lincoln Memorial in mid-December.

Within the WVIAC, Concord will have home-and-home meetings with Bluefield State, Charleston, West Virginia State, Alderson-Broaddus, Glenville State, West Virginia Wesleyan and Davis & Elkins.

The Mountain Lions will play the other league teams once. Salem International, West Liberty, Pitt-Johnstown and Shepherd on the road; Seton Hill, Fairmont State, Ohio Valley and Wheeling Jesuit will come to the Carter Center.

As it stands now, how does the WVIAC look for ’09-’10?

Regular season champion West Virginia State will have to replace four seniors, including inside presence Hensley Charles, the gritty Wade Pidock and two-time conference Player of the Year Ted Scott. Bryan Poore always has the Yellowjackets near the top, but his program will have to recover from two straight puzzling season-ending losses that short-circuited what some thought would be a run to the Elite Eight.

Alderson-Broaddus faces the daunting task of replacing Sam Liggins, Stan Hall, Montel Lee and Zach Green. But they’ll return Terrell Eargle, one of the most versatile and dangerous players in the league.

Conference tournament champion Pitt-Johnstown will lose Marcus Tullis and William Sharpe, among others, but the Mountain Cats will build around freshman center Patrick Grubbs.

West Liberty State will have to do without Ben Howlett and front-liners Shane Maynard and Kameron Law. But the Hilltoppers look to be well-stocked for another run toward the top, with Corey Pelle and John Wolosinczuk due back.

Glenville State will try to follow on their 20-win season without Tryvan Leech, Anthony Kimble and Chase Groves, seniors who helped the Pioneers finish in the top five in the conference in offense and defense.

Fairmont State loses just two seniors, but one of them is Thad McFadden, the WVIAC’s leading scorer.

Shepherd will have to replace a trio of departing seniors, most notably 6’8” center Justin Jarman, who averaged 13.5 points and 7.6 rebounds a game. But the Rams get back the backcourt duo of Jonathan Motichka and Tyrone Roach, and forward Liki Turner.

West Virginia Wesleyan will get almost everybody back, but they’ll have to recover from a late-season fade that ended with them being the only home team to lose in the first round of the conference tournament.

The team that eliminated the Bobcats, Wheeling Jesuit, loses G Maqsood Harrington. But the young Cardinals are due to get back a remarkable 13 players, including Freshman of the Year Cedric Harris. Plus, their wins over Wesleyan and State in the league tournament could be signs of things to come – causing all the WVIAC coaches who aren’t Danny Sancomb some sleepless nights.

As for the rest of the conference, Charleston could be the team best poised for a move into the first division. The Golden Eagles lose point guard Anthony Anderson, who was a steadying influence on the court, but are set to return a deep, athletic roster.

Davis & Elkins gets just about everybody back, and Bluefield State could emerge as a spoiler if they can find complements to the talented outside-inside duo of Raylon Almon and Brian Tingle.

Where Concord fits in the conference landscape right now is anybody’s guess. But a productive off-season and health during the season could help elevate the Mountain Lions into the upper division.

Practice begins October 15^th. The countdown is on.

Classic. But not completely.

2009-03-25T17:16:00.002-04:00

I'd like to thank the programmers at ESPN Classic for helping to fill the college basketball void with replays of old championship games.
As someone who grew up in the Milwaukee area, being able to watch the second half of Marquette beating North Carolina in 1977 -- including clips from old interviews with Al McGuire -- was absolutely priceless.
Seashells and balloons, Al.

Classic also replayed the the 1983 game, when North Carolina State beat Houston. The broadcast came complete with the precursor to "One Shining Moment" -- a highlight montage set to "I Think We're Gonna Make It" by Christopher Cross.
(Christopher Cross in a sports broadcast? Who thought that was a good idea?)
Upside: Clips of Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson, Clyde Drexler and Waymon Tisdale in college.
Bobby Knight when he'd still wear a jacket and tie.
Jerry Tarkanian chomping on a towel.
Rollie Massimino and Guy Lewis flailing around, mussing up their hair.
Downside: The involvement of Christopher Cross.
Opinion: Thank goodness "One Shining Moment" came along.

This Time, We Mean It (hopefully)

2009-03-23T12:25:00.002-04:00

"Mountain Lion Weekly" is scheduled to return to our airwaves tomorrow, March 24th.
Our guest this week is Concord women's basketball coach Kenny Osborne.
We'll review the just-completed 2008-2009 season and look ahead to '09-'10.
"Mountain Lion Weekly" starts at 6:00 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River.

Concord Women's Basketball: Review/Preview

2009-03-18T18:04:00.002-04:00

While I sat courtside at the 2009 WVIAC Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum, a long-time league expert walked up to me and asked, “Are you the radio guy for Concord?”
After I answered in the affirmative, he said, “You guys were one player away from getting to play here.”
I knew exactly what he meant.
By “here,” he meant reaching the league quarterfinals in the CCCC. By “one player away” he meant not an individual, but a position – point guard.

The Lady Lions’ fall from a 4^thplace finish in 2007-08 to 10^th this past season resulted in large part from its transition at point guard. Sarah Blevins had moved from backup to starter, following the graduation of career assists leader Jamie Cluesmann, but a knee injury ended Blevins’ season after only three games. Nearly two-thirds of the season would pass before Concord regained its bearings at the point.
In Blevins’ three games, the Lady Lions committed an average of 15.3 turnovers a game, compared to 14.7 assists. That’s an assist-turnover ratio of .96:1.
Over the next 17 games, as Concord reset its point guard rotation, the Lady Lions’ turnovers per game rose to 22.6, while the assists fell to 13.7. That’s an assist-turnover ratio of .61:1, a drop-off of 35%.
Concord went 7-10 in that 17-game stretch. Early among those 10 defeats were two that wound up being especially painful -- a 61-60 home loss to Glenville State, which wound up finishing 11^th in the league, and a 76-67 loss at Charleston in which turnovers contributed to a fade at the end for the Lions.
If Concord had hung on to win either of those games, the Lady Lions would have finished in the top eight in the WVIAC and gotten home court for the first round of the conference tournament.
Instead, Concord finished 10^th, had to go on the road to meet a red-hot Shepherd team, and got eliminated 94-79.

Head coach Kenny Osborne knew it would be a rocky road at point guard this past season. But that bumpy ride could lead to a smoother journey next year.

Blevins’ injury pressed rookie Annamarie Truckley into service, and she got better as the season progressed. Fellow freshman Sarah Boeren showed flashes of brilliance (and eye-popping speed). But by the end of the season Concord’s best ‘1’ guard was someone who earned the job almost by accident.

Sophomore Sarah Tuggle was riding the bench as a small forward, until one day in practice. Blevins was out of the lineup and classroom obligations had taken away a couple other guards. Osborne asked for a volunteer to play the point, Tuggle stepped in, and, although she had to learn on the job, the former James Monroe Lady Maverick would eventually become the starter.

Even if Osborne doesn’t bring in a new recruit who can play right away next season, point guard will be much less of a question mark. As it stands now, Tuggle, Truckley and Boeren will be back, each with a season at the point behind them. Blevins will also return after taking a medical redshirt, bringing with her the possibility Concord could have, of all things, a glut of experienced point guards when the new season begins next November 15.

Point guards are called “coaches on the floor,” but they’re not necessarily team leaders. Leadership will be an area in which Concord faces a void next season.

The Lady Lions lose Amber Schowalter, who became the team’s emotional hub on her way to leading Concord in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals and earning First Team All-WVIAC honors.
Which player or players emerge as leaders could be the biggest question facing next year’s team. There are three seniors due back – Sierra Brown (WVIAC Honorable Mention), Bre Kyle and Joanna Mills. They’ll be expected to take on added leadership roles, especially Brown, who started all 28 games last season and figures to become the focal point of Osborne’s inside-first offense following the graduations of Schowalter and small forward Cassidy Smith.
Blevins will be a junior, and she the other returning point guards will also be expected to provide leadership.
The same may be expected of Kristin Kidd, who could move into the starting lineup after sitting out a season following her transfer from Division I Presbyterian College.

How quickly Concord sorts out its point guard and leadership questions next season will dictate its chances of success.
That’s particularly true in that, if the 2009-10 campaign were to start today, Osborne would already be looking at a rotation of:

Sarah Blevins, Annamarie Truckley, Sarah Tuggle, Bre Kyle and Holly Bibb in the backcourt;
Meghan Cole, Sierra Brown, Jolysa Brown and Trista Thomas in the frontcourt.

Jolysa Brown made the WVIAC All-Freshmen Team last season, and Thomas is the PikeView High School star who may be the most college-ready of the incoming freshmen.

That’s a pretty solid nine-player rotation. And it doesn’t account for off-season improvements by other returning players, including Mills, Boeren and Stephanie Wallace (who worked her way into the rotation in the second half of last season). Nor does it account for the freshman class, which also includes Amanda Smith (who finished her high school career with a flourish on a Princeton team that made the WVSSAC State tournament).

Concord loses Schowalter, Smith and Repass to graduation. Schowalter and Smith were starters all season; Repass overcame a serious medical condition her junior season to begin her senior year as a starter, only to suffer an ankle injury early in the season that cost her seven lost games and plagued her for weeks after that.

Here’s how graduation will hit other WVIAC teams:

The biggest impact will be felt at West Virginia Wesleyan, West Virginia State and Charleston. The Bobcats lose four seniors, including PF Sarah Van Horn. The Yellowjackets lose five, including PG Ana Siera, SG Jennifer Setter and the always-dangerous Brittany Mingo. The reigning league champion Golden Eagles will see only two seniors leave, but they’re important – SG Veronica Carman, whose elevated play down the stretch helped lift UC into the NCAA tournament, and C Jihan Williams, “Miss Double-Double,” who was WVIAC’s most dominant inside presence.

Shepherd loses PF Katie Warehime and SG Krissy Grosselin, who torched Concord in the conference tournament. Alderson-Broaddus’ starting lineup will have to do without G Chelsea Kuehner, SF Sonya Jones and PF Katie Pollak. Glenville State will have to reconfigure its backcourt following the departures of Mallory Menendez and Christine DiSabato.

Fairmont State loses four seniors, but returns G Ashley Vavrek. West Liberty loses F Evelyn Woods and G Julie Cessna, but gets back reigning Player of the Year G Tori Hansen, F Laura Malernee and others. Wheeling Jesuit bids farewell to G Shayla Holenka, but everyone else is due to return. Davis & Elkins’s backcourt duo of Teonna Jewell and Lindsay Holliday will be back. Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, Ohio Valley and Bluefield State will be largely unscathed.

I’m terrible at prognosticating, but look for West Liberty State to be the pre-season favorite going into 2009-2010, with a group of teams hard on their heels. Charleston, Pitt-Johnstown, Glenville State, Seton Hill and, yes, Concord will be in the mix.

Just think: Less than eight months to tip-off.

Programming Note

2009-03-17T14:14:00.003-04:00

Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, there will be no "Mountain Lion Weekly" tonight on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The River.
We hope to bring back the show next week, when we're scheduled to be joined by Concord women's basketball coach Kenny Osborne.
Show time is set for 6:00 pm EDT on Tuesday, March 24.
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Thoughts On The Tournament

2009-03-16T20:39:00.003-04:00

My first full season of following WVIAC basketball culminated with my first visit to the conference tournament at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum. So, while I’ve accrued some knowledge of the conference, I’m still new enough to it to retain a bit of an outsider’s perspective. It’s with that perspective in mind that I offer some unsolicited thoughts on this year’s tournament at the CCCC.

Gotta love the energy level.

Clichéd as it sounds, nothing that quite matches the intensity of post-season college basketball. Teams know their seasons are literally at stake, and it shows. The players perform with an added fervor. All the little things mean more – defending, rebounding, running fast breaks at a dead sprint, deflecting a pass, setting a screen, blocking a shot, drawing a charge, making a perfect outlet pass, establishing post position and so on and so on.

The players know they’re on the state’s biggest stage and their level of effort rises to meet it.

This was a tournament in which the champions – Charleston’s women and Pitt-Johnstown’s men – proved once again that tenacity is always the first part of a winning formula.

It’s a great place to watch a game.

The Charleston Civic Center Coliseum is a wonderful venue for basketball. Large enough to hold a big crowd, but not so huge that the game becomes distant. It’s expansive and intimate at the same time.

(I digress here, but … if I hadn’t gotten a comical series of bad directions trying to find the CCCC, this Charleston newbie wouldn’t have had to walk all over what seemed to be the length and breadth of the entire city to get from my hotel to the Civic Center. I’d be quiet about it, but my feet are still sore.)

Hey Cinderella!

Everything went pretty much according to form on the women’s side, but the men were visited by the upset bug.

Ninth-seeded Wheeling Jesuit had to win on the road in the first round just to get to Charleston; once they got there the Cardinals pulled another stunner in knocking off top seed West Virginia State. WJU almost made it three in a row before getting worn down in the semi-finals by Pitt-Johnstown.

Speaking of the Mountain Cats – some old conference hands have gritted their teeth over a Pennsylvania school winning the West Virginia Conference title, but UPJ earned it all the way with their back-to-the-future game plan. They defended and rebounded maniacally and set their tempo on offense.

The same could be said for the UC women.

It may not have been 21st-Century basketball, but it was certainly timeless.

Where is everybody?

We’re living in a tough economy, but the attendance seemed much too low for an event like this. Of course, the same could be said for virtually every other conference tournament around the country. Still, the fans that turned out got their money’s worth. Leading to the question….

How can it get better?

When in comes to basketball, the WVIAC is like a smaller-scale Big East. It’s a 16-team league with a high level of play, a tough schedule and a long tradition. So to improve the conference tournament, perhaps the WVIAC should take a page from it larger cousin and bring every team to one city. In this case, Charleston.

Of course, having 32 teams in one city presents a set of potential headaches and logistical demands. It would also require some very long days for tournament organizers and conference officials.

But it would also give every team and every player the opportunity to play on the state’s biggest stage.

It would also make it easier for teams in terms of travel planning and accommodations. Instead of not knowing its first-round location until 48 hours before tip-off, each team would know where it’ll be playing and where it’ll be staying well in advance. The same goes for fans.

Best of all, it would also create a week-long celebration of West Virginia college basketball. Charleston is the state’s largest city, and the local media does a wonderful job covering the tournament. Having every team in Charleston means added exposure for the conference, while doubling the possible story ideas and angles for the media. There would be a solid week’s worth of radio, TV, internet and newspaper stories about the WVIAC. Everybody wins.

Later on Inside The Headset: 32 Teams, Six Days, One Arena – How Can It Be Done?

MLW is back!

2009-03-16T11:46:00.000-04:00

In a programming note: "Mountain Lion Weekly" returns to Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River Tuesday night, March 17.
The special guest this week will be Concord men's basketball coach Steve Cox. We'll review the just-completed 2008-2009 season and take a look ahead to '09-'10.
"Mountain Lion Weekly" begins at 6:00 pm EDT.

Release The Pet Peeves!

2009-03-09T16:24:00.000-04:00

One of the more therapeutic things about doing this blog is that it allows the opportunity to speak up on some things in broadcasting that just irritate the you-know-what out of me.
So, every so often, I'll go over to where I keep my Pet Peeves, rattle the cage, and turn them loose.
Like right now.

Why is it that, when reading the weather forecast, many broadcasters have to mention the sky?
Stay with me on this.
How many times have you heard a broadcaster say "mostly sunny skies" or "look for cloudy skies out there," when, if you think about it, WHERE THE BLEEP ELSE WILL IT BE CLOUDY OR SUNNY?

Now, if the forecast calls for "cloudy ground" or "sunny rivers," that would be different. But
shoe-horning the word "sky" into a weather forecast is redundant and a waste of time. Nobody likes redundant wastes of time.

(I digress: How many times has someone in radio used "Sunny Rivers" as an on-air name?)

What's next? Telling us the sun will rise in the east and set in the west? That people will inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide? That it'll be dark all night? That if it rains, the grass will get wet?

Whoa. I feel like Andy Rooney right now....

Final "Sentencing"

2009-03-09T16:05:00.000-04:00

We've come this far, so let's not stop.
Here are summaries of the WVIAC Tournament championship games, in one sentence or less.

WOMEN
Charleston 64, West Liberty State 59: It's one thing to knock the Eagles down but it's another thing to knock them out; Charleston trails at halftime but gets the usual Jihan Double (19 & 12), defends like crazy (allowing just .322 shooting) and wears out the Lady Hilltoppers.

MEN
Pitt-Johnstown 74, Alderson-Broaddus 73 (2 OT): Instant classic; Mountain Cats stifle A-B's high-flying offense, get double-doubles from tournament MVP Marcus Tullis (30 & 10) and Patrick Grubbs (10 & 11), a near-double-double from Quenton Davis (21 & 8) and become the first Pennsylvania school to win the West Virginia conference championsip.

Coming up later on "Inside The Headset": Thoughts on the tournament.

More "Sentencing"

2009-03-09T15:04:00.000-04:00

We continue our service to busy basketball fans who may have been too preoccupied to follow the 2009 WVIAC basketball tournaments, with summations of each game in one sentence or less.
It's time for a look at the men's tournament.

FIRST ROUND
at Shepherd 77, Concord 76: Outstanding, well-played college basketball that ended in buzzer-beating heartbreak for the Mountain Lions.
Wheeling Jesuit 89, at West Virginia Wesleyan 79: The Cardinals shock the conference in a matchup of two teams passing in opposite directions.
at West Virginia State 126, Ohio Valley 83: Yellowjackets look invincible in what should be a run to the title -- and perhaps home court in the NCAA regionals.
at Pitt-Johnstown 89, Davis & Elkins 72: Mountain Cats stay with their game plan and overcome Tim Turner's 38-point outburst.
at Fairmont State 77, Charleston 61: Thad McFadden misses 11 of 12 from 3-point range, but makes 11-17 from everywhere else and lights up the Golden Eagles for 33 points (with seven rebounds and four assists).
at Glenville State 77, Seton Hill 65: A big first half, 11-22 3-point shooting and balanced scoring get the Pioneers past the Griffins.
at Alderson-Broaddus 99, Salem International 56: Another day at the office for the Battlers; ten players score at least five points while A-B limits the Tigers to .364 from the field, .130 from the arc.
at West Liberty State 117, Bluefield State 87: Another day at the office for the Hilltoppers, who hit 17-38 3-pointers and reach triple digits for the 13th time in 28 games.

QUARTERFINALS

West Liberty State 97, Fairmont State 93: McFadden gets another 33, but the 'Toppers play their style of game and lead for nearly all 40 minutes -- although never comfortably.
Alderson-Broaddus 87, Shepherd 71: Close at halftime, but A-B holds the Rams to just .286 shooting in the second half and pulls away for a decisive win.
Wheeling Jesuit 84, West Virginia State 75: The Yellowjackets try 79 field goals -- and miss 50 -- while the Cardinals hit .531 from the field and a healthy 25-32 from the line in springing another upset.
Pitt-Johnstown 93, Glenville State 85: Mountain Cats trail early but pound away and wear down the Pioneers, attempting 21 more free throws (and making 15 more) in the process.

SEMIFINALS

Alderson-Broaddus 97, West Liberty State 78: A-B does its most important work on rebounding (a 51-32 advantage) and defense; they limit the Hilltoppers to .394 shooting, .174 from the arc, and their second-lowest point total of the season.
Pitt-Johnstown 67, Wheeling Jesuit 55: The Cardinals' surprising run ends because they can't matchup with UPJ's big center, Patrick Grubbs (13 points, 10 rebounds) and can't stop William Sharpe (10 assists, only two turnovers) from setting up the Mountain Cat offense.

Tournament "Sentencing," Part One

2009-03-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

In case you've been away, or busy, or somehow otherwise preoccupied, here's a chance to catch up on what's gone on in the 2009 WVIAC Basketball Tournament.
Each game will be encapsulated in one sentence or less.
We'll start with the women.

FIRST ROUND

at Shepherd 94, Concord 79: The Rams' ferocious first 25 minutes put them ahead by 24 points early in the second half, and even going 7-12 from 3-point range down the stretch couldn't get the Lady Lions all the way back.
at West Liberty State 95, Bluefield State 38: Laura Malernee went off (7-13 3's, 21 points) and so did the rest of the Lady Toppers.
at West Virginia Wesleyan 73, Davis & Elkins 32: Anytime you can get all 15 players some minutes in the post-season, that's good -- ask the Lady Bobcats.
at Charleston 127, Salem International 25: No, this isn't a misprint, it's a 102-point margin of victory.
at Pitt-Johnstown 62, Wheeling Jesuit 59: The Cardinals started too slowly (.179 FG in the first half) for their fast finish (.500 in the 2nd) to fix.
at Fairmont State 67, Ohio Valley 50: The Fighting Falcons forced frequent flubs -- OVU committed 21 turnovers, allowing FSC to overcome .387 shooting.
at Seton Hill 67, Glenville State 49: Katie Lintner's double-double (18 points, 15 rebounds) kept the Pioneers at bay.
at West Virginia State 62, Alderson-Broaddus 55: Katie Pollak and Tori Charley had double-doubles -- and Chelsea Kuehner 25 points -- for the Battlers, but State had Brittany Mingo (27 points, 10-21 FG, 19 rebounds, 4 assists), and sometimes one great player makes the difference.

QUARTERFINALS

Pitt-Johnstown 78, Fairmont State 76 (OT): The Mountain Cats led by 15 in the second half, Fairmont State got its inside game going (22 paint points) and forced OT, but UPJ shared amongst themselves well enough (26 assists on 28 made field goals) to survive and advance.
West Virginia Wesleyan 62, Seton Hill 48: You do not want to get behind the Bobcats early and let them impose Sarah Van Horn on you (25 points, 10-17 FG, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks).
Charleston 53, West Virginia State 52: Sometimes Sherry Winn wonders how her team wins games, and this must be what she means -- the Eagles shot .380, allowed 17 steals, committed 23 turnovers, tried 16 fewer shots, yet out-ground a grinding team.
West Liberty State 71, Shepherd 59: The Rams returned to earth, shot 1-11 from 3-point range, and couldn't contain Tori Hansen (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists).

SEMI-FINALS

West Liberty State 64, West Virginia Wesleyan 56: The Bobcats tried 59 field goals to the Toppers 46, but made only 19 to the Toppers' 20, and the big culprit was inside shooting -- Wesleyan had missed six easy layups when I lost count.
Charleston 73, Pitt-Johnstown 56: An ankle injury and foul trouble limited UC star Jihan Williams to only 21 minutes, but Veronica Carman filled the void (23 points, 5-8 3-point shooting), the Golden Eagles grabbed 12 steals and wore down the leg-weary Mountain Cats.

One More Thank You

2009-03-06T18:20:00.001-05:00

Last but not least, a big thank you to Robert, who drove the bus for the Concord women's team.
A good bus driver does a lot of little things to make road trips more tolerable, even enjoyable, and Robert did all that and more.

Goodbye, Thank You & Good Night

2009-03-03T23:06:00.000-05:00

Liki Turner's buzzer-beater ended the Concord men's basketball team's season Tuesday night, capping a wonderful college basketball game in Shepherdstown.
With the Mountain Lion men and women eliminated from the WVIAC Tournament, our broadcast season has come to an end on Classic Rock 102 The New River and theriver102.com.

Time for some Thank You's.

Thanks to Lew Whitener, who started the season as an untested rookie board engineer, and ended it as a proven veteran.
Board operators do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work that gets our games on the air. You would literally not be able to listen to Concord or Summers County sports on The New River without people like Lew, Nate Dogg, Candyman and Rick Rizer. Thank you, gentlemen.

Thanks to Concord Director of Athletics Greg Quick. The last few months have been a time of great change for Greg, but through it all he's been unfailingly supportive and optimistic. I admire him for it.

Thanks to Concord's coaches: Greg, and now Mike Kellar, in football; Steve Cox, Will Johnson and Don Christie in men's basketball; and Kenny Osbourne, Jamie Cluesmann and Wes Aldrich in women's basketball. Your time and effort was invaluable.
This was my first season working with the Concord program and the WVIAC. The learning curve was pretty steep. Greg, Steve, Kenny and their staffs made the learning process quicker and easier.
Thanks as well to the other Concord coaches that, like the football and basketball staffs, took the time to be guests on our "Mountain Lion Weekly" program (Tuesday nights at 6:00 on The New River): Steve Barrett, Carol Bonnes, Mike Cox and Pat Hardin, and soon to come, Kevin Barrett, Lisa Blankenship and Sabrina McCullough.

Thanks to new SID Joey Fama, who had a lot to learn in a little time.
Thanks to Anita Conner and Tina Barrett in the front office in the Athletic Department, who've been unceasingly helpful and always have a friendly word to say.

Thanks to WVIAC Associate Commissioner Will Prewitt, who does yeoman's work keeping everyone in and around the league upated on, well, everything. Every time you heard an updated score from another game around the league, that update came from Will.
Will also made my first-year learning curve much easier to negotiate.

Thanks to the great businesses who sponsored our Concord broadcasts. We look forward to working together again, and for a long time to come.

Of course, great thanks to all of Concord's players, without whom none of this would be possible.
I travel with the teams, and on every trip all the players conducted themselves well as representatives of Concord University. Plus, they're a hoot to be around.

And, thanks to everyone who listened on the air and on-line. Your support and kind words
mean a great deal to me and everyone at Southern Communications. We may be in the off-season when it comes to our Concord broadcasts, but we'll work year-round to get better at what we do.

The 2009 CU football season starts August 29. It'll be here sooner than we think.

Playoff Preview #1

2009-03-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

"The cards are on the table now/And every other cliche somehow fits me like a glove."
-- Aztec Camera, "The Bugle Sounds Again"

Time to dust off the cliches -- it's tournament time in the WVIAC.
There's no tomorrow.
Everybody needs to step it up a notch.
This is what every team plays for.
It's one-and-done, so there's no room for slip-ups.
Etc.

But seriously, folks, this is the most exciting time of the WVIAC season. Sixteen teams in eight venues playing for a spot in the quarterfinals in West Virginia's "Big House" -- the Charleston Civic Center.

The women start their playoffs first. Concord visits Shepherd tonight.

Concord is one of a remarkable ten teams to get through the league schedule with a winning record. Unfortunately, the Lady Lions are seeded 10th out of those ten, and must visit 7th-seeded Shepherd.
Concord's home losses to West Virginia State February 21st and Charleston last Wednesday ultimately knocked them out of the top eight. And the Lady Lions started slowly before coming alive in the second half to rout Bluefield State 65-39 in their final regular season game Saturday afternoon.
Concord had a wonderful inside-outside mix against the Lady Blues. First-team All-WVIAC center Amber Schowalter did the double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, complemented by guard Meghan Cole's season-high 21 points and 5-8 3-point shooting.
Concord goes into the playoffs with seven wins in its last nine games. During that stretch, the Lady Lions have shot .489 while limiting opponents to .342.

Shepherd closed out the regular season by winning three straight, five of six and 10 out of 14. They're off two impressive road wins -- 55-53 at 4th-seeded Fairmont State last Monday and 66-58 at #5 Pitt-Johnstown two days ago -- that vaulted them into the top eight.
The Lady Rams feature Katie Warehime, who's in the league top ten in scoring, FG%, FT%, blocked shots and offensive rebounds. They also have one of the conference's top point guards in Jerica Hewitt, who's among the conference leaders in assists, steals and assist-turnover ratio.

The Lady Rams have won six straight home games after losing four of their first six at the Butcher Athletic Center.
They also may be a little cranky about their first meeting with Concord this season -- a heated, physical 87-67 Lady Lions win January 24 that saw Rams coach Jodie Runner pick up two technical fouls and get ejected -- much to the consternation of a large contingent of Shepherd fans who made the long trip to Athens.
So the Rams may have a playoff-sized chip on their shoulders for the rematch.

Catch tonight's game starting at 7:10 pm EST on the air at WMTD 102.3 FM The New River, and on-line at theriver102.com.

...And Again

2009-02-26T18:05:00.000-05:00

Will gives us the "If/Then" for the WVIAC Men here:
www.wviac.org/News/mbball/2009/2/26/mbkb22809preview.asp?path=mbball

Long story short for Concord: The Mountain Lions are virtually locked into 10th place. The two most likely opponents in the first round of the conference tournament on Tuesday are Shepherd or Fairmont State.
Concord snapped an 11-game losing streak with an 89-77 win over Shepherd January 24th at the Carter Center. Two days later, the Mountain Lions sprang a dramatic 83-81 upset of Fairmont State at the Joe Retton Arena.
So it's fair to say the Rams and Fighting Falcons would love to have the chance for some payback.

Saturday's Concord-Bluefield State doubleheader is scheduled for 1:40 pm EST, on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River and theriver102.com.

And Now, It's Time For A Breakdown

2009-02-26T16:14:00.000-05:00

The last day of the WVIAC basketball regular season is shaping up to be "Scenario Saturday."
Even after last night's loss to first-place Charleston, Concord still has a shot at getting home court for the first round of the league tournament Monday night. But the Lady Lions will need some help.

Associate Commissioner Will Prewitt, who knows far more about such things than I ever could, explains the variables and permutations for the women's teams here:
http://www.wviac.org/News/wbball/2009/2/26/wbkb12809preview.asp?path=wbbal

We'll have the Concord-Bluefield State doubleheader Saturday afternoon at 1:40 pm EST on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River and theriver102.com.

CU-UC WBB, Tonight

2009-02-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

Concord continues its basketball "Charleston Week" when the women's teams meet tonight at the Carter Center.

The Lady Lions dropped a 76-67 decision to the Golden Eagles at the King Gymnasium on December 13, despite shooting 45.6% from the field. Charleston's "Miss Double-Double," Jihan Williams, went for just that on that night, with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Turnovers were decisive in that meeting. Concord gave away the ball 29 times, to 18 for UC. Concord was in the midst of a five-game stretch in which it averaged 27 turnovers a game while the backcourt rotation was still getting sorted out. Now, with that rotation long since set, the Lady Lions have averaged a comparatively minuscule 11.4 turnovers in their last five games.
Taking care of the ball will be paramount for CU against Charleston tonight. The UC defense is leads the WVIAC in allowing conference opponents to shoot only 37.2%, and the Eagles surrender just 55.9 ppg in WVIAC games.

Concord is off a lackluster performance in a 75-57 loss to West Virginia State on Saturday. The defeat ended Concord's five-game winning streak and jeopardized their chances to finish in the top eight in the league -- and get home court for the first round of the conference tournament. Still, Concord can clinch a top-eight finish by defeating the second-place Eagles tonight. A loss would send CU on the road on Monday.

Meanwhile, Charleston is guranteed home court on Monday has the inside track on the top tournament seed. The Eagles currently trail West Liberty State in power rating points, but will sew up first place with a win tonight and another Saturday afternoon against WVSU.

So there's much at stake in what should be a playoff-like contest. You can hear the game on the air on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River, and on-line at theriver102.com. Air-time is 6:40 pm EST from Athens.

Concord vs West Virginia State Preview

2009-02-20T17:32:00.000-05:00

One streak going, one streak over.
The Concord basketball teams host West Virginia State in a WVIAC doubleheader Saturday afternoon. The Lady Lions are aiming for their seventh consecutive victory, while the CU men saw their five-game winning streak snapped by Glenville State.
The Concord women took a big step closer to a finish in the top half of the WVIAC -- and home-court advantage in the first round of the conference tournament -- with their dramatic 62-60 win at the Lilly Gymnasium Thursday night. By contrast, the Mountain Lion men's hopes for a top eight finish may have gone away after their 82-70 loss to the Pioneers.

Both Yellowjacket teams are being pressed by Adlerson-Broaddus in the conference standings. The WVSU men are in first place, 17 power rating points ahead of the Battlers. The Lady Jackets currently hold the 8th and final upper-half spot, but by less than three PR points over A-B.
Meanwhile, Concord's advantage over WVSU for 7th in the league is a narrow 4.7 points.
The CU men are in 10th, and their remote chances for a top eight finish would be greatly enhanced with an upset. So there's a lot at stake on Saturday.

Each team in tomorrow's doubleheader appears in the most recent NCAA national statistics:

State's Ted Scott is second in the country in scoring at 24.4 ppg. He's one of four WVIAC players in the nation's top seven.
The Yellowjacket men are third in the nation in scoring (91.1 ppg). West Liberty State is the leader at 100.4.
The WVSU men are 5th in blocked shots (5.7/game), 9th in 3-pointers per game (9.5) and 11th in field goal percentage (.498).
State's Kenny Carter is 9th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.58).
His teammate, Ricky Jackson, is 10th in field goal percentage (.637).
WVSU's Darren Jones is making 45.5% of his 3-point shots, 9th best in the nation.
Concord freshman Cory Willard is 11th in that category (.450), with the Lions' Matt Parker 35th (.408).
Willard is 4th in 3-pointers per game (3.7), with Parker 46th (2.7).
WVSU's Brittany Mingo is the 7th-highest scorer among Division II women (22.8 ppg).
The Lady Jackets are 3rd in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (13.7).
Here's an interesting stat: The Concord women are 15th in fewest fouls committed per game (14.6).

The Concord women earned a gutty 62-56 win at West Virginia State January 8th. Two days later, the Yellowjacket men took command early and ran away to a 109-78 victory in Fleming Hall.

Of course, you'll hear both games of tomorrow's doubleheader on the air on Classic Rock 102 The New River (that's 102.3 on your FM dial) and on-line at theriver102.com. The broadcast begins at 3:40 pm EST with the Lady Lion Preview show. The women's game starts at 4:00, with the men due to tip off at 6:00.