January, 2008 | The Baseball Zealot

Nick Swisher excited to play for Chicago

Last night, I listened to the MLB.com’s John Marzano and Vinny Micucci interview Nick Swisher about his trade to Chicago. I’ve heard Swish interviewed before and I have to say that based on that, I’ve taken a liking to the Ohio State alum.

When interviewed by the press, some baseball players seem to be measured, watching every word and making sure they say the right thing (I don’t blame them honestly the way some in media treat them). Not Nick Swisher. He gives a great interview. He sounds like a long lost cousin at a family reunion.

Anyway, he’s excited to play in Chicago and doesn’t hesitate to bring up that his dad (catcher Steve) was drafted by the White Sox before getting traded to the Cubs. He’s here to finish the job.

Nick is on the ball. Since the trade to the Sox, he’s already updated his website, nickswisher.net, in a black and white motif.

Catch the interview at MLB.com’s Baseball Channel.

Michigan lands #8 in Baseball America poll

If you look at the polls, the Pac-10 looks tough this year. They dominate the Baseball America poll which just came out. Four of their teams live in the top ten.

That said, at least one Big Ten team cracked the poll. Michigan impressed the pollsters enough to put them at #8. That may be deserved, too. One reason is Zach Putnam who I got a glimpse of at the Big Ten Tournament in 2007. One look at him this photo I snapped at the tourney tells you he’s got the build to be a slugger. In 2007, he hit .330 with 8 homers. And yes, Michigan fans, he’s only a junior.

I got the chance to speak to Putnam’s father at the tournament. Of course, he was talking his son up as much as possible. But I get the feeling that this guy might live up to the hype. Scouts have been following him since his prep school days. Oh did I mention he could pitch, too? He went 8-5 with a 3.87 ERA and 87 Ks in 102 IP in 2007 for UM.

By the by, that’s Penn State’s Joe Blackburn catching. The Big Ten has a reputation for developing some good catchers and Blackburn may be no exception.

Hot Stove League heating up in my APBA League

I just made my second trade in my APBA League. I traded Huston Street for Ryan Zimmerman to the Molly Putts Marauders owned by Zealot reader DonS. I’ve had Street since I picked him in the first round in the rookie draft a couple years ago.

Points to consider:

I am was desperate for coverage for thirdbase. My only other thirdbaseman was Joe Crede who as you know, was injured for most of last year. With Braun, Kouzmanoff, Gordon, and Iwamura, our rookie draft was ripe with thirdbasemen. But rumors of Braun moving to the outfield and Iwamura not showing the power I want/need, I went for the sure thing.
DonS’ Marauders presumably needed bullpen. And while there’s no such thing as too much bullpen, I could conceivably spare one especially in a situation like this (I still have Akinori Otsuka, Pat Neshek, and Ruddy Lugo (who got a gift from APBA).
Ryan Zimmerman’s errors were way up in 2007. I am aware of that. But I still think he is a quality fielder and even probably should have won the Gold Glove. I’m not the only person to think that. And no, David Wright should NOT have won it.
DonS’ Marauders had three starting thirdbasemen. He could afford to make this trade. That’s not to minimize Huston Street. I picked Street in the first round of the rookie draft after his 2005 rookie season. I rarely ~~never~~ pick relievers in the first round. Not since Tom Martin in 1998. They’re too unreliable. But I made a exception with Street because I thought he had good stuff. And so far, he hasn’t disappointed. Have fun with him, DonS.

Now with two deals I have my positions covered. Earlier this off-season, I traded Juan Uribe to Baseball Zealot Radio co-host Todd V for Ray Durham. A blockbuster, to be sure. More importantly to us APBA managers, he covered our positions. O-dog missed a few games with an injury in 2007.

With 2 picks in the upcoming rookie draft, I have the ultimate luxury. I can pick the best player available.

Soxfest ’08 this weekend

One weekend after the Cubs Convention (did I mention I went to the Cubs Convention this year??) is Soxfest 2008. The annual get together for Pale Hose fans will take place at the Palmer House Hilton on January 25-27. Yes, the tickets are sold out.

Is GM Kenny Williams looking forward to the traditional Q&A by the fans? Apparently not.

The mlb.com website has some helpful hints for those attending. Here is a list of those White Sox current and former players and personnel who will be attending this years Soxfest:

Ozzie Guillen, Ken Williams, Harold Baines, Jeff Cox, Kevin Hickey, Juan Nieves, Mark Salas, Greg Walker, Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Jermaine Dye, Josh Fields, Gavin Floyd, Bobby Jenks, Paul Konerko, Scott Linebrink, Jerry Owens, A.J. Pierzynski, Carlos Quentin, Nick Swisher, Jim Thome, Javier Vazquez, Roland Hemond, Joel Horlen, Bart Johnson, Ron Kittle, Bill Melton, Minnie Minoso, Moose Skowron, Mike Squires, Hawk Harrelson, Darrin Jackson, Ed Farmer and Chris Singleton.

I of course, will NOT be attending. I would, however, like to hear from anyone attending. Photos would be great!

And if you go, have fun!!

Former Illini Rohde traded

Rohde rounding the bases in his Illinois days

Mike Rohde, former firstbaseman for the University of Illinois, has been traded to Gary SouthShore RailCats. The Railcats were the Northern League Champion in 2007.

Rohde was acquired from the Sioux Falls Canaries and was included as the player to be named later in a trade that sent pitcher Kris Regas to the Canaries.

I know there’s a joke about the ‘Cats getting the Canaries or something like that.

Good Luck, Mike!

2008 Cubs Convention: Wrap-up

I’m back in warm Champaign-Urbana. And by “warm”, I mean it was in the twenties and not in single digits. Practically a heat wave.

Many thanks to my buddy Tyler who I didn’t see all weekend but who lent me his place for the weekend while I attended the Cubs Convention. His place was well within walking distance and had all the amenities I needed (an Internet connection being the primary one).

Sweet Lou getting his photo taken with a fan.

This was my second Cubs Convention and while it doesn’t make me an expert, I did know the ropes a little more and was a little less intimidated by the crowds, lines, and excitement.

Ron Santo during “Storytelling with Cubs Legends”

Last year I spent a good amount of time acquiring autographs. Not this year. I decided to forego this in favor of enjoying the atmosphere, taking in a few talks and hopefully meeting a few people. I didn’t spend a lot of time or money on memorabilia. Just a Divisional Champion ballcap for my son and 3 pins.

These guys were playing all throughout the convention

By the way, something of interest… Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue caught Piniella in a Q&A and Lou responded with a tentative opening day lineup:

Soriano, lf
Theriot, ss
Lee, 1b
Ramirez, 3b
Fukudome, rf
DeRosa, 2b
Soto, c
Pie, cf
Zambrano, p

I don’t hold much in lineups formulated well before Spring Training but it’s something for us to munch on.

Oh, one last thing. the answer to the trivia question that the Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit (at the Convention) asked and had everyone stumped. The question again:

Which player has played the most games for the Yankees?

A. Yogi Berra

B. Lou Gehrig

C. Bernie Williams

D. Mickey Mantle

Many people in the audience either guessed Berra or Gehrig. The answer: Mickey Mantle with 2410 games. Gehrig is second (2164), Williams 3rd (2076) and Berra is fourth (2116).

The convention was fun and now it’s less than a month till pitchers and catchers report.

Go Cubbies!

See all the photos from the convention at The Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery

2008 Cubs Convention- Day 3

This was the last day of the convention and events weren’t scheduled much past morning. Even as I got there, some folks were dragging their luggage out the door of the Hilton.

In an effort, I suppose, to appeal to the kids, Curious George was on hand. It didn’t work on this kid who was a bit timid to hug a strange man in a monkey suit.

Daryle Ward shares the love during a photo session.

Though the fare was a bit light on Sunday, the autograph hounds were still out in full force. Here the line for Daryle Ward.

The Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit was out today with a video and a baseball trivia contest. Let me run this question by you all and see if you get it without looking it up. Only two people in the audience got this right and I was not one of those two.

The question: Which player has played the most games for the Yankees?

A. Yogi Berra

B. Lou Gehrig

C. Bernie Williams

D. Mickey Mantle

I’ll give the answer tomorrow.

2008 Cubs Convention: Day 2

Today was the second day of the 2008 Cubs Convention. Brrr, it was below 0 degrees this morning as I walked to the Chicago Hilton for another day of fun. On my way out, I got a text message from my nephew, Joe who was going to meet me later.

I Scratched and Won

Friday night I was looking through all the swag and pamphlets I got on my first day and found my Scratch and Win card. The convention uses these for the high demand celebrities when it comes to autographs.

Well, I scratched my card and it said, “You are a winner!”

On the back it said to redeem it at the registration area and that’s the first thing I did Saturday morning. It turns out I won a Derrek Lee autograph and I was supposed to get in line for it at 2pm.

I wasn’t really collecting autographs this year so I sought out a dad and a kid and gave them the ticket. I told them the kid could have it as long as they didn’t sell it on Ebay. The dad emphatically said no, he wouldn’t.

And speaking of autographs:

Andy Pafko was signing autographs. I think Andy is the oldest former Cub to attend these conventions.

…and so was Jody Davis… always with a smile.

Two different players from different eras. Bill Madlock and Bob Feller.

Rich Hill signing a ball towards the end of the day.

Piniella gets thrown under the bus by an older lady

My first talk of the day was “Lou and his Crew”, essentially a Q&A with Piniella and his coaching staff.

The most humorous question was from a seemingly perturbed older lady who asked Piniella why he left his starting pitchers (she mentioned Marquis in particular) in when we were behind by 4 or 5 runs. She explained that sometimes it got her so mad she would throw things at her TV.

Piniella took it all in humor and invited her to sit next to him in the dugout so he could check with her in making decisions. The crowd responded with chants of Looouuu! Louuu!

A visit to the Tennessee Smokies booth

I stopped by the Tennessee Smokies booth and chatted with a nice woman with a terrific southern drawl. I rifled through the Smokies’ baseball card and found Chris Robinson. “Oh, he’s a great guy. He’s real nahce”, she said. I’m not surprised. Most players at or from Illinois have a good head on their shoulders.

I ended up buying the pack.

Storytelling with Cubs Legends

WGN’s “Storytelling with Cubs Legends” was my favorite of the day. With Ron Santo, Rick Sutcliffe, Lee Smith and Ernie Banks, it was fun to just listen their stories. As broadcasters, Santo and Sutcliffe were most talkative. That said, Lee Smith may have an intimidating facade while pitching but he’s quite funny behind the mike.

Looks like Sut is hamming it up for the camera.

Taking a break with the Cubscast guys

The hosts of the Cubscast podcast (well, two-thirds of them, Sneetch couldn’t make it to the Convention) had scheduled an informal get together at the hotel bar. I was due for a break by 3pm anyway so I stopped by. Sheps (right) shared photos of his recently passed kidney stone and Lou (left) and I talked a little shop.

Peoria Chiefs broadcaster Nathan Baliva stopped by the Cubscast table too. I had stopped by the Chiefs’ booth earlier in the day and got the above photo. Nathan was nice enough to do an interview on Baseball Zealot Radio last spring so it was good to see him again. It turns out he’s Sneetch’s brother, too Small world.

Cubs Pitching Clinic

The last event of Saturday was a pitching clinic put on for the kiddos. This was done with the help of Milt Pappas (left), Steve Trout (right) and Lester Strode. Fortunately, Bruce Froemming was not in attendance.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow is a light day at the convention but I do want to get some shopping done at the souvenir shops.

Many more photos at The Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery

2008 Cubs Convention: Day 1

I rolled into Chicago on the rails of Amtrak around 9:30am ready for a weekend of Cubs fun. Zealot friend (and friend of mine) Tyler was nice enough to give up his apartment (and stay and his girlfriend’s) so I could headquarter there.

After dropping off my stuff and getting a bite, I walked over the Chicago Hilton. It’s a good mile walk. Friday was a cold day but not unbearable. At least the sun was out and the wind was kept to a minimum.

Entering the Hilton the first time on a Cubs Convention weekend can be intimidating. There are SO many people. I remember that from last year so I was a little more prepared. Lines of people everywhere because at this point, not everything is open. Once exhibits and such start opening, it’s like the floodgates have opened.

Anyway, I went to the proper room to get registered. Like the seasoned pro I am, I knew exactly where to go this time and even directed a couple first-timers their way there.

Once open I took a quick walk through of the vendor booths in the exhibit halls. I admit this is kind of fun. “Vendor” sounds a bit corporate and in some cases that’s true. But there are a lot baseball related organizations and small businesses that show off their wares.

When 5:00 came around, it was time for the opening ceremonies. Alas, I watched from the overflow room so I didn’t get a first hand look at the speakers instead watching the fun on a large video screen along with a throng of others.

Saturday, autograph hounds will be busy hunting their ultimate goal. These now empty queues will be lined with people.

The opening ceremonies were long pomp and circumstance and short on substance. But that’s ok… I don’t think anyone would expect anything different. By the way, for my money, Wayne Messmer has deepest, richest voice and he proved it in his singing of the National Anthem.

Emcee Pat Hughes then had the pleasure of introducing the Cubs players and other Cubs celebrities. There must have been some LSU alums sitting at the table next to mine. When both Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot were introduced, they broke into loud chants of “LSU! LSU! LSU!”

With the intros finished, a WGN-produced video detailing the 2007 season was shown for us. Fortunately, it left out that nasty little business with the Dbacks.

By 6:30, it was time for my interview with Eric Loy at WDWS. I enjoy my talks with Eric (this was my second). He seems knowledgeable on the game and definitely has opinions. Anyway, I hope I sounded reasonably intelligent.

By then, I was ready to head back to Zealot headquarters. Right now a Giordano’s pizza on the way while I write this.

In summary, Friday was a day of rallying the troops. Tomorrow, a new day of talks, seminars, fun and who knows what else.

More photos of the Cubs Convention at The Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery

Illinois Field: Rolling out the Turf

At long last, Illinois Field is beginning to look like a ballpark once again.

The last few days, crews have been installing the “Field Turf” at the home of the University of Illinois ballclub, giving the field the bright green look. There was even a photo and writeup in the News Gazette, the local paper.

I admit it’s taken me a bit to get used to the idea to an artificial surface on Illinois Field. But after discussing it with some in the baseball program I’m growing accustomed to the idea and I’ve also learned the field was getting in bad shape so SOMETHING had to be done.

Sometime next week I’ll head over there and snap my own photos. In the meantime, you can view the baseball program’s photo gallery of Field Turf installation.

The photos from the last week show the turf actually being rolled out. Cold work for the crews to be sure as it has been no higher than 35 all week.