Gotta first give out a couple thank you’s from the road trip…a thank you to Linda Sue at the Best Western in Yakima for being such a nice person throughout our two stays there – and for being a huge Boise Hawks fan (where she got to watch PJ and his Dad call games)…a thank you to the coffee that they brew at the Roady’s Truck Stop in Baker City, Ore. – I was wide awake by the time we hit Ontario at 4 a.m. in the morning on Tuesday (in fact, I stayed up for 45 minutes when we got home, since I was wired)…and thank you to the Northwest League for the split season, I love the pennant chase in July and hope for another in September.

Roster moves a plenty throughout the Cubs farm system, with the Hawks seeing nine bodies shifted around prior to tonight’s game – as George Matheus and Matt Szczur head to Peoria; Wes Darvill, Alvaro Sosa, and Marcos Perez head to Mesa; with Jordan Latham returning to Boise from Peoria (pitched for the Hawks in 2007), and Ryan Cuneo, Dustin Harrington, and Eric Rice joining the team from Mesa.

It will be a short stint for Szczur, as after the Chiefs quick road swing to Beloit over the weekend, he will head to Philadelphia to open fall camp at Villanova, as the Wildcats look to defend their FCS National Championship.

It is a homecoming for Latham, who starred at both Centennial High and at the College of Southern Idaho before being drafted by the Cubs in 2006 and was a Draft-and-Follow signee for Chicago, having pitched in Boise in 2007.

EXPECT LONG GAMES: If you are coming to Memorial Stadium this weekend, be prepared for long games when the Hawks and Vancouver hook up.  The Canadians are known for playing methodical baseball (for instance, starter Nathan Long made six pick-off moves to second base in the fourth inning alone), averaging over three hours a game during the 2006-08 seasons, averaging 2:54 a game last year.  This season, the Hawks actually lead the loop in average game time at 2:49.

CROWDS STILL COMING:  Despite the wildfires burning near Eagle, fans still came out in droves, as over 3,400 fans watched Wednesday’s opener – the fourth-straight crowd of 3,000 or more.

LOSING STREAK: The Hawks have lost six in a row, the second straight season that they have recorded the dubious mark (August 24-29 on the Western Idaho Fair trip).  It equals their longest losing streak since opening the 2007 season up 0-8.