Lots of news and notes coming out of the first day in the Tri-Cities of Washington (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland) – not to be confused with the Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois.  First and foremost, the 78th former Boise Hawk made his major league debut last night, as 2008 alum, Casey Coleman, pitched two and a third innings of relief in the Cubs 18-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.  It was an inauspicious debut for the Florida native, allowing six runs on eight hits, but he did make history – becoming the first third-generation pitcher in the big leagues (as his grandpa, Joe, pitched in the 1940s and 1950s, while his dad, Joe, was an American League all-star in the 60s and 70s with the Tigers).  Coleman joins Josh Donaldson and Andrew Cashner as first-year MLB players from the Hawks in 2010.

Alvaro Ramirez continues to hit, and hit often, recording his sixth multi-hit game in his last seven starts – hitting a smoking 16-for-29 during the stretch, and leads the league heading into Tuesday’s game with a .381 batting average.  Ramirez had now hit safely in 27 of his last 29 games, and has reached base in all but two of his games played this year.

On the flip side is the struggles for the three Hawks catchers – as Micah Gibbs, Jose Guevara, and Jeff Vigurs have had their issues with the bat in 2010.  The trio comes into Tuesday’s game with a combined batting average of .125 (23-for-184), while Boise catchers have allowed opponent base stealers to convert 81-percent of their stolen base attempts, the highest average in the league.

Along those lines, where has the long-ball gone?  The Hawks head into Tuesday’s game having gone homerless in their last 14 games, dating back to a eighth-inning three-run homer by Ramirez against Spokane on July 18.  The 15 homers by Boise ranks seventh in the Northwest League, as Eugene has hit 13 homers in 2010.

BIG ON ORANGE JERSEYS: The online auction for the Main Street Mile game-worn orange Hawks alternate jerseys has begun at boisehawks.com, with the minimum bid for each of the jerseys at $100.00.  The winners will receive the actual jersey off the back of their favorite Hawks player or coach.  I will begun to drum up business on the website, as when I checked this afternoon, not one bid had been made on the site.

To say that the air quality in the Columbia Basin is poor would be an understatement, as the Boise Hawks open up a eight-game road trip with three games at Gesa Stadium (pictured left) against division rival, Tri-City.  Forest fires burning in the North Cascades (about 150 miles north of here) have pushed smoke south over the last few days, clouding the entire valley in a thick smog that has pushed up the humidity and resembles Los Angeles on a normal day.

After a five hour bus ride this morning, the team arrival here at the ballpark – where I was surprised at the condition of the playing surface, as the outfield grass is the best I have seen in the loop this summer (kudos to the grounds crew here in Pasco).

Boise will be looking for a better result against the Dust Devils this time around, having been outscored 20-5 in their two losses to Tri-City at Memorial Stadium last month.

WALK OFF WINNER NUMBER 3: For the second-straight night, the Hawks got some late-inning Memorial Stadium magic against the Vancouver Canadians, rallying from a 5-3 deficit in the eighth inning to win, 6-5, on an Elliot Soto walk-off single (his second walk-off winner this season).

HATLEY TO PEORIA: Marcus Hatley came off the 7-Day DL last night and was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs, where he earned a start last night in a 10-7 win.

ONLY ONE ROAD TRIP LEFT: Following this eight-game road swing, the Hawks will have just one road swing left – the annual pilgrimage for the Western Idaho Fair.  Boise will be gone for 12 days – traveling to Vancouver, Tri-City, and Spokane.

STREAKS: Pierre LePage has hit safely in eight straight games in 19 of his last 20, while Alvaro Ramirez has a hit in six-straight games and 26 of his last 28…Ramirez leads the NWL in batting average, hits, and total bases, Richard Jones leads the league in doubles, RBI, and extra base hits, with Arismendy Alcantara tied for the loop lead in triples.

Fans will learn that you never leave Memorial Stadium in Boise before the final out, as over the years, “Memorial Stadium Magic” seems to pop up out of the blue…the last two nights, the Hawks brought the tying or winning run to the plate in the final frame, only to strand the needed run on the basepaths.

Tonight, I made mention on the pregame show that we were going to have a guaranteed extra innings game – as the Applebee’s After Party was scheduled…as both parties last year were on nights with an extra inning game, as was the one earlier this season.

So when the Hawks were trailing 4-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth, it looked like the ninth straight loss was going to happen – and the party would have been more like a funeral.  But wild things happened, and when Ryan Cuneo lined a two-run single with two strikes and two outs to tie the score, the evils of the long losing skid began to be exorcised – with the 12th inning walk-off winner setting off a celebration.

PITCHING SOLID: Despite giving up three runs, Juan Serrano was outstanding again, allowing three runs in five innings.  Andres Quezada was solid, seeing his scoreless innings streak snapped at 18 1/3 on a A.J. Kirby-Jones homer in the eighth.  Carlos Rojas was outstanding, tossing four shutout innings to pick up his third win.

WITH THE STICK: Heading into the game, the Hawks were 4-for-26 with runners in scoring position and were 0-for-8 until Alvaro Ramirez’s RBI single in the ninth.  Ramirez has hit safely in 25 of his last 27 games, while Pierre LePage has hit safely in 17-of-18.

ROSTER MOVEMENT: Into town arrived big Larry Suarez, who was sent to Boise from Peoria, while Rogelino Carmona was sent down to the Arizona Rookie League.

GOTTA LOVE WEEKEND GAMES AT HOME: You have to enjoy the opportunity to be at home during weekend’s, as without the hour long HawksTown Tonight on Saturday and Sunday’s, I have the opportunity to get to the yard a bit later than normal.  Today, my family and I went to our colleague, Dr. Jasper LiCalzi’s (from Business-Baseball-and-Politics) house for a swim party – as PJ got to jump off a diving board for the first time.  I am not sure which is tougher – calling an extra innings game, or calling an extra innings game with a pretty good sunburn.

 

I thought tonight that the Boise Whistle Pigs t-shirts that were handed out at the ball park were going to be the tonic for the losing streak for the Hawks to end…not the case, as despite a stellar pitching performance by Brent Ebinger, Boise dropped a tough 3-2 decision to the Vancouver Canadians before the fifth 3,000-or-more fan crowd in the last six days.

Ebinger allowed just two singles in five innings, striking out seven – showing a great change up and spotting his fastball all over the strike zone.

Unfortunately, the C’s made three runs stand up for the second straight night, with only one of the runs earned.  An error by Ryan Cuneo, who was played third for the first time, prolonged the sixth inning and three two-out hits ensued, erasing a 1-0 Hawks lead.  Trailing 3-1 in the ninth, the Hawks had runners at first and third with no outs, but a double play ball thwarted the threat.

STREAK NOTES: The eight-game losing streak equals the longest single-season losing streak in the Cubs era (complete records from the Angels affiliate years are not available), with the longest losing streak at ten games (final two games of the 2006 season and first eight games of the 2007 season).  The Hawks have held a lead in each of the last six games, but have been unable to hold it.

GOTTA LOVE THE SECOND HALF: Despite the woes, the Hawks are just 0-3 in the second half and sit just two games out of first place…remember, Spokane opened the first half with a 1-7 record, yet still took home the pennant.

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.

Nothing is going right for the Boise Hawks this time around in Yakima – the offense which was so prolific for the past two weeks is all but non-existent…the bullpen has been downright awful the last four nights…and the heat, well 100 degrees in Yakima is not like 100 degrees in Boise…it is downright HOT.

Put all that together, and tonight’s game between the Hawks and Bears is a true “playing out the string” game, as the Spokane Indians clinched the East Division title for the first half with their 7-0 victory in Game 2 of their doubleheader with Tri-City last night.

How different has the last four nights been – vastly…from July 8-21, the Hawks as a team hit .331, while the squad posted a quality ERA of 4.32…but in the last four losses, the team has limped to a .185 batting average, with pitchers struggling to a 7.85 ERA (while Tri-City and Yakima’s bullpen’s have combined for a 0.60 ERA).

GETAWAY DAY BLUES – Chalk up another $35 out of Mike Safford’s wallet, as for the fourth time in five road trips this year, the team hotel has failed to provide a getaway room for the broadcaster (which is doubly tough, considering there is no wireless internet at the hotel)…I posted the cash to get the room until 4 p.m. (or else I’d have to pay a full night’s lodging rate), using the time to get Hawkstown Tonight prepared, along with updating you all on what is going on in HawksTown.

SERRANO EARNS AWARD – A great outing yesterday by Juan Serrano, allowing just two hits and one run – coupled with his five shutout innings against Spokane earlier in the week, earned him Northwest League Pitcher of the Week honors.  He is the second Hawk to earn an award – as Richard Jones was named Hitter of the Week last week.

LOOKING AHEAD – After tomorrow’s off day, the Hawks return home for a five-game series against the Vancouver Canadians (affiliate of the Oakland A’s) – in a battle of blue vs. white shoes.  The Hawks rotation will be Alvaro Sosa (Wed.), Dustin Fitzgerald (Thurs.), Brent Ebinger (Fri.), Juan Serrano (Sat.), Austin Kirk (Sun.).

INTERVIEWS WITH THE PLAYERS:  Here are the latest player interviews from HawksTown Tonight. Aaron Kurcz – (
KurczINT.wma), Richard Jones – (
JonesINT.wma), Chris Huseby (
HusebyINT.wma), Austin Kirk (
KirkINT.wma).

Boy has pennant fever hit the Treasure Valley – something I have never seen in my years with the Boise Hawks.  Throughout the six-game homestand, the walk-up crowd at all of the games have been amazing – especially on both Tuesday and Thursday nights, days typically that do not produce large crowds.  3,486 fans on Wednesday, 3,009 fans on Thursday, 3,601 fans on Friday – a total over over 10,000 bodies to Memorial Stadium for the final three games of the Tri-City series.  THANK YOU BOISE for your part in trying to win the Hawks a First-Half title!!!

Unfortunately, the last two nights, the Hawks have been listless on the diamond – with the piggy-back starts struggling to get through five innings combined (instead of the seven or eight innings that the coaching staff expects).  That, combined with Tri-City pounding out 20 runs on 27 hits in the final two games – and it equals a half-game deficit to Spokane with three games left (the Indians and Dust Devils each have four games remaining, thanks to a rain-out from June 20 that will be made up on Sunday).

Looking at the scenarios – the Hawks are in need of some help from Tri-City if they want to claim the pennant (and first choice of dates in the divisional round of the playoffs).  If Boise were to end up tied with Spokane at the end of the 38-game slate, the Hawks would claim the tiebreak with a better in-division record.

NOTES: Alvaro Ramirez had his 20-game hit streak snapped tonight, but more impressively, had his 28-game on base streak snapped as well (dating back to June 20 in Yakima)…it was just the second time this season that he failed to reach base.  All position players got into the game on Friday except for Jeff Vigurs, who was kept out just in case an injury occurred in the field…Matt Szczur (15) and Richard Jones (11) kept their hit streaks intact.

If you didn’t get a chance to listed to HawksTown Tonight, our normal segment with Dr. Jasper LiCalzi on Business-Baseball-and Politics focused on summer reading, with Dr. LiCalzi mentioning three good reads for the summer.

His books were:

BASEBALL:   David Halberstam The Teammates: A Portrait of Friendship

 

BUSINESS:    Joyce Appleby, The Relentless Revolution:  A History of Capitalism

 

POLITICS:     Jonathan Alter, The Promise: President Obama, Year One

 

I am also reading a pair of books this summer – starting with David Halberstam’s Summer of ’49, focusing on the American League pennant chase between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox – with a lot of great talk about legends Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio.  I am also going to read The Bullpen Gospels by former San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays reliever, Dirk Hayhurst, about life in the minor leagues.

 

If you get a chance to read these books – feel free to let us know how they are.

 

Also – we have received some response on our BBP talk on HawksTown Tonight, as some fans do not appreciate us thinking “Outside of the Box” (or talking sometimes about the liberal side of politics).  We take all comments to heart and appreciate you listening to the show.  It is something different that we try to bring to the table – whether it is the talk on President Obama, bus ride movie reviews, how to make your grass green in the summer, or Treasure Valley Men’s Fastpitch League reports.  It is something fresh every night and hope the fans like the good and the not-so-good of it.

 

Tonight was a special night for many reasons at Memorial Stadium, as first-place was achieved at the “Big House on Glenwood”.

“Memorial Stadium Magic” returned in a big way, as the Hawks, who last night lost a 12-11 heartbreaker to the Spokane Indians, rallied from a 10-4 deficit to score seven runs in the final three innings, including three bases loaded walks in the ninth, to topple the Tribe, 11-10 – moving into first-place in the East Division race with just seven games left.

Also heading into first-place was your’s truly, who called his 390th game for the Hawks – the most by a broadcaster in franchise history.  I surpassed Rob Simpson, who called 389 games in his five years with the Hawks (having moved past both Dave Hahn and Sean McCall last year).

It was a memorable game on a memorable night – and would have to rank among my Top-10 games (if I had a Top-10 list)…right up there with the six-run ninth inning outburst in Eugene a few years back, the 2004 NWL Championship series, and the five-game sweep at Everett in 2004.

Thank you to all of the fans for all of the kind words…as I look forward to Friday, which will be my 400th NWL broadcast (including six games I called for Spokane in 2007).

Tonight the Hawks will be saying good bye to Marion County and Volcano-Land – otherwise known as Volcanoes Stadium for the 2010 season (unless we both reach the NWL Championship Series).

For me, I will not be saddened (except for leaving both Matt Pedersen, the new voice of the Volcanoes, and Mark Gilman, their former voice, both good guys).

A ball park that has the worst vantage point in the league from the press box (especially on Friday night when a booth was set up right in front of my position) begins the problems (which have ended in the past with too many losses to the Volcanoes).

Having to climb over railings to hang a crowd mike (which still gets kids talking directly in it), watching people spend $4.75 for an 9 ounce beer (or as I saw on $1.00 beer night, a cup that resembled the plastic glasses at a Holiday Inn).  Hot dogs that are made of chicken instead of beef, and the topper – a sign that says no straws or lids for sodas, but you can have a slice of pie for $6.00 ($3.00 more for ice cream).

If I were to have friends in town – they better be from out of town, because locals are not allowed to receive complimentary tickets (I did have friends come on Friday night – I put Boise down, but they were asked to show ID, and they said they haven’t gotten new Idaho licenses)…but still got general admission berm seating.  It is the same seats the Hawks staff received when they came to Oregon for the 2006 LCS.

On field promotions are limited (although I have always loved their Kid Around the Bases – where a youth runs the bases after the ceremonial first pitch) – basically a water balloon hitting contest and a dress up in a uniform contest.  No running of the bases after the game – since the field lights are immediately turned off after the final out – maybe that is why there are pitching mound sized dead spots in the outfield (see picture).

Finally, I have to say that the fans in Salem-Keizer are the most complacent in the league.  Yakima may have the lowest attendance, but they are loud…Vancouver’s rowdies get into it, as the do in most other cities.  Not here, no cat-calling from the stands – which has surprised the Hawks players.

Fellas – lets get a win tonight, take a series from the ‘Canos, and head back to Idaho!