It has been a downer of a road trip through Sunday night for the Boise Hawks – four-straight losses, with the one thing that had been stellar through the first 33 games, starting pitching, letting the team down the past few nights.  Timely hits have gone by the wayside, and defensive miscues have compounded innings. (Click for the Eugene-Boise Series Finale Game Notes)

Sounds a lot like the Chicago Cubs of the 1960s and 1970s – the years in which Ron Santo was a standout third baseman at Wrigley Field.  It was an amazing day yesterday to hear his widow give his induction speech was inspiring, as Santo was inspiring to all ball players and broadcasters alike.  I will play the entire induction speech tonight on Hawkstown Tonight, to hopefully inspire those who missed it in the Treasure Valley.

Back to the troubles in Eugene – how do you flush your system and try to get the negatives out of the way?  For some of the pitchers, it was an evening trip to the gym with strength coach Ryan Claussen, for a broadcaster – how about a drive to the beach.  That is what my family and I did last night – as Eugene is just an hour from Florence, on the Oregon Coast.  It was the first time that I had been on a beach since 2010 and the first time my wife had been on the beach since we made a trip to the Carribean back in 2004.  But for our son, P.J., it was the first time that he had ever seen the ocean – so it was an amazing time, and watching him go absolutely crazy was enough to recharge the battery for the final game of the first half of the season.  The coincidence of the trip was back in 2003 (the worst season for the Hawks as an affiliated team) – when manager Steve McFarland took the entire team to the exact same beach and a dinner at Mo’s Seafood and Chowder House (guess where the Safford ate dinner?).

MORE ON EUGENE: Gotta love the Valley River Inn, the staff has been outstanding (including $5 vouchers to the hotel restaurant if you do not have your room serviced – which come in handy after a game. PK Park is awesome for a broadcaster – the booth is so large that PJ was able to watch a movie and my wife was able to read a book and I didn’t even realize they were there (plus there is a door on the booth for privacy), while the window opens and closes if need.  Now if they could turn the air conditioning (yes they have AC) off of 70 degrees, that would be great.

FOOD REPORT:  Interesting eats in Eugene (including Salisbury Steak without mashed potatoes), but I give the staff here props, they have popcorn and peanuts for the pressbox to munch on throughout the night – which other parks in the league (Vancouver and Everett also do this) should look at. The condiment bar is average, as everything is coming from a big Heinz dispenser (Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo, Relish, Ranch, BBQ Sauce) – not a fan of the big dispenser.  Found only one place with onions.  Food Standings through 7/22 – Pizza (5), Ham/Turkey Sandwich (5), Hot Dogs (5), Smoked Sausage (4), Pulled Pork Sandwich (3), Chicken Sandwich (4), Hamburger (3), No Food (2), Pulled Pork Nachos (2), Meatball Sandwich (2), Chicken Caesar Wrap (2), Salisbury Steak (1).

Two days into our exodus in Eugene, Ore., and it is hard for me to believe that the State of Oregon is struggling as bad financially as the news reports have been saying.  Or maybe I should change the statement to say, the State of Oregon is struggling, but the University of Oregon’s football program is flourishing. (Click Here for Saturday night’s Boise-Eugene Game Notes)

When we arrived at PK Park on Thursday, the first thing we noticed is that we were being housed in a temporary clubhouse, a bit closer to the ballpark.  Instead of a 1/2 mile walk around Autzen Stadium (the Ducks’ football home) – and being housed in the visiting football locker room, we have a 1/4 mile walk from a football storage room that has been converted into a clubhouse.  The new clubhouse is equipped with six outdoor portable showers (I had never seen portable showers before), with a very small training room.  The showers were interesting when it is storming on Thursday night, as after getting out of the shower, the players had to walk through the rain back to the clubhouse.

Maybe people have mentioned that the playing surface at Memorial Stadium plays very slowly – which it does.  I honestly think the artificial surface at PK Park is even slower – it is as if George Horton and the Oregon baseball team put down extra rubber pellets in the FieldTurf to slow balls to the gaps.  As I mentioned on the broadcast last night, the foul lines are raised from the rest of the turf, as when a slow bunt hits the “chalk” it rolls back into fair territory.

Last night was a great effort by Rock Shoulders, setting a season-high for the team with eight total bases, including his fifth home run of the season.  It was the highlight in a downer of a night, as the Ems used a pair of safety squeezed to plate three runs in the seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie in a 7-2 win.  The loss dropped the team to 12-23 on the season (four games behind the worst 39 game mark in franchise history) and just 2-14 on the road – a combined 12-42 away from Memorial Stadium the past two season.

Tonight will be an adventure, as with Izaac Garsez still out and Trey Martin needing a day off, Stephen Bruno will make his first start in center field tonight.  On the flip side, Dong Yub Kim will return to the line-up for the first time since being hit in the head last Saturday against Vancouver.  To say that the fellas are a bit tired is an understatement.

I do love Eugene’s mascot Sluggo – best looking mascot in the league (sorry Humphrey).  Mark Johnson’s son Will came up to the booth on Thursday and got to meet the furry green thing.

What a way for the Boise Hawks to arrive in Eugene this morning – by the soothing sound of a fire alarm at 8:30 a.m. at the Valley River Inn.  After leaving Memorial Stadium at midnight and making the eight hour bus trip across Central Oregon – through the thriving towns of Juntura, Burns, Brothers, Sisters, Nimrod (yes Nimrod) and Vida (close to a unique covered bridge on the McKenzie River) – the Hawks arrived just after 7 a.m. local time, and less than 90 minutes later – the fire alarms at the hotel screamed.

When it was all done – I found out that there had been a new fire system installed at the hotel (which has completely been rennovated – see right), and that the Eugene Fire Marshall had a complete walk-through to make sure everything was in working order.  But for me, it was very real and surreal – as in 2005, a similar event happened at the Accent Inn in Vancouver, but when I went to the door to see what was going on, there were flames shooting out of the building about six rooms down – and eight units were destroyed by the fire on a getaway day.

After nearly two weeks without a roster move, the revolving door of the clubhouse has begun again – starting with the additions of Hunter Ackerman (who will make his Hawks debut on the back side of a piggy-back with Ian Dickson) and Matt Iannazzo on Monday, the departure of Bijan Rademacher (to Peoria) and addition of Izaac Garsez on Tuesday, and the departure of Bryce Shafer (to Peoria) on Wednesday.  Following the game last night, I ran into Pete Levitt in the parking lot at the stadium as I was grabbing my bags for the bus and he let me know he was on his way back to Peoria.  Since I had both Rademacher and Levitt on Hawkstown Tonight recently, I joked with the veterans that if you come on the show with me, you might get called up.

Last night looked as if the team ran out of gas after taking a 4-2 lead in the third inning.  Tayler Scott struggled with his command and committed a pair of balks that helped lead to runs, while Hayden Simpson did not look comfortable on the mound.  It was great to see Gioskar Amaya back on the diamond after missing two games after getting plunked in the heat on Sunday night – smashing his fourth homer of the season in his first at bat.

The series with Eugene ends the first half of the season – the Hawks trying to end on a good note, having won three of their last five games.

I opened the broadcast last night with the comment – July 17, 2012 could go down as the greatest day in baseball history for the Treasure Valley.  I’d love to find another that would rival the excitement on the diamond in our community on a single given day.  Maybe when the South Central Little League team went to the Little League World Series in 1999, maybe when The College of Idaho won the NAIA title in 1998, maybe one of the days in which the Hawks won a Northwest League title, maybe in 1967 when Caldwell’s Mike Garman was selected third overall in the MLB Draft.

None of those to me ranks with the two big storylines of yesterday – as most thought that the debut Izaac Garsez, a kid who grew up in Caldwell, led CHS to the 4A state tournament, then went on to a record-setting career at The C of I, would be the talk of the town.  It was big news, but when even bigger news broke out of Los Angeles that former Borah High grad and University of Utah star Stephen Fife was called up by the Dodgers to make his MLB debut against Roy Halladay and the Phillies, it made it an amazing day.  And it went off the charts when Fife tossed six innings of four-hit ball, outpitching Halladay, leaving with a 2-1 lead that was eventually blown by the LA bullpen.  To cap the day, the Hawks won their second in a row, blanking Yakima, 5-0.

On the big picture, the Fife story is amazing – since Boise isn’t a hot bed of MLB talent.  Rick Bauer, who spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues, went to Centennial High – but wasn’t born in the Valley.  Baltimore right-hander Jason Hammel went to Treasure Valley Community College, but was born in Washington.  Bill Buckner lives in the Valley, but was originally from California.  You have to go back to 1991 – 21 years, since a player born in the Treasure Valley played in a MLB game, that being  infielder Vance Law, who played in Montreal, in Oakland, in Pittsburgh, and both Chicago teams from 1980-91, including hitting .293 with 11 homers and 78 RBI for the Cubs in 1988.

The story of Garsez for me is an amazing one, as I have watched him grow up before my eyes.  A phenomenal athlete at Caldwell High – where he could have had a football scholarship, and a Division I baseball talent, he decided to stay home and play for Shawn Humberger at The C of I, alongside his brother Jacob (now a collegiate coach at Corban University).  Garsez helped the Yotes to a 2010 NAIA Tournament berth (their first in eight years), then earned back-to-back NAIA West Player of the Year honors as a junior and senior – leading the NAIA with 12 triples this spring.  He was a key contributor in the Coyotes’ run to the NAIA World Series, where his team was in the the same 10-team tournament as current teammates Mike Heesch and Lance Rymel.  People asked me how it was going to be watching “Ike” take the field and it was a bit surreal to me, especially when he walked out onto the field just as the gates opened and 10 of his friends and teammates from college greeted him.  I can’t be more proud of him – but in the same sense, it is now professional baseball and he has a job to do, and hopefully I’ll be able to brag about the hometown kid.

Even more impressive was the game on Tuesday, as James Pugliese tossed a gem, with Mike Heesch and Pete Levitt helping on a three-hit, 5-0 shutout of Yakima – keeping the Bears from clinching the Northwest League East Division pennant for at least one more day.  Pugliese allowed just one hit, struck out five, and did a great job of mixing his fastball and off-speed stuff.  Heesch has not allowed a run in each of his four two-inning appearances, while Levitt has turned the corner after a tough start to the season, putting up zeros for a third-straight apperance.

Trey Martin reached base five times, including two walks, and hit his third homer of the year, while Marco Hernandez drove in a pair with two singles – extending his hit streak to seven.  Rock Shoulders has also quietly gone about his business, recording a two-hit game, and has now hit safely in 8-of-9.

The Hawks go for a sweep of Yakima tonight – and with just six games left in the first half, the Hawks are just two games back of Tri-City in the standings, and we all remember how Boise got to the playoffs last year after Tri-City won both halves, so every game is important.

What a crazy way for the latest series to come to a close – rallying from 5-3 down heading into the eighth inning to pick up a victory on a walkoff home run from Jeimer Candelario, 6-5.  It was keyed by two shutout innings from Eddie Orozco, who has not allowed a run in his five appearances with the Hawks, and capped by Candelario, who crushed a 1-0 fastball to end a 21 game homerless drought.

Not to go Cole Hamels on anyone, but after watching the “celebration” by Candelario after his home run (which was about as crazy as I’ve ever seen), I wouldn’t be surprise if the Yakima Bears have something “special” for him during tonight’s game.  It was the first walk-off home run since July 4th last season (Paul Hoilman) against the same Yakima Bears – which started a started a strange stretch against the Diamondbacks affiliate, as five of the last seven games have been walkoff wins by the Hawks at home against the Bears (game-winners by Hoilman, Kenny Socorro, Ben Klafczynski, and Ryan Cuneo last season).

It was a monster night for Bijan Rademacher, who had three doubles and scored three runs – then found out after the game the hitting .399 in the Northwest League earns a promotion to the Peoria Chiefs, joining teammate Chad Krist, who is hitting .500 after four games in the Midwest League.  To take his place, former College of Idaho All-American Izaac Garsez has been promoted from the Mesa Cubs to take his place.  Garsez, the fourth local player to suit up for the Hawks in the last 12 years (joining Vallivue High grad Pat McIntyre, Capital High and NNU product Roger Evenson, and Centennial High grad Jordan Latham) – so expect a nice walkup crowd coming to the park from Canyon County.

I mentioned it on the broadcast last night – what is it like for Mike Safford when we are at home?  Typical days are the same, getting up around 7 a.m. to get Game Notes done ((Speaking of Game Notes, Here They Are for Game 2 of the Yakima Series) and have a chat with my wife Liza before she goes to work. My son PJ (the one I say hi to each night on the broadcast) gets up around 7:30 and after we dink around for a bit, I take him to school and I head to my fulltime job as Associate AD for Athletic Communications at The College of Idaho.  I will spend 5-6 hours at the College (right now working on website migration) – also getting interviews ready for Hawkstown Tonight, then making the 40 minute trek to the yard to get ready for the game.  Following the game, I write the story you see on BoiseHawks.com each day and make the trip home, arriving around 11:30 p.m. (if I am lucky).  Weekends are a bit different – we try to get out of the house as much as we can, whether that means taking a walk, going to Roaring Springs, going grocery shopping, washing the car, or working in the yard, we try to get out as a family and spend time together (since I am on the road 38 days a summer).  We try to have a Sunday dinner before I head to the park (we made some jalapeno sausages on Sunday, with corn on the cob and grilled vegetables) – much, much better than the typical dinner I get each night.  I also spend time getting things ready for the next trip – including mowing the yard (spent 2 hours working on sprinklers yesterday morning) and pruning of bushes.

On Thursday night, a six-run lead in the seventh inning wasn’t enough…on Friday night, a two-run lead in the eighth with two outs wasn’t enough…so what were fans at Memorial Stadium thinking when the Boise Hawks took a seven run-lead into the top of the ninth inning on Saturday?

Thankfully, the third time was the charm – or the luckily charm of the rainbows that formed over the stadium midway through the game.

(Click Here for Sunday Night Boise-Vancouver Game Notes)

THE GOOD – Trey Martin continues to be on a huge roll, going 2-for-4 last night, driving in a career-high four runs.  The 13th Round pick in last season’s draft is 11-for-19 over his last five games, which includes four multi-hit games and has to be one of the players who will be considered for Northwest League Player of the Week.  Marco Hernandez had a quality game as well, rapping a pair of run-scoring doubles and playing quality defense at shortstop.  Pete Levitt recorded his second-straight solid relief appearance, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth and throwing a scoreless sixth inning, while Mike Hamann rebounded after two-straight rocky appearances to toss two shutout innings of relief.

THE BAD – The weather at the park kept a lot of fans away on a comfortable Saturday night (temperatures were in the low 90s – a nice night in Boise in July).  We were lucky as a Severe Thunderstorm Watch was in effect throughout the game and big storms just missed the yard to our west and east.  I am guessing it also kept many of the Treasure Valley mascots from joining us for the Mascot Mania (only four other mascots showed up), or all of the other mascots were at the Twilight Criterium in downtown Boise.  I have to give props to my wife Liza (Mrs. @BoiseHawksRadio) for promoting The College of Idaho in the Coyote mascot outfit when no other student, faculty, or staff member stepped up to the plate for the event. (you can watch the Mascot Mania Race with Humphrey below).

NOTES – At 10-19, the Hawks are two games clear of Spokane from the cellar of the East Division, as the Indians are mired in an eight-game losing skid.  On the flip side, a Boise loss or a Yakima win eliminates the Hawks from the first half pennant chase, as the Bears currently have a five game lead on Tri-City with nine games to play (Yakima may be able to clinch the playoff berth at Memorial Stadium in the upcoming three-game series).  The Hawks have a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time since mid-June tonight, with the piggy-back of Felix Pena and Willengton Cruz on the mound.

Fans in Boise last night had the opportunity to see the purest example of Short-Season Class A baseball at its finest – as the Hawks squandered leads of 6-1 and 10-4, falling to the Vancouver Canadians, 12-11, in a nearly four-hour nine-inning marathon.  (Click Here for Friday the 13th Game Notes)

Fans have been very critical about the fact that Boise supports a “winning” team and have been critical about comments about “this is just a vehicle to develop talent.” Last night was a perfect example for both.  Left-hander Mike Heesch was outstanding for a third-straight time out, striking out three in two innings of work – but despite being on cruise control, he was pulled with the 10-4 lead in the seventh.  I could hear the fans grumbling – WHY!!! Typically, affiliates have set standards and protocols for their draft picks – limiting their innings and pitches during the first summer (sort of like Stephen Strasburg with the Nationals).  Heesch is currently limited to just two innings – as he threw well over 100 innings this summer in college.  When both Rafael Diplan and Roderik Pichardo ran into trouble – why wasn’t someone else up…that’s because Su-Min Jung was the last guy left in the pen.  Bryce Shafer, Eddie Orozco, and Pete Levitt were unavailable after throwing a lot of pitches the night before, while Hayden Simpson and Mike Hamann are needed for tonight’s game, and the same goes for Felix Pena and Wellington Cruz on Sunday.  So, Mark Johnson was hung out to dry – he had to leave Pichardo in (even though he was self destructing), as once Jung was done – the Hawks would have most likely had to use a position player in a pitching role.

Others grumbled – why weren’t the Hawks bunting late in the game.  Once again, it is an organizational philosophy in terms of how to play the game.  If it were Yakima, Tri-City, Vancouver, or Eugene – a runner gets on first, and more often than not, they will be sacrificed into scoring position.  Not with the Cubs, as they are trying to teach the kids how to hit with runners in scoring position.  In the same sense, if you play for a tie (and know you don’t have much pitching – it is truly worth it).

But the fans say – we want a winner.  I know for a fact that Mark Johnson wants to win – when I was in the clubhouse last night, you could tell from the mood that they wanted to win.  But where is the fine line of developing talent and playing to win – fans in Boise were spoiled by Tom Kotchman and the Angels philosophy on winning (which is more in line with the Rockies, D-Backs, and Padres).  Nonetheless, I don’t think anyone can take away the fact that the team played hard and should be commended for that.

FOOD UPDATE: Had some great eats in Yakima – as many of you saw in the tweets, as the pulled pork nachos were fabulous.  Looking forward to next week as to see what they’ll have for us in Eugene.  Food Standings through 7/12 – Ham/Turkey Sandwich (4), Smoked Sausage (4), Chicken Sandwich (3), Hot Dogs (3), Pizza (3), No Food (2), Pulled Pork Nachos (2), Pulled Pork Sandwich (2), Meatball Sandwich (2), Hamburger (1), Chicken Caesar Wrap (1).

My appologies for the lack of blogs over the past couple days – between the long drive home after the 10-4 loss in Yakima on Monday night (which I am still amazed how the Safford’s left the park in Yakima before the team bus, but yet the bus made it to the truck stop in Baker City before us), the off-day (spent with my wife in downtown Boise, enjoying nightlife for the first time in a while), or the workload at the College (complete athletic website overhaul).

First and foremost – it was HOT in Yakima, three-straight days in the 100s…and though it has been over 100 degrees in Boise for the last six days, it feels nothing like the “Palm Springs of Washington”.  In fact, I was in the clubhouse tonight with Bijan Rademacher and Trey Martin, and both talked about how it isn’t even close to how hot it was in Yakima (though today, it hit 108 degrees in the BOI).

The Hawks have gotten some quality pitching of late – Saturday, it was Tayler Scott, yesterday, it was Jose Arias, who picked up his second win of the season with five solid innings of one-run ball.  Willson Contreras has hit safely in seven-straight games, Rock Shoulders has homered in two-straight games, and Martin is 5-for-7 in his last two.

Speaking of “The Rock” – Shoulders is one of 64 MILB players in this year’s Minors Moniker Madness contest on milb.com.  Vote for him online at http://www.milb.com/milb/fans/moniker_madness/y2012/index.jsp.

Vancouver is in town – the lone minor league Canadian outpost and the only Northwest League affiliate that has their training facilities in the Grapefruit League (Dunedin, FL).  It’s always great to chat with their PBP man Rob Fai (one of the funnier guys in a league of hillarious PBP guys) and getting emails from my buddy Jeremy Knight in Vancouver.

Smoke is in the air here at the ballpark – as wildfires are running rampant in the Gem State – which has obscured some of the pristine views beyond the outfield walls.  The fire season has started WAY too early this year.

Lastly – make sure to tune out the Canadian national anthem, as for the fourth time, I will be singing “Oh Canada” for the fans on Happy Hour Night.  It will be a precursor to our open microphone tonight in the Hawks nest.

A wild and crazy night at County Stadium – on the diamond and off, as the Hawks were blown out of a game for the first time this season, as Yakima scored 10 unanswered runs to win 10-1.

Ian Dickson struggled for the second straight night, allowing a three-run homer in the second, then failing to get out of the third inning after allowing four more runs.

The bright spot was Xavier Batista, who singled and doubled in the loss and is 3-for-6 in the last two games after a 2-for-30 slump.

However, the story of the night was the wild weather – beginning with 106 degree game-time temperatures at the ballpark (with the radio booth hovering around 125 degrees), ending with a fierce thunderstorm.  I began tracking a line of storms in Oregon early in the ballgame (which had severe winds and hail), with lightning in the distance beginning to be seen in the fourth inning.  In the middle of the fifth inning, Yakima GM K.L. Wombacher talked with field upmire Andrew Risley – with the crew sending the teams to safety at the conclusion of the fifth, though a drop of rain hadn’t fallen.

The stadium seating bowl was evacuated first, then the press box – as within 15 minutes, winds upward of 50-60 miles per hour hit the stadium, with nearly continuous cloud-to-ground lightning hitting the Yakima Valley.  Power was knocked out in the area (and multiple transformers blew) and the stadium BP Shell (cage to take on-field BP) was blown out of the stadium, across Pacific Avenue, halfway to Yakima Speedway.  In fact, I had to conduct the postgame show from the restrooms under the stadium, which was designated as a safe place.

More wild weather is expected tomorrow…stayed tuned…

Hawks manager Mark Johnson had been waiting for a game like last night – quality starting pitching, a sound defense, some clutch hits, and no base-running blunders.  In the end, it put a stop to a seven-game road losing streak (first road win since June 18), thanks to a 4-0 victory over first-place Yakima

(Click Here for Sunday Night’s Game Notes)

Tayler Scott was nearly unhittable, tossing six shutout innings – working at a cheetah’s pace (make a pitch, get the ball back, quickly throw another pitch) that truly seemed to frustrate the Bears.  Hayden Simpson worked out of trouble in all three innings, pitching like the veteran player he is.

The Hawks smacked a season-high six doubles, while recording 12 hits – their highest road total of the season. It was their first shutout win in nearly 100 games, dating back to September 2, 2010.

It was a glad-sad trip to Yakima for me personally, as I always love the people here in the “Palm Springs of Washington”. The staff at the Best Western Ahtanum Inn (team hotel) is always top notch (we even brought a ball and hat for their front desk manager), while K.L. Wombacher and Mike McMurray are some of the nicest front office folks you’ll meet in the business.  The turkey meatball sandwich I had for dinner was one of the best meals I’ve ever had (and I have had some great pregame meals in Yakima over the years).  However, you can see why the team needs to leave the town – Yakima (and adjacent Union Gap) is completing run down, with the County Stadium surface showing tons of wear and tear.

It also marked the final road trip to Yakima for my family – and especially my son, P.J. (the one I talk about all the time on the broadcast), who loves the swimming pool at the hotel.  So, what did I do this morning – spent four hours in and around the pool with him (from playing ball, to cannonballs, to diving for toys).  It was fun.  I will definitely be looking forward to a dip in the pool tonight after the game – as with temperatures between 103-107 (which means the radio booth will be 120-130), I’ll need to definitely cool off.