After some Memorial Stadium magic on Thursday night, the Hawks were in position on Friday to do the same – weasling out of a jam in the 10th and it looked like Bryce Shafer was going to do the same in the 11th – before “The Call” broke Boise’s back.  With runners and second and third and two outs, the righty coaxed Francisco Sosa to ground to third, where Jeimer Candelario inexplicably tried to tag Yafistel Roja going by instead of throwing to first for the force out.  However, in trying to tag Roja, the runner ran at least five feet into the infield grass (sorta like a Little League play) and then back to the third base bag.  The umpire crew ruled everyone safe  – which exploded the ticking timebomb that was Mark Johnson (you can watch the play about 3/4 of the way through tonight’s highlights.

MJ was subsequently ejected – which was tough because the exact same call went against the Hawks in Tri-City (on a bunt by Marco Hernandez), with this calling looking much more obvious than the one on Hernandez.

One must remember – calls will go for a team and go against a team.  Things all even out in the end – as for instance a ball hit by Jarod Berggren in the 10th looked fair that would have been a two-run single, but it was ruled a foul ball and the Hawks got out of trouble.

THE GOOD – Bijan Rademacher extended his hit streak to seven, while Candelario had his nine multi-hit game.  Mike Heesch fanned four batters in two innings of work, and James Pugliese was in position for his first win before the bullpen could not hold it.

THE BAD – Trey Martin and Shawon Dunston continue to struggle, as Martin ended a 1-for-20 slump with a bunt single, while Dunston couldn’t get a sacrifice bunt down and was picked off to end the game (he is in an 0-for-15 slump).  With the loss, Boise is now 7-15 on the season, equaling their worst start through 22 games in affiliated franchise history.

NOTES – Tyler Colvin hit two homers today for the Rockies, and now has 13 on the season

Thank you to all of the baseball fans in the Treasure Valley and beyond for all of the feedback from my blog earlier in the week.  It is something that the front office of the Boise Hawks will definitely take to heart and can use right away, if needed, to make any necessary changes at the park.

And thank you to the fans that helped make “On the Mike” No. 37 in the latest MLB Pro Blog Top-50 list for the month of June.

A couple reoccurring themes from fans were right on line with what I wrote about, others hit other things that I’d missed.

1 – The Media.  The fans can see it probably better than I can (or the Hawks front office) – especially since they watch the late news (I’ll get to see it in September) and know that they have a score of a game most of the time, every now and then a feature.  But when the news isn’t great (all the stadium talk, team is losing, etc), the media falls off the bandwagon – especially as Boise State football closes in, and the gap shrinks.

2 – Stadium Issue.  Not so much from the fans about Memorial Stadium itself, but that the stadium issue itself turned fans away.  When I was on Idaho Sports Talk on Tuesday – Mike Prater mentioned that all of the negativity towards the current stadium and comments from baseball folks in power (when Tom Ricketts came to town last summer) had backed Boise into a corner (giving the community an ultimatum) and Boise doesn’t like to be backed into a corner.  Mike’s assessment was something that I completely missed in my five points – but in the same sense, the word needed to get out (maybe words could have been chosen in a different way that wasn’t a so-called PR nightmare).  One thing I promise is to not talk about the deficiencies of Memorial Stadium the rest of the year, and instead focus on the positives – the great sight-lines, the backdrop at the base of the foothills, the smells of the park, and maybe even the Heavy Hitter – our 2-foot-long hot dog (yes, Vancouver, your idea is now in Boise).

3 – The Cubs. I didn’t talk about the affiliation outside of the fact that if the Cubs leave, we were guaranteed to have a parent club affiliation with another MLB team next year.  I was shocked to see how many fans weren’t fans of the “Cubs Way” – not sure if they were remembering to yesteryear when the Angels brought four NWL titles to Boise in five seasons and a winning record every year? A real good point was made about “developmental baseball” – that they were turned off a couple years back when an interview with a coach mentioned that it is just developmental baseball, that is isn’t about the wins and losses.  But for the fans of Boise – it is about the wins and losses, they want to see a winner – and will come out to see one (Steelheads playoff games, BSU Football, BSU Basketball when they are winning).  I remember talking with former manager Tom Beyers (now the Cubs Roving Hitting Coordinator) years ago and he said it is developmental baseball, but at some point, you have to teach the kids how to win and play the game in that regards – maybe why Tom had success as manager of the team. Another fan was frustrated when Eugene trotted a pitcher out three-straight games in key situations to stop rallies, but the Hawks won’t, content to let pitchers get innings or players continue to strike out.  One person hit it on the head – mentioning that the media in Boise doesn’t lead, it follows – and what it follows are winners (and at 6-14 this season, he is telling the truth). I have always been, and always will be a Cubs fan – whether they are in Boise or not.  I have built great relationships within the organization and cherish them – so I won’t comment further on this topic.

All in all, I was enthused by the outpouring of feedback – positive and negative, and the ability for the team to get the word out that the team will be in Boise for 2013 and years to come (with a parent team) and that we want the fans to come to the yard and have fun – which nearly 4,000 did last night (including Jason Lowry and Jessica Jones who became engaged on the field and the gentleman on the first base side who had a foul ball drink his beer).

It was another road game, another road loss for the Boise Hawks – though Chadd Krist’s fly ball to the wall in left for the final out made it interesting (if it had been 10 minutes later, it would have been a homer, as the wind shifted from right to left to straight out to left).

(Click Here for 4th of July Game Notes)

The team had a quick meal at McDonalds in Pasco following the game (a special thank you for the manager for allowing us in – even though the dining room closed at 11 p.m.)

It was a rough bus ride again for the team – as the air conditioning unit on the bus was turned off (as when it was running, the drivers window would fog up – and we need Hal to drive safe).

Looking forward to a big fireworks show (especially after the two minute long, one shell at a time display in the Tri-Cities last night) and a good game – hopefully the home cookin’ can help the team turn around the 6-13 record.

DOWNS TO THE SHOW: I have met some really good guys over the years, but today I get the satisfaction of saying that Darin Downs has made it to the Big Leagues.  The former Cubs farmhand played three different seasons in Boise, helping the 2004 team to the NWL title and helping the 2006 team to a division title.  Always a class act, Downs career was derailed in 2009 when pitching at AA Montgomery, he was struck in the head by a line drive and nearly died.  The lefty made a miraculous recovery and after signing this spring with the Detroit Tigers, posted a 0-2 record and a 2.21 ERA out of AAA Toledo’s bullpen – earning the promotion today.  Downs will become the 95th former Boise Hawk to play in MLB when he makes his debut.

LAST NIGHT: The Northwest League never ceases to provide the baseball fan the strangest of games and situations – especially over the last 72 hours.  From a night in Boise in which Spokane committed an error on four straight plays (realistically could have been five errors on five swings), to last night, when the Hawks allowed just four hits, but a season-high 10 walks doomed the team to their sixth-straight road loss and NWL worst 6-13 record.

THE GOOD: I was pleased by the way Tayler Scott pitched last night – even though he walked four men.  The youngster attacked the zone, and when he missed it was down – which is a good sign.  He also got ground balls, with the only hit he gave up being a bad-hop single.  Another positive was the velocity of Hayden Simpson’s fastball, as the radar gun at the stadium (which is about as accurate as one in the NWL) flashed 90 on two occasions – a much better sign that what we saw last week in Spokane.  Gioskar Amaya continued to swing a hot bat in the leadoff spot – a pair of singles, his league leading fifth triple, and a pair of RBI.  Also – the sunshade (pictured left) worked awesome as always.

THE BAD: The obvious – 10 walks.  There wasn’t much that Mark Johnson and his staff could do, as the bullpen was short-staffed, with the promotion of Joe Zeller (who didn’t learn about it until after the game).  Zeller was unavailable as he will start tonight in Peoria (he was supposed to follow Simpson last night), which left just Su-Min Jung and Bryce Shafer – and MJ wasn’t going to burn his closer in the seventh inning of a July 1st game.  Jung looked solid in the seventh, but in the eighth, the struggles from the 2011 returned – no feel for the fastball, and the walks eventually caught up to him.  Another negative was the defensive struggles from Stephen Bruno.  Bruno has bounced from each infield position – and hasn’t entirely looked comfortable at third, with his six errors this season proving that.  However, he is a tireless worker and will improve as the season goes on.

OBSERVATIONS: Fans in Boise will love watching Trey Martin play center field.  The second-year professional made a Big League catch last night in tracking down a warning track fly ball in the fourth inning to save a run, then made a tough catch in the gap look routine.  I have heard folks say that he reminds people of a young Bernie Williams, who had an outstanding career with the Yankees.

QUICK TAKE ON FOOD: Things here in the Tri-Cities are solid as always – the manager at the Applebee’s near the team hotel stayed open the last two nights past midnight to feed the players, which is always a plus.  At the ballpark, we have had more variety than in the past at Gesa Stadium – hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and a solid pulled pork sandwich.  However, in my quest for the best condiment bar – Tri-City sits in the cellar so far.  Salem leads the pack (with jalapenos, fresh dill relish, and pickles), with Boise second.  Spokane had good relish and onions, plus sauerkraut, but Tri-City has just mustard and ketchup available for the fans (pictured right) – but they have good fries for the ketchup, so that is a plus.

Food Standings through 7/3 – Chicken Sandwich (3), Hot Dogs (3), Turkey Sandwich (2), Smoked Sausage (2), Pizza (2), No Food (2), Pulled Pork Sandwich (2), Meatball Sandwich (1), Hamburger (1), Chicken Caesar Wrap (1).

As the team made the shortest trek in the Northwest League (four and a half hours to the Tri-Cities of Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland, Wash.), it gave me some time to think about the rant I had early on in Saturday’s 12-6 victory over the Spokane Indians.  After last night’s 2-1 loss to Tri-City (before a crowd of 1,372 fans in a market of 200,000), I thought even harder and came up with this.

To put it bluntly – Where are all the fans?

For my nearly decade with the ball club – Friday nights always meant a sellout crowd, Saturday nights were always near capacity, with the rough nights coming on Sundays and Mondays (and even then, the Hawks would put 1,700-2,000 fans in the seats).

During the past homestand, only 2,700 fans showed up for a great fireworks show on a Friday night – even though temperatures were below 90 degrees, and only 2,470 fans showed up to recognize the accomplishments of Idaho legend Harmon Killebrew.  That’s never happened before.

The question in my mind is, What is going on?

The conspiracy theories that run through me are across the board.

1.  FANS THINK THE HAWKS ARE LEAVING – and don’t want to support a business leaving the valley. Let me be blunt – the Hawks AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE.   I blame the Treasure Valley media for this one.  I am very good friends with all of the television reporters, newspaper writers, and radio personalities, but I feel all have dropped the ball on the “stadium issue” – creating a panic among Treasure Valley baseball fans that it is imminent that the team is leaving town.  Much of it stems from the Chicago Cubs, who have made it VERY clear that if progress in a new stadium in Boise isn’t made by the end of this season, that they will consider moving their short-season affiliation.  But what all seem to forget is that the Boise franchise is GUARANTEED another team to replace the Cubs if they leave.  I heard Jeff Caves talk about “independent baseball” returning if the Cubs leave – which was ludicrous (since that is not allowed these days in the minors), but with outstanding listenership to Idaho Sports Talk (including me every day) – fans believe it, and turn away.  No fewer than 17 of the 24 short-season affiliates have their Player Development Contracts come up at the end of 2012, with only Vancouver in the NWL (Blue Jays) locked in until 2014, so shuffling could occur. They focused on – Yakima is moving to Hillsboro, what’s keeping the Hawks from leaving (or more bluntly – are the Hawks leaving)?  Move to where – Medford, Bend, Walla Walla, Bellingham, Victoria, Coos Bay, Hoquiam, Wenatchee, or Lewiston?  The NWL has tried and failed in all eight cities – none of which has the size of a population base as Boise.  Milwaukie (Ore.) wants a franchise – but is years away due to a public vote (ask Vancouver WA about that one), and even then, it would be unclear if the NWL would allow three franchises in the same territory (Hillsboro/Milwaukie/Salem-Keizer).  Each of the TV stations came out to the yard, but seemed to focus on the stadium issue instead of the game itself – if fans think the team is leaving, they won’t show (Yakima is a prime example as the Bears have drawn over 2,000 fans just once this season).  KTVB did a walk-through of the bowels of the stadium, but what does that compare too?  Come with us to Spokane, come to Eugene, come to Salem, come to the Tri-Cities, or even come to Yakima, to see what the other teams in the league have that we don’t in Boise (or what we have in Boise that they don’t).  They would be shocked (ask Troy Oppie at KBOI after he saw what Vancouver had) as their visiting clubhouse is better than either clubhouse at Memorial Stadium.

2. GAS PRICES HAVE FALLEN – for a few years, gas prices each summer have hovered around the $4.00 mark and fans came to the park as part of a “Staycation”.  Now that prices are closing in on $3.50 and lower, overnight trips, adventures, and true vacations are back on the map for the average fan – cutting into their budget to come to the games.

3. THE ECONOMY – Memorial Stadium as the most affordable family outing in the Treasure Valley ($1 tickets some nights, $1 food options, great entertainment) – in comparison to other sports and entertainment options in the market.  However, though a family may take advantage of it, big groups and events are still slow in coming back to the ballpark,, as corporations and businesses have cut back on group nights and parties, which change the bottom line.  On a Wednesday, you could get four tickets (shade seats), four hot dogs, a popcorn, and two sno-cones for about the same price for one ticket to a Bronco football game, or Sunday’s, get four shade seats, four hot dogs, and four sodas for $34 – and people think that the cheap seats are in the sun?

4. LES BOIS PARK – I give a lot of credit to the new investors at the horse track, they have done an outstanding job in renovating the facility, making it a destination place on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  However, it has become a direct competitor of the Hawks – which will be interesting to see how Wednesday Dollar Nights will go when competing against Les Bois’ Ladies Nights.  My thought is that the two entities should work together on some cross promotional ideas (similar to what the Idaho Stampede and Idaho Steelheads have done).

5. WE ARE NOT ALONE – looking at the attendance numbers in the Northwest League, it is scary to think that the Hawks rank #4 in the league in attendance, despite averaging just 2,480 fans a game.  Spokane, Eugene, and Vancouver – the top three teams in attendance, have all seen a decline in attendance over the first three weeks of the season, as has Everett, Salem-Keizer, and Yakima.  Tri-City is the lone team that has stayed on course, but the Dust Devils have also seen attendance spikes to the positive in each of the last five seasons.  The NWL, in comparison to its sister league (NY Penn), is in the middle of the pack – as teams like the Brooklyn Cyclones (6,923), Aberdeen IronBirds (6,491), and the Lowell Spinners (5,053) draw well, but the Batavia Muckdogs (811), Jamestown Jammers (1,265), and Auburn Doubledays (1,789) draw less than Yakima.  What’s tough is that Ogden (3,839) or Billings (3,638) would be #3 in the NWL in attendance, while Idaho Falls has outdrawn the Hawks each of the last three seasons since the city invested in Melaluca Field.  However – everyone in the NWL outdraws the Appalachian League (highest attendance is 1,200), while the Hawks would be #7 in the 14-team South Atlantic League and #10 in attendance in the 16-team Midwest League (but they play 140 games).  But this is not a trend in just the NWL or baseball in general.  Sports across the country are finding declining ticket sales.  Major league level sports are understandable due to the cost and the amount of coverage on HDTV’s.  But when you hear the “average guy” wanting relief in this tough economy, why are minor league sports, who live by the creed of “affordable entertainment”, suffering.  It is a mystery.

What can we (as the Boise Hawks) do?  Is it that baseball isn’t cool like going to a BSU football game or floating the Boise River? Are the casual fans boycotting the team due to the stadium issue or is the stadium the issue in why they aren’t coming (don’t want to sit in the sun?). Is baseball too slow of a game for the average person to watch?  I guess things have definitely changed since the days of staying up past my bedtime with my radio under my covers, listening to Dave Niehaus call Seattle Mariners games or Bob Robertson call Tacoma Tigers games on the AM dial.

I’d love to hear your comments on this – either here on the blog or via my Twitter account @BoiseHawksRadio.

It was an easy trip up to the Tri-Cities this morning, as the Hawks left Memorial Stadium at 9 a.m. and rolled into the Red Lion Columbia Center at 12:30 p.m. – with the hotel keeping its streak of not having our rooms ready (they were hustling since they had a full house on Saturday night).

Ballpark here at Gesa Stadium is in great shape and it will be a nice night for baseball.

(Click Here for Game Notes for 7/1 BOI-TRI)

Been really impressed with the newcomers that have joined the Hawks, as Mike Hamann tossed two shutout innings yesterday, with Eddie Orozco tossing a scoreless inning on Thursday night.  Trey Martin looks like a player in centerfield and is everything that I was expecting out of him, while Bijan Rademacher (pronounced Rad-a-maker) went 4-for-5 yesterday and is hitting a smooth .625 through two games.

A season-high 16 hits last night for the Hawks, as every person in the order had at least one knock.

NOTE – the Hawks went from two Gonzalez’s to none after yesterday, as Eduardo Gonzalez was released and Gregori Gonzalez was sent back to the AZL-Cubs.

Coming up – Look for a long narrative on my thoughts on attendance in Boise and the NWL this year coming in the next 24 hours.

It’s a late night before a road trip – but wanted to post a quick hitter after the Hawks 12-6 win over Spokane.  Season-high 16 hits, including a four-hit game from newcomer Bijan Rademacher and three hits from Jeimer Candelario (who’s first name is pronounced JAY-MER).

Watching Spokane boot the ball around the infield was comical – as the Indians recorded nine errors (including one for every infield position, including the pitcher).

Roster Move – Eduardo Gonzalez has been released by the Chicago Cubs.

Look for News and Notes from Gesa Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

It was a rough road trip to Spokane – scoring just four runs and recording 16 hits in the three losses to the Indians.  However, it was as if a lightswitch was turned on once the Hawks walked between the chalk lines at Memorial Stadium, as the team had quality at bats and outstanding pitching, ending a three-game losing streak in style with a 12-2 win.

(Click Here for Friday’s Game Notes)

THE GOOD: I’ll start with the effort of Ian Dickson, who pounded the strike zone, fanning a career-high six men in picking up his first win as a professional.  The righty allowed just four hits and one earned run, working five innings.  It was a solid night at the plate for both Willson Contreras and Chad Krist, each recording four hits.  Krist had two doubles and nearly had a third that banged off the wall in left – with the former Cal Bear doing the smart thing an holding a first.  Contreras drove in three runs and made two outstanding hustle plays – scoring on a double by Stephen Bruno from first and taking an extra base on a grounder up the middle that went off the glove of Spokane 2B Cam Schiller.

THE BAD: David Perez struggled for the Indians – nine runs in three innings, walking three men, and serving up four wild pitches.  Not a good night.

NOTES: Gregori Gonzalez made his Boise debut and singled home a run in his first at bat, while newcomer Eddie Orozco of UC-Riverside made his debut, throwing a scoreless sixth inning…Rafael Diplan threw two more scoreless frames and has now started the season with 11 shutout innings…Dong-Yub Kim hit the first grand slam since Paul Hoilman clubbed one against the same Spokane squad last July…Kim also ended a 0-for-13 slump with runners-in-scoring-position…the Hawks finally got to the Spokane pen, after the Indians tossed 13 innings of shutout ball at Avista Stadium earlier in the week.

ROSTER MOVES: Orozco was one of four players who arrived in Boise yesterday – as fellow pitchers Mike Hamann (Toledo) and Michael Heesch (USC-Beaufort) joined the squad, along with OF Bijan Rademacher (Fullerton State/Orange Coast CC).  Today, the revolving door continues, as Amaury Paulino, who was injured throwing a pitch in Spokane, has been put on the disabled list and will head to Mesa for treatment, while OF Trey Martin – who was hitting .440 with five doubles and six RBI in the AZL, was promoted.  Fans in the Treasure Valley have to be disappointed that neither of the first two OF’s called up had the last name of Garsez (as in the Caldwell native playing for the Mesa Cubs) – as his former American Legion team was in attendance last night.

GAME ON FM TONIGHT: Tonight’s game will be the second of six games on 93.1 KTIK-FM, with Hawkstown Tonight at 6:05, with the first pitch set for 7:15 p.m.  Other FM games will be July 6, July 20, August 3, and August 10 – all Friday nights.

Troubles with travels in the bus leagues are nothing new for a baseball team – and for the Boise Hawks, it is no exception, as the latest installment of “What’s Wrong with the Bus” happened early this morning.

(Click Here for Thursday’s Boise/Spokane Game Notes)

Around 2:15 in the morning, about 10 miles outside Ontario, Ore., the engine of the Hawks coach died – literally, with smoke, oil, and other fluids pouring profusely out of the carriage.  We stopped dead in our tracks, right on the side of I-84.  And we waited, and waited, and waited.  A good two hours or more until a relief bus (which didn’t smell particularly good) got us the rest of the way home.

It brought back memories of 2004 – when heading to the Tri-Cities after a five-game sweep of Everett, the fan belt blew in the bus on Snoqualmie Pass (with no AC for the rest of the trip in 100 degree heat).  In 2008, an air-line broke going down the Ladd Canyon grade outside of La Grande, Ore., holing the team up at a truck stop for two hours.  An last year, the infamous blow up atop Satus Pass on our way from Yakima to Salem – and the shenanigans with horseshoes and a rabbit.

I got a tweet (@BoiseHawksRadio if you aren’t a follower) last night wanting to know why I haven’t been talking about the pregame meal each night – as last season, we chronicled the food throughout the season.  Hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, and burgers were prevalent, but I am hoping for some new items in 2012.

At Salem-Keizer, it is slim pickings – in fact, the clubhouse manager never brought the Hawks staff any postgame spread throughout the series (first time I have ever heard of this in my nearly decade in the NWL).  It was hot dogs in the booth for three of the nights in S-K, giving them the early lead.

Kudos to Geno George from the Hawks Home Plate Food Services for switching up the menu at Memorial Stadium – which got rave reviews from Matt Dompe, Eugene’s new radio man.  Smoked Sausages opened the series, followed by Papa Murphy’s pizza, a hot meatball sandwich, a chicken caesar wrap (which would be better without tomatoes), and ending with a turkey sandwich – which was outstanding.  No hot dogs or hamburgers to open the season in the BOI.

Spokane has an option this season, though it is basic (which is sad for us, because they have an outstanding barbeque pit, pizza, and rice bowls in the concourse) – either a chicken sandwich, a hamburger, or a hot dog (I can still remember longtime Spokane broadcaster Bob Robertson saying “I need one of the BIG hamburgers and a hot dog, so I can take the hot dog home and have it after the game.”  I have had the chicken sandwich each of the first two days and will have it again this afternoon – pushing the bird into a tie in the food race.

FOOD STANDINGS (Through 6/27): Hot Dogs (3), Chicken Sandwiches (3), No Food (2), Turkey Sandwich (1), Meatball Sandwich (1), Smoked Sausage (1), Pizza (1), Chicken Wrap (1).