One of the things over the years I have to pay close attention to during the season are streaks and trends throughout the Northwest League.  After the first four games of the Boise-Eugene series at Memorial Stadium, it seems like this has been a wild, streaky series.

Let’s look at the numbers – Hawks took a four-game win streak and a four-game home win streak into tonight’s game (both fell by the wayside in the 9-4 loss), while Eugene took a six-game losing streak into the game (it ended with the six-run eighth inning rally). 

Danny Keefe had not given up a run in his last six appearances, spanning 12 innings, but after getting Chris Tremblay to pop up to start the eighth, promptly allowed the next five men to reach (single, walk, walk, double, single) and his night and his 1.27 ERA was gone.

Jesus Morelli saw his five-game and Pierre LePage saw his four-game hit streak both snapped, while Kyung Min Na extended his to four games and Arisemendy Alcantara pushed his streak to three.

Then there is the “phantom” streak for Alvaro Ramirez that sits at 11 games…currently, the streak is only six games, as the official box score from July 5 in Spokane lists Ramirez going 0-for-1 in a pinch hit appearance….only problem was, it was Jeff Vigurs that pinch hit in the game, not Ramirez.  The scoring change has been submitted to both Major League Baseball Advanced Media and to the Spokane Indians and the Hawks are hopeful that the change will occur on Monday.

If the Hawks would have won tonight, it would have been their longest win streak since July of 2008, when Boise ran off a streak of 11 wins in 12 outings (a five-game win streak, and after a loss, followed by a six-game win streak) – helping the team to a 45-31 overall record – but five games back of Spokane at the end of the season.

And how about my own streak…heading into the season, I had broadcast 359 Boise Hawks games (all 76 in 2003, 74 in 2004, 65 in 2005, 75 in 2008, and 69 last season) and 365 Northwest League games overall (including six Spokane-Boise games in 2007).  Tonight was broadcast number 382 for the Hawks and 388 overall – nearing a couple milestones…I need eight more broadcasts to surpass Rob Simpson into first-place on the all-time games called list in franchise history (he called 389 games from 1996-2000, and one game for me last year), while I need 12 games to hit the 400 game mark for my career.  So if I sound excited on the 19th of the month against Spokane or the 22nd of the month against Tri-City, you’ll know why.

 
To say that the Chicago Cubs were busy tinkering with the Boise Hawks over the last 36 hours was an understatement – as no fewer than 12 roster moves were made by the parent club…luckily, not affecting the product on the field, as the Hawks held off Eugene, 5-4, in the series opener at Memorial Stadium.

Of the six moves out of Boise, Corey Martin definitely earned his promotion to the Peoria Chiefs after converting 7-of-7 save opportunities…and hopefully he’ll be used in that same roll in the Midwest League, as Peoria has been struggling late in ballgames to hold leads – blowing another late-inning lead tonight against Kane County.

The injuries to Tarlandus Mitchell and Brandon May have sent the duo to Mesa for rehab work at the Cubs training complex, while news from Mesa is that Marcus Hatley, the third member of the Hawks on the DL has begun to play long toss and may be throwing from a mound soon.

Joe Zeller and Yao-Lin Wang head to Mesa to get more instruction – as the duo has struggled with their command while in Boise.  Finally, likeable outfielder Runey Davis was released by the Cubs – unfortunately for him, after having to endure the nearly eight hour bus ride back from Spokane.

A total of six new players head to town – including five 2010 draft picks.  The Boise media has already found its latest media darling in outfielder Matt Szczur (surplanting Pierre LePage in that category) – the fifth-round pick out of Villanova, who just like 2006 Hawks alum, Jeff Samardzija, will play his senior football season in college.

Pitchers Brent Ebinger (32nd Round out of Lambuth U.), Matt Loosen (28th Round out of Jacksonville U.), and Dustin Fitzgerald (19th Round out of Hill JC in Texas) have joined the club, along with shortstop Elliot Soto (15th Round out of Creighton U.) – who made his Hawks debut tonight, showing flashes of the glove that may be his ticket up the professional ladder.

Also back for the Hawks today was Eduardo Figueroa, who spent the second half of last season in Boise.  The Venezuela native had a great start to the Arizona Rookie League season, striking out 16 men in just 12 innings of work, earning the promotion.

BY THE NUMBERS – Some interesting statistics for the Hawks as we are one game into the second half of the First Half of the Northwest League season (through Game 20 of 38)…the Hawks are a perfect 9-0 this year when leading after the 5th inning and are a perfect 11-0 when leading after the 7th….Boise is a perfect 4-0 in one-run games in 2010… 

After a six-hour drive home through the unpopulated high-prairies of Eastern Washington and Oregon last night (dodging drunk drivers, coyotes, and a huge owl), I finally have time to recollect on the fun trip that we had – not only for the Safford family, but also for the Boise Hawks, who salvaged the final game of the series with a clutch come-from-behind, 4-2 win.

Monday was a fun day for the Saffords, as we had the opportunity to head to downtown Spokane and spend the afternoon at Riverfront Park – the site of the 1974 World’s Fair.  Liza and PJ had the opportunity to ride a gondola over Spokane Falls, while PJ and I took a train ride around the park – as PJ was so excited to just ride on a “choo choo”.  But the biggest thrill for us was at their midway – located inside an outdoor ice rink that is dry during the summer. 
It was the first time that PJ had seen rides up close – but he wasn’t shy, even though he was too short to ride most of the rides by himself (so Dad had to purchase a pass for $10, which allowed he and I to go on unlimited rides).  So PJ was off on an airplane ride, a pair of bounce houses, tea cups, the tilt-a-whirl, bumper boats, and a dizzying roller-coaster three different times – loving every minute of it with no fear (while Dad, who isn’t the best thrill-seeker, was struggling).  It was fun.

Monday’s game was a tough-one, as Brandon May went down with a knee injury after a brilliant stop of a ground ball in the second inning and Tarlandus Mitchell injured a muscle during his pregame workouts.  Both will end up on the Disabled List and will have to head to the rehab facility in Mesa to recooperate.  Pitching struggled during the game, as Yao-Lin Wang ran out of gas in the fourth inning, walking two, then surrendering an RBI double.  Joe Zeller provided no relief, as he allowed five hits in two innings – with every ball hit seemingly hit hard.  The Hawks lost despite recording their third 11-hit game of the season, but stranded a season-high ten men.

Tuesday morning was spent in the swimming pool at the Mirabeau Park Hotel and Convention Center – which included a numbing belly-flop that my son loved, but reminded me why I hadn’t done that since high school.  But PJ had a blast in the pool – he truly is a fish.

The game featured multiple quality performances by the Hawks – Alvaro Ramirez had a two-hit game, extending his hitting streak to seven games, knocking in two with a third inning single.  Richard Jones hit a mammoth homer in the eighth inning that provided insurance.  Starter Austin Kirk provided a second-straight quality start, allowing just four hits in five innings of work.  Danny Keefe retired six of the seven men he faced, while Aaron Kurcz struck out the side in the eighth.  Corey Martin had a tough go of it in the ninth, but got the final three outs for his seventh save in as many opportunities.

STREAK BUSTERS:  Jose Guevara saw an 0-for-18 skid snapped on Monday night with a single, while Wes Darvill, who was 2-for-26 heading into Monday, added RBI singles in each of the final two games of the series.

THE DEPOT: The newest addition to Avista Stadium is by far the most unique attraction in the Northwest League.  The Depot, situated in right field, is an actual dining car that blends into the surroundings (as the park is situated right in the heart of a rail-yard) – used to host groups.  There are seats inside the car with great views of the field, along with seating along the four-foot-high outfield fence – all having an opportunity to catch a home run ball.

WHAT TO DO ON AN OFF-DAY: When you work two jobs during the summer (most know that I am also the Sports Information Director at The College of Idaho), it is rare that I get an off day, even when the Hawks have an off day.  Today was the exception – although I tackled a challenge in the backyard, creating a sandbox for PJ out of a free tractor tire from one of the Hawks major sponsors – Les Schwab.  I still need a bit more sand, but he absolutely loved it. 

(The headline is a song sung by Lindsey Buckingham from National Lampoon’s European Vacation – when the Griswold family was driving to Germany)…

What an interesting day for me, my family, and the Boise Hawks – ended with a Boise Hawks 6-2 loss to the Spokane Indians, before nearly 7,000 fans at Avista Stadium in Boise.

Instead of awaking to meet the team in Boise at 7 a.m. to ride to Spokane, my family and I took the family car to the Evergreen State, feeling as if I was the aforementioned Clark W. Griswold in the station wagon, trying to find Wally World.

We saw lots of different things – from the bridges on the Columbia River (including the photo of the US-395 “Blue” Bridge in the Tri-Cities), to PJ enjoying his time in the back seat.  Instead of a quick five and a half hour drive, making the trek with a two year old entails patience, as we stopped no less than four times for various things.

Once at Avista Stadium, I had the opportunity to spend time with my great friend and mentor, Hall of Fame broadcaster, Bob Robertson – the Voice of the Spokane Indians and longtime radio voice of Washington State football.  While I was in the booth, PJ had the opportunity to check out the scene at the stadium – meeting the Indians mascot, Otto – the world’s only Spokaneasaurus (pictured with PJ below).

Following the game was a postgame fireworks show (pictured below) – lasting about 6 minutes or so, twice as long as the 3rd of July fireworks show in Tri-City last year, but nothing in comparison to the outstanding show at Memorial Stadium last night.  The Hawks front office and sponsors should be proud of the job they did last night…A+’s around.

Special thanks to my wife and best friend, Liza, for taking such great pictures today!!!

GAME NOTES – Pierre LePage completed a fabulous week in which he may be in line for NWL Player of the Week honors, hitting .400 with four doubles, a triple, and nine RBI…Alvaro Ramirez extended his hit streak to six games with a single in the sixth inning…

Time to play catch-up tonight, as the last 48 hours have been a whirlwind – ending with a rain storm following Friday night’s game (just after the fireworks show at Memorial Stadium ended.

To recap what we missed – Hawks dropped the final game of the series in Eugene, 7-3, despite a three RBI game from Pierre LePage.  Following the game, the team left PK Park around 11 p.m. Pacific Time, traveling all night (watching three oldies, but goodies – Sandlot, American Pie, and Old School), arriving in Boise around 9:30 in the morning.

Last night, the Hawks rode the arms of Austin Kirk, Carlos Rojas, and Rogelino Carmona to a six-hit shutout, regaining first-place in the NWL East with a 7-0 win.  LePage was at it again, going 2-for-4 with four more RBI, with Runey Davis smacking his second home run of the week.

However, tonight, a rough first inning by Tarlandus Mitchell (reminiscent of an outing by the righty last year in Eugene) – walking four men and allowing two hits in just one-third of an inning, dug the Hawks a 5-0 hole, losing 6-2.

ROSTER NOTES: Micah Gibbs, the Cubs third-round pick in 2010, joined the Hawks on Thursday, recording his first professional hit on Friday night…he will wear #33, while LePage switched to #2.  Marcus Hatley, who has been out with a flare-up with his throwing elbow (that had Tommy John surgery on it last year), has been placed on the DL – and sent to Mesa to be looked at by the Cubs surgeons.  Hatley told me following the game that they feel it is either a muscle strain in the elbow, or possibly bone spurs.

STREAKS: LePage extended his hitting streak to five games with a fourth inning double, and has hit safely in all seven professional games this season…however, Friday’s game was his first without a multi-hit game…Alvaro Ramirez extended his hitting streak to three games…

SMALL CROWDS EQUAL WINS: The weird statistic of the night – when the Hawks play before a crowd of 2,300 or less, they are a perfect 8-0 this season…when the crowd is larger than 2,300, they are 0-7.

With their third win in a row, the Boise Hawks have moved into first-place by themselves in the Northwest League’s East Division for the first time since the final game of the 2006 season (when Boise claimed the Eastern Division title).  The Hawks had a late season rally in 2007 to tie Spokane atop the division, and were tied for the division lead after Opening Day in 2008 – but haven’t been to the top since.

Not bad for the team that currently sits last in the league in batting average, earned run average, and fielding percentage.

The big blow was a three-run triple by Alvaro Ramirez (pictured left) off of Eugene starter Matt Lollis – who had started the 2010 season by throwing 16 2/3 innings of shutout ball.  The Hawks bullpen continued their strong performance, extending a streak of innings without allowing an earned run to 21 – thanks to efforts from Danny Keefe, Aaron Kurcz, and Corey Martin.  The Hawks are now 5-2 on the road this season and are a perfect 7-0 when the crowd numbers 2,300 fans or less (they are 0-5 in games with crowd’s larger).

LET’S HEAR FROM THE PLAYERS:  I have had the opportunity to talk with five players during the first two weeks of the season on Hawkstown Tonight – and the following are the full-length interviews with the players. 
Corey Martin (MartinINT.wma), John Mincone
 (MinconeINT.wma), Brandon May  (
MayINT.wma), Tarlandus Mitchell (
MitchellINT.wma), Eric Jokisch  (
JokischINT.wma).

AND FROM THE COACHES:  Here are interviews I conducted with skipper Jody Davis (
JodyINT.wma
) and Minor League Pitching Coordinator Mark Riggins (
RigginsINT.wma
).

AHEAD: The Hawks return home on Thursday to meet the Yakima Bears, and will have lefty Austin Kirk on the mound to start the series opener against the Diamondbacks affiliate.

Two quick things tonight after the Hawks 5-4 victory over the Eugene Emeralds on completely different ends of the spectrum.  For the fans wanting more P.K. Park action, here is a link for a video tour of the P.K. Park press box, including a look at my radio booth …it is HUGE (and I love the ability to control the temperature, either with the windows open or as I did tonight, turning the heater on.

Also, for the first time since the short season and independent leagues began play, we have our fourth installment of the Boise Hawks Alumni Report. (Click Here
AlumniReport6-29-10.pdf to see the entire report) A total of 126 former players are currently playing in professional baseball – including 19 on Major League rosters and 15 that are in independent leagues.

 

As we were sitting at Bench Coach Gary VanTol’s sister-in-law’s ranch late this afternoon, the Boise Hawks staff came up with the conclusion that afternoon games on Sunday’s are the best thing in the world – especially after the squad put together their best all-around game of the 2010 season, defeating the Eugene Emeralds, 5-1 – moving within a half-game of first-place Tri-City in the East Division.

Afternoon games are something that Hawks skipper, Jody Davis, is accustomed to, as he was a member of the Cubs during the years prior to lights being installed at Wrigley Field.  He recalled a conversation with a current Boise Hawk, who could not believe that there weren’t lights at the Friendly Confines.  He also told the story of the very first night game at Wrigley in August of 1988 – he was catching Rick Sutcliffe and the first batter for the Phillies hit a home run.  However, the rains came in the fourth inning and the highlight of the night (the game was eventually rained out) was he, a young Greg Maddux, and Les Lancaster used the infield tarp as a slip-and-slide for the fans.

THE LONG WALK: The lead picture above shows a look at PK Park from inside Autzen Stadium (trying to get out of a locked football venue is not an easy thing to do) – giving you an idea of the distance the Hawks clubhouse is.  Where I snapped the first picture, turn around 180 degrees, climb to the top of the bleachers, and you get the photo to the right…and in the tunnel at the far end zone (under the goal post) is where you’ll find the clubhouse…a very long and arduous walk for a baseball team – trekking to the yard before batting practice, going back to change for the game, back to the park for the game, then back after the contest.  It makes for a long night (especially for trainer A.J. Larson – who has to haul his training gear to-and-from the park.

VIDEO OF THE RACE: Milwaukee races Sausages, Vancouver races Sushi, Boise races potatoes, and here in Eugene, they race Pasties – the meat filled pastries that are commonplace in the upper-Midwest.  Watch the video of Sunday’s dash from PK Park.

THROWN IN THE FIRE: The three newest Hawks, Eric Jokisch (pronounced Yo-kish), Aaron Kurcz, and Pierre LePage, arrived from Mesa around 12:15 yesterday afternoon and got to PK Park about an hour before game time.  So what does Jody Davis do – inserts LePage to run in the eighth inning, scoring the Hawks fifth run on a Richard Jones single, then tosses Kurcz in from the bullpen in the ninth, striking out two batters to close out the victory.  For Jokisch, he will make his debut on Monday, coming out of the pen in relief of starter, John Mincone.

PROMOTIONS: Before they were made official, Cubs Vice President of Player Personnel Oneri Fleita was chatting with me in the press box, filling me in on roster moves in the organiztion – including former Hawks.  Ty Wright (’06) was promoted from Tennessse to Iowa, Brett Jackson (’09) was promoted from Daytona to Tennessee, and Trey McNutt (’09) was promoted from Peoria to Daytona, while former Hawk, Bobby Wagner (’09) was released by the Cubs.

DOUBLE DUTY: For me yesterday, it wasn’t the easiest of days – as I was broadcasting the game for both teams.  My colleague, Chris Fisher, was suffering from a bout of laryngitis and was unable to call the game for the station in Eugene – so I became the righty out of the bullpen for 95.3 FM.  Instead of being a rah-rah Hawks fan as I normally am, I called the game right down the line – and got a lot of waves to the radio booth from fans in the ninth inning when I gave a hello to those listening in Eugene. 

NO BP=WINS: Sunday marked the third time this season that the Hawks have not taken batting practice before the game.  Their record in those three games?  3-0.

The Hawks dropped their opener at P.K. Park on the University of Oregon athletic campus (the U of O academic campus is located on the opposite side of the Willamette River) – marking the first time that Boise had played on a synthetic turfed field since the Portland Rockies relocated to Tri-City.

The players and coaching staff (including Cubs VP of Player Personnel Oneri Fleita, who was at the game) raved about the playing surface, how the ball played true and it was a nice atmosphere.

The lone complaint is the fact that the facility is not built to MLB codes, but to NCAA codes – with no visiting clubhouse or umpire room on the site.  The Hawks had to make a quarter mile trek to the Autzen Stadium (football home of U of O) visiting football locker-room to dress.

The press box is by far the best in the NWL league, with spacious rooms for home and visiting radio, media, scoring, and game personnel – along with luxury boxes and a large group catering area.

The following are a few pictures that I snapped throughout today, while the following links are some videos from the ballpark and the University of Oregon athletic completx (PK Park 1) (PK Park 2) (PK Park 3) (Autzen Stadium)

A couple hours after the Hawks 9-1 loss to Salem-Keizer on Friday night, multiple songs started going through my head…Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” – as we head through the night to Eugene, Ore…”Eastbound and Down” by Jerry Reed, made famous in the movie, Smokey and the Bandit (although in the movie, the first time the song is played, it is Westbound and Down – which would describe our bus)…”Black Water” by the Doobie Brothers – after a strange occurrance in the middle of nowhere last night.

Many will remember that during the game on Friday, a couple of rainbows showed up in Boise – as did a few light rain showers.  Well, in Eastern Oregon, it rained heavily all day and into the night – raising the level of the Malheur River and its tributaries.  Around 1 a.m. in the morning, the bus was stopped in its tracks in the middle of nowhere (between Vale and Juntura) by road flares and a flagger.  What ensued was a harrowing two mile trip down Highway 20 behind a pilot car acrossed a flooded road – where you could not see the pavement (Hal, our trusty driver, said it was like driving on ice).  It wasn’t fun. (Watch video from early in the morning on the way to Eugene – notice the snow-capped mountains in the distance)

We rolled into Eugene around 8 a.m. this morning – staying at the Valley River Inn, which is a nice hotel, right on the Willamette River.

PHOTOS: First photo is of the Cascade Mountains just west of Bend, Ore.; second photo is of a rare covered bridge on the McKenzie River, just west of Springfield, Ore.; third photo is of the Willamette River, just outside our hotel.

CUBS TO MAKE ROSTER MOVES: The Chicago Cubs, in conjunction with the Boise Hawks, will be making four roster moves during the weekend (reported on by the Idaho Press Tribune on Saturday morning).  Following the game last night, Jesse Ginley was returned to the Arizona Summer League to rejoin the Mesa Cubs, while a trio of 2010 draft picks – pitchers Aaron Kurcz and Eric Jokisch, and infielder, Pierre LePage, will join the team in Eugene on Sunday – bringing the roster total to 28, including 16 pitchers.

GOOD LUCK: Hitting Coach Ricardo Medina is on a plane this morning to his native Panama – as he and his wife, Berta, are expecting the birth of their second child.  Bench Coach, Gary VanTol, will take Medina’s place in coaching first base.