Mudcats home opener

Tonight was the home opener for the Carolina Mudcats. Unfortunately the road has not been very kind to the Mudcats. With the last 10 games played as the visiting team, their record is a rather atrociously 2-8. However, now rolling into Five County Stadium (home) for a 10 game home stand maybe they can settle into a groove.

With the wind blowing stiffly out to right, right-center field at 13 mph and with some gust past that, one can only imagine what a pop up to right had the potential to become. A bit cool in the stadium tonight, at the start of the game it was 60 but dropped to at least 50 towards the end and with the wind it felt much cooler.

The bottom of the first inning we see the Mudcats get on the board first with a Kevin Randle double that scored Grant Psomas. In the bottom of the third inning Psomas shows us what the wind can do, he pops a ball up to right field and it is carried over the wall for a home run. Lee Mitchell is walked and then driven home to score with a Brett Carroll double. Jai Miller scores when knocked in by Brad Davis crushing a double to the left fielder in the forth. John Raburn doubles to left in the same inning to bring Davis in.

It seems that the Mudcats have found their bats tonight, but then the story flips to pitching. Jesus Delgado pitches for 5 inning, only allowing 2 runs (both earned), with 2 walks, 5 strikeouts and 1 home run (Jon Zeringue taken over the left field wall). Scott Nestor takes over at the top of the sixth inning. Nestor's numbers for the night are as follows: 2 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Christopher Young is called in to close out the sixth inning.

The seventh inning just gets nasty for the Mudcats relievers. Craig Molldrem comes in the game at the beginning of the inning. Carlos Gonzalez shows he can hit a home run to the right field as well, the wind of course helping it as well. Molldrem is credited with a blown save (something you don't want credit for) after allowing the Baybears to come back with yet another home run, this time Jon Zeringue taking the ball long out across center field. Kurt Koehler is pulled in to end the inning.

Harvey Garcia starts the top the the eighth inning. Striking out the first batter then next gets a single with a drive into left. A double play ends the top of the eighth and send the Mudcats to the plate. Down 9-5 it is not looking good.

Suddenly the sleeping lumber awakens for the Mudcats. Lee Mitchell takes advantage of the wind and dings a homer out across the right field wall. Brett Carroll doubles, right afterwards Jai Miller singles. Carroll scores with a single by Ryan Bear (pinch hitting). Jose Campusano hits a line drive single into left field as Miller scores. Psomas sac flies and Bear scores. The game is now a 9-9 tie.

Matt Yourkin is called in to try to keep the Baybears from scoring. The first batter grounds out to a fresh Rex Rundgren out at shortstop. Campusano does his part by catching a fly ball sent his way. Chris Rahl gets on base with a single but Yourkin decides he doesn't want to toy around. The next batter he faces strikes out swinging at some nasty curves.

The bottom of the ninth in a ties ball game. Lee Mitchell is up to bat. The ball is hit. Screaming towards the left field wall... can it??? will it??? Back, back back.... GONE! HOME RUN!!! Lee Mitchell wins the game with a home run!

A great game tonight. Hopefully being at home in the friendly confines of Five County Stadium will help the Mudcats gain some ground with their record as they learn their fans are behind them!

My true love

There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

Yes ladies and gentlemen, today is what is really considered to be baseball's Opening Day! Sure, last night there was an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game with the NY Mets going up against the St. Louis Cardinals (Mets won 6-1). But every fan really knows that Opening Day is just that.... the day filled with baseball. I know of people that take off today with a touch of "spring fever" so that they may bask in the glow of the sport named baseball.

Now I am sure some of you are reading this thinking "Gees Bryce, it's just baseball, it's just a game." At which point I am going to reply that yes, it is indeed just baseball, it is just a sport, it is just a game, but it is America's game and America's true past time. There are no time limits to games. (unless you run entirely out of subsitutions... but that never happens) The field hasn't changed too much since it first began. A player from the early 1900's could probably come in and be just as effective today as back then. (minus the HGH some players slip in now)

Yeah, the fields have been shortened by quite a bit. I would love to see stadium go back to the older dimensions and much more defence in games. Just as an example, Yankee Stadium had it's dimensions in 1937 as LF - 301, LC - 440, CF - 450, RC - 372, and RF - 296. Today's dimensions are LF - 318, LC - 385, CF - 408, RC - 372, and RF - 315.

If you look at my movie collection, and my want list for it, you will find a lot of baseball movies. To me it's the greatest sport out there. You can be a great individual player but without teammates that are equally as good you will not reach the pinnacle of baseball. You are only as good as your weakest player. I should hope in the near future that players realize just what they get to go out and do everyday.... and that is play a game. A great game at that.

I figure I will leave you all with some quotes by others about the sport.

Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer. ~Ted Williams

No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference. ~Tommy Lasorda

You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too. ~Roy Campanella

No game in the world is as tidy and dramatically neat as baseball, with cause and effect, crime and punishment, motive and result, so cleanly defined. ~Paul Gallico

I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us. ~Walt Whitman (This quote is actually two quotes merged together, in the movie Bull Durham they did the same but left out bits and pieces)

That's baseball, and it's my game. Y' know, you take your worries to the game, and you leave 'em there. You yell like crazy for your guys. It's good for your lungs, gives you a lift, and nobody calls the cops. Pretty girls, lots of 'em. ~Humphrey Bogart

Happy New Year!

I want to send out a Happy New Year wish to you all out there. May this year bring your lots of joy, happiness, and all the other stuff that might make you smile and generally in good spirits.

Yeah, I know thats a generic way of saying Happy New Year. So.... since this is the "Year of the Pig", according to the chinese, I figure bar-b-que and shorts ribs are in order. Those two usually bring a smile to anyones face. For some of the best ribs around I would recommend Shane's Rib Shack. For the best bar-b-que around.... well.... we all know I am going to say the Bar-b-que Center in Lexington, NC.

Alright, enough toying around with the new year stuff. Take care everyone and have a great day!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I want to extend a very Merry Christmas to all those out there. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then whatever holiday it may be, I hope you have a very safe, a very happy, and a very loving holiday.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The big C word

Cancer is one of those things that seems to affect all of us in one way or another. Take a second and sit back in your chair, think about everyone you have ever known in your life thus far. I bet you won't have to think very long to come up with maybe even several names that have been touched by cancer, if not the very person sitting in the chair reading this.

My own family has had many battles with cancer. I lost my Aunt to breast cancer in the 80's, my grandfather was treated for prostate cancer, a close friend of the family is now battling breast cancer, not to mention the other friends that may have had battles of their own. In 2006 alone it is estimated that a little more than 40,000 new cancer cases have been recorded. Survival rates for cancer in the 1995-2001 is listed as now being 65%. That stat is the most recent avaliable.

Why all this talk, it leads to this story. My mom works for a school and the class she is in was working on quilts to give to children in the hospital getting treated for cancer. A young lady of 16 that visits the class is also a patient and was going to drop the quilts off on her next visit for chemo. Mom of course told her she could pick a quilt out for herself. The young lady picked out a cute quilt with Eeyore. However she then folded the quilt up, put it back in the box and said she was sure someone else would really enjoy it at the hospital. My mom and the teacher made sure before the end of the day the young lady had a quilt of her own that was tied by all the kids in the class.

Little things in life that may not seem too important to you can speak volumes to those around you. My mom told me this story with tears welling up in her eyes. It struck me that there are amazing angels out there that even in their own time of hurt find ways to bring sunshine to those around.

I hope that everyone out there tries to give someone else a little piece of that sunshine. We can all be a beacon to someone out there. Even the simplest of gestures can speak and mean volumes. Always remember that.

The old band I used to manage and play with, Steppin' Stone, played a couple of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life events. It was always a good feeling to go out there and entertain people and bring a smile to their faces with our craziness while they were raising money for such a wonderful cause. I hope that yall have a great day and don't worry. I will post another blog up very soon. I will try to get atleast one up before Christmas!