Notes From The Nat

C’s fans that came out to The Nat in season ‘04 will remember fondly the name of Mike McGirr [seen left], who lit up the Northwest League with a season that ended with a 5-0, 0.66 record after 7 starts. 

McGirr, an 8th round draftee for the Oakland A’s from 2003, was enjoying his second spell with the Vancouver Canadians organization, having pitched decently but not outstandingly a year earlier (5-4, 4.66), but during that ‘04 season, as he chewed up hitters and won game after game, it looked like his time had come. As he moved up to Kane County, it looked for all intents and purposes as if he was headed up the ladder in leaps and bounds.

And then, like Keyser Soze… [poof!] He was gone.

Rumour had it that McGirr had an epiphany at the end of his second season, and decided that he had a better chance of making a considerable amount of money with his business degree than he did throwing fastballs.

Personally, I thought the kid was loco. But then, I’d curbstomp grandma for the chance to make the Majors.

Well, it turns out that Mike McGirr wasn’t done with baseball after all. In fact, he’s just beginning his ‘professional sports’ career.

McGrrrrrrrrr is the majority investor and CEO of Real Sports Investments, a company that pays minor leaguers an up-front cash amount (let’s say $50,000), in return for a percentage of their future Major League earnings (let’s say 5%). If the minor leaguer doesn’t make the bigs, they pocket a nice bonus. But if they do, McGirr’s company makes a nice return.

It’s an interesting concept, investing in the future of a real life professional athlete on the rise, but what’s most interesting about the business plan is, McGirr is selling shares of each athlete to folks like you and me, for $20 each.

Co-founder and Cleveland Indians AA minor league sidearm pitcher, Randy Newsom, explained the genesis of the business recently to Baseball Prospectus:

Minor leaguers can make as little as seven or eight thousand dollars ayear. Some have families to take care of, some have to take jobs rightaway once the season is over to pay bills, and many of those that are alittle better off still can?t afford some of the things that could helpthem reach the big leagues, like hiring a nutritionist or going to someof those expensive training institutes. With that in mind, I wanted tocome up with a way that players could use their own upside earningpotential to try to help their financial situation in the present andkind of lock in some of that earning potential, like insurance.

Imentioned this to my friend and former teammate, Brian Pritz, and heput me in contact with another former minor leaguer, our CEO andmajority owner Mike McGirr, who actually wrote a business plan atCornell Business School along these same lines. We started talking,used his business plan as a model, worked some things out, and launchedRSI.

Right now, if you go to http://www.realsportsinvestments.com/, you can buy a share in Newsom, which is reportedly worth 0.0016% of his RSI contract.

If he makes the majors and earns over $1.25m over his career, you’re in profit. If he earns $20m in his life, you’ll increase your stake by 1500%. If he becomes a Barry Zito-like success story, you’ll be able to send the kids to college.

And if he doesn’t make the Majors? Well, it might be worth the $20 just to have the experience of ‘owning’ an athlete.

I’m in. 

It was reported by Baseball America last week that 2002 Vancouver Canadian side-armer Shawn Kohn was released by the A’s, after six years in the system, bringing him to AAA Sacramento.  The University of Washington product had good seasons as a mamber of the organization, but with all the recent minor league signings (and trades aka the Dan Haren trade), his release was only a matter of time.

Today, the Oakland Clubhouse talked to Keith Lieppman, as he explained of four more minor leaguers getting the boot. 

Trent Peterson, 2003 Canadians southpaw, was let go, after playing most his A’s career in Stockton and Midland.  He’s had an average few years, but he should be picked up by another MILB team.

Michael Rogers, a 2004 top pick in the first-year draft, will have to find a new team to work for, after a very poor couple of seasons.  He was one of the most hyped players in Vancouver back three years ago, but didn’t really show off his skills, going 1-2 with a 4.87 ERA in Canada.

That was his second lowest ERA in the organization, which gives you a good reason why he was let go.  He was a starter-turned-reliever that never really blossomed into something big.

Two years ago TJ Franco came to Vancouver (in 2005), as a closer who ended up being sent to Kane County just days later, and that was just the beginning for the 30th round pick who turned more than a few heads with the A’s.  He split his time between Kane County and Stockton after that, as a starter, but the thing that ended his Oakland stint was the 5.73 ERA in the California League. 

The final player released was Ramiro ‘The Arm’ Mendez.  Ramiro was with Arizona in 2006, before being sent up to Vancouver at the end of the year, where he blasted six home-runs in just 28 games.  He started 2007 in Vancouver, but was immediately sent to the Midwest League, after opening his season with a .600 average in three games.  He struggled with the Cougars, batting .200 in 35 games.

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The C’s are changing up their seating chart for 2008, removing the General Admission, Premium Festival and Premium Festival Reserved sections, combing them all to make a ‘Reserved Grandstand’.  Here is what Ticket Manager Jason Takefman said in response to a question about the new chart.

You are correct; every seat at The Nat will be numbered this year, ensuring
each fan will get their very own numbered seat without fear of losing it to
get up to the concession stands, bathrooms, or to walk around and stretch
their legs.

This makes the most sense for Fireworks Nights, when the stadium is full and if you leave your seat, it’ll be gone by the time you get back.  The Box Seats will remain the same, as will the Service Master Diamondclub sections. 

So the biggest news in baseball, potentially since the Sosa/McGwire homerun record chase (possibly even since the Pete Rose betting scandal) has hit the headlines, and the damage to the game is likely to be massive.

The Mitchell Report, a 20-month investigation on the topic of drugs in baseball, has been released, and the list of names and evidence that it contains is damning.

Read through the report and you’ll find mentions of Roger Clemens, Chuck Knoblauch, Andy Pettitte, Sammy Sosa, David Justice, Paul LoDuca, David Segui, Rondell White, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Jose Guillen, Glenallen Hill, Wally Joyner, Lenny Dysktra, Eric Gagne… and that’s maybe 5% of the names. There are copies of checks cashed by suppliers, there are admissions from former players, and a few current ones, there are trainers fessing up to being dealers… it’s disgusting, top to bottom.

Of the Oakland Athletics organization, the following players are named (former Vancouver Canadians listed with year played):

 

• Randy Velarde (’97)
  
• Jason Giambi
• Miguel Tejada
• Jose Canseco
• FP Santangelo
• Adam Piatt (’99)
  
• Jose Guillen
• Jack Cust
• David Justice
• Cody McKay

Yes, Jack Cust (seen above) - current Oakland DH. His story, according to the report, goes as follows:

Jack Cust is an outfielder who began his major league career with the Arizona
Diamondbacks in 2001.  Since then, he has played for five teams in Major League Baseball, the Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics.

In 2007, he played with Oakland.At the beginning of the 2003 season, Cust and Larry Bigbie were both playing for Baltimore?s class AAA affiliate in Ottawa.  Bigbie?s locker was next to Cust?s.  Cust eventually asked Bigbie if he had ever tried steroids.  Bigbie acknowledged he had, and Cust said that he,too, had tried steroids.  Cust told Bigbie that he had a source who could procure anything he
wanted, but Bigbie informed him he already had a friend who could supply him.

How did Cust respond to the allegations?

In order to provide Cust with information about these allegations and to give him
an opportunity to respond, I asked him to meet with me; he declined.

Damning.

Even more damning, and far more detailed, is the story of 1999 AAA Vancouver Canadians outfielder, Adam Piatt (seen right). His career stalled in a major way, right at the zero hour as he was due to break through, and this may explain why:

Adam Piatt played as an outfielder with two teams in Major League Baseball forportions of four seasons between 2000 and 2003, the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay DevilRays. In 1999, he was the Oakland Athletics? Minor League Player of the Year.

After [Mets trainer and roid supplier Kurt] Radomski?s guilty plea was publicly announced, Piatt?s lawyer contacted us. We later interviewed Piatt, who voluntarily admitted his use of performance enhancingsubstances. He accepted full responsibility for his actions and said that he had learned animportant life lesson as a result. Piatt should be commended for his candor, for his willingnessto admit that he made a mistake, and for accepting responsibility for his actions.

Piatt was called up to Oakland from the minor leagues in 2000. He said that he
knew nothing at that time about steroids or amphetamines. In 2001, Piatt contracted a viralinfection and lost 24 pounds in ten days. This illness affected his strength and caused extreme200stress. He tried to come back to play baseball in August, but he was unsuccessful. Piatt said thathe worked hard during the off-season to be physically prepared for 2002.

During 2002, hestarted considering using human growth hormone. He researched the subject extensively thatyear.Piatt recalled that he learned of Kirk Radomski through F.P. Santangelo.Santangelo and Piatt were teammates on the Oakland Athletics and on Oakland?s minor leagueaffiliate in Sacramento.

Santangelo described Radomski to him as a personal trainer who was
knowledgeable about dietary issues and as a steroids supplier.Before obtaining any substances, Piatt had several conversations with Radomski.They discussed Piatt?s diet and what Piatt should do and take to get in optimal shape for theupcoming year. Radomski recommended that Piatt modify his diet and work on getting in shapebefore he started using human growth hormone. The conversations were all by telephone. Piattnever met Radomski in person.

Piatt believed he initially obtained human growth hormone and either testosteroneor Deca-Durabolin from Radomski. The substances sat unused for a long time, however, before he tried them. He was more concerned with the possible long-term health risks than with theethical issues.

He also thought about the problems he was having in baseball. A friend on theteam told Piatt that he lacked the bat speed he had enjoyed before his illness. Ultimately, Piattbegan using performance enhancing substances during the 2002-03 off-season. Piatt?s typicalregimen was to take one shot of testosterone per week for three to five weeks. He also injectedhimself with human growth hormone every day until he contracted carpal tunnel syndrome. Hetalked to Radomski about this side effect and then decreased the frequency of his use.

Survey drug testing was conducted in Major League Baseball in 2003. Piatt did
not change his regimen because of that testing. He was tested sometime during the summer.

Piatt retired from baseball in 2004 at the age of 28 because he had lost his love for
the game. He believes that he could have played longer. According to Piatt, the time he usedillegal substances was the only time he did not enjoy baseball. He thought he had "compromisedsomething."

Piatt made some payments to Radomski in 2004, but he said that those were tosatisfy old debts for 2003 shipments. He said he had no need for, and did not use, human growthhormone after he retired. Piatt noted that Radomski never encouraged Piatt to use moresubstances after Piatt said he wanted to stop. Radomski provided eight checks from Piatt, withdates ranging from 2002 to 2004, and totaling $11,550.

Used to be a time when talent was enough. Here’s the Randy Velarde story.

Randy Velarde admitted to us, through his lawyer, that he had used performanceenhancing substances he obtained from Greg Anderson. According to his lawyer, if interviewed,Velarde would have told us he received the "cream" and the "clear" from Anderson in atransaction that occurred in a parking lot during spring training in 2003. Velarde was playing forthe Oakland Athletics at the time, was near the end of his career and was attempting to play foranother year to support his family.

 

There are a whole load of players named in the report, and I’m sure more will be named in the days or weeks ahead, so I’m not sure whether any of the old Anaheim Angels-system Vancouver Canadians are mentioned, but either way, it’s a tough time to be a ball fan.

 

MLB teams had until yesterday to add players to their 40-man roster, before the players would be available to all the other MLB clubs in the upcoming Rule 5 draft.  Jay Marshall and Ryan Goleski were taken by the A’s last year (and are now out of the system) but a man was lost, and his name is Jared Burton, a member of the 2002 Vancouver Canadians.

Four former Canadians, and one future Athletic, were added to Oakland’s 40-man roster yesterday, keeping them in the system for the next few months.  RHP Jeff Gray, SS Gregorio Petit, C Landon Powell, and OF Richie Robnett were selected to the MLB roster, as was fireballer Henry Rodriguez, who was with Kane County this season.  Oakland now has two spots available on the 40-man roster.

Gray, a 2005 C’s alumnist, has had an excellent season, and is continuing his success in the Arizona Fall League, after spending 2007 with Sacramento in AAA.  Rodriguez is an up-and-coming prospect with the A’s, and his speeds are Bobby Jenks-like.  Petit spent ‘04 with the Red and Blue, and also played in AAA this season.  Powell was injured with the Rivercats, giving him two injuries that have hampered his professional career (he was sidelined a few years ago, missing a full season of ‘ball).  Robnett was a top pick in the 2004 draft (as was Powell) and reported to Vancouver in late July of that same year.

The additions aren’t too surprising, and with Powell being added you know it means he’ll be ready for the 2008 spring training, otherwise why bother?

The A’s also signed three minor-league free agents, including a name most C’s fans will recognize.  Troy Cate, Todd Donovan and Todd Linden are members of Oakland’s system after being signed over the last few days.  

Cate is a LHP who is in the Mexican Winter League as we speak, and played at Nat Bailey in 2002 as a member of the Everett Aquasox.  His time in the Mariners system brought him to Tacoma in 2003, where he pitched in one game picking up the win, but after four years he was stuck in the California League and went over to the St Louis system.  Side note, he was suspended for 15-games a few years ago for using steroids, hopefully that era of his life is over.

In 2006 he put up great numbers in Palm Beach (Single-A) and Springfield (AA, where he had an ERA of 0.57 in 10 games) but he couldn’t keep up that success in 2007, pitching out of Memphis in the PCL and St Louis in the Majors.  In the bigs, he appeared in 14 games with no decisions, and an ERA of 3.38 coming out of the ‘pen.  He started his career as a starter, but was a reliever in ‘07, and from what the stats say he’s one of those set-up men (ala Kiko Calero, Ricardo Rincon).

The mormon who is also a father, told Joe Weiss of Scout.com, that "I always knew I’d make it," in May of 2004 while still a member of the Mariners organization.

Turning 30 years old in August of 2008, Todd Donovan is not your typical outfielder.  He started his career at the age of 20 with Idaho Falls of the Pioneer League 8 years ago, and has progressed to AAA since.  A career .267 hitter, Donovan was picked up by the A’s last week after being let go by the Rangers.  His career has brought him to stops like Ottawa, Akron, Bowie, Las Vegas, Mobile, and Fort Wayne to name a few.  Most recently, he played for Frisco in the Texas League.

He’s played for six different organizations, with Oakland being the 7th, never making it to the show.  He’s had chances, in Spring Training (and two stints in AAA), and with the big boys during the March training, he has a home-run, three doubles and a total of 9 hits in 36 at-bats.  Batting .250 isn’t terrible but for spring training it could be much better.  Let’s hope he shows Oakland what he’s really got, in what may be his final years as a pro ball player.

Todd Linden may not be a house-hold name to baseball fans, but his brother is in Vancouver baseball houses.  Brother of 2007 Canadians colour-man Mark, Todd has been with the other Bay-Area team his whole career, in the minor leagues.  Todd is 27 and a power-hitting outfielder.  He has a total of 85 home-runs in six minor-league seasons, to go along with eight dingers with the San Francisco Giants, after 502 plate appearances. 

He’s been anything but sloppy in the minors, with a career average of .289 but in the big leagues (and this is in a combined five years in the majors) he has batted only .231.  AAA could be the next move for him (once again) and consider this - he started 2002 in AA and hasn’t been back there since that time with Shreveport (a now defunct AA team).  That’s a long time between four clubs (Fresno - San Francisco’s AAA affiliate, San Francisco and the Florida Marlins who picked him up in the 2007 season, along with Albuquerque with whom he spent time with this year).
 

A few weeks back, when discussing the likely new Sacramento Rivercats manager at Athletics Nation, I made the following comment: 

I’m guessing Todd Steverson goes to Sac-Town
He’s marched through the system like a prospect player, and he’s had good success along the way.And if the A’s keep Robnett around, all the more reason, since Steverson has managed him at every level and should be due a shift to AAA by now.

Nailed it.

River Cats Introduce Todd Steverson as New Manager; Announce ‘08 Coaching Staff - 11/08/07
West Sacramento, Calif. - The Sacramento River Cats and Oakland Athletics named Todd Steverson as the third manager in River Cats’ history, Oakland Athletics officials announced today. Steverson replaces Tony DeFrancesco, who was named the Athletics’ third base coach in October. Pitching Coach Rick Rodriguez and Hitting Coach Brian McArn will return for their 8th and 4th seasons respectively with the team to round out the coaching staff.

Steverson, Rodriguez and McArn will be joined by Athletic Trainer Brad LaRosa in his first season both with the A’s organization and at the Triple-A level.Steverson, who spent 2007 as manager of the Athletics’ Double-A affiliate Midland RockHounds and the previous two seasons (2005-06) at the helm of the Single-A affiliate Stockton Ports, has a lifetime managerial record of 214-203.

The 36-year-old Los Angeles, Calif. native joined the A’s organization in 2004 as the hitting coach for the short-season Single-A Vancouver Canadians. He spent the previous five seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system at Single-A Palm Beach (2003), Single-A Potomac (1999; 2001-02) and Single-A Peoria (2000).Steverson had a seven-year playing career that included major-league appearances with Detroit (1995) and San Diego (1996).

He finished his minor league career in 1998 with Triple-A Memphis of the Pacific Coast League. Steverson was originally drafted out of Culver City (Calif.) High School by the Cardinals in the sixth round of the June 1989 amateur draft but elected to attend Arizona State University. Three years later, in 1992, he was a first-round draft pick (25th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays.

I love this. I talked to Steverson back in 2004 when he was with the Vancouver Canadians, and asked him if he was bothered about getting promoted through the system, or if, like pitching coach Lefty Lefferts, whether he just enjoyed coming out every summer and being down with a little ball with the kids.

He replied, "Yeah, I wanna go to the Majors again, sure. But it’s not like when you’re playing, where you’re trying to make it up a level every season or your career is over. It might take a while, so I’m going to just have fun with it, make sure I get better at it every year, and what happens happens. Either way, whether it’s short season or AAA, it’s still the best job in the world to be with a ballclub."

Regardless of his patience, Steverson has been jumping up levels as fast as most of those he’s coached, and it’s been clear the A’s like what he brings.And as someone who sat behind him all season in 2004 and listened to what he was telling players, and laughed as he’d sneakily slide ten bucks through the fence to buy tickets for the 50-50 draw between innings, and saw kids climbing all over him after games, and host families counting him and his family as friends, I can say the A’s know what they’re doing by taking guys like this into the Family o’ Muppets.

As for the rest of the Sac-town coaching staff: (more…)

I want to answer a question by Stock, regarding Dan Kilgras.  He left or was removed as president of the team on the 18th of February, and has since helped BC sports legend Joe Kapp create a website regarding the former BC Lions’ career.

Kapp’s site is informative on the former QB who wore #22 at Empire Stadium, but doesn’t mention Kilgras’ name.  I do know he helped, because Greg Douglas ran a feature about it in the Sun a few months ago.

Back to the story.  Last week I passed on info from the Oakland Clubhouse on the A’s minor league free agents, and now I can tell you the other teams’ players who will be available to every MLB team.

There are five former single-A C’s, and a pair of AAA Canadians who weren’t re-signed, as well as a few notables.

From the ‘99 Canadians, Chad Harville (Arizona) and Frank Menechino (San Diego) are done with their respective teams.  Harville was pitching in AAA Tucson this season, going 6-4 with a 3.71 ERA in 47 appearances.

The Selmer, Tennessee native last reached the MLB in 2006, and was a PCL Mid-Season All-Star this year.

Menechino was a fan favourite back in his days with the team, but his age has to be a factor in whether he’ll play pro ball again.

The soon-to-be 37-year-old split the year between Colorado (AAA) and the Portland Beavers (also AAA).  His season ended early on August 5th, no word on if he retired or was injured.  He had a .375 average this season with 3 dingers and 16 doubles in just 38 games.

2007 was a rebound year for the 5′8 infielder, after batting .193 in what might be his shortest year ever - playing in 18 games.

Two original single-A Canadians are free agents, RHP Marcus Gwyn and IF Marshall McDougall.

Gwyn has bounced around between teams in his career, and played with the LA Angels this season (appearing 3 times, accumulating a 11.81 ERA).  He had 47 chances in AAA, and he capitalized going 2-1 with an ERA of 3.79.   

McDougall has appeared in the farm systems for the Texas Rangers, Oakland A’s and most recently the LA Dodgers.  He is currently in the Mexican Winter League, playing for Naranjeros de Hermosillo.  Sporting number 50, he is batting .316 after 19 games.  In the season, with AA Jacksonville and AAA Las Vegas, he batted .283 in almost 140 games.

Marshall is married and has a son Mason, so retiring might not be the last thing on his mind.

Matt Allegra is a minor league free agent for the 2nd time, this time after being let go by the Minnesota Twins.  He batted .241 in 106 games for the AA New Britain Rock Cats.  Allegra was a home-run hitting champ with the C’s, picking up all-star honours in 2001.  I’m sure Rob Fai, who was media relations manager here during Allegra’s tenure, would agree he was a top Canadian.

The final player who is ‘free’ is Eduardo Sierra.  Known for allowing a lot of hits and having a high ERA, Sierra is in the Dominican Winter League where after two games he hasn’t allowed an earned run.  He’s still young (25) but he’s been shuffled a few times which may be concerning for GM’s.

Jamal Strong, a former Everett Aquasox top prospect, and Erubiel Durazo who was released at the start of the year by the A’s, were released by the Bronx Bombers.  Durazo should stay on with another MLB team.

And now to my favourite part of the post - Mark Kiger baby!  Kiger was sent packing by the Mets, and this follows a huge ‘argument’ between NFTN and Kigers’ family a few months ago.

It was really fun to watch (I let Chris feed the story) and no offence to the Kigers - but this can’t be a surprise.  He was battling with John McCurdy and Brant Colamarino with the Canadians and I can’t say he stepped up to the challenge.   I’m going to make an assumption - within two days his wife will come over here and yell at us for talking about him getting released.

According to her, he left under his own terms from the A’s system last year and made it seem like our fault that we didn’t know.  When I see "Released: Mark Kiger" I don’t know why he was released or how but forgive me for not knowing, geez.

So yesterday, out went a press notice from the Vancouver Canadians media office, announcing that the following day, the team would be ‘recreating’ Jeff Francis’ UBC Thunderbirds locker at Nat Bailey Stadium. The media, if they so desired, could come and take pictures.

Now, for the layman, that sounds about as exciting as watching the Minnesota Wild do defensive drills. It sounds as entertaining as watching Ben Mulroney talking about himself. It sounds as thrilling as a jumping castle with a slow leak.

But that’s why you’re the layman and Rob Fai is a media darling.

See, if you cover sport in Vancouver on a day like today, what are you going to do for a story? The Canucks aren’t playing, the Lions aren’t playing, there’s no ballgame, no NFL… it’s a dead day.

And when you’re sitting there scratching your head, dying for something - anything - to take a camera to, so as to keep the boss off your ass, well a nice little photo op, complete with a few of Jeff Francis’ old teammates for quotes, well, that’s just manna from heaven.

And they did flock. 14 separate media outlets in all jammed into the long emptied Vancouver Canadians/UBC clubhouse to take pictures of a shirt. That’s basically every media outlet in the city; radio, TV and print.

I tell you no lie, tonight as the missus was getting ready to watch her Coronation Street, she flicked through the stations, and on three of them, all at the same time, there was the C’s clubhouse, bold as brass.

Now, to be sure, there will be no tickets sold this day as a result of the morass of media. Things just don’t work out that way, and that’s why the old ownership couldn’t get the press office staff off the payroll quickly enough at the end of each season, but what they didn’t get way back then (and what most sporting organizations don’t get, to be honest) is that marketing isn’t about selling a ticket today.

It’s about building a brand. It’s about building awareness, and reminding the press that The Nat exists, and, "Yes, it DOES look wonderful now that it’s been all painted, doesn’t it? Here, have a beer and a media guide."

It’s about getting people watching TV to remember there’s a ballpark in Vancouver, and a ballteam to go with it. It’s about getting people to UBC baseball games when their season begins. It’s about making sure people are watching Jeff Francis throw in the World Series on Wednesday night, and thinking, "He’s a local kid. Wonder what other local kids we might have missed at The Nat this season?"

When Coca-Cola puts up a billboard, they know it won’t sell one single bottle of pop. Nobody will look at that sign and think "must buy a Coke right now" - ever. But if they put up enough of them, and keep the brand in your face, when you feel thirsty, what are you going to pick up?

Rob Fai, and the Vancouver Canadians management and ownership team, understand this concept, and they are playing it brilliantly.

And maybe, just maybe, if more Canadian sporting organizations played for the long term, instead of the short, we might have fewer articles like this one in circulation:

Once, near the beginning of the current century, there were sixprofessional baseball teams in Canada at the triple-A level or higher,as of Opening Day 2008 there will be just one. We all know whathappened to Les Expos de Montr?al, who bolted French-speakingCanada after the 2004 season to become the Washington Nationals. Butdid you know that Canada has also lost four high-level minor leaguefranchises? The triple-A Vancouver Canadians, Edmonton Trappers,Calgary Cannons and Ottawa Lynx have all left Canada for the UnitedStates in the last 15 years.

It left me wondering, while thepro ranks have diminished, what is the state of the game itself up inCanada? Do they even still play it up there? Or is the country sohockey mad that they a) haven’t really noticed that all the probaseball teams have gone south and b) don’t play much baseball on theyouth level any more?

It’s a great article. But it’s sad that it should ever have to be written. 

Busy times for the C’s, even though there’s nary a ball being pitched at The Nat at the moment.

The annual UBC Alumni vs UBC Thunderbirds ballgame was canceled on the weekend after the deluge that pounded the city made the outfield look like BizarroWorld’s version of California, but that was the sole piece of poor news for the C’s this week.

Our own team historian, Bud Kerr [seen above], was given an award last Thursday at the Vancouver Museum that has been a long time coming; a Heritage Vancouver Lifetime Membership, recognizing his contribution to preserving the history of Vancouver baseball.

According to The Sun, "To avoid having to sneak into Athletic Park as a kid in the 1940s, Kerr volunteered to be a scorekeeper with the Capilanos" - that’s a pretty tiny summary for a guy who has been involved with the game in this city as a player, staffer, fan, archivist and promoter for so long he can take you to the spot on 5th Ave where Vancouver’s long lost Athletic Park stood back in 1913 - the same spot he used to scale the fence to watch games.

C’s owners Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney have taken a personal interest in ensuring that Bud gets the appreciation he deserves, and have not only announced they’ll be building a museum in his name at Nat Bailey Stadium, but they’re also actively assisting him in his latest campaign; to get plaques placed at the location of each of Vancouver’s old ballparks (Considering how everything made of brass seems to get stolen by scrap metal thieves these days, might I suggest they consider plastic as an option?).

While we’re on the history front, the C’s will gather several UBC baseball alumni together in the Vancouver Canadians clubhouse to recreate Jeff Francis’ old locker, from back when he played at The Nat as a UBC Thunderbird.

Francis’ old coach, Terry McKaig, won’t be there for the ceremony, as he’s on his way to Boston to watch Francis pitch in the World Series on Wednesday (and will apparently be writing about it in the Vancouver Sun), but Brooks McNiven, Derran Watts, Brent Mutis and Cavanaugh Whiteley will be there to recount stories of ‘Frank and Beans’.

Also on Francis, according to The Sun, if you’re near UBC or Delta, you might want to stop in at a pub on Wednesday:

Mahony & Sons Public House, a UBC-based sports bar, has "a bigparty" planned for Francis on Wednesday, according to owner/managerChris Mahony.

"We’re expecting pretty close to 100 people," saysMahony. "Some of Jeff’s former UBC teammates will be there, but it’s abig party for all UBC athletes. We’ve got a lot of big-screen TVs inthe bar and everybody will be watching Jeff pitch in the game. I’m sureit’s going to be a fun time."

The recently opened bar is at 5990 University Blvd., opposite UBC’s War Memorial Gym.

TheDelta Lion Pub will also host a gathering of Francis fans on Wednesday.The pub is at 11186, 84th Ave., and is close to the Francis family home.

"Jeff’smom and dad come in here to watch most of his games," saysowner/manager Mike Mahony, who is Chris Mahony’s brother. "It’s like aWorld Series game every time Jeff’s on the mound, so Wednesday’s gameis going to be special. We’re expecting a pretty big crowd, including alot of Jeff’s friends and young baseball players in this area. They’reall Jeff Francis fans."

Good times.

KEOUGH FINDING FORM IN INSTRUCTS:
Oakland A’s Instructionals are underway, which means the best of the class of 2007 (and beyond) are in a field in Arizona being told to shift their feet and raise their elbows.

Scout.com has an interview with Oakland Farm Director Keith Lieppman, in which he says Shane Keough is showing some strong improvement in his first few days of camp.

Keith Lieppman: It?s hard to pinpointsomeone specifically because they don?t keep a whole lot of stats. Wekeep some records of it, but nothing to specific. In terms of someindividual performances, Shane Keoughis having a pretty good Instructional League. He is starting to makebetter contact and looks to be using his speed tool a little bit betterin terms of stealing bases. He is kind of getting some of the roughedges off.

OC: With Keough, do you think his struggles this season were a result of coming back from his back injury last season?

KP: No, I think with him it was just that he hadn?t played verymuch baseball in high school. He?s just somebody who hasn?t had thatmuch experience out there on the field. I think it is just a matter ofgetting the repetitions and being out there. The talent is there. Ijust think he?s just a little bit behind because he got a little bit ofan opportunity at the JC level, but prior to that, he hadn?t playedmuch.

Lieppman went on to name early 2007 C’s first baseman Sean Doolittle as someone who is mashing, and will likely move through the system fast, while 2006-7 C’s outfielder Matt Sulentic is also having a good time of things and will likely not only get back to Kane County next year, but will "definitely" stay in the outfield.

HEAVY HITTERS HURT:
Uptown Corey Brown’s injury has stopped him from getting to Instructionals, and now Amblin’ Danny Hamblin, the other half of Vancouver’s 2007 power duo, has had to pull out after injuring a groin. Also ailing is Josh Horton; The Hornet having injured his hand to the point where he can’t wear a glove, although he’s still able to swing a bat and is doing just that.

Meanwhile, Craig Italiano, who was drilled in the head with a line drive this season, seems like he’s fit and ready for action, having pitched a couple of simulated outings. You always wonder, when a kid takes a shot like that, whether he’ll be gun shy in future, so it’s good to hear about his progress.

In other injury-related news, 2004 NWL MVP and Vancouver Canadians center fielder, Javier Herrera, has been cleared to play Venezuelan Winter Ball with Caracas after two seasons riddled with injury (and suspension).

More suspicious people than I might look at Herrera’s steroid suspension two years back, and his subsequent inability to stay healthy since, and think the two might be related…

Lieppman also makes note that chronically injured 2004 C’s catcher (and 1st round draftee) Landon Powell is likely to have further troubles with his knees in the future, saying, "the chance of reoccurrence is probably great", and, even more interestingly, that the likelihood of a move to another position is not strong. "His catching skills make him what he is," says Lieppman, adding, "He?s aswitch-hitter with power and the whole thing, but with his greatreceiving skills and his throwing, there are really no other places forhim right now."

So you’ve got a guy with bad knees, who will have more knee problems, but isn’t worth shifting to another spot, so they’re going to keep him in the one place that is hardest on a guy’s knees and just see if he can luck it out? Wow - I’m not sure I’d want to be buying Landon Powell futures right now.

That said, Powell can mash. I know nobody likes to spend too much time on a DH-only guy in the minors (a la Jack Cust), since that’s the spot you’d normally put your washed up veterans, but surely it would make more sense to have Powell lose some weight and then actively push him towards first base - or even (I can’t believe I’m saying this) - third? He certainly has the throwing arm for it, and though he’d be a defensive liability, he’d be a defensive liability who could poke 30 dingers for you, from either side of the plate.

Hit the link below for more news. 

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This week several former Vancouver Canadians were released by the Oakland A’s, and they’re only the first batch of the former A’s hopeful.  There weren’t many surprises, and one NFTN told you about the day after he was released, but then again there are a surprise or two.

The first player was 2002/2003 Canadian Lloyd Turner (left) who played a variety of positions with the C’s, including 2B, 3B and the OF.  Turner was drafted out of Kennesaw in 2002 when he hit .344 with an OPS of 954 and 8 homeruns, a dinger total he’d never match until 2006 with Midland.  Turner batted .256 in his first year as a Canadian but in 2003 under Dennis Rogers’ reign, he hit .301 before getting moved up to Modesto.

He stayed with the - then - Modesto A’s until the 2005 season when he joined Stockton, a team whom he would spend the last 3 years of his career.  He would also play in Midland for a combined 148 in ‘05-’06, and a short time in Stockton this season where he hit .203 in just under 40 games.  This year he struggled in the California league as well, hitting a disappointing .230. 

After six years with the A’s, Turner gave them a bunch of playing time and unfortunately had to be cut.

The next player was Don Sutton III, who missed all of this year with a Shoulder Injury.  Scroll down the page, and you’ll find Oz’ take on his release.

Sammy Hernandez, a versatile infielder from 2006 was also let go, after being injured for the later part of 2007.  Hernandez only played in 31 games for the Kane County Cougars, after being called up from Extended Spring Training in early-June, before injuring himself in late-July.  Hernandez may not have been the most skilled guy on the field - his best average in a season was .221 with the Cougars and his combined average since coming to the states in 2005 with Arizona is a very low .216 - but he did have leadership with the Dominican guys, and his presence will be missed next season.

Two players who only had short stints in Vancouver were also told to pack their bags, Javier James and Angel Corporan.  James was an OF who came to Vancouver before guys like Justin Friend and Travis Banwart landed, but he never appeared in a game thanks to an undisclosed injury (or so it seems), leaving before the first home-stand was complete.  He ended up hitting .187 in 29 games for the Arizona A’s, .1 worse than his 2006 average of .188. 

Corporan was 1-4 in his lone game as a Canadian, and didn’t look too bad out there.  He played just two days after his NWL debut in the AZL, only to go 0-3 and not return to action thanks to an injury.  Corporan’s last game was on June 23rd, three and a half months before he was released.

Carlos Morales never played for the Canadians but over the last few years he seemed to be a candidate for a late-August call-up.  Morales hit .256 this season, which is an average most AZLers will take.  The OF/1B had 7 home-runs in 136 games as an Athletic.

RHP Brad Sullivan was also released.

INSTRUCTS/WINTER LEAGUE UPDATE:

Thanks to a couple of different sources, we’re able to provide you on some updates from the Instructional League. 

1B Dan Hamblin went down early with a groin injury and will probably miss the rest of the season. 

SS Josh Horton picked up an injury preventing him from fielding, but he is able to swing.  Hopefully he’s gotten a few dingers out already. 

Now an update from the Hawaii Baseball League:

Former Canadians SS Justin Sellers (left) and OF Jermaine Mitchell are playing for the Waikiki BeachBoys - alongside Jared Lansford another A’s prospect - and both are doing well.

Sellers, in three games, has two hits (both of which are from October 3rd), in 11 at-bats.  He has a double, 3 RBI and three runs scored.  He’s been walked twice and has stolen a base.  His average stands at .182 but in three games that means nothing.

Mitchell on the other hand, is doing exceptional.  He’s batting .500 in 4 games, going 7-14 with a triple and an RBI.  He’s been walked three times and has struck out in six of his seven at-bats that have resulted in outs.  His OPS stands at 1.231, and his slugging percentage and OBP are all over .580.

Their teammate Lansford has pitched twice, both starts, for 4.2 innings.  He hasn’t had a decision yet, but his ERA stands at an OK 3.86, and opponents are hitting just over .385 against the Livermore California native.  The soon-to-be 21-year-old pitched only once for Stockton this year because of an injury, and that was way back in April.

Here’s a contender for the Least Unexepected News Item of 2007; Don Sutton III, who we have at various times nicknamed The Angry Guy (2004) and Sugarplum (2006), was cut by the A’s yesterday.

Sutton’s baseball foray was not one that will leave a pleasant taste in his mouth, by all accounts. Drafted in 2002 in the 41st round, just out of high school, the A’s told him they’d give him all the time he needed to move up, and every chance to do so, so the catcher/1st baseman phenom decided to forego college and the chance of a later, larger payday, and instead got right into the pro game.

Sadly, Sutton never got a firm grip on the minor league ladder, spinning his wheels like Scooby Doo trying to get away from a guy in a ghost costume.

After much consideration, he signed in the spring of 2003 and went to rookie ball in Arizona, where he was awarded an all-star nod as 1st baseman, having hit 7 home runs and a .340 average. He would later move up to short season ball with the Vancouver Canadians, where his sole game action was as a late game defensive replacement as catcher, where he notched 8 put-outs and a double play without getting a swing of the bat.

2004 saw Sutton start the season in High-A ball with Modesto, but he failed to find his rhythm there, hitting for .175 with no power to speak of. His 1005 OPS of a year previous was all but halved, and so when short season ball began, Sutton was shifted back to Vancouver - where his patience clearly began to wear thin.

Stuck behind the 1-2 high-draft pick catching duo that was Landon Powell and Kurt Suzuki, Sutton was relegated to bullpen catching and the occasional start when one of the other guys was tired. Thankfully for him, Landon Powell was often tired. Unfortunately for him, Kurt Suzuki never was.

Sutton caught four games for the C’s that year, DHed on occasion, and bitched loudly at every opportunity that he wasn’t getting what he needed to excel. A strike out would bring slammed equipment on the way back to the dugout. A deep fly-out would bring yells of abuse at the pitcher-friendly dimensions of the ballpark.

Before long, Sutton was headed back to Arizona, where his form began to return (.813 OPS), but only about 19 paying customers were ever there to cheer his .241 average and four dingers.

Injuries shortened his 2005 campaign, giving him time for just 25 at bats in Arizona, although he swung the bat hard for a .320 average, and when he returned to Vancouver in 2006, folks in the know were dreading the though of how The Angry Guy might be just about ready to turn nuclear, given his halting minor league progression.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Sutton realized he was on borrowed time and had one last shot to make his climb, and he also seemed to realize that if he wasn’t going to make it to the bigs, perhaps he should enjoy the time he had left in the professional game.

Sutton began to sign autographs. Then he began to hang back after the game to sign more. Then he started befriending staff at the ballpark, and other players, and coaches - and one special girl who he decided should stay special forever.

Thus, midway through the 2006 season, Don Sutton walked out to the mound during a game and asked his girlfriend to marry him. The crowd, who once watched in silence as Sutton imploded at the plate, now went nuts in appreciation - of the man’s character, above all else.

We all knew Sutton was on his last legs with the organization in 2006, but we all rooted for him - so much so that when Sutton injured his leg midway through the season, everyone kept it quiet, the player included. "He’s just taking a few days off," the coaches said, hoping he could shake it off and get back to swinging. everyone knew a trip to the DL would end it all, so the MRIs and X-rays weren’t called for. Instead, we showed up to the ballpark each day and asked the same question, over and over; "Sutton playing today?"

And every day came the same response; "Officially, he’s resting. He has a cold. He’ll be back soon."

Sutton did get back into the lineup a few times, and he had some nice deep ‘all or nothing’ swings that beat the outfield wall, and even showed significant plate patience (13 walks to 14 K’s), but his timing was off and his contact numbers were bad, and ultimately his body just wasn’t having any more of this baseball caper; a subsequent shoulder injury ended his season early. Again.

To Oakland’s credit, they didn’t cut Sutton in 2007. They made him a promise, and they kept their end inasmuch as they saw to his injury, and his rehab, and ensured that he was fit and healthy if he wanted to continue playing ball in 2008. They just couldn’t offer him the chance to do so in the Oakland system, so he was released with a pat on the back.

Don Sutton III isn’t old. At 24 years of age, he’s still got plenty of ball in him if he chooses to take another shot at it. Maybe a healthy Sutton could find another team, or play some indie ball and get that first year rookie form back, and from there, who knows?

But whatever path he chooses, Notes From The Nat would like to take the opportunity to thank DSIII for at least giving his all with every pitch faced, every swing taken, and every baserunner gunned down. In him, we saw the best and worst of the game we love, but we also saw the maturity of a man, and a passion for ball that, frankly, a lot of more successful players will never know.

And thanks for doing it in red and blue, Don. 

Or should I say FORMER Vancouver Canadians?

The franchise that was formerly the C’s, back when the current C’s were the Southern Oregon Timberjacks, which bailed on the city when the Parks Board wouldn’t let them upgrade Nat Bailey Stadium, has continued their Yankee-like empire of Pacific Coast League wins, sweeping the New Orleans Zephyrs 3-0 as 2003 Vancouver pitcher Brad Knox took a shutout into the 8th inning on his way to a series clinching victory.

"This is a special team, this is a bunch of guys who deserveeverything," manager Tony DeFrancesco said. "They went through thissummer, we had over 180 transactions, but there’s something specialwith these guys. They came back from being down 2-0 to sweep Salt Lake.We swept a very good New Orleans team. It was a great effort by thewhole squad out there."

The River Cats, who rallied to take three straight from Salt Lake inthe first round, will face the International League champions — Durhamor Richmond — on Tuesday at the Bricktown Showdown in Oklahoma City.

2004 Vancouver Canadians outfielder Nick Blasi has been one of the big reasons the Rivercats have held it together during a tough year. And to paraphrase Kevin Smith’s Clerks, "He wasn’t even supposed to be there this year."

Sacramento, which is 9-0 in championship-clinching games, celebrated inthe infield wearing black PCL Championship T-shirts following thethree-hitter. League president Branch Rickey presented the PCL trophybefore DeFrancesco gave the MVP award to center fielder Nick Blasi, whohit .457 in the playoffs.

"He’s been consistent," DeFrancesco said. "He’s gotten a lot of bighits for us. He’s our leadoff man, our catalyst and he deservessomething at this point."

C’s alumni Gregorio Petit, Kevin Melillo (both ‘04), Brian Stavisky, Brant Colamarino and Jeremy Brown (’02) were also involved in the scoring, in what is the sixth PCL division title for the ‘Cats in their eight years of existence. 14000 fans turned out for the game.

Just think - if some of the local civic fathers (and loudmouth neighbours) had been a little more forward-thinking, we could have been watching our C’s win this game, in our city.

Alas…