Notes From The Nat

In May, the Canadians welcomed Rob Fai as the Media Relations Manager, in addition to being the broadcaster for the club on the Team 1040.  Fai was already known to Vancouver residents because of a sports-related background.

Maybe you heard about him when he was doing Canadians broadcasts on Shaw TV?  Maybe you met him way back in 1994 when he was a hot dog maker at Nat Bailey?  Media Relations guy in 2001 for the C’s?  How about News 1130’s sports guy?  The list is endless, and let’s face it, his background is one that is hard to find these days. 

A former collegiate pitcher in Indiana, Fai who is from Scarborough, moved west to Vancouver where he started a remarkable career outside of playing baseball.  In 1994, as I said, he was making hot dogs in the back.  In the late 90’s he moved up to the broadcast booth to colour commentate on the Canadians while Shaw TV produced the games.  In 2001, with Matt Allegra, Dan Johnson and Rich Harden patrolling Nat Bailey, Rob was the Meda Relations director.  And now, he’s back.  After a summer of Canadians baseball under his belt, fans are applauding his work, because it is one of - if not the - finest broadcasting in the NWL.

He’s thrown a bullpen with Jorge Fabregas, he’s shagged balls with Garrett Anderson, and he’s a friend of Rich Harden.  What more could you need that would convince you he’s baseball-savy?

I spoke with Rob after his final Team 1040 broadcast of the season, to hear his thoughts on a range of subjects.

Let me present, what is, Rob Fai Nation.

Jeremy Knight: You were a college baseball player, and now you’re the broadcaster for a Northwest League team. How do those jobs compare?

Rob Fai: I think the pressure’s the same for both. When you’re a baseball player, of course, you’re always worried about the stats and how you’re doing. That’s the same when you’re a broadcaster. You’re always making sure you know your stats, and making sure you can handle the pressure because with games like tonight in one-run ballgames, you have to make sure the fans at home understand it. The pressure’s a bit different but I think you’re striving for the same thing.

JK: Playing for the Canadian National team, do you wish you could’ve gone pro and maybe played at parks like Nat Bailey?

RF: I did play in ballparks like Nat Bailey. On the East Coast, I played in Olympic Stadium, Skydome, the difference for me not going pro was just timing. Back when I was playing, being a Canadian and getting drafted was a real rarity. The guy I played baseball with, Todd Betts was one of the highest drafted Canadians and he was drafted in the 15th round. Now we’re talking about guys like [Adam] Loewen, Jeff Francis who were drafted in the top 10 overall and that was not the case when I was playing baseball. Do I wish I could’ve gone pro? Of course I do but to play for your country, I think there’s something unique to that.

JK: Canadian baseball players, like you said, are now getting more recognition for their play. A Vancouver native who played for UBC Connor Janes was drafted in the 24th round to Arizona and had a pretty good rookie season, and with guys like Morneau, Bay to populate the sport in Canada, do you think there’s hope for another Canadian team?

RF: Do I think there’s another Canadian team on the way? Probably not but do I think there’s motivation, absolutely. You see kids when they’re dropping names not just guys from their provinces, but are from their own area. Now you’ve got Harden from Victoria, Bay from Trail, kids from the Lower Mainland, Loewen from the Lower Mainland, all those guys are from one neck of the woods. If you’ve played baseball in BC you have someone to lookup to and they have coaches that have gotten them there. That, for me, is one thing that gets forgotten. Yeah, those guys have gone onto play professional baseball but who got them there?

Some of those guys didn’t take the big college route, Jeff Francis played at UBC, Adam Loewen pretty much a young gun, [Ryan] Dempster never went to university but then you look back to who develops them and that to me is as much motivation. Now you can play for the Langley Blaze or the Trail Smokeaters, and you can get into these programs at a young age that can give you a legitimate shot to get looked at by a scout. I never got looked at, I was up in Canada, we didn’t even have a regional scout! That’s really what it comes down to. Will you be seen. Realistically, only if you got into some American tournaments did you get seen. A lot of good talent got passed by.

JK: Growing up who was your favorite MLB team?

RF: Actually, I was a Jays guy. Maybe, I shouldn’t say that. Half Blue Jays, half Minnesota Twins. I was such a big Kirby Puckett fan, I just loved them. The worst-to-first when they were worst in ‘90 and they came back to win the World Series in ‘91, as a kid that was the coolest thing ever. But if you grow up in Toronto, I was a teenager for the ‘92, ‘93 World Series, Jays for life man. Even though I’ve fallen out watching them as much as I did since moving out to Vancouver, I still follow them as much as I can.

JK: You’re in Vancouver as the Canadians broadcaster, and last week I read an article where you said if the Jays ever called you about their play-by-play job you’d seriously consider it - what would you do?

RF: If the Blue Jays came calling? I’d take it in a heartbeat. The only reason is, not because it’s a move up for me, it’s just that I think every kid has a dream of playing for their hometown team. I’m obviously never going to play pro ball, much-less for the Blue Jays, but I think the next best thing is being a broadcaster. You have such an intimate relationship with the players, I mean the things that I’m apart of and understand, it’s almost like I’m a part of the team.

If the Blue Jays came knocking and Jerry Howarth retired, actually Jerry’s a very good friend of mine now, and I sent a lot of tapes to him to see what he thinks. It’s a very remote one-day possibility that my name would be put in the mix just because of the relationship that I’ve built with them.

JK: The Ottawa Lynx just finished their final game in minor league baseball, and next year Vancouver will be the only franchise in Canada. Being apart of that organization, is it something to be proud of after eight or nine Canadian teams were around a few years ago?

RF: I think it’s a little bit bittersweet. I’m proud to be a member of the Vancouver Canadians, regardless of if we’re the only team in Canada, but I think now it’s kind of interesting. Let me put this into perspective for you, everyone else is decling when we’re increasing. Our numbers are up from last year, we just signed a new PDC with the Oakland A’s so there will be baseball here for at least another three years. I think for me, that’s what makes me proud.

We’re an organization on the rise, but I feel so bad for diehard fans in Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Hamilton, Welland, all of those cities that have fallen by the wayside. Am I proud? Yeah, but probably not because we’re the last team standing. More so, on what we’re building.

JK: In 2001, when you were the Media Relations manager here, you had the opportunity to be with guys like Neal Cotts, Mike Wood who are now in the Major Leagues. Neal Cotts, won a World Series, and now in 2007 with guys like Corey Brown, Lance Sewell, Sean Doolittle, who will probably make it big someday, how do some of those guys compare from the past and the present on how they play.

RF: That’s a really good question. I think for me the difference was how much wiser I am this time around. In 2001 I was still in my 20’s doing this job, and I was in a little over my head. The one guy that really taught me a lot was Rich Harden. I mean, Neal Cotts was a really quiet guy, Mike Wood if memory serves me correct left before the end of the season so I don’t know if my relationship with him developed the way mine did with Rich.

Me and Rich talk on the phone almost every second week, we talk all the time about what’s going on, what’s new and girlfriends, life and just everything. I think this time around, and you do see some similarites. Almost an eery similarity between Dan Johnson in 2001 and Dan Hamblin from 2007. Not only in the way they play and the position they play but their demeanor it’s unique.

I think some of these guys will become pros, and I’ve learned to slow down and enjoy those conversations. I’ve had them take pictures, I’ve had them do autographs, because these are special moments and the good ones, we’ll never see again here in Vancouver. I think this time around, I’ve learned to appreciate things a bit more.

JK: If memory serves correct, you were one of the colour guys for the Shaw TV broadcasts back when they covered the Canadians, I remember watching those when I was four years old to see myself on TV, and then there’s Kevin Cady and Rob Fai. You’ve seen guys like Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson pitch here, is it nice to know that now they’re enjoying big major league careers?

RF: [Laughs] Boy, you’ve done your homework man. Yeah, I think back then when I was the colour guy I was overwhelmed by how good that team was. You look back at some of the names that were on that team, the two names you just dropped and you have a phenomenal baseball team.

The beauty of my job back then with Shaw, was I got to do the post-game interviews in the clubhouse. So, you’d really get to talk. I remember interviewing Jack McDowell, there’s a guy that won two Cy Young’s and came down here for a stint. But my greatest memory at Nat Bailey Stadium - and I’ll send this in a different direction, this is a story I haven’t really told a lot of people.

Back in 1994, I had just come to Vancouver, like just gotten here. This was before the National Baseball Institute and all that stuff, I needed a summer job. And my first job at Nat Bailey Stadium, 1994, I made hotdogs in the back for the whole season and nobody knows that, because I’ve just never gotten around to it. One day, I had my Team Canada bag with me, and I think the General Manager was Jack O’Halleren back then, and he walked by and noticed the bag.

He went, "You play baseball." I said, "Yeah, I play baseball." And he goes, "You play a pretty high level of baseball". I said, "Well yeah I’m working on it, I’m still young." He told me he was pretty good friends with the Pitching Coach Gary Ruby, so one day he said bring your bag and sure enough he brought me out on the field, and Jorge Fabregas caught for me. I don’t know if he was happy about it, because he had a thousand things to do, and sure enough the guy was true to his word.

And that memory, after I threw the bullpen, Gary said why don’t you just go and shag balls. I turned around and there was Jim Edmonds, Garrett Anderson, Darin Erstad, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was.

And as I look back on that moment, that was what 13 years ago, I was so lucky and when I walk by - now that I have one of the higher-up positions - everytime I walk by a Hot Dog vendor or a Hamburger vendor, I still remember being there and I try to treat them as good as I can because maybe one day they’ll become a broadcaster, you never know. Interesting story, that’s a good question man.

JK: So are you saying you could’ve made a hot dog for Troy Percival?

RF: [Laughs] You know, I think I might have. The first free hot dog I gave away was to Ernie Riles and I don’t know if you remember the name but it was funny. He couldn’t find his wallet, and I don’t know if that was a ploy on his part to try and get a free one, but I remember giving him one saying that anyone who makes it to the show gets a free dog. But yeah, Troy Percival was probably on that list as well.

That was such a great time, I got to love that, and one of the guys I actually got to meet was Chris Pritchett and because he’s the hitting coach I can still pull an interview - VHS tapes - to show him one of my first interviews and how bad I was. And seeing how funny it was, so we laugh about that now.

JK: Are you planning on being back with the team as Media Relations Director next year?

RF: Yeah, I mean this was a job that when I left News 1130, I wanted them to know I wanted it to be a full time deal. If it was just a summer job, I wouldn’t have left because I had a pretty good job and good hours, and everything was good. It was right when the Canucks were getting ready for Training Camp, and they asked me what I was going to do. But I love it here, and Andy Dunn who’s a consultant/master of all tasks has said they’re happy with me so I guess it’s more of a question of if they’ll have me back. Because, I know if they would, I’d love to come back. I’d love to be here, doing it for as long as I can so that when people think of the radio, my name’s the first one to come to them.

JK: Thanks very much.

Justin Frash reminds me a lot of Isaac Omura. The two share a lot of characteristics - they’re both infielders, they both played for the C’s (Omura in 2005, Frash this season), they’re both short (in pro ball terms, at least), they both attended the University of Hawaii, they both wear/wore the number 4, and they both struggled with their first taste of life as professional baseballers.

Hopefully, that’s not where the similarities end, as Omura followed his weak debut season with the sort of en fuego form that earns you a couple more seasons in the system, and Justin Frash has just recently been getting a whiff of the same sort of comeback about him.

But what causes a kid who hit .340 in college to struggle at the below-Mendoza level? Well, if you believe what Frash told his hometown Camarillo Acorn newspaper today (and there’s no reason not to), the wear and tear of everyday ball is a prime factor:

"I’ve talked with everybody on the team, and most of us say that we never thought pro ball would be like this when we thought about playing," Frash said.

"It’s a grind on your body every day. It’s hard. You’ve got to get your sleep and eat right because it’s difficult to be ready to play day after day. You really have to get yourself physically prepared. That’s what I’m trying to get used to."

After playing in all 59 games for Hawaii as a senior, Frash only had a little bit of time off before joining Vancouver. All told, the Canadians will play 76 games in 79 days this season, with their campaign wrapping up on Sept. 5 against the Everett AquaSox.

"You look forward to the offdays," he said.

You know, truth be told, if you told me I could sleep with a supermodel every day but I could only miss three days in 79, I think I’d be pretty much destroyed at about day 18. To lift weights, train, and play ball at a high level, every single day, for almost three months straight… no matter how much you love the game, no matter how hard you’ve trained for it, that’s going to be brutal.

Frash said he’s eager to improve while in Vancouver, with the hopes of being invited to Oakland’s instructional camp during the winter. In a perfect world, he’ll spend the early part of 2008 at the Athletics’ spring training complex, working out with the big leaguers.

"A lot of people don’t get to play pro baseball," he said. "I’m going to take as much as I can out of it."

Good luck, Ham.

One of the great things about the change of scenery at Nat Bailey Stadium this season has been the phenomenal job being done by the retooled and ultra-professional C’s media department.

It’s gotten so that I know that if I miss a game, I can turn on CTV news and get a scoreline, or I can tune into TEAM1040 and hear Rob Fai’s nightly wrap-up of the game, or even catch the box scores and wrap-up in the Prov or Sun.

These things used to be as random as Don Taylor’s opinions, but this season they can be counted on like the sun rising in the east, or Sportsnet showing poker or sailing when there’s a great ballgame being played somewhere.

Today I came home from lunch, turned on TEAM1040 (which I never did before this year - ever), and lo and behold, they’re interviewing Vancouver Canadians manager Rick Magnante [seen above] - and not just 35 seconds on whomever hit well the previous night, but an extended interview that touched on everything from the drag of riding buses all over the Pacific Northwest, to Magnante’s surprise that more coaches and players aren’t killed by flying foul tips.

What’s that, you say? You missed it?

No, you didn’t.

Enjoy.

After Monday’s game, when Junkball Jenkins ripped through the opposition like a man possessed, he had a few words with Canadians radio caller, Rob Fai.

What follows is a (very, very) rough transcript, so you can get a little more insight into how the kid operates.

Q: You seem to line hitters up by going after them with breaking stuff, and then surprising them with the fastball. Is that your usual method?
A: Oh yeah, when you get out there you use your strengths, so we do a lot of backwards fishing. I don’t throw very hard but I have good breaking stuff, so when you get those curveballs, the fastball will creep up on you.

Q: You piled on the K’s tonight, is that something you’ve done a lot of in school?
A: Well I’ve always been known as a strikeout pitcher, in college and high school, so I came from college with the same mentality; use my fastball late in counts, and that seems to be working right now.

Q: You seem to have a real swagger about you on the mound, like you’re in control. Is that a conscious thing?
A: Oh yeah, that’s 50% of the game, if you can let your teammates know you’re confident and not worried about letting up on the hitter, people can sense that, and it can turn the game around.

Q: Tonight’s win must have felt good after the recent run of losses.
A: Yeah, it’s nice to come away with one. We kept the runners from scoring and put the win on the board today, and hopefully that builds from here. 

I really like this guy. His performance the other night brought back memories of Dallas Braden striking out 8 and 10 and 12 hitters back in 2004 with a screwball nobody could touch. He doesn’t throw hard, but he knows how to keep a hitter on edge with everything else in his arsenal, and he makes them work to get to base.

If his next outing is anything like this one, he won’t stick around at this level for long.

Two seasons ago I posted on this blog that people needed to get out to The Nat to see Travis Buck in what was likely his last game for the Vancouver Canadians. It was obvious he was headed up through the system. It was obvious he was a different class. And it was obvious that, one day, Travis Buck, that kid fresh out of college with a flurry of hair and a frame built for hitting, would be considered a superstar of the game.

That night the C’s drew maybe 2500 people to what was, indeed, his last game in our fair stadium

If Travis Buck came back to play at The Nat today, the place would sell out. Why? Because WonderBuck is a bona fide major league superhero now, and he proved that tonight by killing the New York Yankees while wearing Oakland green and gold.

The Oakland A’s had been neck and neck with the Yankees going into thebottom of the 9th when Buck came to the plate with Jason Kendall on first base. The signal came in - "sac bunt, young Travis."

The kid did as asked, pushing Kendall along to a scoring position without a problem, betraying his age and lack of experience like he’d been in the bigs for a decade; alas the A’s couldn’t deliver a run in the two outs remaining.

They managed to keep the Yankees scoreless, however, and the tie stayed in place going into the bottom of the 11th when Buck came up with one out on the board and nobody on.

The first pitch from Yankee reliever Brian Bruney was an 86mph changeup that went for a called strike on the outside of the plate. Bruney has a tendency to hit the plate with a fastball on his first pitch just about every time, but Buck didn’t feel compelled to swing. He did as the A’s have been telling him to do since he became a pro - watch the first one, get your eye in, and wait for your pitch.

The next pitch came in, a 93mph fastball outside for a ball. The third pitch was once again straight, and once again hit 93mph, for a low called strike.

With the count at 1-2, Buck might have started to panic. He might have got twitchy. But he didn’t. He kept his head, watched another change-up drift juuuuust a little outside and leveled the count at 2-2.

The kid has been in the big leagues for a week or so, and here he is, game on the line, and he’s taking a close pitch with the count at 1-2 - that’s just insane!

And you’d have to think that’s exactly what was going through Brian Bruney’s mind - "He won’t swing at that? He doesn’t want to swing. He wants to walk. So the next one goes down the middle."

In it came, 86mph again, almost the exact same spot, only this time Buck was waiting on it. Swing, slam, line drive to center past Johnny Damon. Buck rounds first base - Buck rounds second base, and as Damon’s throw knuckleballs in to the cut-off man, the kid sprawled out in search of third, dodging the tag and lighting up the Coliseum.

The A’s didn’t waste the opportunity, with Mark Ellis getting hit by a pitch, and Nick Swisher being intentionally walked to load the bases before Bobby Kielty squibbed one out for a fielder’s choice that allowed Buck to roar home for the winning run.

Game to the A’s - 5-4 in the 11th inning.

Here’s what Buck had to say on KIFR after the game:

"Ever since I was little my dad was a big Yankees fan and it kinda rubbed off on me. We loved the Yankees growin’ up, and I really looked up to Don Mattingley, and he just went out there and did his business, and as time grew I became a Jeter fan now. I wanted to go out there pretty calm, knowing I was going to face guys I looked up to, but I tried to act like it was just another game."

"Igawa was solid because he threw all of his pitches for strikes, worked in and out of the count, especially coming off his first start where he got roughed up a little bit, I was just really excited to get in there against a left-hander. I’ve always done really well with left handers, makes me concentrate a lot more, so it was something I was looking forward to."

"All the pitches that [Bruney] was throwing were really hard, and the pitches that I saw before for other guys, the change-ups were sinking. And he started me off with a change-up that didn’t sink, he threw it for a strike, and you know, and then there was a couple of fastballs, and the next change-up he threw was right up there, middle in, so I don’t know if he was trying to use it as an out pitch, but after seeing the first couple, I really waited back and drove it into the gap. Right when I hit it, I saw it went into the gap and Damon doesn’t have that strong of an arm, so I figured, you know, why not test him?  It was 11th inning, we needed something to get going, and fortunately enough I just had enough speed to beat the throw."

"[Crossing the plate] was great. Especially after a few nights ago when Elly hit the winner, there was plenty of jumping, all those guys coming to me was pretty fun, so it’s obviously something I’ll look forward to more in the future. It was just a matter of time before we all started to click, and it started off pretty slow this game, but we kept on battling, kept on rooting for each other, trying to pump each other up and it was just a matter of time until we started to break out with Chavy and Swish’s homeruns.

Did you get that? The guy’s a rookie, it’s the 11th inning, he’s just watched a 1-2 pitch at the corner slide by for a ball, and now he’s decided that he’s going to test out an all-star’s arm (albeit Johnny Damon’s arthritic dangler) and bust a double into a triple.

This kid has some stone cajones. And another Vancouver Canadian graduates to the big time.

We’ve been catching up on some long-delayed housework of late, going through old posts and fixing their formatting to suit the current WordPress site. Along the way, we’ve recategorized some old player interviews that I figure are worth reminding folks of, now that the players involved are (mostly) ripping through the Oakland minors on their way to The Show.

So what better opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and remember these guys when they were Vancouver Canadians:

JOE NEWBY - The Newb is listed as being headed for the Kane County bullpen. When we spoke to him, he was enjoying the first few weeks of his pro career.

Q: Ever get tempted to come up with a Satchel Paige mystery pitch?

A: Ha! I?d like to, but every time I try something funky the coaches tell me, ?There?s no way you?re throwing that in a game.?

Q: Ever tempted to defy them and let one go anyway?

A: Every once in a while, like, when a guy starts fouling a bunch of balls off, you?ll think, ?Well, I?ve been working on this, maybe I?ll try it now, but??

CHAD BOYD: Tum-Tum will start 2007 in Stockton, but he had crowds in Vancouver on their feet on a regular basis during the two seasons in which he played at The Nat in 2005-6. When he first talked to us, the conversation got around to how he got his nickname:

Q: The Tum-Tum story ? are you amazed at how far that?s traveled?

A: Well, that was a movie I did, I was a stunt double in 3 Ninjas Kick Back when I was a kid, and I enjoyed it, had a lot of fun, so they can go by whatever name they want. You know, in Oregon, the Eugene fans were calling me Tum-Tum, I don?t know how they got a hold of it, but I like the name.

Q: As far as nicknames go, it?s a lot better than most.

A: Oh yeah, definitely better than what I could have got. Tum-Tum I can stick with, because it came from a fun moment in my life.

ISAAC OMURA: The Flyin’ Hawaiian is preparing for his second season in Kane County at the moment, having hit a mean streak of contact hitting last season that caught just about everyone by surprise. when he talked to us in 2005, we asked him about a bus trip that included two break downs, 12 hours in delays, sweatbox weather and a rank odour or two…

Q: The bus back from Eugene that broke down, took half a day to get home, 100 degrees inside? I?ve been asking around who smelled ripest at the end of it all.

A: Haha! I think we were all? [A few seconds of silence] Yeah, Recker.

TRAVIS BUCK: WonderBuck debuted as a Major Leaguer for Oakland last week, but back in 2005, when he was in Vancouver briefly before shooting up to Kane County, he talked of his first taste of The Show:

Q: You took batting practice in Oakland for a day before they shippedyou up here, that must have been a little bit of an eye-opener?

Buck: Oh yeah! I went last Friday, I went down and took BP,hung out at the big league club, got a feel for the guys and how theyrun their organization. It was a lot of fun, there?s a whole bunch ofyoung guys in the clubhouse, and they enjoy playing baseball. They knowit?s a game, you know? They can have fun with it, but when they step onthe field, they know it?s all about business.

Q: Did anyone from the big club take you under their wing?

Buck: Oh yeah, Mark Kotsay, Swish, being an outfielder I hung out with them a lot and they were great. They just told me to just ?do what got you here and you?ll be fine,? so that?s what I?m doing. It was nice to get that chance to see what it?s like in the big leagues, and they were really welcoming.

HAAS PRATT: The Burning Map jumped a few levels last season as Oakland tried to get a handle on where they wanted him to play - first base, DH or catcher (or outfielder, or closer, or…). When we spoke to him in 2005, he’d just experienced a power explosion that had the NWL talking.

Q: You seem to have no problem getting over the wall here, are you trying to keep it down or gun for the fences?

A: No, my game plan is to stay on top of the ball and hit line drives, and the ball will take care of itself. If they get the pitch up a little bit and you stay on top of it, you get a little backspin and it carries. Not something I?m really trying for, just a sign that my timing is right, I think.

There’s more: Mike Massaro, Fearless Affronti, Jermaine Mitchell, Prowling Greg Dowling…

Terry Bell, one of the two local sports beat writers who cover baseball in Vancouver, and a very nice guy to Matt and myself, came out with a very cool piece today on Larry Cobb in the Vancouver Province.

Since I don’t know how to post the link, and the story is subscriber-protected, I’ll just log in, then cut-n-paste, legal consequences be damned.

Enjoy it on the other side.
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One of the great success stories for this season has come from firstbase, where the strong frame of Greg Dowling has held down a spot foralmost the entire season.

Though Don Sutton played a few games at 3, Dowling managed to endure afirst month slump, turn his form around, and quickly bump his averageup from the .160 range to a Dan Johnson-esque .296 in quick time.

So with the D-Bomb slowly moving into the clean-up role, we figured itwas time to go down to the locker rooms and collar the kid who isturning season 2006 into the year of Dowling.

The full interview follows:
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One of the early success stories for the Vancouver Canadians this year was Mike Affronti, who came out of the gate like a cannon shot, sucking up groundballs like a vacuum cleaner, and showing great poise with the bat.

Affronti has struggled a little since, perhaps feeling the pressure of 10th round draftee Christian Vitters, who could be taking his spot on the field shortly, just as soon as he recovers from a broken thumb suffered in the college season. Vitters is taking fielding practice right now, so with changes potentially afoot, we talked to Affronti about his early experiences at the ballpark in the A’s system.
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After tonight’s 3-4 game, Jermaine Mitchell wandered up to the Nat Bailey Stadium rooftop and had a chat with TEAM 1040’s callers, and I just happened to have my laptop handy, so I transcribed what went down for your perusal.

It was a pretty interesting conversation, though the J-Train does play his cards a little close to his chest.

Enjoy.

TEAM1040: Big performance for you tonight, 3-4, how’d you feel?
JERMAINE MITCHELL: I felt great, we knew it was going to be a big game, a tough fight, we figured we had to do everything right, and in the end we came in with the upper hand.

1040: You kinda got creamed last night, was the team looking for vengeance?
JM: Yeah, we took it to heart, we knew we had to play better today. They got all the breaks last night, and in the end we got them tonight.

1040: When did you know the A’s were interested in you?
JM: I found out about halfway through last season, the A’s area scout came to talk to me, but actually I didn’t think they were going to draft me. I thought the Reds were going to draft me, so it was a shock, but I’m happy to be here. I love the organization.

1040: How did you handle the transition from the college game?
JM: The transition has been difficult, I started well here, then hit a slump, and had to figure out how to get out of that. It was hard to do but that’s part of the learning process, figuring out what you’re doing wrong. The past two games I’ve been seeing the ball real well, being relaxed, driving to the opposite side of the field, so I think I’m back in form.

1040: How are you enjoying the big outfield out here?
JM: It’s great, it’s a big outfield, and the wind helps a lot. It holds the ball up for you so you can run up under it.

1040: You must be loving the pitching you’ve got working for you here.
JM: The pitching’s been great, my hat’s off to them. If it weren’t for the pitchers, we wouldn’t be in as many ballgames as we have been. We know we just have to put up runs, and we’ll be in the ballgame, which really helps.

1040: How are you enjoying playing in Vancouver?
JM: It’s not bad, it’s a lot bigger than where I’m from. Where I’m from, it’s a population of about 200, so everybody knows everybody. It has it’s ups and downs.

1040: Are you expecting to be moved up to Kane County any time this season, or are you here for the year?
JM: Yeah, I’m just taking it one day at a time, trying to perform at my best every day.

1040: How’s the team chemistry going?
JM: We’re real close down there - a lot closer than I was with my team back in Greensboro. We get along real well, and that’s helping us on the field, with communicating and staying competitive.

1040: Who is your best bud down there?
JM: Probably Andre Piper-Jordan.

1040: Do you look at the standings?
JM: If we win, the ring is a big incentive. If we win the incentive is there, so while the standings don’t bother us, we’re aware of them. We just play at our best and if we play at our best, we can beat anyone.

1040: Do you think you could be using your speed more than you are?
JM: [pause for thought] Yeah, I could use it more. I could steal more bases.

1040: Have you talked to Rick Magnante about that?
JM: No, I haven’t. It’s just my idea. I do what I’m told.

A few weeks before Vancouver hitting coach Ben Winslow was due toarrive in Vancouver, Notes From The Nat had the scoop that he’d notonly been dating former Canadians press honcho Leanne Cass, and had notonly got engaged to her, but had actually just married her in a quietrural setting. At the time, it was a giant scoop - we even hadpictures!

But out of respect to Benny, we decided to wait until the news was outthere a little before talking about it in public - after all, a guy’sprivate life is his private life.

Well, last night after Vancouver’s loss to Eugene, Benny the Jet talkedto the TEAM 1040 guys and told the entire city the news that a selectfew had known previously - he has a Mrs Winslow in tow.

So congratulations to the happy couple - both are tremendous folks,clearly head over heels for each other, and if any one person in theA’s organization deserves to find true happiness, it’s a selfless dudelike The Jet.

Thankfully, I’m a pretty fast typer, so I managed to transcribe theinterview on the fly, and though it’s not word for word exact (hey, I’mnot THAT fast), it’s pretty darn close. Enjoy.
Was there anything positive to come out of yesterday’s game?

BW: Well, the good thing about this game was the weather was reallynice, and when you’re in the batter’s box and the girls are out waitingfor you in the stands, and the sun is out, everything’s okay, you know?(laughs) Actually, it was pretty bad, but we’re not worried about it.It’s one game.

The C’s have hit a bit of a slump though…

BW: Yeah, we’re not too good right now. We were running hot bats butright now we have become ice cold. That’s baseball, that’s somethingevery hitter goes through, ups and downs, cold streaks, but we havegood pitching and are looking forward to the future. I think once acouple of guys break out of slumps, we’ll start winning a lot ofballgames.

You lost Chad Boyd and Toddric Johnson to Kane County - how do you feel when you lose a couple of guys like that?

BW: It’s a mixed reaction. There’s three parts of it as a player -you’re obviously excited for the guy, you’re sad it’s not you, andyou’re sad you’re losing him in the lineup. That’s a bunch of emotionsgoing on, but it’s really about development here, you know? We’re moreconcerned with that guy playing in the majors, than we are about himwinning in Vancouver. That’s the reality.

You’ve got Matt Sulentic, however, to take their place…

BW: Yeah, that guy, I tell ya, he works his tail off and it’s fun towatch. He’s always pulling coaches and guys into the cage and he’s like"throw to me", which is awesome. He’s a high school kid, so he has someserious work to do in the outfield, but as far as hitting, he’s top ofthe high schoolers in the country and he’ll be something special.

What about your new lead-off guy, Larry Cobb?

BW: He’s the scrappiest dude you’ll ever find as a lead-off man. Iswear, he was born in a junkyard, he’s all sorts of tough. He just getsit done, no matter how ugly he might have to get to make it happen, hegets it done.

And Jermaine Mitchell…

BW: I tell you, you dont wanna blink when Mitchell is in the batter’sbox, he hits the ball, he gets on base, and when he does, he’s one ofthe fastest guys I’ve played with - he just flies, so even when his batis cold, he’s a chance to get on base and score.

How did you get to become a coach in Vancouver?

BW: I went to college and that didn’t pan out too well, but a littlelater I thought I had a chance to play, so I knocked on Oakland’s door,they let me in to try out, and I spent three seasons running aroundlike a crazy guy. They gave me a contract and decided I was good enoughto coach, and they’ll probably rethink that seeing how we’re hittingright now. (laughs)

You were a bit of a utility guy when you played, right?

BW: Oh yeah, I lied my ass off, tole them I played everything. I wasalways second baseman in college, but I lied and said, sure, I can playthird. Yeah, I can take first, outfield, pitching… Just play me.They’re like, ‘We’ve got an injured guy, can you play that position?’and I’m all ‘Oh yeah, I play that spot, send me out there, coach.’

Rick Magnante: discuss.

BW: He’s an amazing professional, so articulate, so precise, a greatmanager, just incredible to be around and learn from. When we get in aset routine, get the guys used to bus trips and playing every day, youcan bet we’ll have a good season with him running the show.

Talk about the transition for these guys to wooden bats.

BW: well, nowadays most colleges are using wood through their seasons,taking batting practice, summer ball, etc, so there’s a change, butit’s not as big a change as it once was. to be sure, you’ve gotta takea better swing with wood.

What do you think of talk that the C’s might bring in the outfield wall?

BW: I think it would ruin it. (laughs) Not ruin it, the atmosphere hereis amazing for baseball, but that’s part of the aura of this place, thebig outfield. It’s almost mythical in how far you have to hit a ball.

Should they just bring in the center field maybe, so people might hit the occasional home run to center?

BW: Oh, center field happened when I was here. But I hit it from secondbase. (laughs) They should keep it how it is, maybe clean up the wall alittle, shoot down some of those birds so there’s less poop out thereto roll around in. But it’s fine as it is, I think.

This is your first time in the press box, right? have you been here before?

BW: No, I haven’t, I love it up here. My wife used to watch me from uphere, she used to watch me play. Well, I didn’t play much but shewatched me. My behind looks really good from up here, I guess.

That’d be Ms Cass?

BW: Ms Winslow now. Yeah.

You’re still pretty young, right?

BW: Yeah, I’m not much older than the guys I’m coaching, and I actuallyplayed with a couple of these guys. Obviously I was their father figureand still am, so it feels good to feed them knowledge and… No, I’mgoofing off, but I did play with some of the guys down there, andthey’re pretty respectful, despite that.

What’s behind the C’s hitting slump of late?

BW: Well, I’ve always said that hitting as a team is indicative of thecoaching, and I struck out a ton when I was playing, so clearly they’relearning plenty from me. What are ya gonna do?

The errors aren’t helping…

BW: Again, I made a lot of errors too. Blame me. It’s all my fault. (laughs)

Thanks Benny.

LITTLE ARTICLE ON MANZUETA
Lyndon Little of The Sun continues to be Vancouver journalism’s go-to guy when it comes to mainstream press coverage of the Vancouver Canadians.Scribes from The Province have managed to visit Nat Bailey Stadiumtwice so far this season (which is better than last year, but a longway from great), but Little is there every game, looking for a storyeven when a story is tough to find.

Case in point: yesterday’s game. Pascuel Manzueta was decent on themound for the C’s, but far from dominant, and while the bats scoredruns, nobody really lit things up - at least nobody who hasn’t alreadybeen intereviewed this week. So Manzueta got the nod for today’spost-game interview.

Here’s a chunk, courtesy of your friendly Nat Bailey Stadiumbeer-hawkers, who remind you to always tip your servers, lest they beforced to sing the "[insert name here] is a Butthead" anthem to you infront of your friends, family and co-workers:

Not only was Manzuetta making his pro debut off the Island, buthe’s also coming off elbow surgery that cost him the entire 2005season. "No, I wasn’t nervous," insisted Manzuetta, with fellowDominican Keith Eusebio acting as interpreter. Manzuetta scatteredseven hits and let his defence do most of the work. The C’s scratchedout the winning run in the fourth after Jermaine Mitchell scored on apassed ball.

There’s more, but not much more. And that’s the problem withinterviewing guys that don’t speak a lot of English. My only JavierHerrera interview during the 2004 season went kinda like this:

Me: So you ran into the wall and nearly killed yourself last year. Tell me about that.
Him: …. It was bad.
[long period of silence]
Me: Okay, does it make you worry when you come close to the wall now?
Him: …. No.
[long period of silence]
Me: What did you injure exactly?
Him: [shrug] … I got hurt.
[long period of silence followed by click of ’stop’ button on my tape recorder]

PIEKARZ CREAMS OPPOSITION IN MIDWEST LEAGUE
Joe Piekarz didn’t just have a good day yesterday, he had a career day. According to Scout.com,"Piekarz turned in one of the best starts of the year on Friday when hestruck out 11 in eight innings in the Kane County Cougars’ 6-0 win overthe Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He didn’t walk a batter and allowed onlythree hits. Isaac Omura had four hits and three RBI to pace Piekarz,who moved to 3-1 on the season with a 1.95 ERA. Joe Newby worked aone-two-three ninth to close out the win."

Great to see not only Piekarz hitting his stride (he’s 3-1, 1.95 on theseason), but Newby ably supporting him (he’s 2-0, 4.02 on the year).And if you really wanna get your mind blown, two other stat lines fromthe game warrant a mention:

Isaac Omura: 4-5, 2B, 3B, 2R, 3RBI - .284 average
Frank Martinez: 3-4, 3B, BB, 2R - .265 average

Which just goes to prove the point that the guys that get riddenhardest by this blog, end up being better for it. As we saw today whenExxon Valdez hit a homerun for the C’s.